This past month, there was a boat load of heavy metal music emerging from Metal Blade Records. Many of these bands are four or five albums into their career. Doom metal bands The Devil’s Blood and Church of Misery as well as death metal band The Black Dahlia Murder will be performing this summer’s Vans Warped Tour. Later on this month, we’ll get new death metal from Sweden’s Amon Amarth, who climbed aboard the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival this past month. With Vans, Mayhem, and Heavy MTL in the near future, I decided to dedicate this feature of In The Clouds to Metal Blade Records, a consistent source of leading metal. For those of you that might be unfamiliar here’s a little history lesson.

Metal Blade Records was founded by Brian Slagel, who at the time was a record store employee in suburban Los Angeles, as a way to increase the recognition of local metal bands. The label’s first release was a compilation album called The New Heavy Metal Revue presents Metal Massacre which included Metallica, Ratt, and Black ‘N Blue. With Billboard topping artists including The Goo Goo Dolls, Amon Amarth, Trouble, As I Lay Dying, Behemoth, The Black Dahlia Murder, Slayer, Cannibal Corpse, Gwar, Job for a Cowboy, Whitechapel, and Between the Buried and Me, Metal Blade has proven over and over that they represent awesome metal and rock.

Hidden Masters are a kick ass psychedelic rock/pop band from Glasgow, Scotland. Their track “Nobody Knows That We’re Here”, released a few weeks ago on Soundcloud, has been added to my permanent playlist. Although this isn’t what I what would classify as metal, it is friggen addictive. They take accents from the ’60s british invasion and influences from Jethro tull, with a little King Diamond thrown in. Known for their electrifying live shows, they offer the audience a one-stop intravenous blast of hedonistic joy, with carnal flailing limbs, euphoric wow-impulse neural stimulation, and unprecedented levels of perspiration. This band has captured a lost art-form, and I would highly recommend buying their album Of This And Other Worlds.

Next up hailing from Sweden is Noctum. While preparing a late 2013 release with Metal Blade, they decided to unveil their new track, Liberty in Death via Soundcloud. Heavier and darker than their previous material, Liberty in Death is a fast and powerful classic rock piece. Packed with an impressive guitar solo, Liberty in Death demonstrates that Noctum are very talented musicians who deserve all the attention they are receiving.

Last but not least, I would strongly recommend checking out Metal Blade’s summer sampler with the likes of Amon Amarth, The Black Dahlia Murder, Job For Cowboy, and Battlecross. It’s available to download right here on Soundcloud, on CD at the Metal Blade booth on the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Fest, as well as at The Black Dahlia Murder’s booth at Vans Warped. See you in the pit, and remember, keep it heavy!

Take A listen for your self and check out all these artists and this amazing label at: Metal Blade – www.metalblade.com & www.soundcloud.com/metalbladerecords, Hidden Masters – www.facebook.com/hiddenmastersmusic, Noctum – www.noctumofficial.com

– By Lana Nimmons