Malice: In the Beginning…

One of the very first of the Metal Blade bands (they were on Metal Massacre 1 with Metallica), Malice remains a cult classic `80s era heavy metal band. They released just two albums, both of which are blistering servings of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest-inspired power metal.

Originally released in 1985, In the Beginning… was Malice’s debut album. You can tell these guys listened to a LOT of Judas Priest albums, because in addition to having a Priest look, In the Beginning sounds like an Americanized Priest album. It’s very Defenders of the Faith, with a blistering twin lead guitar assault and James Neal’s Halford-esque vocals. The album just has this great classic metal vibe, with unforgettable metal anthems like “Rockin’ With You,” “Air Attack” and “Godz of Thunder.” Even the “filler” songs like “Stellar Masters” and “No Haven for the Raven” rock hard.

If you’re a fan of the classic `80s heavy metal sound, particularly the American power/speed metal bands like Omen, Armored Saint, Warlord, Savage Grace and Leatherwolf, In the Beginning… and Malice’s follow-up album License to Kill are both must-have releases.

Reissue Notes: We finally got a proper remastered reissue of In the Beginning… in 2016 thanks to the Rock Candy label. There are no bonus tracks, but the digital remastering alone makes it a worthwhile upgrade over the Wounded Bird version. Plus it has the kind of loaded booklet Rock Candy does so well, with vintage photos and band history. Hopefully they’ll give us an upgraded License to Kill before too long as well.

Malice