| Trustkill Records' | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Defunct | 2010 |
| Status | Defunct |
| Distributor(s) | Fontana Distribution |
| Genre | Hardcore punk, metalcore, alternative rock |
| Country of origin | U.S. |
Trustkill Records was an American independent record label that started as a hardcore punk fanzine in April 1993. It started releasing hardcore, metal and rock records and merchandise in 1994. In 2010, the president of Trustkill, Josh Grabelle, formed a new label called Bullet Tooth Records.
On January 9, 2007, Trustkill signed a deal for exclusive distribution in North America with Fontana Distribution, which is under the Universal Music Group umbrella. Trustkill is also distributed by SPV (Europe), Shock (Australia), JVC/Howling Bull (Japan), David Gresham (South Africa), and Liberation (Brazil).
In 2009, independent hardcore label Think Fast! Records signed a worldwide distribution deal with Trustkill Records. [1] Later in 2009, No Sleep Records also signed a worldwide distribution deal with Trustkill. [2]
In June 2010, president/A&R Josh Grabelle left Trustkill Records and started a new label called Bullet Tooth Records. [3] [4] The label's distributor still holds the rights to all of the albums released through the label and will still continue to print Trustkill releases and use the Trustkill logo. Since it is unlikely that their distributor will continue to sign new bands and print new releases, Trustkill is considered to be a defunct label. [3] Many of the bands that were signed to the label at this time were re-signed to Bullet Tooth including Memphis May Fire and Most Precious Blood. [5]
In a 2012 interview, Grabelle announced the formation of another record label. Named Gypsey Diamond, it will sign and release music by pop and electronica artists. [6]
In a 2013 interview with SoundCrave Magazine, Grabelle further explained the situation regarding Trustkill's demise:
I had to walk away from Trustkill. I got into a distribution deal that when I signed it made sense to everyone involved back in 2007. Fast forward it a few years and there was a whole new regime at the distribution company that didn’t necessarily like my deal. The business was kind of in a downward spiral and we got hit with a pretty bad recession all at once. They wouldn’t let me out of my deal, they stopped paying me. I couldn’t sign bands, I couldn’t pay bands. I just couldn’t do anything so I just had to walk away and start clean....I kind of held on to this hope that they would renegotiate or allow me to make some moves and continue on with Trustkill, but it didn’t work out that way. I just fought and fought for like a year and a half and they were just not budging. [7]
Several bands signed to the label experienced problems, as detailed below. However, some members of bands formerly signed to Trustkill are still friends with label president Josh Grabelle, such as Roses Are Red's Vincent Minervino, Eighteen Visions' James Hart, and This Is Hell's Travis Reilly.[ citation needed ]
After their breakup at the beginning of 2008, Hopesfall began releasing negative comments about Trustkill including "I hate Trustkill and its owner. Hahahaha. He's not the reason we broke up but I (we) do hate him." [8] The band claimed to be $20,000 in debt due to Trustkill's President, Josh Grabelle, and also claimed that Trustkill "ripped off the band" by removing songs from their final album Magnetic North without discussing it with the band first. The album was recorded, mastered, and ready to be released when the songs were removed by Trustkill. Hopesfall later released a downloadable file containing b-sides and demos from Magnetic North. In an interview on Ryan's Rock Show, drummer Jason Trabue stated that Grabelle added Hopesfall to Warped Tour in 2005, then two weeks into the tour, Grabelle stopped paying for the bus. The band had to take out a loan to pay the driver and get home. [9] In the same interview, Trabue stated that Grabelle "pretty much owed every band on that label money."
In response to these issues, Grabelle stated that, "[Trabue] does not speak a shred of truth... I heard those guys got into some pretty hardcore drugs... and they are just miserable." [8]
In 2007, Bleeding Through suggested to Trustkill that they would like to release a reissue of their 2006 release The Truth but the idea was rejected for various reasons. In 2008, Trustkill reissued The Truth with bonus tracks and a bonus DVD of which the band had no knowledge of. Bleeding Through believes that the reissue is a "fast and overt attempt to pay some bills." [10] Bleeding Through also had issues with Trustkill and their new album Declaration . Trustkill violated the band's contract by letting them enter the studio in March 2008 and only funding less than 25% of the recording costs; the rest was paid via loans from lead singer Brandan Schieppati's father and the band's management. Bleeding Through commented on the current state of the label, "Trustkill no longer employs his sales guy, his art director or his publicist. 'Trustkill' is now Josh and one employee in his basement, as far as we can tell." [10]
Throwdown ended their three-album contract with Trustkill Records in 2007 with their release of Venom and Tears . Nearly a year after the release, the band felt it was necessary to "air out years of dirty laundry with Josh Grabelle of Trustkill Records," [11] or publicly release their feelings about the label. On March 31, 2008, Trustkill breached the band's contract, and as of July 2008 despite sending the label a notice of breach, nothing was resolved. The label owes Throwdown "tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid royalties for CDs sold" [12] and has a history of not paying the band their royalties on time. The band expressed that the start of their contract with Trustkill was "very positive," however numerous issues over the years changed their minds. They had to drop off of several Warped Tour dates in 2006 when Trustkill failed to pay the bus driver on time, and also failed to make payments on time while recording Venom and Tears. [12]
President Josh Grabelle dismissed the band's concerns by continuously saying that Throwdown "was never happy with anything [I] do." The band left the label with hopes that Trustkill could fix itself and stated, "we hope that by making this situation public, Josh will be motivated to get his business in order and set things right with Throwdown and everyone else who has been burned by the increasingly difficult situation." [12]
Memphis May Fire were once signed to Trustkill and later Grabelle's Bullet Tooth. The band's song "The Victim" that appears on 2011's The Hollow talks about "much darker times" during their time signed to Trustkill Records. "The Victim" includes the lines "If I could go back/do it all again/you know that I wouldn't sign my life away". Before introducing the song the band has called Trustkill a "shitty label" and have said that they are now proud to be a part of Rise Records. [13] The lyrics of the song "Prove Me Right", off album, Challenger discuss the band's struggles with the record label retrospectively. "The Rose", from Unconditional , contains similar content.
