Pest Productions is a

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

-based

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

founded in 2006, focusing around

atmospheric An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A s ...

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 ...

artists and features an international roster of musicians. It also features two sub-division/sub-labels titled Self-Destruction (started in 2008) and Autumn Flood (started in 2006). It has also released three various artists compilations titled "The World Comes to an End in the End of a Journey," "Depression and Hatred of 3 Years," and "Der Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer".

History

The label opened in

Nanchang Nanchang (, ; ) is the capital of Jiangxi Province, People's Republic of China. Located in the north-central part of the province and in the hinterland of Poyang Lake Plain, it is bounded on the west by the Jiuling Mountains, and on the east ...

Jiangxi Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...

in the Summer of 2006 and was started by Deng Zhang and Wu of Chinese

depressive black metal Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, a shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, raw (lo-fi) recording, unconventional song structures, and an emphas ...

band Be Persecuted. Pest Productions is the most-known record label for black metal in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

.Mark Angel Brandt: ''

Metal Hammer ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form ...

''
The Beast In The East: Exploring China's black metal scene
/ref>hongrui: ''Heavy Metal Tribune''
Interview with Chinese black metal label, Pest Productions
/ref> According to an article of

Decibel The decibel (symbol: dB) is a relative unit of measurement equal to one tenth of a bel (B). It expresses the ratio of two values of a power or root-power quantity on a logarithmic scale. Two signals whose levels differ by one decibel have a po ...

the label signs bands from all possible subgenres of black, from primitive raw sounding black metal to experimental, ambient and atmospheric black metal.Vince Bellino: ''

Decibel Magazine ''Decibel'' is a monthly heavy metal magazine published by the Philadelphia-based Red Flag Media since October 2004. Its sections include Upfront, Features, Reviews, Guest Columns and the Decibel Hall of Fame. The magazine's tag-line is currentl ...

''
Label Spotlight: Black Metal Speed Round
/ref> Deng Zhang, wo co-started the label, works as a

graphic designer A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography, or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, ...

and musician. He also runs two more record labels. Wu left the label after the release of a demo record of his band so Deng was the sole member responsible of Pest Productions. In the first year of existence the label had financial trouble so the risk of closing Pest Productions was not an unrealistic scenario. Thanks to the help of other musicians Deng was friends with he was able to keep the label running. With the release of

Zuriaake Zuriaake () is a Chinese black metal band formed in Jinan in 1998. History Zuriaake was formed in Jinan, Shandong province in 1998 by Bloodsea and Bloodfire. In 2004 the band's lineup was completed by recruiting their third band member Deadsphe ...

's debut record '' Afterimage of Autumn'' Pest Productions managed to publish an album which became a milestone in Chinese black metal scene. The label gained attention with signing the American

blackgaze Blackgaze is a fusion genre combining elements of black metal and shoegaze. The word is a blend of the names of the two genres, described by ''The Guardian'' as "the buzz term for a new school of bands taking black metal out of the shadows an ...

band

Ghost Bath Ghost Bath is an American post-metal band from Minot, North Dakota, formed in 2012 and fronted by Dennis Mikula. They have released four studio albums and one EP to date, melding black metal and post-rock music. They initially gained notoriety for ...

whose origin was unknown by the time of signing. Because of

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...

who demanded a location singer Dennis Mikula chose

Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...

as their location of origin.Kim Kelly: ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tra ...

''
Is Ghost Bath Really China's Answer to Deafheaven?
/ref>Dayal Patterson: ''

''
Inside the mind of Ghost Bath's nameless leader
/ref> Due to contradictions the musicians revealed to be from

Minot Minot ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, North Dakota, Ward County, North Dakota, United States, in the state's north-central region. It is most widely known for the Minot Air Force Base, Air Force base approximately north of ...

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

. In 2014 Pest Productions released Ghost Bath's debut album ''

Funeral A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...

''. It was revealed that Deng initially planned to drop the band but decided against his plans after listening to the band's first album.Kim Kelly: ''Vice''
From Velvet Cacoon to Ghost Bath: the Curious Anatomy of a Black Metal Hoax
/ref> Deng stated that a person who supported the label in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

demanded to drop the band. It is not known whether Deng knew of the band's real origin or if he was clueless. Meanwhile the label signed several bands and music project from all around the world as well as multi-national acts. Some well-known groups the label signed are

Heretoir Heretoir is a German blackgaze band formed in 2006 by David 'Eklatanz' C. Discography Studio albums * ''Heretoir'' (2011) * ''The Circle'' (2017) * ''Nightsphere'' (2023) EPs * ''Existenz'' Demo (2008) * ''.Existenz.'' EP (2009) * ''Wa ...

and Thränenkind from Germany and Make a Change… Kill Yourself from Denmark.

Artists

*Altus Astrum (

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

) *Anhedonia (

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

) *Apocynthion (

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

) *Astral Luminous (

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

) *Bauda (

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

) *Chaotic Aeon (

) *Cerberus (China) *Dernier Martyr (

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

) *Deep Mountains (China) *Dopamine (China) *Dysthymia (

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

) *Elhaz (

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

) *E.D.I.E.H (China) *From Chaos (China) *

(

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

) *Heartless (China) *Hinsidig (

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

/Germany) *Höstkänslor (

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

) *The Illusion Of Dawn (China) *In The Abyss (China) *The Last Days (

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

) *Líam (Germany) *Means to an End (United States of America/

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

) *Midwinter (China) *Morose (

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

) *Nectar (China) *Pure Wrath (

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

) *Secretly In Pain (China) * Seeds of Iblis (Iraq) *Sinisterite (United Kingdom/

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

) *Skeletal Augury (China) *Skendöd (Sweden/Iceland) *Súl ad Astral (

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

/United States of America) *Thränenkind (Germany) *Transylvania (

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

) *Vergissmeinnicht (China) *Yn Gizarm , 英吉沙 (China) * Zuriaake , 葬屍湖 (China) *Be Persecuted (China)

Self-Destruction artists

*Heartless (China) *Secretly In Pain (China)

Autumn Flood artists

*Chaos Division (China) *Deep Mountains (China) *E.D.I.E.H (China) *Excruciate 666 (France) *From Chaos (China) *Gol Dolan *The Illusion Of Dawn (China) *Morose (United Kingdom) *Natt (

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

) *Original Sin (China) *Songs Over Ruin (China) *Varuna (China) *Yell (China) *Yn Gizarm (China) *Zaliva-D(China)

References

External links

*
Official MySpace
{{Authority control Chinese record labels Black metal record labels Record labels established in 2006 Companies based in Nanchang