Deicide is an American
death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, feat ...
band formed in
Tampa, Florida
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...
in 1987 by drummer/composer
Steve Asheim and guitarist brothers Eric and Brian Hoffman as "Carnage", then hiring bassist/vocalist/lyricist
Glen Benton
Glen Benton (born June 18, 1967) is an American death metal musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist and bassist for the death metal band Deicide and was also a part of the band Vital Remains, where he has performed in recording sessions a ...
and becoming "Amon". They would later change the band name to Deicide in 1989. The band rose to mainstream success in 1992 with their second album ''
Legion
Legion may refer to:
Military
* Roman legion, the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army
* Spanish Legion, an elite military unit within the Spanish Army
* Legion of the United States, a reorganization of the United States Army from 179 ...
'', and is credited as the second-best-selling death metal band of the
Soundscan Era, after
Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York in 1988, now based out of Tampa, Florida. The band has released fifteen studio albums, two box sets, four video albums, and two live albums. The band has had little radi ...
.
Since their debut album in 1990, Deicide has released twelve studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums and two live DVDs. In November 2003, their first two albums, ''
Deicide
Deicide is the killing (or the killer) of a god. The concept may be used for any act of killing a god, including a life-death-rebirth deity who is killed and then resurrected.
Etymology
The term deicide was coined in the 17th century from m ...
'' and ''Legion'', were ranked second and third place respectively in best-selling death metal albums of the
SoundScan
Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...
era.
Deicide is known for their lyrics, which cover topics such as
Satanism
Satanism is a group of ideological and philosophical beliefs based on Satan. Contemporary religious practice of Satanism began with the founding of the atheistic Church of Satan by Anton LaVey in the United States in 1966, although a few hi ...
,
anti-Christianity
Anti-Christian sentiment or Christophobia constitutes opposition or objections to Christians, the Christian religion, and/or its practices. Anti-Christian sentiment is sometimes referred to as Christophobia or Christianophobia, although these terms ...
and
blasphemy
Blasphemy is a speech crime and religious crime usually defined as an utterance that shows contempt, disrespects or insults a deity, an object considered sacred or something considered inviolable. Some religions regard blasphemy as a religiou ...
. Their lyrics have resulted in bans, lawsuits and criticism from religious groups and the public.
History
Early days as Amon/Carnage (1987–1989)
![Deicide band 017](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Deicide_band_017.jpg)
Deicide was formed in
Tampa, Florida
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...
on July 21, 1987, after guitarist
Brian Hoffman called
Glen Benton
Glen Benton (born June 18, 1967) is an American death metal musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist and bassist for the death metal band Deicide and was also a part of the band Vital Remains, where he has performed in recording sessions a ...
, replying to an advertisement the latter had placed in a local music magazine. Hoffman and his brother, along with drummer
Steve Asheim, had previously played together as the band "Carnage", which was in need of a bassist and vocalist. Carnage played cover songs by
Slayer
Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style ...
,
Exodus
Exodus or the Exodus may refer to:
Religion
* Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible
* The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan
Historical events
* Ex ...
,
Celtic Frost
Celtic Frost () was a Swiss extreme metal band from Zürich. They are known for their strong influence on the development of extreme metalBukszpan, Daniel. ''The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal''. Barnes & Noble Publishing, 2003. p.43 and avant-ga ...
and
Dark Angel.
The new band, called Amon, consisted of Benton (bass and vocals), Hoffman, Hoffman's brother
Eric
The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization).
The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...
(guitars) and
Steve Asheim (drums). Within a month, they had recorded the ''Feasting the Beast''
8-track demo in Benton's garage and had started playing the occasional gig in the Tampa area. In 1989, Amon recorded their second demo, ''Sacrificial'', at
Morrisound with producer
Scott Burns.
Malevolent Creation
Malevolent Creation is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York in 1987 and later based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The band's original members were rhythm guitarist Phil Fasciana, vocalist Brett Hoffmann, lead guitarist Jim Nic ...
guitarist Phil Fasciana recalls an early Carnage show: "It was like Slayer intensified a thousand times." "I guess Carnage had hollowed out a mannequin and filled it with fuckin' blood and guts from a butcher shop... and then they threw the fuckin' thing on the floor.
