UMUR
"Word Of Mouth" is the 5th full-length studio album by US, California based power/heavy metal act Vicious Rumors. The album was released through Rising Sun Productions in January 1994. It´s the successor to "Welcome To The Ball" from 1991. There´s been one lineup change since the predecessor as bassist Dave Starr has been replaced by Tommy Sisco. It would be the last Vicious Rumors studio album to feature lead vocals by Carl Albert, as he died from injuries sustained in a car accident in April 1995.
Stylistically the material on "Word Of Mouth" continue the US power/heavy metal style of the predecessors, but some contemporary influences have crept in. Especially the darker and heavier approach of the contemporary Seattle scene rears its ugly head a couple of times during the playing time, although it´s not a dominant influence. It´s just a touch and it´s only natural that the band also picked up on what was happening on the scene at the time. I´ve read other reviews saying that Vicious Rumors haven´t changed a bit and held the US power metal flag high on "Word Of Mouth", despite their chosen music style being completely out of fashion in 1994, but that sentiment simply isn´t 100% true. While the dominant style is still US power/heavy metal, Vicious Rumors do experiment with other sounds and styles on this release.
Tracks like album opener "Against The Grain", "No Fate" and "Sense Of Security" are unmistakably the sound of Vicious Rumors, featuring both heavy and fast riffs and rhythms, blistering solos, and Albert´s strong voice and commanding vocals in front. "Word Of Mouth" also features the obligatory power ballads, but there are also a couple of more experimental tracks and ideas on display, and while an adventurous approach to songwriting should always receive praise, "Word Of Mouth" unfortunately ends up lacking a clear direction and a consistent quality. The sound production is decent but not really great. Just take a listen to how the production values change between "No Fate" and "Sense Of Security". Odd and a bit amaturish. When that is said we´re still talking about Vicious Rumors, so of course this is still a quality release. It´s just uneven and overall could have been better. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.