Founded in Toronto in 2013, New Damage Records has been busy at work unleashing a myriad of heavy albums. After christening the label via noise rock mongers KEN mode for the Canadian release of their Polaris prize nominated album Entrench, we’ve gone on to unveil numerous projects by artists around the globe.
“I wanted a home for everything heavy,” says label founder Joel Carriere, who named the label after a track by his favourite band, Soundgarden.
“Canada loves heavy but lacks the infrastructure and support. [I] thought we would give heavy a home and start developing a strength in numbers for all things aggressive!”
True to form, the following year was kicked off by Biblical’s single Second Sight, which Pitchfork hailed as a “climactic, Red Sea-parting surge of narcotic guitar noise”; we followed it up with buffeting releases by Architects, Slates, GOB, Black Mastiff, Alexisonfire, Seaway, and more. Since our inception, we’ve proudly signed and assisted acts like Cancer Bats, The Flatliners, Architects, and Silverstein, who’ve grown into internationally recognized names.
“It was great seeing some long time friends join the team,” enthuses Carriere, who also formed trusted indie label Dine Alone Records. “I wanted a trusted brand for all things aggressive. [Today], we have a separate staff of four amazing women running the label that has the biggest balls in Canada.”
Case in point: we secured the Canadian release for Australian metalcore act Northlane for their third studio album Node. It was acclaimed by Faster Louder as “as a blueprint for modern progressive rock; it pays respect to the current climate of extremely low-tuned guitars and drum patterns you need a Bachelor of Mathematics to understand but keeps the focus on big melody and rich natural sounds.” Meanwhile, British act Architects sixth studio album Lost Forever // Lost Together was lauded by Alternative Press with a 90 per cent score; “the honest emotion, varying dynamics and avoidance of cliche up the record’s potency, leaving you with the sense that this is how metalcore should make you feel.”
2016 was a banner year that saw us scoop up renowned metal magistrate Devin Townsend Project for the Canadian release of his 17th studio album Transcendence; TeamRock dubbed the album the “band’s most important, engaging statement to date.” Meanwhile, Exclaim! Magazine celebrated the “crushing heaviness” of Exalt’s The Shape You Took Before the Ache as one of the Top 10 Metal & Hardcore Albums of the year.
From hereon, we’re adding a non-stop array of artists from across the sonic spectrum to our diverse, award-winning roster, and we are constantly striving to get bigger, louder, and better! As Carriere puts it, “we can all work together for the greater cause, which is rock ‘n’ and fucking rollin.”
When new damage comes
It’s a faceless poison
A new world order
It’s new damage done
The wreck is going down
Get out before you drown
– Soundgarden, “New Damage”