UMUR
"Demo I" is as the title suggests the 1st demo cassette tape by US, California based heavy/power metal act Vicious Rumors. The demo was self-released in 1982. The lineup at this point consisted of Gary St. Pierre (vocals), Geoff Thorpe (guitars), Jim Cassero (guitars), Jeff Barnacle (bass), and Jim Lang (drums).
Vicious Rumors were formed in 1979 and although they are primarily known as a US power metal act, the early 80s were a bit too soon to be tagging anything US power, and the 2 tracks on the 6:39 minutes long demo are also more traditional heavy metal type material than US power. It´s pretty hard edged though, and references to the most intense and aggressive Judas Priest aren´t all wrong.
The demo features a pretty lo-fi sounding production, and while such productions can sometimes provide equally raw and unpolished music, it´s not really the case here. The sound quality is simply of such a low quality that it´s disturbing for the listening experience.
Given the lo-fi sound quality it was actually a bit surprising to learn that the track "One Way Ticket" off this demo was picked to be featured on the 1984 Shrapnel Records "U.S. Metal Vol. IV" compilation, but on the other hand, if you can look past the abysmal production values, it´s obvious that Vicious Rumors are a talented bunch of guys and the songwriting isn´t the worst either, although at this point pretty immature and lacking a personal sound. A 2.5 star (50%) rating is warranted.