Slaughter (band)

For the Canadian death metal band, see Slaughter (Canadian band). For other uses, see Slaughter (disambiguation).
Slaughter
Slaughter performing on June 21, 2008 in West Fargo, North Dakota
Slaughter performing on June 21, 2008 in West Fargo, North Dakota
Background information
OriginLas Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Genres
Years active1988–present
Labels
Spinoff ofVinnie Vincent Invasion
Members
Past members
Websiteslaughterusa.com

Slaughter is an American hard rock band that formed in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1988. The group was founded by lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Mark Slaughter and bassist Dana Strum, who previously played together in the band Vinnie Vincent Invasion.[4] The addition of guitarist Tim Kelly and drummer Blas Elias allowed Slaughter to quickly gain attention for their lively performances, catchy hooks, and melodic guitar solos.

Following Tim Kelly's death in a car accident in 1998, Slaughter added Jeff Blando as their new guitarist, who has remained an essential part of the band's lineup ever since. Blando also contributed to the band's most recent studio album.[5][6]

Slaughter's music was heavily influenced by the hard rock and heavy metal scene of the 1980s, with an aggressive yet melodic sound. To date, Slaughter has released five studio albums, two live albums, and one compilation album. Their debut album Stick It to Ya, released in 1990, has sold over two million copies worldwide and went double platinum, producing hit singles such as "Up All Night" and "Fly to the Angels".[7][8] Their follow-up album, The Wild Life, has sold over 500,000 copies, receiving a gold certification.[9]

In addition to their commercial success, Slaughter has also received critical acclaim for their music, including winning the American Music Award for Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock New Artist in 1991, beating out other popular hard rock and heavy metal acts of the time.[10][11]

Despite changes in the music industry in the early 1990s, Slaughter has continued to release new music and tour regularly, becoming a staple of the rock and metal festival circuit since their inception. Over the years, Slaughter has taken part in a number of renowned festivals, including the Monsters of Rock Cruise, the M3 Rock Festival, and Rocklahoma.[12] They have also played numerous headline shows and tours throughout the United States and abroad. The band's high-energy live performances and dedication to their fans have helped them maintain a strong and loyal following for over three decades.

History

[edit]

Slaughter formed in Las Vegas, Nevada in late 1988. Previously, lead vocalist Mark Slaughter and bassist Dana Strum had been in Vinnie Vincent Invasion.[7] Vinnie Vincent Invasion's record company, Chrysalis Records, took the $4 million contract away from Vinnie Vincent for exceeding his credit line with the label, and transferred the contract to former members Slaughter and Strum. By 1989, Slaughter and Strum completed the lineup by recruiting lead guitarist Tim Kelly and drummer Blas Elias.[7]

Slaughter's debut album Stick It to Ya had three singles released that hit the Billboard Hot 100: the hit "Fly to the Angels" (US#19), and the moderate hits "Up All Night" (US#27) and "Spend My Life" (US#39). During this time, a song was released from the soundtrack to the film Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. That song, titled "Shout It Out", was accompanied by a music video but failed to make the US Hot 100.[13]

In 1992, the band released their second album, titled The Wild Life. It reached number eight on the US Billboard Top 200 Album Chart and was certified gold, but did not produce any Top 40 hits on the US Hot 100. The only single to reach the Hot 100 was the first single "Real Love" (US#69).

The band planned to record their third album in early 1994. However, in 1993 guitarist Tim Kelly was arrested for charges of drug trafficking,[14] while bassist Dana Strum had a motorcycle accident that injured his playing hand. The delayed album was completed in February 1994 and the first single "Searchin'" was released. However, following Chrysalis Records absorption into EMI Records, Slaughter was dropped from EMI.

The band subsequently signed with CMC International, a new label at the time that signed many hard rock and metal bands in the face of the new grunge popularity. The label had major distribution through BMG. In 1995, Slaughter released the album Fear No Evil. The album did not have much success in North America, Europe, or much of Asia but performed well in Japan. Guitarist Dave Marshall (ex-Vince Neil band) had to fill in for Kelly at times, due to his legal problems.

Kelly's legal troubles ended and the band committed to their next album. In 1997, Revolution was released. The album featured a more eclectic and psychedelic sound, but failed to make an impact. On February 5, 1998, tragedy struck when guitarist Tim Kelly was killed in an auto accident in the Arizona desert. This deeply affected the group, but they were committed to continue with the band. Dave Marshall briefly performed as a touring guitarist for Slaughter in Japan. In 1998, they hired Jeff Blando as Kelly's replacement and began working on their next album. A live album titled Eternal Live was released featuring some of the band's last performances with Kelly.

In 1999, they released the album Back to Reality, featuring Blando as the new guitarist. Blando was previously in Left For Dead and Saigon Kick. Slaughter continues to play many rock package tours with other acts that saw prominence during the glam era of the 1980s and early 1990s. During the summer of 1999, while on the "Rock Never Stops Tour" (which included Ted Nugent and Night Ranger), Slaughter saw some of their previous singles on compilation albums. The VH-1 album "Power Ballads" included "Fly To The Angels"; "Up All Night" was included on Rhino Records "Hard Hitters". Slaughter also took part in the Summer 2000 "Poison, Cinderella, Dokken and Slaughter" tour.

In 2001, Slaughter was a part of the "Voices of Metal" tour featuring Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe, Ratt, and Vixen. Mark Slaughter and Dana Strum's former Vinnie Vincent Invasion bandmate Bobby Rock played as a touring drummer for Slaughter, filling in for Blas Elias on some shows of the Rock Never Stops Tour. In April 2004, Slaughter released a DVD-A entitled Then and Now that features 12 songs and 50 photos of the band over the years. Slaughter also released a DVD that features all of the music videos and behind the scenes footage during the 2004 season.

