Hydra Head Records
Encyclopedia
Hydra Head Records is an independent record label
which specializes in heavy metal
music, founded in New Mexico
by Aaron Turner
(the frontman of Isis
) in 1993
. It has two imprints; Hydra Head Noise Industries, which specialises in experimental
and noise music
, and another entitled Tortuga Records.
Hydra Head was founded in 1993 as a distribution company while Turner was still in high school. In 1995, he moved to Boston
to attend art school. In late 1995, he was handed a demo by local band Vent. That seven inch would be the first record released on Hydra Head. The label grew to accommodate local bands such as Roswell, Corrin, Piebald
and Converge
, and after Turner graduated from college in 1999, it became a full-time endeavour. Hydra Head recently relocated to Los Angeles, California
from their former home in Boston, Massachusetts.
Some of the bands signed to the label include Cave In
, Xasthur
, Kayo Dot
, Boris
, and Jesu
. Its discography
includes Botch
, Khanate
, and Harkonen, who were all signed to Hydra Head prior to their respective disbandings.
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
which specializes in heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
music, founded in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
by Aaron Turner
Aaron Turner
Aaron Turner is a musician, singer, graphic artist, and founder of label Hydra Head Records. He is most widely known for his role as guitarist and vocalist for the post-metal band Isis, while also participating in several other bands and projects such as Old Man Gloom and Lotus Eaters.Though raised...
(the frontman of Isis
Isis (band)
Isis was a Los Angeles, California-based post-metal band, founded in Boston, Massachusetts, with a career spanning from 1997 to 2010...
) in 1993
1993 in music
This is a summary of significant events in music in 1993.-January–February:*January 8 – The U.S. Postal Service issues an Elvis Presley stamp. The design was voted on in February 1992....
. It has two imprints; Hydra Head Noise Industries, which specialises in experimental
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
and noise music
Noise music
Noise music is a term used to describe varieties of avant-garde music and sound art that may use elements such as cacophony, dissonance, atonality, noise, indeterminacy, and repetition in their realization. Noise music can feature distortion, various types of acoustically or electronically...
, and another entitled Tortuga Records.
Hydra Head was founded in 1993 as a distribution company while Turner was still in high school. In 1995, he moved to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
to attend art school. In late 1995, he was handed a demo by local band Vent. That seven inch would be the first record released on Hydra Head. The label grew to accommodate local bands such as Roswell, Corrin, Piebald
Piebald
A piebald or pied animal is one that has a spotting pattern of large unpigmented, usually white, areas of hair, feathers, or scales and normally pigmented patches, generally black. The colour of the animal's skin underneath its coat is also pigmented under the dark patches and unpigmented under...
and Converge
Converge (band)
Converge is an American band from Salem, Massachusetts. Playing a blend of hardcore punk and metal since 1990, Converge has helped to define many of the elements of the metalcore genre.-Description:...
, and after Turner graduated from college in 1999, it became a full-time endeavour. Hydra Head recently relocated to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
from their former home in Boston, Massachusetts.
Some of the bands signed to the label include Cave In
Cave In
Cave In is an American rock band that formed in 1995, in Methuen, Massachusetts. After several members changes in the late 90's, their lineup solidified with the 1998 release of Until Your Heart Stops through Hydra Head Records. Their early albums were prominent releases in the independent...
, Xasthur
Xasthur
Xasthur was a Californian one-man black metal band formed in 1995 by Scott Conner, who goes by the pseudonym "Malefic". Although similar in terms of low-fi production and the wearing of corpse paint, musically and lyrically Xasthur's focus is usually not on paganism, Satanism or anti-Christian...
, Kayo Dot
Kayo Dot
Kayo Dot is an American avant-rock/experimental music group that was formed in 2003 by Toby Driver. They released their debut album Choirs of the Eye on John Zorn's Tzadik Records label that year. Tzadik's descriptive label on that album reads: "Kayo Dot powerfully integrates elements of modern...
, Boris
Boris (band)
is a Japanese experimental rock band, known for often combining and switching between different music genres including drone metal, sludge metal, noise rock, psychedelic rock, ambient and pop...
, and Jesu
Jesu (band)
Jesu is a post-metal band formed in 2003 by Justin Broadrick following the breakup of Godflesh. Jesu was the name of the last song on the final Godflesh release, Hymns, and Broadrick decided to adopt it as the name of this project....
