It was a decade that defined hedonism, 10 years of excessive indulgence. It was the 1980s and heavy metal provided the soundtrack to the wild partying. A local band recreates the sound and attitude with their renditions of some of the biggest metal hits of the decade.

Decade of Decadence consists of Lance Young on lead vocals and guitar, Mike Blackwell on guitar, Kenny Kay on bass and lead vocals and Darren Kelling on drums. The band was formed in the fall of 2006. The members knew each other from the local scene.

The name came from a Motley Crue greatest hits album released in the early 1990s. “It was a working title at first and it stuck,” Blackwell said.

After playing in various top 40 bands, the musicians wanted to put together a band that would fill a niche in the market. They found it with the metal songs they listened to in their youth.

Decade of Decadence has about 65 songs in their repertoire and play about 30 on a typical night. To be considered for their set list, a song had to have been a single that made the top 100 chart. It also has to be something within their vocal range, Young noted. He sings a majority of the material, with Kay singing lead on eight or nine songs each gig.

A few songs have been dropped from their set based on crowd reaction. One is “House Of Broken Love” by Great White. While the band members like the song, their fans did not seem interested. Another is “Balls To The Wall” by Accept. While it was a fairly big hit for the German band, its aggressive sound and angry lyrics were a bit too much for playing in bars.

Among songs that get the strongest reaction are “Pour Some Sugar On Me” by Def Leppard and “Sweet Child Of Mine” by Guns ‘n Roses. “Everyone loves those tunes,” Young observed.

One song they recently learned is “Turn Up The Radio” by Autograph.

“We play songs that keep the energy level up,” Blackwell said. “That is what ‘80s metal was about. High energy and a party atmosphere.”

Metal concerts of the decade were known for being visual extravaganzas. Trying to recreate that in a bar poses some challenges. “I want fire on stage but I know I am not going to get that, so instead I jump up and down,” Young said. Blackwell pointed out there is a point where the cost of a big stage production outweighs what a band is going to earn playing the bar circuit.

But putting on an energetic show is still crucial. “If a band is not going to make it look interesting they should stay in the garage and practice,” Young said. “Our attitude is go all out for as long as we can.”

The band has been booking many of its shows in the Tacoma area. “Seattle is a hard sell,” Blackwell observed. They played a set at Freedom Fair on Ruston Way on July 4. There were not many people watching them at first, but halfway through the set the beer garden was packed and many fans with young children gathered outside the beer garden near the stage. “I loved that,” Young said.

They handle all of their own booking and promotion. Booking agents were not interested in an ‘80s metal act, Blackwell noted.

Band members have been utilizing the Internet for promotion. When bands first began having websites, fans came to them. Now with the social networking aspect of the Internet, bands can interact more with fans, Young observed.

They find their audience is split about evenly between people in their early 40s and late 30s who grew up on metal in the 1980s and people in their early 20s, whose exposure to the music may come from older relatives.

Decade of Decadence plays Station 56 in Tacoma at 9 p.m. on Aug. 21. For more information visit www.myspace.com/dodseattle.