Morbid Angel
Morbid Angel is an American death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling ...
had these pit bulls with them back then and they were just tearing the meat up. It was a really weird scene, man. There was blood and meat everywhere."
As Deicide (1989–2004)
![Deicide band 016](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Deicide_band_016.jpg)
Benton reportedly stormed into
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock bands. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City.
History
The label was launched in 1980 in t ...
'
A&R man
Monte Conner
Monte Conner is a former senior vice president of A&R for Roadrunner Records. He started at Roadrunner in December 1987. He has worked with numerous bands, including Slipknot, Trivium and King Diamond.
The bands he has signed, in alphabetica ...
's office and presented him with the demo, saying, "Sign us, you fucking asshole!" The next day contracts were issued to the band. In 1989 the band's name was changed to Deicide at the request of Roadrunner Records.
Deicide then released their
self-titled debut album, also produced by Scott Burns at Morrisound, in 1990. Their debut featured re-recorded versions of all six of the ''Sacrificial'' tunes that had secured them their record deal.
Both the Hoffman brothers tended to play technical solos at fast speeds and with overlapping
riffs
A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accomp ...
, which gave Deicide the definitive heavy sound and complex song structures. This lineup remained intact until November 25, 2004, in the wake of increasing animosity between Glen Benton and the Hoffmans allegedly in regards to royalties and publishing. The Hoffman brothers later went on to reform Amon.
Post-Hoffman brothers period (2004–present)
![Deicide band 010](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Deicide_band_010.jpg)
Shortly after, the guitar roles were then filled by former
Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York in 1988, now based out of Tampa, Florida. The band has released fifteen studio albums, two box sets, four video albums, and two live albums. The band has had little radi ...
guitarist
Jack Owen, and
Vital Remains
Vital Remains is an American death metal band from Providence, Rhode Island, formed in 1988.
History Formation and early years
Guitarist Paul Flynn formed Vital Remains in 1988. Vital Remains' first line-up included Paul Flynn on lead guitar, ...
guitarist
Dave Suzuki. Following the tour, Suzuki was replaced by guitarist
Ralph Santolla
Ralph Santolla (December 8, 1966 – June 7, 2018) was an Italian-American heavy metal guitarist. He played in many bands, most recently Deicide, but also including Eyewitness, Death (he never recorded any of their albums, but toured with them in ...
. Santolla stated he was a Catholic, which had received a small amount of shock and ridicule from some metal fans. In spite of this, Deicide's eighth studio album ''
The Stench of Redemption
''The Stench of Redemption'' is the eighth studio album by American death metal band Deicide. It is the first album by the band to feature Jack Owen (formerly of Cannibal Corpse) and Ralph Santolla (formerly of Iced Earth) on guitars. Some editio ...
'', which was released on August 22, 2006, received rave reviews.
In January 2007, Benton left the European tour and returned home to the United States as a result of legal issues at home. Asheim announced that Seth van Loo, from opening act Severe Torture, and Garbaty "Yaha", from the Polish death metal band Dissenter, would be replacing Benton starting on January 9 in the Netherlands, until Benton could rejoin the tour. Benton rejoined the band in Paris on January 13. On May 24, 2007, it was announced
Ralph Santolla
Ralph Santolla (December 8, 1966 – June 7, 2018) was an Italian-American heavy metal guitarist. He played in many bands, most recently Deicide, but also including Eyewitness, Death (he never recorded any of their albums, but toured with them in ...
had left Deicide. Subsequently, he joined Florida's
Obituary
An obituary ( obit for short) is an article about a recently deceased person. Newspapers often publish obituaries as news articles. Although obituaries tend to focus on positive aspects of the subject's life, this is not always the case. Ac ...
and appears on their album ''
Xecutioner's Return'' as well as the tour. On July 20, 2007, guitarist
Jack Owen announced that Deicide would be "on hiatus" and he had joined Ohio based death/thrash combo Estuary for touring purposes. The band embarked on a Balkan tour, dubbed "Balkans AssassiNation Tour", in October 2007 alongside
Krisiun
Krisiun is a Brazilian death metal band, founded by brothers Alex Camargo (bass, vocals) (Born March 11, 1972), Moyses Kolesne (guitars) (Born August 11, 1973) and Max Kolesne (drums) (Born June 12, 1974). Since its formation in 1990, the gro ...
