Slander are one of those bands that both Metal Mark and I love. Their NWOBHM-inspired take on heavy metal is exceptional. Recently the band sent me two songs to listen to from their forth-coming EP, "Get Em Slandered". The EP, which is an album of covers, will serve the purpose of introducing fans to Slander's new lineup. The band is fronted by Simon Staples and features Andy Saxon-Lamb (guitars), Andy 'Eddie' Edwards (drums) and Pete Hewitt (bass). After being away from the scene for 15 years (has it been that long?) the band are currently writing and demoing tracks for their second album. With producer Carl Harris at the helm the band is meanwhile set to release this EP shortly as a way to please Slander fans who are anxious for new material. With the new voice of Slander being singer Si Staples (and the addition of top class bass player Pete Hewitt) fans should have no fears that the new material will be every bit as killer as "Careless Talk Costs Lives". Since there is no cover art available yet for the EP, and no official track listing as far as I know-this really is a sneak peek folks, I'm left with talking about just two of the cover songs: "Detroit Rock City" & "The Zoo". First off "Detroit Rock City". Surely some will look at the choice of covering Kiss and scratch their heads. After all it is a song that has been covered time and time again. You know what though? It just makes sense. "Detroit Rock City" is a classic number. It is the very definition of rock and roll. So, being that Slander can rock just as hard as any other band of their era it's a good call. Yes, it's been covered a billion times, but it's all about the spirit of rock and roll being alive and well! The band is having fun here and, seeing as they obviously are not taking things too seriously, frankly it's all good. It chugs along at just the right pace and takes a page or two out of NWOBHM's swagger. The song does a great job of not only showing off Stapers' voice, but showing that the band itself has little rust. "The Zoo" is also a nice little rocker and a cool choice to cover. I still love hearing this number on FM radio and in Slander's capable hands the track is a real rage-out moment. It's got a crunchy metal backbone and old fashioned charm. Sort of like the band itself. Both numbers show that the band hasn't lost any steam after all these years and can still kick up a fair amount dirt and debris. I look forward to not only this covers EP, as these two tracks are kick ass heavy metal, but the new album as well. You can find out more about Slander at their website below. I've also included two additional links. The first has an interview that we did with the band sandwiched in between two reviews of the band's first release while the second link is of the interview alone.http://www.slandermetal.com/
(Slander's Website)
http://metalmark.blogspot.com/search?q=Slander-Careless+Talk+Costs+Lives+
(Interview w/ band along with two seperate reviews of "Careless Talk..."
(Interview only)
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