Speed Metal trio EXCITER, founded in Ottawa, Ontario in 1978 and almost certainly named after the infamous show opening JUDAS PRIEST track, made their presence known with some gut crunching Metal blessed by the raucous vocals of drummer Dan Beehler. EXCITER, originally billed as HELL RAZOR, first demoed in 1980, delivering the two song 'World War III' cassette. Guitarist John Ricci had culled members from his antecedent outfit HELL RAZOR and re-built the band in May 1979 by drawing in JET BLACK personnel Dan Beehler and bassist Alan Johnson, adopting the EXCITER brand a few months later. The title track scored inclusion on the 1982 compilation album 'US Metal Vol. II', put together by Mike Varney's Shrapnel label.

A March 1983 'Under Attack' three song promotional session led into a third demo, produced by the band's live sound engineer John Belrose, entitled 'Heavy Metal Maniac'. These tapes quickly led to a deal with the Shrapnel label for a full-length album, the Californian imprint simply pressing up the existing tracks onto vinyl. However, the relationship ended with Shrapnel when Varney apparently took umbrage with some of EXCITER's darker lyrical content. '. Heavy Metal Maniac' had pushed the band into the spotlight enough to easily secure a new label deal and land a valuable support to BLACK SABBATH, performing in front of a sell out 7,000 crowd at the Ottawa Civic Centre Arena on October 22nd 1983.

EXCITER's second album, 'Violence And Force', the first product from a contract with Jonny Zazula's Megaforce Records, was produced by THE RODS drummer Carl Canedy at Pyramid Sound in Ithaca, New York during November 1983. Arriving in February 1984 'Violence & Force' soon shifted a healthy 75'000 copies. US tour dates would witness supports to both ANTHRAX and MERCYFUL FATE. The band's profile was heightened greatly by an aggressive licensing campaign conducted by UK label Music For Nations. Despite this, gigs across the UK planned for March 1984, dubbed the 'Hell On Earth' tour being packaged with METALLICA and THE RODS, would be cancelled due to poor ticket sales.

A follow up 'Long Live The Loud' was recorded in London, at the PINK FLOYD owned Britannia Row Studios with production credits going to Guy Bidmead. The band backed up this release by touring Europe as support to ACCEPT in early 1985 prior to engaging with MEGADETH and MOTÖRHEAD for US dates. Released to coincide with these dates would be the EP 'Feel The Knife', the title cut being a studio outtake from the prior album sessions, being backed by live versions of 'Violence & Force' and 'Pounding Metal' recorded onstage in Ottawa. Further tour plans were announced for Europe in a proposed union with METAL CHURCH but would be cancelled when, in an apparent band disagreement regarding whether SLAYER should top the billing at a mooted Canadian concert, John Ricci decamped in August 1985. The guitarist eventually re-emerged with a new act BLACKSTAR.

1986's 'Unveiling The Wicked', retaining the winning formula of Guy Bidmead and Britannia Row but regretfully clad in a budget schlock horror sleeve, was to include new guitar player Brian McPhee, a former band mate of Beehler and Johnson in JET BLACK. This version of the group traversed the European continent supporting MOTÖRHEAD and MANOWAR. Upon completion of this expedition, Beehler announced he had no further intentions of singing lead vocals.

EXCITER pulled in former SILENT PARTNER and SIMMONDS vocalist Jimmy Kunes but this liaison did not gell. After dates in Brazil, the band added vocalist Rob Malnati for 1988's 'OTT' record, assembling these tracks for Canadian label Maze Music with producer Ed Stone at at The Metal Works in Toronto.