,
Incantation
An incantation, a spell, a charm, an enchantment or a bewitchery, is a magical formula intended to trigger a magical effect on a person or objects. The formula can be spoken, sung or chanted. An incantation can also be performed during ceremo ...
and Inactive Messiah.
By November 2007, Deicide began work on their ninth studio album at Florida's
Morrisound Studios. Entitled ''
Till Death Do Us Part'', the follow-up to ''
The Stench of Redemption
''The Stench of Redemption'' is the eighth studio album by American death metal band Deicide. It is the first album by the band to feature Jack Owen (formerly of Cannibal Corpse) and Ralph Santolla (formerly of Iced Earth) on guitars. Some editio ...
'', promised to be the band's "most savage and aggressive
fferingto date", according to a press release. Drummer
Steve Asheim recorded drum tracks and Benton started recording vocals in December 2007. In April 2008, two songs off the album were posted online. It was finally released on April 28, 2008. As the record was coming out, Benton considered retiring from music, in the midst of personal matters including a custody battle.
On January 6, 2009, Deicide posted a blog on their official Myspace page saying they had signed a worldwide record deal with
Century Media
A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c.
A centennial or ...
, with Ralph Santolla returning to the band for a European tour. They were said to be working on material for a summer 2010 release. In early 2009, they toured with Vital Remains and Order of Ennead. Guitarist Kevin Quirion of Order of Ennead joined the band in the summer of 2009.
In June 2010, Glen Benton revealed that the next Deicide album was to be titled ''
To Hell with God
''To Hell with God'' is the tenth studio album by American death metal band Deicide. The follow-up to '' Till Death Do Us Part'' (2008), it was originally intended to be released in 2009 before being pushed back to a 2010 release, and was final ...
''. It was produced by Mark Lewis at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida, and was released on February 15, 2011.
Deicide released their eleventh studio album, ''
In the Minds of Evil
''In the Minds of Evil'' is the eleventh studio album by American death metal band Deicide. It was released on November 25, 2013, by Century Media Records. It was the first album to feature guitarist Kevin Quirion and the last to feature guitar ...
'', on November 26, 2013.
In November 2016, it was apparent that guitarist Jack Owen had been replaced by
Monstrosity guitarist Mark English without an official announcement made by the band. Owen went on to join
Six Feet Under in February 2017.
On October 9, 2014,
The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...
reported that Deicide had started working on new material for their twelfth studio album. On March 10, 2017, Deicide announced a short U.S. tour which would begin in May and also issued an update on the album: "the new record is almost completed, right now its down to scheduling, this run of shows were setting up is to introduce and work in our new guitarist Mark English, that and I need a break from this thing called Florida…". The album, titled ''
Overtures of Blasphemy'', was released on September 14, 2018.
On June 6, 2018, former guitarist Ralph Santolla died due to complications following a heart attack and was taken off life support since being in a coma for a week.
In February 2019, Deicide parted ways with guitarist Mark English and replaced him with Autumn's End vocalist/guitarist Chris Cannella.
On April 17, 2021, the band performed in front of an audience of full capacity at The Verona in
New Port Richey
New Port Richey is a city in Pasco County, Florida, United States. It is a suburban city included in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was counted at 16,728 in the 2020 census.
History
B ...
amid the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, as all restrictions for businesses were lifted and mask mandate enforcements for local cities in Florida were removed as the state was moved into Stage 3 in late September 2020. A U.S. tour followed soon after, with
Kataklysm
Kataklysm is a Canadian death metal band. They have released fourteen studio albums, one EP and two DVDs as of 2020. Kataklysm won their first Juno Award (Canadian equivalent of the Grammy) for best album of the year in the "heavy metal" categ ...
, Internal Bleeding and Begat the Nephilim.
On January 19, 2022, it was announced guitarist Chris Cannella had left the band and was replaced by Taylor Nordberg.
