Album Reviews
Movies
Concert Reviews

Top 10
Resources
Contact Us

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 o 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.

Greg Adams 12/2/2002