. Its discography
Hydra Head Records discography
This is a complete discography of Hydra Head Records releases. Hydra Head Records is an independent record company based in Los Angeles, California, founded in 1993 by Aaron Turner...
includes Botch
Botch (band)
Botch was a four-piece mathcore band from Tacoma, Washington, United States, that formed in 1993 and disbanded in 2002.-History:The band released two full-length albums and a handful of smaller releases including several singles and an EP. Its members went on an indefinite hiatus to form Roy,...
, Khanate
Khanate (band)
Khanate was a drone metal supergroup that brought together James Plotkin and Alan Dubin, two members of the defunct band OLD, as well as Tim Wyskida and Stephen O'Malley )) fame)....
, and Harkonen, who were all signed to Hydra Head prior to their respective disbandings.
Current roster
- 2727 (band)27 is an American rock band from Cambridge, Massachusetts. 27 was formed by Maria Christopher, formerly of Dirt Merchants, and Ayal Naor in 1997. 27 is commonly categorized as a rock or indie rock band, but the genres lo-fi and emo have occasionally been used to describe them.27 has toured...
- Agoraphobic NosebleedAgoraphobic NosebleedAgoraphobic Nosebleed is a grindcore band formed in 1994 in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. Its line-up has changed often during the years, leaving the only permanent member Scott Hull , also a guitarist in Pig Destroyer...
- The Austerity Program
- Big BusinessBig Business (band)Big Business is a stoner metal/sludge metal band from Seattle who are currently signed to Gold Metal Records.-History:Big Business started as a two piece band composed of Jared Warren of Karp and The Tight Bros From Way Back When, and Coady Willis of Murder City Devils...
- Black FaceBlack Face (band)Black Face is an American hardcore punk band. The group features drummer Tom Dobrov, formerly of Oxbow and The Stiffs, bassist Chuck Dukowski formerly of Black Flag and SST Records, guitarist Milo Gonzalez of Insects vs...
- BorisBoris (band)is a Japanese experimental rock band, known for often combining and switching between different music genres including drone metal, sludge metal, noise rock, psychedelic rock, ambient and pop...
- CableCable (American band)Cable is an American band formed in 1994 in Rockville, Connecticut. They combine a hardcore punk and emo aesthetic with a rhythmically complex, often discordant metal-influenced musical approach...
- Cave InCave InCave In is an American rock band that formed in 1995, in Methuen, Massachusetts. After several members changes in the late 90's, their lineup solidified with the 1998 release of Until Your Heart Stops through Hydra Head Records. Their early albums were prominent releases in the independent...
- CavityCavity (band)Cavity was an American sludge metal band from Miami, Florida. They formed in 1992 and broke up around 2003. Steve Brooks and Juan Montoya would go on to play in Torche and Floor...
- CrawCraw (band)Craw is an independent band from Cleveland, Ohio, USA. They belong to the harder-edged branch of the math rock or post rock movement, in the same category as bands such as Colossamite, Keelhaul, Zeni Geva, Dazzling Killmen, and Ruins.- History :...
- DälekDälekdälek is an American experimental hip hop duo from Newark, New Jersey. The group is composed of MC dälek and the Oktopus...
- DaughtersDaughters (band)Daughters is an American grindcore/mathcore/noise rock band formed in 2001 in Providence, Rhode Island after the demise of Providence-based As the Sun Sets. Daughters have four releases including their self-titled EP, Canada Songs LP Hell Songs and last album Daughters . The band has re-released...
- Discordance AxisDiscordance AxisDiscordance Axis was a grindcore band from East Brunswick, New Jersey.-Biography:Frontman Jon Chang on the history of the band:"Discordance Axis was a three piece grind core band that started in NJ around 1992. The band started after myself and Rob's previous band disintegrated and we found Da5e at...
- Drawing Voices
- Everlovely Lightningheart
- GridlinkGridlinkGridlink is a grindcore band with members located in New Jersey, Texas and Japan. Their style can be described as technical grindcore with lyrical themes focused around abstract concepts and science fiction.-Members:...
