Slander

Discography:
Demo - 2002
Nothin's Free (EP) - 2003
Failure Is Not An Option - 2004
Raisin' Hell For Rock 'n' Roll - 2005 (release date
TBA).

Slander - Failure Is Not An Option
Slander - 2004
1.) Gotta Thank The Devil
2.) Invisible Me
3.) Temptation and Doubt
4.) Arrows in the Dark
5.) Fire & Ice
6.) Addiction
7.) Save Me
8.) No Hero
9.) I Pay
10.) Down
11.) Other Side
12.) Hell in my Mind
13.) Lies

Okay, I'ma lose about half of you by the next
sentence I type, but fuggit. Slander remind me
of everything good about high-school in the
late 70s and early 80s. The feathered hair.
The Firebirds. The beers they used to sell at
metal shows in big flimsy plastic cups that
were 40oz for a dollar. And they never carded.
The attics we sat around in, blasting Rush,
Boston, Journey, AC/DC and Led Zeppelin.
The bongs and pipes we made out of
everything from soda cans to apples to
monstrosities made in auto shop.
Those were good damned years, and
Slander are full of all that middle-class,
stoned-American goodness.

What I love about Slander, too, is that
it fulfils what I loved about music back
then on two levels. It sounded good at
parties, and then, when you wanted to
sit alone in your room with a candle
and a big fat pair of KOSS headphones,
the lyric sheet was worth falling into.
From Pink Floyd to Triumph, lyrics
back then were equal to the brilliance
of the music, and I've really missed that.
I learned as much about life and history
from Sabbath and Iron Maiden as I ever
did at that bullshit redbrick prison
that was supposed to be giving
me an "education". Slander step
right up to that plate and deliver
music that's hard and bright with
lyrics that don't make me cringe.

Also, the combination of Jon Fox's
guitar style and Chris Prophet's voice
is worthy of an audience world wide.
Chris has one of those unique voices
that gets in your head and you literally
CRAVE it during the day when you have
the misfortune of being away from
a stereo. He's got one of those voices
that a very few heavy metal bands
are gifted with. It's amber buttery
bourbon smooth and then speedshift
to suckerpunch that'd make Orcs
run for cover. His voice and Fox's
guitar were made for each other.
The fact that this band is not being
played to death on FUSE and Head-
banger's Ball is because the music
industry is just plain stupid. Let
enough people hear this, and there's
gonna be a fire.

Oh get that look off your face.
I didn't forget the bass and drums.
I would never do a thing like that.
The foundations of my life include
Cliff Burton and John Bonham,
so perish the thought. Travis
Furlong (drums) and Rob
Wray (bass) make me wanna
put my back against the speakers
and drink 'til the police come or
the sun rises, whichever comes first.
Their sound together is as delicate
or as massive as necessary; from
light rain to Tornado Warning
with ease. Why this band isn't
featured on StonerRock.com's
main page is a gross oversight.

To the four guys who are Slander,
this is from an old metalhead sister
from way back, to you. Whatever you
do, don't give up. If there are days when
you wonder why the f*ck you're not
touring with BLS or COC, I'm right
there with you. If there are days when
you think to yourselves that your stuff
is better than almost anything you hear
on tv, the radio, or the internet these
days, I'm right there with you on that
one, too. If there are days when you
think "Fuggit. It ain't worth all
the bullshit", then meet me at a bar
somewhere between you and me
and I'll buy you a beer. Do not give
up. I've heard a lot of goddam metal
in my life. You've got your own niche
and it should be filed right there between
Saxon and St. Vitus. The fact that you ain't
livin' in big houses with custom made
choppers falling out of your garages is
not for lack of talent; it's because this
world is ugly and it sucks. See you
on the road, brothers. With Christ
in Hell and a nitro switch under the
seat, you've got yourselves a fan.

