Vicious Rumors – Celebration Decay

Vicious Rumors

Celebration Decay

SPV/Steamhammer Records

Heavy Metal

FFO: Metal Church, Helstar, Jag Panzer, Armored Saint, Savatage, Riot V

It’s been nearly four years since Vicious Rumors last graced us with the excellent and powerful ‘Concussion Protocol’. Finally, this year has the Californian metallers following this up with their latest metal attack, the new studio album ‘Celebration Decay’.

                First of all, what is another Vicious Rumors album if it hasn’t got a partially new line-up? and on ‘Celebration Decay’ Geoff Thorpe and long-standing drummer Larry Howe are joined by Gunnar DüGrey and former Gladius vocalist Nick Courtney. What this means is that with this latest offering, Vicious Rumors are fired up, re-energised and full of gusto with Courtney in particular having something to prove. Does Courtney manage this? You bet you he does! Courtney delivers the performance of his career with this album, his voice having all the energy and power of Bruce Dickinson as tracks such as ‘Darkness Divine’, ‘Any Last Words’ and the title track have the ability to stand tall with any of Vicious Rumors’ other work. This energy has even rubbed off onto Thorpe who delivers a guitar driven album with a thrashing overtone that means ‘Celebration Decay’ can even bridge the gap from standard heavy metal, power metal and even thrash metal appealing to a rather broad demographic.

                Sadly, ‘Celebration Decay’ is an album which will be guaranteed to be ignored by the majority of the heavy metal world. But, for those who like their heavy metal with a more traditional leaning then this album will be right up your street and therefore do not be surprised if this album is still being hammered at the end of the year.

Adam McCann