Metal Blade Records
Encyclopedia
Metal Blade Records is a record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

 which was founded by Brian Slagel
Brian Slagel
Brian Slagel is the owner and founder of Metal Blade Records. Slagel is known for giving Metallica their first break in 1982, with an appearance on Metal Massacre, a compilation album on Metal Blade, and has since released seminal albums by Slayer, Mercyful Fate, Cannibal Corpse, Fates Warning,...

 in 1982. The U.S. corporate office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California
Agoura Hills, California
Agoura Hills is a city in Los Angeles County, California, and has the ZIP code 91301. The population was 20,330 at the 2010 census, down from 20,537 at the 2000 census. It is located in the eastern Conejo Valley between the Simi Hills and the Santa Monica Mountains. This city on the Ventura...

. It also has offices in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, and the UK. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony BMG Music Entertainment
Sony BMG Music Entertainment
Sony BMG Music Entertainment was a recorded music company, which was a 50–50 joint venture between the Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann AG...

/RED Distribution
RED Distribution
RED - An Artist Development Company is a Sony Music Entertainment-owned sales and marketing division that handles releases for over sixty independent record labels....

. It was distributed by Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...

 in the USA 1988–1992.

Metal Blade artists that have appeared on the Billboard Top 200 chart include The Goo Goo Dolls, Amon Amarth
Amon Amarth
Amon Amarth is a Swedish viking metal band from Tumba, Sweden founded in 1992, and takes its name from the Sindarin translation of Mount Doom, a location in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. The band comprises vocalist Johan Hegg, guitarists Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg, bassist Ted Lundström...

, Trouble
Trouble (band)
Trouble is an American doom metal band noted as one of the pioneers of their genre, alongside bands such as Candlemass and Saint Vitus. The band created a distinct style taking influences of the British heavy metal bands Black Sabbath and Judas Priest, and psychedelic rock of the 1970s...

, As I Lay Dying
As I Lay Dying (band)
As I Lay Dying is an American metalcore band from San Diego, California. Founded in 2000 by Tim Lambesis and having completed their first Line-up in 2001, the band consists of vocalist Tim Lambesis, drummer Jordan Mancino, lead guitarist Nick Hipa, rhythm guitarist Phil Sgrosso, and bassist Josh...

, Behemoth
Behemoth (band)
Behemoth is a Polish blackened death metal band from Gdańsk, formed in 1991. They are considered to have played an important role in establishing the Polish extreme metal underground, alongside bands such as Vader, Decapitated, Vesania and Hate....

, The Black Dahlia Murder, Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...

, Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band from Buffalo, New York. Formed in 1988, the band has released eleven studio albums, one box set, and one live album...

, Fates Warning
Fates Warning
Fates Warning is an American progressive metal band, formed in 1982 by vocalist John Arch, guitarists Jim Matheos and Victor Arduini, bassist Joe DiBiase, and drummer Steve Zimmerman in Hartford, Connecticut. Fates Warning has experienced numerous line-up changes...

 (the first Metal Blade band to have achieved this), Tactics, Lizzy Borden
Lizzy Borden (band)
Lizzy Borden is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983. Lizzy Borden is also the name of the band's lead vocalist.-History:Lizzy Borden specializes in the shock rock style originated by artists such as Alice Cooper and Kiss...

, Anvil
Anvil (band)
Anvil is a Canadian heavy metal band comprising Steve "Lips" Kudlow , Robb Reiner , and Glenn Five...

, Gwar
Gwar
Gwar is a satirical heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia, United States, in 1984. The band is best known for its elaborate science fiction/horror film inspired costumes, obscene lyrics and graphic stage performances, which feature humorous enactments of politically and morally taboo...

, King Diamond
King Diamond
Kim Bendix Petersen , better known by his stage name King Diamond, is a Grammy Award nominated Danish heavy metal musician. As a vocalist, he is known for his extensive vocal range, in particular his usage of falsetto. He is the lead vocalist for both Mercyful Fate and the eponymous King Diamond...

, Job for a Cowboy
Job for a Cowboy
Job for a Cowboy is a American death metal band from Glendale, Arizona. Formed in 2003, the band's debut album Genesis was released in 2007, peaking at #54 on the US Billboard 200 and selling 13,000 copies in its first week of release. The second album, 2009's Ruination, sold 10,600 copies in...

, Whitechapel
Whitechapel (band)
Whitechapel is an American deathcore band from Knoxville, Tennessee. The group comprises vocalist Phil Bozeman, guitarists Ben Savage, Alex Wade, Zach Householder; bassist Gabe Crisp and drummer Ben Harclerode. Their band name is derived from a district in the built-up inner city of London, known...

, Armored Saint
Armored Saint
-Early career:Armored Saint was formed in 1982 by brothers Phil Sandoval and Gonzo Sandoval , and guitarist David Prichard, while attending South Pasadena High School. Next to join were singer John Bush also a South Pasadena High School Alumni and bassist Joey Vera...

, The Red Chord
The Red Chord
The Red Chord is an American grindcore band from Revere, Massachusetts, formed in 1999. The band is made up of vocalist Guy Kozowyk, guitarist Mike "Gunface" McKenzie, and bassist Greg Weeks. The band gained a fanbase with its 2002 debut album Fused Together in Revolving Doors. The second album,...

