By BRIAN J. HEATON

Combining musicians from established bands into "supergroups" has become a popular and successful trend in the music industry. Artists such as Velvet Revolver (featuring former members of Guns N' Roses and Stone Temple Pilots) and Audioslave (a mix of Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine) have taken over the modern rock radio airwaves, selling millions of albums between them.

While Slave to the System (SttS) fits the supergroup moniker, with members of Queensr˙che and Brother Cane in its ranks, unlike their contemporaries, the guys in SttS didn't intend to become a band. They got together to simply play some tunes and have a good time – a break from their "day jobs."

Apparently some guys just can't take a vacation.

A weekend jam in the Pacific Northwest turned into a two-week recording session and more than a dozen songs in early 2001, a songwriting chemistry that prompted Damon Johnson (Brother Cane/Alice Cooper), Roman Glick (Brother Cane/Jackyl), Scott Rockenfield (Queensr˙che), Kelly Gray (ex-Queensr˙che) and Scotty Heard (ex-Sweaty Nipples) to formalize SttS.

The band pressed a record and sold it independently in 2002, playing a couple of gigs in Tennessee and in Seattle, Wash. The album eventually landed on the radar screen of Spitfire Records, a division of Eagle Rock Entertainment. From there, industry friends of the band members made the push for the label to sign SttS.

"The hero of the entire thing is our friend Rob Gill," explained SttS frontman and guitarist Damon Johnson. "He had gotten the original version and loved it from the beginning. When he went to work for Spitfire, he was waving our flag from the start."

The flag-waving proved fruitful, as Slave to the System signed with Spitfire in 2005, and had their original release remixed and remastered. The band tagged on two new songs to the album, and the label released it in February 2006.

For fans of the original release, they'll notice something, or more accurately, someone, missing from the current SttS lineup – guitarist/vocalist Scotty Heard. Johnson revealed the departure had to do with circumstances beyond the band's control, but maintained his unwavering appreciation for what Heard brought to the table in SttS.

"Scotty is one of the most talented guys I've ever worked with, and was a big contributor to the first album," Johnson said. "There are a few unreleased songs that he was involved with that I'm sure will be contenders for the next album. We wish him the best in all his endeavors."

Stepping up to the plate, guitarist Kelly Gray grabbed the reigns as a co-lead vocalist, and hasn't looked back. He's featured on both the "add-on" tracks to the SttS debut album re-release, "Cruise Out of Control" and "Ragdoll."

Johnson is particularly enamored of Kelly's vocal contributions and stated that Kelly will be further highlighted on future SttS albums. He also revealed that the band has a follow-up record already completed. For now, however, the band is concentrating on promoting its debut album the old-fashioned way – by touring.

With Johnson, Rockenfield, and Glick all involved with full-time commitments to other bands, doing extended live dates for SttS has been challenging. So far, however, it has been successful. SttS recently completed a week-long run of concerts in the Southeast, and is playing another week in early April in the Midwest, including one show with the reunited Buckcherry.

"The first run of dates was great and we all dug the looseness of the vibe onstage and want to continue that in April," Johnson said. "We'll be working diligently to fill every possible hole in the calendar with shows."

The singer even hinted that a Queensr˙che tune may make its way into the SttS set list, as Damon revealed he's a big fan of Queensr˙che singer Geoff Tate's vocal work.

"All the Queensr˙che songs are a challenge to sing and do it justice, as Geoff is one of the great rock vocalists of all time," Johnson admitted. "We've planned a couple of surprises for the dates in April, so you'll have to be there to find out what's up."

Although Johnson may be coy about including any material from Rockenfield's full-time outfit, he's not shy about SttS playing Brother Cane material. Fan favorites "The Crow Flies" (a tune penned by Gray and Johnson for Brother Cane's Wishpool album) and "…And Fools Shine On" have been set list staples in the band's shows so far.

But fans will also notice a few unfamiliar tunes in the set – cuts that eventually may wind up on a SttS sophomore album, "Dead" and "Anger's Eyes." SttS is fond of both songs and according to the singer, is overflowing with song ideas.

"You gotta realize this band writes songs very easily together, which is my greatest motivation for being involved," Damon explained. "'Dead' is like a garage band, punk song, with a hilarious lyric, while 'Anger's Eyes' is as Kelly says, 'metal up your ass.'"

Heavy metal and hard rock is clearly the band's forte, and Johnson's preference, according to the singer. Cuts such as the title track, "Disinfected," and "Cruise Out of Control" are his favorites to play live.

"We've all discussed how much we love heavy rock like [Black] Sabbath, Deep Purple, early Metallica, and old [Judas] Priest," Johnson said. "The heavier sound of SttS is totally influenced by that stuff."

Overall, despite the early success of SttS, the band members remain humble and thankful for the warm reception they've received so far from fans.

"Tell the fans 'thanks'," Johnson added. "We truly appreciate their support and enthusiasm."

For more information on Slave to the System, including upcoming tour dates, visit www.slavetothesystem.com. All live photos courtesy of Chas McKewen of www.awesomemusiclinks.net.

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Copyright 2006, Brian J. Heaton. All Rights Reserved.