VICE (US) – Fooled By Your Love [first time on CD] (2018)

Here’s another band unearthed from the vault: Americans VICE and their “Fooled By Your Love“, never properly released and now appeared on CD.
Note: this is not the fake file floating the net, this is the Real one.

VICE was forned iin Salt Lake City in 1985 by bass player Mark Morrison (The Jack, Harlot), guitar player Jay Gough (Obsession, Megattack, Rag Dolls) and keyboard player Alan Ludington (Obsession, Moviescreen).
Soon drummer Marty Deland (Dark Haven, Rockdolls) who was the older brother of future Hard Knox bassist Kenny Deland, joined.
The band began rehearsing under the name “Loften” which was after the stage name of former Dark Haven guitarist Rodney Merrill (aka Rod Loften). Under this name they recruited Dark Haven vocalist Dave Wehry (Obsession, Dark Haven, Loften), but after a few practices Dave and the band parted ways.

Mark and Jay went down to the local bar for a drink and to check out a punk band called “The Pedestrians” that was getting some rave reviews in the Utah punk scene.
Mark thought that they may be able to get vocalist Bert White (Angle, Indecent Exposure, The Pedestrians) to switch genres and bring that punk rock attitude to the metal scene. Bert was looking for a change and decided to try the metal thing.​
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Loften had a show set up at local bar “Uncle Alberts”, which ended up selling out. Many fans and musicians alike wanted to see this new band that Mark had formed. Many were still in shock that Mark would leave “The Jack” (top metal act in the area at the time).
Some of the crowd came out to see if this new endeavor would be a total failure, or an enormous success. The stage had been set and it was time to put up or shut up. Loften opened with the song “Calling on Your Love” and the audience was hooked from the first note.

Part way through the set, a task force of police officers quickly overtook the club after receiving a tip that some of the bandmembers were underage. Jay and Mark both had fake IDs and were able to pull one over on the officers. As the band was getting ready to start back into their set, Bert said into the mic, “Who called the Vice squad,” referring to the officers. Jay looked at Bert and said, “we should totally call ourselves VICE.”
Bert yelled out to the crowd, “We are now known as VICE” and the rest was history. The show was a huge success and didn’t leave any disappointed.​

Vice played several live shows over the next few months, one a headliner of nearly three thousand at the Utah State Fairgrounds.
​The band entered the studio (Audio Visions) to cut a 5-track demo. As the band was shopping for a label, they began to get a lot of local attention. But after that, they lost their ace guitarist Jay, who joined what was to become the biggest 80’s metal band from Utah: “Megattack.”

Vice did not try and replace Jay and quickly dispersed. Bert went back to his old band “The Pedestrians” and his old punk band then became a hard rock band. Alan left music and moved to the Northwest to focus on a business career. Marty joined the Salt Lake thrash metal band Truce, but that was short-lived.

Mark and Marty shot down to Los Angeles to try and make it on the Sunset Strip. They joined up with Phil Sandoval (Armored Saint), but this project quickly fizzled out. Mark headed back to Salt Lake and joined the band Vamp, which quickly changed its name to Harlot.
Marty joined the L.A.-based band Halloween which changed its name to “Rockdolls” due to a Michigan band with the same name. Rockdolls became one of the club favorites at the historic Troubadour.

The ’80s came and went, and each member of Vice had been scattered to various parts of the country. The 5-track album that Vice had recorded back in 1985 was now an afterthought.
In the mid-90s the studio that once recorded this short-lived band burned to the ground. The original masters had been destroyed and the chances of these songs ever seeing the light of day were dwindling.​​
So this CD release source is a cassette tape, which as been remastered with love. The sound quality is not the best, but enough to appreciate another unknown band from the ’80s US hard rock scene.
Collector’s stuff

01 – Fooled by Your Love
02 – September
03 – Calling on Your Love
04 – Waiting in Line
05 – Warlords
06 – You Won’t See Me Cryin’ (Live)
07 – Played the Fool Again (Live)
08 – Warlords (Live)

Bert White – vocals
Mark Morrison – bass, vocals
Jay Gough – guitars
Alan Ludington – keyboards
Marty Deland – drums

BUY IT !
www.metallicbluerecords.com/store/p8/Vice-Fooled-By-Your-Love
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