SFSA: South Florida Slammie Awards, Vol. 1

Vintage tracks from Malevolent Creation, Nonpoint, Puya, Jack Off Jill, Raped Ape, Radiobaghdad, Load, Tension, and many more. A dozen of the bands on this 1994 release were veterans of the Slammies, which ran from 1992 to 1999 and honored the vibrant and diverse scene with a raucous concert and awards presentation.

NOW AVAILABLE FOR JUST $8

SFSA: South Florida Slammie Awards, Vol. 1 is a 19-band compilation that captures the spirit of the underground music scene in South Florida in the 1990s. From hardcore to punk to death metal and everything in between, this 70-minute collection is sure to please fans of aggressive, cutting-edge hard music.

EXCLUSIVE: Buy the CD now from Slammie Productions
Overstock from the original pressing in 1994 is now available, still shrink-wrapped in the original packaging and preserved for 30 years. The disc includes rare demo tracks that are unavailable elsewhere and never released to streaming services.

HOW TO ORDER: The cost of the CD, including shipping, is $8 for U.S. customers only. Payment can be made to Slammie Productions via Venmo (Venmo.com/slammieproductions). Sorry, to keep costs low, we can offer only shipping to addresses in the United States.
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TRACK LISTING

1 - Tension, Unheard
2 - Jack Off Jill, Don't Wake the Baby
3 - Load, Pickin' Daze
4 - Raped Ape, Stuck
5 - Malevolent Creation, Tasteful Agony
6 - Amboog-A-Lard, Eye Inside
7 - Sinful Lust, All Your Dreams
8 - Brutal Mastication, Crush the Coffin
9 - Timescape Zero, Uprise
10 - Puya, Al Palo
11 - Radiobaghdad, Dick Dog
12 - Dore Soul, Snare Song (The Joke's on You)
13 - Gus, Chairman is Bored
14 - Killing Silence, God Hates Me
15 - Nonpoint Factor, Take Me
16 - Core Chaotic, B.T.F.O.O.M.
17 - Junkwaffle, Stained
18 - F.O.S., Bigotry
19 - Sickness, Deceased

These uncensored tracks encapsulate the aggression and power of the burgeoning scene in the area, which produced dozens of bands that released albums and toured the world in the wake of the era's independent music explosion. They also capture the raw energy of the musicians and their performances, which were on display nightly in local clubs and the annual South Florida Slammie Awards showcase.

This time period produced some of the most popular and acclaimed underground bands to ever emerge from the depths of the isolated Florida peninsula, and many of them are showcased on this disc. Some of these bands went on to indie and major-label success, and some continue to record and tour.

Below are some of the most noteworthy tracks and bands, according to Slammie founder Jim Hayward, who chose and compiled the music on SFSA: South Florida Slammie Awards, Vol. 1. Regrettably, there was never a second volume, but there's enough music on this one disc to satisfy even the most discerning hard-edged music lover. Notes and info updated as of late 2025.

Unheard by Tension (track 1): An extremely powerful statement, both musically and lyrically, by one of South Florida's most criminally under appreciated bands ever. Unheard originally appeared on the band's 1994 demo tape, The Sickness of Our Age, later released as an EP on several indie labels. A later recording appeared on the 1996 album, Agent of the People (Uprising Records). The band lasted just five years (1993-1997), but members went on to play with New Found Glory, Further Seems Forever, Strongarm and others. Sadly, Tension's commanding voice, Mike Hurley, passed away in 2017.

Don't Wake the Baby by Jack Off Jill (track 2): Bursting out of the shadow of Marilyn Manson, the all-female juggernaut known as Jack Off Jill took the scene by storm with its notorious live shows. This song was culled from the rare Children 5 And Up demo tape (1993), produced and mixed by Mr. Manson. Don't Wake the Baby perfectly captures the band's raw energy and punk swagger. Jack Off Jill released two studio albums in 1997 and 2000 before ending its nine-year run. Vocalist Jessicka Addams later fronted the noise pop band Scarling (2001-2014).

Pickin' Daze by Load (track 3): These Miami punk legends lived and breathed the reckless music that epitomized their chaotic career, which sadly ended with the deaths of both frontman Bobby Johnston (in 2012) and guitarist Jeff Tucci (in 2014). During Load's heyday of 1992-2000, there was no band more raucous and intense on stage, earning it opening slots with dozens of national acts. Pickin' Daze was also released on vinyl by the band, then later on the retrospective Drunken Warrior Chief album (2014). A documentary about the band, Whiskey on Beer, was released in 2019.

Stuck by Raped Ape (track 4): Established in 1988, this "techno-groove-death-thrash" metal band was best known for its crushing live shows and acclaimed 1993 EP, Terminal Reality. This is one of the songs that propelled the Palm Beach County foursome into new territory with a groove-laden, multi-vocal attack. This version of Stuck, taken from the band's 1994 demo, later appeared on the 2013 retrospective, Land Of Broken Promises (Divebomb Records). Raped Ape changed its name to Paingod and released a self-titled debut album in 1997 (featuring a new recording of Stuck) before calling it a day. One of the band's guitarists, J.P. Soars, put his metal days behind him and went on to solo success as a blues artist, releasing seven albums and touring non-stop since 2008.

