AUBURN RECORDS Announces 25th-Anniversary Concert

Auburn Records, an independent heavy metal label based in Cleveland, Ohio, will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a special concert on Saturday, December 12, 2009. The event will take place at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland. Admission is FREE. Showtime is 5 p.m.

The lineup is:

DESTRUCTOR
BREAKER
SHOK PARIS
MANIMALS
WRETCH
H.A.T.E.

+ special guests

* BLACK DEATH A.D. - A Tribute To Black Death
(featuring members of BLACK DEATH, SACRED FEW and MANDRAKE)

* ALTERNATE REALITY
(featuring WCSB 89.3 FM DJ Bob Delchin)

Germany's Iron Ingo Stührenberg (Metal-Rules.de) and Chris E. (Cellbound) will guest MC. Metal-Rules.de and The Exchange are co-sponsors.

Fans are encouraged to bring cans of food to the concert. A donation will be made to help those in need this holiday season from the Cleveland metal community to the Cleveland Foodbank. The food drive is being sponsored by WJCU 88.7 FM and Auburn Records.

Musical highlights include:

* DESTRUCTOR's special performance of their classic 1985 "Maximum Destruction" debut vinyl album in its entirety from start-to-finish.

* A SHOK PARIS reunion, with the songwriting team of guitarist Ken Erb and vocalist Vic Hix taking the stage together for the first time since 2004's Bang Your Head!!! festival in Balingen, Germany. Auburn Records' very first release was SHOK PARIS' "Go For The Throat" album in 1984.

"I wanted to make this a free show for the fans so I am covering all the production costs and the bands are donating their time to perform," says Auburn Records president Bill Peters. "I know it is crazy and quite expensive for me to be doing this in today's economy, but it is something I really wanted to do for the Cleveland metal fans. I appreciate all of their support over the years. This concert is dedicated to them.

"Auburn Records has always been a label for the fans, from the fans. I operate the label on a part-time basis, with a limited budget, out of my love for the music and run it more like a family than a business. The dedicated and talented people around me are the ones that have helped keep the label going all these years and allowed me to overcome many obstacles and challenges.

"Some industry peers have said I am too generous with my bands but I am still here after 25 years so I must be doing something right! I have been working with the same group of bands, production people and recording engineers from when I first started the label back in 1984. That's unusual in this industry and a true testament to our Team Auburn concept and family bond. It's a unique and positive way to doing business."

Peters takes his Auburn bands to Germany each year to perform at major festivals such as Wacken Open Air, Bang Your Head!!!, Headbangers Open Air and Keep It True. The label enjoys a very strong underground following in Europe, especially in Germany. This past summer, Auburn presented a special 25th anniversary performance for their German fans at the sold-out Headbangers Open Air festival. Following LICK THE BLADE's set, members of DESTRUCTOR and BREAKER made a surprise appearance on stage to play some of their early classic songs.

"Germany is my second home," says Peters. "I have a very special connection with the German metal fans. They have always made me feel so welcome when I visit and I have been able to make many long term personal friendships over the years. It is nice to return the favor when my German friends are able to visit us in Cleveland. I always roll out the red carpet."

Auburn has a full schedule of releases coming after taking a brief hiatus due to the troubled economic conditions that started last fall.

"The entire music industry was hurting from the recession so I decided to hold off releasing product and work in the studio recording more projects until things started to turn around," says Peters. "The economy is better now in Europe where I do a large percentage of my business and hopefully will be improving soon here in the States."

The label just released LICK THE BLADE's "Graveyard Of Empires". ETERNAL LEGACY's "Lifeless Alive" will be coming in December. Early next year will see releases from H.A.T.E., VENOMIN JAMES and CHEMIKILL. Later in 2010 will be a MANIMALS compilation and new material from WRETCH and DESTRUCTOR.

What about the BLACK DEATH reissue? "I ran into several unexpected and complicated delays but finally hope to have it finished and released by the end of the year, possibly even in time for the December 12 show if all goes well," explains Peters. "It will be a two-disc set loaded with bonus tracks of previously unreleased studio material. I wanted it to be done right for the fans. They have been so patiently waiting for its release. There is no way I was going to accept anything less than our usual high quality standards for this reissue. It has always been one of my personal favorites."

BLACK DEATH's original self-titled album, which included a bonus 7" single", was released by Auburn 25 years ago in 1984 and has become a highly sought-after collector's item.