After a three year manhunt for the members of the JACK THE RIPPER band the search has finally come to an end. Along with finding 3/5 of the group, other discoveries have been uncovered and soon Heaven and Hell Records will be bringing some of those findings to light.
Formed in 1980 in Columbia, South Carolina Jack the Ripper would stand alone has one of, if not the only heavy metal band in their area. This would prove to be both an advantage and disadvantage as local promoters and radio stations would focus on the band, yet audiences weren’t quite ready for the brand of metallic delivery JTR had to offer.
The band quickly began recording demos and sending them out-one would catch the attention of a soon to start record label in California. A full-length album would be recorded in 1981 titled ‘Tortured n’ Twisted’ in response to the label’s interest and offer. Unfortunately things did not go has planned with the launch of the record label and the recordings would be shelved for many years.
JACK THE RIPPER would continue onward gigging locally and eventually recording the EP ‘Bloodbath’ in 1984 and like the full-length, it too would be put away, eventually seeing a release eighteen years later in 2002. By this point the band had already been disbanded by some years. Another release would follow in 2004 on Doomed Planet Records that would be a compilation of the EP with various studio outtakes. By this time JACK THE RIPPER had well slipped into the depths of heavy metal obscurity. And yet these releases would still only be scratching the surface of the plethora of recordings the band would have in the vault.
Early this year H&H Records plans to re-master and issue the ten song unreleased 1981 ‘Tortured n’ Twisted’ album. Also included will be the six songs ‘Bloodbath’ EP, as well as other bonus tracks. The CD will be limited to 500 copies.