Controversy
![Kevin Quirion](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Kevin_Quirion.jpg)
Deicide has received considerable controversy relating to their albums and lyrics, which include vehement
anti-Christian
Anti-Christian sentiment or Christophobia constitutes opposition or objections to Christians, the Christian religion, and/or its practices. Anti-Christian sentiment is sometimes referred to as Christophobia or Christianophobia, although these terms ...
themes, such as "Death to Jesus", "Fuck Your God", "Kill the Christian", "Behead the Prophet" and "Scars of the Crucifix", among others. Drummer Asheim said, "The whole point of Satanic music is to blaspheme against the
Church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* C ...
", "I don't believe in or worship a devil. Life is short enough without having to waste it doing this whole organised praying, hoping, wishing-type thing on some superior being".
Most of the controversy surrounded frontman Benton for a rash of shocking interviews and wild statements. Benton has repeatedly branded an
inverted cross
The Cross of Saint Peter or Petrine Cross is an inverted Latin cross traditionally used as a Christian symbol, but in recent times also used as an anti-Christian and Satanic symbol. In Christianity, it is associated with the martyrdom of Pete ...
into his forehead on at least 12 different occasions. During an interview with ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' magazine, he shot and killed a squirrel with a
pellet gun
A pellet is a non-spherical projectile designed to be shot from an air gun, and an airgun that shoots such pellets is commonly known as a pellet gun. Air gun pellets differ from bullets and shot used in firearms in terms of the pressures encounter ...
to prevent any further damage to his electrical system in the attic at the location the interview was held. This act garnered negative attention from critics and some animal rights activists. Benton had professed beliefs in
theistic Satanism
Theistic Satanism, otherwise referred to as religious Satanism, spiritual Satanism, or traditional Satanism, is an umbrella term for religious groups that consider Satan, the Devil, or Lucifer to objectively exist as a deity, supernatural ent ...
during Deicide's early years, claimed to slaughter rodents for fun, and that he held beliefs in demonic possession and that he was possessed. Such statements had eventually been concluded as
tongue-in-cheek
The idiom tongue-in-cheek refers to a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner.
History
The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walter Scott ...
and little more than sensationalism by band members questioned alternatively.
Additionally, Benton claimed in the early 1990s that he would commit suicide at the age of 33 to "mirror" a lifespan opposite that of Jesus Christ. However, he passed that age in 2000 and did not commit suicide, rebutting in 2006 that these statements had been "asinine remarks" and that "only cowards and losers" choose to kill themselves.
Deicide has been banned from playing in several venues (such as
Valparaiso, Chile over a promotional poster featuring
Jesus Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
with a bullet hole in his forehead) and with various festivals such as
Hellfest
Hellfest (), also called Hellfest Summer Open Air, is a rock festival focusing on heavy metal music, held annually in June in Clisson, France. Its high attendance makes it the French music festival with the largest turnover. It is also one of ...
, after several graves had been spray-painted with "When Satan Rules His World", a reference to a song from Deicide's 1995 album ''
Once upon the Cross
''Once upon the Cross'' is the third studio album by American death metal band Deicide. It was released on April 18, 1995, by Roadrunner Records.
The samples at the beginning of the opening track "Once upon the Cross" and "Trick or Betrayed" ar ...
''. In addition, their music video for "Homage for Satan", which features blood-splattered zombies on a rampaging mission to capture a priest, was banned from UK music TV channel
Scuzz
Scuzz was a British 24-hour rock and metal music television channel owned and operated by Sony Pictures Television. It was launched on 17 April 2003 and went on to be the highest-rated rock TV station on the Sky satellite platform, available i ...
.
In 1992, Deicide was on tour in Europe with
Atrocity
Atrocity or ''Atrocities'' or ''Atrocious'' may refer to:
* Atrocity (band), a German metal band
* ''Atrocities'' (album), the fourth album by Christian Death
* Mass atrocity crimes, international crimes of genocide, war crimes, and crimes agains ...
from Germany and
Gorefest
Gorefest was a Dutch death metal band from Goes in Zeeland. It was founded in 1989 by Jan-Chris de Koeijer, Frank Harthoorn, Alex van Schaik and Marc Hoogendoorn.
History
Within two months of existence Gorefest recorded their first demo. A ...
