Megaforce Records is an American

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 1982 by Jon Zazula and his wife Marsha Zazula to release the first works of

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instru ...

, and devoted primarily to hard rock and heavy metal. It has offices in New York City (where the corporate office is located) and Philadelphia. The label is distributed in the United States by RED Distribution, having previously been distributed by

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most ...

while

Anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Bacillus anthracis''. It can occur in four forms: skin, lungs, intestinal, and injection. Symptom onset occurs between one day and more than two months after the infection is contracted. The s ...

's recordings from 1985 to 1991 were marketed by

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, an ...

. Megaforce artists that have appeared on the Billboard Top 200 chart include Metallica, Blue October, Anthrax,

Overkill Overkill may refer to: * Overkill (term), the use of excessive force or action to achieve a goal * Surplus killing, when a predator kills more prey than it can eat * Overexploitation, depletion of a natural resource through overharvesting ** Ove ...

Testament A testament is a document that the author has sworn to be true. In law it usually means last will and testament. Testament or The Testament can also refer to: Books * ''Testament'' (comic book), a 2005 comic book * ''Testament'', a thriller nov ...

, Mushroomhead, Ministry, Bad Brains and Meat Puppets.

The Black Crowes The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1984. Their discography includes eight studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer G ...

and Meat Puppets have both received various RIAA certifications in the US. Marsha Zazula, the co-founder of Megaforce Records, died of cancer on January 10, 2021, at the age of 68. Her husband Jon died a year later, on February 1, 2022, at the age of 69.

Artists (current and former)

Heavy metal artists

* Blessed Death * Blue Cheer * Brendon Small * Frehley's Comet * Eric Steel * Exciter * Fozzy * Grave Digger * Icon * King's X * Living Colour * Lucy Brown * Manowar * Mercyful Fate *

* Ministry * M.O.D. * Mushroomhead *

Prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the s ...

* Raven *

Skatenigs The Skatenigs are a punk industrial metal band from San Marcos, Texas, Texas which formed in the late 1980s. History The Skatenigs' lead singer, Phil "Phildo" Owen, previously performed on the album ''Beers, Steers, and Queers'' by the Revolting ...

* Skid Row * Stormtroopers of Death (S.O.D) * Sweaty Nipples *

* Trust * T.T. Quick * Vio-lence

Other artists

Ace Frehley Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley (; born April 27, 1951) is an American musician, best known as the original lead guitarist and co-founding member of the hard rock band Kiss. He invented the persona of The Spaceman (a.k.a. Space Ace) and played wi ...

* Bad Brains *

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...

* Blue October * Das Racist * Heems * Disco Biscuits * Hank Williams III * Lostprophets * Meat Puppets * They Might Be Giants * Tribe After Tribe * Truth & Salvage Co. * Warren Haynes * Wellwater Conspiracy * Johnny Winter

References

External links

* Record labels established in 1982 American independent record labels Heavy metal record labels Thrash metal record labels Alternative rock record labels 1982 establishments in the United States {{US-independent-record-label-stub