Strappado

Previously I wrote a review for this comparing the album to Slayer's "Reign in Blood". It was very long and convoluted and sort of danced around discussing the actual music contained herein. Don't ask me why I did this, I don't know. What I do know is that review completely failed at conveying the sheer intensity and awesomeness that is Slaughter and in particular is "Strappado".

First of all, Slaughter cannot be compared to any of their contemporaries because they were totally their own trip and more insane than any band around at the time. Secondly long and convoluted in no way reflects this album. It is short and immediately let's you know what you're in for and proceeds to remind you every second of the way.

Slaughter, as I've said, we're insane and they want nothing more than for you to understand their madness, except maybe to crush you into the ground with their anvil of sound. Brian Taylor's production on this record sounds like nothing else from this time. The guitar is just a huge slab of concrete in the mix featuring one of the dirtiest tones of the '80s. The drums must be heard to be believed. Sumners plays some of the most brutal proto-blasts ever, never compromising speed for heaviness or vice verse. The bass is heavy as fuck too, greatly enhancing but not overpowering in this wall of pummeling noise. The vocals are simply perfect. From Dave Hewson's ultra-grim death yells to Sadler's maniacal speed chanting the vocals fit the insanity of the music superbly.

That leads me to the point of this review: THE MUSIC! Slaughter play a style of metal undeniably in the death/thrash vein. However, though that may be a suitable classification for nowadays, when I hear this record I can hear that these guys were playing the death metal of their day. It is a primordial brand of death metal very much informed by hardcore punk and thrash but the aesthetic is the same as all death metal. These guys wanted to make BRUTAL music and never have I heard a recording from this time to have succeeded so well in capturing this vintage sense of brutality.

If you're a fan of Death Strike, Hellhammer (anyone?), "Morbid Tales", early Death, "Seven Churches", Sacrifice ("Torment in Fire") or just primitive fucking madness, get this NOW!

Seeing as Metal Mind went and rearranged the track list on the latest reissue of this album I've conjured my own, preferred one, working the bonus tracks in:

1. Stappado
2. The Curse
3. Parasites
4. Disintegrator/Incinerator
5. One Foot in the Grave
6. Tyrant of Hell
7. F.O.D.
8. Tortured Souls
9. Maim to Please
10. Nocturnal Hell
11. Death Dealer
12. Tales of the Macabre

Slaughter were probably the first inspiration for my patriotism. Then came Razor and Sacrifice then Infernal Majesty and Blasphemy and many more to follow. Slaughter are just such a great example of true Canadiacs of metal. They show that from so early in the development of extreme metal Canadians were already so ahead of the game and carving their own niche of insanity. I could go on but i think for now... "Fuck of death will see-fice!"