Vile, Vicious and Victorious
[Sound Riot Records]

Vicious hail from Sweden and blend the best elements of thrash with melodic death metal to create their music. They had some success in the past under the monikers of Rage Anthem and Wargasm that generated enough interest that Sound Riot Records signed them and then they changed their name to Vicious after recruiting an excellent guitar player by the name of Simon Jarrolf.

Speaking of the guitar work, it is simply amazing. In particular the track, "Life Corrupted", has aggressive guitar riffing underlined by melodic soloing. The last track on the album has a relentless thrashing riff that just hammers away and makes you want to bang your head senseless. Other tracks on the album are more in the Gothenburg-style of death metal in that they have more melody to them and not just all out thrashing riffs.

The vocals are aggressive and harsh delivered by new vocalist Henke Wennegren (Skyfire). The drums are very well played and the bass really isn't heard that much. It kind of gets lost in the mix with the guitars, drums and vocals being at the forefront. But nevertheless it is very well produced.

These guys are top notch musicians and have put together one hell of a debut album. It is highly recommended for fans that like the Swedish-style of thrash/death metal. Their sort of reminiscent of Carnal Forge and in fact P. Kuusisto (Carnal Forge) guest stars on the album. So, if you like them then you might want to check out this vicious new band.