Peaceville Records
Encyclopedia
Peaceville Records is a British
independent
metal
-oriented record label. The label was founded by Paul "Hammy" Halmshaw (of the bands Instigators
and Civilised Society?, who was also one-time drummer of Sore Throat
) in 1987, in Dewsbury
, England. Originally a tape label
releasing anarcho punk, the releases moved towards metal through crust
and similar forms of metal influenced English hardcore punk
. Halmshaw started running the label full time in 1988, although the original tape label
incarnation was founded in 1981 as a vehicle for releasing Instigators
demo cassettes.
The label is therefore known for the connection between doom metal
and the 1980s English crust punk scene. Sister labels 'Deaf' and 'Dreamtime' concentrated more on thrash metal (Deaf) and psychedelic electronica (Dreamtime).
However, the bands Autopsy
, Darkthrone
, My Dying Bride
, Anathema
, Opeth, Katatonia
and Paradise Lost
- known as the 'Peaceville Stable' - have been the label's most recognizable traits since the 1990s. Peaceville also became known for its anti-major stance and left wing political outlook.
In November 2006, after 25 years at the helm, Halmshaw announced that he and co-manager Lisa Halmshaw would be leaving the label to concentrate on new projects, and that his former assistant, Paul Groundwell, would be taking over general management duties, following the sale of the label to back catalogue specialists Snapper Music
, who had distributed Peaceville since 2001.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
independent
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
-oriented record label. The label was founded by Paul "Hammy" Halmshaw (of the bands Instigators
Instigators
Instigators were an anarcho-punk band from Dewsbury, England, formed in 1980. The original line-up split up in the mid-1980s, but the band carried on into the 1990s.-History:...
and Civilised Society?, who was also one-time drummer of Sore Throat
Sore Throat
Sore Throat were a British crust punk / grindcore band, formed in Yorkshire in 1987. They are known for being one of the earliest exponents of the grindcore subgenre known as "noisecore", as well launching the careers of several prominent members of the British metal community.-Biography:Sore...
) in 1987, in Dewsbury
Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds...
, England. Originally a tape label
Tape label
Tape labels are identifiers given to volumes of magnetic tape.There are two kinds of tape labels. The first is a label applied to the exterior of tape cartridge or reel. The second is data recorded on the tape itself.-Visual labels:...
releasing anarcho punk, the releases moved towards metal through crust
Crust punk
Crust punk is a form of music influenced by anarcho-punk, hardcore punk and extreme metal. The style, which evolved in the mid-1980s in England, often has songs with dark and pessimistic lyrics that linger on political and social ills...
and similar forms of metal influenced English hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
. Halmshaw started running the label full time in 1988, although the original tape label
Tape label
Tape labels are identifiers given to volumes of magnetic tape.There are two kinds of tape labels. The first is a label applied to the exterior of tape cartridge or reel. The second is data recorded on the tape itself.-Visual labels:...
incarnation was founded in 1981 as a vehicle for releasing Instigators
Instigators
Instigators were an anarcho-punk band from Dewsbury, England, formed in 1980. The original line-up split up in the mid-1980s, but the band carried on into the 1990s.-History:...
demo cassettes.
The label is therefore known for the connection between doom metal
Doom metal
Doom metal is an extreme form of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other metal genres...
and the 1980s English crust punk scene. Sister labels 'Deaf' and 'Dreamtime' concentrated more on thrash metal (Deaf) and psychedelic electronica (Dreamtime).
However, the bands Autopsy
Autopsy (band)
Autopsy is a death metal band, founded in 1987 in the United States by Chris Reifert. They disbanded in 1995, but have reunited as of July 2009.-Biography:...
, Darkthrone
Darkthrone
Darkthrone is a Norwegian black metal band. They formed in 1987 as a death metal band, but after embracing the black metal style in 1991, they became a driving force in the Norwegian black metal scene. For most of this period Darkthrone has consisted of just two musicians, Nocturno Culto and...
, My Dying Bride
My Dying Bride
My Dying Bride are an English doom metal band formed in 1990. To date, My Dying Bride have released eleven full-length studio albums, three EPs, one demo, one box set, four compilation albums, one live album, and one live CD/DVD release. The band released their tenth studio album, For Lies I Sire,...
, Anathema
Anathema (band)
Anathema are an English band from Liverpool primarily known for their ever evolving sound. Beginning as pioneers of the death/doom metal sub-genre, their later albums have been associated with genres such as alternative rock, progressive rock, art rock, new prog, and post-rock.-History:Anathema...
, Opeth, Katatonia
Katatonia
Katatonia is a Swedish metal band formed in Stockholm in 1991 by Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström .-1991-1993:The early Katatonia releases, such as the EP Jhva Elohim Meth.....
and Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost (band)
Paradise Lost are a heavy metal band that formed in 1988 in Halifax, England.-History:Their first three full-length albums are examples of the death/doom style, although the latter two incorporated some melodic and gothic elements...
- known as the 'Peaceville Stable' - have been the label's most recognizable traits since the 1990s. Peaceville also became known for its anti-major stance and left wing political outlook.
