Now the first time I kame akross Vicious Rumors was way bakk in the early Eighties. I first heard them on the legendary KUSF Metal radio station (Hi Ron and Skian!) and then later read about them in that wakky fanzine Metal Mania, run by Ron Quintana. Bakk in these days Vicious Rumors were far more, dare I say it, TRASHY, don't ask me why, but they were, and I recall seeing them several times and being mightly immpressed with Geoff Thorpe, who if I'm not mistaken is the only surviving member from their trash era. Now in the mid 80's a young geetar god kalled Vinnie Moore appeared on the scene and needed a band to launch his kareer and Vicious Rumors were the perfekt baby. The only trouble was, he made their debut album (the aforementioned "Soldiers of the Night") a very tedious affair, littering it with his high whining geetar and tedious solos, the kut "Invader" being a prime example of snoozeeham.

Luckily Geoff Thorpe realized this too, and hence the all-new-look Vicious Rumors- and what an improvement. Mark McGee has certainly added that extra bite that was missing before, his guitars gelling well with Thorpe's own style.

"Replicant" opens with akkount, and straight away we're hit by a wall of guitars. The only thing that sounds slightly odd here are Carl Albert's vocals, but I think they just take a bit getting used to, and by the end of side one I was hooked.

You just gotta hear the brilliant "Lady took a Chance"- imagine DIO zipped up on speed and layer upon layer of guitar that just builds and builds and you have yourself a real korker of a tune. "Lady took a chance, she really took a chance" growls Albert as Dave Starr's bass pounds angrily away in the bakkground, while the interchanges between Thorpe and McGee have to be heard to be believed. And that's pretty much how the rest of the album sounds. Oh, and at the end of side two there's a weird message, but you have to spin the album bakkwards to get it! That reminds me...Vicious Rumors owe me a new stylus!!

Xavier Russell