Welcome To The Ball

Fully Remastered Audio / Bay Area Power Metal quintet raze roofs with pulverizing album / Co-Produced by Michael Rosen (Testament, Mordred, AFI) & Geoff Thorpe / Includes 'Abandoned', 'Mastermind' & 'Children' / 16 page full-colour booklet, 4,500 word essay with new interviews, enhanced artwork & previously unseen photos. THE MID TO late '80s gave us a number of fine heavy metal bands, most of them echoing the thrash metal scene spearheaded by Metallica, Exodus, Death Angel and Megadeth. Vicious Rumors, in the scene from the start, were an act who gave the full-on thrash style a neat makeover, lacing the riffs with razor sharp emphasis and maximum melody. Vocalist Carl Albert was uniquely placed to exert a powerful influence on the band's sophistication, with a voice that could easily push the band to new heights and help them achieve more commercial success. Formed in the San Franciso Bay area in 1979 and producing two independent records (on the Shrapnel label) and one for Atlantic Records (also reissued on Rock Candy) the band's chief protagonists by this point in their career were twin lead guitarists Geoff Thorpe (group founder) and Mark McGee; two players very much in sync with each other and their musical goals. Perfectly complimentary, their interlocking sound moved the music into areas not normally afforded such precision in this genre. They had, unknowingly, occupied an area of power metal, with a technique that provided a stepping stone for other bands who wanted to push the genre's limits. Originally issued in 1991 on Atlantic Records 'Welcome To The Ball', their fourth album, included a collection of superlative tracks, featuring such heavy hitters as 'Abandoned', 'Children', 'Mastermind' and 'When Love Comes Down'. Music filled with angst and a resolute determination to take no prisoners. Recorded in San Francisco, kudos must be given to co-producer Michael Rosen for his clear and concise work, allowing every instrument to resonate with enough clarity to provide maximum damage.