EMP Label Group, also known as Ellefson Music Productions, is an American record label formed in October 2015, which was founded by former Megadeth bassist

David Ellefson David Warren Ellefson (born November 12, 1964) is an American musician, best known for his long tenure as the bassist for thrash metal band Megadeth. Ellefson initially became an accomplished bassist and honed his songwriting skills while leadi ...

History

In October 2015 it was announced that Ellefson had launched a record label and production company, Ellefson Music Productions, also known as EMP Label Group, and would release ''In Your Face'', the debut EP from Phoenix-based all-girl Pop-Punk group

Doll Skin Doll Skin were an American rock band from Phoenix, Arizona, United States. The band's final lineup was made up of Syd Dolezal (They/Them) (lead vocals/rhythm guitar). Former members of the band are Nicole Rich (bass/backing vocals), Alex Snowden ...

, a band Ellefson also produced, in conjunction with

Megaforce Records Megaforce Records is an American independent record label founded in 1982 by Jon Zazula and his wife Marsha Zazula to release the first works of Metallica, and devoted primarily to hard rock and heavy metal. It has offices in New York City (whe ...

in North America, and Cargo Records in Europe. The EP was released October 30 in North America, and December 18 in Europe, and re-released as an LP titled In Your Face (Again) in March 2016 via

eOne Distribution Entertainment One Ltd., trading as eOne, is an American-owned Canadian multinational entertainment company. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition, distribution, and production of films and television s ...

. The singles from the LP received airplay on many prominent stations in the US and Europe, including

Rodney Bingenheimer Rodney Bingenheimer (born December 15, 1946) is an American radio disc jockey who is best known as the host of ''Rodney on the ROQ'', a radio program that ran on the Los Angeles rock station KROQ from 1976 to 2017. In the early 1970s, he also m ...

's weekly show on influential LA Rock station

KROQ KROQ-FM (106.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ" (pronounced "kay-rock"). The st ...

. It was also announced, via social media, that Ellefson had tapped former major label A&R Scout, Marketing Exec, and Corporate Punishment Records and THC : Music President

Thom Hazaert Thom Hazaert is an American musician, author/journalist, music executive and radio personality. He was co-founder and president of Corporate Punishment Records and currently runs THC: MUSIC, a management firm and label. With David Ellefson, he r ...

, known for his work with artists including Bleed the Sky,

Chimaira Chimaira () is an American heavy metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in August 1998, the group was a member of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal scene. The band's name is derived from the word Chimera, a monstrous creature in Greek my ...

, Limp Bizkit, Ghost Machine (featuring

Ivan Moody Ivan L. Moody (born Ivan Lewis Greening on January 7, 1980) is an American singer and songwriter who is the lead vocalist of heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch (FFDP). He performed for several other bands including Motograter and Ghost ...

Five Finger Death Punch Five Finger Death Punch, also abbreviated as 5FDP or FFDP, is an American heavy metal band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2005. The band originally consisted of vocalist and keyboardist Ivan Moody, rhythm guitarist Zoltan Bathory, lead g ...

Black Light Burns Black Light Burns is an American industrial rock band fronted by Wes Borland. Founded in 2005 after Borland departed Limp Bizkit, the band's lineup also includes Nick Annis, Dennis Sanders and Dylan Taylor. Their debut album, '' Cruel Melody'' ...

American Head Charge American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the " United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

Depswa Depswa is a four-piece alternative metal band from Modesto, California. The band released two studio albums, two EPs, and a compilation before entering an indefinite hiatus in 2011. History Formation and EP releases The beginnings of Depswa ca ...

, Bumblefoot, Staind, and more, to oversee Marketing, A&R, and operations, and several additional releases would be announced for 2016. Since forming in 2015, EMP Label Group has become a major independent label, securing distribution from

in North America, and SPV GMBH in Europe, with a large Rock and Metal roster spread among several imprints including EMP Label Group ( Ellefson Music Productions in Europe), and EMP Underground, including

Cage9 Cage9 is a Panamanian/American rock band, formed in Panama City in 1993. The group was founded by Evan Rodaniche (guitar/vocals) and is currently based out of Los Angeles, California, since 2002. Cage9 has been direct openers for Ozzy Osbourn ...

, Another Lost Year, Dead by Wednesday, Even The Dead Love A Parade (Featuring Stevie Benton of

Drowning Pool Drowning Pool is an American rock band formed in Dallas, Texas, in 1996. The band was named after the 1975 film '' The Drowning Pool''. Since its formation, the band has consisted of guitarist C.J. Pierce, bassist Stevie Benton, and drummer M ...

), Arise in Chaos, Green Death,

Helstar Helstar is an American heavy metal band formed in Houston, Texas, in 1982 by guitarist Larry Barragan. They were an influential force in the American power metal genre emerging in the mid-1980s. History Early days and Combat-era (1982–1986) H ...

Ancient Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient history cov ...

