SPEED METAL SYMBOL

BANZAI RECORDS

THE STORY OF THE MYTHIC SYMBOL

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Banzai Records was a Canadian record label in the 1980s that were known for licensing albums not otherwise widely distributed in Canada. Banzai is responsible for introducing metal bands from labels such as Metal Blade / Megaforce Records (USA), Neat Records (Eng.), Noise Records (Ger.) , Steamhammer (Ger.), and Roadrunner Records to the Canadian market. Banzai’s releases were distributed through PolyGram. Some of their more violent releases displayed what has become the speed metal symbol.

 

What's the meaning of the symbol? what does it represent? how they did arrive that design? Well, the speed metal symbol (by graphic artist Gunther Woschank) was supposed to be used as a characteristic indicator for people to know that the album was faster, more aggressive and more extreme than their other releases: Some albums released by Banzai were Hellhammer - Apocalyptic Raids, Destruction - Sentence of Death, Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales, Voivod - War and Pain, Bathory - The Return…, Possessed - Seven Churches, and many other very notable early extreme metal albums.

 

Nowadays all Banzai versions of the albums under the “Speed Metal” brand are well sought after by cult collectors. We also want to share the story of this mythic metal symbol, because we honor and worship it's legacy...

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SPEED CLOTHES.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE LEGACY OF BANZAI RECORDS AT: banzai-records.jimdo.com