Oregon Music News' Ruben Mosqueda has issued a new interview with MALICE founder Jay Reynolds (ex-METAL CHURCH). An excerpt from the interview follows:

Q: In 2006 you gave Malice another go…

A: "Yeah, in 2006 to early 2007 we got back together and we had Brian Allen singing, who is now singing in VICIOUS RUMORS. We played some live shows, Los Angeles being one of them.

Q: I have heard that there will be new music. How is the songwriting coming along?

A: "Oh man, it’s awesome. The songs are coming along great. We have talked to a few labels who came out and saw us when we played in Europe. We have been offered a deal. We have been working on songs for a couple of years. We have been working on this [Malice] for a year before the Keep It True appearance I booked in early 2010. With everybody’s crazy schedules it took that long to get everyone on the same page.

"James Rivera [singer] and I had been playing in a band called DENIM & LEATHER, which is a tribute band to heavy metal. We played stuff by bands like MERCYFUL FATE, SAXON, MOTÖRHEAD and JUDAS PRIEST. We played Las Vegas shows. It was during a tour of California that I said to James, 'you should join Malice, I’ve been getting offers to play'. "People always seem to ask me about Malice, even when I was in Metal Church they’d want to talk about Malice. The albums still sell and there’s still interest in the band years later. I knew there was potential when we played in ’07; the show in L.A. sold out and the reaction was great. Unfortunately, certain circumstances didn’t allow for the band to flourish at that time.

"The appearance at Keep It True and the club show we did the following night both went extremely well. We sold all our merchandise in one day! The audience response was phenomenal. The fans were incredible; they brought all the old albums and stuff for us to sign. People were definitely excited about it. The labels are excited about it. I‘m totally stoked. I haven’t been this excited about a band in a while."

Read the full interview at this location.

Back in April, KNAC.com caught up with Malice guitarist Mick Zane. An excerpt from the interview is available below:

KNAC.com: The new addition of Pete Holmes (BLACK N' BLUE, MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP) on drums is really going to improve the power and performance level of the band live? Much like your original singer James Neal, James Rivera (HELSTAR) is also from Texas and a super addition to the Malice line up.

Zane: "Yes indeed. Pete's been out on the road with Michael Schenker Group for the last ten years and he's doing some dates with Black N' Blue. They have a new record out and they're playing with WHITESNAKE and TWISTED SISTER in Baltimore this summer at some huge outdoor Festival. We're excited to have James Rivera come in and do these shows with us. He did a great job on the VICIOUS RUMORS Warball record, so we're anxious to play on stage with him and grateful he was able to join us at such short notice. Brian Allen who did our last reunion show is now singing with Vicious Rumors and we even approached Tim "Ripper" Owens (ex-JUDAS PRIEST) at one point who I heard is now with DIO Disciples. James Rivera is the guy for now!"

KNAC.com: What do you think about this wave of European Metal promoters? They really have their Festivals together and it seems nothing has changed over there, they still love the vintage 80's Metal.

Zane: "Yeah, they're pretty rabid about their Metal in Europe. I was just reading an article that in Finland, Heavy Metal is the mainstream. Your hear it on the radio over there like you hear love songs and the same old crap over here."

KNAC.com: Are you planning to play some U.S shows?

Zane: "Yes, that's the plan. We're going to see how these shows go and then start working on this new record with Max Norman. But yeah, we'd love to play some shows on the west coast. Gina Zamperelli Concert Promotions, who used to book the Perkins Palace Shows, is looking to get back into the business. So maybe we can hook up with W.A.S.P. or WARRIOR again and play some shows around L.A. We have some killer new songs in the can and we're really stoked at the thought of getting back in the studio and releasing a new Malice record. We released a new CD of rare and unreleased tracks last year on Retrospect Records that’s been doing very well. Everyone’s really going to like the new stuff. We're not going to play any new material for these shows, just the classics."

Click here for the complete interview.