UMUR "Paranormal" is the fourth demo recording (if you discount the "Live Karnage" demo tape) by Canadian thrash metal act Slaughter. The demo was independently released in 1988 and follows the release of the band´s 1987 debut full-length studio album "Strappado". The band have added second guitarist Bobby Sadzak to the ranks, making Slaughter a quartet on "Paranormal".

It´s a professionally recorded demo and it was actually meant to be released as Slaughter´s second full-length studio album, but as bassist/vocalist Terry Sadler left, the remaining members disbanded Slaughter and subsequently changed the band name to Strappado (by that point only Hewson and Sadzak remained), which meant they didn´t want to release the material they had recorded as a Slaughter album. Quite a few of the tracks from "Paranormal" would be re-recorded and included on Strappado´s 1991 debut full-length studio album "Not Dead Yet".

Stylistically this sounds very much like the natural successor to "Strappado". It features a similar raw, dark, and aggressive thrash metal style, but Slaughter have developed their style just enough not to stagnate which means that "Paranormal" features more riffs and a slightly more technical approach to playing, which to my ears becomes Slaughter well. Other than that fans of "Strappado" should of course get their hands on this demo. It´s both well produced, well performed, and features relatively memorable songwriting. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Strappado" is the debut full-length studio album by Canadian thrash metal act Slaughter. The album was released through Diabolic Force (on vinyl)/Fringe Product (on casette tape) in 1987. The material featured on "Strappado" was already recorded and mixed in February 1986, but it took a year for the album to get a release. "Strappado" is a bit of an underground "classic" in the more raw end of the thrash metal spectrum, but Slaughter have also received some retrospective attention as Chuck Schuldiner (Death, Control Denied) was shortly a member of the band. Schuldiner was not part of the lineup who recorded "Strappado" though. The trio lineup who recorded the album consists of: Dave Hewson (vocals, guitar), Terry Sadler (vocals, bass), and Ron Summers (drums).

"Strappado" is a raw, aggressive, and heavy hardcore tinged thrash metal release featuring angry shouting vocals. It´s pretty simple and primitive music and won´t appeal to those who crave a bit of technical playing in their music. This is straight forward and the tracks typically only feature two riffs which are repeated ad nauseam. I´d say Hellhammer and to a lesser extent early Venom (and there´s definitely an occasional Motörhead influence in there too) are Slaughter´s closest relatives and also influences (they´ve covered both on their early demos).

"Strappado" is a short album featuring only nine tracks and a total playing time of 23:34. At least two of their preceding demos featured longer playing times, but considering the primitive, repetitive, and simple nature of Slaughter´s music, a short playing time is probably wise to not wear the listener down. Upon conclusion "Strappado" is a decent quality debut album from Slaughter. Other than the brutal buzzing guitar tone I´m not sure why people refer to this album as proto-death metal because I hear little here which points in that direction, but to each his own. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Nocturnal Hell" is a single/EP release by Canadian thrash metal act Slaughter. The single/EP was released through Fringe Product in 1986. All three tracks from the single/EP were recorded during the samme February 1986 sessions which spawned the material which ended up being Slaughter´s 1987 debut full-length studio album "Strappado". In fact all material from this single/EP appear on "Strappado" in exactly the same versions.

So in that respect "Nocturnal Hell" is a bit redundant these days, but back then the single/EP of course functioned as a teaser for the forthcoming full-length release and it should be evaluated on its own merits. If you´re familar with the preceding demo releases by Slaughter the raw, aggressive, and hardcore tinged thrash metal style found on "Nocturnal Hell" isn´t a surprise. It´s slightly more interesting material, heavier, and darker, but other than that this sounds a lot like Slaugther also did on the "Surrender or Die" demo from April 1985 (maybe with a few less heavy/speed metal influences). A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Surrender or Die" is the third demo recording (if you discount the "Live Karnage" demo tape) by Canadian thrash metal act Slaughter. The demo was released through Diabolic Force in April 1985. It´s the first demo from Slaughter which was recorded at a professional recording studio (Recorded at Accusonic Studio, Toronto, Ontario, Canada - April 1985).

Featuring thirteen tracks and a total playing time of 30 minutes this could just as well have been released as the band´s debut album, but instead it was marketing as a demo release, although it was released through a label. Some of the tracks from this demo were re-recorded during the February 1986 sessions which became Slaughter´s 1987 debut full-length studio album "Strappado".

Stylistically this is hardcore oriented heavy/speed/thrash metal. All the most primitive, raw, and savage elements from those genres are combined here by Slaughter and "Surrender or Die" is a pretty extreme and aggressive release considering the time of release. They´ve upped their game and have honed their skills since the early demos too, making "Surrender or Die" an actual listenable release. The sound production is raw, powerful, and perfectly suits the material, so upon conclusion Slaughter stepped up here and a 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Live Karnage" is a live demo recording by Canadian thrash metal act Slaughter. The demo was independently released in April 1985. It´s a live recording of Slaughter´s first ever live show from the 25th of March 1985. A show they played with Sacrifice.

This is a lo-fi recording, which sounds like someone in the audience recorded it on a portable tape-recorder, and although the aggression and energy of the show arguably come through and give this demo some sort of justification for existing, it´s otherwise a pretty much unlistanable release. Murky, noisy, and primitive hardcore tinged heavy/speed metal with little variation. A 1.5 star (30%) rating is warranted.