Local Bands We Miss - Part 1 - Malice in Wonderland

Have you ever heard a local band for the first time and fell in love with their music and style instantly? Maybe they were opening for an act you wanted to see or maybe they were included in the large lineup of a festival or all day show. Maybe you just happened to wind up in a bar in which they were playing. No matter how you may have run across them, this is how bands first get fans, some of which become devout followers. Unfortunately, not all bands stick around forever.

Photo from Malice in Wonderland's MySpace page (link below)

Having gone to two shows in a few days featuring one of my favorite semi-local bands, I started thinking about some of the other local bands I used to see devoutly. Many great bands have come through the Madison area with a variety of outcomes. Some of them have been around for years, some moved on to bigger and better things, and some just disappeared. One of the bands I really enjoyed was Malice in Wonderland.

Malice in Wonderland (not to be confused with a Norwegian band of the same name) of Madison, WI was a very raw metal band. They played in many places, including 94.1 WJJO’s all day concert event Band Camp, the Inferno bar, the Annex and various other venues, both large and small. Malice in Wonderland had a strong, crude metal sound that was enhanced by having two very different singers. Both singers had great sound, but different talents and abilities that meshed together beautifully.

Despite their unique sound and excellent energy and stage presence, Malice in Wonderland seemed to have a difficult time breaking through. There were times when I would check with them and their website to find out if they were playing a show only to have to go months at a time without seeing them. The band line-up changed fairly frequently and at one point, one singer (Chris/Chaos)  left the band but the other,Dave O, continued with the remaining members. Losing the unique sound of two diverse vocalists in the same band seemed to have been the final straw.

I still continue to hope to see Dave O in another band because of his exceptional and inimitable sound, but for now I will have to settle for listening to the songs available on their MySpace page on occasion. I guess that is the nature of the beast. Not everyone can survive in the music industry, even if they have outstanding talent, drive, and a love for the music.

If you want to check out some of the songs by Malice in Wonderland, the link is available below.

Malice in Wonderland