http://www.slanderrocks.org/

May 19, 2005
By Ginnie Moon
10 of 10
- Ginnie Moon

The Amplifier
October 2004
By Don Thomason

This area’s hard rock scene is well served by Slander, the crowd-pleasing fivesome based in Bowling Green. Their full-length release Failure Is Not An Option is one of the best local releases in any genre in the past year. Slander performs shows through the region, and they recently had good shows at the Son Rhea Festival in Bowling Green and at a Sandwich Shop sponsored street dance in Morgantown with Sixth Floor.
After playing October 6 at Bar Car in Nashville, Slander will rock Bowling Green at Tidball’s on October 9 along with Garden of Stone and Lee Harvey, then play on the courthouse square in Glasgow on October 16. They’ll go road-tripping October 22 to Jackson, Tennessee’s Old Hickory Coliseum with Mister Meaner. 103 has played “Fire and Ice” and “Lies,” and Slander cuts have been played on Local Shots on 91 and on Homecookin’ on 93.3 (the Slander website urges fans to call Tommy Starr of Homecookin’ and request the new unreleased song “Raisin’ Hell for Rock n Roll”).
Slander was formed in December 2001. After a little shifting, the lineup now consists of Chris Prophet (lead vocals), Jon Fox (guitar, vocals), Chuck Payne (guitars, vocals), Rob Wray (bass, vocals), and Travis Furlong (drums, vocals). Their loose camaraderie (“we have way too much fun when we get together” said Fox) and self-described “hodgepodge” appearance are characteristics of Slander. Prophet said he’s proud that everybody’s different, not uniform within the band or uniform to any current rock trend (such as, he said, trying to sound like Nickelback).
The 14-track Failure Is Not An Option was recorded at Barrick Studio and produced by Slander and David Barrick. This recording brings out the strengths of Slander much more so than their previous EP Nothin’s Free. Prophet is charismatic with a vocal vibe that melds Steven Pearcy and Vince Neil. On stage, Prophet’s presence draws attention and propels the crowd. The guitar attack of Fox and Payne churns and burns. Wray’s bass seamlessly holds the bottom, anchoring both the dark guitar growl and Furlong’s backbeats. Furlong is a mighty and adept drummer who, while he doesn’t overuse it, double-basses like a freak as suddenly and easily as his next breath. Together, Slander shows skills in arrangement and knows how to play hell-bent-for-leather and how to build dramatics depending on what the song calls for.
There are several highlights to Failure Is Not An Option. Two signature songs are “Arrows In The Dark” with its crowd-pleasing stomp-and-go beats and “Save Me” with a devilishly catchy vocal hook and driving intensity. The theme of self struggle on “Save Me” is shared on the dramatic “Temptation and Doubt.” The exceptional “Fire and Ice” encompasses much of Slander’s full range, with a memorable guitar/rhythm hook on the verses leading to a full-out-sprint chorus with Prophet promising all to his love interest: “Pain and pleasure, satin and leather/Everything in life/Devil and angel, perfection and mangled/The opposites that keep you alive/Fire and ice.” The sharp “I Pay” features colorful riffing by Fox and Payne and Prophet’s imploring to an unfaithful partner across three octaves, culminating in “I pay, I pay/While you’re giving it to everybody else free.” “Invisible Me” has a cameo rap from Sixth Floor’s John King, and there’s a well-done kiss-off hidden track who’s title could not be listed.
As for future recording plans, Slander aims to take things one song at a time. Two songs have been cut (including “Raisin’ Hell for Rock n Roll”), and the group would be comfortable recording at different studios for the next release and have one person or facility master the tracks for continuity.
Failure Is Not An Option is available in Bowling Green at Great Escape, CD Warehouse, Furlong’s Tattoo, Kentucky Music, and Musicians Pro; it’s also avaiable at Showbiz Video and the Sandwich Shop in Morgantown. For more info on Slander, visit www.slanderrocks.org, which will have new merchandise within the month.
- Don Thomason

SLANDER...FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION
1. Gotta Thank The Devil
2. Invisible Me
3. Temptation And Doubt
4. Arrows In The Dark
5. Fire & ice
6. Addiction
7. Save Me
8. No Hero
9. I Pay
10. Down
11. Other Side
12. Hell In My Mind
13. Lies



Ok I first want to apologize.. this review is WAY OVER DUE but here it is guys!

Ok second off as a one time honorary member of SLANDER, I have to admit SLANDER has come along way... and for SLANDER to earn the respect and fan base they have I am truly PROUD!

This record is amazing!
It's old school enough for any of us old fucks to dig and fresh enough for the newbies to enjoy as well!

