Vital Force – In the Night

Vital Force
In the Night
1989 (no label)
Dayton, Ohio, USA

Darryl Highland – Lead vocals, lead guitar, backing vocals
Scott Highland – Bass guitar, backing vocals
Brian Taylor – Drums

Drew Knapke – Keyboards

Side 1:

1. In the Night
2. Stand
3. Rock for the Rock
4. Silent Scream

Side 2:

1. Blinded Eyes
2. Flaming Heart
3. It All Comes Down
4. Living Alone

If you can’t tell from the scan above, Vital Force appears to have had a good amount of money to put into their only demo tape. I honestly had not heard of the band at all until someone offered it for a trade. Which is really weird, because they seem to be a well-polished act. The mastering is still a bit on the DIY level, but they don’t struggle to pull together the songs like so many underground bands do (many bands have good ideas for parts of the song, but don’t always pull them together into a cohesive whole). Anyways, the band resides somewhere in the commercial metal realm that leans heavily towards neoclassical and even power metal at times. In other words, they don’t shy away from the occasional keyboards, but will still throw out songs like “Rock for the Rock” with ear piercing vocal shouts and meaty hooks with pounding drums.