- Harkonen
- Harvey MilkHarvey Milk (band)Harvey Milk are an American experimental rock/noise rock band that formed in Athens, Georgia in the early 1990s. While Harvey Milk invariably draws comparisons to the Melvins, due to their penchant for slow, heavy riffs, the band has touched upon such artists as ZZ Top, Led Zeppelin, Leonard Cohen,...
- Heresi
- JesuJesu (band)Jesu is a post-metal band formed in 2003 by Justin Broadrick following the breakup of Godflesh. Jesu was the name of the last song on the final Godflesh release, Hymns, and Broadrick decided to adopt it as the name of this project....
- Kayo DotKayo DotKayo Dot is an American avant-rock/experimental music group that was formed in 2003 by Toby Driver. They released their debut album Choirs of the Eye on John Zorn's Tzadik Records label that year. Tzadik's descriptive label on that album reads: "Kayo Dot powerfully integrates elements of modern...
- Keelhaul
- KhanateKhanate (band)Khanate was a drone metal supergroup that brought together James Plotkin and Alan Dubin, two members of the defunct band OLD, as well as Tim Wyskida and Stephen O'Malley )) fame)....
- KhlystKhlyst (band)Khlyst is an American drone doom band, formed in 2006.-Biography:Khlyst is a drone doom project that features guitarist James Plotkin , female vocalist Runhild Gammelsæter , and drummer Tim Wyskida .-Line-up:*Runhild Gammelsæter - vocals, text*James Plotkin - Electric guitar, laptop*Tim Wyskida -...
- KnutKnut (band)Knut is a sludge metal/post-hardcore band from Geneva, Switzerland that formed in 1994. Early material was put out on Snuff Records, which was run by Séverin and Mounir. They are currently signed to Hydra Head Records, which is owned and operated by Aaron Turner of Isis...
- LoghLogh (band)Logh is a post-rock band formed in 1998 in Lund, Sweden. With four members, their first LP was released in 2002 on Bad Taste Records, incorporating elements of indie rock and shoegaze with hushed vocals and introspective lyrics...
- Lotus EatersLotus Eaters (experimental)Lotus Eaters is an experimental electroacoustic group which features Aaron Turner , Stephen O'Malley )), Khanate, Burning Witch), and James Plotkin ....
- LustmordLustmordBrian Williams is a British electronic musician often credited for creating the dark ambient genre with albums recorded under the name Lustmord.- History :Williams started recording as Lustmord in 1980 before joining SPK in 1982...
- Mamiffer
- MerzbowMerzbowis the main recording name of the Japanese noise musician , born in 1956. Since 1979 he has released in excess of 350 recordings.The name "Merzbow" comes from German artist Kurt Schwitters' artwork, "Merzbau”. This was chosen to reflect Akita's dada influence and junk art aesthetic...
- Nihill
- The Octave Museum
- OxbowOxbow (band)Oxbow is a long-lived Avant-Garde band out of San Francisco, California notable for a unique sound. Oxbow plays a blend of Noise rock, Avant-garde jazz, Musique concrète , and Blues, creating soundscapes caustic, or plangent, with overtones of paranoia, revulsion, exaltation.-Current line-up:*Dan...
- Pet Genius
- PhantomsmasherPhantomsmasherPhantomsmasher is an experimental grindcore/electronic band led by musician James Plotkin, previously known as Atomsmasher.The band signed to Ipecac Recordings in 2002, and is reportedly currently working on a third album.-Members:...
- PyramidsPyramids (band)Pyramids is an experimental rock band from Denton, Texas. They are currently signed to Hydra Head Records. They have two albums, Pyramids and Pyramids with Nadja.- Albums :- External links :* *...
- These Arms Are SnakesThese Arms Are SnakesThese Arms Are Snakes was an American post-hardcore band that formed in 2002 and featured former members of Botch and Kill Sadie. The band was known for their intense live shows, which often feature vocalist Steve Snere crowd surfing and spending a large portion of the live performance in the...
- TorcheTorcheTorche is a band from Miami, Florida, whose sound is often described as stoner metal, or sludge metal.-Biography:The group was formed in 2004 by Steve Brooks , Juan Montoya , Jonathan Nuñez and Rick Smith Torche is a band from Miami, Florida, whose sound is often described as stoner metal, or...