ANYONE WHO THINKS THIS YEARS OZZFEST LINE UP IS KICK ASS NEEDS THIS RECORD!

Kicking off like the loser of RUSSIAN Roulette's last thought GOTTA THANK THE DEVIL busts some ass!

SLANDER has a new yet old sound, reminding me of the METALLICA days that everyone worships, but vocally a little JUDAS PRIEST mixed with OZZY and AL JOURGENSEN!

You can definitely hear the SIXTH FLOOR influence, especially when LEAD SINGER OF SIXTH FLOOR JOHN KING Makes his couple of appearances!

I could go through each and every song on this record and talk about how fucking awesome they are and innovative.. but I'm not going to I want you to go listen for yourselves and I promise you'll dig it!

HEAVY ASS GUITARS AND A PULSING BACKBEAT by the amazing FURLONG and even a few samples thrown in here and there.. and we can't overlook the sweet female backing vox hidden on the record.. Oh yeah there is a hidden track as well that I absolutely love!

Hell I don't know, you don't have to listen to a damn thing I say.. this music speaks for itself!


*review by the dead puppy*
- Terry Rice

From NuclearGrind.com
June 29,2002
Slander - Nothing's Free
Tracklist:
Prisoner
Testify
I Love The Pain
Nothin's Free
I Feel

So you know The Grynder has been achingly busy lately don't you? Yep, The Grynder is a daddy now, which is why it took me so long to get to this review! But that's a whole other story. This space is reserved for Slander.

I got this five song demo from Slander and after listening to it, the only real problem I have is that I know three other bands named Slander. But since I talked all of them into changing their names, maybe this Slander will end up being the only one left!

This Slander, who, for simplicity's sake, I'll call Slander (KY), is one of those bands that has an obvious evolution going on. I listened to some songs off Mp3, and must say, I didn't fall in love. So needless to say when I got the demo, the next step in the evolution, I was a little scared. And pleasantly surprised. I don't hate any of the five songs (which is rare for me…I almost always hate at least one song) and for the first time in ten years, my favorite song is the ballad. Don't tell anyone. Oh wait. I just did. "Testify" probably comes in after "I Feel," but you've got to like a song that starts off "I love the way you give me pain."

This cd is not a big slick production but part of me almost thinks a big slick production would be a hindrance to this band. What would I call them? Natural I guess. Listening to it I really want to see them live and if my feeling is right about their live show (I've been wrong before but it's rare) then I'd like to see them put together a well recorded live album. I think they would come across really well in that way. Not that this demo is horrendous of course, if I didn't like it, I wouldn't be wasting my time writing about it. It's just a feeling I get. But taking back into mind the evolution I already mentioned, since, in my opinion, these songs are a leap ahead of what I'd originally heard, the next output should be truly great! I actually look forward to seeing where the future leads this band (or where they lead the future).

The thing I noticed most was that they can actually write. There are some really good songs on this cd (like I said, I didn't hate any). I was a little annoyed the first time I heard "Prisoner" because I hate Geddy Lee, but the second time I listened I liked it better, and it wasn't so noticeable on the other songs. I love the way he sings "I Feel" more than anything else, but like I said, "Prisoner" was the only one that annoyed me at first. Well...surprised more than annoyed I guess.

So I have to grudgingly admit that my webmistress partner is right when she says something major is going to break from Kentucky. And for $5, this five song disc is worth picking up. I see many good things coming from Slander (KY) so I'm for once recommending you start your collection ahead of time. See that they're playing, go see them, and then write me and let me know if my inkling about them being raucous live is right or not. Maybe Stylle's dream of a mainstream Kentucky/Tennessee Metal Bands Documentary will actually happen one day (oops….did I bust out your secret dream?) because obviously it is a scene the record labels would be morons not to take notice of.

Props to KY/TN and everyone who is obviously working hard to put it on the metal map.

I give Nothing's Free 3.95 headbangs out of 5, 5 being the greatest thing ever, 4 being definitely worth having, 3 being nice to have (and in this case only missing just four because there's only five songs and they're still evolving), and anything less than that being something I won't bother to review.

The Grynder

SLANDER WEBSITE: slanderrocks.org
- The Grynder