Ah, the fickle beast that is modern metal: rhythmic riffing, gritty vocals, and a production that’s focused on sounding as tough as possible. We’ve seen countless classic bands go down this road to mixed results. Some excel in their efforts, most fail miserably. US power metal veterans Vicious Rumors manage to fall in the former with the arrival of their thirteenth studio album, Celebration Decay.
Founding guitarist Geoff Thorpe has been at the helm of the Vicious Rumors ship for the last 40 years. It’s Thorpe’s initial vision that guides the band, no matter how far from the traditional sound they may stray. However, there’s some songs where this vision shines through more than others. Take “Long Way Home” for example. Chock full of vocal harmonies and slick twin leads, it’s no surprise “Long Way Home” is my choice cut. The victorious “Death Eternal” is another old school flavored song. The ripping guitar solos, and the song structure as a whole, are obvious nods to Soldiers of the Night (1985) and Digital Dictator (1986).
Like the last few Vicious Rumors albums before it, Celebration Decay sees the band living up to the “Vicious” part of their name by throwing in a couple thrashers. The opening title track and “Collision Course Disaster” are no nonsense neck snappers. As if the heavy as hell riffs aren’t enough, the gutsy vocals of new singer Nick Courtney add an extra layer of brutality. Falling somewhere in between Chuck Billy and Phil Anselmo, I think Courtney’s voice really suits the “new” Vicious Rumors. I hope he’s in it for the long haul.
Even the songs that don’t do it for me are more inspired than most of the drivel you’ll hear on SiriusXM’s Liquid Metal. For example, “Pulse of the Dead”, “Arrival of Desolation”, and “Any Last Words” (Chug riffs? No thanks.) bled together to the point of worrying me. But another trait Celebration Decay shares with its recent predecessors is that it picks up as the album goes on. And while the three songs I listed aren’t my cup of tea, they aren’t completely unlistenable either.
Celebration Decay is a musical celebration of the past, present, and future of Vicious Rumors. It doesn’t reach the heights of their classic albums, but it proudly displays a band who’s still eager to break new ground all these years later. That in itself is an achievement worth mentioning.
6 out of 10
Label: Steamhammer
Genre: Heavy Metal
For fans of: Metal Church, Armored Saint, Flotsam and Jetsam