Retroactive Records | |
---|---|
Founded | 2002 |
Founder | Matt Hunt |
Distributor(s) | Brutal Planet Distribution (US) Cargo Twilight (DE) Plastic Head (UK) Season of Mist (FR) Metalzone (Belgium) |
Genre | Christian metal, heavy metal, hard rock, Christian rock |
Country of origin | United States |
Location | Keokuk, Iowa |
Official website | www |
Retroactive Records is an independent record label in Keokuk, Iowa.
The label was founded in 2002 by Matt Hunt, who had previously operated a small label called Magdalene Records. Originally intended to reissue classic Christian metal, the label has since grown to sign new artists, release original albums by those artists, [1] and release other genres of music. [2] They have also started and acquired several smaller labels. [3]
The following [4] represents a list of bands with albums both released and re-released on Retroactive. Bands with re-releases only on Retroactive are indicated with a
King's X is an American rock band that combines progressive metal, funk and soul with vocal arrangements influenced by gospel, blues, and British Invasion rock groups. Despite a largely underground reputation as the "musician's musicians", King's X was pivotal in the early development of progressive metal, and produced a series of early records considered essential within the genre. The band's lyrics are largely based on the members' struggles with religion and self-acceptance. King's X was ranked No. 83 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.
Christian metal, also known as white metal, Jesus metal or heavenly metal, is a form of heavy metal music usually defined by its message using song lyrics as well as the dedication of the band members to Christianity. Christian metal is typically performed by professed Christians principally for Christians who listen to heavy metal music and often produced and distributed through various Christian networks.
Payable on Death is an American Christian nu metal band formed in 1992 and based in San Diego, California. The band's line-up consists of drummer and rhythm guitarist Wuv Bernardo, vocalist Sonny Sandoval, bassist Traa Daniels, and lead guitarist Marcos Curiel. They have sold over 12 million records worldwide. Over the course of their career, the band has received three Grammy Award nominations, contributed to numerous motion picture soundtracks and toured internationally. With their third studio album, The Fundamental Elements of Southtown, they achieved their initial mainstream success; the album was certified platinum by the RIAA in 2000. Their following studio album, Satellite, continued the band's success with the singles, "Alive" and "Youth of the Nation", pushing it to go triple platinum.
DevilDriver is an American heavy metal band from Santa Barbara, California, formed in 2002, consisting of vocalist Dez Fafara, guitarists Mike Spreitzer and Neal Tiemann, drummer Austin D'Amond, and bassist Diego "Ashes" Ibarra. The band was originally named Deathride, however, due to copyright issues and the name being taken by several bands, the band changed its name to DevilDriver.
Nonpoint is an American rock band from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The band currently consists of vocalist Elias Soriano, drummer Robb Rivera, lead guitarist Jason Zeilstra, rhythm guitarist Rasheed Thomas, and bassist Adam Woloszyn.
The Chariot was an American metalcore band from Douglasville, Georgia, that existed from 2003 to 2013. The last lineup consisted of drummer David Kennedy, vocalist and bandleader Josh Scogin, and guitarists Brandon Henderson and Stephen Harrison. The band experienced frequent lineup changes since its inception, with Scogin being the only original member. The band played an abrasive style of metalcore that did not adhere to typical stylings popular among their contemporaries such as melodic/abrasive dynamics and harmonic vocals. They built a reputation around their powerful live performances, with Scogin's lyrics covering topics like materialism, personal struggle, current events, politics, and Christian themes.
Avenged Sevenfold is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist M. Shadows, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Zacky Vengeance, lead guitarist and backing vocalist Synyster Gates, bassist and backing vocalist Johnny Christ, and drummer Brooks Wackerman.
Circle of Dust is an industrial music project from New York City created by Klayton, who later became known as Celldweller. The project was active from 1988 to 1998 and then re-started in 2015 after Klayton gained back ownership of his old albums. The project has released five studio albums: Circle of Dust (1992), Brainchild (1994), a re-recording of Circle of Dust (1995), Disengage (1998), and Machines of Our Disgrace (2016).
