Volcom Entertainment Is Shutting Down
If you listened to last week’s edition of the MetalSucks Podcast with special guest Valient Himself of Valient Thorr then you might’ve heard a very interesting tidbit, although you could’ve easily missed it since it was mentioned in passing: Volcom Entertainment is shutting down. In addition to being Valient Thorr’s longtime record label, Volcom has released music by Torche, Turbonegro, Wino, ASG and many others over the years. Though the company’s bread and butter has always been and will continue to be clothing, their entertainment branch consistently put out quality music since its inception in 1995.
The label is trying to downplay its demise. No official announcement has been made, an inquiry to a label employee went unanswered and the publicist for Valient Thorr’s recently released album simply said that the label isn’t commenting on the matter. I guess they’re just content to let the label fade away on its own. Meanwhile, their Facebook page continues to be updated.
As for Valient Thorr, Our Own Masters (fitting title, eh?) was the last album in the band’s current deal with Volcom so they would’ve been free agents now anyway, although it’s a major bummer when your label dissolves mere days after your album is released; surely it won’t be getting the promotional push going forward that it deserves. I’m not sure of the status of the rest of Volcom’s bands’ contracts, but as of July 1st Volcom was still putting out their Vinyl Club releases… so we’ll see if that continues.
In any case, it’s always sad to see a label close up shop, especially one that’s put out so much good music over the years. R.I.P. Volcom Entertainment.