, Unearth
Unearth
Unearth is an American metalcore band from Winthrop, Massachusetts. Formed in 1998, the group has released five studio albums. Their fourth record, The March was released on October 14, 2008 meeting with high positive reception by many...

 and Between the Buried and Me
Between the Buried and Me
Between the Buried and Me is an American heavy metal band from Raleigh, North Carolina. They have released a total of five studio albums, as well as a cover album, an EP and a live DVD/CD...

. The only Metal Blade artist to ever achieve gold or platinum record status while still with the record company was the Goo Goo Dolls
Goo Goo Dolls
The Goo Goo Dolls are a Grammy-nominated American rock band formed in 1986 in Buffalo, New York, by vocalist and guitarist John Rzeznik and vocalist and bass guitarist Robby Takac. Since the end of 1994, Mike Malinin has been the band's drummer, a position previously held by George Tutuska...

 who were, ironically, one of the very few non-metal bands ever signed to the label.

History

Metal Blade Records was founded by Brian Slagel
Brian Slagel
Brian Slagel is the owner and founder of Metal Blade Records. Slagel is known for giving Metallica their first break in 1982, with an appearance on Metal Massacre, a compilation album on Metal Blade, and has since released seminal albums by Slayer, Mercyful Fate, Cannibal Corpse, Fates Warning,...

, 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
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...

, Ratt
Ratt
Ratt is an American heavy metal band that had significant commercial success in the 1980s. The band is best known for songs such as "Round and Round," "Wanted Man," "Lay It Down," "You're in Love", "Slip of the Lip", "Back For More", "Dance", "Body Talk", "I Want a Woman", and "Way Cool Jr." Ratt...

, and Black 'N Blue
Black 'N Blue
Black 'n Blue is a Hard rock band from Portland, Oregon. The current members are singer Jaime St. James, guitarist Shawn Sonnenschein, guitarist Jeff Warner, bassist Patrick Young, and drummer Pete Holmes.-History:...

.

Current

  • 3
    3 (band)
    3, also known as Three, is an American hybrid band formed in Woodstock, New York in the early 90s.-History:...

  • The Absence
    The Absence
    The Absence is an American death metal band from Tampa, Florida. Their style has been described as aggressive thrash metal with Scandinavian metal influences. They are currently signed to Metal Blade Records...

  • Across The Sun
    Across the Sun
    Across The Sun is an American, progressive, symphonic metal band formed in 2004 from Portland, Oregon, USA. In 2010, Across The Sun signed to their current label Metal Blade Records and released their first full-length debut album, Before The Night Takes Us, which succeeds three previously released...

  • And Hell Followed With
  • Aeon
    Aeon (band)
    Aeon is a death metal band that formed in Östersund, Sweden in 1999. The band comprises vocalist Tommy Dahlström, guitarists Sebastian Nilsson and Daniel Dlimi, bassist Marcus Edvardsson and drummer Arttu Malkki. The band released its debut album, Bleeding the False, in 2005; and the second album...

  • Aletheian
    Aletheian
    Aletheian are a progressive / melodic death metal Christian band that was formed in Lebanon, Pennsylvania in 1997 under the name "Crutch". They changed their name to "Aletheian" prior to the 2003 album Apolutrosis. Guitarist Alex Kenis joined Becoming the Archetype in 2007 and recorded the album...

  • Allegaeon
  • Amon Amarth
    Amon Amarth
    Amon Amarth is a Swedish viking metal band from Tumba, Sweden founded in 1992, and takes its name from the Sindarin translation of Mount Doom, a location in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. The band comprises vocalist Johan Hegg, guitarists Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg, bassist Ted Lundström...

  • Anima
    Anima
    Anima may refer to:*the Latin term for the "animating principle", see vitalism**the Latin translation of Greek psyche**in Christian contexts, the soul**see also spirit...

  • Anterior
    Anterior (band)
    Anterior is a American metal band from Tredegar, Wales. They are currently signed to Metal Blade Records, although they were also approached by Manowar's Joey DeMaio. They have released one album through Metal Blade called This Age of Silence.-History:...

  • Armored Saint
    Armored Saint
    -Early career:Armored Saint was formed in 1982 by brothers Phil Sandoval and Gonzo Sandoval , and guitarist David Prichard, while attending South Pasadena High School. Next to join were singer John Bush also a South Pasadena High School Alumni and bassist Joey Vera...

  • As I Lay Dying
    As I Lay Dying (band)
    As I Lay Dying is an American metalcore band from San Diego, California. Founded in 2000 by Tim Lambesis and having completed their first Line-up in 2001, the band consists of vocalist Tim Lambesis, drummer Jordan Mancino, lead guitarist Nick Hipa, rhythm guitarist Phil Sgrosso, and bassist Josh...

  • As You Drown
    As You Drown
    As You Drown is a death metal band formed in Borås, Sweden in the winter of 2003/2004.-History:The band was released a demos between 2003-2005 and managed to performed some shows supporting fellow European metal bands like Entombed and Vader before encountering their first set of lineup changes.In...

  • Austrian Death Machine
    Austrian Death Machine
    Austrian Death Machine is an American metal side project from San Diego, California, founded by As I Lay Dying vocalist Tim Lambesis to be a parody and tribute of Arnold Schwarzenegger's films.-Biography:...

  • Autumn
  • Barn Burner
  • Battlecross
  • Behemoth
    Behemoth (band)
    Behemoth is a Polish blackened death metal band from Gdańsk, formed in 1991. They are considered to have played an important role in establishing the Polish extreme metal underground, alongside bands such as Vader, Decapitated, Vesania and Hate....

