Commercial hard rock bands were still immensely popular at the end of the 1980s, when
Slaughter (named after lead singer
Mark Slaughter) recorded its debut album
Stick It to Ya. Mining the same territory as "corporate" bands like
Bon Jovi,
Winger and
Warrant,
Slaughter soared to the top of the charts and sold millions of albums. Slick and not terribly original, much of this material comes across as very contrived and calculated. Nonetheless, hook-laden tracks like "Up All Night," "She Wants More" and "Burnin' Bridges" are fairly catchy. But as hot as
Slaughter was at the dawn of the '90s, its success would prove to be short-lived when alternative rock became the rage a few years later. ~ Alex Henderson