COMBAT RECORDS Being Resurrected By EMP Label Group

Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway

EMP Label Group, the record label begun in part by Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson, has announced it will resurrect Combat Records in 2018.

It is most definitely a fitting pairing as Megadeth‘s 1985 debut album ‘Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good!‘ was released via the label, which also had a part in a handful of the subsequent albums that followed from the band.

Not just Megadeth either, as Combat Records had a hand in the release of milestone records from the likes of such acts as Agnostic Front, Corrosion Of Conformity, Dark Angel, Ludichrist, Napalm Death, Nuclear Assault, Savatage, and many, many others.

There have been half-hearted attempts to revive the label in the past, something Ellefson and EMP addressed, along with other plans, in a recent press release:

“So we have a huge announcement to make. And, for once, that is really, truly, an understatement. We have teased this for a while, but now the cat is officially coming out of the bag. Most of you will remember Combat Records as one of the seminal thrash labels of the 1980s, their most prominent artist being, of course, Megadeth (the COMBAT imprint appeared on all MEGADETH releases through RUST IN PEACE.) Combat was also home to Helstar, Circle Jerks, Exodus, Nuclear Assault, and many more of the most influential Metal and Punk bands of all time.

After a handful of ownership changes and weird attempted reboots, COMBAT went dormant in the early 2000s and ceased to exist. In 2016, David Ellefson, with his partner Thom Hazaert from EMP Label Group, did the due diligence to research and acquire the intellectual property and the COMBAT brand, and bring it home to the EMP family.

With the UTMOST respect to the legacy of the past, COMBAT will relaunch in 2018 as an imprint of EMP LABEL GROUP, releasing not only releases from classic Thrash and Metal artists, but as a home for new and up and coming artists as well. It is an honor and a privilege to resurrect one of the World’s most recognized and beloved Metal brands, that has been such an instrumental and important piece of David‘s history and legacy.

This is really only HALF the story, as we have secured some releases from mind-blowing legendary artists that we are dying to announce.. Look for a full press release coming later this week with more details, info on some releases, etc. But all things in good time. Ladies and Gentlemen, prepare for COMBAT.”

I for one am quite excited about the possibilities of both new releases and re-issues of past classics that might come from this venture.

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