Malevolent Creation

Tasteful Agony by Malevolent Creation (track 5): This early demo of a song that would grace the Eternal album (Pavement Music, 1996) perfectly captures the uncompromising band's intensity and full-throttle assault. Formed in Buffalo in 1987, Malevolent Creation moved to Fort Lauderdale and became a key member of the Florida death metal scene in the early '90s. After the death of original vocalist Bret Hoffmann in 2018, the band released its 13th studio album in 2019. Malevolent Creation continues to perform with founding member Phil Fasciana on guitar.

Eye Inside by Amboog-A-Lard (track 6): Emerging from the thrash metal scene in 1987, this Broward County band regularly packed clubs across the region with its high-energy shows and raw but heavy sound. Amboog-A-Lard attracted a wide swath of fans with its less threatening, less dark approach to metal. Eye Inside is a perfect window into this era with its gritty vocals, chugging riffs and thick sound. After a self-released album (A New Hope, 1993), Amboog-A-Lard landed a track on the 1995 Metal Massacre XII compilation before breaking up in '96. Original member Jeordie White (winner of the very first Slammie Award) was a longtime bassist for Marilyn Manson (as Twiggy Ramirez) as well as A Perfect Circle and a touring member of Nine Inch Nails.

Al Palo by Puya (track 10): Reflecting the cultural diversity of South Florida, Puya is a genre-bending band that combines jazz, salsa and heavy metal (with lyrics sung mostly in Spanish) into a unique sound and style that has to be seen (and heard) to be fully appreciated. Founded as Whisker Biscuit in 1991, the band temporarily moved from Puerto Rico to Fort Lauderdale, where Puya was born in 1994. Al Palo is a rare track from Puya's first demo, a dynamic song that veers from thrash metal to progressive rock with rapped vocals thrown in for good measure. The band achieved meteoric success after signing with MCA Records, touring with Slipknot and earning a spot on Ozzfest. Puya was the first Puerto Rican rock band to achieve such a high level of international success. After major-label albums in 1999 and 2001, Puya went on hiatus in 2002. The band reunited in 2009, performing for 12,000 fans at the Puerto Rico Convention Center. Puya has since released two EPs (the last in 2024) and plays sporadically in Latin America.

Puya

Dick Dog by Radiobaghdad (track 11): Formed in 1988, this influential five-piece punk band from "Fort Lauderhell" featured a core lineup of musicians who went onto play with a who's who of other bands (Collapsing Lungs, Anchorman, Irish Car Bomb, et al.) and impact the scene in numerous ways. But they always came back to Radiobaghdad, known for an endearing no-bullshit approach, tight musicianship and wall of sound that could compete with any hardcore or metal band. Dick Dog - like eight other tracks on SFSA: South Florida Slammie Awards, Vol. 1 - was recorded at Jeremy Staska's venerable Studio 13 in Deerfield Beach. It later appeared on the 120 Years Of Bakin' album (1996). Radiobaghdad released just one more LP (in 1998) but continues to perform on rare occasions, including a 2024 reunion. Drummer Chris Goldbach is a longtime member of Against All Authority.

Take Me by Nonpoint Factor (track 15): An embryonic version of the band that would become Nonpoint recorded this track for a 1994 demo, Anger Through An Art Form. The heavy riffs and pounding rhythms of founding drummer Robb Rivera give us a glimpse of what was to come when vocalist Elias Soriano and new members came aboard for the first Nonpoint release in 1997. The band rode the nu metal wave to a major-label deal (and two albums) with MCA, then released a string of independent label albums throughout the 2000s and 2010s. The band's 11th studio album, X, came out in 2018. Nonpoint (with original members Rivera and Soriano) continues to tour extensively and has had its music featured in video games, movies and soundtracks.

More South Florida bands and CDs

Go to the main merchandise page for information on ordering other professionally produced and packaged compact discs featuring music from the 1990s underground scene:

• Raped Ape: Terminal Reality 30th Anniversary Reissue - Classic Florida metal, produced by Scott Burns at Morrisound Recording, first released in 1993. The new 14-song CD (from Divebomb Records) features two full remixes of the original six-song EP, plus a never-released bonus track, and a 16-page booklet with liner notes by Burns and more. See more on the Raped Ape website.

• Power from the Vault - A 20-song compilation (released in 1997 by Conquest Music Group) featuring rare recordings from eight of South Florida's most hard-rocking bands of the 1990s: L.U.N.G.S., Raped Ape, Amboog-A-Lard, Quit, Excessive, Opposite Earth, Bone China, and In Your Face.