Ván Records is a German

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

based in

Herzogenrath Herzogenrath (; ; ) is a municipality in the district of Aachen in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It borders the Dutch town of Kerkrade, the national border in one section running along the middle of a main road and even directly ...

. It was founded in 2004 by Sven Dinninghoff, who was a member of

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 tr ...

bands

Nagelfar Nagelfar were a German black metal band. Biography Nagelfar were founded in 1993 by guitarist Zorn and drummer Rykthius von Meilenwald, now known by his civil name as Alexander von Meilenwald.Graupel Graupel (; ), also called soft hail or hominy snow or granular snow or snow pellets, is precipitation that forms when supercooled water droplets in air are collected and freeze on falling snowflakes, forming balls of crisp, opaque rime. Gra ...

in the mid-1990s. The label was founded in the environment of Wòd-Ván, an association of Black Metal fans near

Aachen Aachen is the List of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia by population, 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants. Aachen is locat ...

, which was founded by Dinninghoff and other members of Nagelfar. Under contract are mainly German and

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

bands, but also American bands like

Škan Škan is an American extreme metal band formed in 2013. Biography Škan began as the solo studio project of Joseph Merino on November 11 of 2011. On November 2 of 2013, Škan was formed as a live entity. Škan's self released an EP, entitled "T ...

or Svartidauði from

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

History

The label's first release was the album ''Unlock the Shrine'' by

The Ruins of Beverast The Ruins of Beverast is a German blackened doom metal project formed by Alexander von Meilenwald in 2003. Six albums have been released under the moniker through Ván Records.

. While the early releases are all related to the Black Metal or related genres, later albums by

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

Hard Rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

bands as well as related styles were also published, bands like

The Devil's Blood The Devil's Blood was a Dutch people, Dutch occult rock band from Eindhoven, formed in 2006. Their style is hard rock in the vein of Black Widow (band), Black Widow, Coven (band), Coven, Black Sabbath, and a variety of 1970s underground music, u ...

and Vanderbuyst, both founded by former members of the Dutch metal band Powervice. In 2011, Ván Records cooperated for the first time with music magazines. ''The Burning'' by The Devil's Blood was released that way, as an addition to the regular label release as 7" single, both as a CD supplement of the '' Rock Hard'' Magazine as well as the ''

Sweden Rock Sweden Rock Festival is a rock festival outside the town of Sölvesborg in Blekinge in southern Sweden. The festival offers the best possible mix of classic rock, hard rock, metal, blues and related genres. The first version of the festival, k ...

'' magazine, each with exclusive bonus titles. In addition to their own releases, most of which are available as CD and record, Ván Records also releases LP versions of albums by various non-label bands such as Count Raven and

Wolves in the Throne Room Wolves in the Throne Room is an American black metal band formed in 2002 in Olympia, Washington, by brothers Aaron and Nathan Weaver. They have released seven full-length albums, two live albums, and two EPs to date. They have stated one of the ...

. In 2015, the Acherontic Arts festival was held in

Oberhausen Oberhausen (, ) is a city on the river Emscher in the Ruhr Area, Germany, located between Duisburg and Essen ( ). The city hosts the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and its Gasometer Oberhausen is an anchor point of the European Rout ...

, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the label. The festival proceeded in 2016 and 2017, but paused in 2018.

Selected releases

* 2004:

The Ruins of Beverast The Ruins of Beverast is a German blackened doom metal project formed by Alexander von Meilenwald in 2003. Six albums have been released under the moniker through Ván Records.

· ''Unlock the Shrine'' * 2006:

Nagelfar Nagelfar were a German black metal band. Biography Nagelfar were founded in 1993 by guitarist Zorn and drummer Rykthius von Meilenwald, now known by his civil name as Alexander von Meilenwald.Virus West'' (re-release) * 2006: The Ruins of Beverast · '' Rain upon the Impure'' * 2006: Truppensturm · ''Truppensturm'' ( EP) * 2007: Truppensturm · '' Fields of Devastation'' * 2008:

· ''The Graveyard Shuffle'' (single) * 2008: The Devil's Blood · '' Come Reap'' (EP) * 2009: Fluisterwoud · '' Laat alle hoop varen'' * 2009: Griftegård · ''Solemn, Sacred, Severe'' * 2009: Nagelfar · '' Hünengrab im Herbst'' (re-release) * 2009: The Devil's Blood · ''I’ll Be Your Ghost'' (Single) * 2009: The Devil's Blood · '' The Time of No Time Evermore'' * 2009: The Ruins of Beverast · ''Foulest Semen of a Sheltered Elite'' * 2009:

Urfaust ''Faust'' ( , ) is a tragic play in two parts by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, usually known in English as '' Faust, Part One'' and '' Faust, Part Two''. Nearly all of Part One and the majority of Part Two are written in rhymed verse. Although ra ...

· ''Einsiedler'' (EP) * 2010: Burden · ''A Hole in the Shell'' * 2010:

Graupel Graupel (; ), also called soft hail or hominy snow or granular snow or snow pellets, is precipitation that forms when supercooled water droplets in air are collected and freeze on falling snowflakes, forming balls of crisp, opaque rime. Gra ...

· ''Am Pranger…'' * 2010: Nagelfar · '' Srontgorrth'' (re-release) * 2010: Tauthr · ''Life-Losing'' * 2010: Truppensturm · ''Salute to the Iron Emperors'' * 2010: Urfaust · ''Der freiwillige Bettler'' * 2010: Vanderbuyst · ''Vanderbuyst'' * 2011: Necros Christos · '' Doom of the Occult'' * 2011: The Devil's Blood · ''Fire Burning'' (single) * 2011: The Ruins of Beverast · ''Enchanted by Gravemould'' (compilation) * 2011: The Devil's Blood · '' The Thousandfold Epicentre'' * 2012:

· ''Wolves in the Throne Room'' (re-release) * 2013: The Devil's Blood · '' III: Tabula Rasa or Death and the Seven Pillars'' * 2013: Helrunar/Árstíðir Lífsins · ''Fragments – A Mythological Excavation'' * 2013:

Atlantean Kodex Atlantean Kodex is a German heavy metal band from Vilseck in Bavaria. The band is under contract with Ván Records and has released three studio albums so far. History Early years (2005–2010) The band was founded in 2005 by Manuel Trummer ...

· ''The White Goddess'' * 2018:

Antlers Antlers are extensions of an animal's skull found in members of the Cervidae (deer) Family (biology), family. Antlers are a single structure composed of bone, cartilage, fibrous tissue, skin, nerves, and blood vessels. They are generally fo ...

· ''beneath.below.behold'' * 2018: Svartidauði · ''Revelations of the Red Sword'' * 2018: Sulphur Aeon · '' The Scythe of Cosmic Chaos''

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control German independent record labels