  • Believer
  • Between the Buried and Me
    Between the Buried and Me
    Between the Buried and Me is an American heavy metal band from Raleigh, North Carolina. They have released a total of five studio albums, as well as a cover album, an EP and a live DVD/CD...

  • Beyond the Sixth Seal
    Beyond the Sixth Seal
    Beyond the Sixth Seal is a sideproject band of Mike McKenzie and Greg Weeks of The Red Chord. They were formed as a thrash metal band in the suburbs of Boston in 1998 and released a few demos...

  • Bison B.C.
    Bison B.C.
    Bison B.C. are a heavy metal band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.They are currently signed to California based Metal Blade records....

  • Bitch
    Bitch (band)
    Bitch is a female-fronted American heavy metal band, formed in Los Angeles in December 1980. They gained notoriety as a result of their theatrical live performances inspired by Alice Cooper, which featured tongue-in-cheek sadomasochistic themes...

  • The Black Dahlia Murder
  • Bolt Thrower
  • Born from Pain
    Born From Pain
    Born from Pain is a Dutch hardcore band from the Oostelijke Mijnstreek which formed in 1997. Since they formed they have achieved fame through energetic shows and grew out to become the international band they are today. They have toured in all of Europe, in the United States and in Japan...

  • Brain Drill
    Brain Drill
    Brain Drill is an American death metal band formed in 2005 from Ben Lomond, California. They are signed to Metal Blade Records and released their full length debut album entitled Apocalyptic Feasting on February 5, 2008...

  • Brainstorm
    Brainstorm (German band)
    Brainstorm is a German power metal band, formed in 1989 by guitarists Torsten Ihlenfeld and Milan Loncaric, and drummer Dieter Bernert, The band features lead singer Andy B. Franck, who is also famous for his other band, Symphorce. They are known to play a somewhat darker style of music than most...

  • Cannibal Corpse
    Cannibal Corpse
    Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band from Buffalo, New York. Formed in 1988, the band has released eleven studio albums, one box set, and one live album...

  • Cataract
    Cataract (band)
    Cataract is a Swiss metalcore band, signed to Metal Blade Records.-Biography:Cataract was formed in 1998 by guitarist Simon Füllemann, guitarist Greg Mäder and drummer Ricky Dürst. Their first self-titled demo was recorded in six hours and mixed in another four hours in the bed room of vocalist...

  • Cattle Decapitation
    Cattle Decapitation
    Cattle Decapitation is an American deathgrind band from San Diego, California, formed in 1996.-History:Originally founded in 1996, Cattle Decapitation's songs protest the mistreatment and consumption of animals as well as the abuse of the environment. Lyrics may also focus on subjects such as...

  • Cellador
    Cellador
    Cellador is a power metal band from Omaha, Nebraska, formed by guitarist Chris Petersen in 2004. After a rotation of a few member try-outs in the band's earliest days, Cellador's album line-up was cemented in 2004. The band eventually signed to Metal Blade after playing a show with The Black Dahlia...

  • Charred Walls of the Damned
    Charred Walls of the Damned
    The band's first single, "Ghost Town", was released on December 1, 2009. Their debut album, Charred Walls of the Damned, was released on compact disc and iTunes on February 2, 2010. Blabbermouth.net reported around 2,200 copies were sold in the United States in its first week of release...

  • Dance Club Massacre
    Dance Club Massacre
    Dance Club Massacre is an American extreme metal band from Chicago, Illinois. Formed in 2004, the group originated as a simple recording project between founding members Nick Seger and Kurt Latos...

  • Darkness Dynamite
    Darkness Dynamite
    - Biography :With the success of their debut EP Through the Ashes of the Wolves with which they were incredibly critically acclaimed and after participating in the tour of international groups such as Korn, Sevendust, The Chariot, Becoming the Archetype, Bring Me the Horizon, Architects, Blessed by...

  • Dawn of Ashes
    Dawn Of Ashes
    Dawn of Ashes is an American melodic black metal band with horror based lyrical themes. They first began in 2001 in Los Angeles, California by playing the genres of Harsh EBM/Aggrotech, and in 2005 released a demo album Sacred Fever. Soon after its release they were signed to NoiTekk and then to...

  • Desaster
    Desaster
    Desaster is a black/thrash metal band formed in Koblenz, Germany in 1988. Their lyrical themes involve war, hate and satanism.-History:Desaster formed in 1988, inspirated by bands like Black Sabbath, Venom, Destruction , Celtic Frost, Bathory, Slayer and Sarcófago. They played their first live...

  • Dew-Scented
    Dew-Scented
    Dew-Scented is a German thrash metal, death metal band. They have released eight studio albums and are currently signed to Metal Blade Records and Prosthetic Records . Their name is inspired by the writings of Edgar Allan Poe...

  • Diabulus in Musica
  • Disillusion
  • Don Jamieson
    Don Jamieson (Comedian)
    Don Jamieson is a stand-up comedian and is also well-known as one of the hosts of That Metal Show on VH1 Classic.-Biography:...

  • Facebreaker
  • Endless Collapse
  • Epicurean
  • Eryn Non Dae
  • Evergreen Terrace
    Evergreen Terrace (band)
    Evergreen Terrace is a five-piece melodic hardcore/metalcore band from Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 1999, they are named after the street on which The Simpsons claim residence...

