Metal Blade Records (often shortened to Metal Blade) is an American independent record label<!-- Sourced --> founded by Brian Slagel in 1982 based in the U.S. state of California. The label primarily focuses on heavy metal.
History
Metal Blade Records was founded in 1982 by Brian Slagel alongside its first release, Metal Massacre. Slagel was an employee of Los Angeles record store Oz Records and had launched a metal fanzine known as The New Heavy Metal Revue. He was a fan of New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) Inspired by popular NWOBM compilations such as Metal for Muthas, he reached out to several local bands regarding contributing to a compilation that he envisioned as a showcase of "the best metal Los Angeles had to offer."
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In April 1987, Metal Blade and Enigma Records signed a long-term distribution and development deal, with Enigma promoting and distributing Metal Blade Records artists' records along with distribution through CEMA, a record-label distribution branch of Capitol-EMI.
On January 18, 2017, Metal Blade Records was inducted into the Hall of Heavy Metal History for their large contribution to the Heavy Metal library. Slagel was inducted by special guest Kerry King of Slayer. On August 29, 2017, BMG Rights Management published The Sake of Heaviness: The History of Metal Blade Records, a book on the label's history, co-written by Mark Eglington and the label's founder Brian Slagel.
In 2019 Metal Blade Records opened a store in Las Vegas, Nevada that sold rare and out-of-print items from them and their artists.