''Fear No Evil'' is the third album by the American band Slaughter. The record was completed while the band was still signed to

Chrysalis Records Chrysalis Records () is a British record label that was founded in 1968. The name is both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders' names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis. It started as the Ellis-Wright Ag ...

. It was released May 2, 1995 through

CMC International CMC International was an American independent record label founded by Bill Cain and Tom Lipsky in 1991, focused mainly on classic rock, and classic heavy metal. The label was the haven of many hard rock, arena rock, thrash metal, glam metal, and ...

. The album peaked at No. 182 on the ''Billboard'' 200. A video was made for '"Searchin'". The band supported the album with a North American tour. ''Fear No Evil'' has sold around 500,000 copies.

Production

Prior to the recording sessions, singer Mark Slaughter was recovering from a 1992 nodule surgery on his vocal cords, guitarist Tim Kelly had been charged with

drug trafficking A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via insuffla ...

, and bassist Dana Strum was rehabilitating from a motorcycle accident that injured his playing hand. The album title was picked by the band's fans, as part of a contest. The songs were written in 1992 and 1993.

Critical reception

The ''

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'' wrote that "it's pretty much what fans expect, with a few tentative melodies and instrumental breaks thrown in for good measure." The ''

Calgary Herald The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network. History ''The ...

'' called the album "textbook '80s thud-rock," and gave it an "E" (in homage to

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

), for "a record often cited as proof that God does not exist." The ''

New Straits Times The ''New Straits Times'' is an English-language newspaper published in Malaysia. It is Malaysia's oldest newspaper still in print (though not the first), having been founded as ''The Straits Times'' on 15 July 1845. It was relaunched as the ' ...

'' concluded that "the slam-bangers are ordinary and cliche-ridden but the slower songs, despite having borrowed touches, are rather enjoyable." ''

The Columbus Dispatch ''The Columbus Dispatch'' is a daily newspaper based in Columbus, Ohio. Its first issue was published on July 1, 1871, and it has been the only mainstream daily newspaper in the city since ''The Columbus Citizen-Journal'' ceased publication in 19 ...

'' dismissed ''Fear No Evil'' as "the Chipmunks' tribute to Soundgarden."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

wrote that Slaughter "never were among the best pop-metal groups, lacking the hooks and charisma to make it to the top, but ''Fear No Evil'' shows that they could rock harder than anyone would have expected."

Track listing

Personnel

Mark Slaughter Mark Allen Slaughter (born July 4, 1964) is an American singer and musician, and one of the founders of the glam metal band Slaughter. Career Slaughter was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 4, 1964. Before the formation of Slaughter, he fr ...

– lead vocals and keyboards *

Tim Kelly Tim or Timothy Kelly may refer to: * Tim Kelly (Alaska politician) (1944–2009), Alaska state legislator * Tim Kelly (Minnesota politician) (born 1964), Minnesota politician and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives * Tim Kelly (Mich ...

– guitar *

Dana Strum Dana Strum (born Dana Strumwasser on December 13, 1957) is an American musician whose career spans over 45 years. He is best known as a co-founder, bass player, and one of the two primary songwriters of the US-based hard rock band Slaughter, ...

– bass *

Blas Elias Blas Elias (born August 18, 1967) is the drummer of the glam metal band Slaughter. He also drums for the Las Vegas production of Blue Man Group. He has toured with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra since 2017. He has been a rotating cast member of th ...

– drums *A.T Das – guitar *James SK Wān – bamboo flute

References

{{Authority control Slaughter (band) albums 1995 albums CMC International albums