Peaceville Records is a British

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

heavy metal record label. The label was founded by Paul "Hammy" Halmshaw (of the bands

Instigators Instigators were an anarcho-punk band from Dewsbury, England, formed in 1980. The original line-up split up in the mid-1980s, but the band carried on into the 1990s. History The band was formed in 1980 by drummer Paul "Hammy" Halmshaw and guita ...

and Civilised Society) in

Dewsbury Dewsbury is a minster and market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Calder and on an arm of the Calder and Hebble Navigation waterway. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Hudder ...

, England in 1987, who was also a one-time drummer of

Sore Throat Sore throat, also known as throat pain, is pain or irritation of the throat. Usually, causes of sore throat include * viral infections * group A streptococcal infection (GAS) bacterial infection * pharyngitis (inflammation of the throat) * tonsi ...

. Originally a

tape label Tape labels are identifiers given to volumes of magnetic tape. There are two kinds of tape labels. The first is a label applied to the exterior of tape cartridge or reel. The second is data recorded on the tape itself. Visual labels Visual label ...

releasing

anarcho punk Anarcho-punk (also known as anarchist punk or peace punk) is ideological subgenre of punk rock that promotes anarchism. Some use the term broadly to refer to any punk music with anarchist lyrical content, which may figure in crust punk, hardcore ...

, the releases moved towards metal through crust punk and similar forms of metal-influenced English

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

. Halmshaw started running the label full-time in 1988, although the original

incarnation was founded in 1981 as a vehicle for releasing

demo cassettes. The label is therefore known for the connection between

doom metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...

and the 1980s English crust punk scene. Sister labels 'Deaf' and 'Dreamtime' concentrated more on thrash metal (Deaf) and psychedelic electronica (Dreamtime). However, the bands My Dying Bride,

Darkthrone Darkthrone is a Norwegian extreme metal band from Kolbotn, Akershus. Formed in 1986 as a death metal band named Black Death, in 1991 Darkthrone embraced a black metal style influenced by Bathory and Celtic Frost and became one of the leadin ...

Katatonia Katatonia are a Swedish heavy metal band formed in Stockholm in 1991 by Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström. The band started as a studio-only project for the duo, as an outlet for the band's love of death metal. Increasing popularity led them to ...

Autopsy An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any di ...

, Anathema,

Paradise Lost ''Paradise Lost'' is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The first version, published in 1667, consists of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse (poetry), verse. A second edition fo ...

, and

Opeth Opeth is a Swedish progressive metal/rock band from Stockholm, formed in 1990 by lead vocalist David Isberg. The group has been through several personnel changes, including the replacement of every original member; notably Isberg in 1992. Mikael ...

- known as the 'Peaceville Stable' - have been the label's most recognizable acts since the 1990s. Peaceville also became known for its anti-

major label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produc ...

stance and left wing political outlook. In November 2006, after 25 years at the helm, Halmshaw announced that he and co-manager Lisa Halmshaw would be leaving the label to concentrate on new projects, and that his former assistant, Paul Groundwell, would be taking over general management duties, following the sale of the label to back catalogue specialists Snapper Music, who had distributed Peaceville since 2001.

Bands

Aura Noir Aura Noir is a Norwegian black/thrash metal band from Oslo. Aura Noir is heavily influenced by early thrash bands such as Voivod, Slayer, Sodom and Kreator, to the latter they have also dedicated some of their songs. The band's main lyrical th ...

* Barren Earth * Bloodbath *

Gallhammer Gallhammer () were a Japanese extreme metal group that drew on blackened crust, black metal, doom metal and crust punk. They formed in Tokyo in 2003 and released three studio albums. The current group lineup is Vivian Slaughter (vocals, bass gu ...

Madder Mortem Madder Mortem is a Norwegian progressive metal band.Madder Mortem at MusicMight< ...

Mayhem Mayhem most commonly refers to: * Mayhem (crime), a type of crime Mayhem may also refer to: People * Monica Mayhem (born 1978), Australian pornographic actress * Jason "Mayhem" Miller, American mixed martial arts fighter * Mayhem Miller (dra ...

* Mork * Morta Skuld *

Novembre Novembre (Italian language, Italian, 'November') is an Italian doom metal band, formed in Rome in 1990. Biography Starting out in 1990 as a death metal band (then called Catacomb), Novembre grew to develop a unique, atmospheric sound. Although ...

* The Provenance *

Sigh (band) is a Japanese experimental metal band from Tokyo, formed in 1989. They gradually shifted from a traditional extreme metal sound to a more experimental, avant-garde style employing symphonic, world music, and progressive elements. Their most re ...

