Edge of Sanity

Black Mark Productions is an independent record label based in Sweden and an office in Germany that specializes in extreme metal releases, perhaps best known for its close connection to Quorthon, leader of the defining black metal band Bathory until his death in 2004. As Quorthon himself has... stated several times, it was often speculated that he had something to do with the business and operation of Black Mark Productions, except for the concept and name of the label, which would be referenced in the title of the 1987 release Under the Sign of the Black Mark. Quorthon received permission from the Tyfon Grammofon label - which was owned by Börje "Boss" Forsberg and of course featured Bathory - to use his own proxy-label on all Bathory albums, along with a unique 666-X serial number, starting with the self-titled debut album from 1984, but the label wasn't founded as a separate entity before 1991. Who did found it remains disputed, but many point to Boss Forsberg. A North American office was also in operation out of Toronto for several years beginning in 1995, which Quorthon and Boss jointly visited.
more

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 in the... United States. With roots in blues rock and psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness. Heavy metal lyrics and performance styles are generally associated with masculinity and machismo. The first heavy metal bands, such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple, eventually attracted large audiences, though many were critically reviled , a status common throughout the history of the genre. In the mid-1970s Judas Priest helped spur the genre's evolution by discarding much of its blues influence; Motörhead introduced a punk rock sensibility and an increasing emphasis on speed. Bands in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal such as Iron Maiden followed in a similar vein. Before the end of the decade, heavy metal fans became known as "metalheads" or "headbangers".
more