  • Falconer
    Falconer (band)
    Falconer is a Swedish power metal band from Mjölby, formed in 1999. Founded by the former guitarist of Mithotyn, Stefan Weinerhall. Falconer carry on many of the traditions set by Weinerhall's previous band and play a style of power metal that utilises folk instrumentation and melody to create a...

  • Fates Warning
    Fates Warning
    Fates Warning is an American progressive metal band, formed in 1982 by vocalist John Arch, guitarists Jim Matheos and Victor Arduini, bassist Joe DiBiase, and drummer Steve Zimmerman in Hartford, Connecticut. Fates Warning has experienced numerous line-up changes...

  • Fleshcrawl
    Fleshcrawl
    Fleshcrawl is a death metal band formed in 1987 in Illertissen, Bavaria, Germany. Their most recent album, Structures Of Death, was released in 2007, under Metal Blade Records.-1987-1997:...

  • Fleshwrought
  • Fragments of Unbecoming
    Fragments of unbecoming
    Fragments of Unbecoming is a melodic death metal band from Laudenbach, Germany. The band's guitarist Sascha Ehrich is also a renowned artist in the metal world, having designed album covers for bands such as Necrophagist...

  • Gaza
    Gaza
    Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...

  • Goatwhore
    Goatwhore
    Goatwhore is an American blackened death metal band, formed in 1997 in New Orleans, Louisiana.- Biography :Goatwhore was formed by singer/guitarist Sammy Duet following the breakup of his previous band, Acid Bath. Soilent Green singer L...

  • God Dethroned
    God Dethroned
    -Biography:God Dethroned was formed in 1991 by singer and guitar player Henri Sattler, with Hans Leegstra and Ard de Weerd. Sattler and Leegstra had previously been in Dysentery; Leegstra, quickly after the band formed, left the music scene altogether. They recorded a demo, Christ Hunt, in 1991,...

  • Gwar
    Gwar
    Gwar is a satirical heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia, United States, in 1984. The band is best known for its elaborate science fiction/horror film inspired costumes, obscene lyrics and graphic stage performances, which feature humorous enactments of politically and morally taboo...

  • Gypsyhawk
  • Hail of Bullets
    Hail of Bullets
    Hail of Bullets is a Dutch death metal band from Amersfoort. The band's lyrical content deals with the Second World War. The band has released two albums via Metal Blade Records.-Albums:*…Of Frost and War...

  • Hatchet
  • Hate Eternal
    Hate Eternal
    -Biography:Hate Eternal was formed in 1997. The group's original line-up included Erik Rutan - guitars/vocals, bassist and co-vocalist Jared Anderson, drummer Tim Yeung, and guitarist Doug Cerrito of the band Suffocation...

  • House of Heavy
  • Hordasken
  • If Hope Dies
  • Impious
    Impious
    Impious is a Swedish thrash/death metal band.-History:Swedish Swedish thrash/death metal band Impious was formed by Valle Adzic and Martin Åkesson in April 1994. The band had some difficulties finding a permanent drummer, so a friend of theirs, Johan, filled in as a session drummer. Shortly after...

  • Intensus
  • Into the Moat
    Into The Moat
    Into the Moat is an American mathcore band from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It first achieved national acclaim when profiled in Alternative Press Magazine...

  • In the Eyes of a Dead Queen
  • Jim Florentine
    Jim Florentine
    James "Jim" Florentine is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, comedian, voice artist, and performer...

  • Job for a Cowboy
    Job for a Cowboy
    Job for a Cowboy is a American death metal band from Glendale, Arizona. Formed in 2003, the band's debut album Genesis was released in 2007, peaking at #54 on the US Billboard 200 and selling 13,000 copies in its first week of release. The second album, 2009's Ruination, sold 10,600 copies in...

  • King Diamond
    King Diamond (band)
    King Diamond is the heavy metal band that King Diamond formed after the split up of his heavy metal band Mercyful Fate, and the departure of Hank Shermann. He was joined by most members of the then defunct Mercyful Fate. The Satanic focus was replaced by a focus on horror stories...

  • King Of Asgard
  • Kneqture
  • Lay Down Rotten
  • Lazarus A.D.
    Lazarus A.D.
    Lazarus A.D. is a thrash metal band from Kenosha, Wisconsin, originally formed as "Lazarus" in 2005. The "A.D." was added to avoid potential legal issues....

  • Lightning Swords of Death
    Lightning Swords of Death
    Lightning Swords of Death is an American black metal band formed in 2003 by vocalist Autarch and guitarist Roskva in Los Angeles, California.Lightning Swords of Death signed a record deal with Metal Blade Records in 2009 and continued to push their music through their DIY attitude, getting multiple...

  • Lizzy Borden
    Lizzy Borden (band)
    Lizzy Borden is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983. Lizzy Borden is also the name of the band's lead vocalist.-History:Lizzy Borden specializes in the shock rock style originated by artists such as Alice Cooper and Kiss...

  • Lost Perfection
  • Machinemade God
    Machinemade God
    Machinemade God is a metalcore band from Essen, Germany, formed in 2003. They are currently signed to Metal Blade Records through which their debut album The Infinity Complex was released on March 21, 2006...

  • Malefice
    Malefice
    Malefice are a British heavy metal band from Reading, Berkshire, England, formed in 2003.-Band history:They were formed by friends at college and started to write their songs straight away. Their first major break was to open a four band bill charity gig at the Rivermead Centre in Reading...

