Metal.de is a German-language online magazine launched in 1996. The magazine focuses on the subgenres of heavy metal 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 ...

, but also reports on similar styles. ''Metal.de'' foundation in 1996 makes it one of the longest-running heavy metal websites from Germany. It is based in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

. Metal.de is a subsidiary of Versus Media UG based in

Kämpfelbach Kämpfelbach is a municipality in the district of Enz in Baden-Württemberg in Germany, 7 km away from the town of Pforzheim. Geography The municipality of Kämpfelbach is located in the transition area between the Kraichgau and the n ...

. Today, it is associated with Hi-Media S.A., a company that works with ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'', ''

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 published by different companies available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' featu ...

'',

Michelin Michelin ( , ), in full ("General Company of the Michelin Enterprises P.L.S."), is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes '' région'' of France. It is the second largest t ...

, among other brands in Germany. Its publishers are Norman Sickinger, Markus Endres and Marc Furrer. Since September 2017, Jan Wischkowski and Alex Klug are co-editors in chief. With more than 400,000 page views per month with 147,000 visitors, Metal.de is the widest-reaching metal online magazine in the German-speaking world.

History

Metal.de was first launched on 1 October 1996 under the name ''The Dark Site online''. The first editor-in-chief Truhe programmed the site himself and built up the content with friends. As early as 1997, the team added small audio clips in real audio format to the CD reviews. In 1998, the first major update followed, as well as its own small search engine, the first German metal mailing list and a newsletter. Since 1999 there have been cooperations with advertising partners and event organizers, as well as another update. This year also renamed Metal.de. In 2004, a new forum was activated and the layout and logo were also revised. On 27 October 2006, Metal.de celebrated its 10th anniversary with a show that featured Disillusion,

Equilibrium Equilibrium may refer to: Film and television * ''Equilibrium'' (film), a 2002 science fiction film * '' The Story of Three Loves'', also known as ''Equilibrium'', a 1953 romantic anthology film * "Equilibrium" (''seaQuest 2032'') * ''Equilibr ...

, Neaera,

Criminal In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...

and Undertow at

LKA Longhorn LKA Longhorn is a 1,500-capacity music venue located in Stuttgart, Germany. Founded in 1984, the venue was originally a country and western A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. W ...

, Stuttgart. For the event, the online magazine ''Vampster'' created a contest with three double tickets as prizes. In March 2011, the technology and design of the site changed once more. Single genre portals were Introduced, which allowed to filter of the content by individual metal genres. Along with record label

Nuclear Blast Nuclear Blast Records is a German record label with subsidiary, subsidiaries located in Germany, the United States and Brazil. It was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Donzdorf. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on ...

, Metal.de has co-presented several German tours, including those by

Behemoth Behemoth (; , ''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. Metaphorically, the name has come to be used for any extremely large or powerful ...

and

Cannibal Corpse Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York, in 1988, now based in Tampa, Florida. The band has released sixteen studio albums, two box sets, four video albums, and two live albums. The band has had little radio ...

, Vader,

Hate Eternal Hate Eternal is a Florida death metal band from St. Petersburg, Florida. The band currently consists of founding guitarist/vocalist Erik Rutan and bassist J. J. Hrubovcak. To date, Hate Eternal has released seven studio albums: '' Conquerin ...

and

Threat Signal Threat Signal is a Canadian heavy metal band from Hamilton, Ontario. The band has had numerous lineup changes, with only Jon Howard remaining from the original incarnation. Their music is often classified as metalcore, melodic death metal, or g ...

, and

Suffocation Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects all the tissues and organs, some more rapidly than others. There are m ...

and

Fleshgod Apocalypse Fleshgod Apocalypse is an Italian symphonic death metal band. Formed in 2007, the group resides in Perugia and are currently signed to Nuclear Blast. History Formation and ''Oracles'' (2007–2009) Fleshgod Apocalypse was formed in April 200 ...

. In addition to its online services, Metal.de has its own stand at festivals. For example, it has organised autograph sessions at

Summer Breeze Open Air Summer Breeze Open Air is an annual German heavy metal music festival. It was first held in 1997. The festival had been held in Abtsgmünd until 2006 when it was moved to its new location of Dinkelsbühl, Bavaria. The festival draws around 40,00 ...

for many years.

References

External links

*{{Official website, http://www.metal.de/ Heavy metal publications German news websites Internet properties established in 1996