In late 2010, Nick Brooks and Mike Hatalak of It Dies Today formed a new group called The March. In a Myspace blog, the band posted lyrics to one of their first demos; a song titled "Harlots, Thieves, & Fakes." In the blog, a lyric line was capitalized as follows: "When TRUST is KILLed you'll only have yourself to blame." The band has not commented on the meaning of the song, but from the rest of the lyrics it can be inferred that they are referring to label president Josh Grabelle. [14]
Todd Jones, formerly of the hardcore band Terror and currently of the band Nails, blasted label president Josh Grabelle in a 2011 interview, saying "I also regret ever having anything to do with Josh Grabelle; but I know karma is very real and will catch up with him (if it hasn't already)." [15]
In a 2013 podcast interview, Poison the Well drummer Chris Hornbrook spoke ill of the label and president Josh Grabelle, saying the band went through "dumb shit with that guy" and that he owed the band money. [16]
In a 2013 radio interview, Dustin Schoenhofer of Walls of Jericho claimed that the band had finally severed ties with Trustkill Records, stating that while the label helped the band get established, they "owe us quite a bit of money" and did not fully support the band while engaging in heavy festival touring. [17]
Magnetic North is the fourth full-length album released by the hardcore band Hopesfall. Josh Brigham, one of the guitarists and the only founding member remaining during the recording of the album, has said: "Our music has always been spacey and heavy, and we use those roots, combined with our love of grunge-era Smashing Pumpkins, Dinosaur Jr., HUM, and Pixies, we add some bigger, heavier riffs.
Poison the Well is an American metalcore band from Miami, Florida who were last signed to Ferret Music. In 2010, they announced a hiatus to explore other interests. Lead guitarist Ryan Primack and drummer Christopher Hornbrook were the only remaining founding members, although vocalist Jeffrey Moreira featured on all five of their full-length albums. The band has since performed several reunion shows: two in 2015, eleven in 2016 and one in 2020. Their albums have sold a combined total of over 300,000 copies in the United States as of 2012.
Further Seems Forever is an American rock band formed in 1998 in Pompano Beach, Florida. Over its initial eight-year run the band experienced several lineup changes, resulting in a different lead vocalist performing on each of their first three studio albums. Original singer Chris Carrabba recorded The Moon Is Down (2001) with the group before leaving to start Dashboard Confessional. He was replaced by Jason Gleason, who performed on How to Start a Fire (2003) but left the band the following year. Former Sense Field vocalist Jon Bunch joined Further Seems Forever for Hide Nothing (2004). The band broke up in 2006 but reunited four years later with Carrabba on vocals. Their fourth studio album, Penny Black, was released in 2012.
Bleeding Through is an American metalcore band from Orange County, California, formed in 1999. In 2004, Revolver magazine hailed Bleeding Through as one of eight bands ushering in the "Future of Metal" cover story, and Spin called Bleeding Through an "artist to watch" in the magazine's February 2004 issue.
Hopesfall is an American post-hardcore band from Charlotte, North Carolina, formed in 1998. They are currently signed to Equal Vision Records. The band dissolved in 2008 after all members, with the exception of singer Jay Forrest, left the band. Following this, the lineup of the band's first two albums got together temporarily and played reunion shows in 2011. The band finally reformed with the majority of their last album's members and original drummer Adam Morgan in 2016 with a new label Equal Vision Records. Arbiter was released on July 13, 2018.
Full Collapse is the second studio album by American post-hardcore band Thursday. It was released on April 10, 2001, through Victory Records, to whom the band signed after leaving Eyeball Records. With the addition of guitarist Steve Pedulla, recording sessions for the album were held in November 2000 at Big Blue Meenie Recording Studios in Jersey City. Sal Villanueva, who served as the producer, the production team and members of different bands contributed additional instrumentation to the recordings. Full Collapse is considered a post-hardcore and screamo album.
Most Precious Blood is an American hardcore punk band from New York City formed from the remnants of the band Indecision. They blend the song structures of hardcore with heavy metal, and the band cites Sick of It All, Aphex Twin, The Sisters of Mercy, and The Obsessed as influences, among others. They were signed to Trustkill Records until it dissolved in 2010. They are now with Trustkill president Josh Grabelle's new label Bullet Tooth.
