I’ll be honest with you…I was familiar with Malice back in the 80s but I never had the chance to listen systematically to their albums thus my relationship with them was restricted to the absolutely necessary stuff (meaning, that I have listened to a few songs of theirs that brought vividly in mind Judas Priest but that was as far as I went). The band’s return with the additional participation of the great James Rivera behind the mic proved the ideal chance for me to get to learn a little bit more of Malice.
Actually, “New Breed of Godz” was the perfect vehicle to do so as it is not a brand new studio album per se. It is a 12-song record compiled of 8 re-recorded old tracks plus 4 new songs. First of all, the initial perception that I had for Malice was absolutely correct as all the songs vividly remind of the mighty Judas Priest. The new compositions are brilliant and fit perfectly with the old songs with the title track and “Winds of Death” being clearly the stand out moments. James Rivera has absolutely no problem of reaching even the most demanding vocal note while he seems to be in home territory as he is a huge Priest fan.
The long time fans will definitely buy the album…the new ones should better do the same as this is a brilliantly crafted record full of flawless US traditional heavy metal songs!
Highlight: The limited edition is being released with a bonus 60-minuteDVD…soundscool
