Wild Rags Records | |
---|---|
Founded | 1986 |
Founder | Ricardo Campos |
Genre | Noise music Grindcore Death Metal Thrash Metal |
Country of origin | United States |
Location | Montebello, California |
Wild Rags Records was an independent record label and store located in Montebello, California. It was founded in 1986 by Ricardo Campos, better known as Richard C. Wild Rags Records was known as "The Worlds Smallest But Heaviest Record Label." Wild Rags Records was instrumental in the early careers of such successful bands as Nuclear Death, Impetigo, [1] Brutality, Blood, [2] Sigh, Blasphemy, Necrophobic, Nuctemeron, Extreme Smoke, Crucifer, Internal Bleeding, and Hellwitch. Wild Rags Records also had a 30,000+ monthly subscription zine called the 'Wild Rag' full of the latest extreme metal releases, news and artwork. The zine included all the labels releases as well as product from the world's biggest metal bands. Richard C. and Wild Rags Records was a pioneer in the underground extreme metal community.
Wild Rag! was a monthly publication that included the labels artists, interviews with the bands, underground metal news, a full music catalog, merchandise, and more. The zine was released once a month to a subscription base of over 30,000. In many ways the Wild Rag! was the bible for all things metal.
The physical location of the now closed record store was 2207 West Whittier Boulevard, Montebello, CA 90640.
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, featuring double kick and blast beat techniques; minor keys or atonality; abrupt tempo, key, and time signature changes; and chromatic chord progressions. The lyrical themes of death metal may include slasher film-style violence, political conflict, religion, nature, philosophy, true crime and science fiction.
Nuclear Blast Records is a German record label with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. It was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Donzdorf. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on to releasing albums by thrash metal, melodic death metal, grindcore, industrial metal, power metal and black metal bands, as well as tribute albums. It also distributes and promotes post-hardcore/metalcore labels SharpTone Records; another post-hardcore/metalcore label, Arising Empire, was in Nuclear Blast portfolio until its acquirement by Kontor New Media in 2020.
Cryptopsy is a Canadian technical death metal band from Montreal, formed in 1988.
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.
Blood Duster was an Australian extreme metal and stoner rock band from Melbourne. Their name came from the song "Blood Duster" by John Zorn, from the 1989 album Naked City.
Pungent Stench is a death metal band from Vienna, Austria, formed in 1988. Their last known lineup consists of Martin Schirenc (vocals/guitar), Danny Vacuum (vocals/bass), and Mike G. Mayhem (drums). Pungent Stench achieved early on prominence in the death metal scene due to their unique style of extreme metal and their controversial lyrical content, a seamless blend of gore, paraphilia and black comedy. They dissolved in 1995, re-formed in 1999, then split up again 2007 after recording a final studio album, eventually released in 2018, and re-formed again in 2013 as “The Church Of Pungent Stench” and renamed themselves again as “Schirenc Plays Pungent Stench” in 2014”
Beherit is a Finnish black metal band from Rovaniemi. The band was formed in 1989 by Nuclear Holocausto Vengeance, Jari Vaarala and Sodomatic Slaughter, with the purpose of performing "the most primitive, savage, hell-obsessed black metal imaginable". "Beherit" is the Syriac word for Satan. Through the uncommercial nature of their music, visuals, and live performances, the band quickly attracted a cult following. Besides the "raw" sound, the band's music is noted for its avant-garde side and emphasis on atmosphere. Beherit are now regarded as a pioneer in their genre.
Antestor is a Norwegian Christian extreme metal band formed in 1990 in Jessheim. Credited for starting the northern European Christian black metal scene, Antestor is the only Christian band to have an album released by Cacophonous Records, which has also released records by bands such as Dimmu Borgir, Sigh, and Cradle of Filth. The band's only release on Cacophonous, The Return of the Black Death, proved influential for the Christian black metal movement, and has sold over 10,000 copies.
Necrophagia was an American death metal band. The band is credited as one of the inaugural groups within the death metal genre, along with Possessed and Death.
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Osmose Productions is a French independent record label created in 1991 by Hervé Herbaut, after he had spent three years running a small mail order company. They specialize mainly in death and black metal bands.
Blasphemy are a Canadian black metal band based in Vancouver, British Columbia that formed in 1984. The band was formed initially by vocalist and occasional bassist Gerry Bull and drummer Sean Stone, known better by their respective stage names Nocturnal Grave Desecrator and Black Winds & 3 Black Hearts of Damnation and Impurity. Shortly thereafter, guitarist Geoff Drakes, also known better by his pseudonym Caller of the Storms, would join the band. The band formed first as "Antichrist", and would see two further name changes before settling on Blasphemy in 1987.
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Order from Chaos was an extreme metal band formed in 1987 in Kansas City, Missouri, by Pete Helmkamp, Chuck Keller and Mike Miller. They are recognised as being an extremely influential group in the early U.S. black metal scene, and served as a launching pad for its band members that went on to form such groups as Angelcorpse, Ares Kingdom, Revenge, Vulpecula, and Kerasphorus.
Revenge is a Canadian war metal band formed in 2000 by James Read following the collapse of his previous outfit Conqueror. Revenge's chaotic black metal sound represents a direct continuation of Read's previous band's direction. Although sometimes referred to as war metal the band has never referred to themselves as war metal and has always called themselves black metal, chaotic black metal or black death metal. They have released six full-length albums to date. The band's lyrics explore among other things various militant themes of anti religion, anti humanity, self ascension and the collapse and rebuilding of mankind.
David Vincent Parland was a Swedish metal guitarist, best known for his work in the bands Dark Funeral, Necrophobic and Infernal, all of which he was one of the founding members.
Hyste'riah was a Swedish thrash metal / metallic hardcore band that originated in Landskrona in 1987.