LIMITED EDITION ON SPLATTER VINYL!!!

Perhaps one of the more intricate of the forgotten tales of early USPM is this Texas based outfit, who carried the same name as the well known extreme fringe of the Big 4, but whose commonalities are otherwise few and far between. Everybody and anybody was obsessed with evil and the occult circa 1983, driven by a comparable fixation exhibited by the NWOBHM, but S.A. Slayer seems much more keen on simply offering a sped up and very formulaic version of what was on the middle of the road roster of Britain's metallic export, rather than venturing into the murky world of Venom that was more a staple of the other, more consequential Slayer. Nevertheless, for a band that largely sounds similar to a host of up and coming speed metal bands in the vein of Exciter, they pull off this style fairly well. Vocalist Steve Cooper, who departed company with the world just a few years ago, is the key attraction and makes his presence known without a hint of subtlety. His voice has that light, high end feel comparable to second Tygers Of Pan Tang vocalist Jon Deverill, but with about twice as many high shrieks and the precision of a seasoned Halford worshiper. The rest of the arrangement is an adequate makeup of early metal riffing and double bass driven mayhem that is largely comparable to the faster elements of Accept's "Restless And Wild", but with a more haunting and low-fi production aesthetic in line with the occult-based lyrics. Any fans of archaic, early 80s speed metal who aren't content with the early works of Angel Dust, Grave Digger and Exciter have to give these guys a look, both for their historical appeal and a great quality sound.