The noise began 23 years ago.
A music starved kid named Brian
Slagel, killing time in suburban LosAngeles, gets sick of watching
the local metal scene being ignored by the major labels. Working
days at legendary metal emporium Oz Records and nights putting
together one of the first metal fanzines, The New Heavy Metal
Revue, Slagel asks some distributor friends if they'd be interested
in circulating a compilation of unsigned bands if he put it together.
The distributors said yes and Metal Blade Records was born. Of
course it wasn't quite that simple. Putting in long 17 hour days
between Oz and Metal Blade, Slagel pieced together the bands that
would grace the label's first release - The New Heavy Metal Revue
presents Metal Massacre. Metallica, Ratt and Black 'N' Blue were
just a few of the willing locals. Except before Metal Massacre,
Metallica didn't exist.
Metalupdate Interview w/ Brian Slagel BEHIND
THE SCREAMS - PART 2
In 1981, by Slagel's recollection,
there were only three fanatical followers in L.A. of the then
thriving New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) movement; Slagel,
a young Danish kid named Lars Ulrich, and another friend. Together,
the three would scour the import bins at every record store in
Los Angeles in search of the latest NWOBHM albums and singles.
During one such record finding search and destroy mission, Slagel
mentioned to Lars that he was putting together a compilation record.
A short time later, Lars called up Slagel and said that he had
been jamming some cover tunes with James Hetfield. "If we do an
original song", asked Lars, "will you put it on your record?"
Of course, Slagel said yes, and Lars submitted to him "Hit The
Lights" from the band he had just dubbed Metallica. "Back then
it was easier to put together a compilation with bands like that",
says Slagel. "There were no other labels doing metal. I just asked
the bands if they'd give me a track and they said yes. It was
that easy".
But, at least at first, Metal Blade
Records was not supposed to turn into a full-time job. Slagel
was putting out music not because it was a great way to earn money
- it wasn't. But rather because he loved the music. "Metal Blade
came about as a one off to promote the fanzine" explains Slagel.
"But the response was so great and it was so much fun that I decided
to take a semester off from college to see how it would go". Go
it did; Slagel never went back to school. Following the tremendous
success of the first Metal Massacre record, Slagel released albums
by Bitch and Demon Flight later in 1982 before 1983 roared in
with the release of Metal Massacre 2 which featured Armored Saint
and Warlord and went on to solidify the series' reputation as
a proving ground for new talent.
Bands such as Slayer, Metallica,
Voivod, Fates Warning, Metal Church, Flotsam And Jetsam, The Obsessed,
Dark Angel and Sacred Reich are but a few who got their start
with Metal Massacre. Having already unarialed Metallica, Slagel
made another epic discovery in 1983 when he happened across the
band Slayer. Slayer's career began with Metal Massacre 3 and would
encapsulate the classic albums Show No Mercy, Haunting The Chapel,
Live Undead and Hell Awaits. "I first saw Slayer opening for Bitch
at a club called Woodstock in Anaheim," recalls Slagel. "Half
of their set was Judas Priest and Iron Maiden covers. But I went
backstage and asked them if they'd give me a track for Metal Massacre
and they said sure. They also asked if I'd put out a full album
if they recorded it. I said yes." It didn't bother Slagel that
half the civilized world thought he was nuts for signing such
an extreme band. "A lot of the metal press hated the band," he
says. "They thought it was a joke. But the kids loved it. The
band was just so amazing."
"I guess I didn't care what people
thought. If I liked the music, I wanted to give it exposure. I
mean, no one else was going to do it. I felt it was my responsibility."
Metal Blade really began to explode in 1984 behind not only Slayer
but a roster that boasted Fates Warning, Lizzy Borden, Voivod,
Trouble, Omen and Hellhammer (who later changed its name to Celtic
Frost). The face of heavy metal in America at the time may have
been Def Leppard, Quiet Riot and Ratt, but its heart was strongly
beating Metal Blade.
With such a stellar roster of bands
that at the time were firmly on the cutting edge, did Slagel realize
then that he was leading the metal charge? "To a degree," states
Slagel. "But I was only doing it for the love of the music. I
never imagined heavy metal would get to the point it's at now!
There was a lot of talent around then. Bands were creating this
music because they wanted to do it. No one was going to make any
money. No one was going to become a rock star." It was this love
of the music that carried Slagel and Metal Blade through 1984
and into an even more successful 1985, which saw the release of
not only albums by great bands like Destruction, Slayer, Fates
Warning and Sodom - but the Blade's move from Slagel's garage
to proper offices.
The year 1985 also witnessed the
initiation of Metal Blade's alliance with Enigma/Capitol Records.
This deal was further expanded in 1987 to allow the company to
place product directly through Capitol, fueling new success by
such bands as Sacred Reich, D.R.I., Fates Warning and Trouble.
With this deal, Metal Blade also refocused itself on a double
barreled approach to heavy metal. The label intensified its commitment
to developing cutting edge young talent through its Death Records
offshoot such as Corrosion Of Conformity, The Mentors, Cryptic
Slaughter and later Cannibal Corpse and Atheist. And, the label
expanded its horizons towards Alternative and AOR forms of music.
