SKULL FIST: CANADA’S ANSWER TO SLAUGHTER?
I’ve been meaning to write about Skull Fist for a while. Vince mentioned them awhile back, and they made Bob Cock’s 2011 year-end list, but I think they deserve a whole article all to themselves. So here we go!
Skull Fist are, in their own words, “Heavy metal meatheads on a quest for heavy metal glory.” Okay, describing yourself, or anyone for that matter, as a “metal meathead” is quite possibly the biggest turn-off I can think of. All That Remains are metal meatheads. (Yeah, even the girl.) Luckily for Skull Fist (and me, I guess), the Canadian foursome is more Phil Lewis than Phil Labonte. They’re Judas Priest meets Slaughter in, uh, Canada. American Slaughter, I mean. Not Canadian Slaughter. They’re not like them at all. Though they are Canadian. However, singer Jackie Slaughter sounds like he could be Mark Slaughter’s (of American Slaughter) little brother. There’s no cross-country Slaughter bro-ship there though. I’ve written the word “slaughter” so much it’s lost all meaning.
They released an EP in 2010, but they’re first official record, Head of the Pack (including the ubiquitous umlauts, of course), came out just August of last year. The eponymous title track is akin to the Scorpions’ “Big City Nights,” with its rolling pace and “Everybody join in!” chorus. I kind of prefer “Ride the Beast,” though, because I enjoy a cheesy double entendre and the opening riff is a damn catchy, speedy little fucker. If you want a bit of ‘80s metal nostalgia in present day, I think Skull Fist is your best option, because the alternative is Tom Cruise pretending to be in Def Leppard, and that’s just awkward for everyone.
Want a cool bit of “Oh, what a small world the Internet is?” Toxic Vision clothing designer and star of Sergeant D’s “Girls Don’t Like Metal” piece, Sharon Toxic, is Skull Fist’s outfitter and ladyfriend of Jackie Slaughter. Still no relation to Mark Slaughter.
Skull Fist just wrapped up a European tour and should be heading down to the States sometime next year.
-LF
