“An onslaught of lethal riffs, demented high vocals and monstrous bass lines. Truly one of the greatest underground demos of all time!”
“Punctuated by Joe Gregory's bark-to-Diamondesque wails and a Mike Varney level guitar shredder named, Scott Stine, Choosers of the Slain is a skull-rattling frolic through the past when metal bands ramped up the violence and force. Speed Metal Assassins.”
Star Date: 1985
The heavy metal scene in San Antonio, TX was in full swing. Books have been written about the phenomenon. College courses were created to study it. Amongst the hordes of chaos, were the thrash warlords, Valkyrie. After releasing a cult classic demo, and playing shows throughout the state of Texas for a three year stint, they simply vanished.
Joe Gregory went on to get a finance degree from UTSA, start a family and is the author of six novels.
Scott Stine went on to play with multiple high profile touring acts. He was a Shrapnel Recording Artist whose album “Broke” received worldwide recognition and was featured on Liquid Note Records Compilation CD “The Alchemists” spotlighting 27 of the world’s greatest guitarists. He's a clinician and pioneer for Ibanez’s 7 string guitars. Also, under the Shrapnel label, he contributed, wrote and performed with Crimeny, Haji’s Kitchen, Eniac Requim, and Tommy Lamey. Scott's endorsements include Ibanez, Rocktron, Hughes and Kettner, SIT Strings, and Swiss Picks. For the last twenty years, Scott co-wrote, arranged/produced, and recorded several CD's for his church. He still plays weekly for church services, weddings and various jazz ensembles and tribute bands.
In 2018, a renewed interest for San Antonio heavy metal bands, mainly from the eighties, progressed to a resurgence of local bands getting back together and performing again. Missing the good old days and camaraderie, Joe contacted Scott to see if he had any interest in performing or recording again. Thankfully, Scott said, yes! Needless to say, Valkyrie had unfinished business to tend to and release a proper offering for their fans. With that, the Choosers of the Slain EP was recorded and released in 2019 to the delight and praise of fans and critics alike.
The San Antonio thrash-metal pioneers are back with a blistering and unforgiving effort. If you're a fan of old school thrash metal and today's modern metal, you're going to love this band's unique sound.
Sample Track
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