This approach resulted in successful
albums that began to break down the stereotype of Metal Blade
as an exclusively metal label by the likes of Princess Pang, Goo
Goo Dolls, Nevada Beach, Armored Saint and Junk Monkeys. On the
other hand, bands such as Lizzy Borden, D.R.I., Trouble and others
reinforced Metal Blade's reputation as a solid metal player. "I
sign music that I like," explains Slagel, "whether its metal,
alternative, industrial, death or whatever. If I like it, I'll
sign it."
While this approach helped Metal
Blade close out a very successful decade, the nineties seem sure
to be even more prosperous. Not only have some of the strongest
albums in the label's history been released by bands such as GWAR,
Cannibal Corpse and Fates Warning but in 1990 the label inked
a new multi-tiered distribution agreement with Warner Bros. Records.
"We had gone through all these years of losing our bands to major
labels," admits Slagel, "Because our philosophy has been that
it's only fair to allow these bands to go onto bigger things.
Our Capitol and Warner deals should have allowed us to work together
and take those bands to the next level without having to lose
them to someone else. It didn't."
"When our deal with Warner Bros.
expired, we were really unhappy. So we talked to every major distributor
and R.E.D. was the most understanding of how the deal should work."
"We're going to go back to what
we do best," states Slagel about his company's 1996 attitude.
"And that's finding good bands. This label has always been about
finding new, different bands, signing them and seeing them do
well."
So at this point sixteen years from
the start, Metal Blade finds itself having grown from one hard-working
independent guy in his garage to a fully staffed label with major
distribution. But the most important aspects of Metal Blade have
stayed the same. While the cutting edge has moved by miles per
minute, Metal Blade has managed to never be more than one quick
step from it with bands like Grip Inc., Skrew, Thought Industry
and Crisis now actually helping to sharpen that edge. And while
new hard rock and heavy metal labels pop up every day, looking
to capitalize on metal's illustrious past, Metal Blade forges
on knowing full well that it will not only be a part of metal's
future, but helped write an important part of its history.
1995 brought huge success for Metal
Blade with the Goo Goo Dolls, whose album A Boy Named Goo reached
gold status in the U.S.A. Opening an office in Germany, Metal
Blade began doing everything on its own in Europe. "Europe has
always been a great market for us, now we control our label and
can continue to build it," says Slagel. Metal Blade continued
its tradition of signing great acts with new signings of Galactic
Cowboys and welcoming back Sacred Reich.
1996 was another banner year for
the label with successes of Galactic Cowboys, Sacred Reich, Mercyful
Fate, King Diamond, Six Feet Under, Cannibal Corpse, and the continued
success of the Goo Goo Dolls, now double platinum in the USA.
Also new bands like Ancient, Grip Inc., Crisis, and Immolation
show Metal Blade commitment to the future.
1997 has so far been yet another
great year so far with the great success of new releases by Grip
Inc., Gwar, Fates Warning, Galactic Cowboys and the return to
the label of Flotsam and Jetsam.
After 15 years Metal Blade was strong
as ever. Continuing with great established acts and ground breaking
new ones, Metal Blade was poised to keep the flag of metal flying
for many years to come!
In 1998, Metal Blade was pleased
and proud to welcome longtime favorites King's X to the family
as well as the mighty Bolt Thrower. 1998 also continued Metal
Blade's commitment to new and cutting edge bands such as: God
Dethroned, Amon Amarth, The Crown, Memory Garden and The Quiet
Room. With the resurgence of Powermetal, Metal Blade is once again
leading the pack with the signings of Destiny's End (which features
legendary vocalist James Rivera formerly of Helstar), Labyrinth,
and Sacred Steel. With the release of the first ever Fates Warning
CD (Still Life) as well as releases by legendary artist King Diamond
and Mercyful Fate, Metal Blade still leads while others follow.
2001 - The 19th year of Metal Blade
saw releases from Armored Saint, Six Feet Under, King's X, Lizzy
Borden, GWAR, Manowar, Brainstorm, Transatlantic...
2002 - The 20th Anniversary year
of Metal Blade Records looks to be one of our Greatest yet!
New releases from BOLT THROWER, FLESHCRAWL, KING DIAMOND, CALLENISH
CIRCLE, FALCONER, BLUDGEON, THE CROWN, ENGINE, RIOT, VOMITORY
and many, many more will prove 2002 will be yet another year of
Outstanding Metal for the masses!
2003 - 21 years and counting... KING'S
X, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, JOHN ARCH, AS I LAY DYING, DBX, BRAINSTORM,
SIX FEET UNDER, and KING DIAMOND to name just a few releases.
Metal Blade Records Inc. Your source for the best, and the most
Crushing Metal on Earth!
2004 - New releases from our strongest
and up and coming bands like Cannibal Corpse, Unearth, Cattle
Decapitation, Vehemence, The Heavils, and Beyond The Embrace.
Tons of great tours with Cannibal Corpse, Six Feet Under, As I
Lay Dying, The Black Dahlia Murder, Cattle Decapitation
)