- XasthurXasthurXasthur was a Californian one-man black metal band formed in 1995 by Scott Conner, who goes by the pseudonym "Malefic". Although similar in terms of low-fi production and the wearing of corpse paint, musically and lyrically Xasthur's focus is usually not on paganism, Satanism or anti-Christian...
- ZozobraZozobra (band)Zozobra is a metal band that was first conceived by Caleb Scofield during 2006. He was joined by Santos Montano for the band's first release, Harmonic Tremors in 2007...
Past artists
- Age of Reason
- Barbaro
- BotchBotch (band)Botch was a four-piece mathcore band from Tacoma, Washington, United States, that formed in 1993 and disbanded in 2002.-History:The band released two full-length albums and a handful of smaller releases including several singles and an EP. Its members went on an indefinite hiatus to form Roy,...
- Boxer Rebellion
- Buzzov*en
- CattlepressCattlepressCattlepress was an American metal band from Brooklyn, New York. They began life billed as Sin, founded by erstwhile personnel from Nausea and Born Against. As Sin the band cut a split album with Spine Wrench before folding. However, the core of the band soon re-emerged as Cattlepress. A 1993 demo...
- Coalesce
- ConvergeConverge (band)Converge is an American band from Salem, Massachusetts. Playing a blend of hardcore punk and metal since 1990, Converge has helped to define many of the elements of the metalcore genre.-Description:...
- Corrin
- Cult of LunaCult of LunaCult of Luna is a Swedish post-metal band from Umeå. They formed from the remnants of a Umeå hardcore punk band called Eclipse in 1998. They slowly garnered critical appreciation and underground popularity with early releases Cult of Luna and The Beyond ; however, it is 2004's Salvation that can...
- Drowingman
- IsisIsis (band)Isis was a Los Angeles, California-based post-metal band, founded in Boston, Massachusetts, with a career spanning from 1997 to 2010...
- Jesuit
- Kid KilowattKid KilowattKid Kilowatt was a rock supergroup formed in 1996 and dissolved in 1997, including members of Cave In, Converge and Piebald. They wrote only one album, Guitar Method, first released by Second Nature Recordings in 2003....
- MareMare (band)Mare were a Canadian band from Toronto who fused sludge metal with more experimental traits such as jazz, unusual time signatures and Gregorian Chant. Mare consisted of Tyler Semrick-Palmateer on vocals and guitar, Rob Shortil on bass, and Caleb Collins on drums. The first release of a demo was...
- MiltownMiltown (band)* They Came From Massachusetts compilation Contribution with track "No Matter" - 2:531998* Tales of Never Letting Go unreleased 1999* Up The Dosage compilation...
- NeurosisNeurosis (band)Neurosis is a post-metal band, based in Oakland, California. They formed in 1985 as a hardcore punk band, and their sound progressed towards a doom metal style that also included influences from dark ambient and industrial music as well as incorporating elements of folk music...
- PelicanPelican (band)Pelican is a post-metal quartet from Chicago, Illinois.-Biography and description:The band is known for its dense combinations of different melodies and extended track lengths. Its distinctive sound draws from stoner rock, doom metal, post-rock, and other influences...
- PiebaldPiebald (band)Piebald is an American alternative rock band. Piebald started as a hardcore band in Andover, Massachusetts, out of the same scene that produced legends Converge. They later moved to the Boston suburb of Somerville and became a staple of the Greater Boston indie rock scene. Two members still live in...
- Roswell
- Six Going on Seven
- Soilent GreenSoilent GreenSoilent Green is a grindcore and sludge metal band that hails from Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans.-Overview:Soilent Green was founded in 1988. Their début album wasn't released until 1995, when Pussysoul came out on Dwell Records...
- Sunn O)))Sunn O)))Sunn O))) is an American doom metal band known for its synthesis of diverse genres including drone, ambient, noise, and black metal. Supported by a varying cast of collaborators, the band has two core members: Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson .-History:Sunn O))) is named after the Sunn...
- The Hollomen
- The Never Never
- Today Is the DayToday is the DayToday Is the Day is an experimental noise rock/metal/grindcore band from Nashville, Tennessee. They have a diverse sound that includes influences from alternative rock, grindcore, & progressive rock among other genres...
- Unionsuit
- Vent