A couple of hours before the Vicious Rumors concert in Athens, we sat down with the band leader, Geoff Thorpe, and conversed about a variety of things, the majority of which can be found below. In this exclusive interview to Rockpages.gr, Geoff didn’t omit to mention the late Carl Albert… Interview: Sakis Nikas and Louis Kostopoulos

Rockpages.gr: First of all, are you satisfied with the reception of “Warball” in the global market?

Geoff Thorpe: It’s been incredible, man! All the reviews we’ve gotten, the fan reaction…it’s been so overwhelmingly positive. It’s been like a giant comeback, the Vicious Rumors return. Everywhere we play…Japan, Europe, USA…people seem to love the record.

Rockpages.gr: From my perspective, this is the most powerful Vicious Rumors record since the “Digital Dictator” days. How important was the role of Brad Gillis and James Rivera in the final result?

Geoff Thorpe: Well, Brad was mostly for the recordings of a couple of songs. He is a really good friend of mine. He was a really important part of the record. I spent a lot of time between 2001 and 2005 to come up with some special songs for the record. I collaborated on the majority of the songs with James who also contributed a lot to the record. I worked a lot on the record and I wanted to make it a really classic Vicious Rumors album.

Rockpages.gr: How did you hook up with James?

Geoff Thorpe: He actually called me in order to do some Vicious Rumors shows with Helstar and when he did so, I was also looking for a singer. So, I took it as a message…such a perfect timing. The next thing I knew, he was the singer of Vicious Rumors and we were playing our first major show and started working on “Warball” It all came together naturally.

Rockpages.gr: Geoff, if you look closely at Vicious Rumors’ lyrics one can notice the overall optimistic view of life. How did James’ realistic and at points pessimistic lyrics fit with Vicious Rumors musical context?

Geoff Thorpe: That’s a very good question. I can see that you’re following our career pretty closely. Well…We always had a more positive attitude towards our lyrics. The whole point is that we’ve been doing this for a long time and as we get older we seem to get heavier and heavier. We went to war within ourselves and the power of “Warball” brought out some very dark lyrics from James and me. After all, James is used to writing all these “death and destruction” stuff with Helstar. But for me, it was kind of a violent comeback and I hope that it’s obvious that I am just staying true to the Vicious Rumors tradition.

Rockpages.gr: So, is it safe to say that James is a permanent member of Vicious Rumors?

Geoff Thorpe: Well…my career has gone to all these different directions and it’s really hard to tell. The only permanent thing I know for sure is death (laughs)! You know what I mean? I hope to continue working with James further on and we certainly have plans to do so. But, only time can give an answer to this question.

Rockpages.gr: “Warball” featured Larry Howe and Dave Starr. Were you sad to see Dave leaving so soon after the recording of the album?

Geoff Thorpe: Yeah, we were really hoping that Dave was gonna be part of the whole thing. But, he was unable to do all the touring. So, at least we had him on the record and I must tell you I was really happy to have both Dave and Larry on “Warball”. Unfortunately, Dave couldn’t join us on the tour, but our new bassist (Steven Goodwin) is doing a great job and I couldn’t be more satisfied with him!

Rockpages.gr: Let’s travel back in time…What do you remember from the very early days when you were giving a show with Coffins – Monks etc., before the release of the first VR album?

Geoff Thorpe: Oh man…It’s funny that you mentioned that because we just had a short reunion with Gary St. Pierre…

Rockpages.gr: Really? I didn’t know this!

Geoff Thorpe: Yes, it wasn’t planned or something…We haven’t heard from him for 15 years and he just came back, jammed with us and participated in one of our shows. It was really good to see him again. I have so many great memories throughout the years…you look at someone like Jimi Hendrix who was a legend and inspired so many people and he lasted only 4-5 years. Vicious Rumors’ career has lasted 27 years and counting!

Rockpages.gr: How important was Mike Varney for Vicious Rumors’ career?

Geoff Thorpe: Mike discovered the band and he gave us our first shot internationally and I have to say that Vicious Rumors owe a lot to Mike for the fact that he sealed the deal for us in the mid-80s with Shrapnel/Roadrunner Records. I feel really lucky to have such great collaborators in my career and I am really glad now to have James in the band and deliver such a powerful record. Especially, taking into consideration the fact that James is trying every night to sing songs that are linked to Carl! That’s a really tough job, but he is doing it just perfect! 

Rockpages.gr: You have worked with many talented singers. Which one was the most important one and why? I think that this question probably has an obvious answer…

Geoff Thorpe: Of course! Let’s put it this way: Carl Albert was a God and the rest of us are mortals!

Rockpages.gr: Geoff, what’s the secret of longevity?

Geoff Thorpe: Passion, brother! Passion for music…passion for action and it’s just something that I enjoy doing it and always performing in front of our fans. I love the action…I love being in Greece talking to you and all in all I love being on the road and playing all the Vicious Rumors songs. It’s an honor and a privilege!