Brian Slagel of Metal Blade Records joins the show to talk about his past, present, and future, and we discuss his new book, For The Sake of Heaviness: The History of Metal Blade Records.

Brian and Metal Blade have been a pivotal part of the metal genre for decades. From the early days of Metallica and Slayer to the institution that Metal Blade is today, this man has seen it all. It’s an honor to have him on board to discuss the perseverance his climb has taken, what the place of record labels is in the industry now, and why a love of the music is integral to success.

“If you would have told any of us starting in ‘82/‘83, you know - Slayer, Metallica, Motley Crue, anybody that was in L.A. at the time - that this would go on to be such a huge thing, and that we’d still be talking about this stuff 35 years later we all would have said that you were completely nuts.” - Brian Slagel

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

- How perseverance played a role in the rise of Metal Blade

- The importance of loving what you do

- Some of the reasons Brian feels modern bands have a hard time breaking through

- Why you shouldn’t burn bridges

- Pivoting

- Why one person in your band should know business

- And much, much more

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