Metal Blade Records Will Re-Release the First ‘Metal Massacre’ Comp to Celebrate Their 40th Anniversary

Compilation albums are a dead art in the culture of streaming, but once upon a time, they kept metal alive. So many metalhead life choices can be traced back to a single Amon Amarth track on a sampler they found glued to a magazine in 2001. The undisputed king of all these comps was Metal Massacre, the series produced by Metal Blade Records which brought Metallica, Slayer, Overkill, Possessed, and Hellhammer into the homes of everyday kids. Now, to honor the label’s 40th anniversary, Metal Blade Records are re-releasing the original Metal Massacre — the one that started them all.

From the label:

The 40th anniversary reissue track list includes all songs originally featured on the first and second pressing of the iconic compilation. This limited-edition Ruby Red vinyl variant will be available to 5000 copies worldwide at METAL BLADE RECORDS, and 2,000 copies pressed on clear vinyl exclusively available at metallica.com.

Yeah, we’re pretty fucking into this. Sign us up.

More than anything, it’s just kind of crazy that Metal Blade Records is 40…only 40! In my mind, Metal Blade has been around since the dawn of time. Apes learned to kill each other with jawbones next to a huge roll of Black Dahlia Murder stickers. All that said, we’ll happily raise a glass to these motherfuckers for changing the game every step of the way.

Check out the tracklisting for Metal Massacre below and wonder how many belts you could rock at once before looking like a real asshole:

SIDE ONE:
1 – STEELER – “COLD DAY IN HELL”
2 – BITCH – “LIVE FOR THE WHIP”
3 – MALICE – “CAPTIVE OF LIGHT”
4 – RATT – “TELL THE WORLD”
5 – AVATAR – “OCTAVE”

SIDE TWO:
1 – BLACK ‘N BLUE – “CHAINS AROUND HEAVEN”
2 – CIRITH UNGOL – “DEATH OF THE SUN”
3 – DEMON FLIGHT – “DEAD OF THE NIGHT”
4 – PANDEMONIUM – “FIGHTING BACKWARDS”
5 – MALICE – “KICK YOU DOWN”
6 – METALLICA – “HIT THE LIGHTS”