, Heaven Below (Featuring Patrick Kennison of The Union Underground), Semblant, Machinage,

Chuck Mosley Charles Henry Mosley III (December 26, 1959 – November 9, 2017) was an American musician, singer and songwriter, who was the frontman for Faith No More from 1984 to 1988. During his tenure with the band, they released two albums, ''We Care a ...

, formerly of Faith No More, Apollo Under Fire (Featuring Peter Klett formerly of

Candlebox Candlebox is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington. Since its formation in 1990, the group has released seven studio albums, several charting singles, a compilation, and a CD+DVD. Candlebox found immediate success with the release of ...

), Your Chance to Die, Solus Deus and many more. Ellefson also appears on a recurring segment "Mandatory Megadeth" on Hazaert's

Dash Radio Dash Radio is a digital radio broadcasting platform with over 80 radio stations. These stations are curated by DJs, radio personalities, musicians, etc. The platform includes partner stations curated by Snoop Dogg, Kylie Jenner, Lil Wayne, Tech N9 ...

show AM/PM WITH THOM HAZAERT, and is a frequent guest, often discussing EMP, DOLL SKIN, and their various collaborations. In August 2016, Orange county hard rockers Behind The Fallen signed a deal with EMP Label Group.

Subsidiaries / imprints

In 2016, EMP announced the formation of EMP UNDERGROUND, an imprint featuring more "extreme, subversive, and underground" artists with a roster that includes Solus Deus, Skumlove,

, Your Chance to Die, Killing The Messenger, and Helstar. The label has also released a compilation of EMP and Unsigned artists called ''EMP UNDERGROUND Volume One''. Additional imprints include Hazaert's THC MUSIC, which has released or co-released LP's from

and Dead By Wednesday. The label also reformed and relaunched

Combat Records Combat Records was an American independent record label founded in 1983 and based in New York City. The label specifically was for heavy metal and punk rock acts, Notable artist include: Megadeth, Circle Jerks, Nuclear Assault, OZ, Deat ...

, which was home to Ellefson's former band Megadeth, where they released all of the Megadeth albums up till ''

Countdown to Extinction ''Countdown to Extinction'' is the fifth studio album by American thrash metal band Megadeth, released on July 14, 1992, through Capitol Records. It was the group's second studio release to feature the "classic" lineup of Dave Mustaine, Marty ...

''.

Artists

Current

A Killer's Confession A Killer's Confession is an American alternative metal band from Cleveland, Ohio formed in 2016. The band consist of vocalist Waylon Reavis, drummer Morgan Bauer, bassist JP Cross and guitarist Tommy Church. In September 2016, Waylon Reavis ann ...

* Another Lost Year * Apollo Under Fire * Arise in Chaos *

Autograph An autograph is a person's own handwriting or signature. The word ''autograph'' comes from Ancient Greek (, ''autós'', "self" and , ''gráphō'', "write"), and can mean more specifically: Gove, Philip B. (ed.), 1981. ''Webster's Third New Inter ...

* Behind the Fallen * Broken Teeth *

* Dead by Wednesday *

Doyle Doyle is a surname of Irish origin. The name is a back-formation from O'Doyle, which is an Anglicisation of the Irish (), meaning "descendant of ''Dubhghall''". There is another possible etymology: the Anglo-Norman surname ''D'Oyley'' with agglu ...

* Even the Dead Love a Parade *

Flipp Flipp is an American rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1994, founded by singer/guitarist/producer Brynn Arens. They were signed to Hollywood Records and later Artemis Records, releasing 3 studio albums up until their dissolution in ...

* Green Death * Hail Sagan * Heaven Below *

Kik Tracee Kik Tracee was a 1990s hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1988, during the last years of the glam metal movement, before the influx of grunge and alternative rock. History The band was formed in a Los Angeles suburb in 1988 by ...

Killer Dwarfs Killer Dwarfs (stylized as KiLLeR DWaRfS) is a Canadian hard rock band that formed in late 1981 in Oshawa, Ontario, and enjoyed moderate success in their native Canada in the 1980s. The band is known for its offbeat sense of humour (all band ...

* Killing the Messenger * Machinage *

Mark Slaughter Mark Allen Slaughter (born July 4, 1964) is an American singer and musician, and one of the founders of the glam metal band Slaughter. Career Slaughter was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 4, 1964. Before the formation of Slaughter, he fr ...

Motograter Motograter was an American heavy metal band formed in Santa Barbara, California in 1995. They are best known for their homemade, namesake instrument, designed with industrial cable and guitar pieces that creates a unique bass sound, and painti ...

* Ron Keel * Semblant * Skum Love * Sunflower Dead * Solus Deus *

The Letter Black The Letter Black, formerly known as Breaking the Silence, is an American Christian rock band that was formed in 2006 in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, Uniontown, Pennsylvania. The band consists of lead vocalist Sarah Anthony; her husband, lead guitari ...

* Your Chance to Die

References

External links

Official website
* * {{Authority control American record labels Heavy metal record labels