Product Review

Vicious Rumors were amongst the pioneering acts of the Bay Area scene and, despite their uncompromising style, they also earned a well-deserved reputation as the thinking man's power-metal outfit. Never afraid to infuse their sound with intricate twists and turns, the musicianship indicated that they might have had more in common with progressive metal than pure thrash. Following two independent albums and gaining a solid following, they eventually signed a major deal with Atlantic Records and cut this self-titled album. Issued in 1990, it is a record of extreme maturity, harnessing their power-metal onslaught with precision and force.