THE RETURN OF THE CLASSIC THRASH AND SPEED METAL LABEL

CD / LP / DIGITAL

THE NOISE RECORDS STORY

The creation of Karl-Ulrich Walterbach, Noise Records’ origins lay in the late 70s/early 80s West Berlin Punk rock scene. Against the backdrop of the Berlin Wall, the convergence of volatile music, left-wing ideals and anti-government sentiment spurred Walterbach to release two punk compilations, Soundtracks zum Untergang (Soundtracks to the Downfall), on his first label, Aggressive Rockproduktionen, otherwise simply known as AGR.

Due to the influence of Los Angeles hardcore punk masters Black Flag, Walterbach would gradually turn his interests from punk to metal, forming Noise Records in 1983 as the European response to the likes of Metallica and Slayer. From there, the label would enjoy an unprecedented signing streak of bands who would play a significant role in defining underground metal as we know it today.

Noise’s early releases - including the seminal 1984 Death Metal compilation - would lay the groundwork for future European metal mainstays such as Grave Digger, Hellhammer (who became Celtic Frost), Helloween, Kreator, Running Wild and Tankard. These acts would become Noise’s bedrock outfits, leading the charge in heavy metal innovation via death metal (Celtic Frost), power metal (Helloween), and thrash metal (Kreator).

The label’s roster was filled with variety. Coroner emerged as arguably metal’s most talented power trio, with budding guitar hero Tommy T. Baron mesmerizing audiences across the globe. Mordred beat the entire rap metal movement to the punch by several years, as the street-level rhymes of Scott Holderby set the table for Rage Against the Machine and Korn. Rage released a string of critically-acclaimed, well-received melodic metal albums, while the serpentine thrash of

Kreator

Britain’s Sabbat would introduce the metal world to Andy Sneap, currently one of the scene’s most in-demand producers.

The manic, sci-fi explorations purveyed by Voivod brought forth a new level of weirdness, and Watchtower’s outrageous math motifs instantly earned them cult status in the progressive metal scene.

But it was the success of Helloween that propelled Noise to the next level. The band’s twin Keeper of the Seven Keys albums (Part I and II) were milestones for the genre. Guided by the stratospheric vocals of Michael Kiske, Helloween’s epic, strident, and symphonic numbers were in a league by themselves circa the late-80s. And with hit songs such as “Future World” and “I Want Out” leading the way, Helloween became the first Noise outfit to reach seven-digit figures in album sales.

Famed “pirate metal” act Running Wild weren’t too far behind, as their 1987 Under Jolly Roger album moved an estimated 250,000 copies, helping the band earn headliner status across continental Europe. The brave, bold, risk-taking Celtic Frost forever solidified their status as metal’s most adventurous band with 1987’s Into the Pandemonium.

Voivod

Celtic Frost

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Kreator released a string of explosive, neck-snapping albums that shaped the face of pure German thrash, and were flanked by Tankard, the first band to proudly proclaim themselves as “beer metal.”

As the Berlin Wall fell in late 1989, the music scene and political landscape underwent radical changes. By then, Noise’s worldwide distribution setup covered 43 countries, boasting a highly-profitable back catalogue and lasting viability in territories like Japan, ensuring the label’s survival as the genre of metal struggled with diminishing sales and negative public perception.

Bands such as Kai Hansen’s Gamma Ray, British folk innovators Skyclad, Floridian melodic metal upstarts Kamelot, and Finland’s Stratovarius carried Noise throughout the turbulent 90s, allowing the label to remain vital, even as newer, more “alternative” forms of rock became popular.

Not wanting to contend with the oncoming digital revolution, Walterbach sold Noise to Sanctuary Music in 2001. Sanctuary would steer Noise for the next six years, helping launch the career of multi-national power metal sensation Dragonforce, until it was sold to Universal Music in 2007. Noise’s catalog has lain dormant ever since…

…until now.

BMG purchased Sanctuary Music in 2013, and will re-launch Noise Records in 2016. The label has planned a full-scale campaign featuring 2CD “best-ofs” of select Noise bands, along with reissuing classic titles from Celtic Frost, Coroner, Helloween, Kreator, Running Wild, Tankard, Voivod, and more, featuring expanded liner notes, rare bonus material, and a fresh mastering job.

The campaign will prove one thing: few metal labels have a legacy roster with as much longevity and relevance as Noise. Several of the key bands Karl-Ulrich Walterbach signed and developed have actually become more popular as the years have progressed, showing that the lightning in a bottle he captured in the 80s was more than just a passing trend. It was a movement.

