Championing the emerging grindcore and death metal scenes, Earache Records became synonymous with some of the most brutal, nasty and influential releases of the '80s, from Napalm Death's Scum and Carcass' Reek Of Putrefaction to Terrorizer's World Downfall and Godflesh's Streetcleaner, and was viewed by metalheads as one of the most trusted record labels in the world.
As the label's popularity grew, with Radio 1 DJ John Peel and even the UK's notoriously fickle 'inkie' music press on-side, It's output began to attract attention beyond the metal community, not all of this attention welcome.
