MIDNIGHT VICE – Midnight Vice

Midnight Vice is a Traditional Metal band (with traces of Progressive and Melodic Metal strewn in) out of Tampa, Florida (USA). The band was formed in 2020 … basically just four Metal fans who also played instruments found each other and decided to form a band. Playing covers throughout the Metal-rich Tampa circuit, over time Midnight Vice made a name for themselves, began writing their own material, and caught the attention of Roar Records. The happy ending here comes in the form of a self-titled EP debut now hitting the global streets.

The EP is comprised of seven tracks: six original and one cover (“White Witch” by Savatage). Right away with the first few notes you can tell Midnight Vice has been heavily influenced by the ‘80s Traditional Metal forefathers. You’ll hear Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, the more aggressive side of Dokken, and the aforementioned Savatage (fellow Tampa dwellers), to name a few. There’s plenty of energy, aggressive riffing, and solos laced with amphetamine that are sure to catch the ears of Traditional Metal fans both young and old. By and large the songs are up-tempo and the musicianship is wonderfully rough around the edges … perhaps a byproduct of a low studio budget, but it works!

One of the strengths of this release is also its main weakness … that being the performance of vocalist Tyler Gray. When singing in his “normal” voice, he comes through quite enjoyably and stays within the comfortable confines of the song structures. However, Tyler shoots for the upper echelon high notes rather often. His high notes are overaccentuated in the mix and give the impression that Tyler just sucked in a mouthful of helium … not awful but may cause you to cringe at first when you least expect it.

Overall, this Midnight Vice EP is a solid record by a band hungry to give back to the Traditional Metal Community. Hopefully fans of this subgenre will support this band world-wide to ensure other ideas they have brewing will be included in a future full-length LP.

Tracklist

Strike In The Night
Spellcaster
Excalibur
Baptized By Fire
Mysteria
Deliverance Of Steel
White Witch (cover)

Lineup

Tyler Gray – Vocals
Sam Bean – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Dennis O’Sullivan – Drums
Lakota Stafford – Bass