There's a reason 1980s metal died--those who could not modify their sounds to greet the 90s and beyond were drowned in their own flood of watery overdrive distortion. Vicious Circle (a.k.a. Steve Cichon) seems to be reaching a guitar-clenched hand out of the water to assert that 80s heavy metal is still treading water...somewhere.
This self-titled disc fails to shed any new light on an already darkened genre. Cichon--a one-man recording machine--churns out Iron Maiden / Kiss rockers with positive lyrics about feeding your mind, standing up for what you believe, and making the most of your life; however, whatever good Cichon has to say is masked by a sound that is very dated.
If this was a reissue of a classic 80s power album, there would be the added appreciation of a bygone era, warm feelings of nostalgia. But this is a 2002 offering. Maybe someone out there still has a passion for double-bass drum drive and finger-flying guitar solos.
If you really miss 80s metal, this is the album for you. But from a modern perspective, Vicious Circle is a man overboard crying out for the boat which has long since sailed over the horizon.
1 tock
