Vice come from down Shrewsbury way, following in the footsteps of fellow Shropshire lads (originally) No One Lost, who are also making a bit of a splash. Vice, who released an EP on Positive Impact Records last year, have refined their sound since their last outing and this trio of tunes is a huge improvement - suffice to say, Vice have found their sound and are intent on nailing it. There are certainly nods towards Coheed and Cambria here, particularly when the vocals go off into warbling territory, but this is a band, like C&C, who are inventive and differ from the norm. And I like it.
They are by no means the finished article, but from their last record - which at times was a little disjointed and lacked cohesion - this has come on leaps and bounds. Vocalist Jon has a really distinctive and powerful voice and this is used to great effect on all three tracks. The production is also highly impressive, adding a real depth to the sound. The guitar parts drift off nicely, and with each song rather lengthy, it gives plenty of opportunity for the songs to go on a bit of a journey. The third and final song in particular drifts in and out for six minutes, before coming to a rather abrupt close.
This isn't too far off getting 4/5, I just feel Vice lack a certain something. It's nothing major as this is a multi-faceted band that do everything really, really well. They've moved on from their last demo and if they continue to make strides as big as this, big things will certainly come.
www.myspace.com/vice
Paul
