American independent record label
Metal Blade Records is an American
independent record label founded by
Brian Slagel in 1982. The US office for Metal Blade is located in
Sherman Oaks, California . It also has offices in Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label currently is distributed in the US by
The Orchard , and internationally by
Sony Music Entertainment . It was distributed by
Warner Bros. Records in the United States from 1988 to 1993.
History
Metal Blade Records was founded by
Brian Slagel , who at the time was a record store employee in suburban Los Angeles, as a way to increase the recognition of local metal bands. The label's first release was a compilation album called
The New Heavy Metal Revue presents Metal Massacre , and included
Metallica ,
Ratt , and
Black 'n Blue .
[1]
Metal Blade artists that have appeared on the
Billboard 200 chart include
Goo Goo Dolls ,
Amon Amarth ,
Trouble ,
As I Lay Dying ,
Behemoth ,
the Black Dahlia Murder ,
Cannibal Corpse ,
Fates Warning (the first Metal Blade band to have achieved this),
Lizzy Borden ,
Anvil ,
Gwar ,
King Diamond ,
Job for a Cowboy ,
Whitechapel ,
Armored Saint ,
The Red Chord ,
Unearth ,
Between the Buried and Me ,
Dirty Rotten Imbeciles ,
Corrosion of Conformity and
Cattle Decapitation .
From 1985 to 1998, Metal Blade had a sublabel called Death Records, which released recordings by, and signed bands like
D.R.I. ,
Corrosion of Conformity , Civilian Terrorists, Mission of Christ, School of Violence,
Cryptic Slaughter ,
The Mentors ,
Cannibal Corpse ,
Atheist , Angkor Wat, Loss for Words, Dr. Know, Beyond Possession, and
Dark Funeral .
[2]
In 2010 Metal Blade Records joined the
RIAA .
IronClad Recordings is an
imprint .[
citation needed ]
On January 18, 2017 Metal Blade Records was inducted into the Hall of Heavy Metal History for their large contribution to the Heavy Metal library. Brian was inducted by special guest
Kerry King of
Slayer .
[3] On August 29, 2017,
BMG Rights Management published The Sake of Heaviness: the History of Metal Blade Records , a book on the label's history, co-written by Mark Eglington and the label's founder Brian Slagel.
[4]
In 2019 Metal Blade Records opened a store in
Las Vegas, Nevada that sold rare and out-of-print items from them and their artists.
[5]
Notable artists
Current
Former
3
Abiotic
The Absence
Akercocke
Aletheian
Anacrusis (active)
Ancient (active)
Anterior (disbanded 2012)
Anvil (active)
Angel Witch
John Arch (inactive)
Artch (active)
As I Lay Dying (active, with
Nuclear Blast )
Atheist (active)
Attacker (active)
Austrian Death Machine (on hiatus)
Autumn
Believer (active, Independent)
Between the Buried and Me (active, with Sumerian)
Beyond the Embrace (inactive)
Bison B.C.
[10]
Bolt Thrower
Born from Pain
Brain Drill (disbanded 2019)
Callenish Circle (disbanded 2007)
Cellador
Chemlab (active)
Cirith Ungol (disbanded 1992; reformed 2016)
Cradle of Filth (active, with
Nuclear Blast )
The Crimson Armada (disbanded 2012)
Cycle Sluts from Hell
Dance Club Massacre
Dark Funeral
Darkness Dynamite
Demiricous (active)
Dew-Scented
D.R.I. (active)
Eidolon (on hiatus)
Enthroned
Epidemic
Evergreen Terrace (active, with
Rise Records )
Falconer
Flotsam and Jetsam (active, Driven Music Group)
Fragments of Unbecoming
Galactic Cowboys (disbanded 2000)
Goo Goo Dolls (active, with
Warner Bros. Records )
Hatchet
Hate Eternal
Haunted Garage
Hecate Enthroned (active; signed to M-Theory Audio)
Helstar (active, with
AFM Records )
Hirax (active, with Black Devil Records)
I Killed the Prom Queen (inactive)
Impious
In Battle (active, with Nocturnal Art Production/
Candlelight Records )
Into the Moat
Jacobs Dream
King's X (active, with
Inside Out Music )
Lazarus A.D. (disbanded 2015
[11] )
Liege Lord (disbanded 1990) (reformed 2013)
Lord Belial (disbanded, then reactivated)
Manowar (active, with
Magic Circle Music )
Mentors (active)
Molotov Solution (on hiatus)
Mount Salem
Omen (active, with
DSN Music )
Overcast
Powerwolf (active, now signed to
Napalm Records )
Psyopus (disbanded 2012)
Pyrithion
The Red Death
Rigor Mortis
Sacred Reich (active, with
Hollywood Records )
Sacrifice (active)
Sister (active)
Slayer (active)
Sonic Reign
Spock's Beard (active, independent)
Symphorce (disbanded 2011)
Taramis (disbanded 1993)
[12]
This Ending
Thought Industry
Tommy Giles Rogers
Torture Killer (active, with Dynamic Art Records)
Tourniquet (active, with Pathogenic Records)
Trigger the Bloodshed
Trouble (active, with
Century Media Records )
Unearth (active, with Century Media Records)
Vader (active, with
Nuclear Blast )
Viking (disbanded 1990, reformed 2011, currently unsigned)
Voivod (active, with
Century Media Records )
Woe of Tyrants
Yob (active, with
Profound Lore Records )
[13]
See also
References
^
"Features" . metalupdate.com.
Archived from the original on November 25, 2010. Retrieved August 15, 2012 .
^
"Death Records (3) - CDs and Vinyl at Discogs" . discogs.
Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2012 .
^
"Scorpions Among Nominees for Hall of Heavy Metal History" .
Rolling Stone . December 22, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2017 .
^
"BMG Will Release a Book on Metal Blade Records on Their Iconic History Later This Summer" .
Billboard . Retrieved June 27, 2017 .
^
"Metal Blade Records opens store in Las Vegas, NV – rare and out-of-print items now for sale!" .
Metal Blade Records . Retrieved June 6, 2023 .
^
"Fates Warning signs worldwide deal with Metal Blade Records" .
Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021 .
^
"Harm's Way | Metal Blade Records" .
Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved February 9, 2020 .
^
"Killswitch Engage | Metal Blade Records" .
Archived from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2021 .
^
"Metal Blade Records announce the signing of WOVENWAR featuring members of As I Lay Dying and Oh, Sleeper" . metalblade.com.
Archived from the original on April 21, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2014 .
^
"Bison Bc Interview @ Louder Than Hell" . Archived from
the original on January 6, 2014. Retrieved February 8, 2019 .
^
"Lazarus A.D. Drummer Ryan Shutler Dies" .
loudwire.com . May 18, 2015.
Archived from the original on June 13, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2016 .
^ McFarlane,
'Taramis' entry. Archived from
the original on August 3, 2004. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
^
"Artists | Metal Blade Records" .
Archived from the original on April 29, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2021 .
External links
International National Other