  • Mercyful Fate
    Mercyful Fate
    Mercyful Fate was a Danish heavy metal band from Copenhagen. Initially active from 1981 to 1985, they reunited in 1992. The band went on hiatus again in 2000, when frontman King Diamond decided to continue his solo career...

  • Neaera
    Neaera (band)
    Neaera is a melodic death metal band from Münster, Germany, currently signed to Metal Blade Records. Recently, they have completed their fifth album, Forging the Eclipse, which was released on October 22/25, 2010 in Europe and on October 26, 2010 for the rest of the world.-Musical style:Tobias Buck...

  • Negligence
    Negligence (band)
    Negligence is a Slovenian thrash metal band, formed in 2000. The group is currently signed to Metal Blade Records and has released two albums, the last one in 2010.-History:...

  • The Arcane Order
  • The Ocean Collective
    The Ocean Collective
    The Ocean is an experimental metal band from Berlin, Germany. Their work combines elements of progressive metal and electronic soundscapes, occasionally incorporating strings to create their aggressive post-metal sound. The band often describes its sound as "ambient soundtrack doomrock".- History...

  • One-Way Mirror
  • OSI
    OSI (band)
    OSI is an American progressive rock band, originally formed by Fates Warning guitarist Jim Matheos in 2002. Chroma Key keyboardist and vocalist Kevin Moore is the only other full-time member of the band...

  • Overcast
    Overcast (band)
    Overcast was an American metalcore band that started in the early 1990s, but broke up in 1998 after an unsuccessful tour; in 2008 they reunited to play a show and announced they would release a new album entitled Reborn to Kill Again with 11 re-recorded classic tracks and two unreleased...

  • Paths of Possession
    Paths of Possession
    Paths of Possession is an American melodic death metal band featuring George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher in a more melodic environment, with song structures that have much more in common with early Bay Area Thrash than the Tampa death metal scene.-Biography:...

  • Pentagram
    Pentagram (band)
    Pentagram is a American heavy metal band from Virginia, most famous as one of the pioneers of doom metal. The band was prolific in the underground scene of the 1970s, producing many demos and rehearsal tapes, but did not release a full-length album until reforming in the early 1980s with an almost...

  • Powerwolf
    Powerwolf
    Powerwolf is a German/Romanian power metal band created in 2003 by Charles and Matthew Greywolf. The group is notable for having rather dark themes and images, both musically and lyrically, both counteractions to traditional power metal music and including usage of corpse paint, gothic-tinged...

  • Primordial
    Primordial (band)
    Primordial is an extreme metal band from Skerries, County Dublin, Ireland. It was formed in 1987 by Pól MacAmlaigh and Ciarán MacUiliam . Their sound melds black metal with Irish folk music.-Biography:...

  • Psyopus
    Psyopus
    Psyopus is a mathcore band from Rochester, New York. Formed in 2002, the band is noted for the unorthodox and extremely technical guitar techniques of Christopher Arp, often referred to as "Arpmandude"...

  • Psycho Enhancer
  • Ravage
    Ravage
    Ravage may refer to:*Ravage 2099, a fictional superhero, set in the far future, from Marvel Comics*Ravage , a fictional villain at the Marvel Comics and one of the Hulk's enemies...

  • Razor of Occam
  • The Red Chord
    The Red Chord
    The Red Chord is an American grindcore band from Revere, Massachusetts, formed in 1999. The band is made up of vocalist Guy Kozowyk, guitarist Mike "Gunface" McKenzie, and bassist Greg Weeks. The band gained a fanbase with its 2002 debut album Fused Together in Revolving Doors. The second album,...

  • Rose Funeral
  • The Rotted
    The Rotted
    -History:The band was formed from the ashes of death metal / grindcore ensemble Gorerotted by ex-members Ben McCrow, Tim Carley, and Phil Wilson, along with Gian Pyres and Nate Gould due to a musical progression and a desire for less limiting lyrical themes: the band themselves say that The...

  • Shai Hulud
    Shai Hulud (band)
    Shai Hulud is an American hardcore punk band with progressive metal influences, originally formed in Pompano Beach, Florida, the band later moved up to Poughkeepsie, New York....

  • Sister
  • Six Feet Under
    Six Feet Under (band)
    Six Feet Under is an American death metal band from Tampa, Florida, formed in 1993. The band was originally a side project by Cannibal Corpse vocalist Chris Barnes with guitarist Allen West of Obituary...

  • Skyforger
    Skyforger
    Skyforger is a heavy metal band from Latvia which was formed in 1995 out of the remains of doom metal band Grindmaster Dead. Most of their songs are about pagan gods and warfare; they also play traditional Latvian folk songs and metal covers. Although Skyforger is known for their folk metal, their...

  • Slamfist
  • Soilent Green
    Soilent Green
    Soilent 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...

  • Sonic Reign
    Sonic Reign
    Sonic Reign is a German black metal band consisting of two members: Ben and Sebastian . The band hails a very cold and modern variant of Black Metal influenced by bands such as Satyricon, Emperor and Thorns....

  • Symphorce
    Symphorce
    Symphorce was a German progressive power metal band, originally assembled in 1998.- Biography :The band was formed in October 1998 by singer Andy B. Franck. He created the name Symphorce as a play of words, a portmanteau of symphony and force. It was a few months later, in 1999 that they released...

