Metal Blade Records and BMG are proud to announce the upcoming release of For the Sake of Heaviness: the History of Metal Blade Records on August 29th.
Written by label founder and CEO Brian Slagel with Mark Eglinton, the book features a foreword by Metallica‘s Lars Ulrich and celebrates the storied label’s 35th anniversary.
Slagel comments: “I have been asked many times about doing a book about the history of Metal Blade and it just seemed like a cool thing to do to document the 35th anniversary. You never really stop to think about a lot of this stuff, so doing the book is a great way of looking back at how many awesome things have happened to me and Metal Blade. We have had a long relationship with BMG and with their new move in book publishing, it all seemed like perfect timing. Being able to work with their team really made the final decision to actually do the book. I am really happy with the way it came out and I hope everyone out there enjoys it as well!”
For the Sake of Heaviness is an inside look at how Slagel built Metal Blade from a one-man operation in his mom’s non-air-conditioned garage to the preeminent international home of heavy music that it is today. The book recounts the early beginning of a metal-obsessed Southern California kid who launched a fanzine and landed a record store job, before cobbling together what he assumed would be a one-off compilation of fledgling bands from the L.A. scene. Released in 1982, the Metal Massacre LP included the debut recordings of local groups such as Steeler, Malice, Ratt, and Metallica.
For the Sake of Heaviness pulls back the curtain to reveal the definitive look at how Metal Blade began, what they’ve accomplished, and where they’re going. Slagel reveals the early advice he gave that helped guide Motley Crue‘s career; how he helped Metallica replace their bassist – twice; his detailed work on Thin Lizzy and Alice Cooper re-issues; his behind-the-scenes role in the careers of Slayer, GWAR, Mother Love Bone, Alice in Chains, Faith No More, Goo Goo Dolls, and Lamb of God; and his unlikely ventures with kindred metal heads – from hockey star Ken Baumgartner, to celebrity chef Chris Santos, to The Howard Stern Show‘s Richard Christy, to comedians Jim Florentine, Don Jamieson and Jim Breuer.
Stay tuned for more details, and pre-order options, coming soon!
Metal Blade Records has launched a new edition of the “6 Bands in 60 Seconds” campaign, where CEO Brian Slagel spotlights six artists from the label’s roster every three months. The goal of the promotion is to help fans discover new music from some of the most promising acts in the scene. The latest installment of the series features Byzantine, God Dethroned, Execration, Below, Tombs, and Igorrr;
To watch the video clip, and to learn more about the artists, please visit: metalblade.com/6bands
To state that The Cicada Tree is “classic Byzantine” in no way implies that this upcoming album (due out July 28th) is solely rooted in the band’s past. Certainly, all of the hallmarks that have made their sound so compelling for close to two decades are present and correct: muscular yet lithe riffs and fluid leads play against gripping, dynamic and at times unpredictable rhythms, while rich melodies and lyrics that are both involved and intelligent wind their way through every track. But, once more, the groove metal unit has continued their steady evolution – the interplay between their members organic and natural, imbuing the record’s sixty-two-minute running time with a freshness and urgency. For more information, please visit: metalblade.com/byzantine
Igorrr – the brainchild of French musician and eclectic composer Gautier Serre – released their new album, Savage Sinusoid last week, with it being dubbed “a profound work that explores the gift of art” (Metal Injection, 10/10). On this record, electronic manipulations, accordion, saxophone, sitar, harpsichord, mandolin and strings sit comfortably alongside ruthless blastbeats, chunky riffs, death grunts and soaring operatic vocals – and as chaotic as this might sometimes seem, there is no lack of heart behind everything thundering from the speakers. To realize Savage Sinusoid as a completely sample-free record, Serre reunited with vocalists Laurent Lunoir and Laure Le Prunenec, along with drummer Sylvain Bouvier, and collaborated with more musicians than on any of his previous releases – one of those guests being Cattle Decapitation‘s Travis Ryan, who lends his vocals on “Cheval”, “Apopathodiaphulatophobie” and “Robert”. “Viande” also sees Teloch (Mayhem) contribute some guitar/bass work, while “Houmous” features accordionists Pierre Mussi and Adam Stacey (the latter of whom is in Secret Chiefs 3 – a project by Mr. Bungle‘s Trey Spruance). For more information, please visit: metalblade.com/igorrr
