Sumerian Records

History

Founded in 2006 in his Venice Beach apartment, Sumerian Records founder Ash Avildsen first released the records Akeldama by The Faceless and For What It's Worth by Stick to Your Guns in order to let people know the label would be dedicated to underground music but also to diversify the genres of the label, as the former falls under deathcore while the latter is typically described as Melodic Hardcore. After waiting a year to release another record, in order to ensure a third band on their label was "totally doing their own thing independent from everything else going on in the scene", Sumerian released The New Reign by Born of Osiris. Ash later commented on this release in a 2012 interview with Lambgoat by stating, "There is something to be said for not putting out too many records each year to where we're able to give focused energy to each band and album rather than always having several releases come out each month". Sumerian has continued to follow this philosophy throughout its near two decade tenure, never surpassing more than thirty artists on the label at one time and typically following a one record a month release schedule.

Since its inauguration, Sumerian has had several seminal artists in the rock, emo, and alternative genres perform on late night television, such as Asking Alexandria, I See Stars, Crosses(†††), and Poppy on Jimmy Kimmel, Bones UK on Seth Meyers, and The Smashing Pumpkins on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

Current roster

Main article: List of Sumerian Records artists

• After the Burial
• Animals as Leaders
• Bad Omens
• Bones UK
• Born of Osiris
• Des Rocs
• Diamante
• Evan Brewer
• The Faceless
• Face Yourself
• Gideon
• Hollywood Undead
• I See Stars
• Kittie
• Meg Myers
• The Native Howl
• Nita Strauss
• Palaye Royale
• Poppy
• Seven Hours After Violet
• Slaughter to Prevail
• Sleeping with Sirens
• Starbenders
• The Pretty Wild
• Roman Candle
• Through Fire
• Thomas Giles
• Vana
• Veil of Maya
• Weathers
• Within Destruction
• Youth Code

Artists formerly with label

• Asking Alexandria (on Better Noise Music)
• Betraying the Martyrs (Disbanded)
• Between the Buried and Me (on Inside Out Music)
• Bizzy Bone (Active)
• Black Veil Brides (on Spinefarm Records)
• Blackguard (Victory Records)
• Body Count (on Century Media Records)
• Borgore
• Capture the Crown (name changed to "Capture", inactive)
• CHON (Disbanded)
• Circa Survive (Disbanded)
• Circle of Contempt (Active, Unsigned)
• Conducting From The Grave (Disbanded)
• Crosses (on Warner)
• Danny Worsnop (on Better Noise Music)
• Darkest Hour (on Southern Lord)
• Dayshell (Active, Independent)
• Dead Letter Circus (on The End Records)
• Dead Posey (Active, Unsigned)
• ERRA (on UNFD)
• Fellsilent (Disbanded)
• From First to Last (Active, Independent)
• I, the Breather (On Pavement Entertainment)
• Jonathan Davis
• Juliet Simms AKA Lilith Czar
• The Kindred (Disbanded)
• Lower Than Atlantis (Disbanded)
• Make Me Famous (Disbanded)
• New Volume (Active, Independent)
• Night Riots (Disbanded)
• Oceano (Disbanded)
• OmenXIII
• Periphery (on 3DOT Recordings)
• Pretty Sister
• RVSHVD
• Sea of Treachery (Active, Unsigned)
• September Mourning
• The Smashing Pumpkins (Active, on Thirty Tigers)
• Soreption (on Unique Leader Records)
• Stick to Your Guns (on SharpTone Records)
• Stray from the Path (Disbanded)
• Structures (Active, Unsigned)
• Upon a Burning Body (Active, Independent)

Releases

Main article: Sumerian Records discography

Charts and sales certifications

Sumerian has garnered three RIAA certified gold records. Their first two awards originated from two singles on Asking Alexandria's debut album Stand Up and Scream (2009): "The Final Episode" and "Not The American Average". Their third was Bad Omens' breakthrough single, "Just Pretend" (2022).

In 2014, Sumerian reunited Grammy-winning actor/rapper Ice-T's Body Count and released its highest-selling album in 20+ years, Manslaughter.

In 2018, they released the first true solo album for Jonathan Davis, lead singer of Korn. The lead single for Jonathan's album "What It Is" went Top 5 at Rock Radio which was a first for Jonathan outside of KoRn.

Sumerian delivered the highest charting alternative radio song for the Smashing Pumpkins in 12+ years for their lead single "Cyr" off their latest album.

Achievements and awards

In 2010, The Grammy Museum at LA Live had a Golden Gods: History of Heavy Metal Exhibit where the original, band sticker-covered Sony Vaio laptop that founder Ash Avildsen started the label on was displayed as a historical item.

In 2017, Sumerian received its first Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance for Periphery. That year saw Sumerian also have their first box office theatrical film release in American Satan, which debuted in select AMC theatres across the country and went top 20 in its opening weekend on box office mojo. The movie was picked up by Miramax for distribution and Showtime for first window domestic SVOD in the US and SKY in the UK.

In 2018, Sumerian won the best independent label award at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods in the UK and accepted the award on stage at the O2 in London.

In 2019, they received another "Best Metal Performance" Grammy nomination for Between The Buried And Me. In 2019, Guitar World listed two Sumerian artists in the top four guitarists of the decade, Tosin Abasi of Animals as Leaders and female solo artist Nita Strauss, who in addition to her solo career and being Alice Cooper's guitarist, also plays the national anthem for the home games for the LA Rams at Sofi Stadium and for WWE, most recently at WrestleMania 37.

In 2020, the label received its first Best Rock Performance Grammy nomination for Bones UK.

In 2021, Sumerian received the first-ever Grammy nomination in the history of the Recording Academy for a female solo artist in the Best Metal Performance category for Poppy, who also performed at the premiere ceremony.

References

References

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