Canadian vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter Doug Harrison, known for his progressive rock outfit FEN, is excited to share his solo project SLUG COMPARISON’s third album, “A Battle to the End Fought on the Edge of a Knife,” out now, as of May 9th, 2025.
Recorded over the same period as Fen‘s Dear Mouse (Sept 2024). Both recordings had been a long time coming, and then by chance, they converged to completion at the same time.
“It became a bit of a competition to see which one would be mastered first. In the end, it was pretty much a tie, because I had a couple of recalls for the Slug Comparison master, but I wanted to put out Dear Mouse first, because it had been so bloody long in the making, and we were desperate to wash our hands of it,” adds Harrison.
Slug Comparison‘s previous records were built on the layering of electric and acoustic guitars, and earnest, melodic vocals. This latest 11-song album has abandoned the acoustics and is more riff-heavy to lean into his early influence of grunge.
Harrison comments:
“For past albums, it was tricky keeping the momentum going with half the songs being acoustic and light and the other half being heavy-ish. This time around, electric guitars carry the listener from beginning to end. A straight-up rock album. That was the goal. And lyrically, it follows in the tradition of songs like AC/DC’s “It’s a Long Way to the Top,” the difference being that Slug Comparison hasn’t left the house yet. A Battle to the End Fought on the Edge of a Knife is a grief statement about the abandonment of rockstar dreams. It’s also a collection of yearnings, regrets, and celebrations along the way.”
“A Battle to the End Fought on the Edge of a Knife” was written by Harrison along with vocals, guitar, bass, and programming. He is joined by drummer Flavio Cirillo (Art of Dying, Puddle of Mudd), along with a collaboration on the song “Wish to Adapt” with Matt McCallum. Mixing was done by Ben Kaplan (Biffy Clyro, Bend Sinister, Ninjaspy, Mother Mother, Corb Lund) and mastering by Brock McFarlane at CPS Mastering (Mother Mother, Corb Lund).
Harrison does assure fans that future releases will continue to explore the moody, acoustic-based territories that defined his earlier work. After this album, fans can expect a new EP from Slug Comparison in 2026. Recommended for fans of Mother Mother, The Killers, and Porcupine Tree, “A Battle to the End Fought on the Edge of a Knife” is available at the following links:
Spotify – https://spoti.fi/452Fk2t
Bandcamp – https://slugcomparison.
Song Stream –“Wish to Adapt” – https://youtu.be/zCntMSHpp1A
Song Stream – “March Through the Forest” – https://youtu.be/WPwp061C0ZU
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Track Listing:
1. Wish to Adapt (3:46)
2. March through the Forest (3:54)
3. Game of Repression (3:57)
4. Undead Plots (4:06)
5. Outta the Jam (4:51)
6. A Battle to the End Fought on the Edge of a Knife (4:13)
7. Too Much Love (5:04)
8. Metal Roots Came Twisting (6:45)
9. Played for a Centipede (2:36)
10. Of Being Apart (5:19)
11. Hamsters in a Tub (3:02)
Album Length: 47:33
More info: Slugcomparison.com | Instagram.com/slugcomparison | Facebook.com/slugcomparison
“the quite outstanding A Battle to the End Fought on the Edge of a Knife, a record that cements Doug Harrison and SLUG COMPARISON as a perpetual spark and joy for ears as songwriter and musician and itself as a forerunner if not dead cert for best of year choices come December.” – The RingMaster Review (2025 – A Battle to the End Fought on the Edge of a Knife)
“Fen’s Doug Harrison has a solo project, Slug Comparison, and their current single ‘Wish To Adapt’ is great. The track’s verses share an almost agit-inflicted rhythm, taking the melody from a rock core into the realms of post punk and retro new wave, which Harrison accents further by adding a quirky, near spoken vocal. This gives the track a very rigid and uneasy quality. Then, everything does a massive about turn to smack the listener in the face with a huge sounding melodic rock chorus that sounds like a throwback to ‘The Colour & The Shape’ era Foo Fighters, making everything really accessible and welcomingly familiar. The more commercial moments of this rocker are big and impressive and eventually dominate, but that shouldn’t detract from the artier moments here, and Doug should be applauded for mixing styles in such an interesting manner.” – Real Gone Rocks (2025 – A Battle to the End Fought on the Edge of a Knife)
“Harrison’s skills as a guitarist and bass player, plus a way above average knowledge of programming, enabled him to make the songs sound like a full band having a blast. Whether he goes fast (Outta the Jam) or takes it down a notch in the self-deprecating title track when he describes his job as punching in numbers into a blue screen with the great line “I want to die with only minor regrets”. The highlight is a twisted power ballad about to having much too much of a good thing (Too Much Love). Whatever he goes on about, Harrison never misses the opportunity to throw in a couple of smart chord changes or rhythmic shifts, preferably both of them. This is a record for musos first, but it is fine for those who are not about dissecting the music to enjoy it as such. Recommended if you like Deadwing-era Porcupine Tree.” – Here Comes The Flood (2025 – A Battle to the End Fought on the Edge of a Knife)
“Canadian auteur explores expectancy and desperation to find cathartic cleansing of his soul. 4/5” – Dmme.net – Let It Rock (When You Were Living Here 2019)
“One of my favourite songs of the year” (about “Bringer of Doom”) –Dutch Progressive Rock Radio (Self-Titled 2014)
“Simply engulfs the imagination and emotions” -The Ringmaster Reviews (Self-Titled 2014)
#30 of The Rickter Scale’s Top 100 albums of 2014 – Rickter Scale Rock Radio (Self-Titled 2014)
“Stirs the senses, taking the listener on a voyage of imagination and emotion.”-Sonic Abuse (Self-Titled 2014)
Slug Comparison Self-Titled Album #5 on DPRP’s Top Progressive Metal Albums of 2014
“Songs that are all of the highest caliber” – PowerofMetal.dk (Self-Titled 2014)
“Ahh, the glorious beauty of the brooding and gloomy mind of Doug Harrison” (5 stars) – Sea of Tranquility (Self-Titled 2014)
“a lot of work and effort has gone into this album, and it pays off spectacularly” -Wonderbox Metal (Self-Titled 2014)
9.2/10 – Metal Imperium – (Self-Titled 2014)
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