THIS WEEK I’M LISTENING TO...VICIOUS RUMORS – The Devil’s Asylum (SPV / Steamhammer)

It was American movie mogul Samuel Goldwyn who famously said “we want a story that starts out with an earthquake and works its way up to a climax,” and with ‘The Devil’s Asylum’ Vicious Rumors have delivered an album that follows that instruction to the letter. There’s generally no such thing as a bad Vicious Rumors album anyway, but with the passing of five years since the release of their last offering ‘Celebration Decay’ Geoff Thorpe and his megawatt metal wrecking ball have hit the ground running with an album – their fourteenth studio release – whose intensity is only matched by its ferocity.

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Opener and lead single ‘Bloodbath’ sets the pace, a fast and frantic workout with Thorpe and fellow guitarist Denver Cooper sparring over some frenetic riffing, and coupled with the anthemic follow-on ‘Dogs Of War’ the pair make for an attention grabbing way to get the ball rolling. The rhythm section of Thorpe’s fellow founder member Larry Howe (drums) and long-time bassist Robin Utbolt keep things rock tight at the back, while new vocalist Chalice – also known as Brian Betterton to fans of Rhode Island’s Enchanter – sounds like a man born to his role. Of course it’s not all 100mph speed for speed’s sake, and the band are more than happy to trade velocity for power without losing any of their forcefulness, as ‘High Hell Hammer’ or the neck-wrenching ‘Abusement Park’ ably demonstrate. Thorpe points out in the press release that “‘The Devil’s Asylum’ sees us returning to our roots, which we’ve combined with contemporary influences,” and the result is a perfectly crafted aural assault. The songwriting and execution is exquisite, and at 46 minutes the album doesn’t overstay its welcome – it knocks on the door, gives you a damn good shaking and then does a runner, leaving you slightly stunned but very, very excited.

With Thorpe out of action following an accident that broke his right shoulder it’ll unfortunately be a little while before the band are able to promote ‘The Devil’s Asylum’, but it’ll certainly be a show worth watching when they are back on the road. Trust me on this.

Video clips:
‘Bloodbath’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE7xYxy55os
‘Crack The Sky In Half’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU3wwAePC-s
‘Dogs Of War’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APWP5r5Ekcs