American power metal institution Vicious Rumors hits the dozen mark with this latest full-length, thirty-one years after their classic debut on 1985’s Soldiers Of The Night. Now as then, the band straddles the line between power metal and thrash, with the melodies of the former and the aggression of the latter and the shred of both.
Of course, this is Vicious Rumors, so it should come as little surprise that there’s a line-up change. In addition to adding a new bassist in Tilen Hudrap, Concussion Protocol sees the studio debut of yet another new vocalist. Out is ex-Wild Dogs singer Brian Allen (who magically lasted two records, fronting the Rumors on the strong Razorback Killers and its follow up, the lesser-but-still-good Electric Punishment). Now, in his place on the mic, is twenty-four-year-old Dutchman Nick Holleman, who technically made his Vicious debut with 2014’s Live You To Death 2. While maybe not as powerful as Allen, Holleman certainly performs admirably, shifting easily between a chesty bellow and higher-pitched falsetto wails.
Vicious Rumors’ formula is fairly well established by now, especially after the late-career highlight of Warball, so if you’ve been paying attention, you know what you’re getting into, and you know that, at this point, it comes down to the songs. Thankfully, VR mainman Geoff Thorpe can write a good song when he has to, and he’s got more than a few here: After the opening fun of the title track, “Chemical Slaves” rides a chugging riff vaguely reminiscent of “Slave To The Grind,” and the blistering “Chasing The Priest” follows two songs later, pure aggressive power glory. After the UDO-ish chunk of “Last Of Our Kind,” Concussion settles on full-on driving power with “1000 Years,” but stumbles a bit during the ballad “Circle Of Secrets,” which is one of Concussion’s few misfires. “Take It Or Leave It” rights the ship, with its shout-along chorus and nimble bass solos from Hudrap, and the swinging “Bastards” hammers the point home.
Produced by Thorpe and Juan Uteaga, Concussion sounds strong and stout – the guitars punch solidly, while the leads soar; the drums hit perfectly; Hudrap’s bass is taut and tight. As with the past few records, Concussion Protocol also features guest performers on guitar, complementing Thorpe and Thaen Rasmussen – this time it’s Night Ranger’s Brad Gillis and Steve Smyth (formerly of Testament and Nevermore), both adding extra shred to a band that already has more than most. Still, all the soloing notwithstanding, Concussion’s biggest punch comes in the time-honored combo of strong riff + strong vocal + strong song, and when it hits on all three cylinders, it hits as hard as any trad/power/thrash metal band ever could.
If energetic melodic metal is what you’re looking for, then Vicious Rumors should be on your radar – should have been for decades now, although you’d be forgiven if you chose to skip their groove-metal detour some ten years back. Their earliest works are rightfully considered classics, and they may have strayed for a bit, but Vicious Rumors are back in prime form, thirty years in. In the pantheon of their latter-day albums, Concussion doesn’t top Warball, but it is better than Razorback and especially Punishment, and either way, it’s unquestionably a worthy listen for anyone interested in balancing their power and aggression in equal measure.
