Highlighted by the soaring vocals of James Neal and the lead guitar attack of both Jay Reynolds and Mick Zane,
Malice had a more than passing resemblance to
Judas Priest, which is quite apparent on the Los Angeles metal band's 1985 debut for Atlantic,
In the Beginning... By this point
Judas Priest were a bit played out, however, so if the real thing didn't seem all that appealing, neither did this sound-alike band at the time. Thus the band's also-ran legacy today.
Malice were nonetheless one of the '80s metal scene's prime movers and shakers, and even if they never had much success critically or commercially, fans of the era should find this album interesting, if not outstanding. A second album,
License to Kill (noteworthy for its Max Norman production), followed before the band unraveled in 1987, with Reynolds leaving the band to play guitar in
Megadeth, albeit very briefly. ~ Jason Birchmeier