Vicious Rumors are something akin to the secret weapon of American heavy metal. They’ve been around for ages and even rubbed shoulders with the Bay Area thrash scene back in the day. Too bad the quintet never outgrew their underground notoriety and carved a niche for themselves on an international level. Despite this, the criminal lack of attention the band has received has in no way diminished their impact. Vicious Rumors are a riotous blend of thrash grit and melodic finesse. The offspring of which is, in a word, perfection.

Fans of true metal who’ve always dug the usual classic influences (Priest and Queensryche) will find so much to love about Vicious Rumors. Since the band have been around in one lineup or other for almost 30 years now, their particular brand of metal has been honed to perfection. For this awesome “Razorback Killers,” Vicious Rumors kick the world right in the nuts with a near-flawless collection of material that offers up all the expected goodies. There’s a crowd-pleasing metal anthem in here that doesn’t surrender to the usual cheese (“Let the Garden Burn”), a hefty dose of speed metal scorchers, plus a token mid tempo affair (“Pearl of Wisdom”) that showcases the band’s emotive side. Vicious Rumors were doing a unique brand of metal that will strike a powerful chord among those who appreciate Iced Earth, Helstar, Beyond Fear, Catch 22, Impelliteri, Veins Iced Over, Jag Panzer, Fallen Angel, and Cage.

In case you never had the pleasure of enjoying Vicious Rumors’ previous albums (there are many), then “Razorack Killers” is the perfect introduction to the band. Opening salvo “Murderball” is a flavorful appetizer, though its follow up “Black” is a bit corny but at least passable. The album is loaded with excellent material and the best outnumber even the more pedestrian offerings. The finest cuts are without a doubt “Rite of Devastation,” “Razorback Blade,” the juggernaut “Blood Stained Sunday,” and the heartfelt murder ballad “All I Want is You.” Let’s not forget equally smashing songs like “Axe to Grind” and the thumping farewell “Deal With The Devil.” Funny enough the entire track list has just been singled out for praise. Forget what this writer noted earlier, “Raorback Killers” is fuckin’ excellent. Albums like this are so rare these days it would be a crime to miss it—so don’t!

• Genre: Heavy Metal
• Label: SPV/Steamhammer
• Origin: U.S.A.
• Link: http://www.viciousrumors.com
• Year: 2011