Slapshot (Introduction)

A strong and longrunning band that had an era of Oi! flirtation as well as metal (and even grunge) flirtations but always made good music if you ask me.

The band was started by Jack Kelly (Last rights and Negative FX), Steve Risteen and Mark McKay both who used to play in Terminally ill. The band was originally supposed to be called Straight Satan after a notorious bikergang but they ended up with Slapshot.
After a while Jonathan Anastas who used to play for DYS and also was a good friend with Jack from the old Boston Crew joined the ranks and the first real lineup was born.

In 1986 this lineup released their first LP called Back on the map. The title was a nudge towards the dead Boston scene that had turned into metal and with the constand feud's with New York crews this album stated that Boston was back.

Talking about feuds thats probably one of the most known thigns about Slapshot and their frontman Jack. The band constantly found themselfs in open warfare with other bands and the crews surrounding them. All the way back to Jacks Negative FX days he didnt really get along with the inner city crews from Brooklyn etc. Wont go into them to deep but over the years both songs and fists has been directed back and forth between the bands and their followers.

The band started to get a bit more rightwinged in their lyrics around end 80's. Around this time Jack Kelly also started his own label Patriot Records that released such acts as Bruisers and Forced Reality. He also started his notorious Oi! band called Stars and stripes that had members from Bruisers playing with Jack Kelly.

Through the years Slapshots sound changed from hardcore to Oi!core to Metal to some sort of superb grungecore and then back to the old sound. With the changes where changes int he bands lineups as well but i will try to go into that more when i write the reviews.

Anyway a band where the singer uses a hockeystick on stage to swing at the audience if they get out of hand and on top of that has a moshpit bodyguard named Ivan the Terrible. That band just has to get a place on this site haha.