Malice β In the Beginningβ¦
- intothewellsabyss
- Aug 19, 2023
- 2 min read
π πππ πππ ππππππ - πππππππππππ ππππ πππππππππππππ π’π§ ππ‘π πππππππ π¨πΒ ππππ ππππ & πππππ πππππβ¦
August 19, 1985 β Malice released their debut studio album, In The Beginningβ¦ via Atlantic Records. (Listen)
The album was produced by Michael Wagener (Dokken, Great White, Raven), with musical assistance by Michael Lardie (Great White) and Wyn Davis. In The Beginning⦠was engineered by Duane Baron and mastered by George Marino (R.I.P. 2012).
Background:
On March 18, 2016, Classic Rock Magazineβs Paul Elliot wrote;
βπΈπ π·πΏπΎπΈ, π πππ ππ πππππππππππ ππππππ πππππ, πΌππππ π±ππππ πππππππ, π ππ ππππππππ π πππ πππ πππππππππππ πππππ πΌππππ πΌπππππππ, πππππππππ ππππ ππ πππ ππππ π’ππππ πΌππππ πππππ ππ π²πππππππππ. ππ π π πππ ππ ππ πππππ’ β πΌππππππππ πππ ππ°ππ. πΎπππππ, ππππ ππ πππ ππππππππ’ πππππππππ π²πππππ πππππ, ππππππππ ππππ ππππππ. π°ππ πππ πΌπππππ, πππππ π ππ π πππππ ππππππ ππ ππππ ππππππ π πππππππ ππππ πππππππππ’."
Malice formed in Portland, Oregon, but it was after relocating to LA that they got their break with Metal Massacre and then signing to Atlantic. Sounds writer Sylvie Simmons nailed Malice in four words: βπΉππππ πΏπππππ β π·ππππ’π πππ π²ππππππ.β Singer James Neal screamed like Rob Halford and guitarist Jay Reynolds was a dead ringer for Priestβs K.K. Downing.
The bandβs first album, In The Beginningβ¦, was an act of worship. As Jay Reynolds says now:
βππ π ππππβπ πππ’πππ ππ πππππ ππππ πΏπππππ. π±ππ πππππππ ππππ, ππβπ ππππππ πππππππ.β
And yet, no matter how derivative, this is still a great old-school Heavy Metal record. It has big anthems in Rockinβ With You and Stellar Masters; a moody epic in the daftly named No Haven For The Raven; pure head-banging rifferama in Air Attack and Godz Of Thunder. For Malice, it never got better than this.
Critical Reception:
In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Jason Birchmeier stated;
βπ·ππππππππππ ππ’ πππ πππππππ ππππππ ππ πΉππππ π½πππ πππ πππ ππππ ππππππ ππππππ ππ ππππ πΉππ’ πππ’πππππ πππ πΌπππ ππππ, πΌπππππ πππ π ππππ ππππ πππππππ πππππππππππ ππ πΉππππ πΏπππππ, π ππππ ππ πππππ ππππππππ ππ πππ π»ππ π°ππππππ πΌππππ ππππ,βπ π·πΏπΎπ» πππππ πππ π°πππππππ, πΈπ πππ π±ππππππππ... π±π’ ππππ πππππ πΉππππ πΏπππππ π πππ π πππ ππππ’ππ πππ, πππ ππππ, ππ ππ πππ ππππ πππππ ππππβπ ππππ πππ ππππ πππππππππ, πππππππ πππ ππππ πππππ-πππππ ππππ ππ πππ ππππ. ππππ πππ ππππβπ ππππ-πππ ππππππ’ πππππ’. πΌπππππ π πππ πππππππππππ πππ ππ πππ βπΎπΆπ πΌππππ πππππβπ πππππ ππππππ πππ πππππππ, πππ ππππ ππ ππππ’ πππππ πππ ππππ πππππππ ππππππππππ’ ππ ππππππππππππ’, ππππ ππ πππ πππ ππππππ ππππ ππππ πππππ πππππππππππ, iπ πππ πππππππππππ. π° ππππππ πππππ, π»ππππππ ππ πΊπππ (πππππ πππππ’ πππ πππ πΌππ‘ π½πππππ ππππππππππ), ππππππ ππ ππππππ πππ ππππ πππππππππ ππ π·πΏπΎπ½, π πππ πππ’πππππ πππππππ πππ ππππ ππ ππππ’ ππππππ ππ πΌπππππππ, ππππππ ππππ’ πππππππ’.β
Did You Know?:
Along with guitarist Jay Reynolds short stint for Megadeth, he also played for Metal Church from 2001 until 2008, and again in 2012, where he performed on the albums The Weight of the World (2004) and A Light In the Dark (2006).
Guitarist Mick Zane passed away on December 23, 2016 from a brain tumor.
R.I.P. Mick Zane (May 28, 1959 - December 23, 2016)
Notice: Any reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. β E.N. Wells
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