by If you lived in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, then you know the impact Slaughter, the band, had on the scene. They were an incredible feel-good party band with ballads that could melt the coldest of hearts.
In 2015, frontman Mark Slaughter returned with his solo project and a new album, Reflections in a Rear View Mirror. Now the legendary hard rock vocalist has announced the upcoming release of his sophomore solo release Halfway There, being released in May worldwide via David Ellefson’s EMP Label Group. Halfway There is said to channel the familiar hard rock sensibility of classic-era Slaughter releases like Stick it to Ya and The Wild Life on “Hey You” and emotionally-charged title track “Halfway There,” with a mature, progressive, metal bent evidenced on cuts like “Devoted,” “Conspiracy,” and “Reckless.”
Produced and co-mixed by Slaughter with John Cranfield (AFI, Andy Grammer), with art by famed horror/album artist “Mister” Sam Shearon (Rob Zombie, Iron Maiden, KISS, Clive Barker) Halfway There is slated to be released May 26th, in North America, and May 10th, in Japan.
Mark will tour Japan in May with Slaughter, supporting RATT, in conjunction with the Japanese release of the LP, with shows in Nagoya, Osaka, and a performance at the Tokyo Metal Summit, May 14th with Ratt, Sebastian Bach, E’nuff Z’nuff, and more.
Mark Slaughter stated:
My first solo record (Reflections in a Rear View Mirror) was kinda getting back on the horse, so to speak. I mean doing everything and recording… I’m taking on a lot more tasks as an engineer/producer/ writer on all this… because I’m doing everything. Ultimately, at the end of the day, anybody who is a Slaughter fan will certainly understand that I am a large part of the Slaughter sound and vibe, so obviously if you like that, it’s in there. It’s just that I take a lot more liberties on the solo side that I probably wouldn’t do when it’s a group effort.
The record is basically… I spend a lot of time writing songs and things just grow out of me. I’ll be woken up in the middle of the night from nowhere and the song’s just in my head and I just exorcise the demons and there you have it. I guess what it is is, an artist makes art. And I’ve really come to the fact that since we haven’t made a Slaughter record in so long, it’s one of those things that I still have to make the art. That’s what I do. That’s what I love to do, and that’s what I’ll continue to do.
EMP A&R director Thom Hazaert chimed in:
It’s been such an incredible honor to put this record together with Mark, who truly, in my humble opinion, is one of the greatest Hard Rock singers and songwriters of our generation, and, what a lot of people don’t realize, just a phenomenal player as well. We spent almost a year going back and forth about the idea of putting the record out together, obviously Mark and David (Ellefson) have a great longstanding friendship, so it really was an amazing fit.
From the first time I heard the working demos of these songs, I knew Mark was working on something very, very special. Growing up (and still) a huge Slaughter fan, I think these songs are going to not only resonate with the people who already love Mark and what he does, but [also] carve a niche far beyond.
Ellefson added:
I have been friends with Mark for over 30 years, since he was in Vinnie Vincent Invasion, and there’s a lot of shared history. So when we started talking about the idea of putting this record out, yes, it was a great and natural fit. Mark is such a tremendous talent and songwriter, and the scope of that is truly evident on Halfway There. We’re extremely proud, and excited, to have been able to partner with him on it, and can’t wait for the World to hear it.
Rock Hard \m/
Stay Connected