Malice
License to Kill
Atlantic Records 1987

What's the 4-1-1?
Ahh, that classic 80’s underground metal sound! There’s really no way to describe it except…well…old. You know, before we had sophisticated and scientific equipment. It was raw and I loved it. My first exposure to Malice sadly enough, was in the Fred Savage (Wonder Years) movie Vise Versa. Yep, that was them, looking like a low-rent version of Quiet Riot. I think that singer James Neil and Kevin Dubrow may have been separated at birth.

The high-pitched, screeching vocals on “Against the Empire” pretty much separate the group from Quiet Riot. There are power chords aplenty and frenzied guitar solos. Then again, didn’t every band have showy guitar solos? “Breathing Down Your Neck” opens with a riff indicative of their genre. You’ll instantly recognize it as such. Chain Gang Woman” has an AC/DC-like blue riff that soon makes way for a revved up chugga-chugga riff. The lyrics are poorly written, but the track rocks.

80’s cliché alert: a song named after a woman. This is a special kind of woman though. “Christine” is a super-charged track that pays homage to deadly 1958 Plymouth Fury that wreaked havoc in the classic John Carpenter film of the same name. Don’t be fooled by “License to Kill”. It’s not about James Bond or a psychopathic killer; it’s about a lady-killer. The vocal harmonies give the song a real commercial feel. “Murderer” on the other hand, is about a psychopathic killer. I guess when you have a name like Malice; you have to have a song with this title.

The Verdict
Damn, albums were short back then. License to Kill is a true metal gem that stands the test of time (as far as underground metal fans are concerned). Too bad the group wasn’t as lucky. It makes me laugh that stuff like this was considered scary and obscene to people back in the eighties. I mean, they had high pitched vocals for crying out loud. Of course, in today’s society the cover of the album (a man wielding a bloody ax) would have to be blacked out in some places. It probably was then too.

Did you know?
Guest vocals on License to Kill is a who’s who of eighties metal musicians; Dave Mustaine & Dave Ellefson (Megadeth) and Jamie St. James & Tommy Thayer (Black & Blue).

Rating: out of 5

--George Dionne