EXCITER Band Description:
Exciter formed in Ottawa in 1978, and the early name wasn’t even Exciter — it was Hell Razor. Same small-room desperation, different sign on the door. Dan Beehler doing the rare trick of drumming and fronting at the same time, John Ricci carving riffs that don’t “flow” so much as snap, Allan Johnson locking it down like he’s protecting the last beer in the fridge.
I first filed them in my head as “that band that sounds like the speakers are about to confess their sins.” It’s speed metal before it became a tidy label. In 1980 they switch the name to Exciter, record a demo, send it to Mike Varney, and “World War III” ends up on “U.S. Metal Vol. II” in 1982 — one of those small, practical breaks that changes everything without the dramatic soundtrack.
Then the vinyl chapter that matters: "Heavy Metal Maniac" (1983). It doesn’t politely introduce itself. It lunges. "Violence & Force" (1984) doubles down, "Long Live the Loud" (1985) is them leaning into the grind, and "Unveiling the Wicked" (1986) feels like a band still trying to outrun its own adrenaline. These records don’t sit on the shelf like trophies — they sit there like loaded tools.
People love to describe Exciter with generic “fast and aggressive” talk, but that’s just a weather report. What I actually hear is tension: riffs that cut sharp, vocals that don’t charm, drums that push like they’re late for something important. And live? They weren’t there to “deliver an electrifying set.” They were there to leave scuff marks on the night.
Lineups change, decades roll by, scenes rebrand themselves every five minutes — Exciter mostly ignores the fashion parade and keeps the thing moving. That stubbornness is the appeal. Not “influence.” Not “legacy.” Just a band that refuses to sand the edges down for anybody.