, a Dutch death metal band. In
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
, during the Gorefest set, a bomb was discovered on-stage. It exploded in the club in which they were playing. The bomb was located to the rear of the stage, behind a heavy, fireproof door. The explosion was big enough to deform the door and blow it off its hinges. Deicide managed to play three songs before the police decided to stop the concert and evacuate the club. At first, Benton blamed that attack on the Norwegian
black metal
Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with t ...
scene, where Deicide's brand of death metal was despised. Many people blamed
animal rights activists
The animal rights (AR) movement, sometimes called the animal liberation, animal personhood, or animal advocacy movement, is a social movement that seeks an end to the rigid moral and legal distinction drawn between human and non-human animals, ...
who were angered at Deicide's lyrical themes of animal sacrifice.
[Ekeroth, Daniel (2006). In ''Swedish Death Metal'', Tamara Press, , page 274.]
Band members
Current members
*
Steve Asheim – drums , guitars
*
Glen Benton
Glen Benton (born June 18, 1967) is an American death metal musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist and bassist for the death metal band Deicide and was also a part of the band Vital Remains, where he has performed in recording sessions a ...
– bass, lead vocals
*Kevin Quirion – guitars, backing vocals
*Taylor Nordberg – guitars, backing vocals
Former members
*Eric Hoffman – guitars
*Brian Hoffman – guitars
*
Ralph Santolla
Ralph Santolla (December 8, 1966 – June 7, 2018) was an Italian-American heavy metal guitarist. He played in many bands, most recently Deicide, but also including Eyewitness, Death (he never recorded any of their albums, but toured with them in ...
– guitars
*
Jack Owen – guitars
*Mark English – guitars
*Chris Cannella – guitars, backing vocals
Live members
*
Dave Suzuki – guitars
*Seth Van Loo – vocals
*Dariusz "Garbaty Yaha" Kułpiński – bass, lead vocals
Recording timeline
Timeline
Discography
*''
Deicide
Deicide is the killing (or the killer) of a god. The concept may be used for any act of killing a god, including a life-death-rebirth deity who is killed and then resurrected.
Etymology
The term deicide was coined in the 17th century from m ...
'' (1990)
*''
Legion
Legion may refer to:
Military
* Roman legion, the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army
* Spanish Legion, an elite military unit within the Spanish Army
* Legion of the United States, a reorganization of the United States Army from 179 ...
'' (1992)
*''
Once upon the Cross
''Once upon the Cross'' is the third studio album by American death metal band Deicide. It was released on April 18, 1995, by Roadrunner Records.
The samples at the beginning of the opening track "Once upon the Cross" and "Trick or Betrayed" ar ...
'' (1995)
*''
Serpents of the Light'' (1997)
*''
Insineratehymn'' (2000)
*''
In Torment in Hell'' (2001)
*''
Scars of the Crucifix'' (2004)
*''
The Stench of Redemption
''The Stench of Redemption'' is the eighth studio album by American death metal band Deicide. It is the first album by the band to feature Jack Owen (formerly of Cannibal Corpse) and Ralph Santolla (formerly of Iced Earth) on guitars. Some editio ...
'' (2006)
*''
Till Death Do Us Part'' (2008)
*''
To Hell with God
''To Hell with God'' is the tenth studio album by American death metal band Deicide. The follow-up to '' Till Death Do Us Part'' (2008), it was originally intended to be released in 2009 before being pushed back to a 2010 release, and was final ...
'' (2011)
*''
In the Minds of Evil
''In the Minds of Evil'' is the eleventh studio album by American death metal band Deicide. It was released on November 25, 2013, by Century Media Records. It was the first album to feature guitarist Kevin Quirion and the last to feature guitar ...
'' (2013)
*''
Overtures of Blasphemy'' (2018)
References
Further reading
*Mudrian, Albert (2004). ''Choosing Death:The Improbable History of Death Metal and Grindcore'', Feral House, .
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deicide
Death metal musical groups from Florida
1987 establishments in Florida
Century Media Records artists
Critics of Christianity
Satanists
Earache Records artists
Musical groups established in 1987
Musical groups from Tampa, Florida
Musical quartets
Obscenity controversies in music
Roadrunner Records artists