METAL BLADE RECORDS Founder BRIAN SLAGEL To Launch New Podcast Celebrating Legendary Record Label's 45th Anniversary

Metal Blade Records — the fiercely independent label that launched METALLICA, SLAYER, CANNIBAL CORPSE, AMON AMARTH, ARMORED SAINT and dozens more genre-defining icons, and is the longtime home of KING DIAMOND, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, WHITECHAPEL, CATTLE DECAPITATION and many more — proudly celebrates its 45th anniversary in 2027.

Founded in 1982 by Brian Slagel with little more than an unwavering belief in underground heavy music and the drive to get it heard, Metal Blade has grown from a grassroots passion project into one of the most influential independent labels in metal history. To mark this milestone, Slagel has announced a brand-new podcast series: "Metal Blade Records' 45th Anniversary Podcast".

Beginning in January 2027, Slagel will release one new episode per week throughout the entire year, available on all major podcast platforms. Each episode will feature an in-depth conversation with past and present Metal Blade Records artists and others involved in the making of some of the label's most celebrated releases — a deep dive into the stories, struggles, and creative visions behind 25 landmark albums that helped shape the course of heavy music. Episodes will drop weekly, branded as the "Metal Blade Records' 45th Anniversary Podcast".

Comments Metal Blade Records founder, owner and CEO Brian Slagel: "I'm super excited to host this new podcast celebrating 45 years of Metal Blade Records! Following my podcast '100 Songs That Define Heavy Metal', the concept is basically the same! Going to be fun to talk to everyone each episode!"

Pantheon Media CEO Christian Swain added: "Brian Slagel didn't just witness the rise of heavy music — he built the platform that launched it. Partnering with Brian on '100 Songs That Define Heavy Metal' showed us how passionate this community is for authentic, deep-dive storytelling. We're thrilled to host the 'Metal Blade Records' 45th Anniversary Podcast' on Pantheon as Brian opens the vault on 25 landmark albums that reshaped the musical landscape. Nobody tells these stories better."

The weekly podcast will include bands like AMON AMARTH, ARMORED SAINT, BITCH, BOLT THROWER, CANNIBAL CORPSE, D.R.I., FATES WARNING, GWAR, LIZZY BORDEN, OMEN, SIX FEET UNDER, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, UNEARTH and more. Check in each week to see who Slagel speaks to and which albums will be discussed.

The "Metal Blade Records' 45th Anniversary Podcast" will be available on all major podcast platforms beginning January 2027. New episodes drop weekly throughout the year. Keep an eye on Metal Blade's site for updates and links.

Metal Blade Records' greatest achievement is not simply the catalog it built, but the philosophy that constructed it. From the very beginning, the label has prioritized music over the mainstream, careers over trends, and long-term partnerships over short-term gain. That commitment to artist development has remained the label's foundation for 45 years. Today, its roster reflects metal's extraordinary diversity — death metal, black metal, thrash, progressive metal, metalcore, darkwave, doom, and countless styles in between — all sharing the same home because they embody the passion, creativity, and individuality that have always defined Metal Blade Records.

Where fans belong. Pantheon Media connects audiences with music, sports, and pop culture through podcasts, interactive audio games, and livestream experiences where fans connect, participate, and shop. With a network featuring "The Metallica Report" and "Rock N Roll Archaeology", Pantheon helps artists, creators, and brands turn compelling storytelling into engaged communities, deeper fan relationships, and new revenue opportunities.

For 45 years, Metal Blade Records has stood at the forefront of heavy music, discovering, developing, and championing artists that define generations of metal. From underground trailblazers to genre-defining icons, the label's unwavering commitment to authenticity, innovation, and uncompromising music has remained unchanged. Forty-five years later, the same philosophy that launched the classics continues to introduce the next generation of metal.

Metal Blade Records launched METALLICA, SLAYER, ARMORED SAINT, FATES WARNING, GWAR, CANNIBAL CORPSE, AMON AMARTH, WHITECHAPEL, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, CATTLE DECAPITATION, 200 STAB WOUNDS and dozens more genre giants, and has been the longtime home of KING DIAMOND and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, shaping four decades and counting of hard rock, metal, and extreme music culture. Brian Slagel worked as a record store clerk when he founded Metal Blade in 1982, reserving a spot for a young Lars Ulrich on his "Metal Massacre" compilation series. Metal Blade grew from humble beginnings in Los Angeles to become an international powerhouse, selling millions of albums while remaining fiercely independent. In 2017, SLAYER's Kerry King inducted the label into the Hall Of Heavy Metal History. Slagel's first memoir, "For The Sake Of Heaviness: The History Of Metal Blade Records", arrived the same year, with its follow-up, "Swing Of The Blade: More Stories From Metal Blade Records", in 2023. He launched the podcast "100 Songs That Define Heavy Metal" in late 2024 and the weekly interactive audio trivia game "Metal Mondays" the following year.