It's always amusing how the World Cup has the ability to reduce a thriving and bustling metropolis into a veritable ghost town. This was particularly true on Monday afternoon, with virtually every German being glued to their screens, watching the Germany versus Portugal game. I was one of the few exceptions, sitting outside Garage Deluxe, the venue where American Old School metallers VICIOUS RUMORS were to play that evening. Doors were scheduled to open at 19.00, yet half an hour later, the doors were still closed, with a lone fan shuffling around outside, waiting for the gig to start.

Finally the game was over and the doors opened, with a few more fans appearing out of seemingly nowhere. However, the wait was not over yet: after Munich-based band SENSES MAY WITHER cancelled the show at the last minute, fans were left to their own device until 9 PM for the start of the gig. Many used this time to peruse the vast displays of merch that was available, or to chat with the bands, who were also using this opportunity to catch up with old fans as well as to meet newer fans. And at long last, it was finally time for EXTREMA to take to the stage. This was the first time I had seen this Italian Groove Metal band, and I was very pleasantly surprised.
 

Having been formed in 1986, it was clear from the start that this quartet was very experienced musicians, and I was blown away by how skilled each musician was: the drummer Francesco, who is very new to the band, was an absolute machine; the bassist, Gabri, provided a strong backbone for the melodies, throwing in a few solos for good measure; guitarist Tommy added dimension to the songs with furls and flourishes that really brought the music to life; and vocalist Gianluca carried the band that extra mile, doing his best to engage the crowd. The audience had by this point swelled in ranks, now numbering a staggering whole two dozen strong, which was none too shabby seeing as it was a Monday night on top of the ongoing World Cup fixtures; indeed, some fans had even come from as far abroad as Sweden. What was also great to see was that members of VICIOUS RUMORS were standing in the crowd, supporting EXTREMA's set; it always makes such a refreshing change to see a headlining act who does not closet themselves away until their set, but instead actively engages with the audience and the supporting bands. Overall, EXTREMA put on a very good show, despite the cramped stage and somewhat underwhelming audience turnout.
 

Setlist:
1. Intro
2. Between the Lines
3. Deep Infection
4. Selfishness
5. Positive Pressure
6. Pyre of Fire
7. Again and Again
8. Money Talks
9. From the 80s
10. This Toy
11. Life
 

Next up was the headlining band of the night, VICIOUS RUMORS, an American Heavy Metal band that has been around for the last 35 years. This band has undergone quite a bit of change in lineup recently, with last year seeing the arrival of Bob Capka on guitars, Tilen Hudrap on bass, and Nick Holleman on vocals. Nevertheless, the cohesion between the members is immediately apparent, with each member working like well-oiled cogs in a machine, even on such a small and tight stage.

Nick's vocals really were outstanding, effortlessly reaching pitches that most females would struggle with, although the volume of his vocals was initially too low. However, the sound technician soon fixed this. Added to this were the backing vocals of Geoff, Larry, and Tilen. This combined with searing guitar solos courtesy of Geoff, executed on his stunning guitars took their music to a new level, both musically and visually. The audience, which seemed to have somehow magically doubled in size, was absolutely thrilled, eagerly devouring the classics which adorned the setlist.
 

The thundering setlist seemed to fly past at a rate of knots, featuring one highlight after another, and despite the numerous songs in the set, it seemed like all too soon that the band had reached their final song of the night. Ending "Hellrazor" on an undeniable high, VICIOUS RUMORS were at the end of their set, much to the chagrin of their fans. However, calls for an encore soon brought the band back on stage, delivering one last anthem, "Soldiers of the Night", before existing amid vociferous applause. Overall, this was definitely a night to remember, and I'm sure fans are already eagerly anticipating the upcoming album which promises to be more along the classical vein taken on this tour.

Setlist:
1. Digital Dictator
2. Minute to Kill
3. The Crest
4. On the Edge
5. Murderball
6. Abandoned
7. You Only Live Twice
8. R.L.H.
9. Condemned
10. Out of the Shadows
11. I Am the Gun
12. Don't Wait for Me
13. Down to the Temple
14. Hellrazor
15. Soldiers of the Night
 

On their recent tour through Europe, I had the pleasure of interviewing Geoff Thorpe, founding member, guitarist, and backing vocalist of the longstanding American Heavy Metal band VICIOUS RUMORS, a man with a mesmerizing voice and unique sense of humour. Sitting outside the venue before their recent Munich show, we spoke about several topics, ranging from the new lineup, past tours, upcoming releases, all the way to the more classic direction the upcoming album will take.

VICIOUS RUMORS have been doing a lot of touring this year. How has that all been?

It's been good. This is the tenth or eleventh show, and it has been great. We started off in Croatia, and headlined this festival down there, the Underwall Festival, on the first day. It was incredible! We went down there a few days early and we were out in the sun, laying out, and going like "I guess we're on tour". It started off so beautiful. From there we went to Milan and up through Germany. We've been playing some festivals already, and a few headlining dates. It's always great to be on tour in Europe in the summertime.

I can imagine it must have been quite an experience co-headlining 70 000 Tons of Metal.