* Sikth

Former bands

Abscess An abscess is a collection of pus that has built up within the tissue of the body. Signs and symptoms of abscesses include redness, pain, warmth, and swelling. The swelling may feel fluid-filled when pressed. The area of redness often extends b ...

* Acrimony * Agathocles *

Akercocke Akercocke are an English extreme metal band from London, formed in 1997 by Jason Mendonça and David Gray. The band also features Paul Scanlan and Nathanael Underwood. History Akercocke's first album, '' Rape of the Bastard Nazarene'', was sel ...

* Anathema * Asgaroth * At the Gates * Axegrinder * Baphomet * Banished *

Behemoth Behemoth (; he, בְּהֵמוֹת, ''bəhēmōṯ'') is a beast from the biblical Book of Job, and is a form of the primeval chaos-monster created by God at the beginning of creation; he is paired with the other chaos-monster, Leviathan, and ...

Blackstar ''Blackstar'' is an American animated science fantasy television series, produced in 1981 by Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott for Filmation. The series was Filmation's second fantasy epic, the first being '' The Freedom Force'', a segment of ''T ...

The Blood Divine The Blood Divine were a British gothic metal band, founded in the summer of 1995 by Paul Allender, brothers Paul and Benjamin Ryan, and Darren White. Allender and the brothers Ryan had recently left Cradle of Filth after the release of '' Th ...

* Candlemass * Carpathian Forest *

Chumbawamba Chumbawamba () were a British rock band formed in 1982 and disbanded in 2012. They are best known for their 1997 single "Tubthumping", which was nominated for Best British Single at the 1998 Brit Awards. Other singles include "Amnesia", " Enou ...

Cradle of Filth Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved originally from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic metal and other metal genres. Their ly ...

Deviated Instinct Deviated Instinct are an English extreme metal band formed in Norwich in 1984. They are considered pioneers of both crust punk and death metal. Their first EP, ''Welcome to the Orgy'', was released by Peaceville Records, which released the maj ...

Dominion The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire. "Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 1926 ...

Doom Doom is another name for damnation. Doom may also refer to: People * Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed * Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist * Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher * L ...

Electro Hippies Electro Hippies were an English thrashcore band formed in St Helens/Wigan, England, in 1985. Though they were short-lived and underground through their career, their music influenced many future crust, hardcore punk, and grindcore bands. The ...

G.G.F.H. G.G.F.H. (Global Genocide Forget Heaven) is an American industrial music band from Oakland, California, United States. The band's musical inspiration derives from lyrical concepts such as death, murder, religion, drug abuse, rape, sex, and mental ...

* Isengard * Impaler *

* Kong * My Dying Bride *

Napalm Death Napalm Death are an English grindcore band formed in 1981 in Meriden, West Midlands. None of the band's original members has been in the group since 1986. But since ''Utopia Banished'' (1992), the lineup of bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch ...

* Pentagram * Pitchshifter *

Sonic Violence Sonic or Sonics may refer to: Companies *Sonic Drive-In, an American drive-in fast-food restaurant chain *Sonic (ISP), an Internet provider and CLEC, serving more than 100 California communities *Sonic Foundry, a computer software company whic ...

* Taake * Toranaga * Therion * Thine * Vital Remains * Wartech

Compilations

* A Vile Peace (1987) * Vile Vibes (1990) *

Peaceville Volume 4 Peaceville Volume 4 is a 1992 compilation sampling various artists and genres within the Peaceville record label. Many of the tracks have brief sound collages between songs, which feature clips ranging from films to interviews with then-current P ...

(1992) * The Best of Peaceville (1995) * Autumn Sampler '95 (1995) * Under the Sign of the Sacred Star (1996) * Peaceville X (1998) * Peaceville Classic Cuts (2001) * Peaceville Sampler 2002 (2002) * New Dark Classics (2006) * Metal Hammer (2006) * New Dark Classics (2007) * New Dark Classics II (2007) * New Dark Classics Vol. 4 (2010) * 21 Years Of Doom, Death & Darkness (2008) * Katatonia Presents... Peaceville Dark Classics (2011) * 30 Years of Decadence (2017)

References

External links

*
Academy Music Studio, recording venue for many Peaceville artists
*

{{Authority control 1987 establishments in the United Kingdom Record labels established in 1987 British independent record labels Heavy metal record labels Black metal record labels

Bands

Former bands

Compilations

See also

References

External links