"We're a heavy metal band, pure and simple", explains Vicious Rumors guitarist Geoff Thorpe when asked to describe his groups musical approach. 'We may not be doing anything completely new or innovative, but we like to mix really aggressive heavy metal music with a lot of melody, and that's what separates us from other bands out there."

Since Vicious Rumors inception in the early 80's, the San Francisco based quintet have been developing a reputation for producing some of the classiest metal this side of the Atlantic. Drawing influences from such classic groups as Judas Priest and Iron Maiden as well as the more tasteful modern metal meisters like Metallica and Queensryche, the Rumors approach has won them considerable critical acclaim but has yet translate into the sort of record sales worthy of their veteran status..

"Sure it gets a little disappointing sometimes knowing how much time and work we put into each album that we do," admits guitarist Mark McGee, " but at the same time, we had a really good year last year, coming from relative obscurity on the Shrapnel label (who issued VR's first two LP's, Soldiers of the Night/1986 and Digital Dictator/1988 and just making a mark on a label like Atlantic that has such a huge roster, it's like jumping into a bigger pond. Every year it gets better and better, and we're looking for the next step up this year."

Currently on tour in support of their latest, and arguably finest release to date, Welcome to the Ball (their fourth overall, and second for Atlantic), Vicious Rumors (completed by bassist Dave Starr, drummer Larry Howe and vocalist Carl Albert) are convinced that their musical diversity will ultimately result in a far healthier long term future for the band. "We're doing what we believe in, so it's very real for us," explains Thorpe. "We've never been the type of band that jumped on trends, like say the Faith No More funk/rap/metal sort of thing; that's just one of the newer ones, we've always done exactly what we wanted to do, and we think that, in the long run, this attitude will pay off for us."