Vicious Rumors Concert Review
VICIOUS RUMORS KEEP THE METAL UNDERGROUND ALIVE
Show Date: May 6, 2011
Location: Berlin, Germany
Venue: Halford Rockcafe
Reviewer: Dirk Ballerstaedt
Band Websites: www.viciousrumors.com – www.the-outside.net – www.rainborn.net
It was a Friday night at a local metal club and Vicious Rumors, an American power-metal band who has survived many long years, were touring through several European countries to promote their new album ‘Razorback Killers’ — and managed to draw die-hard fans from yesterday as well as younger kids who recently got in touch with metal music.
While guitarist Geoff Thorpe stood at the merchandise table with an open ear for the fans, it was just a few minutes later when this three band battle was started with Berlin based band Rainborn. Featuring a female singer, keyboards and a cello player, what kind of music could we expect? Symphonic metal a la Nightwish of course — and the band, with an average age around 20, were very concentrated and played with little movement (I guess they didn’t want to make any mistakes. But songs like the opener “The Cage”, “Mortal Agony” and “The Forsaken” showed the band’s potential while singer Klara Kalschnee’s voice has progressed from gig to gig — she has a strong voice and if she doesn’t hide it she’ll be fine.
After Rainborn another Berlin band named The Outside came on to play modern metal, almost nu-nu metal, with a bit more groove, heaviness and attitude. With ages around 30 and over, The Outside contains professionals players like drummer Alberto Atalah who is a teacher at a Berlin drum-school and possesses a very powerful beat. The band as a whole is cool enough even to rock a power-metal crowd, but it was the musicianship of Vicious Rumors who proved to the others how the professionals really do it.
With new members Brian Allen on vocals, Stephen Goodwin on bass and Kyoshi Morgan on guitar along with original members Larry Howe on drums and master Geoff Thorpe on wild guitar, the foundation of Vicious Rumors is as strong on their latest releases as it was during their mid ’80s heyday. Right from the beginning of the set Vicious Rumors gave fans the trademark sound that they are known for — big guitars, big drums, big vocals and a razor-sharp metal sound just like it used to be in the ’80s when they started out with such classic albums as ‘Soldiers Of The Night’, ‘Digital Dictators’ and ‘Vicious Rumors’.
Promoting their new CD ‘Razorback Killers’ on this European tour, Vicious Rumors prove that they stand for American made old-school power-metal by performing new songs like “Murderball”, “Razorback Blade”, “Axe To Grind” alongside classics like “Soldiers Of The Night”, “Digital Dictators” and “Don’t Wait For Me” — the totally cool songs led to the fans being easy prey.
With the new singer Brian Allen, who’s a charismatic and powerful singer, and a bunch of good tunes it should be easy for Vicious Rumors to build up a solid new following — not just the old fans from the days gone by. With some older bands going on farewell tours it is groups like Vicious Rumors that continue to work the metal underground.
