Our debt to Mr Slagel and his brainchild Metal Blade cannot be overrated. They were the definition of Classic US Metal in the first half of the 80's and their output was damn near flawless during their early years. This interview tells the back story better than I could ever do. Now the difficult part. While serial numbers are usually the best way to keep track of a label's output, it gets really complicated in MB's case. Here's the deal: In the beginning MB used their own serials for the records (MBR 1001, MBR 1002, MBR 1003 etc). Early on they got picked up by Enigma Records, who distributed their releases and also added their own serial#s to each album. (first = E-1017, E-1018, E-1035 etc, later = 72072, 72159, 73224 etc). These Enigma-serials were not exclusive to Metal Blade, but used on all labels distributed by Enigma, hence there are plenty of "missing" numbers. The Enigma#s do not follow the numerical order of the MBR#s, nor the dates of release. Actually they barely make sense at all. By the end of 1986 the MBR serials were being phased out and only a handful of relases after this carried an MBR-number. To add further confusion, no less than 3 pairs of albums mistakenly ended up with the same MBR-#s. (Check the discog for more info) If it's any help, I've I've included both the MBR#s (first) and the Enigma#s (second) in the list below. At the moment I don't have a clever solution as to how I will index their discography after 1986, so for now this page is merely Metal Blade Records part 1: 1982-1986. Hope it still can be of some use to you. It should be complete.
Cover Cat# Artist Title Format Year (comment) MBR 1001 V/A Metal Massacre LP 1982 More info here. MBR 1002 Bitch Damnation Alley MLP 1982   MBR 1003 Demon Flight Dead Of The Night 12" EP 1982   MBR 1004 V/A Metal Massacre II LP 1983 More info here. MBR 1005 Warlord Deliver Us MLP 1983   MBR 1006 Savage Grace The Dominatress MLP 1983   MBR 1007 Bitch Be My Slave LP 1983   MBR 1008 E-1017 V/A Metal Massacre III LP 1983 More info here. MBR 1009 E-1018 Armored Saint s/t 12" EP 1983   MBR 1010 E-1028 Obsession Marshall Law MLP 1983   MBR 1011 E-1029 Witchkiller Day Of The Saxons MLP 1984   MBR 1012 E-1035 V/A Metal Massacre IV LP 1983 More info here. MBR 1013 E-1034 Slayer Show No Mercy LP 1983   MBR 1014 E-1036 Pandemonium Heavy Metal Soldiers LP 1983   MBR 1015 E-1051 3rd Stage Alert s/t MLP 1984   MBR 1016 Satan Court In The Act LP 1984 Licenced from Neat Records. MBR 1017 Silver Mountain Shakin' Brains LP 1984   MBR 1018 E-1071 Trouble Assassin 12" 1984   MBR 1019 Trouble s/t [a.k.a.] Psalm 9 LP 1984   MBR 1020 Lizzy Borden Give 'em The Axe MLP 1984   MBR 1021 E-1065 V/A Metal Massacre V LP 1984 More info here. MBB1 V/A Metal Massacre - Limited Edition Picture Disc Box 5LP Box 1984 5 first "Metal Massacre" compilations on picture disc, collected in one box. Ltd to 1000 numbered copies. MBR 1022 V/A Total Destruction LP 1984 Featuring: Bitch, Slayer, Obsession, Savage Grace, Pandemonium, Warlord, Trouble, Witchkiller, and Demon Flight. The first Bitch track and the Slayer track are different, remixed versions from the album versions. MBR 1023 E-1082 Warlord Lost And Lonely Days 12" 1984   MBR 1024 E-1083 Slayer Haunting The Chapel 12" EP 1984   MBR 1025 Fates Warning Night On Bröcken LP 1984   MBR 1026 E-1104 Voivod War And Pain LP 1984   MBR 1027 E-1105 Omen Battle Cry LP 1984   MBR 1028 Hellhammer Apocalyptic Raids MLP 1984   MBR 1029 E-1112 Warlord ...And The Cannons Of Destruction Have Begun LP 1984   MBR 1030 Mad Max Rollin' Thunder LP 1984   MBR 1031 Dark Heart Shadows Of The Night LP 1984   MBR 1032 Thrust Fist Held High LP 1984   MBR 1033 72016 Celtic Frost Morbid Tales LP 1985   MBR 1034 72017 Attacker Battle At Helmes Deep LP 1985 Labels, tracklist, edge and lyric sheet spells the title "Battle At Helmes Deep", so we'll have to assume the "helms" on the front is a spelling mistake and not the other way round. MBR 1035 72018 Sye Turn On The Fire LP 1985   MBR 1036 72019 V/A Metal Massacre VI LP 1985 More info here. MBR 1037 72015 Slayer Live Undead Pic-MLP 1985 This first pressing was PD only, at least on Metal Blade. Available w/ black, pink, red and gray outer rim. MBR 1038 72020 Tyrant Legions Of The Dead LP 1985   MBR 1039 72021 Destruction Sentence Of Death MLP 1985 Licenced from Steamhammer Records. Different cover art from original. MBR 1040 Slayer Hell Awaits LP 1985 Co-released by Combat Records. MBR 1041 Trouble The Skull LP 1985   MBR 1042 Hallows Eve Tales Of Terror LP 1985 MBR 1043 72057 Lizzy Borden Love You To Pieces LP 1985   MBR 1044 72049 Sodom In The Sign Of Evil MLP 1985   MBR 1045 72058 Hirax Raging Violence LP 1985   MBR 1046 Nasty Savage s/t LP 1985   MBR 1048 72066 Celtic Frost Emperors Return MLP 1985 The label does say MBR 1048, just like DESTRUCTION - "Infernal Overkill". This one was released one month earlier and was probably supposed to be MBR 1047 since no other release fit the slot. MBR 1048 72067 Destruction Infernal Overkill LP 1985   MBR 1049 72072 Mark Edwards Code Of Honor MLP 1985   MBR 1051 72068 Omen Warning Of Danger LP 1985 The label does say MBR 1051, just like FATES WARNING - "The Spectre Within". Both were released the same month and this one was probably supposed to be MBR 1050 since no other release fit the slot. MBR 1051 72088 Fates Warning The Spectre Within LP 1985 MBR 1052 72089 Pandemonium Hole In The Sky LP 1985   MBR 1053 72148 Cryptic Slaughter Convicted LP 1986   MBR 1054 72098 V/A Metal Massacre VII LP 1986 More info here. MBR 1055 72099 Bloodlust Guilty As Sin LP 1986   MBR 1056 72102 Predator Easy Prey LP 1986 MBR 1057 72114 Sound Barrier Speed Of Light LP 1986 MBR 1058 72115 Juggernaut Baptism Under Fire LP 1986 MBR 1059 72116 Sentinel Beast Depths Of Death LP 1986 MBR 1060 72113 Lizzy Borden The Murderess Metal Road Show DLP 1986 MBR 1061 72117 V/A Best Of Metal Blade Volume 1 DLP 1986 Featuring: Slayer, Voivod, Celtic Frost, Nasty Savage, Hallows Eve, Hirax, Attacker, Pandemonium, Trouble, Fates Warning, Thrust, Bitch, Lizzy Borden, Omen and Metal Church. MBR 1062 72143 Cirith Ungol One Foot In Hell LP 1986 MBR 1063 72130 Flotsam & Jetsam Doomsday For The Deciever LP 1986 MBR 1066 72153 Deaf Dealer Keeper Of The Flame LP 1986 British pressing available on Neat Records. MBR 1068 72159 Sacrifice Torment In Fire LP 1986 The label does say MBR 1068, just like DETENTE - "Recognize No Authority". This one was released a few months earlier and was probably supposed to be MBR 1067 since no other release fit the slot. MBR 1068 72152 Detente Recognize No Authority LP 1986   MBR 1069 72165 Krank Hideous LP 1986 MBR 1070 72163 Hallows Eve Death & Insanity LP 1986 MBR 1071 72164 Exxplorer Symphonies Of Steel LP 1986 MBR 1072 72169 Warlord Thy Kingdom Come LP 1986 MBR 1073 72160 Sodom Obsessed By Cruelty LP 1986 Different recording from the european Steamhammer Records version, hence the song "After The Deluge" is missing. MBR 1074 72161 Destruction Eternal Devatation LP 1986 MBR 1075 72174 Savage Grace After The Fall From Grace LP 1986 MBR 1076 72162 Hirax Hate, Fear And Power MLP 1986 MBR 1077 72171 V/A Speed Metal LP 1986 Featuring: Slayer, Hallows Eve, Hirax, Voivod, Omen, Celtic Frost, Destruction, Sodom, Bloodlust and Cryptic Slaughter. MBR 1079 72176 Cities Anihilation Absolute LP 1986 Different recording and slightly different cover from the MLP version on Metal Masters MBR 1080 72170 Heretic Torture Knows No Boundary MLP 1986 MBR 1081 72178 V/A Metal Massacre VIII LP 1986 More info here. (no MBR#) 73224 Lizzy Borden Menace To Society LP 1986 (no MBR#) 73230 Omen The Curse LP 1986
Compiled by Dan Edman. Additional info by Rob Preston and Keir Howell.
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