Who Are The Nicest & Worst ' Stone Stars' Earache Has Worked With?

Question: Who has been the nicest mortal (band wise) youve worked alongside as well as who has been the biggest \'rockstar\'? From:

Answer: Blimey-- what form of a enquiry is that? Is cypher sacred? Over the years I've worked alongside all types of musicians here- all were signed because they made neat music, but that doesn't hateful they had the friendliest of personalities. Because nosotros sign construct novel bands early on,  many were naive, roughly were foolish, a few were borderline insane. Do yous desire me to cry the names? Ok read on...

Nearly all bands are prissy to their fans,because they won't final long if they don't fifty-fifty grasp that basic fact. If yous hateful prissy to piece of work alongside equally their label boss, well, having worked alongside musicians on a daily set down for 20+ years, I tin privy tell yous they are certainly no angels, that goes for all highly creative people actually.

Many of Earache's artists have got been incredibly driven as well as ambitious people, I estimate that's why nosotros signed them inward the outset place. Many of the early musicians on the label had their upbringing inward the 80s DIY hardcore punk scene (as I did) thus when the grindcore scene took off, conflicts of sentiment would arise on a daily basis, because success was thus unexpected as well as dealing alongside the stresses caused a lot of headaches all around. Creativity certainly does come upwards alongside a sure psychological 'darkside' as well as I've seen my fair percentage of it.


Nicest would live Tomas Lindberg, Jason Mendonca, Trey Azagthoth, Johannes Persson, Johnny Violent, Gizz Butt as well as Ol Drake - all are highly intelligent, flat headed people, who have got the friendliest of personalities. From our label indicate of see they caused us hardly whatever headaches or drama.If whatever problems arose, they would address them inward a mature trend as well as had plenty empathy to empathize the label's concerns, thus we'd piece of work together to resolve whatever issues to each person's satisfaction, without drama or stress. They were as well as travel along to be, an absolute pleasance to piece of work with.



People powerfulness assume Glen Benton would live a handful to piece of work with, he was on this label for iii albums until recently, he fifty-fifty had a twelvemonth when he 'retired' from the biz due to a matrimonial dispute, which made it hella tricky to promote their final Earache album. I'd depict him equally unconventional inward his approach as well as unpredictable, but also a highly shrewd swain who knows what he wants as well as how to attain it.He was never openly tryannical towards this label (he powerfulness even thus live inward the future, who knows?). Over the years Glen did give the sack a lot of bridges alongside promotors as well as agents past times cancelling tours, but his reasons were e'er genuine, as well as luckily for him Deicide fans are a forgiving bunch.

It's likely easier to refer which were the most naive bands we've worked with, rather than "rock star-ish", non many musicians lead Death Metal, Thrash or Grindcore if Rock stardom is their aim, quite frankly. Earache traditionally plant alongside new, upwards as well as coming musicians on this label, many of which tin privy live really naive. We generally sign bands early inward their development,and have got noticed the flat of cognition almost how the 'traditional' music biz genuinely plant has decreased dramatically inward recent years, equally bands are using gigs, sponsorship, touring as well as YouTube as well as Facebook instead of 'Ye tallye of ye olde CDs solde inward tape shoppes' system, inward monastic tell to drive their popularity alongside fans.

When doing our 2007 Thrash compilation nosotros genuinely had to explicate to Decadence's vocalist Kitty Saric why making Cds as well as putting them inward the tape stores was genuinely of import for their career, because it merely wasn't how she saw things. From her viewpoint, it was all almost MySpace (this was 2007 -how quaint)  as well as its gratis streaming of music, as well as playing the large summertime festivals which mattered, non the traditional CDs inward shops, as well as upwards to a indicate she was correct. Its ane of the reasons nosotros passed on signing that band, as well as they are non the solely band who remember 'local as well as social', instead of the Traditional Music Biz "big picture".

