Vicious Rumors are an American

power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...

band, originally formed in 1979 in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...

. The band was conceived by founder and guitarist/vocalist Geoff Thorpe, and has been actively recording and touring worldwide since their full-length recording debut in 1985. The band is signed to the Germany-based label SPV/Steamhammer.

History

Foundation and full-length debut ''Soldiers of the Night'' (1979–1986)

Guitarist and composer Thorpe began his musical career as a teenager in

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...

. He had set out to start forming the band in the San Francisco Bay Area during the summer of 1979. Other Bay Area-based bands like

Exodus Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * Ex ...

Anvil Chorus The "Anvil Chorus" is the English name for the (Italian for "Gypsy chorus"), a chorus from act 2, scene 1 of Giuseppe Verdi's 1853 opera ''Il trovatore''. It depicts Spanish Gypsies striking their anvils at dawn – hence its English name &n ...

, Metallica(Metallica was originally from L.A., but may be considered by many to be a Bay Area band – they moved to the Bay to play with Cliff Burton), and

Death Angel Death Angel is an American thrash metal band from Daly City, California, initially active from 1982 to 1991 and again since 2001. Death Angel has released nine studio albums, two demo tapes, one box set and three live albums. The band has ...

were also starting out during that era. These bands were playing the same local venues and establishing the Bay Area thrash metal scene—which in a few years would become very popular worldwide. While working towards a stable lineup, early incarnations of Vicious Rumors played live extensively within California's Bay Area between 1980 and 1985. Their first studio recordings appeared on compilations such as KMEL's ''New Oasis'' and ''U.S. Metal'' vol. III and IV in 1982, 1983 and 1984. These recordings helped the band obtain their first record deal with the legendary Shrapnel Records. The band's first full-length album '' Soldiers of the Night'' was released in 1985, it featured Geoff Thorpe, Gary St. Pierre, Vinnie Moore, Dave Starr, and Larry Howe. It quickly began to establish VR's worldwide reputation. This release is classed as a milestone and a classic in

. The lineup at that time included a young guitarist named

Vinnie Moore Vincent Moore (born April 14, 1964) is an American guitarist and a member of the British hard rock band UFO. Biography Moore was born in New Castle, Delaware. He began his professional career at age 12 after receiving a guitar as a Chris ...

. (Vinnie originally lived in Delaware, but was recommended to the band by Shrapnel Records founder

Mike Varney Mike Varney is an American record producer and music publisher. He is the founder of the Shrapnel Label Group, which includes Shrapnel Records, Tone Center Records, and Blues Bureau International. He also has a 50% stake in Magna Carta Recor ...

The classic Vicious Rumors: from ''Digital Dictator'' to ''Word of Mouth'' (1987–1994)

Late 1986 saw bassist Dave Starr bring in vocalist

Carl Albert Carl Bert Albert (May 10, 1908 – February 4, 2000) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 46th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1971 to 1977 and represented Oklahoma's 3rd congressional district as a ...

(Villain, Ruffians) and guitarist Mark McGee (Overdrive, Starcastle, and later with

Gregg Allman Gregory LeNoir Allman (December 8, 1947 – May 27, 2017) was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He was known for performing in the Allman Brothers Band. Allman grew up with an interest in rhythm and blues music, and the Allman Br ...

) to replace St. Pierre and Moore respectively—prior to the recording of the band's second album, ''

Digital Dictator ''Digital Dictator'' is the second studio album by the American heavy metal band Vicious Rumors, released in 1988 through Shrapnel Records (United States) and Roadrunner Records (Europe); ''Digital Dictator'' was the year's No. 1 album in one of Europe's top metal magazines, RockHard. The album sold well in Japan, the US, and the rest of Europe. Vicious Rumors became an international live act at this point: they were invited to appear at the Dutch Aardschok Festival (alongside Megadeth, Testament, and Nuclear Assault), the

Dynamo Open Air Dynamo Open Air is a festival in the Netherlands held (almost) every year between 1986 and 2005. It was reborn in 2008 as Dynamo Outdoor and in 2015 as Dynamo Metal Fest. History Originally held to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Dynamo ...

Festival (where they played in front of 40,000 people), and at live festivals with

and Forbidden. An increase in popularity began to generate interest in the band from major record labels, and in 1989 they signed a deal with the legendary major label Atlantic Records(Led Zeppelin, AC/DC,...). Their first Atlantic release was the self-titled ''

Vicious Rumors Vicious Rumors are an American power metal band, originally formed in 1979 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was conceived by founder and guitarist/vocalist Geoff Thorpe, and has been actively recording and touring worldwide since their ...