In November 2006, after 25 years at the helm, Halmshaw announced that he and co-manager Lisa Halmshaw would be leaving the label to concentrate on new projects, and that his former assistant, Paul Groundwell, would be taking over general management duties, following the sale of the label to back catalogue specialists Snapper Music
Snapper Music
Snapper Music is an independent record label founded in 1996 by former head of Castle Communications Jon Beecher, Dougie Dudgeon and funded by the late Mark Levinson from Palan Music Publishing. In 1999 Snapper broke away from its parent company in an MBO in association with ACT and CAI venture...
, who had distributed Peaceville since 2001.
Bands
- AbscessAbscess (band)Abscess was a hardcore punk-influenced death metal band from Oakland, California. The band was formed in 1994 by Chris Reifert and Danny Coralles, both former members of Autopsy....
- AsgarothAsgarothAsgaroth was a black metal band from Barcelona, Spain formed in 1995. It started as a one man-project by Lord Lupus. Their international attention increased after their second album release, Red Shift, through Peaceville.-Peaceville Records:...
- AutopsyAutopsy (band)Autopsy is a death metal band, founded in 1987 in the United States by Chris Reifert. They disbanded in 1995, but have reunited as of July 2009.-Biography:...
- Barren EarthBarren EarthBarren Earth is a Finnish progressive death metal band from Helsinki, and was formed in 2007. The group's music is said to be a combination of death metal, progressive rock and even folk music, pulling influence from the different groups each member is associated with. Forming from the members of...
- BloodbathBloodbathBloodbath is a Swedish death metal supergroup from Stockholm formed in 1998.-History:A year after being formed, the band, then consisting of Mikael Åkerfeldt on vocals, Dan Swanö on drums, Anders "Blakkheim" Nyström on guitar, and Jonas Renkse on bass, released their EP Breeding...
- Cradle of FilthCradle of FilthCradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily...
- DarkthroneDarkthroneDarkthrone is a Norwegian black metal band. They formed in 1987 as a death metal band, but after embracing the black metal style in 1991, they became a driving force in the Norwegian black metal scene. For most of this period Darkthrone has consisted of just two musicians, Nocturno Culto and...
- GallhammerGallhammerGallhammer is a Japanese extreme metal group that draws on black metal, doom metal, and crust punk. They formed in Tokyo in 2003. All of the members are female, which is rare in their genre. -Biography:...
- KatatoniaKatatoniaKatatonia is a Swedish metal band formed in Stockholm in 1991 by Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström .-1991-1993:The early Katatonia releases, such as the EP Jhva Elohim Meth.....
- Madder MortemMadder MortemMadder Mortem is a Norwegian progressive metal band. They were formed in 1993 as Mystery Tribe.-Current lineup:* Agnete M. Kirkevaag − Vocals * BP M...
- My Dying BrideMy Dying BrideMy Dying Bride are an English doom metal band formed in 1990. To date, My Dying Bride have released eleven full-length studio albums, three EPs, one demo, one box set, four compilation albums, one live album, and one live CD/DVD release. The band released their tenth studio album, For Lies I Sire,...
- NovembreNovembreNovembre is a progressive death metal/gothic doom metal band.-Biography:Starting out in 1990 as an Italian death metal band , Novembre grew to develop a unique, atmospheric sound. Although most of their lyrics are in English, vocalist Carmelo Orlando sings in Italian occasionally in many of their...
- Porcupine TreePorcupine TreePorcupine Tree is a progressive rock band formed by Steven Wilson in 1987 in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. Their music is difficult to categorise, being associated with both psychedelic rock and progressive rock, yet having been influenced by trance, krautrock and ambient due to Steven...
- The Provenance
Former bands
- AcrimonyAcrimonyAcrimony was a British stoner metal band who were active during the 1990s. Releasing their debut album in 1994, they are regarded as the pioneers of stoner metal in the United Kingdom, and an important influence upon the scene...
- AgathoclesAgathocles (band)Agathocles is a Belgian political grindcore band that began in 1985. They are mainly known for producing a large quantity of split seven-inch EPs...
- AkercockeAkercockeAkercocke is an English progressive blackened death metal band from London, England. They take their name from a talking monkey in Robert Nye's interpretation of the Faust-legend, and are notable for their heavily Satanic and sexual lyrical content....
- AnathemaAnathema (band)Anathema are an English band from Liverpool primarily known for their ever evolving sound. Beginning as pioneers of the death/doom metal sub-genre, their later albums have been associated with genres such as alternative rock, progressive rock, art rock, new prog, and post-rock.-History:Anathema...
- At the GatesAt the GatesAt the Gates is an extreme metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden, and a major progenitor of the Gothenburg death-metal sound. Their early albums lean towards a death metal sound, but later albums sound more like melodic death metal.Initially active from 1990 to 1996, the band reformed in 2007 for a...
- AxegrinderAxegrinder"Axegrinder" was a single by iconic Australian rock group Hoodoo Gurus. It was released on RCA Records in August, 1989 from their album Magnum Cum Louder; and was written by Dave Faulkner. B side "Spaghetti Western" was also written by Faulkner....
