The guys from Vow of Silence are not what their name may suggest. If the trio has as much chemistry on stage as they do off, audiences are in for a treat.

The band, formerly known as Level*Headed, has been together since January of 2000. It changed its name a year ago to something that would better reflect its maturing sound, says drummer and backup vocalist Joe Pometto, sophomore in industrial technology.

“We felt like that was a high school band and we had grown into a different sound. We didn’t feel like it fit us anymore,” Pometto says.

In addition to Pometto are brothers Adam Babbitt, bassist and vocalist, and Ryan Babbitt, guitarist and lead vocalist. The group started out with five members, eventually shrinking down to three.

The trio met when Adam, junior in marketing, and Ryan, graduate student in computer science, met Pometto while traveling to a youth conference in Ohio. Coincidentally, the brothers had a tape of songs they wanted to play and Pometto had access to a drum set.

“We started playing one of the songs, and he ended up kind of playing along almost perfectly without having heard it,” Ryan says. “So we were very impressed.”

They began making music together and began creating a sound they describe as rock and alternative, with comparisons to Staind, Flaw and Linkin Park.

“I think our vocals are kind of like Linkin Park,” Pometto says, “Minus the DJ.”

The band is now working on its self-produced sophomore album, which its anticipates will be finished this summer. Although Ryan initially did the writing on Vow of Silence’s last CD — something the band calls an education process — its upcoming album contains a few songs written by each one of the members.

“Each of us kind of pulls from a different influence,” Ryan says.

In addition to working on its album, the band is also working on sharpening its skills on stage. When it comes to live performances, the band takes cues from live performances that have moved them. Adam remembers a performance by rock band Blindside that he says was very influential to him as a musician.

“I saw them perform in Cedar Falls. Their guitarist was doing cartwheels; it was the most amazing performance. It definitely had the most impact on me,” he says.

Performances like this one have inspired the band to push itself to make its own shows exciting, something it has had the opportunity to do for the past five years.

The guys agree that one of their favorite places to play was Frank’s House of Rock, a club that used to be located in Des Moines but no longer exists.

Their favorite performance, however, was in front of a crowd of 2,000 people at a youth rally in Carroll. That show was a favorite of its past, but, like any band, Vow of Silence aspires to play larger venues with fans who are familiar with them.

“I really like playing in front of big crowds that know us. One day we’re going to play in front of a well-sized crowd that knows our music so well they can sing along,” Ryan says.

“Yeah, a sold-out Hilton Coliseum,” Adam says.