| THE FOSSILE FILE - BANDS YOU MAY OF OVERLOOKED |
| M A L I C E This highly underrated 5 piece, True-Metal band emerged during the mid eighties when the LA Metal scene exploded onto the world. The line-up consisted of: James Neal (vocals), Jay Reynolds (guitars), Mick Zane (guitars), Mark Behn (bass guitars) and Clifford Carothers (drums) all were very accomplished musicians as their records testify. The onslaught of LA bands like; Motley Crue, Ratt, W.A.S.P., Dokken, Poison, Warrant, Faster Pussycat, L. A. Guns, Britny Fox, Junkyard, Guns �N Roses and a host of others virtually made Los Angeles the Major capital of metal music in the world. Whilst most of the above mentioned acts had various degrees of success, one in particular becoming massive world wide - most are really hard rock/pop bands, who occasionally incorporated metal styled riffs within their music. The reality was that a number of L.A. bands didn�t fit into the �Hair Band� image of pop/metal and unfortunately they were virtually ignored by the majority of the metal world. One of these acts, MALICE were far superior in musical ability than most of the above mentioned acts and along with other true metal acts like, Warrior and Armoured Saint, these bands stood out amongst a sea of posturing powder puffs and were the real deal as far as hard hitting, well crafted metal anthems were concerned. MALICE recorded 2 albums and an EP for Warners Music in there short but extremely tasteful career with some of the best METAL songs to come out of the city of Angels. Their allegiance to UK �Metal Gods�, JUDAS PRIEST - was obvious and MALICE possessed the same tough metal edged guitar sound that help propel their stirring, well crafted, metal anthems with easily some of best ever metallic riffs next to other notable metal acts like, Warrior, Armoured Saint & Manowar. The band�s recording debut was �In The Beginning� released in 1985 which was produced by Michael Wagner who had worked with German Metallers ACCEPT. Wagner would go on to work with a number of Metal acts over the years including, Skid Row�s excellent debut and possibly Warrant�s best ever release the highly underrated �92 album, �Dog Eat Dog�. Wagner had a knack for making bands sound hard as nails and he captured MALICE in �full flight� with crisp and full production that made anthems like; Rockin� With You, Air Attack, Into The Ground and Squeeze It Dry sound enormous. The band could also deliver melodramatic songs like, Against The Empire and No Haven For The Raven, which displayed the excellent playing abilities of the band. Indeed, at times when listening to their songs you could almost be mistaken into thinking you were actually listening to songs from Judas Priest�s �Screaming For Vengeance� era with MALICE - vocalist James Neal at times sounding almost like old Rob Halford himself! (Check out �Air Attack� off the first LP for proof) In The Beginning proved that the band were very good at their craft and delivered some of the finest moments in American Metal at the time but unfortunately in 1985 everybody instead was jumping on the �bandwagon� and buying a mediocre album called �Theatre Of Pain� by LA�s hottest, hyped up act - Motley Crue. 1987 saw the release of the second MALICE album, �License To Kill� with Max Norman (Ozzy Osbourne, Y & T) in the producer�s chair. He only improved on the quality of their predecessor with an even meaner, slicker and downright menacing sound. In-fact, the guitar sound was perfect; overall the production was impeccable with thunderous drums with the band seemingly on the verge of taking on the world. Song-wise too, there are some absolute killers among the bunch including the excellent title track, which crashes in like 44-gallon drums being belted and then the riff just cuts and dices kicking the whole song into the stratosphere � brilliant! Compared to the weak Judas Priest record at the time, the hideously commercial "Turbo� - the MALICE album absolutely eats it alive! Other classic cuts included; Sinister Double, Chain Gang Woman, Christine and Murder all are great slices of metal delivered with exceptional power making License To Kill an album of the highest order. Musically, in contrast it far outweighed most of the glam pop/metal acts that were out selling MALICE by the truckload thanks mainly to MTV�s insatiable taste for power puff pop metal acts; bands like MALICE hardly got any airplay so they simply couldn�t compete. Most people are content with having a burger while others like me would rather indulge in something with more substance, like a lobster � that�s the difference here too! An EP �Crazy From The Heat� followed in 1988 but MALICE didn�t have that �radio friendly� song to catapult them into the BIG LEAGUE and the band disbanded shortly there after. None of the former members have surfaced in other acts, guitarist Jay Reynolds was apparently a member of Megadeth for a brief time but never recorded with Munstaine�s mob. The entire MALICE catalogue was deleted by WEA and over the last 10 years it�s been almost impossible to get hold of their records except from a few dedicated �specialist� web sites. Thankfully, east west records in Japan finally released both albums on CD format for the first time in 2001 and both still sound absolutely brilliant today and still pack a wallop! Whether it was bad management, lack of label support, the music was �too heavy� for radio, who knows but MALICE maybe were just too unfashionable for the times. They along with countless other bands who actually deliver with substance but never get that big break were and will always be one of America�s finest metal bands and in today�s Nu-Metal society, it�s as rare as rocking horse shit to find a band of their calibre. If you love Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Warrior, Manowar and their ilk then get your hands on MALICE, they truly kick serious ass! AVAILABLE PRODUCT: IN THE BEGINNING (Released 1985 - Atlantic/WEA Records) Re-released East West records JAPAN - 2001 LICENSE TO KILL (Released 1987 - Atlantic/WEA Records) Re-released East West records JAPAN - 2001 CRAZY FROM THE HEAT EP (Released 1988 Atlantic/WEA records) DELEATED - possible rare find through internet Best of luck! Editor: Mervin Tipping * PLEASE NOTE* - MALICE HAVE ANNOUNCED THAT WILL RETURN IN 2007 WITH A NEW ALBUM AND NEW LINE-UP! |
