Since first leaving Sault Ste. Marie in the early 2000s, musician Matt Hanchuck has been a busy man.
Aside from a long career in law enforcement, he has released five albums with thrash metal outfit Wreck-Defy and is about to release his third album with southern metal band Gutter Creek.
He also more recently composes horror movie soundtracks for various independent studios in the U.S.
Like many kids who grew up in the Sault, Hanchuck had a love for all things hockey and sports.
“I played organized hockey until the age of seventeen and began training in martial arts at fifteen,” he says.
“My love for those two sports was rivalled only by my love of the outdoors, especially fishing, and music.”
At Sir James Dunn, Hanchuck was fortunate to be taught music by Mark Gough.
“He was a massive inspiration who encouraged me at sixteen to continue my craft as a guitar player. I'm glad he did.”
However, music wouldn’t become his driving force for a few more years.
“I left the Sault at twenty-three and pursued a career in law enforcement,” he explains.
Hanchuck became a military police officer with the Canadian Armed Forces and later worked for the Thunder Bay Police Department.
“I did seventeen years in Thunder Bay before retiring to pursue music full-time.”
Throughout his policing career, Hanchuck maintained a close connection to music and his love for playing guitar.
His passion for thrash metal, driven by the quality of musicianship, led to the release of Wreck-Defy's first album with Greek record label Alone Records in 2017.
By 2018, the band performed at Manitoba Metalfest, opening for classic thrashers Demolition Hammer.
A crucial lineup change brought former Testament bassist Greg Christian and ex-Annihilator vocalist Aaron Randall [Set the World on Fire] into the band.
“This lineup released two albums, with 2019’s Remnants of Pain and 2020’s Powers That Be, which garnered us a solid following.”
After vocalist Randall’s departure, Ohio powerhouse Greg "Wags" Wagner joined and the band released The World Enslaved.
“Wags has been the best guy to work with and the band is currently in the process of releasing our fifth album,” says Hanchuck.
Wreck-Defy recently signed a multi-album, 10-year deal with Massacre Records.
Their first album with the Massacre label, Dissecting the Leech, featuring guest guitar solos from ex-Megadeth member Chris Poland [Killing is my Business and Peace Sells] and Steve Smyth from Forbidden/Vicious Rumors, will be released worldwide on Oct. 18.
If that weren’t enough, Hanchuck is working on the third album by the southern metal band he formed in 2021, Gutter Greek.
“Gutter Creek came to be because Wreck-Defy is a total thrash metal band inspired by the likes of Megadeth, Metallica, Overkill, Exodus, but I also adore listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd and Clutch,” he says.
“This gave me the urge to write a different type of sincere music that was not right for the Wreck-Defy moniker. So essentially, Gutter Creek became a vehicle to expand upon and challenge myself as a songwriter.”
The band also features Greg Christian and one of Hanchuck’s good friends from Winnipeg, Derrick Kroll on drums.
“We were able to recruit ex-Artillery, Danish vocalist Søren Adamsen based on the strength of our demos.
Gutter Creek released a self-titled album in 2022, which was followed by a Canadian tour and an opening spot for Grammy award-winner Tantric in Michigan in 2023.
They released their sophomore album, Fangs to the Face, independently via Hanchuck’s own record label, Knuckleduster Records.
“The feedback has been amazing thus far,” he says.
“We've recently secured a proper management deal and are almost done recording our 3rd album which will be released via an as of yet undisclosed record label.”
The new Gutter Creek album will feature an ode to the great outdoors in Algoma with a song called Alona Bay.
“It is a true-to-life fable about my 30-plus years being an avid angler of our incredible Superior north shore,” says Hanchuck.
These days, the band leader splits his time between the Sault and Winnipeg, with hopes to spend more time locally in the future.
For fans of his music, there is no risk of him giving up on music.
Whether it is Wreck-Defy or Gutter Creek, the music Hanchuck creates is an outlet.
“It's truly cathartic to write songs, and more than a hobby, it's a passion,” he says.
“That’s truly what I hope to be remembered as one day ... just a guy who served his country with pride for a quarter century and seeks refuge from music but also had the opportunity to entertain and inspire others. That is the reward.”
For more information on Wreck-Defy, click here.
For more information on Gutter Creek, click here.