VICIOUS RUMORS – The Devil’s Asylum

It’s safe to say that American power metal band Vicious Rumors’ 14th studio album, The Devil’s Asylum (2025), is pretty “vicious.” Sorry, no pun intended! It’s been five years since the release of their 13th studio album, Celebration Decay (2020), which is decent considering that legacy bands currently take seven to ten years (nicely speaking) to release a new studio album. The general public probably hasn’t heard of Vicious Rumors, but these guys have been around the metal scene for 45 years; not bad at all. The current lineup consists of founding member Geoff Thorpe on guitars, Larry Howe on drums, Robin Utbult on bass guitar, Chalice on lead vocals, and Denver Cooper on guitars. The Devil’s Asylum was co-produced by Juan Urteaga and Jimmy Evans (through Thorpe’s guidance).

The Madness Continues Onward

It’s worth noting that Chalice sounds nothing like Carl Albert, the band’s vocalist from the classic lineup. The latter had an operatic tone to his voice, allowing himself to challenge his melodic horizons. Chalice, on the other hand, seems to vibe more with a screaming and growling vocal style. Oddly enough, though, there are times when it sounds like Chalice is duetting with Bruce Dickinson. His growling vocals are there, but at the same time, there’s also this operatic undertone in the background. For example, in “Bloodbath,” Chalice is growling away, but there are these high-pitched screams and melodic harmonies in the background; an interesting combination that works well. “Bloodbath” is a beast of a thrash metal banger with hard and fast drumming, and blistering guitar melodies. “Dogs of War” is a solid, midtempo number with a decent chorus.

“Crack the Sky in Half” is a song about rebellion and freedom. People living the life they choose without anyone telling them what to do. It’s a pedal-to-the-metal, “driving fast down the highway” anthem. “High Hell Hammer” has the best chorus on the entire album; simple, yet effective. As mentioned before, the growling vocals and operatic undertone are a good combination. The lyrics are a lot of fun and it’s an enjoyable headbanger. “Wrong Side of Love” puts a darker twist on power ballads; yeah right. The complete opposite of power ballads, thank goodness! The piercing guitar riff is ferocious, the bass line is sick as heck, and the lyrics tell a story. “In Blood We Trust;” yeah, first there was “in rock we trust” and now there’s “in blood we trust.” Anyways, it’s a three-minute thrash metal banger with a wicked guitar solo. “Better Than Me” is another fun one because the lyrics make the victim’s enemies look pathetic and worthless. The title track is obviously a chaotic mess in the best way possible. The lyrics also reflect the current state of the world.

Final Assessment

The Devil’s Asylum is a very dark and angry album, which is good for those who want to blow off some steam. To put it bluntly, Mick Jagger has more melody than Chalice and that’s saying a lot, considering the former was never categorized as a good singer, to begin with. However, for the thrash metal genre, it works. Plus, there is enough melody on the album to balance out the growls. The bass lines sound amazing, very dark and menacing, which is always a plus. The production is not exactly raw, but it’s not polished either; it’s more so in the middle. There’s enough variety on The Devil’s Asylum with some songs being fast, thrash metal bangers, while others are straight-up metal anthems. For those who are interested, give Vicious Rumors’ The Devil’s Asylum a chance!

Album Tracklist

1. Bloodbath
2. Dogs of War
3. Crack the Sky in Half
4. High Hell Hammer
5. Butchers Block
6. Abusement Park
7. Wrong Side of Love
8. Boring Day in Hell
9. In Blood We Trust
10. Better Than Me
11. The Devil’s Asylum

Band Lineup

Geoff Thorpe – guitars
Larry Howe – drums
Robin Utbult – bass guitar
Chalice – lead vocals
Denver Cooper – guitars

Check out the music video for “Dogs of War” from Vicious Rumors’ The Devil’s Asylum!