If there is one label to pay homage to, due to their true dedication to Heavy Metal over the past two decades, without ever finding themselves selling out to the mainstream crowds, Noise Records is one record company that deserves such an honor. Started in Germany by promoter Karl Walterback in the early 80's, when metal's popularity had grown in Europe. It was inconceivable at the time to think how much influence many German or European Metal bands would have over the Heavy Metal audience like they do today. At the time,
Accept and the
Scorpions were about the only non-British European Metal bands that had achieved commercial success, but even their sound was somewhat commercial, and yet fine tuned for the mainstream audience. However, Noise Records created completely new sounds, sounds that no one had ever heard before.
Riding off the heals of the whole NWOBHM scene that came from England in the late 70's and Early 80's, and not to mention bands like Quiet Riot, who released the very first multi-platinum Metal record, Metal was becoming a commodity in the underground, with many acts popping up out of the middle of nowhere, with huge cult followings. Many new sub genres called Speed metal, Thrash metal, and Death Metal would emerge during this time, not to mention another form of heavy metal that would not really come into the vocabulary of metal heads until the 90's, called Power Metal.
But when we look back at this label, all Heavy Metal history aside, many bands had their own sound, there weren't many bands that sounded like them before they appeared onto the scene, and there aren't many bands today that sound like them, or have such a profound influence. Take for instance
Celtic Frost and
Hellhammer, two bands that are considered by many the first death/thrash metal bands;
Helloween, who by many are considered the very first Power Metal band; other bands like
Coroner,
Rage, and
Running Wild that brought conceptual artistic ability to the whole Metal scene; thrash pioneers
Kreator and
Voivod, the list goes on and on. What record company can have a roster like this, not to mention such a rich history?
Like many independent Heavy Metal labels, Noise enjoyed some mainstream success and major label distribution. Just about every band from the early days had a video played on the MTV television show "The Headbangers Ball," and even VH1 Classic still shows these videos on occasion. BMG was a major distributor for Noise in the 80's, helping to create a wider distribution outlet, especially since RCA Records was responsible for distribution in the U.S.
But unlike the Noise's contemporaries of the past and present, the label still flourishes and remains true to Heavy Metal. Other record companies such as Metal Blade and Roadrunner still exist today, but don't exactly stay true to the genre, for instance Roadrunner has become a nu-metal label, literally turning it's back on what made them the name they are today, Metal Blade has also branched out into stoner rock and nu-metal, although they still release many traditional metal albums. Combat and Enigma Records are no longer in business due to corporate shake-ups. Noise Records' current roster includes Power Metal kings
Gamma Ray,
Kamelot, and
Seven Witches (which features members of Helstar). Although they do not appear on the compilation,
Stratovarius released several albums on Noise.
This two CD retrospective gives us a sampling of the label's twenty-year career, perfect for beginners and those curious about some of the bands listed on the track listing, and not to mention some fans also wanting a taste of the classic material, plenty of new stuff and old here, and all are stellar.
We have classic tracks from
Celtic Frost (The Usurper),
Helloween's "Heavy Metal is the Law" from their first album Walls of Jericho, with newer bands that are also represented here,
Tura Satana's "Kiss or Kill" and
Skyclad's "A Minutes Piece." The CD set serves as part of an introduction to the whole Metal scene, while proving that Noise Records has it's places in Heavy metal history as one of the true troubadours. The track listing is not in chronological order, it does jump around from one time period to another, not to mention the styles of the songs are not consistent either, but this keeps the whole compilation interesting, sort of like listing to the radio, but you are actually tuned to a great station, not to mention it keeps the variety straight, and there is lots of it here. Just look at the track listing, it pretty much speaks for itself.
Written by
Hashman Friday, May 30, 2003
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