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Now I got exactly this case, where I'd never ignore the supportband, and where I even move my butt outta town to some place to check the whole lot out. Vicious Rumors from San Francisco or better from the Bay area have always accompanied me throughout the years from past to present as a musicjournalist. And Vicious Rumors are most of all - Geoff Thorpe. 

                                      
I presume this man has gonne through everything you can imagine heights and depths, what's up to the musical aspect as well as the personal condition. Vicious Rumors rose up in the late Eighties  to the sky of Heavy Metal from the other side of the atlantic ocean, exspecially with the selftitled album in 1990, which has drawn the attention of the fans and the media- And it was exactly one song which became sort of a status symbol for the band: 'Don't Wait For Me'-  But the time didn't wait, at least for singer Carl Alberm, one of the best singer within this genre. He died in 1995 in a car crash. And since then Geoff Thorpe is fighting a constant battle with fade and the right substitution for Carl. Inbetween many years have passed, and some albums have been released including four singers. Also within this time Geoff was suffering a bad accident himself , which put him outta competition for almost 2 years. But a Geoff Thorpe doesn't give in. He is still fighting for his music and for his baby - Vicious Rumors. 
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Now he is back again with a new album  named 'Warball', the nineth studioalbum and an almost new band. Only drummer Larry Howe, who has been off the shore for a while and came back in again, is the other remaining original apart from Geoff Thorpe. The current singer James Rivers, who might be known by some of you from his days with Seven Witches. And we've gotta admit, as small as this man is in his body size, as big is his voice. Yep he surely fits in Vicious Rumors, also even he will never be a second Carl Albert. This fact will follow the band 'till the very last day. But we do live today and not yesterday, do we?!!! So this is not relevant for fans, who are just recently familiar with the band and not since the glory eighties. 
However, you can feel the new enthusiasm and the fun to play. The performance is as energetic as ever and explodes like a cruise missiles. - The only minus is the supportslot, with less time and power. But it's still enough to introduce the band and the new album.because the headliner has given them one whole hour,- very nice indeed. One song ain't surely missing: 'Don't Wait For Me'. But for the reality this ain't true. We have waited for you again Geoff. We have never forgotten about you, and we hope that you gonna be on the surface again taking your baby on the road - energetic, exploding and stunning. 
Don't worry, we have all the time in the world to wait for you... and yes, - well done tonight, and we again in spring on one more tour  very soon. 

                                                               Some more Live Pics you find  here 

Okidok, one more word concerning the headliner of tonight, who does pretty hard now after the great performance of Vicious Rumors. Beyond Fear is Tim Owens Band. And he, as we all know. has filled the frontman part within Judas Priest for a while and has sung in Iced Earth. All headbanger fans do know that, don't we?!!!  He is still associated with his past and takes some profit outta it, though I don't think he wants it. But shades of pasttense are usually following usually for quite a while. Within this stint here, Tim introduces his very own music, but same time is reminding us at the past. , whether it's the music, or just his voice, which sounds os god damn similar to Rob Halfords voice. Some say it's even better. I won't include any comment on that, 'cause I'm not sure about it. 
Pretty sure are the just about 100 fans, who are here tonight, celebrating the kinda heavy metal, Beyond Fear plays.

And that's why it has been a good move to let the package play the smaller blackbox downstairs and not upstairs the big venue. 
Rather a smal club well filled, than a big hall half empty, ain't it?!! Fact is, there is nostalgic feelings all the way along, though the music is everything else than soft ballads.
Tim's got some humour, - gotta give him that.... because he doesn't hesitate to announce his bassplayer Dennis Hayes as a former member of Blue Oyster Cult. The ironic tragic is, that some concert visitors do believe this and start asking questions aftershow. But Dennis has only played in Seven Witches before together with the now- new voice of Vicious Rumors James Rivera. 
But at least so it seems like a big family  squashed on one tourbus travelling throughout Europe. Over all it's a solid performance  for the True metal fan, who still holds on tight on his life philosophy, which only survives on the edge of the worldwide big music society. 
But as we say so: Music is universal, and each style has it's right to be here, whether it's currently popular, out of fashion, forogtten, up to date or just not there right now. Never mind. Most important is, you like what you get. So - 
Don't Wait For Something Else' - just go for it......

                                                                                                         click Diary for Aftershow snapshots