Last month, Dutch death metallers God Dethroned unleashed The World Ablaze – the last album of their World War I trilogy. “We aimed to create an album that is very dynamic and diverse,” God Dethroned comments. “It contains typical GD riffing with loads of melodies and catchy hooks. Diversity to the max! Dan Swano mixed the album in his typical fashion but without robbing the band of its own identity. Mastering was handled at the Wisseloord Studios where they also mastered albums for bands like Rammstein, among many others, and they put the icing on the cake. The album sounds crystal clear and heavy as fuck at the same time.” For more information, please visit: metalblade.com/goddethroned
“Coming off of two double 12” vinyl albums, the first clear goal for writing ‘Return To The Void‘ was to deliver the same kind of dynamic and shifting song-writing in a more condensed to-the-point package”, comments Execration. Stripping songs down to their essential core has been a driving force while writing, and it shows – there is not a wasted moment on Return To The Void. Due out July 14th, the album ticks in at 42 minutes – a perfect fit for the vinyl format – and takes the listener through a whirlwind of thrash, death, black, and even heavy metal, fast and slow parts, and the trademark Execration shifts in mood, tempo, and atmosphere. For more information, please visit: metalblade.com/execration
Swedish epic doom metallers Below released their new full-length, Upon A Pale Horse, last month to critical acclaim, with Deaf Forever Germany hailing it as a “killer album!” (9.5/10). “With ‘Upon a Pale Horse‘, we feel that we have found our sound,” the band asserts. “We have grown as songwriters and this album contains our fastest and slowest, shortest and longest, heaviest and most melodic songs to-date. Making this album more diverse, yet still staying true to the core of heavy riffs and melodies that is Below.” For more information, please visit: metalblade.com/below
Produced once again by Erik Rutan (Cannibal Corpse, Soilent Green, Belphegor, Hate Eternal), The Grand Annihilation – Tombs’ fourth full-length – was released last week, becoming the group’s most experimental record to-date. The blasting, scathing yet melodic black metal savagery of opener “Black Sun Horizon” and “Way Of The Storm” are very much built to destroy, while wielding a poignancy that is undeniable – both of which stand in strong contrast to the uncomfortable post-punk squall of “Underneath” that showcases front-man Mike Hill’s Nick Cave/Ian Curtis-esque singing voice, while the likes of the throbbing “Saturnalian” and unnerving tribal thunder of “Walk With Me In Nightmares” stand in categories all of their own. While every track on The Grand Annihilation stands separate from those around it, it is still a cohesive collection, and at no point do the stylistic twists and turns undermine its coherence. For more information, please visit: metalblade.com/tombs
“Mankind Will Have No Mercy” is the latest single from New Orleans metal legion Goatwhore.
Check out the audio menace here
A sonic manifestation of war, chaos, desolation, and emotional conflict, seamlessly bridging twenty years of the band’s signature brand of audio venom, Vengeful Ascension finds its members at their most accomplished – both individually and as a cohesive unit. Guitarist Sammy Duet’s dense, sub nuclear riff work and possessed solo blitzes are at their most devastating, spiraling flawlessly and instinctually around drummer Zack Simmons’ and bassist James Harvey’s hammering rhythms with front-man Ben Falgoust’s distinctly commanding roar, his acidic prose more enunciated than ever before, complimenting the apocalyptic proceedings.
The punishing hymn comes by way of the band’s new full-length, Vengeful Ascension, which is out now!
www.nervegas.com.au/goatwhore
