Slaughterhouse: Resurrecting Death Rock

Through the shadows of California’s rich music history lurks a new, eerie unrest that has manifested into Slaughterhouse. Building on the foundation of the community’s iconic punk history but deviating from the speed and aggression, Slaughterhouse slowly walks you within their self-described ‘death rock’ on a path outside Punk’s confines. Slowing the tempo without sacrificing energy, Slaughterhouse remains self-aware of their continued homage to their genre’s trailblazers but with newfound creative bravery, successfully expresses anxiety, isolation, anger, and self-empowerment while critics search for superlatives in response to their sonic onslaught.

“I began playing guitar when I was 14 and loved the tones of Ron Emory from T.S.O.L. and Siouxsie and The Banshees. We all love horror films and the different emotions they convey so playing what I call ‘death rock’ comes very naturally. When you first discover music, whatever genre impacts you, it’s so hard to replicate that initial feeling that drives you but now it forces me to work harder with songwriting and surprise myself while I chase that ‘music high’, so to speak,” said Taylor Martinez.

Slaughterhouse formed in 2017 with the most realistic of expectations and the group earned a loyal following, which Martinez attributed to their explosive live show. The group was eventually befriended by Pennywise guitarist Fletcher Dragge, who offered valuable feedback as Slaughterhouse worked on refining their approach. Dragge went on to produce Slaughterhouse’s 2021 debut full-length, Fun Factory.

“We were very aware that on any given night there would be stiff competition to grab people’s attention because of the amount of shows around town booked nightly. That forced us to push each other harder and by growing better together, we were able to slowly move forward. My husband, Eddie Cairns is the bassist but he approaches it like guitar, with a different nuance and energy. He was responsible for pushing me into taking my early guitar playing more seriously by challenging me,” reflected Martinez.

Slaughterhouse’s self-titled debut EP was released by Recess Records in 2018 and featured all the dark, melodic urgency of Martinez and was complemented by singer Gaby Ramirez enabling unique songwriting to help propel them forward among a crowded, and competitive community. The group was poised to build upon their successful live shows but they suffered two major personnel changes that nearly derailed them.

“Gaby helped cultivate our initial sound but then decided she would be unable to continue. We were able to get Veronica Molidor to step up and sing and that went well. She’s on our first full-length album, Fun Factory which came out in 2021 and was produced by Fletcher Dragge. We were proud of that recording and we didn’t expect to get so busy earning so many shows! Eventually, Veronica wanted to finish college and wasn’t able to keep going. We were taken aback by her leaving because of all the new opportunities but we had to respect her decision even though it was really hard on us,” reflected Martinez.

Slaughterhouse was in limbo but as Molidor departed, another opportunity presented itself to perhaps give the band a sense of consistency. Meriel O’Connell empathized with the band as their efforts began to unravel but she was in a unique, objective position to gain insight into how the group would respond to losing another singer.

“I’m a photographer and director and ran in the same circles as them and we became friends. They invited me on a tour and when I learned their singer was leaving, I worked up the courage to ask them if I could join. I think Taylor and Eddie were surprised. I was always writing and grew up singing because my father was a musician but I knew performing was the missing, creative link for me. I knew it was the goal but did not know how to achieve it just yet,” shared O’Connell.

Despite Slaughterhouse being O’Connell’s initial experience fronting a group, she commands the stage with a manic confidence. Well aware of the transformative impact of moving from behind the lens to center stage, O’Connell reflected on her transition.

“Poetry was my first creative method so music allows me to amplify it but when I was younger, I thought poetry and lyricism were two different things but I feel it’s no longer the case. I began with photography and felt it gave me a strong sense of purpose, it was a new way to tell a story.”

She added, “When I began with Slaughterhouse it was challenging performing the songs written by other people but I worked hard to put my creative touch on them. I penned our newest songs, Poison and State of Emergency and it’s been impacting to see how a band creates together and how we are going to collaborate moving ahead together.”

O’Connell’s versatile creativity enabled her to uniquely embrace different mediums and her newest role fronting Slaughterhouse has unified her growing director ambitions with her new role as a singer. Directing Slaughterhouse’s State of Emergency video gave viewers a clearer look into the band’s intriguing imagery of horror themes that served as their music’s foundation.

“Being behind the camera when I began with photography gave me a sense of security and independence. Directing music videos was the perfect unification of my passions because they still tell a story like poetry and lyrics, but are more focused on the visual. With the band, it’s wild because I have to physically and vocally earn responses from people so there are multiple demands. I think I need that challenge and pressure,” said O’Connell.

O’Connell had moved from North Carolina to Los Angeles to pursue her director goals and quickly immersed herself in the competitive entertainment industry. Struggling while working 12-hour days, she remained confident that she had made the correct decision but it wasn’t until a chance opportunity from an anonymous client did her decision became reinforced.

“In the industry you are constantly pitching, sending deck after deck with like no end in sight. I received this proposal seeking services for directing a music video and it came with all these strict NDAs, and I figured, why not respond, what was one more try, ya know? Turns out the client was Demi Lovato! And of course, they required crazy turnaround time to complete everything,” laughed O’Connell.

She added, “That experience was not life-changing strictly for building a director career, it was invaluable for the connection I made with Demi and to gain confidence by knowing how I could push myself and complete something I would be proud of as well. Demi and I hit it off because we’re both queer and sober and we built a trust that extended beyond finishing a project. It’s similar to the band because I feel I need that pressure to help bring out my best.”

Slaughterhouse is poised to begin its first European tour, forcing each member to experience new pressures and expectations that will ultimately push their respective creative boundaries.

“I feel like we’re in a good place and everyone has expressed they would play anywhere and everywhere. If it were up to me, I’d be on the road all the time. Music is ingrained in me and my parents met each other at an early LA punk show. I feel this upcoming tour is gonna ignite us. We’re also collaborating with Pirate’s Press Records for a split release with Flores y Fuego from Mexico and I think we’re gonna surprise people that have different expectations,” concluded Martinez.

https://floresyfuego.bandcamp.com/track/state-of-emergency

https://www.instagram.com/slaughterhouse.la/

State of Emergency video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUKxCK-0P6g

Photo: James Duran