About Slapshot
Slapshot is an American hardcore punk band from Boston, Massachusetts. The band has been active for over 30 years, releasing eight studio albums and a number of singles and EPs over that time period. Though there have been constant line-up changes, founding member Jack "Choke" Kelly has remained a constant member of the band and its primary vocalist and leader.
Slapshot was formed in 1985 by Steve Risteen and Mark McKay, formerly of Terminally Ill; Jack "Choke" Kelly, formerly of Negative FX and Last Rights and Jonathan Anastas, formerly of Decadence and DYS. Due to the reputations of its members, the band had a relatively high profile even before its debut. The zine writer Mike Gitter wrote "Slapshot is a great live act", before they had ever played in public.
Diverging from their counterparts in the Boston hardcore scene, Slapshot decided to make the first album a 24-track recording as opposed to the usual 8 or 16-track hardcore album. To reduce costs, they recorded at night and completed the album in four sessions. Back On The Map was released by Taang! Records in 1986.
The band's lineup underwent a number of changes in its first few years, although its sound remained consistent. Jordan Wood, formerly of S.T.P. and later of Deathwish, joined as an additional guitarist, but took over bass guitar when Anastas left the band to continue his education. This line up was featured on their sophomore release, Step On It . In July 1988, Jamie Sciarappa, former bass player of SS Decontrol, joined the band and Jordan returned to his original slot as a second guitar player. This five-piece lineup recorded the third record, Sudden Death Overtime .
As the band got ready to record the next record there was a significant line-up change. Jordan left the band returning Slapshot to a single guitar band and Jamie was replaced with Mark and Steve's longtime friend Chris Lauria. Soon after, the band decided to fire Steve Risteen due to what they felt was a lack of guitar skill. It was a very difficult time for the band that is well documented in the Slapshot documentary "Chip On My Shoulder: The Cautionary Tale of Slapshot". Mark McKay eventually also quit due to multiple issues including a lack of interest in the new material the band was writing.
Their 1993 album Blast Furnace was a move into sample-based industrial/metal/hardcore and only included one original member, Choke, along with a more metal-based backing band including Darryl Sheppard of Slaughter Shack, Barry Hite and Chris Lauria. Slapshot toured Europe that spring, and on the second date of the tour, they recorded a live album in Berlin called Live at SO36 .
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