We've been lucky enough to play that twice, two out of four times, in 2011 and this year. That is one of the most fun festivals you can imagine, everyone is in such a good spirit, everyone is so happy just because they're there. It's funny, even in the elevator they're playing really quiet Death Metal! It's a lot of fun; I recommend it to anyone who wants to have a good time.

Why play "Digital Dictator" in its entirety for that set?

We wanted to do something special, and it was a request that we got. We're willing to do special events for the right price; they made it worth our while to do something special. We're actually going to do that for the first time in Europe on the 20^th, at the Dokk'em Open Air Festival. It will be the "Digital Dictator" set, and then some classics after that.

That sounds great! If you could play anywhere in the world, where would you play?

Well, I have always been curious about South America. I've also heard good things about Russia, and I have a definite desire to go to New Zealand.

There are VICIOUS RUMORS tours planned for those places later this year, aren't there?

Yeah. We're working on this Pacific Rim thing at the moment, with Australia and Japan, so I'm really looking forward to that. I always wanted to go to New Zealand and Australia, but especially New Zealand. I grew up in Hawaii as a kid, and there is something about New Zealand that I just want to see, I want to swim in that water!

Lord of the Rings did make it look quite appealing.

Hobbits need Metal too! So we gotta go there!

Haha, indeed they do! It's the 35^th anniversary of the band this year. Any special plans to celebrate?

Yeah. We got up this morning. At this point, that's something special! No, I'm just teasing. We've been doing really incredible shows that feature the classic elements of our career, as well as some of the more modern elements. We're introducing a new singer, Nick Holleman. We did an American tour last year, so not only are we celebrating the 35^th anniversary, but we're also on tour promoting the new live album "Live you to Death II: American Punishment". It's been good. We're like the kings of the underground, and we've been doing it forever. We do it all: one minute we're in a small club and the next minute we're playing a huge open air. They're all incredible! The band plays at a certain level every night; it's not gear to where we play. We do our thing, and people seem to really appreciate that. We've been having great responses this tour, and to the new lineup. Larry and I have our young guys with us. I was 22 and Larry was 25 when we started the band, and so to have these guys in the group now is pretty exciting. They're really talented and motivated: super smart and talented guys. It's been really good energy. I'd say that VICIOUS RUMORS is probably playing at our highest level in 15 years right now. And even thought Larry and I have been doing this for so long, just the combination and the fire in the band has been very exciting. I feel like one of the luckiest guys in the world to be able to do this for so long.

How does it work having two European guys in an American band?

It's a trip because not only that, but Bob our guitarist lives 10 hours north in Portland, Oregon. We're very spread out, so what we have to do is come together through communication, and everyone shows up ready. A lot of the time we don't even get the opportunity to rehearse because we're coming from so many different places. But everyone shows up ready, and we go over what we need to go over. We can all count on each other that no-one is going to show up unprepared. We have a really high standard of the show we want to deliver. This is a tough market for Heavy Metal in general, and we want to play at the top of our game. Luckily we have a really good chemistry together. We've had a lot of special combinations over the years and played with a lot of talented people and it has been good to be able to keep that level at a very high bar. We've got some great shows ahead of us, and plans for a new studio album next year.

Wow, there are already plans for a new album? Have you already started working on that?

Yeah, I've been writing for it before the tour, and I'm going to take a couple of months after the tour to try to finish it up. I'll be staying in Europe for a bit actually, and working with the guys through the summer.

It's impressive how much you're working! Four releases in four years is quite something!

Thank you, really appreciate that! Yeah, it has been a lot of work because we've also been on tour quite a bit in those years, doing almost 100 shows per year. It has been the busiest time of our career, but we feel real lucky to still work at this level, and we're excited to do some of the big festivals and shows we've done, and some of the tours that we have coming up, and the one we're on right now!

Why do two live albums in such close succession?

We wanted to create something more than just a live album; it's actually like a series of live albums, and we actually plan to do three of them: "Live you to Death", "Live you to Death II: American Punishment", and "Live you to Death III" which we plan to do the recording for when we're in South America. Our goal is to have this live album set from four different continents. So it was a bigger thought than just the one live album. Also, it gave us the opportunity to do a studio album, do the tour for that, then make a live album from that, and then continuously be on the road with something to tour behind. We're just trying to live life the fullest that we can!

Was there a reason that 5 of the 13 songs on the last live album came from "Digital Dictator"?

Well, we were trying to make a statement that we're working with a guy that can really actually recreate that. Nick is just doing an incredible job in the band. So we're doing the classic stuff right now and just really feeling that the classic element of the band has returned with his voice, and it's a really great feeling! So now the writing is sort of going back to that too. It's going to be a great record! I think it's going to be really exciting to work on the new album with these young guys.

My final question: As an experienced musician, is there any advice you'd give to young bands who look up to you?

It's really just about following your heart and don't try to be something you're not. If you're good at something, try to be the best at it. And if you believe in yourself, it will take you a long way.

That sounds like good advice. Thanks for answering all my questions!

Thanks, it was really nice talking to you!