I originally intended to do this match-up some two years ago, but either I found bands that were worse or I grabbed bad CDs that were easier for me to get at. However the stars alligned, I found the CDs and I got my strength up to try and tackle these. So it is...


Slaughter-Stick it to ya

vs.


White Lion-Big Game

In the late 80's/early 90's for every good band like G-n-R, Skid Row and Faster Pussycat you had three or four bands like these. Now these two acts were better than some others, but they still checked their souls at the door and churned out some lifeless slop. Remember for a short period of time when Hit Parader was trying to tout Mike Tramp and Vito Bratta as the next Diamond Dave and Eddie Van Halen? That sure was a stretch. Slaughter seemed to come out of nowhere to all of a sudden being played regularly on the radio much to the dismay of unsuspecting ears. Since I have waited two years to get at these bands lets go ahead and have at them.


Vocals
Mark Slaughter is up for his band taking on White Lion frontman and major league hair farmer Mike Tramp. Mark Slaughter ranges between sounding like Brian Johnson with a sore throat and a screeching cat. He tries and does keep in pace with the music, but he doesn't much range at all. Mike Tramp has a better range, but he tends to be drippy and lacks any real emotion. I guess he was too busy swinging his hair around and trying to maintain a certain look. Neither is much good as individuals and they don't help their bands a lot, but Mark Slaughter's effort is more evident so...
Point to Slaughter

Guitars
Tim Kelly and Mark Slaughter are up for their band taking on White Lion's Vito Bratta. Tim Kelly and Mark Slaughter have an okay tone, but what they play is rather standard. The hit on a few moments, but never take many chances as all. Vito Bratta was frequently pushed by the fluffy magazines of the day as some kind of up and coming guitar hero. Now don't get me wrong he could hit some flash, but normally it was few and far between plus the rhythms only varied from fair to forgettable. He had some playing skills, but without good writing to back it up the sparkling solos don't mean much. Except in this case a few brief moments will be enough to earn his band a point.
Point to White Lion

Rhythm section
For Slaughter it is Dana Strum on bass and Blas Elias on drums vs. James Lomenzo on bass and Greg D'Angelo on drums. As with 98% of the hard rock bands of the time we really don't hear much of the bass so it's hard to judge those two guys. For drums both guys get some help from alright production. Overall both guys are all too happy to plunk, plunk, plunk along like a couple of mindless monkeys providing barely useful beats and they stay well in the background. Still one drummer shows a little more rhythm.
Point to White Lion

Originality/Production
By 89-90 the swarms of faceless, lackluster hard rock bands were taking over the airwaves with their sickening power ballads and warmed over, limp attempts at rockin. These two bands very much fit that mold as they just hoped to hold on make a few bucks. Originality doesn't come into for either album. The production is alright on both as everything is fairly loud, but somewhat too smooth on White Lion's disc. Depsite hearing Marc Slaughter's wretched voice too clearly the production still manages to add a slight sting overall to their band's album
Point to Slaughter.

Who rocks more?
Once again it's category where I have to dig down deep to find a winner. In this case effort goes a long ways and Slaughter were the one who seemed to be trying harder to at least briefly appear to be pretending to be some sort of rock band. White Lion had trouble even pulling off a whole song wihtout collapsing into some kind syrupy mess or just being painfully dull. Slaughter were predictable, but there was some genuine effort there although in small doses.
Point to Slaughter

Slaughter win a battle of two of the many bands who didn't deserve a major label deal. Still they showed enough sparks to pull it off even though as players them may have been the less talented band. Good thing album covers wasn't a category because White Lion would have really been slaughtered. Hahaha, get it? Slaughtered-Slaughter? Oh, never mind.

***I am going to go rest my ears up for the next one. Be back soon.