  • System Divide
    System Divide
    System Divide is an extreme modern metal/melodic death metal band, formed by the couple Sven de Caluwé and Miri Milman , and originating and featuring members from Israel, Belgium and the US.-History:...

  • This Ending
    This Ending
    - Biography :This Ending was formed in 1991 as A Canorous Quintet by Fredrik Andersson, Mårten Hansen and Linus Nirbrant. After some changes, the line-up was complete with the addition of Leo Pignon and Jesper Löfgren. The band released an EP, As Tears, in 1994, and two full length albums: Silence...

  • Thy Art Is Murder
  • Thomas Giles
  • Transatlantic
    Transatlantic (band)
    Transatlantic is a progressive rock supergroup consisting of Roine Stolt of The Flower Kings, Pete Trewavas of Marillion, Mike Portnoy formerly of Dream Theater and Neal Morse formerly of Spock's Beard. They formed in 1999 as a side project to their full time bands until 2002...

  • Trigger the Bloodshed
    Trigger the Bloodshed
    Trigger the Bloodshed are a British death metal band from Bath, England, formed in 2006. The band comprises guitarists and founders Rob Purnell and Martyn Evans, as well as vocalist Jonny Burgan, bassist Dave Purnell and drummer Dan Wilding...

  • Unearth
    Unearth
    Unearth is an American metalcore band from Winthrop, Massachusetts. Formed in 1998, the group has released five studio albums. Their fourth record, The March was released on October 14, 2008 meeting with high positive reception by many...

  • Vomitory
    Vomitory (band)
    Vomitory is a Swedish brutal death metal band formed in 1989 by guitarist Urban Gustafsson and bassist Ronnie Olson. The band has released a total of eight albums, and are currently signed to Metal Blade Records.-Current members:...

  • We Are the End
    We Are the End
    We Are the End was a five piece deathcore band from Los Angeles, California. The band was formed in June 2005.-Members:*Spencer Aragon - Vocals*Brandyn Love - Guitar*Mychal Wright - Guitar*Shaun-Matthew Paramore - Bass*David Joseph Crough - Drums...

  • Whitechapel
    Whitechapel (band)
    Whitechapel is an American deathcore band from Knoxville, Tennessee. The group comprises vocalist Phil Bozeman, guitarists Ben Savage, Alex Wade, Zach Householder; bassist Gabe Crisp and drummer Ben Harclerode. Their band name is derived from a district in the built-up inner city of London, known...

  • Winterus
  • Woe of Tyrants
    Woe of Tyrants
    Woe of Tyrants is an American death metal band from Chillicothe, Ohio, formed in 2004.-History:Woe of Tyrants released their critically acclaimed debut album Behold the Lion through Tribunal Records in June 2007, and were soon in talks with several major players in the independent label market...



Former

  • A Love Ends Suicide (Disbanded 2006)
  • Ancient
    Ancient (band)
    Ancient is a Norwegian black metal band from Eidsvåg, Nesset, formed in 1992. The band has released six full-length albums released by Metal Blade Records and a variety of mini-albums, EPs and special releases. Ancient used to have the classic raw black metal sound, similar to Darkthrone's works...

     (Active)
  • Anvil
    Anvil (band)
    Anvil is a Canadian heavy metal band comprising Steve "Lips" Kudlow , Robb Reiner , and Glenn Five...

     (Active)
  • Angel Witch
  • Angel Blake (Active, with Dynamic Arts Records)
  • John Arch
    John Arch
    John Arch is an American progressive metal singer of partial Native American descent, most notable for his work with his band Fates Warning.-Fates Warning:...

     (Inactive)
  • Artch
    Artch
    Artch is a heavy metal band from Sarpsborg in Norway. Initially formed in 1983 by guitarist Cato André Olsen and bass player Bernt Jansen, in 1984 guitarist Geir Nilssen, drummer Jørn Jamissen and vocalist Lars Fladeby all joined the band but they had formerly been with a local rock group called...

     (Active)
  • Beyond the Embrace
    Beyond The Embrace
    Beyond The Embrace is an American melodic death metal band. They formed in New Bedford, Massachusetts in 2000. The band has released two albums to date, Against the Elements in 2002 and Insect Song in 2004. They are currently signed with Metal Blade Records...

     (Inactive)
  • Bitter End (Disbanded 1992)
  • Callenish Circle
    Callenish Circle
    Callenish Circle was a melodic death metal band from the Netherlands. They recorded three of their albums for Metal Blade Records, and broke up in February 2007. In the early 2000s things were going well for the band. In 2002 they toured with God Dethroned, played at the Dutch version of Ozzfest...

     (Disbanded 2007)
  • Chemlab
    Chemlab
    Chemlab is a coldwave and industrial rock band formed in Washington D.C., USA, in 1989 by Dylan Thomas More, Joe Frank , and Jared Louche . Influenced by the pioneers of the industrial genre, such as Throbbing Gristle, Chemlab mixed experimental sounds with rock and metal, which they dubbed...

     (Active)
  • Cradle of Filth
    Cradle of Filth
    Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily...

     (Active)
  • The Crimson Armada
    The Crimson Armada
    The Crimson Armada is an American metalcore band from Columbus, Ohio. The band initially formed in Westerville, Ohio in 2007, but after several live shows and demos the band went on hiatus. After pressure from the local music scene, the group reformed a year later...