'' in 1990. The band subsequently began their first full US tour—which lasted for over three months and shot their first official video, "Don't Wait for Me", directed by

Gore Verbinski Gregor Justin "Gore" Verbinski (born March 16, 1964) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and musician. He is best known for directing '' The Ring'', the ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' films, and '' Rango''. He won the Academy Awar ...

. This tour was quickly placed in rotation on MTV's '' Headbangers Ball''. 1991 saw the release of Vicious Rumors' fourth album, ''

Welcome to the Ball ''Welcome to the Ball'' is the fourth album by the American heavy metal band Vicious Rumors, released in 1991. It was produced by Michael Rosen and Geoff Thorpe. The band supported the album with a North American tour. ''Welcome to the Ball'' was ...

''. This recording received

Bay Area Music Awards ''BAM'' (short for ''Bay Area Music'') was a free bi-weekly music magazine founded and published by Dennis Erokan in the San Francisco Bay Area from January 1976 until June 1999. History ''Bay Area Music'' magazine was first published in Janua ...

nominations for "Best New Metal Album" and "Outstanding Metal Album" (other nominees included Metallica and Tesla). Their second MTV video, "Children", went beyond the exposure normally limited to metal bands on ''Headbangers Ball''. It received regular daytime air play. The band finished the year with a one-month European tour—with

Savatage Savatage () was an American heavy metal band founded by brothers Jon and Criss Oliva in 1979 in Tarpon Springs, Florida. The band was first called Avatar, but, shortly before the release of their debut album '' Sirens'' (1983), they changed t ...

—and four months worth of live US performance dates. After a 1992 tour with label-mates Savatage and the release of the live album '' Plug In and Hang On: Live in Tokyo'', guitarist Thorpe was diagnosed with

carpal tunnel syndrome Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the collection of symptoms and signs associated with median neuropathy at the carpal tunnel. Most CTS is related to idiopathic An idiopathic disease is any disease with an unknown cause or mechanism of apparen ...

. He was forced to undergo surgery. During the year-long hiatus for Vicious Rumors, the band parted company with both Atlantic Records and bassist Dave Starr. After Thorpe recovered, new bass player Tommy Sisco (ex-Villain with Carl Albert) was recruited. The band's sixth album, 1994's ''

Word of Mouth Word of mouth, or ''viva voce'', is the passing of information from person to person using oral communication, which could be as simple as telling someone the time of day. Storytelling is a common form of word-of-mouth communication where one pe ...

'', was recorded and released on the Rising Sun label. The CD included the song "Thunder and Rain" (parts 1 and 2), which was dedicated to the memory of

Criss Oliva Christopher Michael Oliva (April 3, 1963 – October 17, 1993) was an American musician who was the lead guitarist and co-founder of the heavy metal band Savatage. During his lifetime, he released seven studio albums and one EP with the band. ...

of Savatage. Sales of "Word of Mouth" were strong, the reception was positive, and the band resumed touring to support the release. Vicious Rumors were now becoming increasingly popular in Europe; they were invited back to the Dynamo Open Air Festival in the Netherlands. They also joined forces with Accept for several summer festival dates. The band returned to Europe later that year for more live shows, this time with

Metal Church Metal Church is an American heavy metal band. They originally formed in San Francisco, California in 1980 and then relocated to Aberdeen, Washington the following year and briefly using the name Shrapnel. Led by guitarist and songwriter Kurdt ...

Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction are a British hard rock group, which was formed in 1985. Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction play a sleazy style of commercial hard rock featuring big riffs and choruses, as was the trend in the band ...

, and

Paul Di'Anno Paul Andrews (born 17 May 1958), better known by his stage name Paul Di'Anno, is a British/Brazilian heavy metal singer who was the lead vocalist for Iron Maiden from 1978 to 1981. In his post-Maiden career, Di'Anno has issued numerous albu ...

's Killers.

Death of Carl Albert and subsequent releases (1995–2001)

After returning from the European Ultimate-Power-Force-Tour with Metal Church and Paul Di'Anno's Killers, singer Carl Albert was killed in a California Bay Area car accident on April 22, 1995. Around the same time, Mark McGee left the band.

Steve Smyth ''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen Notable people with the name include: steve jops * Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people * Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people * Steve ...

(future member of

Nevermore Nevermore was an American heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1991. The band has been inactive since 2011, due to personal issues between the band members. In April 2015, lead singer Warrel Dane confirmed that Nevermore had n ...

, Testament and Forbidden) was recruited as his replacement. Upon Albert's death, the band released ''

A Tribute to Carl Albert ''A Tribute to Carl Albert'' is a live album by heavy metal band Vicious Rumors, released in 1995. This live album is a compilation of recordings done in 1994 during their European Tour and put together as a tribute to singer Carl Albert. Trac ...

