‘For the Sake of Heaviness: The History of Metal Blade Records’ Hits Shelves

Thirty-five years after its beginnings in a Southern California garage, Metal Blade Records has become an enduring icon in the world of Heavy Rock. Label founder and CEO Brian Slagel’s mission to bring Metal to the masses saw him release his very first compilation, ‘Metal Massacre,’ in 1982; the now-legendary album featured the recording debuts of both Ratt and Metallica among its tracklist. Since then, the acts that have recorded for the venerated label read like a veritable Who’s Who of Hard Rock’s last four decades: Slayer and Armored Saint both released their debuts through Metal Blade, seminal works by Mercyful Fate, King’s X, Voivod, and Flotsam and Jetsam have all been graced by the imprint, and the current roster is one of the industry’s strongest, with acts like Behemoth, GWAR, Byzantine, and Cannibal Corpse currently calling the label home.

 

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GWAR Announce New Album ‘The Blood of Gods’ Due 10/20/17!

The youth of America have been infected!   As the stars of the 2017 Vans Warped Tour, your Lords and Masters, GWAR , have destroyed and pillaged the country all summer long, as only they could.  Warped Tour fans and fellow bands alike were molested, mutilated and left emotionally devastated by GWAR‘s performances from sea to shining sea.   Continue reading

GWAR: ORGASMAGEDDON Comic Series Has Exclusive Rewards For Kickstarter Contributors!

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The out of this galaxy band GWAR need your help to conquor the world through art. Due to massive demand – GWAR: ORGASMAGEDDON, a fun and blood-drenched 4-issue full-color comic book series now on Kickstarter, unveils a ton more new and exciting limited edition rewards to bestow upon loyal backers. They aren’t expecting you to give your hard earned currency for nothing either, and they have some sweet treats for people that help out. New rewards include a second Kickstarter exclusive GWAR T-shirt, signed art and merchandise from the band, original painted art from the band, and very rare prints of new GWAR art from artists Stephen Blickenstaff (the artist behind the iconic The Cramps “Bad Music for Bad People” album cover art), Chris Pyrate, and Tom Neeley. More art to be revealed later this week from artist Kyle Strahm. The comic series is blowing up Kickstarter, raking in a whopping $32,000 in less than two weeks, and is written by the cosmic shock rock legends GWAR, co-writer Matt Miner (Toe Tag Riot, Critical Hit), artist Jonathan Brandon Sawyer (Welcome Back, Critical Hit), colorist Marissa Louise (RoboCop, Escape from New York), letterer Taylor Esposito (The Paybacks, Red Hood and the Outlaws) and editor Brendan Wright (Archie vs. Predator, Grindhouse: Doors Open at Midnight). Continue reading

Battlecross: New Song “Spoiled” Now Available For Streaming!

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New Battlecross song, “Spoiled” is now available for streaming (Below). The song is the first released from the upcoming album entitled “Rise To Power” which is due out on August 21st via Metal Blade. The new song starts out with this throwback 80’s style guitar riff and then jumps to a more modern thrash sound. It is the Battlecross we have all grown to love since the debut release on Metal Blade “Pursuit of Honor”. They are currently wrapping up a tour with Crowbar, and Lord Dying which will end on July 3rd in Baton Rouge. After that they will have some time off before hitting the road on Gwar’s 30 Years of Total World Domination tour with Butcher Babies.

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8/25 — Millvale, Pa. — Mr. Small’s Theater
8/27 — Des Moines, Iowa — Wooly’s
8/28 — Lincoln, Neb. — Bourbon Theater
8/30 — Lawrence, Kan. — Granada
8/31 — Tulsa, Okla. — Cain’s Ballroom
9/1 — San Antonio, Texas — Kapone’s
9/2 — Baton Rouge, La. — Varsity Theater
9/3 — Mobile, Ala. — Soul Kitchen
9/4 — Birmingham, Ala. — Iron City
9/5 — New Albany, Ind. — Rustic Frog / Befuddled Fest
9/6 — Winston-Salem, N.C. — Ziggy’s
9/8 — Wilmington, N.C. — Ziggy’s By the Sea
9/9 — Jacksonville, Fla. — Freebird Live
9/10 — Chattanooga, Tenn. — Track 29
9/11 — Sauget, Ill. — Pop’s
9/14 — Poughkeepsie, N.Y. — The Chance
9/15 — S. Burlington, Vt. — Higher Ground
9/16 — Reading, Pa. — Reverb
9/17 — Huntington, N.Y. — Paramount
9/18 — Rochester, N.Y. — Water Street Music Hall

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Cover art was completed by Hungarian artist Péter Sallai