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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All hip-hop, all the time. From trailblazing tracks to today’s genre-defying drops. Discover it now on SiriusXM’s SoundCloud Radio.siriusxm.us/SoundCloudRadio

Hip-hop’s lyricists, left-field auteurs, and rap’s fertile underground. Curated by SoundCloud.

A HANDFUL OF BANDS PLAY THE “DEVASTATING RIFFS AND CATCHY HOOKS” GAME, BUT FOR BEARTOOTH, THIS MUSIC IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH. AS EASYGOING, CHARMING, AND OUTGOING AS THESE YOUNG MEN MAY APPEAR, THERE’S AN INNER TURMOIL CHURNING AWAY, ONLY SATIATED BY THE SAVAGE MUSIC THEY PLAY. SUICIDAL IDEATION, EMOTIONAL DESOLATION, AND DESPERATE DARK NIGHTS OF THE SOUL ARE CHEWED UP AND SPAT OUT IN SONG AFTER SONG; CATHARTIC SINGALONG ANTHEMS LIKE “FED UP,” “SICK OF ME,” AND “IN BETWEEN.”

LIKE NINE INCH NAILS OR TAME IMPALA, BEARTOOTH IS A ONE-MAN BAND IN THE STUDIO. IT BEGAN AS MUSICAL EXORCISM, CONCEIVED IN FRONTMAN CALEB SHOMO’S HOME RECORDING SANCTUARY, A MEANS TO TAME THE DEMONS OF DEBILITATING DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY HE’S SUFFERED SINCE CHILDHOOD. BEARTOOTH HARNESS THE SACRED AND PROFANE TO PURGE INNER DARKNESS WITH A DIZZYING LIGHT. BEARTOOTH’S EFFECT ON LISTENERS IS EVIDENT BY THEIR HIGHLY-ENGAGED AUDIENCE; INVITATIONS TO MAJOR FESTIVALS WORLD AND TOURS WITH SLIPKNOT, BRING ME THE HORIZON, AND A DAY TO REMEMBER; AND A RIAA-CERTIFIED GOLD SINGLE.

WHEN ROLLING STONE INTRODUCED BEARTOOTH AS ONE OF 10 NEW ARTISTS YOU NEED TO KNOW, THE SOUND WAS RIGHTLY DESCRIBED AS “LIKE A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN, USUALLY WITH ENOUGH OPTIMISM TO PUSH THROUGH.” AS LONG AS THE DUELING DICHOTOMY OF MENTAL ANGUISH AND CREATIVE CATHARSIS REMAIN BOUND TOGETHER, CALEB SHOMO AND CREW WILL BE HERE TO OVERSEE THE SHOW. SO PLEASE, ENJOY THE RIDE.

After years of touring and performing around the world with various bands, vocalist Jerry Roush finally has a band to call his own. The former frontman for Sky Eats Airplane and Of Mice & Men has joined forces with 8-string guitarist Joshua Travis [The Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravaganza], bassist Travis Sykes and drummer Chad Hasty to create Glass Cloud.

The Hampton, VA-based band is currently in San Diego, CA recording their debut full-length album at Lambesis Studios, with Joshua Travis also serving as producer. Glass Cloud will release the full-length album in late Spring/early Summer 2012 through Equal Vision Records.

Musically, Glass Cloud offers a sense of controlled chaos fueled by Roush's deep, ferocious growls and distinct, gritty cleans. Travis' phenomenal guitarwork and ability to constantly surprise listeners stands out as he displays the perfect balance between energetic, driving intricacies and calmer progressions that carry a dark, eerie tone. Sykes and Hasty, graduates of Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, rule the rhythm section contributing unique cadences and swinging, jazzy grooves interlaced with softer symphonic touches. Glass Cloud shines as the members deliver some of their heaviest and most technical compositions to date.

Excitement and enthusiasm simply radiates out of the band as they discuss working together in the studio and developing a sound that is all their own. “The collective musicianship and talent level in this band is unbelievable,” explains Travis. “…and to top it off, the guys are all down-to-earth people too. Working on this record has been a lot of fun. We are trying to introduce something organic and ambient into heavy music. Not the typical breakdown heavy, but darker chords upon layers and layers.”

Roush also boasts unabashedly about the remarkable caliber of musical proficiency within the band, and specifically about the creative connection between himself and Travis stating, “From the moment he became involved in this band, he was sending me fully finished tracks left and right, songs that were blowing my mind. Musically, Josh is a beast…the dude is a musical machine. We meshed so well, right from the start, making tracks that had no limits to them. I couldn’t have asked for a better and more prolific guitarist to accompany me in this new musical endeavor. And with Josh being the producer of the debut Glass Cloud record, we know that we are making the exact album that we want to make.”

“We have been working intensely in the studio, but it will definitely pay off when we introduce something new and fresh to the scene,” Travis concludes. “I don’t think I could be more excited about a project.” Glass Cloud will spend 2012 on the road supporting their forthcoming album, with tour dates to be announced soon.

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