Relapse Records is an American independent record label based in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Matthew F. Jacobson in 1990. The label features many grindcore, death metal, and sludge metal artists.
Unblack metal is a religious philosophy within black metal whose artists are either directly against the Satanism prevalent in black metal, or promote Christianity in their lyrics and imagery. Unblack metal artists are controversial within the black metal subculture, because black metal's pioneers, especially those of the Second Wave, were anti-Christian. It is also suggested that Christianity contradicts black metal's dark nature and the individualistic and misanthropic ideals of many bands.
Klayton Albert is a multi-instrumentalist musician from New York City who currently resides in Los Angeles, California. Klayton has led several bands and has performed under a variety of stage names since the early 1990s. His current projects are Celldweller and Scandroid.
Argyle Park was an underground industrial rock supergroup founded in New York City in 1994 and active until 1996. Members of the group reformed under the name AP2 in 1998, and were active under that name until winter 2000. Signed to Christian music labels, the band suffered repeated controversies within the Christian music scene for not being positive and evangelistic enough in its lyrics and outlook as well as for including contributions from non-Christian musicians. The project was named after an actual park in Babylon, Long Island, where the members of Argyle Park grew up together.
August Burns Red is an American metalcore band from Lancaster, Pennsylvania formed in 2003. The band's current lineup consists of lead guitarist John Benjamin "JB" Brubaker, rhythm guitarist Brent Rambler, drummer Matt Greiner, lead vocalist Jake Luhrs, and bassist Dustin Davidson. The band was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2016 for Best Metal Performance for the song "Identity" from its 2015 release Found in Far Away Places, and again in 2018 for "Invisible Enemy" from Phantom Anthem (2017). Their ninth studio album Guardians was released on April 3, 2020.
Misguided is Argyle Park's first and only album under that name. The album was released on March 21, 1995 by R.E.X. Records into the Christian rock market, and sits alongside other early 90s work by Circle of Dust and Mortal as being instrumental in introducing industrial music to the Christian music scene. The album was nominated for Best Metal/Hard Rock Album at the 27th Annual GMA Dove Awards in 1996.
Circle II Circle is an American heavy metal band from Tampa, Florida, United States. The band was formed by former Savatage lead vocalist, Zachary Stevens, and long-time friend and band manager Dan Campbell in 2001. They play varied genres of metal including traditional heavy metal, power metal and progressive metal.
Seventh Angel are a British Christian metal band that formed in 1987. The band was known for its combination of doom metal and thrash metal. According to Cross Rhythms magazine, they were considered to be thrash metal pioneers, and they released the albums The Torment (1990) and Lament for the Weary (1991). These records achieved mainstream distribution through Music for Nations label, making Seventh Angel label mates with such groups as Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth. Although Seventh Angel disbanded in 1992, "for a long time [they were considered to be] the best metal act in the UK", claims Cross Rhythms. The Daily Telegraph called Seventh Angel "one of the leading Christian thrash metal bands in Great Britain."
Brainchild is the second studio album by the industrial metal band Circle of Dust, released in 1994 through R.E.X. Music and re-released as a remaster in 2016 through FiXT Music.
Butcher Babies is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California consisting of frontwomen Heidi Shepherd and Carla Harvey, guitarist Henry Flury (Amen), bassist Ricky Bonazza, and drummer Chase Brickenden. Their debut album, Goliath, was released on July 9, 2013 via Century Media Records. It sold 3,300 copies in the US during its first week of release and charted at No. 3 on the Billboard Heatseeker chart and No. 112 on the Billboard 200.
Northcote, moniker of musician Matthew Daniel Goud, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and guitarist. His voice is described as similar to Bruce Springsteen, Joe Cocker, Peter Gabriel, as well as a more refined projection of his former hardcore roots. Northcote has shared the stage with Frank Turner, The Gaslight Anthem, Tim Barry, Wintersleep, Aidan Knight, Hannah Georgas, John K Samson, Corb Lund, The Wooden Sky, Library Voices, Lindi Ortega and others.