'' (culled from non-soundboard recordings taken from the ''Word of Mouth'' European tour), and their first home video '' The First Ten Years''. Additionally Mark McGee composed and recorded the song "Find Your Way Home" for one of his solo projects (currently unpublished) and dedicated it to the memory of Albert. The band decided not to replace Albert at that time, and Thorpe assumed the role of vocalist for the band's next album: ''

Something Burning ''Something Burning'' is the sixth album by heavy metal band Vicious Rumors Vicious Rumors are an American power metal band, originally formed in 1979 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was conceived by founder and guitarist/vocalist ...

''. This album was released in 1996 on the

Massacre Records Massacre Records is an independent record label based in Abstatt, Germany, that specializes in bands of the heavier genres of metal. The label was founded in 1991 by Torsten Hartmann. Connected to Massacre Records is the marketing and music wh ...

label. The song "Perpetual", included on the album, was the last track written with Albert. The resulting reviews of the new release were favorable, and VR subsequently undertook a European tour with Accept to support it. '' Cyberchrist'', their next studio album, was recorded and released in 1998 with newcomer Brian Allen on vocals. The band was invited by Blind Guardian to join them for 30 tour dates on their highly successful "Nightfall in Middle-Earth" European tour. The band then took some time off from touring and recording primarily to recruit new personnel. They recruited a new bass player, Cornbread, who replaced Tommy Sisco, and

Ira Black Ira Barrie Black (March 18, 1941 – January 10, 2006) was an American physician and neuroscientist who was an advocate of stem cell research and was the first director of the Stem Cell Institute of New Jersey at Robert Wood Johnson Medical ...

(ex Heathen—later with Lizzy Borden) filled the spot left by departing guitarist Smyth. Session players Atma Anur, Dan Lawson and Will Carroll (later with

) briefly sat in for drummer Larry Howe—who at the time wanted to take some time off from touring and recording. The new lineup recorded and released ''

Sadistic Symphony ''Sadistic Symphony'' is the eighth album by American heavy metal band Vicious Rumors, released in 2001. Track listing #"Break" – 5:06 #"Sadistic Symphony" – 5:47 #"March of the Damned" – 5:17 #"Blacklight" – 8:06 #"Puritan Demons" – ...

'' with vocalist Morgan Thorn in 2001, but Allen re-joined the band for live dates in the US and Europe in support of the new album. There were no new releases by Vicious Rumors in 2002 or 2003. During this period, band leader Thorpe was asked by longtime friend Daniel Jones of rock & roll band 7th Order to take part in recording sessions, alongside veteran British guitarist

Martin Pugh Martin John Pugh is a British guitarist who came to prominence after joining blues-rock band Steamhammer in 1968, staying with that band through 5 years and 4 albums. The debut Steamhammer album, also known as '' Steamhammer'', was released ...

(of Steamhammer, the first Rod Stewart solo album and

Armageddon According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon (, from grc, Ἁρμαγεδών ''Harmagedōn'', Late Latin: , from Hebrew: ''Har Məgīddō'') is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies ...

) and drummer Tim Kelliher (of

Randy Hansen Randy Hansen (born December 8, 1954) is an American guitarist best known for his "Rock Tribute Act" honoring Jimi Hendrix.The Lake of Memory'' album (released on the Big Island Sounds label in 2007). Several tracks prominently featured Thorpe, and the album enjoyed a great deal of worldwide radio airplay.

Return to a traditional sound (2004–2012)

In 2004, in order to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the band's "Word of Mouth" release, there were some reunions (Thorpe, Howe, Sisco, plus McGee and Ira Black alternating on guitar and O'Connor on vocals). 2005 saw the release of the band's ''Crushing the World'' DVD, which featured both current and historical Vicious Rumors lineups, and included several previously unreleased tracks: "Poveglia", "Broken Wings", "Fight", and "Immortal". The album ''

Warball ''Warball'' is the ninth album by heavy metal band Vicious Rumors, released in 2006. Track listing #"Sonic Rebellion" - 2:55 #"Mr. Miracle" - 4:52 #"Dying Every Day" - 4:44 #"Immortal" - 3:56 #"Warball" - 6:22 #"Crossthreaded" - 4:46 #"Wheels ...