Throwdown is an American heavy metal band from Orange County, California. Formed in 1997, the band has endured numerous lineup changes to the point where no original members remain. Throwdown has toured as part of Ozzfest, Sounds of the Underground, Hellfest, and Warped Tour, as well as with bands such as In Flames, Lamb of God, As I Lay Dying, Killswitch Engage, Korn and Cavalera Conspiracy. The songs "Forever" and "Burn" were staples on MTV2's Headbangers Ball and Revolver Magazine called them part of "The Future of Metal" after hearing the album Vendetta. Initially branded a hardcore punk band, albums like Venom and Tears and Deathless took a sharp turn towards metal, with critics likening the band's sound to that of Pantera and Sepultura. The band are straight edge.
Hellfest was an American all-ages music festival that existed between 1997 and 2005. The festival showcased hardcore music in its broadest sense, including punk rock, metalcore, emo, post-hardcore and more. It originated in Central New York, in and around Syracuse, but eventually relocated to Central New Jersey during its final years. Hellfest was known for its fan-friendly atmosphere, including a lack of barriers that provided easy access to the stage for stage diving and sing-alongs. It also encouraged social-awareness through workshops that discussed such causes as animal rights, LGBTQ and politics, with many of its bands and attendees following straight-edge and/or vegetarian or vegan lifestyles.
This Is Hell is an American hardcore punk band from Long Island, New York. The band is known for extensive touring and high energy concerts. They have released five studio albums and five EPs.
It Dies Today is an American metalcore band formed in Buffalo, New York, in September 2001. The band achieved success in 2004 with the release of their debut album, The Caitiff Choir. After frontman Nicholas Brooks departed in 2006, just after the release of the band's sophomore effort Sirens, It Dies Today released Lividity in 2009 before going on hiatus in 2010. The band reunited briefly for a show in 2012, but the reunion paused again in 2015. On December 22, 2022, It Dies Today was announced as an act appearing at FurnaceFest 2023.
Tear from the Red is the second full-length album by American metalcore band Poison the Well. It was released via Trustkill Records on February 19, 2002. The album was the band's first release to appear on Billboard's Independent Albums and Heatseekers Albums charts, and was responsible for landing Poison the Well a major record label deal. It also featured the band's first single and music video for "Botchla". The release received numerous reissues on various formats over the years through such record labels as Good Life Recordings, Roadrunner Records, Shock Records, Rise Records, Ides of March, and Undying Music, and was digitally remastered in 2012.
The Opposite of December... A Season of Separation is the debut full-length album by American metalcore band Poison the Well. It was released on December 14, 1999. Influential in the early popularization of metalcore around the turn of the 21st century, the album was the band's first on Trustkill Records and is now recognized as a landmark album in the genre due to its quality and influence. The album was the band's first release to appear on CMJ's charts, reaching number 9 on the Loud Rock chart in May 2000. It had sold 30,000 copies by 2002. The release received numerous reissues on various formats over the years through such record labels as Good Life Recordings, Roadrunner Records, Shock Records and Rise Records and was digitally remastered in 2012.
Brandan Schieppati is an American musician. He is the singer of metalcore band Bleeding Through and a former guitarist/songwriter of the fellow Orange County metalcore band Eighteen Visions, for which he played from 1997 to 2002. He is also a bodybuilder, personal trainer and "Rise Above Fitness" gym owner. He was strictly straight edge from an early age until his late twenties.
Steel Train was an indie rock band from New Jersey. They have toured with The Juliana Theory, Tegan and Sara, Girl in a Coma, Ben Folds, Will Hoge, The Fray, Silversun Pickups, Hanson, The Format, Gomez, O.A.R., Something Corporate, Jack's Mannequin, Barenaked Ladies, fun. and others. Other highlights include performances at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Coachella, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and Late Show with David Letterman. The band played their final show at the Bowery Ballroom in January 2013.
The Truth is the fourth album by American metalcore band Bleeding Through, and their second album released through Trustkill Records. The album was released on January 10, 2006, produced by Rob Caggiano, lead guitarist of Anthrax. This was the last album to feature lead guitarist and founding member Scott Danough.
The Satellite Years is the second studio album by the post-hardcore band Hopesfall. It was released in 2002 on Trustkill Records, the group's first for the company. The album was also released on vinyl by One Day Savior Recordings. The album was produced by Matt Talbott of HUM, who also provided vocals on the track "Escape Pod for Intangibles".
Venom & Tears is the fifth studio album by American metal band Throwdown, released on August 7, 2007. The album was featured in Best Buy's weekly circular prior to its release. The track "Holy Roller" was released as a single.
Bleeding Through is the sixth studio album by American metalcore band Bleeding Through. The album was released through Rise Records on April 13, 2010.
Rosaline was a six-piece post-hardcore band from Chicago, Illinois that formed in 2005. The group modeled their sound from early 2000s post-hardcore groups, citing influences from Thursday, Underoath, Hopesfall, Taking Back Sunday and The Bled. Over the span of their career Rosaline released three albums on various independent record labels.
