Vicious
Vile, Vicious & Victorious

June 2004
Released: 2004, Sound Riot Records
Rating: 3.8/5
Reviewer: Lord of the Wasteland

Swedish thrash/melodic death is becoming a bit of a glutted market. Clones of The Haunted are becoming a dime a dozen and Vicious is no exception. Lots of chugging guitars, speedy thrash-based riffs and hollered vocals—it’s been done dozens of times and just as good if not better. Not to say VILE, VICIOUS & VICTORIOUS isn’t good; it’s just the next in an endless line of knock-offs. On the good side, the album does a bang up job of embracing all of the above-mentioned archetypes. Vocals (courtesy of Skyfire singer Henrik Wengren) are aggressive and pack a good punch. Some excellent riffs are present and played with good technical precision. A meaty bass is also mixed well into the music giving it a bit heavier sound than most. All in all, this is a good record. Just don’t expect anything new or groundbreaking.



“Beast” gets things going with some speedy drumming and cool riffs. “High On Fire” and “A Vicious Mind” have killer opening screams from Wengren and some impressive double bass courtesy of Fredrik Eriksson. The choruses feature some memorable riffs and heavy, yet melodic vocals. The lightning fast solo at the beginning of “Deadicate” is damn impressive, too! “The Feeder of Evil” is one of the heavier tracks on the CD and Wengren turns in his best vocal performance, as well. The song is fast, tight and thrashy. Good stuff.



Vicious aren’t doing anything new but taken for what it is, this is a pretty good album. All the elements of Swedish melodic death are present and performed without fail. VILE, VICIOUS & VICTORIOUS should be a great success for them and is worth checking out by any fan of The Haunted, Carnal Forge or At The Gates.



KILLER KUTS: “High On Fire,” “Deadicate,” “The Feeder of Evil”