Punishment 18 Records

Punishment 18 Records is an Italian independent record label founded in 2006 and based in Cossato, in the province of Biella. It is a specialist metal label whose core repertoire is thrash metal, with a particular emphasis on bands from its home country, though its roster also extends to acts from across Europe and beyond. The label operates its own website as a hub for news, band pages, releases, reissues, media and contacts, and it also runs a sister imprint, The Spew Records, whose releases are catalogued alongside the main Punishment 18 Records output. The label's identity is closely tied to the classic and extreme metal underground. Its catalogue is dominated by thrash metal, but it also accommodates adjacent styles: crossover bands such as Beyond Description and Shock Troopers, death metal such as Infernal Death, and epic doom such as Crimson Dawn. International signings that depart from the Italian core include the Danish thrash band Battery, Australia's In Malice's Wake, Belgium's Prematory, Germany's Running Death and Canada's Warsenal. Punishment 18 Records presents itself as an active, release-driven label. Its news feed regularly announces new signings and forthcoming albums, including records from Anthenora, Ibridoma, The Headless Ghost and the veteran Italian heavy metal band Skanners. The label's public voice is rooted in the metal community — its announcements are addressed to fans of the classic metal sound and signed off with slogans such as "Stay Metal!" — and it maintains a presence on major music databases including Discogs and MusicBrainz. As a privately held independent label, Punishment 18 Records does not disclose financial information or a parent company. Its business is the discovery, signing, production support, marketing and distribution of metal releases, largely for the European market, with a roster that mixes established names with newer underground acts.

Punishment 18 Records was founded in 2006 in Cossato, Italy. From its inception the label concentrated on metal, and it became particularly known for specialising in thrash metal bands from its own country. Over time the roster broadened geographically: alongside Italian acts, the label signed thrash metal bands from other countries, including Battery from Denmark, In Malice's Wake from Australia, Prematory from Belgium, Running Death from Germany and Warsenal from Canada. Stylistically, most of the catalogue remained within the thrash and classic metal sphere, but a minority of signings departed from that core, among them the crossover bands Beyond Description and Shock Troopers, the death metal band Infernal Death and the epic doom band Crimson Dawn. The label built a public-facing operation around its website, which organises content into news, bands, releases, reissues, media, videos, live dates, links and contacts. It also established a second imprint, The Spew Records, whose bands and releases are presented alongside the main label's output. Punishment 18 Records maintains entries on major music databases such as Discogs and MusicBrainz, which catalogue its releases and artist relationships. By the mid-2020s the label remained active and release-driven. Its news feed has announced new signings and forthcoming albums, including records from Anthenora, Ibridoma, The Headless Ghost and the veteran Italian heavy metal band Skanners, whose new album was slated for late 2026. The label's communications are aimed squarely at the metal community, using language and slogans such as "Stay Metal!".

• 2026

  Announcement of new albums from The Headless Ghost ('Legacy Of The Dead') and Skanners, both slated for late 2026.

• 2006

  Punishment 18 Records founded in Cossato, Italy.

• Label establishes the sister imprint The Spew Records.

• Signing of international thrash bands including Battery (Denmark), In Malice's Wake (Australia), Prematory (Belgium), Running Death (Germany) and Warsenal (Canada).

Independent Italian metal label focused on thrash metal, with a roster spanning Italian, European and non-European bands.

• Anthenora – "Divine"

• Ibridoma – "Sangue Innocente"

• The Headless Ghost – "Legacy Of The Dead"

• Skanners – new album (due late 2026)

1. 1Punishment 18 Records official websitepunishment18records.com
2. 2Punishment 18 Records – Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Punishment 18 Records – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org