Cody’s Top 10 – Heavy Metal Record Labels

Alright, this may be a touchy subject for any musicians who may be reading this who have been in bands that worked with one or more of these labels. Everyone who has been in the scene long enough knows that bands and labels often times don’t see eye to eye, but for us fans, the result of those business relationships are what gives us the metal we crave. With that said, the following list is purely from a fan’s perspective, these are the labels I will have put out the best material over the years. Now, considering bands often skip around from label to label, especially in the underground, I am using all examples of artists who have released at least 3 albums any respective label which will be quoted beside each band.

10. Music For Nations

Opeth (3)
Entombed (5)
Cradle of Filth (3)
Spiritual Beggars (4)
Candlemass (4)
Annihilator (3)
Anathema (3)
Paradise Lost (4)

9. Spinefarm/Spikefarm Records

Children of Bodom (6)
Ensiferum (3)
Norther (4)
Finntroll (4)
Moonsorrow (4)
Lullacry (3)
Nightwish (5)
Sonata Arctica (3)
Kalmah (5)
Eternal Tears of Sorrow (4)
Dreamtale (3)

8. Relapse Records

Soilent Green (3)
Amorphis (4)
Alabama Thunderpussy (3)
Birds of Prey (3)
Neurosis (3)
Mastodon (3)
High on Fire (3)
Exhumed (3)
Nile (4)
Incantation (5)
Deceased (4)
Mortician (3)
Nasum (3)
Pig Destroyer (3)
Cephalic Carnage (4)
Dying Fetus (3)
Origin (4)
Skinless (3)

7. Noise Records

Celtic Frost (4)
Coroner (5)
Kreator (6)
Sinner (4)
Gamma Ray (6)
Dragonforce (3)
Helloween (3)
Iron Savior (5)
Stratovarius (5)
RAGE (8)
Skyclad (5)
Voivod (3)
Kamelot (6)
Heavenly (4)
Tankard (7)

6. Earache Records

Deicide (3)
Napalm Death (8)
Cathedral (6)
Entombed (3)
Morbid Angel (8)
Bolt Thrower (4)
The Haunted (3)
Decapitated (4)
Godflesh (6)
Carcass (5)
Cult of Luna (4)
The Berzerker (4)
Akercocke (3)
Blood Red Throne (3)

5. SPV/Steamhammer

Kreator (3)
Sodom (10)
Destruction (3)
Iced Earth (3)
Saxon (5)
Freedom Call (5)
Annihilator (3)
Overkill (4)
Mob Rules (3)
Sepultura (3)
Royal Hunt (5)
Angra (4)
Axel Rudi Pell (13)
Metal Church (3)
Moonspell (3)

4. Roadrunner/Roadracer Records

Obituary (6)
Suffocation (3)
Deicide (6)
Death (3)
Machine Head (6)
Type O Negative (6)
Killswitch Engage (4)
King Diamond (5)
Brujeria (3)
Slipknot (4)
Cradle of Filth (3)
Annihilator (4)
Pestilence (4)
Malevolent Creation (3)
Sepultura (6)
Fear Factory (5)
Xentrix (3)
Trivium (3)

3. Metal Blade Records

Cannibal Corpse (11)
GWAR (7, including upcoming Aug release)
Falconer (6)
The Black Dahlia Murder (3)
Amon Amarth (7)
Fleshcrawl (4)
Fates Warning (10)
Bolt Thrower (3)
Brainstorm (5)
Symphorce (4)
Vomitory (5)
Unearth (3)
God Dethroned (7)
King Diamond (5)
Mercyful Fate (5)
The Crown (4)
As I Lay Dying (3)
Cattle Decapitation (4)
King’s X (4)
Vader (3)
Six Feet Under (10)
D.R.I. (4)
Trouble (3)
Psyopus (3)
Flotsam and Jetsam (4)
Cryptic Slaughter (4)

2. Century Media

Iced Earth (7)
Shadows Fall (4)
God Forbid (4)
Nevermore (6)
Napalm Death (4)
Eyehategod (3)
Nocturnal Rites (7)
The Haunted (3)
Sentenced (6)
Poisonblack (3)
Arch Enemy (5)
Cryptopsy (4)
Dark Tranquillity (5)
Dream Evil (4)
Into Eternity (3)
Krisiun (5)
Grave (7)
Jag Panzer (6)
Old Man’s Child (6)
Demolition Hammer (3)
Heaven Shall Burn (3)
Maroon (3)
The Gathering (4)
Tiamat (7)
Borknagar (6)
Strapping Young Lad (5)
Rotting Christ (6)
Samael (4)
Moonspell (6)

1. Nuclear Blast

Hammerfall (6)
Graveworm (3)
Destruction (3)
Sinner (3)
Primal Fear (6)
Exodus (3)
In Flames (7)
Sinergy (3)
Soilwork (4)
Candlemass (3)
Stratovarius (3)
Amorphis (3)
Thunderstone (4)
Therion (7)
Dimmu Borgir (6)
Meshuggah (6)
Communic (3)
Darkane (3)
Malevolent Creation (3)
Hypocrisy (11)
Dew-Scented (4)
Die Apokalyptischen Reiter (4)
Disharmonic Orchestra (3)
Dismember (5)
Edguy (3)
Ektomorf (3)
Grave Digger (3)
Gorefest (5)
Mnemic (4)
Mortification (5)
Master (3)
Narnia (4)
Pungent Stench (5)
Steel Prophet (4)
Samael (3)