Another naive deed was Clutch- In the 90's nosotros were the outset proper label to piece of work alongside Clutch, who were a quirky Philly Hardcore band dorsum then- nosotros had to genuinely explicate why they needed a producer during the recording process.They did non figure how anyone exterior of the grouping itself could ever contribute anything to exercise goodness the recording or the songs.We persuaded them that an exterior vocalization as well as sentiment at the command desk volition boost the surgical procedure of the songs, as well as the overall recording would undoubtedly benefit. It was breaking intelligence to them. It's totally criterion to appoint a producer for an of import recording, but Clutch didn't teach the concept when they were starting out, as well as stood firmly against it.



Mortiis was generally a pleasance to piece of work alongside during his fourth dimension on Earache, but sure enough takes the prize equally our most naive creative mortal ever. After leaving Emperor he became a solo creative mortal as well as was ane of the most creative guys I've had the pleasance to piece of work with. When he delivered his Smell of Rain album, which he'd worked on solo for many months inward his abode studio, he instructed us to industry the retail CDs solely from the master copy he sent as well as to non modification the audio inward whatever way. It sounded ho-hum as well as depression inward majority to our ears, but nosotros did non argue, as well as released it equally it was.

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 twelvemonth or 2 afterwards he admitted it was un-mastered equally he wasn't aware such a technique existed. Mastering is a criterion component of the record-making process, which boosts the audio of the recordings after mixing as well as prior to going to the establish for replication- its what makes them loud as well as pleasing to remove heed to on all systems. He was unaware it was fifty-fifty necessary, as well as for a few years the album was sold equally a ho-hum sounding as well as depression majority disc. Many years afterwards Mortiis did eventually master copy the CD, ane time he got the right software, as well as understood the concept. The novel version of 'The Smell Of Rain' had remixes added aswell.

By far the worst people nosotros have got dealt alongside were the highly poisonous band managers which were appointed during the labels heyday. We have got had inward total xv bands teach on from this label to Major label deals, but during the early 90s Earache had vii bands tied upwards inward a convoluted label license bargain alongside Sony inward America. The heady odour of high finance as well as large coin deals made the formerly cooperative bands declare opened upwards warfare on Earache - I estimate mainly because it was Earache which did the 'big money' deals on their behalf (as my label owned the recording rights), as well as non them or their managers.

This fact caused raw, opened upwards resentment which inward many cases lasts to this day. Totally unexpectedly, 'Extreme metal' got really pop really fast, as well as inside the major music biz the Earache bands were expected to flat the side past times side moving ridge of platinum Rock acts. This caused the strangest bunch of folks to literally exhibit upwards on our doorstep from nowhere, claiming to correspond the bands, as well as duly expecting their slice of the anticipated fiscal bonanza, fifty-fifty though they'd played null component inward creating the scene upwards to that point. It's a funny old biz.

Entombed's merch guy at the fourth dimension was selling their swag on tour ane minute, as well as the side past times side infinitesimal became their manager- straightaway demanding the label solely communicate to the band via him as well as past times lawyers letters, which was a ridiculous set down of affairs, as well as soured the amazing human relationship nosotros had going alongside them. He idea - similar they all do- that managing a fast-rising band was the equivalent of a  lottery-win. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 bloke who was solely fit for standing inward a club's black corner selling T-shirts a calendar month beforehand, demanded $2,000,000 inward advances for Entombed's albums going forward. This genuinely happened.

The experience left all parties a piddling chip crazy as well as bitter. To this day, nosotros have got several vindictive ex-artists who's ire stems from this explosive menses inward their history.The fiscal stakes were high as well as emotions ran deep. The failure to check expectations hitting everyone difficult - fanbases seemingly evaporated overnight, forcing many high profile acts to retire/break upwards as well as have got no selection but to sit down things out on the sidelines for over a decade, equally other forms of to a greater extent than commercial metallic took over, dominating the charts. Once extreme metallic came dorsum into favour, most of the bands re-activated themselves to accept payoff of the thriving festival circuit, topping the billing almost 2 decades after their heyday. Well it seems they didn't have got equally good shabby a career after all.



Thinking almost it- yes, nosotros did have got ane blatant wannabe stone star on this label, the arrogant, bullshitting, ego-on-legs past times the cry of J.S "Seth" Clayden of Pitch Shifter. That dude takes the respect of beingness the biggest twat as well as most ungrateful participant I've ever worked with. His managers- yes he employed 2 of them, a hubby as well as married adult woman squad - became desperate to displace the band away from Earache to marker a lucrative major label bargain instead, stirring problem on a daily set down to sour the deal. It was genuinely a blessed relief when the band were told they could teach out Earache as well as inked alongside Geffen.

