Published on Aug 13, 1999
While listening to
Back To Reality, the latest disc from Slaughter, for the
tenth time today, I got to thinking that this was probably the
perfect title for the disc. After all, the band was coming off of
the tragic death of guitarist Tim Kelly and the tour which showed
the band’s resilience hiring guitarist Jeff Blando.
But now, the accolades were gone, and the band had to settle in
and prove that they could rock as hard as they did in their glory
days.
Back To Reality proves not only that Blando is more than a
suitable replacement for Kelly, but that the band has lost very
little of the magic they’ve carried throughout their career.
Their style has changed little from the days of
Stick It To Ya, though they don’t gravitate towards the
ballad that much these days. Sure, there are the gentler numbers,
like “Love Is Forever,” which is a very pretty song that has more
than a little bite to it, and the instrumental “Silence Of Ba” is
an incredible piece of work that I wish they had expanded on for a
lot longer than this track lasts.
But when it comes time to let shred, the band – Blando,
vocalist/guitarist Mark Slaughter, bassist Dana Strum and drummer
Blas Elias – still know how to lay down the groove and lock the
listener in for the duration. While the album gets off to a weak
start with “Killin Time,” the band quickly bounces back with tracks
like “All Fired Up,” “Dangerous,” “Bad Groove” and “Trailer Park
Boogie”.
And anyone who wrote Slaughter off as being a lightweight metal
band from the ’80s needs to sit down and let this disc overtake
you. Hey,
I wasn’t that fond of Slaughter in their glory days (never
mind the fact I have all but two of their albums in my collection),
but the band has constantly found ways to impress me, and
Back To Reality is no exception.
While you can gleam some of the band’s magic on just one listen,
Back To Reality is the kind of disc that begs for repeat
performances. It is with multiple listens that this album shows
both its absolute power and absolute beauty, and the disc is strong
enough that it holds up to near constant play without getting
tired-sounding.
Slaughter even does the right thing regarding bonus tracks – it
starts almost immediately after the last song, “Nothin’ Left to
Lose,” fades into nothingness, and you don’t have to wade through
50 tracks of silence. It’s a bizarre little ditty they slapped onto
the end of this disc, but it’s kind of fun to listen to.
If metal is truly making a comeback, I have no doubt that
Slaughter is going to be leading the charge into the future.
Back To Reality is a disc that proves to both the band and
the listener that reality can indeed be a pretty thing to
behold.