On July 13, 2007, Slaughter performed at glam metal festival Rocklahoma. However, Strum and Blando were not present during the band's performance, though they did perform with Vince Neil the following night. At the end of January 2008 Slaughter performed a show at Motley Cruise, a four-day cruise in the Caribbean with Vince Neil, Skid Row, Ratt, Endeverafter, Lynam.

Slaughter continues to tour and in 2017 they are scheduled to appear on the Monsters of Rock cruise and at Rocklahoma along with several other scheduled concerts.

Band members

[edit]

Current members

  • Mark Slaughter – lead vocals, rhythm and live lead guitar, keyboards, piano, tambourine (1988–present)
  • Dana Strum – bass guitar, backing vocals (1988–present)
  • Jeff "Blando" Bland – lead and studio rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1998–present)
  • Jordan Cannata – drums, percussion (2021–present)

Former members

  • Blas Elias – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1988–2003, 2019-2021)
  • Tim Kelly – lead and studio rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1988–1998; his death)

Former touring members

  • Dave Marshall – lead guitar, backing vocals (1995, 1998)
  • Bobby Rock – drums, percussion (2003–2004)
  • Timothy "Timbo" DiDuro – drums, percussion (2004–2011)
  • Zoltan Chaney – drums, percussion (2011–2019)
  • Will Hunt – drums, percussion (2011–2022)

Timeline

Discography

[edit]

Studio albums

[edit]
List of studio albums, with selected details, chart positions and certifications
Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications[15]
US AUS
[16][17] 		UK
[18]
Stick It to Ya 18 130 —
  • RIAA: 2× Platinum
  • MC: Platinum
The Wild Life
  • Released: April 21, 1992
  • Label: Chrysalis
 8 95 64
  • RIAA: Gold
  • MC: Platinum
Fear No Evil 182 — —
Revolution
  • Released: May 20, 1997
  • Label: CMC International
 — — —
Back to Reality
  • Released: June 29, 1999
  • Label: CMC International
 — — —

Live albums

[edit]
  • Stick It Live (1990)
  • Eternal Live (1998)
  • Ecstasy Live 1991 (2022)

Compilations

[edit]
  • Mass Slaughter: The Best of Slaughter (1995)
  • Then and Now (2002)
  • 10 Great Songs (2011)

Home videos

[edit]
  • From the Beginning (1991) (Gold)[15]
  • The Wild Life (1992) (Gold)[15]

Singles

[edit]
Year Title Chart positions Album
US US Main Rock AUS
[17]
1990 "Up All Night" 27 21 - Stick It to Ya
"Fly to the Angels" 19 15 140
1991 "Spend My Life" 39 28 -
"Mad About You" - 37 -
"Shout It Out" - 40 - Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey
1992 "The Wild Life" - 28 130 The Wild Life
"Real Love" 69 24 -
"Do Ya Know" - - -
"Days Gone By" - 8 -
1995 "Searchin'" - - - Fear No Evil
"Hard Times" - - -
"Outta My Head" - - -
1997 "American Pie" - - - Revolution
1998 "Fly to the Angels 98" - - - Eternal Live

Tours

[edit]
  • Hot in the Shade Tour 1990
  • Stick it to Ya Tour 1991
  • The Wild Life Tour 1992-1993
  • Fear No Evil Tour 1995-1996
  • Revolution Tour 1997
  • Rock Never Stops Tour 1998
  • Rock Never Stops Tour 1999
  • Power to the People Tour 2000
  • Voices of Metal Tour 2001
  • Rock Never Stops Tour 2003
  • Rock Never Stops Tour 2004

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Steve Huey (2016). "Slaughter". AllMusic. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  2. ^ McPadden September 24, 2015, Mike. "The Hair Metal 100: Ranking the '80s Greatest Glam Bands, Part 4". VH1 News. Archived from the original on July 4, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Dennis Hut (July 15, 1990). "Slaughter: After the Invasion". Articles.latimes.com. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  4. ^ "Mark Slaughter Looks Back on the Band Mutiny That Ended the Vinnie Vincent Invasion". Ultimateclassicrock.com. 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  5. ^ "Slaughter -1999- The News Tribune - Part 2". The News Tribune. January 19, 1999. p. 39. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  6. ^ "Slaughter - 1998 - Central New Jersey Home News - Tim Kelly". The Central New Jersey Home News. July 31, 1998. p. 59. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Colin Larkin, ed. (1995). The Guinness Who's Who of Heavy Metal (Second ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 328. ISBN 0-85112-656-1.
  8. ^ "Slaughter". February 17, 2007. Archived from the original on February 17, 2007. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  9. ^ "Slaughter RIAA Certifications". RIAA. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  10. ^ "Rock Never Stops - 1998 - Battle Creek Enquirer". Battle Creek Enquirer. August 6, 1998. p. 33. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  11. ^ Slaughter Win Heavy Metal New Artist - AMA 1991, retrieved April 23, 2023
  12. ^ "Slaughter" (PDF).
  13. ^ "Sunday Old School:Slaughter". Metalunderground.com. 2016. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  14. ^ "Two members of heavy metal band 'Slaughter' face drug charges". Upi.com. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  15. ^ a b c "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  16. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 256.
  17. ^ a b "Slaugher ARIA Chart history (complete to 2024)". ARIA. Retrieved July 26, 2024 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
  18. ^ "Slaughter | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
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