As anyone who witnessed the small run of North American dates last year, mainstay guitarist/founder Geoff Thorpe has FINALLY solidified the vocal slot vacated by the death of Carl Albert (back in '95), with virtually unknown Nick Holleman. Longer and a much stronger effort than the first part of Live You To Death (recorded in Europe and released two years ago, with a couple of studio rendition cover tunes), there remains some overlap of classic songs, but also a half dozen newer contributions and 'World Church', which was omitted from the earlier disc. In fact, everything necessary is included, with the only real absentee being "Abandoned", but given the extras, this remains the best, most inclusive, post-Albert live offering. Holleman's high register handles the difficult oldies adroitly, allowing Thorpe to add his gruff counterpoint, when needed and while many of the newer tracks are heavier/faster than the vintage material, it's the classic vocal interplay, alongside plenty of twin guitar leads ("Lady Took A Chance"), that enable them to fit so nicely alongside a rather written-in-stone set of "must hear" anthems. I was at one of those shows and heard about a few others, so have to say, the (canned?) crowd noise seems overly exuberant. Playing Digital Dictator in its entirety throughout Europe earlier in the year, a good portion of the US tour featured heavy doses of said '88 platter, including “Towns On Fire” and “World And Machines”. Told Thorpe I thought Razorback Killers was too heavy, a step away from the traditional VR sounds, whereas the follow-up was closer to the mark. He was slightly taken aback, yet nothing from that platter is evident here, although a more staccato “I Am The Gun” and the title cut to the album from which was lifted, Electric Punishment, are included, the later offering a brief glimpse into Holleman's stage banter. A pair off the stellar Welcome To The Ball: “You Only Live Twice” and “Mastermind” are dwarfed by the other, oft aired, better known giants off that disc, but it's nice to hear a little variety, as '”Six Stepsisters”, “Children”, “Savior From Anger”, “Strange Behavior”, “Raise Your Hands” the even the ballad “When Love Comes Down” have all been part of recent tours. Hard to believe, but Vicious Rumors are more viable than ever!