Metal Blade Records history by Dan Slessor:
Founded upon owner Brian Slagel's enduring drive to find great bands and get their music out to as many people as possible, since 1982 Metal Blade has brought wave after wave of powerful, innovative, and often genre-defining music to the ever-hungry metal masses. It is this ethos that has seen Metal Blade build up a stunning and diverse catalogue, weather the various storms facing any independent label, and in an age of declining record sales boast the most successful years of its existence as it strides into its fourth decade.

What perhaps makes this achievement all the more notable is the fact that Slagel never even intended to start a label. Working in an LA record store and writing for various publications, Slagel was acutely aware that many great bands in the local metal scene were being ignored, and he decided to release a compilation of tracks drawn from these ranks. "There were a lot of really good bands and I was just bummed out that nobody could hear them. It just seemed like I could help them out and have some fun at the same time, and that compilation was the first Metal Massacre," he states. Collating tracks from then unknown bands including Ratt, Bitch, Cirith Ungol, and Metallica amongst others, the compilation sold out immediately. "How important is Metal Blade to our career? They're only the reason we are enjoying the worldwide success we have today," states Metallica's James Hetfield. "Without Brian's openness to some raunchy teens with a crap sounding cassette tape we would be who knows where, and playing who knows what!" With the popularity of the tape spurring Slagel on, the first seeds of Metal Blade were sown. "After the success of those compilations I just started putting out records of bands that I was friends with, but without ever really intending it to be a label at all," he explains. "After I put out four or five releases I started to feel like something was happening, and I decided to quit the record store and quit college and see where it went."

Battling through the first few lean years, when the label consisted solely of Slagel working out of his mom's poorly ventilated garage in the San Fernando Valley, it gradually grew in both revenue and stature. Within a few years Metal Blade would go on to release the debuts of Slayer, Armored Saint, Trouble, and Corrosion Of Conformity amongst others, fanning the flames of the burgeoning metal scene and launching careers of bands that would go onto reap global success. "Without Metal Blade, there is a damn good chance we never would've made it out of L.A," says Slayer's Kerry King. "That was the one bit of luck we needed. You can be the most awesome band on the scene, and if no one notices you, you don't catch on. And Brian Slagel is still one of the biggest metalheads I know!" This genuine love and devotion to metal is central to the relationship many of the artists have with Metal Blade, and King Diamond credits much of its relevance and strength to this passion. "I refer to it as having 'boots on the ground'," the mighty Dane states. "It's not like a major label where some people might be into what you're doing but a lot of them just see it as a job – there's a genuine love for metal there. Through staying true to that and doing their own thing they've carved out a very specific niche that they control, and as an artist it's wonderful to be a part of that."over the years. Clearly without those people we couldn't do what we do, and to everyone out there who has helped us along by being a fan we are so very grateful to you."

Read more: http://www.metalblade.com/us/about-us/

Criolo; MC, singer, songwriter, released his album “Nó na Orelha” (Knot in the Ear) in May 2011. Produced by Daniel Ganjaman, known for his work with artists such as Nação Zumbi and the late Sabotage, and Marcelo Cabral, a pre-eminent musician of the new generation in Brazil, all tracks were composed and written by Criolo.

“Nó na Orelha” was initially available in Brazil as a free download and only commercially released on CD and vinyl in June 2012, when it also gained its first international exposure via the London-based label, Sterns Music.

Since the release of the album it has received over a dozen awards, both inside and outside of Brazil and Criolo has performed at over 200 shows within Brazil alone. In 2012 he toured internationally and visited 11 countries where his concerts were attended by crowds of all ages. These included the Roskilde Festival in Denmark and the Summer Stage Festival in New York’s Central Park.

The success of “Nó na Orelha” has led Criolo to share the stage with Caetano Veloso, Seu Jorge and the fado singer Ana Moura. In London he collaborated with the Ethio-Jazz icon Mulatu Astatke. Homage has been paid by Chico Buarque, and Criolo was interviewed by Spike Lee for the documentary “Go, Brazil, Go”. During one of the performances of “Nó na Orelha” in Rio de Janeiro, Ney Matogrosso took the stage to duet on the song “Freguês da Meia-Noite”, written by Criolo and to be recorded by Ney for his next album.

In 2013, his whole show “Nó na Orelha – Live at Circo Voador” was filmed in Rio de Janeiro and released as a ‘pay-as-you-like’ download. The DVD and CD “Criolo and Emicida – Live”, directed by Andrucha Waddington, Paula Lavigne and Ricardo Della Rosa, was also released in 2013.

In October 2013, the single “Duas de Cinco” was released digitally and on 12 inch vinyl in Brazil. It contains two new tracks, again produced by Daniel Ganjaman and Marcelo Cabral. A video featuring the lyrics of the first track “Duas de Cinco” has been produced by the project’s art director, Ricardo Fernandes, and is available on YouTube.

It’s classic rap over a sampled beat, with dense verses that feature a bold critique of contemporary Brazil. The chorus, taken from the song “Califórnia Azul” by Rodrigo Campos, a Brazilian artist of the same generation as Criolo, was the starting point for both lyrics and beats.

With the addition of Thomas Rohrer on the rabeca, the traditional violin from the north of Brazil, the B-side of the single, “Coccix-ência”, was recorded live in the El Rocha Studio by the superb musicians that have been Criolo’s backing band for the past two years. These two new songs, together with material from his 2006 release “Ainda Há Tempo” are now part of the repertoire of Criolo’s live shows.

On stage, Criolo performs alongside the producers Daniel Ganjaman (keyboards and electronic programming), who is also the musical director of the show, and Marcelo Cabral (acoustic and electric bass). The musicians Guilherme Held (guitar), Maurício Badé (percussion), Sérgio Machado (drums) and ‘loyal servant’ DJ Dan Dan (vocals and turntables) complete the line-up. - See more at: http://criolo.net

Mescalha é uma banda de Rock and Roll formada na cidade de Londrina em 2007. Seus trabalhos possuem bastante influência do rock and roll clássico 60&70, rock progressivo, blues & funk, nacional e internacional.

Com a originalidade de suas composições, marcadas por influências das músicas africana, eletrônica, jamaicana e vertentes do rock, desde o ano 2000, o artista traduz em versos inteligentes e sagazes as experiências vividas nas ruas da periferia paulistana desde os anos 80. Abordando questões raciais e sociais no contexto da metrópole, Rincon Sapiência apresenta um rap com clima de positividade, sem prejuízo à postura crítica do discurso, resultado da sua notável fome de rima aliada à sua habilidade nata de jogar com as palavras. Versátil, ele também atua como beatmaker em seus próprios trabalhos.

A universalidade da música e dos temas abordados pelo repertório de Rincon favorecem o seu trânsito em outros círculos que não sejam necessariamente periféricos. Sua forte identidade artística, reforçada por um estilo original, também está presente nos clipes "Elegância", "Transporte Público", “Linhas de Soco”, "Profissão Perigo" e "Coisas de Brasil". Como ator, Rincon contracenou com o ator Wagner Moura no filme "A Busca", dirigido por Luciano Moura, seguida da participação no filme “Jonas”, dirigido por Lô Polliti, do qual também participaram os rappers Criolo e Karol Conka.

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