David E. GehlkeFebruary 2016

Kreator

Tankard

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2CD BEST OF TITLES

HELLOWEEN RIDE THE SKY (THE VERY BEST OF 1985-1998)

KREATOR LOVE US OR HATE US (THE VERY BEST OF THE NOISE YEARS 1985-1992)

KAMELOT WHERE I REIGN (THE VERY BEST OF THE NOISE YEARS 1995-2003)

SINNER NO PLACE IN HEAVEN (THE VERY BEST OF THE NOISE YEARS 1984-1987)

RUNNING WILD RIDING THE STORM (THE VERY BEST OF THE NOISE YEARS 1983-1995)

CD ONE

01. Endless Pain 02. Tormentor 03. Flag Of Hate04. Total Death 05. Bonebreaker 06. Pleasure To Kill07. Under The Guillotine 08. Riot Of Violence09. Ripping Corpse 10. Command Of The Blade11. Terrible Certainty 12. Toxic Trace13. Storming With Menace 14. No Escape15. Behind The Mirror

CD ONE

01. Oernst Of Life 02. Metal Invaders 03. Starlight04. Murderer 05. Walls Of Jericho (Instrumental)06. Ride The Sky 07. Phantoms Of Death 08. Gorgar09. Judas 10. Initiation 11. I’m Alive 12. Future World13. Halloween (Video Edit) 14. Follow The Sign15. Dr. Stein 16. March Of Time 17. I Want Out18. Save Us

CD ONE

01. Eternity 02. Black Tower 03. Call Of The Sea04. The Gleeman 05. Ascension 06. Heaven07. Rise Again 08. Creation 09. Millennium 10. Expedition 11. Where I Reign12. Rhydin

CD ONE

01. Danger Zone 02. No Place In Heaven03. Lupo Manaro 04. The Shiver 05. Shadow In The Night 06. Wild Winds 07. Rattlesnake08. Born To Rock 09. Bad Girl 10. Shout!11. The Storm Broke Loose 12. Out Of Control13. Too Late To Run Away 14. Hand Of Fate15. Masquerade

CD ONE

01. Victim Of States Power 02. Genghis Khan 03. Prisoner Of Our Time 04. Walpurgis Night 05. Branded And Exiled 06. Fight The Oppression 07. Chains And Leather 08. Under Jolly Roger 09. Beggar’s Night 10. Diamonds Of The Black Chest11. Raw Ride 12. Intro / Port Royal 13. Uaschitschun 14. Final Gates 15. Conquistadores16. Calico Jack

CD TWO

01. Extreme Aggression 02. Some Pain Will Last03. Bringer Of Torture 04. Love Us Or Hate Us05. Betrayer 06. Terror Zone 07. Coma Of Souls08. People Of The Lie 09. When The Sun Burns Red10. Agents Of Brutality 11. Renewal 12. Depression Unrest13. Karmic Wheel 14. Europe After The Rain15. Winter Martyrium

CD TWO

01. Kids Of The Century 02. Back On The Streets 03. When The Sinner 04. Step Out Of Hell05. Get Me Out Of Here 06. Where The Rain Grows07. Why? 08. Mr. Ego (Take Me Down) 09. Steel Tormentor10. Wake Up The Mountain 11. Power 12. A Million To One 13. Hey Lord! 14. Time 15. I Can 16. Back On The Ground

CD TWO

01. New Allegiance 02. The Fourth Legacy 03. Desert Reign 04. Nights Of Arabia05. Until Kingdom Come 06. We Three Kings07. We Are Not Seperate 08. Wings Of Despair 09. The Spell 10. Karma 11. Center Of The Universe12. The Edge Of Paradise 13. Descent Of The Archangel 14. III Ways To Epica

CD TWO

01. Age Of Rock 02. Comin’ Out Fighting 03. Rebel Yell 04. Germany Rocks 05. Playing With Fire 06. Faster Than Light 07. Madhouse 08. Don’t Tell Me (That Love Has Gone)09. Knife In My Heart 10. Dangerous Charm 11. Nobody Rocks Like You 12. Tomorrow Doesn’t Matter 13. Fight The Fight14. Back In My Arms 15. Desperate Heart

CD TWO

01. Riding The Storm 02. Evilution 03. Bad To The Bone04. Tortuga Bay 05. Blazon Stone 06. Little Big Horn07. Over The Rainbow 08. Genocide 09. Whirlwind10. Fistful Of Dynamite 11. Pile Of Skulls 12. Soulless13. The Privateer 14. Fight The Fire Of Hate15. The Phantom Of Black Hand Hill 16. Lions Of The Sea

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SKYCLAD A BELLYFUL OF EMPTINESS (THE VERY BEST OF THE NOISE YEARS 1991 - 1995)

GRAVE DIGGER LET YOUR HEADS ROLL (THE VERY BEST OF THE NOISE YEARS 1984-1987)

