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/

TODTGELICHTER history 2015 

Founded in 2002 as a Black Metal outfit, TODTGELICHTER always stood for a diverse and wide-ranged musical journey: After a demo and two BM albums - the second one already pushing the boundaries of the genre with elements such as Didgeridoo and Saxophone - the third album “Angst” secured them a place at the top of Germany's Avantgarde/Progressive/Post-Metal scene with overwhelming press response, an enthusiastic fanbase and several album-of–the-month awards. Their next album „Apnoe“ cemented this status, this time focusing on distinctive guitar melodies, double lead vocals and a somewhat more mature songwriting. 

Their outputs have always been accompanied by selected live appearances completely in distinctive white outfits and make up: Not only did they support PRIMORDIAL on two exclusive release-gigs, they also played at the RAGNARÖK Festival (twice so far), the METALFEST Dessau, the extended HEIDENFEST Tour 2011 in front of several thousand attendants and the WAVE GOTIK TREFFEN 2012 plus being featured on a main German television channel, Sat1 – as well as countless club shows and minitours, many of them as a headliner. 

During a self-imposed live pause due to family priorities the band wrote their fifth album called „Rooms“ - an album that deals with death, memories, and the demons that accompanied a difficult time for the founding members. With new members Floris and Guntram TODTGELICHTER set out to return to old strenght, a perfect symbiosis of all four previous albums - with all the calm and melancholic but also the menacing and agressive moments the band is known for, while again venturing further into unknown waters. 

The most important change comes with the switch to of long-time band member Marta taking over all vocals and screams as well as the addition of organ player Frieder, who implements church organ and 70/80ies organs and synths into the songs – adding a dark and sacral atmosphere. 

The fitting and simplicistic cover artwork comes from the renowned Norwegian artist Truls Espedal, best known to the metal scene for his work for the Avantgarde/Prog Vikings ENSLAVED. 

„Rooms“ is ca. 52 min. of dark progressive extreme Metal in 9 tracks – nothing less! 

Tracklist: 
01.	 Ghost
02.	Schrein
------ Remembrance Tryptych----------
03.	Lost
04.	Shinigami
05.	Necromant
------------------------------------------------
06.	Zuflucht
07.	4JK
08.	Origin
09.	Pacific

TODTGELICHTER anno 2015:
Marta: vocals, screams
Frederic: guitars, backing vocals
Floris: guitars
Guntram: bass
Frieder: organ, synths
Tentakel P.: drums

Discography:
2003 – Fluch/ Sog In Den Wahnsinn (self-released)
2005 – Was Bleibt... (Folter Rec.)
2007 – Schemen (Folter Rec.)
2010 – Angst (Code666/ Aural Music)
2013 – Apnoe (Code666/ Aural Music)
2015/2016 – Rooms

With a line up that includes musicians from bands as varied as URGEHAL, PANTHEON I, UNTIME, MELCH, HALLUCINATIONS, POWERSWORD and SARKOM, TROLLFEST’s members bring with them not only a wealth of experience and the skill to make use of instruments like the accordion, the banjo and the saxophone, but also a sense of diversity that allows the band to create a sound that is distinctly its own.  Whilst “True Norwegian Balkan Metal” goes some way towards describing the TROLLFEST sound - hinting as it does at the extreme end of metal, with a good pinch of local traditional folk - it doesn’t really go the whole way towards capturing the sense of fun and sheer exuberance with which the band tackles everything it does, whether it involves playing in the studio or performing live.  

Formed in 2004, in Oslo, Norway, when a bunch of musicians became bored with the selection of party music that was available to them, and, helped along by the consumption of large quantities of alcohol, the soon-to-be members of TrollfesT decided to take matters into their own hands. One website and six songs later, a German label, which at the time was called Solistium, recognised the potential in the madness and got in touch. With the immortal words “what the heck, let’s give it a go” TrollfesT agreed to a deal and started writing new material.  By 2005 “Willkommen Folk tell Drekka Fest!!” hit the streets.  And life as we know it was never the same again. 

Containing a selection of sounds and comments, many of which you would not necessarily come across if you only frequented polite parties, “Willkommen…” displayed some unique qualities that caught people’s attention and consequently sold rather a lot of copies, so a deal for a second album was signed and in 2006 the story of Brakebein the Troll was released. “Brakebein” (not a bad choice for a title really given its subject matter), appeared in two versions - one that included a cartoon illustrating Brakebein’s voyage, and the other that included the lyrics.  

During the first years, TrollfesT never actually played live, but nevertheless the two albums succeeded in making the band a sought after addition to festivals, and the first foray beyond the planning stage occurred in 2007 as one of the headlining bands at the Ninth Barther Metal Open Air Festival.  TrollfesT then went on to headline and play various festivals and concerts around Europe during 2007/08 including the Ragnarök and Riedfest festivals.

January 2009 saw the release of TrollfesT’s third studio album “Villanden”.  A much-anticipated underground album according to feedback from the fans, “Villanden” was quickly acknowledged as one of the craziest albums to have been released in a very long time, mixing, as it did, European Balkan music with extreme metal, and spread rapidly through the viral networks like YouTube, MySpace and Facebook.   

2011 saw TrollfesT sign with NoiseArt Records for the release of the new album “En Kvest For Den Hellige Gral” which is due to hit the streets in April, and with Rock The Nation for world-wide booking. With several live and Festival appearances already set, the Trolls are up and running towards the future. 
 
So how would anyone, in their right mind, or otherwise, dare to define TrollfesT?  The closest you would come is probably True Norwegian Balkan Metal, but even then you would need to include influences from lots more genres.  The best way to put it is that this band is all about alcohol, joy and music, three subjects that draw in fans from all ages and genres, eager to listen to TrollfesT’s records and witness the exuberant and skilled live performances.  
 
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Web Site: http://www.trollfest.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/trollfestofficial
ReverbNation: http://www.reverbnation.com/trollfest 
Band Contact: trollfest_@hotmail.com 
Management: david@firebirdindustries.eu
Booking: laudi@rtn-touring.com


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