Slave Raider was an American heavy metal

Heavy metal music

Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...

 band formed in 1985 that was known for its over-the-top antics, heavy make-up and glam

Glam rock

Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...

 song lyrics. In the 1980s, the Minneapolis music scene was primarily known for The Replacements, Soul Asylum

Soul Asylum

Soul Asylum is an American alternative rock band that formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1983.The band originally formed in 1981 under the name Loud Fast Rules, with the original line-up consisting of Dan Murphy, Dave Pirner, Karl Mueller and Pat Morley. The latter was replaced by Grant Young in...

, Hüsker Dü

Hüsker Dü

Hüsker Dü was an American rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1979. The band's continual members were guitarist Bob Mould, bassist Greg Norton, and drummer Grant Hart....

 and Prince

Prince (musician)

Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...

 among others. In the Twin Cities, Slave Raider had a sizeable following that were known as 'The Raid'. They opened for such 80s bands as Ratt and Poison with the original line up.

The band recorded three albums in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but were never able to make much of a dent in the glam metal

Glam metal

Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...

scene of the time due to the beginning of the grunge movement that interestingly, has been attributed to the influence of their fellow Minnesotans, The Replacements.

The band was dropped by its record label following their third album release in 1990 and broke up soon after that with the band members going on to solo projects. The original line up has periodically reunited since then to perform the occasional reunion show that is always 'standing room only'.

The song 'Youngblood' written by Slave Raider members and performed by Slave Raider appeared in the 1994 movie titled 'The Paper', which was nominated for an Oscar.

The song 'Make Some Noise" which was written by Slave Rader and D. Nagel was performed by Sing Ltd., Diana Ross and The Supremes and appeared on 1998's 'License to Drive' soundtrack.

Band members

• Chainsaw Caine (Mike Findling), lead vocals. After leaving Slave Raider, he headed the bands "Chainsaw" and "UKI (Unstoppable Kamikaze Idiots)" before ending his career performing with the 80s metal cover band "Hairball". Currently owns Time Music Agency
• Lance Sabin, guitar. As of 2007 Lance is Vice President and Director of Admissions for IPR. (Institute for Production and Recording) He, along with Slave Raider production alumni Tom Tucker, founded this school in 2002.
• Nicci Wikkid, guitar. As of 2008, Nicci Wikkid (David Hussman) is a software consultant in the Twin Cities and a well-known leader in agile software development processes.
• Letitia Rae, bass
• The Rock, drums. As of 2007 "The Rock" Is a drum teacher in Monona, WI.

Discography

• Take The World By Storm- 1986
• What Do You Know About Rock 'N Roll?- 1988
• Bigger, Badder and Bolder- 1990