Ελληνικά
Last Updated on 02:41 PM by Giorgos Tsekas
Abattoir were formed in 1982 and they left their mark on metal and especially on speed, being one of the first bands that served his particular sound. The band members were: Mal Sanchez (bass), Mark Caro (guitars), Rawl Preston (vocals), Juan Garcia (guitars) and Robert Wayne (drums). These guys started making their first timid live gigs at stages the same year. Right away they made the first line-up change, with the catalytic addition of singer John Cyriis (John Syriis back then).With this line-up they recorded their first demo cassette with two songs and shortly after “Screams From The Grave” was released by Metal Blade in one of the label’s collections. After this release oddly came silence. John and Juan formed Agent Steel and Mark and Mel restarted Abattoir’s engine in late 1984.
The contract with Combat Records provided them with the opportunity to record “Vicious Attack”. New line-up changes took place, which I am bored to copy paste from Metal Archives, so whilst Abattoir was considered to be a thrash metal band (makes sense considering we were in the 80’s), the dynamite “The Only Safe Place” came to life to redefine with its aggressive melodies the band’s identity and set new standards at the speed metal genre. Still this was the swansong for the Abattoirs (their participation in W.A.S.P.’s tribute album does not count). That left their few fans dick-in-hand and all of us, the later fans (even fewer as a matter of fact) asking “why the hell did you breo-up since you kicked so much ass?” Still, the whole truth is that the band members did not procrastinate, so Mel Sanchez with John Garcia, who meanwhile left from Agent Steel in 1987, formed the very good indeed “Evil Dead”. As for Garcia, the grand player, (I mean Juan not Pablo!) after Evildead he made the, also, thrash band Terror, in 1995 I think (nothing to do with the worth-checking hardcore band Terror) and has entered my personal pantheon of those who gave great services to metal music and failed to be remembered as “great” by all of us, leaving this title to other dinosaurs, who we created and it’s up to us to let go eventually.
I wrote this mini article with exactly that in mind, to express this big grievance of mine… Meaning the metal fan’s criminal delinquency to underestimate Abattoir, while praising Agent Steel who I don’t think are any better (in my book they surely are not, even though I fuckin’ love’ em both the same) than Abattoir nor than Evildead, even if the comparison between them may seem odd due to musical style differences… Exciter if you are wondering are even more unique to me, by the way…