'' (co-produced by Juan Urteaga) was recorded and released on the

Mascot Records Mascot Records is a record label and rock music subsidiary of Mascot Label Group. Artists *10 Years *Agent Steel * Black Country Communion *Black Label Society *Black Stone Cherry * Bootsy Collins *Crobot *Conquer Divide * Dragged Under *Dublin ...

label in early 2006. Members Cornbread and O'Connor left the band prior to its recording, but original members Dave Starr (bass) and Larry Howe (drums) returned. Vocalist

James Rivera James Rivera (born April 15, 1960) is an American singer, best known as the frontman for the heavy metal band Helstar. He was also the singer for Seven Witches between 2002 and 2005. Biography Rivera got his start singing with power/speed met ...

(Helstar) and guitarists

Brad Gillis Bradley Frank Gillis (born 15 June 1957) is a guitarist most famous for playing with the band Night Ranger. He was in the band Rubicon during the 1970s before Night Ranger. Since forming in 1979, Gillis and drummer Kelly Keagy are the only me ...

(

Night Ranger Night Ranger is an American hard rock band from San Francisco formed in 1979 that gained popularity during the 1980s with a series of albums and singles. Guitarist Brad Gillis and drummer Kelly Keagy have been the band's only constant members, ...

Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...

) and Thaen Rasmussen (Heathen, Anvil Chorus) contributed to the recordings of the new album. Worldwide sales were excellent and reviewers universally saw the ''Warball'' album as a genuine "return to form" of a more traditional Vicious Rumors sound after the more experimental releases of the post-Carl Albert incarnations of the band. Stephen Goodwin stepped in to serve as Vicious Rumors's touring bassist, and the band played several dates in Europe, including shows with

Agent Steel Agent Steel is an American speed metal band from Los Angeles, formed in 1984 by vocalist John Cyriis with drummer Chuck Profus. The band released two full-length albums and one EP before disbanding in 1988. They were most notable for Cyriis' hi ...

HammerFall HammerFall is a Swedish power metal band from Gothenburg. The band was formed in 1993 by ex- Ceremonial Oath guitarist Oscar Dronjak. History Early days (1993–1996) HammerFall was formed when rhythm guitarist Oscar Dronjak quit Ceremo ...

Girlschool Girlschool are a British rock band that formed in the new wave of British heavy metal scene in 1978. Frequently associated with contemporaries Motörhead, they are the longest-running all-female rock band, still active after more than 40 ye ...

, Nazareth, and Heaven & Hell. Upon the band's return to the US, Ronnie Stixx (Divine Ruins, Blood Redskies,

Shadowkeep Shadowkeep are an English heavy metal band formed in Guildford in 1999 by guitarists Chris Allen (ex-Intense and Sire) and Nikki Robson (also formerly of Sire). History Early recordings In October 1999, Shadowkeep recorded their debu ...

) took over as an interim replacement for the a departing Rivera. Rasmussen was replaced by Kiyoshi Morgan as second guitarist. Stixx was eventually replaced by Brian Allen (Last Empire, Wild Dogs). In 2009, Thorpe and Howe (alongside Allen, Goodwin and Morgan) acknowledged the 30th Anniversary of the inception of Vicious Rumors, by performing songs from their debut album, '' Soldiers of the Night'', with former singer Gary St. Pierre. at the Headbangers Open Air Festival. In 2011, Mark McGee, Tommy Sisco and Kevin Albert (the son of late vocalist Carl Albert) sat in with the band for their performance at the Keep It True Festival, also in Germany. The band signed to SPV Records, and their tenth album ''

Razorback Killers ''Razorback Killers'' is the tenth album by heavy metal band Vicious Rumors Vicious Rumors are an American power metal band, originally formed in 1979 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was conceived by founder and guitarist/vocalist G ...

'' was released on March 28, 2011. Several guests joined them for the sessions: Mark McGee, Brad Gillis, and Testament guitarist Eric Peterson. The album also marked the recording debuts of Goodwin, Morgan and Allen. The band then departed for an extensive European summer tour, headlining 60 shows and supporting

on 30 shows. In early 2012, the band took part in the first heavy metal sea cruise, 70000 Tons of Metal. In late 2012, after a series of summer festival performances in Europe with new entry Bob Capka on second guitar, the band released a live album, recorded on tour with HammerFall in 2011 – engineered by Pontus Norgren (HammerFall guitarist and FOH engineer for King Diamond, Candlemass) – titled ''Live You to Death'' in November 2012.

