Mark Slaughter is Readying a New Solo Album
Story by Anne Erickson
Mark Slaughter is getting ready to unleash his sophomore solo album, ‘Halfway There’
Mark Slaughter, a longstanding voice in metal, will release his sophomore solo release, “Halfway There,” in May via EMP Label Group, which is the U.S. record label founded and owned by longtime Megadeth bass player David Ellefson.
“Halfway There” is the hard rock singer’s follow-up to his 2015 solo debut, “Reflections in a Rear View Mirror.”
Fans should expect a sound “channeling the familiar hard rock sensibility of classic-era Slaughter releases like ‘Stick it to Ya’ and ‘The Wild Life,’” according to a press release, “on ‘Hey You’ and emotionally-charged title track ‘Halfway There,’ with a mature, progressive, Metal bent, evidenced on cuts like ‘Devoted,’ ‘Conspiracy’ and ‘Reckless.’”
“Halfway There” will arrive on May 26 in North America via EMP Label Group/Amped and Europe via EMP/SPV. The set will drop May 10 in Japan on EMP Label Group/Universal. Slaughter’s new songs were produced and co-mixed by Slaughter along with producer John Cranfield (AFI, Andy Grammer).
“My first solo record was kinda getting back on the horse, so to speak,” Slaughter said in a statement. “I mean doing everything and recording… I’m taking on a lot more tasks as an engineer/producer/ writer on all this… because I’m doing everything.”
He added, “Ultimately at the end of the day, anybody who is a Slaughter fan, will certainly understand that I am a large part of the Slaughter sound and vibe, so obviously if you like that, it’s in there. It’s just that I take a lot more liberties on the solo side that I probably wouldn’t do when it’s a group effort.”
“It’s been such an incredible honor to put this record together with Mark, who truly, in my humble opinion, is one of the greatest hard rock singers and songwriters of our generation, and, what a lot of people don’t realize, just a phenomenal player as well,” EMP Label Group director Thom Hazaert said in a press statement. “We spent almost a year going back and forth about the idea of putting the record out together, obviously Mark and David (Ellefson) have a great longstanding friendship, so it really was an amazing fit.”
“From the first time I heard the working demos of these songs, I knew Mark was working on something very, very special,” Hazaert added. “Growing up (and still) a huge Slaughter fan, I think these songs are going to not only resonate with the people who already love Mark and what he does, but carve a niche far beyond.”
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