     (Active, with Artery Recordings
    Artery Recordings
    Artery Recordings is a independent record label based in Sacramento, California. Label founded in 2010 as imprint with Razor & Tie company by Eric Rushing owner of The Artery Foundation Management.- Current artists :* A Bullet for Pretty Boy* Attila...

    )
  • The Crown
    The Crown (band)
    The Crown is a death / thrash metal band from Trollhättan, Sweden. Originally, they used the name Crown of Thorns but were forced to change their name due to another band already using that name. Their music and lyrics are inspired by death, antireligious themes and rebellion. They are known to...

     (Disbanded 2004, Reformed in 2009)
  • Demiricous
    Demiricous
    Demiricous is a death/thrash metal band from Indianapolis, Indiana formed by Nate Olp, Scott Wilson, Ben Parrish, and Christopher Cruz. In 2005, they self-released a demo which caught the attention of Metal Blade. After the release of their first album, Christopher Cruz left the band and was later...

     (Active)
  • Dr Know (Active)
  • Dirty Rotten Imbeciles
    Dirty Rotten Imbeciles
    Dirty Rotten Imbeciles is a thrash metal/crossover thrash band from the United States that formed in Houston, in 1982. The band currently comprises founding members, vocalist Kurt Brecht and guitarist Spike Cassidy, as well as drummer Rob Rampy and bassist Harald Oimoen.D.R.I...

     (Active)
  • Eidolon
    Eidolon (band)
    Eidolon was a Canadian power metal band formed in 1993 by brothers Shawn and Glen Drover . The band was signed to Metal Blade Records, but was let go in 2004, in part because of a refusal to tour. Eidolon signed soon after to Escapi Records. The band has released seven studio albums to date...

     (On-hold)
  • Fate (Disbanded 2009)
  • Forever in Terror
    Forever In Terror
    Forever in Terror is an American heavy metal music group from Streetsboro, Ohio.- History :Formerly known as 7th plague, Forever in Terror was formed in 2003 in Streetsboro, Ohio in the Greater Cleveland area by drummer Nick Borukhovsky...

     (Active, Independent)
  • Fueled by Fire (Active)
  • Galactic Cowboys
    Galactic Cowboys
    Galactic Cowboys was a Heavy Metal band based in Houston, Texas. They combined progressive metal with a style of vocals influenced by The Beatles and the heavy playing style of thrash bands such as Anthrax...

     (Disbanded 2000)
  • Goo Goo Dolls
    Goo Goo Dolls
    The Goo Goo Dolls are a Grammy-nominated American rock band formed in 1986 in Buffalo, New York, by vocalist and guitarist John Rzeznik and vocalist and bass guitarist Robby Takac. Since the end of 1994, Mike Malinin has been the band's drummer, a position previously held by George Tutuska...

     (Active, with Warner Bros. Records
    Warner Bros. Records
    Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...

    )
  • Hirax
    Hirax
    Hirax is an American thrash metal band from Cypress, California. Starting in 1984 under the leadership of vocalist Katon W. De Pena , the band played in Los Angeles and San Francisco with the other new thrash metal bands of the area such as Metallica, Exodus, and Slayer...

     (Active, with Black Devil Records)
  • I Killed the Prom Queen
    I Killed the Prom Queen
    I Killed the Prom Queen is an Australian metalcore band which formed in 2000 with mainstays JJ Peters on drums and Jona Weinhofen on guitar. The band featured prominently on the Australian live music scene and toured the USA, Japan and parts of Europe several times...

     (On Hiatus)
  • In Battle
    In Battle
    In Battle is a Viking/black/death metal band from Sundsvall, Sweden. The main lyrical themes of the band focus on Norse mythology and war.-Biography:...

     (Active, with Nocturnal Art Production/Candlelight Records
    Candlelight Records
    Candlelight Records is an independent record label based in Europe founded by former Extreme Noise Terror bassist Lee Barrett, though it has had a division in the United States since January 2001. Candlelight Records specialises in black metal and death metal, having bands such as Emperor,...

    )
  • Incapacity (Active, with RAHW Productions)
  • King's X
    King's X
    King's X is an American hard rock band that combines progressive metal, funk and soul with vocal arrangements influenced by gospel, blues, and British Invasion rock groups. The band's lyrics are largely based on the members' struggles with religion and self-acceptance...

     (Active, with InsideOut Music
    InsideOut Music
    Inside Out Music is a German independent record label based in Kleve, in the North Rhine-Westphalia region, and dedicated to the publication of progressive rock, progressive metal and related styles music albums.-History:...

    )
  • Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (Disbanded 2010)
  • Liege Lord
    Liege Lord
    Liege Lord was an American speed/power metal band, active in the 1980s and considered to be a pioneer of the genre. It was formed by Matt Vinci, Anthony Truglio and Frank Cortese....

     (Disbanded 1990)
  • Loss For Words (Inactive)
  • Manowar (Active, with Magic Circle Music
    Magic Circle Music
    - History :Magic Circle Music was founded by Manowar bassist Joey DeMaio in 2005 named after Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen by which DeMaio is highly inspired. The purpose of the label is to give the band complete creative control of their operation...

    )
  • The Mentors
    The Mentors
    The Mentors are an American heavy metal band noted for its deliberately sexist shock rock lyrics.They formed in 1977 in Seattle, Washington and relocated to Los Angeles, California in 1979, where their irreverent attitude aligned them with the city's punk rock scene. Their music has developed...

