No, this Slaughter is not the same pretty-boy glam metal outfit from the early '90s. There was indeed another Slaughter, hailing from Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, and specializing in brutal thrash metal. The group -- Dave Hewson (vocals and guitars), Terry Sadler (vocals and bass), and Ron Sumners (drums) -- originally formed in August of 1984 and, a year later, had issued a pair of demo tapes that made the rounds in the metal underground: Bloody Karnage and Surrender or Die. In 1986, Slaughter issued their debut full-length, Strappado, supporting it with opening gigs for the likes of Celtic Frost, Voivod, Kreator, Exodus, Corrosion of Conformity, D.R.I., Sacrifice, and G.B.H. A sophomore effort was recorded off and on from 1988 through 1990 (with a proposed title of Paranormal), but the album was shelved when Slaughter broke up 1990.

The same year, Hewson formed the band Strappado with new members Brian Lourie (drums), Bobby Sadzak (guitar), and Mike Dalton (bass), recording a few demo tapes and recording the album Fatal Judgement in 1992, before splitting up as well. By 1994, Slaughter had reunited to record a cover of the track Dethroned Emperor for the Celtic Frost tribute album, A Tribute to Celtic Frost, but ultimately decided against resurrecting the band on a permanent basis. Hewson and Sadzak decided to remain together (albeit for a brief time), forming the industrial metal outfit Inner Thought, and issuing a pair of recordings: 1994's Worldly Separation and 1996's Perspectives. 2000 saw several re-releases from Slaughter -- remastered CDs of the early demo Surrender or Die, Strappado, and, for the first time, their previously shelved sophomore effort, Paranormal. ~ Greg Prato, Rovi