Malice "License To Kill (Japanese Edition)"

Malice teamed up with producer Max Norman for their sophomore album, License to Kill, released in 1987. Dave Mustaine and Dave Ellefson of Megadeth and Black 'n Blue's Jaime St. James, Tommy Thayer and Jeff Warner provided backing vocals on two songs, "License to Kill" and "Chain Gang Woman." The band toured with Alice Cooper, W.A.S.P. and Motörhead, among others. They were also the support act for Slayer on their 1987 "Reign In Pain" European tour, an ill-fated trip that saw Malice faced with open hostility from the headliner's rabid crowds which forced the band to drop off the bill once the trek reached Germany.

Side A

1. Sinister Double 04:39  
2. License to Kill 03:57   
3. Against the Empire 04:27   
4. Vigilante 05:06  

Side B

1. Chain Gang Woman 04:15  
2. Christine 04:40   
3. Murder 04:23   
4. Breathin' Down Your Neck 03:59  
5. Circle of Fire 03:48

Time:   39:14  

Recording information:

- Recorded at Fiddler Studios, Hollywood, CA and Yamaha Studios, Glendale, CA.

- Mixed at Yamaha Studios and Atlantic Studios, NYC.

- Produced Studio Instruments Retail and Eye On Studio.

- Mastered at Masterdisk, Peekskill, NY.

Malice "In The Beginning..."

Malice is an American heavy metal band formed in 1981, best known for their appearance on the first Metal Massacre compilation and a pair of albums on Atlantic Records. Their heavily European influenced style elicited instant comparisons to Judas Priest due to vocalist James Neal sounding uncannily like Rob Halford in addition to fielding a guitar duo in the Tipton/Downing mode, with Malice's Jay Reynolds looking like a dead ringer for K.K. Downing.

Malice formed in Portland, Oregon in the early 80's when former The Ravers guitarist Jay Reynolds assembled an embryonic line-up consisting of vocalist James Neal, future Wild Dogs duo, Matt McCourt on bass and Deen Castronovo on drums, and Kip Doran on guitar. Reynolds next decided to make the move to Los Angeles, soon to be joined by fellow guitarist Mick Zane, to start an all original metal band. When the duo was unable to find suitable players for their new venture, they convinced Neal, bassist Mark Behn and drummer Pete Laufman to move down from Portland as well after the initial Malice demo caused a stir and garnered label interest from Brian Slagel of Metal Blade Records.

"Captive of Light" and "Kick You Down" from the demo were both selected to appear on Metal Massacre I alongside tracks by Metallica, Ratt, Steeler and others. Malice made their L.A. live debut in November 1982 at the Troubadour headlining a bill with Metallica and Pandemonium as opening acts. Other memorable L.A. shows included opening up for then new major label signees Armored Saint at Perkins Palace in Pasadena, CA in the spring of 1984.

Adding drummer Cliff Carothers, formerly with the bands Snow and Assassin, in place of Pete Laufman, Malice set about recording new demos with producer Michael Wagener and soon found themselves in the midst of a label bidding war. Eventually, the band signed with Atlantic Records in the summer of 1984 and released their debut album, In The Beginning..., in 1985. It consisted of songs the band had cut with Wagener and material recorded with Ashley Howe producing.

Side A

1. Rockin' with You 05:01   
2. Into the Ground 03:48   
3. Air Attack 03:01   
4. Stellar Masters 03:58   
5. Tarot Dealer 04:21

Side B

1. Squeeze It Dry 04:03  
2. Hellrider 04:11   
3. No Haven for the Raven 06:07  
4. The Unwanted 04:37   
5. Godz of Thunder 04:20   

Time:  43:27  

- Tracks 1, 3-4, 7 &10 recorded at Total Access Studios, Redondo Beach, CA.

- Tracks 2, 5-6 & 8-9 recorded at Pasha Studios, L.A, CA and Cherokee Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA.

- Mixed at Cherokee Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA.

- Mastered at Sterling Sound, NYC

Various Artists "Metal Massacre"

Metal Massacre is a series of compilation albums released through Metal Blade Records. It is famous for "shedding light" on bands such as The Obsessed, Trouble, Overkill, Metal Church, Metallica, Slayer, Virgin Steele, Hellhammer, Voivod, Armored Saint, Lizzy Borden, Possessed and more.

First pressing: 
"Cold Day in Hell" – Steeler – 4:17
"Live for the Whip" – Bitch – 5:19
"Captive of Light" – Malice – 3:21
"Tell the World" – Ratt – 3:16
"Octave" (instrumental) – Avatar – 3:48
"Death of the Sun" – Cirith Ungol – 3:56
"Dead of the Night" – Demon Flight – 2:35
"Fighting Backwards" – Pandemonium – 3:44
"Kick You Down" – Malice – 4:28
"Hit the Lights" – Metallica (listed as "Mettallica") – 4:25

Second pressing
"Chains Around Heaven" – Black 'n Blue – 3:45
"Live for the Whip" – Bitch – 5:19
"Captive of Light" – Malice – 3:21
"Tell the World" – Ratt – 3:16
"Octave" (instrumental) – Avatar – 3:48
"Death of the Sun" – Cirith Ungol – 3:56
"Dead of the Night" – Demon Flight – 2:35
"Fighting Backwards" – Pandemonium – 3:44
"Kick You Down" – Malice – 4:28
"Hit the Lights" (version 2) – Metallica – 4:12

Third pressing
"Chains Around Heaven" – Black 'n Blue – 3:45
"Live for the Whip" – Bitch – 5:19
"Captive of Light" – Malice – 3:21
"Octave" (instrumental) – Avatar – 3:48
"Death of the Sun" – Cirith Ungol – 3:56
"Dead of the Night" – Demon Flight – 2:35
"Fighting Backwards" – Pandemonium – 3:44
"Kick You Down" – Malice – 4:28
"Hit the Lights" (version 2) – Metallica – 4:12


Note: The first pressing was released on Metal Blade Records (MBR 1001), a second pressing on Metalworks Records (MW 6363), both in 1982. Black 'n Blue's "Chains Around Heaven" replaced Steeler's "Cold Day in Hell", which was the first track on the original version of the compilation. Version 2 of Metallica's "Hit the Lights" is a new recording as James Hetfield was unhappy with the original version. The second pressing features Dave Mustaine on lead guitar instead of Lloyd Grant. Ratt's "Tell the World" was omitted on subsequent pressings, starting with Metal Blade's 1984 re-issue.