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/

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Electronic music lovers know Dimitri and Mike Thivaios as the monolithic brotherly duo "Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike". The brothers are superstars in the electronic music scene that earned the adoration of crowds around the globe. From becoming the first-ever duo to win the World #1 DJ's crown at the prestigious DJ Mag Top 100 DJs Poll in 2015 and 2019, the twosome has continued to stand firm and stay in the top 5 positions in the Poll since 2014.

Collecting more Gold and Platinum records than they can count, Dimitri and Mike have won the hearts of icons across genres collaborating with heavyweight hitters like David Guetta, Daddy Yankee, Natti Natasha, Gucci Mane, Snoop Dogg, Martin Garrix, Diplo, Swedish House Mafia, Steve Aoki, Armin Van Buuren, Afrojack, Ne-Yo, Wiz Khalifa and many more. An invite from Disney Records led the brothers to work with Hans Zimmer on a big room flavour of the film's lead score 'He's a Pirate' for the fifth instalment of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise Dead Men Tell No Tales. They also created the theme for Mortal Kombat 11, the latest instalment of the iconic video game series.

After a stellar rise in the scene for many years, their monumental single 'The Hum' starring Jean Claude Van Damme and Charlie Sheen in the music video scaled new heights. Netting the #1 spot in their native Belgium, the single went platinum, with the music video receiving over 200 million views online. The brothers repeated their magic touch on the Ne-Yo collaboration 'Higher Place', which spent ten weeks atop the Belgian singles chart and secured the #1 Billboard Dance Chart spot. They claimed the #1 spot again with the release of their Diplo collaboration 'Hey Baby' and then again when 'Selfish' featuring Era Istrefi secured the #1 position on the Billboard Dance Chart. Their summer 2017 single 'Complicated', with David Guetta and Kiiara, became one of the year's biggest hits with over 165 million streams on Spotify and 88 million YouTube views. The duo joined forces with W&W on 'Crowd Control', the sonic representation of their iconic dance move. Their involvement on the All-Star collaboration 'Instagram', which included David Guetta, Afro Bros, Daddy Yankee and Natti Natasha, gifted the scene with one of the biggest songs of the summer in 2019 and which currently sits at more than 280 million streams on Spotify. In 2020 they released this monster hit Do It! together with Kimberly Loaiza and Azteck. The single has received more than 235 million TikTok views and over 80 million total streams.

The launch of their yearly homecoming arena concert in 2013 was another example of their enduring appeal. Nearly a decade later and after 25 sold-out concerts, welcoming more than 500,000 fans, Dimitri and Mike had firmly brought the madness of the biggest annual arena show to Antwerp's Sportpaleis. However, it's their position as the ambassadors of the worldwide phenomenon Tomorrowland which has seen them grow to an unprecedented level of stature, playing their part in the incredible rise of the world-famous Belgian festival.

Dimitri and Mike are locking up more than 30 million fans on social media, combined with billions of music streams and video views. In the meantime, they tour the world, selling out stadiums and arenas with immersive live performances. From iconic clubs like Amnesia, Green Valley, Ministry of Sound and Ushuaïa Ibiza, where the duo holds a summer residency in partnership with Tomorrowland, to festival mainstages such as Airbeat One, Balaton Sound, Creamfields, EDC Las Vegas, Lollapalooza, Parookaville, Soundstorm, World Club Dome, Tomorrowland, Untold and many more.

With a globe-trotting tour schedule while running one of the most iconic record labels in the scene and producing some of the biggest electronic records of the past decade, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike have proved that together, they have what it takes to dominate the scene as they persistently strive to give their global fan base the best experience and memories feasible.

Rayhan Putra is following