The original Speedcore merchants, Cryptic Slaughter dealt a West Coast hand into the late ‘80's Crossover movement, a movement that saw the normally warring armies of punk rock and thrash metal finally come together into a unified front bent on exposing social injustice and political hypocrisy. Powered by a previously unimagined sense of informed aggression, the band's uncompromising political stance and lightning-fast tempos ultimately proved too harsh for mainstream tastes, but their status as underground legends remains unquestioned. Vocalist/bassist Bill Crooks, guitarists Les Evans and Adam Scott, and drummer Scott Peterson first met while playing on their High School soccer team, and formed Cryptic Slaughter in 1984. Scott was soon on the outs, but the remaining trio still managed to cut their five-song “Life in Grave" demo by May of the following year. Its sheer speed and unbridled ferocity quickly made it a favorite conversation piece on the all-important underground tape-trading network — a worldwide phenomenon that had already launched dozens of successful acts before them — and eventually landed Cryptic Slaughter a contract with fast-rising independent Metal Blade Records. Issued in 1986, the band's debut album Convicted introduced new bassist Rob Nicholson (freeing Crooks to focus on his rabid vocal delivery) and somehow crammed fourteen tracks into a violently giddy, adrenalin-charged half hour, every single cut spewing a torrent of anti-establishment bile and fury. Follow-up efforts like 1987's Money Talks and 1988's Stream Of Consciousness added only the smallest of sonic refinements, and kept the group's ever-expanding legion of fans happy by staying true to their original, raw and frenetic style. But the strain of constant in-fighting and unending tours in exchange for barely scraping by financially eventually took its toll on Cryptic Slaughter, which fell apart shortly after an especially troubled tour with Angkor Wat. Evans relocated to Portland, Oregon, where he attempted to stage a comeback two years later, reforming the group with vocalist Dave Hollingsworth, bassist Bret Davis and drummer Brian Lehfeldt (of Sweaty Nipples infamy); but fans were not impressed by 1990's Speak Your Peace and this line-up quickly broke up as well. Though Cryptic Slaughter lay dormant over the ensuing decade, Evans noticed that copies of the band's now quite rare LP's began selling for hundreds of dollars online. This eventually prompted him to reunite with Lehfeldt and original members Crooks and Nicholson with intentions of recording a new album. In the meantime, he saw to it that those early albums be re-released with bonus tracks by Relapse Records in 2003.

 

LAST KNOWN LINE-UP:

Brian Lehfeldt - Drums (1990), (2002-2003) (Wehrmacht)
Les Evans - Guitar, Bass (1984-1990), (2002-2003)
Chris Merrow - Vocals (2003) (Village Idiots)

 

FORMER MEMBERS:

Dave Hollingsworth - Vocals (1990)
Bill Crooks - Vocals (1984-1988, 2002-2003), Bass (1984) (Ruined)
Rob Nicholson - Bass (1985-1988) ,( 2002-2003) (Ozzy Osbourne, Prong, Danzig, Rob Zombie, Drown)
Brett Davis - Bass (1990)
Scott Peterson - Drums (1984-1988) (So Abused, Black Monday)
Eddie - Drums (1988-1989)
Adam Scott - Guitars (1984)
Eli Nelson - Guitars (1988-1990)

NO COVER ART AVAILABLE

Life In Grave (Demo 1985)

1.)Flesh Of The Wench

2.)Ncessity Supreme

3.)Life In Grave

4.)War To The Knife

5.)Rest In Pain

Notes: Rereleased as bonus tracks on the "Convicted" remaster.

Convicted (1986)

1.)M.A.D.

2.)Little World

3.)Sudden Death

4.)Lowlife

5.)Rage To Kill

6.)Rest In Pain

7.)Nuclear Future

8.)State Control

9.)Hypocrite

10.)War To The Knife

11.)Nation of Hate

12.)Black And White

13.)Reich Of Torture

14.)Convicted

Bonus tracks on remaster:
15). Flesh of the Wensh
16.) Necessity Supreme
17.) Life in a Grave
18.) War to the Knife
19.) Rest in Pain
20.) Set Your Own Pace
21.) Positively
22.) Black and White
23.) Lowlife

Notes: Tracks 15-19 are the "Life In Grave" Demo. Tracks 20-23 were recorded live in Houston on 7/6/1988.

Money Talks (1987)

1.)Money Talks

2.)Set Your Own Pace

3.)Could Be Worse

4.)Wake Up

5.)Freedom Of Expression

6.)Menace To Mankind

7.)Too Much, Too Little

8.)Human Contrast

9.)Tables Are Turned

10.)Positively

11.)All Wrong

12.)American Heroes

Bonus tracks on remaster:
13.) Song X
14.) Overcome
15.) Deteriorate
16.) See Through You
17.) One Last Thought
18.) Just Went Black
19.) Circus of Fools
20.) Aggravated
21.) Freedom of Expression?

Notes: Tracks 13-17 are from a rehearsal for the "Stream Of Consciousness" album on 05/1988. Track 18 is from the bands final show with the old line-up in Detroit on 7/14/1988. Tracks 19-21 are live in Houston on 7/6/1988

Stream Of Consciousness (1988)

1.)Circus Of Fools

2.)Aggravated

3.)Last Laugh

4.)Overcome

5.)Deteriorate

6.)See Through You

7.)Just Went Black

8.)Drift

9.)Altered Visions

10.)Addiction

11.)One Last Thought

Speak Your Peace (1990)

1.)Born Too Soon

2.)Still Born, Again

3.)Insanity By The Numbers

4.)Co-Exist

5.)Deathstyles Of The Poor And Lowly

6.)One Thing Or Another

7.)Divided Minda

8.)Speak Your Peace

9.)Killing Time

Band In S.M. (EP 2003)

1.)	Banned In D.C. (Bad Brains cover)
2.)	Out Of Step (Minor Threat cover)
3.)	Guilty Of Being White (Minor Threat cover)
4.)	Bombs (Attitude Adjustment cover)
5.)	Wipe Out (The Surfaris cover)
6.)	(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party) (Beastie Boys cover)
7.)	Stray Cat Blues (Rolling Stones cover)
8.)	Alcohol (Gang Green cover)
9.)	(I`m Not Your) Stepping Stone (The Monkees cover)

Notes: Only available on a limited edition 7" vinyl.