In case anyone doesn't know this was/is a label where a lot of classic metal albums of all different sub-genres were released WITH permission of the bands but not the labels that currently hold the rights to the original recordings. This was done because the labels even though having no plans to re-release the albums in the future still hold on to the rights legally, basically ever limiting any amount of exposure that the bands might ever receive if their albums ever saw the light of day a second time around.
Here's a more in depth interview that was done in 2004 with King Fowley (the guy behind the label):
Old Metal Records
I personally think this particular label was a really great underground label in which you concentrated on kind of “re-releasing” some of the rare and long out-of-the-print albums as a CD-format, adding even some bonus tracks into some of them. Can you recall when you actually decided to start Old Metal Records and what was your 1st release and last released on the label? Also how many releases did you put out on that label and what kind of editions you had for each release? As far as I can remember many of the releases on Old Metal Records were limited to 500-600 copies only and therefore they were sold out quite quickly?
"It started with a Cirith Ungol live single. I wanted for so long to put it out, so I did! It wasn´t ´legit´ and I was lucky the band contacted me and was super cool and happy about it!! I just wanted it out!! I began ´experimenting´ with bands and the label to try and repress old ´forgotten Heavy Metal classics´ to me in a time where the world was sucking up to shit bands like Alice in Chains and Nirvana. Metal was ´dead´ to a lot of weak fucks!! Not me! I decided: “Let´s put out Blessed Death CDs…let´s do a Rat Attack record!!” I don´t care what year it is! We may lose $$$, we may not! Let´s goooo with it!! It caught on quick. Became a great ´distro´ to a lot of cool metal fuckers the world over. It seemed to bring the heart beat back to a lot of them. Most importantly, I felt good to be doing it!! The ´business´ side wasn´t exactly ´great´ all the time. I had to call bands and ask them if I put their records out on CD and pay them back in not money, but copies of the CDs. Most were cool. A few changed tune over time and fucked me over royally. Normal human nature again! I met some real cool cats in Matt from Wild Dogs, Spacey T. from Sound Barrier, Victor from Laaz Rockit, Thomas from Griffin, Mike from Sentinel Beast, the Iron Angel and Witchcross guys. Also Sal from Cities. So it worked out!! Most are ´official´ through the bands and a few aren´t. I´ll let you guess which aren´t at this point, ha-hah!! It got me to be a headache at times ´coz the ´business´ was crazy and I met some truly complete hypocrites and liars. And GREEEEEEEEEEEDY FUCKERS, too!! That made it slow down. But… now Old Metal Records is BACK!! In 2004 we ruturn with Blessed Death DESTINED FOR EXTINCTION complete CD, Satan´s Host METAL FROM HELL through the band and much more to come! So hang tight!! The Old Metal releases varied and the most ever printed were 1,000 copies of stuff like Dr. Mastermind and Laaz Rockit. Most were 500 runs by a few headbangers using mom´s credit cards and photo shop computer gear, ha-hah!! Just nothing more, nothing less… "
Do you still have some of those Old Metal Records -releases left in your house - even small quantities?
"Very few left of any title! They were very limited, bro. I have 2 Sorcery, a few Liege Lord´s FREEDOM RISE CDs, maybe a few Dr. Mastermind CDs as well. Dave´s Metal on eBay has some quantity of a few ´out-of-print´ titles."
You obviously also had permissions to release all these “old metal releases” (Laaz Rockit, Blessed Death, Sentinel Steel, Premonition, Griffin, Wild Dogs, etc.) from each band via Old Metal Records as you were old friends with most of these bands. Didn´t you have any trouble with any of the labels that originally put out all this stuff a long time ago and most probably still had the legal rights to some of this stuff that you, however, eventually to re-released on your own label Old Metal Records?
"Mike Varney got pissssed…!! He was so upset!! He had ´heard´ I´d have had released 10,000 press of Wild Dogs CDs, ha-ha-ha!! The total amount was 500, man!! We talked and I pulled the title after this ´cuz he got all ´legal´ with me. It was all very stupid!! The bands were fine with it most of the time. Sadly their lives and records were often signed away to corporate record companies who had ripped them off the first time around and were trying to rip them off and ´kill them´ a second time, too. This SUCKS!!!!!!!!!! If the bands were cool with it, then I was, too. I put my address, name and # right on the releases. I wasn´t ´hiding´ nothing!! You´d laugh if told you some of the words the bands had for their ´business´ dealings with some of these record ´labels´, ha-ha-haa...!!"
So what killed Old Metal Records eventually? A lack of worth releasing, good “old metal” albums that were worth of your own attention, heh!
"Jealous dickheads elsewhere who wanted to knock me anytime they coud! Calling me a ´bootlegger´ and some money hungry dude, ha-hah!! You try making ´BIGGGGGG´ money on Xcursion or Griffin or Sound Barrier or most of my releases!! A few did quite well (Laaz Rockit, Blessed Death, etc.), but most sat and sat and sat and I ended up trading for other titles or selling them for like $5 postage paid. It was for the love of music!! Some see/saw that, others still don´t see that. Funny how a few ´headaches´ and people who ´called me out´ back in the day are now totally ´under the radar´ doing countless bootleg-CDs by all the ´cult´ metal bands everyone wants on disc these days. And ´hiding their names from it all!! So hypocrisy reigns on and on… Oh well, Old Metal´s back!!"
- I mean the regular guys, who buy just few CDs, their all time favorite stuff, not everything they can find ...), most of them (that I know) are like - it doesn't matter if it's 1st press, rerelease, bootleg (they normally even don't know that it is a bootleg), the only thing that matters to them is that it comes with lyrics, some pics, etc.