     (Active)
  • Metallica
    Metallica
    Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...

     (Active, with Elektra Records
    Elektra Records
    Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....

     now with Warner Bros. records
    Warner Bros. Records
    Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...

    )and later left Warner bros. in 2008
  • Molotov Solution
    Molotov Solution
    Molotov Solution is an American deathcore band from Las Vegas, Nevada. Formed in 2004, the group is currently signed to BlkHeart Group. They are notable for their politically-charged lyrics, which include themes of government conspiracies and world issues....

     (Active)
  • Mourn Thy Passing (Disbanded 1996)
  • Omen
    Omen (band)
    Omen is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1983, by lead guitarist Kenny Powell, previously with the band Savage Grace and signed on with Metal Blade in 1984, with whom they released their debut Battle Cry .In 1985...

     (Active)
  • Phoenix Mourning (Disbanded 2008)
  • The Red Death
    The Red Death
    The Red Death were a death metal band from Bath, New York.-History:Formed in 2002 after the demise of Another Day Forgotten by singer Paul Hamblin, guitarist Josh Williammee, and drummer Graham Mitchell, the original lineup was rounded out by guitarist Brian VanGelder and bassist Karl Janovec...

  • Those Who Lie Beneath (Active)
  • Sacred Reich
    Sacred Reich
    Sacred Reich is a Phoenix, Arizona-based thrash metal band that formed in 1985. Singer/songwriter Phil Rind's interest was in socially conscious and political speed metal. After several records on Metal Blade Records, they signed to Hollywood Records for a short stint, but later returned to Metal...

     (Active, with Hollywood Records
    Hollywood Records
    Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by Disney Music Group, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company.-History:Hollywood Records was founded in 1989 by then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner with the idea of expanding the music operations of the company and to develop and promote...

    )
  • Shining Fury (Active, Independent)
  • Since the Flood (Disbanded 2008)
  • Slayer
    Slayer
    Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...

     (Active, with American Recordings/Sony Music Entertainment
    Sony Music Entertainment
    Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....

    )
  • Spock's Beard
    Spock's Beard
    Spock's Beard is a progressive rock band formed in 1992 in Los Angeles by brothers Neal and Alan Morse. Neal played keyboards and was the lead vocalist, as well as being the primary songwriter before leaving the band in 2002 to pursue a solo career. Alan plays electric guitar...

     (Active, Independent)
  • Starwood (Status Unknown)
  • Symphorce
    Symphorce
    Symphorce was a German progressive power metal band, originally assembled in 1998.- Biography :The band was formed in October 1998 by singer Andy B. Franck. He created the name Symphorce as a play of words, a portmanteau of symphony and force. It was a few months later, in 1999 that they released...

     (Active)
  • Tactics (Disbanded 1993)
  • Talas (Inactive)
  • Torchbearer (Active, with Vic Records)
  • Torture Killer
    Torture Killer
    Torture Killer is a Finnish death metal band from Turku, Finland, formed in 2002. The band consists of four members, Jari Laine , Tuomas Karppinen , Kim Torniainen , and Tuomo Latvala...

     (Active, with Dynamic Art Records)
  • Trouble
    Trouble (band)
    Trouble is an American doom metal band noted as one of the pioneers of their genre, alongside bands such as Candlemass and Saint Vitus. The band created a distinct style taking influences of the British heavy metal bands Black Sabbath and Judas Priest, and psychedelic rock of the 1970s...

     (Active, with Century Media)
  • Vader
    Vader (band)
    Vader is a Polish death metal band from Olsztyn, formed in 1983. According to Piotr Wiwczarek, the band's founding singer and guitar player, the band's name was inspired by Darth Vader from the Star Wars film series. Lyrical themes include stories by H. P. Lovecraft, WW2, horror and anti-christian...

     (Active, with Nuclear Blast
    Nuclear Blast
    Nuclear Blast is an independent record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The record label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on to releasing albums by melodic...

    )
  • Voivod
    Voivod (band)
    Voivod are a Canadian heavy metal band from Jonquière, Quebec, Canada. Their musical style has changed several times since the band's origin in the early 1980s...

     (Active, with Relapse Records
    Relapse Records
    Relapse Records is an independent record label based in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Matthew F. Jacobson in 1990.-History:The label was started by Matthew F. Jacobson in August, 1990 in his parents' basement in Aurora, Colorado...

    )
  • Winter Solstice
    Winter Solstice (band)
    Winter Solstice was a Christian metalcore band from Lynchburg, Virginia signed to Metal Blade Records. They split up in 2006. Some of the former members have come together with members of Everything Falls Together and to form a new band, Ghost of a Fallen Age...

     (Disbanded 2006)
  • Yob
    Yob (band)
    Yob is a doom metal band from Eugene, Oregon composed of Aaron Reiseberg, Travis Foster, and Mike Scheidt.Yob was founded by vocalist/guitarist Mike Scheidt in 1996. The original incarnation of Yob featured Scheidt alongside bassist Lowell Iles and drummer Greg Ocon...

     (Active, with Profound Lore Records
    Profound Lore Records
    Profound Lore Records is an independent record label founded in May 2004, which "began as the 'hobby-like venture' of a few friends, but over the past six years the label has evolved into a one-man enterprise, shaped a distinct 'aesthetic identity,' and provided owner Chris Bruni with a full-time...

    )
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