Eisenwald Tonschmiede

Eisenwald Tonschmiede is a German independent record label, record slinger, and distributor founded in 2005 in Ilmenau and based in Eisenach, Thuringia. The label's programmatic slogan is "Finest dark Arts" (feinste dunkle Künste), which replaced the "Tonschmiede" suffix in its logo in 2019. Eisenwald describes itself as an independent label whose goal is to curate certain aesthetics, support artistic vision, and establish a sense of community. While its main focus is dark and extreme metal, it does not limit itself to musical barriers or existing sub-labels, releasing music across genres from experimental music to folk-inspired songs and straightforward black metal. The label's first release under the Eisenwald Tonschmiede name was the limited vinyl LP "Bastard" by German black metal band Devilish, pressed in 330 copies. In its early years, Eisenwald frequently handled vinyl productions of already-released works, but over time its own signings gained importance. A major step came in 2014 with the European release of "The Serpent & the Sphere," the final album by US post-black metal band Agalloch from Portland, Oregon. Eisenwald had previously reissued the group's first demo as a limited vinyl variant in 2019 and released a limited vinyl box of early demo recordings titled "The Demonstration Archive: 1996–1998" in 2012. Later, Agalloch frontman John Haughm also released the debut album of his successor band Pillorian, "Obsidian Arc" (2017), through the label. Through this relationship, Eisenwald built close ties to the Portland metal scene, leading to contact with black metal band Uada. Their 2016 debut album "Devoid of Light" marked another milestone, resonating beyond the metal scene; Die Welt feuilleton editor Ulf Poschardt used the album to argue why black metal was "the sound of the hour" in times of terror. In 2019, the label opened a North American branch in Portland, Oregon. Since 2022, another Portland post-black metal band, Falls of Rauros, has released in Europe via Eisenwald. The label also maintains relationships with the Dutch scene around the underground label Haeresis Noviomagi (founded 2015) and bands Turia, Iskandr, Solar Temple, and Nusquama, handling CD, vinyl, and digital distribution while the home label focuses on limited cassette editions. Since 2017, Eisenwald has released records by bands from the Swiss artists' collective Helvetic Underground Committee, including Ungfell, Ateiggär, and Dakhma. Artists from Thuringia, where Eisenwald is based, also feature frequently, including Mosaic, Odal, Werian, Vivus Humare, and Kankar. Folk and neofolk releases also appear, such as US Nordic-folk project Osi and the Jupiter, signed in 2017, which contributed two songs to the soundtrack of the final season of the TV series "Vikings." The label also released albums by Polish neofolk project By The Spirits and Nordic-folk project Nordein. In 2019, the album "Mana" by Idle Hands (now Unto Others) gained wider attention, being longlisted for the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik in the Hard & Heavy category. Eisenwald emphasizes careful presentation of its products, including various physical formats such as special vinyl editions and official merchandising. It operates an online store, a direct B2B store for retailers and partners, and a distribution network. The label has faced controversy: in 2005 it offered a tribute sampler for the right-wing rock band Absurd in its webshop, leading to suspicions of ties to the far-right scene. In response to a parliamentary inquiry by SPD MP Heiko Gentzel, the Thuringian state government stated that the performers were "largely to be assigned to the apolitical black metal sphere" and that a classification of Eisenwald Tonschmiede as right-wing extremist would not be made based on available findings.

