VICIOUS RUMORS – “Murderball” audio stream – 2011-03-25

“Murderball”, a brand new song from veteran California power metallersVICIOUS RUMORS, can be streamed below (courtesy of AOL‘s Noisecreep). The track comes off the band’s new album, “Razorback Killers”, which will be released in Europe on March 28 (except in Germany, where it will arrive three days earlier) and in the U.S. on April 5 via SPV/Steamhammer.

VICIOUS RUMORS 2011 is:

Larry Howe – Drums
Brian Allen (LAST EMPIRE, MALICE, WILD DOGS) – Vocals
Kiyoshi Morgan – Guitar
Stephen Goodwin – Bass
Geoff Thorpe – Guitar

“Murderball” audio stream:

01. Murderball
02. Black
03. Razorback Blade
04. Blood Stained Sunday
05. Pearl Of Wisdom
06. All I Want Is You
07. Axe To Grind
08. Let The Garden Burn
09. Rite Of Devastation
10. Deal With The Devil

Commented guitarist/mainman Geoff Thorpe:

“The older we get, the more wicked VICIOUS RUMORS sound. We’ve definitely not slowed down — quite the opposite — we have even more drive. Our fans won’t see a single VICIOUS RUMORS show where we don’t go to our limits and beyond.”

The reasons for VICIOUS RUMORS‘ high-powered performance? Thorpe has a plausible explanation:

“The metal is in our blood!!!! Plus we always have an awesome line-up. Larry Howe on drums and vocals, our bassistStephen Goodwin and guitarist Kiyoshi Morgan, and in Brian Allenwe’ve found the best vocalist you could possibly get for these kind of songs.” Brian Allen joined the VICIOUS RUMORS fold one and a half years ago at the recommendation of Matt McCourt (WILD DOGS), a longtime friend whom Thorpe met up with at the Headbangers Open Air. “Matt had praised Brian, and I thought that he’d be perfect for VICIOUS RUMORS,” Thorpe said. His assessment soon proved true: from the beginning, Allen showed his great potential during intense rehearsals. “We immediately noticed this raw, pure quality in him,” Thorpe said. “Like a snowball, something very big developed very quickly out of small beginnings. During our five-week European tour, Brian got nothing but positive reactions from our fans.”

So Brian Allen and Kiyoshi Morgan are — along with Thorpe, bassistStephen Goodwin and drummer Larry Howe, of course — two of the elemental parameters which make “Razorback Killers” such a dynamic powerhouse of an album. Three other musicians deserve to be mentioned: the guest guitarists Mark McGee, Eric Peterson and Brad Gillis. “Isn’t it fantastic that Mark returned and contributed those amazing solos on two songs?” Thorpe asked. McGee was a band member between 1986 and 1995 and has launched veritable guitar solos on “Blood Stained Sunday”and “Pearl Of Wisdom”. “Mark and I trading solos just like the old days,” enthused Thorpe, who also can’t hold back his delight at Eric Peterson‘s impassioned solo passages on “Murderball”. “Eric has been a friend for many years and is the driving force in TESTAMENT,” Thorpe said. “His solo in ‘Murderball’ is a perfect combination of the whole energy of VICIOUS RUMORS and TESTAMENT, merged into one song.” And last but not least:Brad Gillis, who otherwise makes his living as one of the band leaders inNIGHT RANGER, is one of Geoff Thorpe‘s close friends and already delivered a number of great solos on VICIOUS RUMORS previous album,“Warball”. This time around, Gillis contributed a matchless — as Thorpecalls it — “classic tremolo guitar solo” in “Deal With The Devil”. “I remember well when he replaced the late Randy Rhoads in Ozzy Osbourne‘s band. Brad has my utmost respect as a friend and colleague.”