| ANGEL Not to be confused with the Australian band - THE ANGELS (who were made to change their name overseas to ANGEL CITY) because of the similarity of the two acts names, ANGEL - were a US based band consisting of Frank Dimino � vocals, Punky Meadows � guitars, Gregg Giuffria � keyboards, Mickey Jones � Bass guitar and Barry Brandt on drums. For those of you who�ve never heard of them, ANGEL arrived on earth in the year 1975 when Kiss� Gene Simmons discovered the band playing in a club in Washington, DC. Supposedly, Simmons was so impressed that he called Neil Bogart, the then president of Casablanca records at 3 in the morning. Suffice to say the band were signed and their music had elements of Yes, Deep Purple, Genisis and their look was very much like UK band Queen. Their self titled debut, ANGEL - was released in October 1975 and was a glorious grand pomp affair that showcased a band that had great melodies, great arrangements and some very interesting songs. Nobody sounded like them and they instantly attracted a dedicated following. Best moments were, Tower, Long Time, Rock & Rollers and a moving ballad titled, Mariner. The second album, HELLUVA BAND - arrived a year later in 1976 and was a far superior product in every way. The songs were stronger with a more cohesive direction and personally speaking it�s still their best studio release. Songs like, Feelin� Right, Dr. Ice, Anyway You Want It - all rocked hard and the majestic elements that were displayed on their debut weren�t forgotten either with tracks like, Feelings and The Fortune, both definitely belonging in the �Classic� song genre. The strength of this album proved that ANGEL was not a flash in the pan and audiences too were warming to the band, so much so that CIRCUS magazine readers voted ANGEL as the best new band for 1976. Early 1977 saw the release of a 3rd album, ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN - which showed the band moving away from their pomp style to a more commercial direction. Musically, the album was a mediocre effort with only a couple of songs making the grade, Can You Feel It and Just A Dream, being the best of the bunch. The band went into the studio in late �77 with producer Eddie Leonetti and released a single titled, The Winter Song which received good airplay in the US. The bands� 4th album, WHITE HOT - saw the light of day in January �78 and it was instantly apparent Leonetti had given the band a much fuller, classier and modern production sound. Mickey Jones had left and Felix Robinson had taken up bass guitarist duties. The band were way more commercial sounding but the songs didn�t suffer in-fact tunes like, Don�t Leave Me Lonely, Got Love If You Want It, Hold Me Squeeze Me and the surprise hit, Ain�t Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore - suggested the band were on the brink of making it huge. Sales were up so ANGEL spent the next 10 months �on the road� playing across America recording shows along the way with the intention of releasing a double LIVE album package in 1978. In 1979 after months of continual wrangling between the band and the record company a studio album finally appeared instead, it was issued as SINFUL and Eddie Leonetti again handled the production duties with an even slicker effort. Originally it was titled, 'Bad Publicity' but the record company wouldn�t accept the title or artwork. (The label on the record itself actually read �Bad Publicity�) Some punters said it was ANGEL�s definitive work, I�m not so generous but I will say it had it�s moments with, Don�t Take Your Love and Bad Time were the best on offer. The double live album, LIVE WITHOUT A NET (yes, Van Halen ripped off the title from these guys!) finally appeared in 1980 and is a fitting epitaph for a band that delivered constantly on the live front. Unfortunately, the end of the band was just a matter of months away as they had become frustrated with the whole business disbanding in 1981. Since their demise only keyboard player Greg Giuffria really has had any success with his other projects: GIUFFRIA and HOUSE OF LORDS. Vocalist, Frank Dimino released an album a few years back under the name ANGEL but it was an absolutely dismissal affair and thankfully disappeared without a trace. PolyGram records (Now Universal) released a 20 track �Anthology� in 1992 With selected tracks from all their studio efforts and included a couple of previously un-released lack lustre tunes to wet the appetite. Only 3 of the original 6 albums are still available today on CD through PolyGram (Europe) the exceptions being: On Earth As It Is In Heaven, Sinful and Live Without A Net. The whole catalogue was available for years in Japan but unfortunately all have now have been deleted. ANGEL is definitely worth checking out if you like something with a pop metal edge, a little flair and a stack of class. They definitely had some good tunes and as far as US bands from the mid 70�s are concerned they had something a little out of the ordinary as far as sound and approach goes. Time to hunt those rarities down! Good luck and enjoy. Editor: (Mervin Tipping) Discography: (Official Releases) ANGEL (1975) HELLUVA BAND (1976) ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN (1977) WHITE HOT (1978) SINFUL (1979) LIVE WITHOUT A NET (1980) AN ANTHOLOGY (1992) |
