Ex-Vicious Rumors drummer Larry Howe recently spoke out about his cancel culture-related exit from the band, detailing the ultimatum he received from guitarist and vocalist Geoff Thorpe, in an interview on Hart O’ The Matter.
Howe explained that his refusal to stay silent about his political views ultimately led to tensions within the band. This culminated in the cancellation of several European tour dates in Germany and a financial offer made to him to remain in the group.
“Geoff’s [Thorpe, Vicious Rumors guitarist/vocalist] been yelling at me for years: ‘Larry, shut up. We gotta sell T-shirts to liberals, too,'” Howe said. “And I get that, but I got kids. I live on this planet. I hate seeing the corruption happen, and I say something about it.”
Howe went on to describe the backlash he faced online and in the press, including a critical article published by German magazine Deaf Forever that he says contributed to the tour cancellations.
“And these Germans just are all pissed off at me saying, ‘Oh, Larry supports ICE. He’s a fascist,'” he continued. “I have people in my DMs hassling me. They’re just, like, ‘You’re a fascist.’ I’m, like, ‘Well, give me one example. Name something fascist.’ They could never answer these questions ’cause they’re wrong and they believe lies.”
“And I don’t shut up about it. What can I say? And so a [German] magazine came out, Deaf Forever. They put an article, a hit piece out on me last year, I think around near the mid or end of the year, and it really highlighted… They threw me under the bus, Frank [Gilchriest] from Riot. They even talked about Warlord [featuring ex-Fates Warning drummer Mark Zonder] — they got canceled from the Rock Hard Festival. The three metal MAGA drummers driving these woke, spineless Germans’ nuts, and it was all in Germany.”
Howe then addressed the broader ideological views that he says drove his outspokenness. He also described the financial terms Thorpe offered him to stay in the band.
“So Germany canceled eight shows for the European tour, and Geoff’s losing his mind,” he said. “And I’m, like, ‘Dude, what can I say?’ Their country’s [Germany] falling apart. They’re all on board with it. I’ve watched it happen there, too. I’ve been going there over 30 frigging years. I’ve seen the inundation of the rampant immigration. It’s the globalism.”
“They want to blend the lower hemisphere. They’re going to blend the Southern Hemisphere with the Northern Hemisphere to bring on globalism, and I see it happening. It’s not just a conspiracy. No, it’s really happening. When you see it happen in real time, you can’t shut up about it, and that’s me. Maybe if I made a lot of money and sold my soul to the devil and got really rich and famous, I would shut up about it, but then I’d be at a Lady Gaga party eating babies. So that’s not me.”
“I’m just little old Larry, and I’ve always been a patriot. What can I say? So anyways, Germany cancels five or six, seven shows, and Geoff’s like, ‘What are we doing, man? I can’t handle this.’ He goes, he tells me, ‘I’ll make you an offer. You can stay with the band if you pay them 5,000 bucks,’ to make up for the lost shows. So they have a lot of time off now.”
Howe ultimately declined the offer, leading to his departure from Vicious Rumors.
Howe’s exit from Vicious Rumors was not without precedent. His relationship with the band had already shown signs of strain in the year prior, making his final departure the culmination of a prolonged and increasingly public falling out rooted in his political outspokenness.
As reported by Wikipedia, Howe had first announced his departure from the band in May 2024. He briefly returned to the drum kit for subsequent shows, suggesting the split was initially not intended to be permanent. That earlier exit, however, set the stage for what would become an irreversible break.
The final confirmation came nearly a year later. Metal Injection reported that Vicious Rumors officially confirmed on April 20, 2025 that Howe had resigned from the band. The statement cited the impact his political views had on the band’s touring schedule as the primary reason for the split.
Howe had been one of the longest-standing members of Vicious Rumors alongside Geoff Thorpe, making the departure all the more significant for a band that has been active since the late 1970s. Wikipedia noted that Howe was considered the longest-standing member of the band beside Thorpe himself, underscoring just how deep the rift had to run for the two to part ways after decades of collaboration.
The situation reflects a broader tension that has increasingly surfaced in the metal community, where artists with outspoken political views have found themselves at odds with promoters, festivals, and international audiences — particularly in Europe. For Howe, the cost of speaking his mind ultimately proved to be his place in the band he had called home for most of his career.
