Diverging from their counterparts in hardcore, Slapshot decided to make the first album a 24 track cut as opposed to the usual 16-track hardcore album. To reduce costs, they recorded at night and completed the album in four sessions. Back On The Map was released by Taang! Records in 1986.
The band's lineup underwent a number of changes in its first few years, although its sound remained consistent. Jordan Wood, formerly of S.T.P., joined as an additional guitarist, but took over bass guitar when Anastas left the band to continue his education. In July 1988, the band welcomed Jamie Sciarappa, the former bass player for SS Decontrol; Sciarappa made his debut with Slapshot at CBGB. He departed in 1990 and was replaced by Chris Lauria.
After releasing the 1993 album Blast Furnace which was both a move into sample-based Industrial/Metal/Hardcore and only included one original member (Choke was joined by a more "Metal" backing band including members of Slaughter Shack), Slapshot toured in Europe that spring. On the second date of the tour, they recorded a live album in Berlin called Live At SO36. The following year, they recorded Unconsciousness in Chicago with Steve Albini, ex-member of Big Black and producer for Nirvana.
In July 1997, Slapshot played what was to be their last show in the United States for five years in Plymouth, Massachusetts. They toured Europe in 1999, including a stop at the Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium. In December 1999, a Slapshot tribute album called Boston Drops The Gloves - A Tribute To Slapshot was released by Flat Records (the label owned by Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphys) and San Francisco-based TKO Records. The album included homages from twenty-two Boston bands.
In 2001, Slapshot issued a new album entitled Greatest Hits, Slashes And Crosschecks featuring rerecorded versions of classic Slapshot songs. They followed up with 2003's Digital Warfare and 2005's Tear It Down, along with several more European tours. In 2006, Slapshot released a statement on their website announcing that the band was defunct. A DVD release from Taang! Records is still expected.
Also their official website recently anounced a summer 2007 reunion show.
Witch Hunt
Slapshot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Because the blood is on your hands
Destroy
Who'd you die for on that cross?
Evil
No place on this earth worth saving
Betrayed
Twelve friends had one that got you killed
Please tell me what to do
Millions
Killed every year in your name
Virus
Spreading like the plague
Terror
Over land you've given to them
Hatred
Because they're different from me
There's no axis of evil
And there's no place that's good
When there's a child raping priest
In every neighborhood
Get a bomb strapped to me
Told from high above
God you see right through me
And I'm killing in your name
The lyrics to Slapshot's song "Witch Hunt" tackle issues of religion, violence, and hypocrisy. The opening lines, "Say your prayers/Because the blood is on your hands/Destroy/Who'd you die for on that cross?" suggest that those who are blindly following a particular religion are culpable for the violence and destruction caused in its name. The lyrics speak of the evil in the world, and how it is not worth saving. The word "betrayed" and the reference to "twelve friends" and "one that got you killed" seem to refer to the betrayal of Jesus by Judas.
The theme of the song is a commentary on religious violence and the hypocrisy of people's actions in the name of their religions. The lyrics address the millions killed every year in the name of religion, and the virus of extremism that spreads like the plague. The lyrics mention the hatred towards those who are different from us, and how this leads to acts of terrorism. The song suggests that there are no places that are godly or evil, but that humanity's actions determine the state of the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Say your prayers
Prepare to face the consequences of your actions
Because the blood is on your hands
You are responsible for the harm that has been done
Destroy
Annihilate the wicked and their ways
Who'd you die for on that cross?
Why were you willing to give up everything for a higher cause?
Evil
The corrupt and malevolent forces in this world
No place on this earth worth saving
Everywhere is tainted by wickedness and sin
Betrayed
One who was once trusted has turned their back on you
Twelve friends had one that got you killed
Even those closest to you can be swayed by deception and betrayal
Lord we need some saving
We require deliverance from this world of darkness and distress
Please tell me what to do
We need divine guidance in these tumultuous times
Millions
A great multitude numbering in the millions
Killed every year in your name
Lives are taken in the name of a higher power, often without reason or justification
Virus
A harmful and contagious disease that spreads quickly
Spreading like the plague
Moving from place to place, infecting all in its path
Terror
The overwhelming feeling of fear and dread that accompanies acts of violence and terror
Over land you've given to them
Territory that has been granted to others by a higher power
Hatred
The emotion of intense animosity towards those different from oneself
There's no axis of evil
There are no distinct lines separating good and evil, as both coexist within all individuals and societies
And there's no place that's good
Every place has its own issues and problems, no place is perfect
When there's a child raping priest
Even those in positions of power and authority can be corrupted and cause unspeakable harm
In every neighborhood
These atrocities can happen anywhere, even close to home
Get a bomb strapped to me
Becoming a tool of destruction, willing to cause harm and death to others
Told from high above
Justification for one's actions coming from a higher power
God you see right through me
The realization that one's actions are not truly righteous, and that they are not truly serving a divine purpose
And I'm killing in your name
Committing acts of violence and terrorism under the guise of religion and a higher purpose
Contributed by Sebastian C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.