Beehler decided to put EXCITER on ice during 1990 forming a new act KILJOY. Joining him on demos were former CRYPT vocalist / bassist David Ledden and guitarist Joe Desmond. Ricci and Beehler re-energized EXCITER once more, briefly working with Alan Johnson before bringing in bassist David Ledden again for the 'Kill After Kill' album, produced by ex-AVALON bassist Manfred Leidecker and released through Noise Records in Germany. Live work in Europe had the band packaged with RAGE for a three week tour. Leidecker, along with ex-AVALON guitarist Brian Sim, would also handle their live follow up, 1993's 'Better Live Than Dead', licensed to the Bleeding Hearts label for UK issue. For live work EXCITER utilized the talents of bassist Jeff McDonnald.

The band, resurrected once again in March of 1996, returned with 'The Dark Command' emerging on the French label Osmose Productions, usually known for its extreme Black Metal output. Ricci had give new life to the band which now comprised an all new crew of vocalist Jacque Bélanger, a former drummer with SARKASM, DAYS OF YORE and DEIMOS, bassist Marc Charron and drummer Rick Charron. The album was internationally given the thumbs up as a powerful return to form and gigs across Europe, with FLOTSAM AND JETSAM plus fellow Canucks ANVIL, solidified this opinion. This unit remained stable for the 2000 'Blood Of Tyrants' opus. However, during September of 2001 it was learned that Bélanger had bailed out.

Further exposure would be garnered when up and coming American Metal band SEVEN WITCHES covered 'Pounding Metal' for their second album 'City Of Lost Souls'. The band has sustained enough interest to warrant a slew of live bootlegs including 'Devil's Soul', 'Live Beasts' and Night Of The Creeps'. During mid 2002 founder EXCITER members Dan Beehler and Allan Johnson reunited in a brand new band project billed simply BEEHLER. The quartet, was completed by guitarists Sean Brophy and Scott Walsh. Bass player Marc Charron announced his departure from the ranks during November. The lead vocal position was filled the following month by Rob Degroot and bassist Paul Champagne completed the line up in January of 2003. However, by March Jacques Bélanger had retaken his position heading the band.

Paul Champagne exited in June 2003. The band's next move, delegating the bass role to John Ricci for studio purposes, would be to re-record early material for a retrospective compilation. This set, comprising re-visited material from 1983's 'Heavy Metal Maniac', 1984's Violence & Force', 1985's 'Long Live the Loud', 1992's 'Kill after Kill' 1997's 'The Dark Command' and even as recent as 2000's 'Blood of Tyrants', would emerge with the title 'New Testament - Coven Of Re-recorded Classics'. EXCITER added new bass man Rob 'Clammy' Cohen to the ranks in April 2004. A further round of archive releases in late 2004 came courtesy of Megaforce Records, with the band's first six albums, 'Heavy Metal Maniac' (1983), 'Violence & Force' (1984), 'Long Live the Loud' (1985), 'Better Live Than Dead' (1990), 'Unveiling the Wicked' (1986) and 'O.T.T.' (1988), being remixed by none other than ANNIHILATOR's Jeff Waters.

A European tour beginning in early October saw Swedish Power Metal merchants STEEL ATTACK and Germany's BLACK ABYSS as support acts. German Heavy Metal band POWERGOD cut a cover version of 'Fall Out / Long Live The Loud' for inclusion on their 'Long Live The Loud – That's Metal Lesson II' released through Massacre Records in July 2005. In September Dan Beehler disbanded his BEEHLER project and once again set to work on new EXCITER material with former guitarist Paul Champagne.

Jacques Bélanger quit EXCITER again in April 2006, citing "differences of opinion". The band announced the addition of Brooklyn, New York-based singer Kenny "Metal Mouth" Winter to the group's ranks in October.

The 'Thrash Speed Burn' album, which featured sole remaining original member John Ricci alongside drummer Rik Charron, bass player Clammy and Kenny Winter on vocals, was released in North America on 4th November 2008 via Blistering Records. The eponymous 1988 EXCITER album was re-issued in new artwork in January 2009 on the Magnetic Air label.

EXCITER crafted new tracks during 2009 and, following in the footsteps of ANVIL, also revealed plans for a documentary movie.

Garry Sharpe-Young