- BehemothBehemoth (band)Behemoth is a Polish blackened death metal band from Gdańsk, formed in 1991. They are considered to have played an important role in establishing the Polish extreme metal underground, alongside bands such as Vader, Decapitated, Vesania and Hate....
- BlackstarBlackstar (band)Blackstar was a British heavy metal band, formed as a retooling of the band Carcass in 1995 without Bill Steer along with former Cathedral guitarist Mark Griffiths....
- The Blood DivineThe Blood DivineThe Blood Divine was a British goth metal band, founded in the summer of 1995 by Paul Allender, brothers Paul and Benjamin Ryan, after the three left Cradle of Filth during the recording of the V Empire EP and ousted Anathema singer Darren White. They recruited drummer William A...
- ChumbawambaChumbawambaChumbawamba is a British musical group who have, over a career spanning nearly three decades, played punk rock, pop-influenced music, world music, and folk music...
- Deviated InstinctDeviated InstinctDeviated Instinct, formed in 1984, was a pioneering British crust punk / death metal band. Their first EP, Welcome to the Orgy, was released by Peaceville Records, which released the majority of their albums...
- DominionDominion (band)Dominion was a British band from Thornhill, Dewsbury, that played a mix of death metal and doom metal genres. It featured a female singer, Michelle Richfield, and two male singers, Mass Firth and Arno Cagna. The band released two albums in the late 1990s on Peaceville Records and then split up....
- DoomDoom (UK band)Doom are an English crust punk band from Birmingham, England, whose first, influential lineup were together from 1987 to 1990. Despite its short existence, the band is considered pivotal in the rise of crust punk, a style within the punk rock subgenre that fuses extreme metal with anarcho-punk...
- Electro HippiesElectro HippiesElectro Hippies was a crust punk/thrashcore band formed in St Helens/Wigan, United Kingdom, in 1985.Though they were short-lived and underground through their career, their music influenced many future crust, hardcore punk, and grindcore bands. The band relied heavily on low bass end sounds to...
- G.G.F.H.
- IsengardIsengard (band)Isengard is a solo project of Fenriz, famous for being the drummer of Darkthrone, created in 1989.It is rooted on Norwegian black/Viking metal and avant-garde rock on some tracks, and named after the Tolkienian locale Isengard.-Career:...
- KongKong (band)Kong is an Amsterdam-based band formed in 1988 by guitarist/synth programmer Dirk de Vries, guitarist Aldo Sprenger, bassist/synth programmer Mark Drillich, and drummer Rob Smits, whose daughter is one of the co-founders of the fashion label Cherry Red. The band's music can best be described as...
- OpethOpethOpeth is a Swedish heavy metal band from Stockholm, formed in 1990. Though the group has been through several personnel changes, singer, guitarist, and songwriter Mikael Åkerfeldt has remained Opeth's driving force throughout the years...
- Paradise LostParadise Lost (band)Paradise Lost are a heavy metal band that formed in 1988 in Halifax, England.-History:Their first three full-length albums are examples of the death/doom style, although the latter two incorporated some melodic and gothic elements...
- PentagramPentagram (band)Pentagram is a American heavy metal band from Virginia, most famous as one of the pioneers of doom metal. The band was prolific in the underground scene of the 1970s, producing many demos and rehearsal tapes, but did not release a full-length album until reforming in the early 1980s with an almost...
- PitchshifterPitchshifter (band)Pitchshifter are a British five-piece electronic-metal band from Nottingham, United Kingdom formed in 1989. The band was started by bassist and vocalist Mark Clayden, lead guitarist and programmer Johnny A...
- Sonic ViolenceSonic ViolenceSonic Violence were formed in Southend, Essex in the late 1980s by Andy Whiting and “Auntie”, who had previously played in punk band The Sinyx. The band were among the first acts to be signed to Peaceville Records, although they had moved to its subsidiary label Dreamtime by the time of their...
- TherionTherion (band)Therion is a Swedish symphonic metal band founded by Christofer Johnsson in 1987. The word "therion" comes from the Greek therion , meaning "Beast," i.e., that of the Christian Book of Revelation...
- Vital RemainsVital RemainsVital Remains is an American death metal band from Providence, Rhode Island formed in 1988.- History :Created in 1988 by guitarist Paul Flynn, Vital Remains' first line-up consisted of guitarist Butch Machado, vocalist Mike Flynn, bassist Tom Supkow, and drummer Chris Dupont. Searching for better...
Compilations
- A Vile Peace (1987)
- Vile Vibes (1990)
- Peaceville Volume 4Peaceville Volume 4Peaceville Volume 4 is a 1992 compilation sampling various artists and genres within the Peaceville record label. Many of the tracks have brief sound collages between songs, which feature clips ranging from films to interviews with then-current Peaceville artists.-Track listing:#Pentagram / Sign...
(1992) - The Best of Peaceville (1995)
- Autumn Sampler '95 (1995)
- Under the Sign of the Sacred Star (1996)
- Peaceville X (1998)
- Peaceville Classic Cuts (2001)
- Peaceville Sampler 2002 (2002)
- New Dark Classics (2006)
- Metal Hammer (2006)
- 21 Years Of Doom, Death & Darkness (2008)