Review by Greg on October 16, 2024.

Now, how do you follow up a near-perfect work? Usually, either you break up, you try something different, or you just end up rehashing the album's salient features in a desperate attempt to recapture whatever made it so special. This last route is by far the most common and was arguably taken by Outloud too, after they hit the proverbial jackpot with 2015's Let's Get Serious. Virtual Hero Society is its long-awaited follow-up and still last release by this Greek formation to date, and while it still tries to move ahead by... moving backward, as the '80s influence is even more prominent than before (think if the title's initials mean something to you), the spark was arguably lost.

If you're wondering, the absence of a certain George Kollias is certainly noticeable, but the fact that no chorus strikes just the exact chord like before certainly can't be traced back to his successor Thanos Pappas. Chandler Mogel is still an outstanding singer, to clarify. But Let's Get Serious, facetious title or not, did everything just right, and I simply don't think any song here could be considered good enough to be included in it. Luckily, the band hasn't regressed to its initial state, either, as Virtual Hero Society's first half overall does a commendable job, coming across as even more nostalgic sounding, not least because of the stronger keyboard presence. The obvious highlight is the saxophone(!) solo in 'World-Go-Round', but there's also a pretty good piano half-ballad in 'Share My Dreams' (with an honestly amazing solo chosen from a contest), and... the sounds of a 56 kbit/s modem in the title-track.

I'd even say that some of the weaker moments have something going on for them, usually involving Bob Katsionis' playing, so the guitar work in 'We Got Tonite' (which reads like a mashup of previous singles), 'Fools' Train' or the unfortunately subpar singles 'Borrowed Time' and '...and I Tried'. Hey, there's even a metal riff at the very end of 'Fight On!'. Sadly, 'Live with It' or, curiosity aside, the acapella number (who the hell thought that it would have been a good idea?) 'Fallen Love' have almost nothing in their favor. I know I can't compare everything the band releases to Let's Get Serious, but the fact that they totally nailed what they were going for once, but never managed to do it again is honestly frustrating. All things considered, Virtual Hero Society is Outloud's second-strongest effort. Nevertheless, it goes without saying that you should check a certain other LP before trying this. Here's hoping time will prove me wrong...

Rating: 7.2 out of 10