THE NOISE ALBUM SAMPLER

CD ONE

01. Zombie Attack 02. Mercenary 03. Maniac Forces04. (Empty) Tankard 05. Poison 06. Total Addiction07. Tantrum 08. Don’t Panic 09. For A Thousand Beers10. Chemical Invasion 11. Alcohol 12. Intro / Commandments 13. Shit Faced 14. F.U.N.15. Try Again 16. The Morning After 17. Alien18. 666 Packs 19. Live To Dive

CD ONE

01. The Sky Beneath My Feet 02. Trance Dance (A Dreamtime Walkabout) 03. The Widdershins Jig 04. Skyclad 05. Spinning Jenny 06. Salt Of The Earth (Another Man’s Poison) 07. Ring Stone Round08. Men Of Straw 09. The Declaration Of Indifference10. Alone In Death’s Shadow 11. Emerald12. A Room Next Door 13. When All Else Fails14. Thinking Allowed 15. The Wickedest Man In The World16. Earth Mother, The Sun & The Furious Host17. Tunnel Visionaries 18. A Word To The Wise

CD ONE01. Headbanging Man 02. Heavy Metal Breakdown03. Back From The War 04. Yesterday05. We Wanna Rock You 06. Tyrant07. Heart Attack 08. Shoot Her Down! 09. Witch Hunter10. Get Ready For Power 11. Love Is A Game12. Get Away 13. Here I Stand14. Don’t Kill The Children

01. HELLOWEEN - ‘Dr. Stein’02. KREATOR - ‘Betrayer’03. TANKARD - ‘Space Beer’04. RUNNING WILD - ‘Conquistadores’05. SKYCLAD - ‘Thinking Allowed’06. GRAVE DIGGER - ‘Heavy Metal Breakdown’07. KAMELOT - ‘We Are Not Separate’08. SINNER - ‘Born To Rock’

CD TWO

01. Open All Night 02. We Are Us 03. Dancing On Our Grave 04. Beermuda 05. Space Beer06. Jurisdiction 07. Broken Image 08. Stone Cold Sober09. Freibier 10. Death Penalty 11. Nation Over Nation 12. Two-Faced 13. Grave New World 14. Minds On The Moon15. Atomic Twilight 16. Hope?

CD TWO

01. Civil War Dance 02. Cardboard City 03. Land Of The Rising Slum 04. The One Piece Puzzle 05. A Bellyful Of Emptiness 06. Gammadion Seed 07. Brothers Beneath The Skin 08. Still Spinning Shrapnel 09. Just What Nobody Wanted 10. Art-Nazi 11. A Stranger In The Garden12. Another Fine Mess 13. Halo Of Flies14. Desperanto (A Song For Europe?)15. Dance Of The Dandy Hound

CD TWO01. Keep On Rockin’ 02. Heaven Can Wait03. Let Your Heads Roll 04. Love Is Breaking My Heart05. Enola Gay (Drop The Bomb) 06. Paradise07. Fall Out 08. Wanna Get Close 09. Don’t Leave Me Lonely 10. Stonger Than Ever 11. Moon Riders 12. Lay It On 13. I Don’t Need Your Love 14. Stand Up And Rock

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TANKARD OLDIES & GOLDIES (THE VERY BEST OF THE NOISE YEARS 1986-1995)

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COMING IN 2016

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OVER 30 EXPANDED REISSUE ALBUMS ON LP, CD AND DIGITAL

REMASTERED FROM THE BEST POSSIBLE SOURCE

FEATURING BONUS TRACKS, EXTENSIVE LINER NOTES, RARE PHOTOS AND MEMORABILIA

BANDS FEATURED INCLUDE

WWW.NOISERECORDS.NET

FULL SERVICE INTERNATIONAL PR INVOLVING MANY OF THE BANDS FEATURED

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RECORDS LISTING

KREATOR

HELLOWEEN

KAMELOT

SINNER

RUNNING WILD

TANKARD

SKYCLAD

GRAVE DIGGER

VARIOUS ARTISTS

LOVE US OR HATE US (THE VERY BEST OF THE NOISE YEARS 1985-1992)

RIDE THE SKY (THE VERY BEST OF 1985-1998)

WHERE I REIGN (THE VERY BEST OF THE NOISE YEARS 1995-2003)

NO PLACE IN HEAVEN (THE VERY BEST OF THE NOISE YEARS 1984-1987)

RIDING THE STORM (THE VERY BEST OF THE NOISE YEARS 1983-1995)

OLDIES & GOLDIES (THE VERY BEST OF THE NOISE YEARS 1986-1995)

A BELLYFUL OF EMPTINESS (THE VERY BEST OF THE NOISE YEARS 1991 - 1995)

LET YOUR HEADS ROLL (THE VERY BEST OF THE NOISE YEARS 1984-1987)

THE NOISE RECORDS SAMPLER

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ARTIST TITLE 2CD DIGITAL

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