Allegaeon signs to Metal Blade records

Even in the superlative rich world of metal music reportage, Fort Collins’ melodic death metal act Allegaeon inking a deal with international heavyweight Metal Blade Records is hard to oversell. The label that introduced the world to metal immortals Cannibal Corpse and Slayer and stays au courant with crushing acts like The Red Chord, As I Lay Dying and dozens more has chosen a hard working, brutally heavy band from our own ranks.
And few bands could deserve it more. Listen to Allegaeon (say it with me now, uh-lee-juhn), and you’ll hear pitch-perfect twin guitar harmonies, guttural growls and pounding bass, all nailed perfectly in place by exemplar drumming that’s as speedy as it is technically proficient. At their live shows they are incredibly tight together, and on their self-released EP they play even tighter. The EP, a professional quality metal recording replete with scary cover art and easy-to-read contact information, played a big part in their getting signed, said guitarist Ryan Gilsan.

Allegaeon

“Before we recorded our EP, I felt like we were confident about ourselves,” Gilsan said, “and after we released the EP and started getting feedback and reviews is when I think we began to come to the understanding that it was inevitable that ‘something’ would happen. We just didn’t know to what capacity that ‘something’ would be.”

The self-titled EP came out last year and was recorded by Denver’s nationally renowned Dave Otero, who has helped put the polish on such pummeling acts as Cephalic Carnage and Cobalt. Whatever the cost, it was worth it as most metal band’s first recordings usually make you want to shake your head, not bang it.
“Where I think we differentiate ourselves as a band, compared to others, is that we work hard and we work smart,” Gilsan said. And though the act has only been around for a few years, they’ve already got the insight of veterans.
“In the end, it’s all about who you know. Metal Blade first heard of us through the drum magazine Sickdrummermagazine.com, which our drummer [Jordon Belfast] has been featured on since, I believe, he was 16 or 17. They contacted us initially, [and] from there we worked hard to remain in touch with them, and that’s the short story of how we got where we are today.”
Of course, going deep into regional best band competitions and practicing a lot probably didn’t hurt either. And as it was plenty of hard work that got them picked up, fortunately it doesn’t seem like they’re in danger of falling into the trap that snares many newly-signed bands – taking it easy while believing their own hype.
“It was just the first step in the many, many more steps that it takes to keep being successful once you get signed. That being said I still don’t think we have totally wrapped our minds around the actual accomplishment of what has happened.”
Congratulations, gentlemen. Enjoy it.