Saving Vice is a New England-based metalcore founded by bassist Robbie Litchfield in 2015.

Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.

Tyler Small (Vocals), Robbie Litchfield (Bass), Zach Racicot (Guitar), Cody Grant (Guitar), Chase Papariello (Vocals), Sam Whelton (Drums)

For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Saving Vice? How long has the band been around?

For most of the guys, this was their first serious band. Sam drummed for a band called Sic Vita and I used to sing for a band called In the Name Of. As Saving Vice stands now, we've been together for roughly two years.

What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?

Zach actually came up with the name before I joined. It refers to the vices in life that you depend on to get by...the vices that “save” you. 

Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?

Everyone writes for the band, but I'd say Robbie and I do most of the writing -- at least for “Colder Than Dark.” The EP mainly focuses on tragedies, depression, and mental health issues and is sort of like a miniature concept album based on suffering. The theme is very clear if you actually read into it. Going forward, we’re really expanding on our sound and content but whatever we do, I just want our songs to be impactful when people hear them or read the lyrics. Every song is written for whoever can relate to them.

What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?

There are so many artists that inspire our writing I wouldn't know where to start. There are clear influences from metalcore but I'll even listen to rap or pop artists for inspiration, having a broad spectrum in our genre is essential to thinking outside the box. As far as instrumentals go, I’d say Robbie’s current influences draw from bands like Architects, Bring Me The Horizon and Asking Alexandria. But even still, he has an extensive history in the pop punk and melodic hardcore genres, so you’ll hear hints of that in our music as well.

Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?

Robbie founded the band a couple years ago and I know that A Day To Remember was the band that originally inspired him, so I guess where we are today can technically be traced back to them.

What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, etc …

For myself personally, I try not to drink, smoke. or do anything that might compromise my voice. I do a lot of warm ups and stretches. I like to get the blood flowing so I'm relaxed on stage. I used to take a shot before every show just to loosen up but I don’t like alcohol before I sing anymore. The other guys don’t particularly do anything physical from what I’ve seen. Usually they’ll have a couple drinks to loosen up mentally before taking the stage.

What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?

Honestly it's a toss up between getting on Warped Tour and how well our EP did. We charted on iTunes and the Billboard Northeast Heatseekers Chart and were right behind some way bigger bands who released music the same day. It felt really amazing to see people flock over our music the way they did -- especially for an unsigned band from New England. In our first month, we reached over 28,000 streams between Apple Music and Spotify. Absolutely crazy.

If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?

I'm sure everyone would have different bands but I could easily say Deftones, Underoath, Architects, Slipknot or Linkin Park would be some bucket list bands. They are all huge influences as well as being what I'd consider some of the top tier bands in modern metal.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Thank you so much for taking some time to talk about us. We have plenty of awesome stuff on the way as well as plans for epic new material so definitely stay posted with Saving Vice.