A music starved kid named Brian Slagel, killing time in suburban Los Angeles, gets sick of watching the local metal scene being ignored by the major labels. Working days at legendary metal emporium Oz Records and nights putting together one of the first metal fanzines, The New Heavy Metal Revue, Slagel asks some distributor friends if they'd be interested in circulating a compilation of unsigned bands if he put it together. The distributors said yes and Metal Blade Records was born. Of course it wasn't quite that simple. Putting in long 17-hour days between Oz and Metal Blade, Slagel pieced together the bands that would grace the label's first release - The New Heavy Metal Revue presents Metal Massacre. Metallica, Ratt and Black 'N' Blue were just a few of the willing locals. Except before Metal Massacre, Metallica didn't exist.

The noise began 27 years ago…

So now for over 27 years Metal Blade Records has been setting the trend in heavy metal music without compromising its underground beginnings. Brian Slagel and Metal Blade Records have without a doubt had a major role in developing the American metal scene since day one and remains one of the most essential sources of metal music today. Since it’s beginnings in 1982, Metal Blade Records has unleashed some of the most influential and significant metal acts like Slayer, Metallica, Cannibal Corpse, GWAR, Six Feet Under, and King Diamond while developing acts like As I Lay Dying, Unearth, The Black Dahlia Murder, Amon Amarth, Job For a Cowboy, The Red Chord, Hate Eternal, Shai Hulud, Soilent Green, Whitechapel, Goatwhore, The Ocean, Brain Drill, Epicurean and 3 just to name a few. There are few who can argue that Metal Blade is one of the leading independent metal labels around! Constantly growing and expanding, Metal Blade now has offices in Japan, Canada, and an office in the UK shared with Ferret Records. Not to mention the already significant Metal Blade Records Germany who’s been a strong and major force in the European scene for over 11 years. By keeping a constant eye on the underground, adding some of the best bands out there to its roster, and being one of the main sponsors to one of the summers leading metal tours, Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival, it is obvious that Metal Blade Records is here to stay!

Evergreen Terrace, As I Lay Dying, Anterior, The Absence, Austrian Death Machine, Allegaeon, Shai Hulud