CHALICE OF MALICE IS:
SCOTT YOUNG - LEAD VOX / GTR
TAYLOR NETZLER - GUTTURALS & VOX / GTR
TONY HOWARD - VOX / BASS GTR
CHRIS HOFFMAN - DRUMS / PERCUSSION
Chalice of Malice is a metal band based in Cleveland, OH, comprised of Scott Young, Tony Howard, Taylor Netzler, and Chris Hoffman. Originally formed in 2003 as a side project to explore their interest in Power Metal songcrafting, the duo of Young and Howard wrote and recorded the demo “The Desert Under the Earth”, yet never formally released an EP. High school friend Taylor Netzler joined the band in 2006, and the group continued to demo material for the next year, at which point the band was put on hiatus for over a decade while the three explored other musical avenues and interests (including the bands Forever Untouched, 70 Lewis, 28 North, and Neil Zaza, to name a few).
In 2015, the stars aligned, and the Chalice of Malice project was reinvigorated once again. At this point, the songs that would comprise “The Pillars of Hercules” entered the final writing phase. However, the album recording would not be complete until the addition of lifelong friend and high school classmate Chris Hoffman on drums in 2021. Over 21 years in the making, “The Pillars of Hercules” is finally ready to be unleashed unto the world.
Remarkably, the album’s devastating themes remain as potently relevant in 2024 as they were in 2003. The inner demons we all must face and attempt to overcome, the inevitable horrors of war and conquest, the mundane and soul-crushing work so many of us endure to survive, a dystopian future driven by artificial intelligence… Chalice of Malice explores all of these concepts using their ferocious yet incredibly catchy songwriting as a vehicle.
Chalice of Malice bends and combines elements of Thrash, Progressive Metal, Power Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Grunge, and good ol’ traditional Heavy Metal. Fans of Metallica, Dream Theater, Opeth, Mastodon, Coheed & Cambria, & Symphony X will appreciate Chalice of Malice’s classic and melodic approach to aggressive music.