| THE POOR The land Down Under - Australia has consistently produced some damn fine hard rock acts over the last 20 years. Just about everybody can think of at least two, maybe three names off the top of their heads. Obviously one instantly springs to mind, AC/DC and possibly Rose Tattoo and most likely, The Angels (Angel City for overseas readers) would also be in that list. Another bunch of well known Aussie bands would be Cold Chisel, Midnight Oil and INXS but none are really genuine hard rock acts. Outside of Australia, well for every band you have heard of there are a plethora of great Aussie rock bands I bet most of you have never heard of. Seriously, the list is endless with a number of bands definitely equal to the above acts but unfortunately most never received that BIG break for whatever reason. All are worthy contenders and all displayed their own unique style within the genre of that definitive OZ rock sound. Some of bands in question are: Heaven, Bengal Tigers, Tyrant, Kings Of The Sun, Judge Mercy, Candy Harlots, Silverchair, Living End, Horsehead, The Screaming Jets, Baby Animals and of course THE POOR. Originally formed in northern Australian city, Darwin - the band originally went under the name of The Poor Boys and only when their first full length album/CD, Who Cares appeared in 1994 did the band shorten their name to THE POOR. The line-up consisted of, Skenie - vocals, Julian Grynglas - guitars, Matt Whitby - bass guitars and James Young - drums. In case you are wondering, yes drummer James is a cousin to the famous Young brothers, Angus & Malcolm. THE POOR were a working class pub rock band the likes of which had not been seen let alone heard of since The Screaming Jets burst onto the Australian scene a couple of years earlier. The band cranked out a sound reminiscent of early AC/DC and indeed vocalist Skenie was probably the closest in the front man department who could seriously challenge the late, great Bon Scott with the same bravado that Scott possessed. Song wise the band had a plenty of standout full-tilt rockers like, Right Trail, What I�d Do, Love Shot and Only The Night that appeared on their first recording released in 1991, a 4 track EP titled, Rude, Crude & Tattooed. (You did not honestly think Motley Crue came up with the idea did you?) After continuous shows across Australia for the next 2 years mainly supporting The Angels an interesting tour was put together that featured The Angels, The Poor and visiting L.A. AC/DC sound-a-likes, Rhino Bucket as special guests. It was a hell of a tour and personally I�d never of thought I�d ever get to see the �Buckets - live in the flesh. The second release for THE POOR another EP titled, Underfed was released in 1992 which contained 4 new songs, Dirty Money, Sex, Ain�t On The Chain and Anger. The strongest 2 songs, Ain�t On The Chain and Dirty Money would appear 2 years later in re-recorded versions on their debut album. 1994 saw the release of THE POOR�s debut album, Who Cares which was produced by Paul Northfield whose credits included engineering US band, QUEENSRYCHE on their major selling albums - Operation Mindcrime and Empire. The record was a bona fide in-your-face rock album that showed that THE POOR were a band who could deliver both on a LIVE front and also on record. The album contained 11 tracks including the above mentioned tunes, Ain�t On The Chain and Dirty Money as well as a collection of strong hard chargers like, Poison, Tell Someone Who Cares, Downtown and Liar. The highlights were, Man Of War, Hair Of The Dog, the frantic Ride and the bands� only Australian Top 40 hit, More Wine Waiter Please. One track from their debut EP, Only The Night also reappeared rounding off a good solid rock & roll record. THE POOR had arrived, now signed to major label, Sony - it seemed the world was at their feet and the band took off to the US to showcase them selves in L.A. A six week tour with the opening support slot with Germany�s very successful hard rock exports, SCORPIONS was organised. It seemed everything was going to plan but somewhere along the way the wheels simply fell off. I personally spoke to the band members upon their return from the US and all but one thought the tour was a waste of time. During that year 1995 - talk was that THE POOR would be jetting off to Europe to open up for another German hard rock act, ACCEPT who had recently released their comeback album, �Objection Overruled�. The album had reached the top spot in a number of European countries. Whether it was bad management, drugs, women - who knows what the real reasons were but THE POOR didn�t go to Europe and their career didn�t live up to many peoples expectations. During the next 12 months the band played a handful of shows and drummer, James Young finally quit the band and the band simply disappeared. Like so many good Australian rock bands who have come and gone over the past 2 decades, THE POOR had their chance, probably more so than most of the above mentioned Aussie rock bands and they blew it - BIGTIME! If you love the dirt �n grime of the first few AC/DC albums then hunt down your copy of THE POOR�s �Who Cares� album, it is an Australian rock �n� roll masterpiece. The bands� 2 EP�s are pretty hard to pick today but their debut album/CD �Who Cares� can still be found through a number of internet sites. PRODUCT: Rude, Crude & Tattooed (4 track EP) 1991 - Deleted Underfed (4 track EP) 1992 - Deleted Who Cares 1994 - Deleted Editor: Mervin Tipping |
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