It's been 5 years since we last spoke of Chicago's Slauter Xstroyes. I had just purchased Free the Beast, which is an archival release including what was to be their second album + demos, etc... But what of the debut, the album that did manage to get released? Well... it was impossible to find at a decent price. All the reissues were going for serious money and, of course, the original is priced sky high. Leave it to Cult Metal Classics of Greece to come through once again. This is the same label that brought us the Legend From the Fjords CD.
As for the music, no surprise that this is exactly the type of metal I love. It's ridiculously non-linear, make-it-up-as-you-go, small-venue heavy metal. It's progressive for sure, though not in a calculated way. These guys keep spinning in different directions. It's not particularly heavy by metal standards - at least not by 1985 - but it's certainly of the genre. This is one of those albums you could hear 10 times in a row, and have 10 different opinions of it. Certainly pioneers like Iron Maiden and Mercyful Fate provide the blueprint, and then Slauter Xstroyes runs with it from there. Just like the more known Manilla Road, the only rule applied is an endless imagination. I know there are modern metal bands out there who attempt to make music like this. I haven't heard too many, but I think it would be tough to take a 2021 brain and relive the 80s underground experience. I missed Slauter Xstroyes in their day, but I was aware of others like them. It was a magical time for music such as this.
Ownership: CD: 2021 Cult Metal Classics (Greece). Recent online acquisition. Jewel case with booklet containing a retro 1998 interview from the label owner, which is informative. Also includes 3 bonus tracks, one a newly unearthed track from 1985! Another is a live track from 2015. And the other is a studio recording from 2016. So they did get back together for a short while anyway. Would love to see new product from these guys.
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