Eisenwald Tonschmiede was founded in 2005 in Ilmenau, Thuringia, Germany, and is now based in Eisenach. Its first release under the Eisenwald Tonschmiede name was the limited vinyl LP "Bastard" by German black metal band Devilish, pressed in 330 copies. In its early years, the label often handled vinyl productions of already-released works, but over time its own signings became more important. A significant step came in 2014 with the European release of "The Serpent & the Sphere," the final album by US post-black metal band Agalloch from Portland, Oregon. Eisenwald had previously reissued the group's first demo as a limited vinyl variant in 2019 and released a limited vinyl box of early demo recordings titled "The Demonstration Archive: 1996–1998" in 2012. Later, Agalloch frontman John Haughm also released the debut album of his successor band Pillorian, "Obsidian Arc" (2017), through the label, with whom he shares many ideas according to his own statements. Through this, Eisenwald built a close relationship with the Portland metal scene. Via John Haughm, contact was made with the also Portland-based black metal band Uada. Their 2016 debut album "Devoid of Light" marked another milestone for Eisenwald, as it resonated beyond the metal scene. Die Welt feuilleton editor Ulf Poschardt used the album to argue why black metal was "the sound of the hour" in times of terror. In 2019, the label opened a North American branch in Portland, Oregon. Since 2022, another Portland post-black metal band, Falls of Rauros, has released in Europe via Eisenwald. The label has maintained relationships with the Dutch scene around the underground label Haeresis Noviomagi (founded 2015) since the 2014 reissue of the album "Dromers" by Fluisteraars, with further bands Turia, Iskandr, Solar Temple, and Nusquama. Eisenwald handles CD and vinyl releases as well as digital distribution, while the home label focuses on limited cassette editions. Since 2017, Eisenwald has released records by bands from the Swiss artists' collective Helvetic Underground Committee, including Ungfell, Ateiggär, and Dakhma. Artists from Thuringia, where Eisenwald is based, also feature frequently, including Mosaic, Odal, Werian, Vivus Humare, and Kankar. Folk and neofolk releases also appear in the repertoire. In 2017, Eisenwald signed US Nordic-folk project Osi and the Jupiter, which contributed two songs to the soundtrack of the final season of the TV series "Vikings." The label also released one album each by Polish neofolk project By The Spirits and Nordic-folk project Nordein. In 2019, the album "Mana" by Idle Hands (now Unto Others) gained wider attention, being longlisted for the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik in the Hard & Heavy category for 2019. The label's programmatic slogan is "Finest dark Arts" (feinste dunkle Künste), which replaced the "Tonschmiede" suffix in its logo in 2019. An explanation of its business philosophy can be found on the company's Facebook presence: it sees itself as an independent label whose goal is to curate certain aesthetics, support artistic visions, and establish a sense of community. Although primarily situated in dark and extreme metal, the label does not limit itself to musical boundaries but releases albums of many genres as long as they convey a strong feeling that the label managers welcome. The spectrum accordingly ranges from more experimental music to folk-inspired songs to extreme, straightforward black metal. By its own account, the label places great value on careful presentation of its products, which include various physical formats such as special vinyl editions and official merchandising. In 2005, the label offered a tribute sampler for the right-wing rock band Absurd in its webshop and subsequently came under suspicion of being close to the far-right scene. In response to a parliamentary inquiry by SPD MP Heiko Gentzel, the Thuringian state government stated that the performers were "largely to be assigned to the apolitical black metal sphere" and that a "classification of 'Eisenwald Tonschmiede' as right-wing extremist [...] would not be made according to available findings." In the course of a small inquiry on October 26, 2009, the Thuringian Interior Ministry was again asked for an assessment of the label. The ministry replied that indications for classifying the label as clearly right-wing extremist were insufficient.

• 2022

  Falls of Rauros began releasing in Europe via Eisenwald.

• 2019

  Opened North American branch in Portland, Oregon; slogan "Finest dark Arts" replaced "Tonschmiede" in logo; Idle Hands – Mana longlisted for Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik.

• 2017

  Signed Osi and the Jupiter; released Pillorian – Obsidian Arc; began releasing Helvetic Underground Committee bands.

• 2016

  Released Uada – Devoid of Light, a milestone resonating beyond the metal scene.

• 2014

  European release of Agalloch – The Serpent & the Sphere; reissue of Fluisteraars – Dromers.

• 2012

  Released Agalloch – The Demonstration Archive: 1996–1998 limited vinyl box.

• 2009

  Thuringian Interior Ministry stated indications for classifying the label as clearly right-wing extremist were insufficient.

• 2005

  Eisenwald Tonschmiede founded in Ilmenau, Germany; first release: Devilish – Bastard limited vinyl LP (330 copies).

• 2005

  Label offered a tribute sampler for right-wing rock band Absurd, leading to controversy.

Independent label curating dark and extreme metal, post-black metal, and dark folk with careful physical editions and community focus.

• 2005

  Devilish – Bastard

• 2012

  Agalloch – The Demonstration Archive: 1996–1998

• 2014

  Agalloch – The Serpent & the Sphere

• 2016

  Uada – Devoid of Light

• 2017

  Pillorian – Obsidian Arc

• 2019

  Idle Hands – Mana

• Osi and the Jupiter releases

• By The Spirits – Visions (2019), We Are Falling (2022)

• 2023

  Aridus – Serpent Moon

• Ashtar – Kaikuja (2020), Wandering Through Time (2023)

• 2022

  Ateiggär – Tyrannemord

• 2011

  Aurvandil – Yearning

• 2009

  Austere – To Lay like Old Ashes

• 2014

  Autumn’s Dawn – Gone

• Blaze of Sorrow – Absentia (2020), Vultus Fati (2023)

1. 1Eisenwald Records · Finest Dark Artseisenton.de
2. 2Eisenwald Tonschmiede - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Eisenwald Tonschmiede - Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org