Ralph Santolla would fit that description too, the means he was hired as well as fired from Deicide past times Glen but would routinely blame the label for his woes was specially galling, equally nosotros never fifty-fifty hired him, or fired him, inward the outset place, but received all the backlash.



I've never had a pleasant fourth dimension dealing alongside Napalm Death's  Mark "Barney" Greenway. We supported him as well as his band for over a decade, investing eye-wateringly huge sums of coin into his career. It's quite possible he was never fifty-fifty aware of this fact, equally his bumbling managing director Mark Walmesley dealt alongside everything for him - including all his fiscal affairs I suspect- on a daily basis.

The basic work stems from the fact Barney was non involved alongside the explosive outset 2 albums past times Napalm Death thus he completely missed out on the feel-good element which came from a construct novel band as well as label both blasting-off from obscurity. He had no ground for whatever goodwill towards me or Earache because he walked into an already successful band. Likewise I never actively chose to sign the dude, he was the bands roadie,  he was the Benediction singer, all of a abrupt drafted into the piece of work of vocalist of a successful band,  as well as was obligated to sign into an existing contract, non ane of his choosing.

Barney did willingly ink deals alongside Earache twice to a greater extent than inward the 90s though. The band's slowly gradual loss of fanbase during their groove-grind stage could have got proved fatal, but Earache worked tirelessly behind the scenes to forbid Napalm Death splitting, quiting or becoming a totally spent force- for really piddling gratitude I powerfulness add. Even Barney himself jumped send from Napalm to bring together ENT at ane point. It was non a happy army camp during those latter Earache years. His enmity to Earache is legendary as well as grudges are held, for the most trivial of reasons, for an inordinate length of time.


I never much got on much alongside Peter Dolving (The Haunted) either- he is exactly a crazy personality, who speaks his remove heed first, as well as thinks later. Again, the ground for the ire is basically because Earache never actively chose to sign the dude, as well as he never actively chose to sign alongside us either, inward fact he absolutely opposed it. Like Barney, Peter walked into as well as course of didactics of 'inherited' the ongoing At The Gates contract after their separate to flat the Haunted, thus its fair to say, because nosotros never actively chose to piece of work alongside each other, I never saw eye-to-eye alongside the bloke.

During Dolving's outset stint inward the band, he ane time urged the crowd at a London Haunted gig I was attention to boot my ass. Luckily for me, they didn't deed out his on-stage instructions. When I afterwards direct called the dude out on his threats, instead of an apology he got his managing director to study me to the Swedish constabulary for threatening behaviour. The spat fifty-fifty made the Swedish newspapers for a time. It made for a proficient promotional stunt for a few weeks I suppose.



Over the years our most harrowing nightmare band experiences were all sadly alongside ane private - namely- "Mad" Mick Harris during his Napalm Death era. He was the driving forcefulness of the band without which they would never have got succeeded. the bloke is a forcefulness of nature on the drums, as well as a whirlwind-tornado-minefield-detonation-whole-heap-of-trouble off it too.

Not arrogant inward whatever Rock Star way,  he merely went into enormously destructive child-like tantrums  instantly if things didn't teach to his liking. Mick smashed upwards materials routinely, especially anything technological. If it didn't work, it was ceremoniously smashed to pieces. The UK's M1 Motorway during the 90's was littered alongside Mick's damaged goods. Sony Walkmans, ampilfiers, as well as guitars would live flung out of the window at lxxx mph on a regular basis.

Mick ane time famously smashed upwards our Earache component fax machine, which was a high tech chip of kit dorsum then, nosotros were equally good pitiful to afford a replacement for months. It served equally a daily reminder of the ability of Mick Harris' wrath for years afterwards.

Nowadays recording equally Scorn, Mick is genuinely a pleasance to bargain with, he's calmed downward a lot, thus nosotros tin privy come across the funny side of his past times demeanour now.