Recent events (2013–present)

A new studio album, ''Electric Punishment'', was recorded and released on the SPV label in 2013. For their subsequent European tour, James Rivera returned temporarily to replace vocalist Allen. The Slovenian instrumentalist Tilen Hudrap took over for the departing Stephen Goodwin on bass and became the first European member of Vicious Rumors. Thaen Rasmussen and Bob Capka will alternate in those years the second guitar role. The band had played more than 70 shows in 2013, including several metal festivals (Alcatraz festival, Metaldays, Stonehenge festival, Bang Your Head festival, Headbanger's Open Air, Turock Summerfest), and a pre-show performance for the Bang Your Head!!! event in Germany, which again featured a special guest appearance by Kevin Albert. For the band's American tour, Dutch singer Nick Holleman took over as vocalist. The band continued touring into 2014: again playing the 70000 Tons of Metal cruise (playing their ''Digital Dictator'' album in its entirety for the first time); as well as several big European summer festivals (headlining in Belgium, Croatia, Holland, Slovenia, Hungary, Germany, Italy, Czech Republic) and numerous live club dates. A live album titled ''"Live You to Death 2: American Punishment'' was released in June 2014, the first official release by the new VR lineup with European members Hudrap and Holleman. According to the band's web site, their first live dates in South America took place in December 2014. The band played in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Negrinho, Buenos Aires, and Curitiba. The band embarked in new American and European Tours. In Germany, at Keep It True Festival, Vicious Rumors are once again joined onstage by Keven Albert. Pre-production for the 12th VR studio album, ''Concussion Protocol'', began in late 2014. The CD was released August 2016 on SPV/Steamhammer, followed by the singles "Chasing the Priest" and "Take It or Leave It", and a full-scale tour of Europe in November In May 2017 the band announced a new line up with the return of vocalist Brian Allen and guitarist Gunnar DüGrey replacing Holleman and Rasmussen respectively. This lineup of Vicious Rumors performed several live dates in Europe, as well as the US (California) in the summer of 2017. In 2018 and 2019, the band celebrated the 30th anniversary of ''

Digital Dictator ''Digital Dictator'' is the second studio album by the American heavy metal band Vicious Rumors, released in 1988 through Shrapnel Records (United States) and Roadrunner Records (Europe);Greg Christian Gregory Christian (born April 29, 1966) is an American musician who is the former bassist for thrash metal band Testament. He left the band in 1996, but rejoined in 2004 and left again in 2014. In addition to Testament, Christian has also played ...

on bass and Cody Green on guitars, while the band's new live bassist was the Swedish Robin Utbult. In July 2022, the band announced former

vocalist

Ronny Munroe Ronny Munroe (born November 22, 1965) is an American singer, most noted as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Metal Church from 2003 until the band broke up in 2009. His second tenure with the band lasted from 2012 when the group reunite ...

had joined the band.

Members

Current members *Geoff Thorpe – guitar, backing and additional lead vocals *Larry Howe – drums, percussion, backing vocals *

– lead vocals *Gunnar DüGrey – guitar, backing vocals *Robin Utbult – bass

Discography

;Studio albums * '' Soldiers of the Night'' (1985) * ''

Digital Dictator ''Digital Dictator'' is the second studio album by the American heavy metal band Vicious Rumors, released in 1988 through Shrapnel Records (United States) and Roadrunner Records (Europe);Vicious Rumors Vicious Rumors are an American power metal band, originally formed in 1979 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was conceived by founder and guitarist/vocalist Geoff Thorpe, and has been actively recording and touring worldwide since their ...

'' (1990) * ''

'' (1991) * ''

'' (1994) * ''

'' (1996) * '' Cyberchrist'' (1998) * ''

'' (2001) * ''

'' (2006) * ''

'' (2011) * '' Electric Punishment'' (2013) * ''Concussion Protocol'' (2016) * ''Celebration Decay'' (2020) ;Extended plays * ''The Voice'' (1994) ;Live albums * '' Plug In and Hang On: Live in Tokyo'' (1992) * ''

'' (1995) * ''Live You to Death'' (2012) * ''Live You to Death 2: American Punishment'' (2014) ;Compilation appearances * "I Can Live Forever" (from the KMEL compilation ''New Oasis'') (1982) * "Ultimate Death" (from ''US Metal Vol. III'') (1983) * "One Way Ticket" (from ''US Metal Vol. IV'') (1984)

Videography

* 1996: '' The First Ten Years'' (VHS) * 2005: '' VR – Crushing the World'' (DVD) * 2018: ''40th Anniversary – Live in Germany'' (DVD)

References

External links

* *
Rock Detector's Vicious Rumors Biography

Vicious Rumors' Geoff Thorpe & Armageddon/Steamhammer's Martin Pugh sit in on 7th Order sessions

Vicious Rumors in Argentina, Dec 2014 {{Authority control Heavy metal musical groups from California American power metal musical groups Musical groups established in 1979 Shrapnel Records artists Roadrunner Records artists Atlantic Records artists Massacre Records artists