Slaughter (band)
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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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
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".<ref name="LarkinHM">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Their follow-up album, The Wild Life, has sold over 500,000 copies, receiving a gold certification.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Citation</ref>
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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.
HistoryEdit
Slaughter formed in Las Vegas, Nevada in late 1988. Previously, lead vocalist Mark Slaughter and bassist Dana Strum had been in Vinnie Vincent Invasion.<ref name="LarkinHM"/> 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.<ref name="LarkinHM"/>
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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
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,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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 membersEdit
Current members
- Mark Slaughter – lead vocals, rhythm and lead guitar, keyboards, piano, tambourine (1988–present)
- Dana Strum – bass guitar, backing vocals (1988–present)
- Jeff "Blando" Bland – lead and 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 rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1988–1998; his death)
Former touring members
- Dave Marshall – lead and rhythm 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)
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id:vocals value:red legend:Lead_vocals,_keyboards,_tambourine id:guitar value:green legend:Guitar id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:drums value:orange legend:Drums,_percussion id:backing value:pink legend:Backing_vocals id:album value:black legend:Studio_album
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bar:MS text:"Mark Slaughter" bar:TK text:"Tim Kelly" bar:JB text:"Jeff Bland" bar:DS text:"Dana Strum" bar:BE text:"Blas Elias" bar:BR text:"Bobby Rock" bar:TD text:"Timothy DiDuro" bar:ZC text:"Zoltan Chaney" bar:JC text:"Jordan Cannata"
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width:11 bar:MS from:start till:end color:vocals bar:MS from:start till:end color:guitar width:3 bar:TK from:start till:02/05/1998 color:guitar bar:TK from:start till:02/05/1998 color:backing width:3 bar:JB from:02/06/1998 till:end color:guitar bar:JB from:02/06/1998 till:end color:backing width:3 bar:DS from:start till:end color:bass bar:DS from:start till:end color:backing width:3 bar:BE from:start till:03/01/2003 color:drums bar:BE from:start till:03/01/2003 color:backing width:3 bar:BR from:03/01/2003 till:11/01/2004 color:drums bar:TD from:11/01/2004 till:07/01/2011 color:drums bar:ZC from:07/01/2011 till:07/01/2019 color:drums bar:BE from:07/01/2019 till:07/01/2021 color:drums bar:BE from:07/01/2019 till:07/01/2021 color:backing width:3 bar:JC from:07/01/2021 till:end color:drums
LineData =
color:black layer:back at:01/23/1990 at:04/21/1992 at:05/02/1995 at:05/20/1997 at:06/29/1999
</timeline>
DiscographyEdit
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Studio albumsEdit
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN <ref name="CAN Albums">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
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US <ref name="US Albums">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
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AUS <ref>Template:Cite Ryan</ref><ref name="ARIA history pages">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
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}} N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.</ref> |
JPN <ref name="JPN-albums">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
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}}</ref> |
GER <ref name="GER Albums">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
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SWI <ref name="SWI Albums">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
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UK <ref name=uk>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
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}}</ref> | ||
| Stick It to Ya |
|
45 | 18 | 130 | — | 58 | 32 | — |
| ||||||
| The Wild Life |
|
13 | 8 | 95 | 49 | — | 37 | 64 |
| ||||||
| Fear No Evil |
|
— | 182 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| Revolution |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| Back to Reality |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||
Live albumsEdit
- Stick It Live (1990)
- Eternal Live (1998)
- Ecstasy Live 1991 (2022)
CompilationsEdit
- Mass Slaughter: The Best of Slaughter (1995)
- Then and Now (2002)
- 10 Great Songs (2011)
Home videosEdit
- From the Beginning (1991) (Gold)<ref name="riaa">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- The Wild Life (1992) (Gold)<ref name="riaa"/>
SinglesEdit
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Main Rock | AUS <ref name="ARIA history pages"/> | |||
| 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 |
ToursEdit
{{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= {{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= Template:Ambox }} }}
- 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