From this vantage point, it seems that, by convention, every musician has to be in multiple bands and being in one act is insufficient. At the same time, every label issues multiple versions of each release, always calling them limited editions. Metallian contacted several musicians and industry members to ask about these phenomena – 05.2025

Multiple Bands And Multiple Versions	It is common for musicians to be in multiple bands simultaneously nowadays. Everyone seems to be a project member, collaborator or sidekick part-timer. Why is no one committed to one band anymore?	Is metal officially a bankable commodity that brings in significant cash? There are multiple releases, various formats, rereleases and multiple labels involved with any given release. At which point do the rereleases and band hoppers become too much?
Ihizahg – Guitarist For Helvitnir	Good question. If I go back 25 years, I had several bands at the same time in different genres. Different ways to play or to express myself. Perished had the melodious and primitive, Bloodthorn the brutal and aggressive, Maelstrom the heavy and dark. I think it can be difficult to do well in a scene where there are millions of other bands. The dream for many is to be able to make a living from music, but it takes a lot. If you play in more than one the chance increases, at least a little, for one of them to do well.	I think the answer is the internet and the services that are there. Streaming and downloading makes it tough for bands to survive. In addition, it seems that buying physical format goes in cycles. With the return of vinyl a few years ago, collecting became popular for many. It is then clear that record companies and bands see their opportunity to earn some money. Vinyl in many colours, limited edition CDs, cassettes and boxes. For smaller bands like us, this is the opportunity to actually earn a few bucks. We put a lot of money and effort into an album, so it’s nice to get something back. Streaming provides minimal income and there is a lot of competition on the concert front. For the big bands, such as Metallica and Slayer, this is just a bonus. I myself buy re-pressings of certain releases that have, for example, been remastered or re-issued. It may be that there are bonus tracks or that it actually sounds better than the first pressing. Or that the record has not been pressed since the first pressing. Obviously, some bands, without naming names, are milking this for all it’s worth. Another thing that comes into play is the fact that the metal has become bigger than ever. Many have seen the quality it possesses and have become fans. Then, of course, the demand increases, and again the opportunity for bands to sell. It’s hard to tell if things have gone too far. It depends on who you ask. The collector or the band? A collector wants to spend money on his passion and a band wants to make a little profit on their passion. Maybe it’s a symbiosis? I don’t have a good answer to this.
Stefan Hielscher Singer And Bassist For Rebel Souls	I think there are a couple of reasons. Sometimes the music calls for a different monicker. Thomas and I had another project called Dead Entities’ Realm, as we felt that the more progressive music didn’t fit with Rebel Souls. The stuff we did there was more influenced by Opeth or Disillusion, so we decided to release that under a different name. And on the other hand, sometimes you’re just happy to help out. I played bass for Krypticy in 2021 because their bassist had left, they had a series of gigs lined up and desperately needed someone to play the bass live. The music really required it. Krypticy isn’t the same without a bass. And then, of course, there is supply and demand. Good metal drummers are hard to find, so it is only natural that the good ones play in three or more bands.	It really depends on the stage where your band is at. Rebel Souls is definitely not making any money at all, it actually costs us money; it’s an expensive hobby, it’s our passion. In order to make money, or even to live off your band, you have to be in the regions of the big players, Cannibal Corpse, Vader, Deicide; you name it. And I am telling you they’re making their money from the tours and not from the record sales. I believe that most of the money from the record sales goes actually to the label.
Jakob Schultz – Guitarist For Maceration	Maceration also started as a side-project to Invocator back in 1989 so it’s not a new thing. But today it’s so much easier to have side-projects and record no matter even if you are in different countries. You can easily exchange songs and ideas and record. You actually can do everything without even meeting each other. I think that’s why more side-projects are normal now and because musicians just want to do other stuff than their main band.	To earn money with metal you really have to be lucky and have the right connections, management et cetera. You need to tour a lot and work very hard because in the first several years you are paying to get on tours. I think it’s a minimum of bands that make good money playing extreme metal. It’s just much easier to release stuff today so that’s why we are drowning in releases. Then the competition is also much bigger and the money is controlled by the few players in agencies, managements, labels and big promoters.
Michael H. Andersen – Owner Of Emanzipation and Mighty Music And Singer For Withering Surface And Thorium	I know what you mean. That’s the same situation in Withering Surface. Even though we have, like a steady line-up now, we’re not sure what’s gonna happen because our new drummer might leave because whatever. You know, the bass player might leave. The guitar player might leave. The core of Withering Services is Allan and I. With Thorium, it’s me, and I don’t have a sidekick in the band. And for me, it’s a matter of doing great music and doing great gigs. Also, a guy like Mikael Stanne from Dark Tranquillity, how many bands is he in? I’m not sure. The Halo Effect, Dark Tranquillity, a new goth band, Cadaver, Grand Cadaver, whatever. But I know what you mean. And it’s obviously because it’s becoming more and more easy to do music, not meeting up in a rehearsal room and rehearsing together. And also because some of the experienced guys like myself and other people that’ve been in the game for a long time know what they’re doing. I would prefer that obviously there were only real bands all the time because they make the greatest products. But, yeah, who can tell the difference anyway nowadays? Who’s playing in what band and then when they come and play live, it might be two other guys!	I actually thought about it earlier today. Now it’s the guy from the record label talking. I looked at the invoices from the manufacturing and the mechanicals, the advertising, the promotion, the blah blah. It’s the same as with the live scene. The big bands earn 90% of the money. And it’s the same with the releases. Me doing a record label these days with metal or extreme metal, it’s more a hobby than it’s something that I’m actually making money on. It’s something that gives me energy to do other things that I do because I’ve been doing this for so many years. And once in a while, you get a band that actually succeeds, tour a lot and sells records like Tygers Of Pan Tang or Mike Tramp or whatever. But most of the extreme metal bands, unless they tour, you know, 200 shows a year or become the new shit that everybody talks about, then it’s a hobby business. Labels like Hammerheart or Listenable are working extremely hard to just make it work. I’m happy that I do other things as well. If I hadn’t started up a few bars in Copenhagen and done live shows, I would be working full time doing software or working as a carpenter or for the government or whatever. So, no it’s definitely not easy. And you can see right now with some of the bigger labels like Nuclear Blast and Atomic Fire, Raging Phoenix, whatever. It’s one big mess of German people fucking each other up and having rich people that sold the companies being involved with a lot of finances. It’s not a natural thing right now in the music business, money flow-wise. It is on the live market with the big festivals and also the semi big festivals. But a lot of festivals closed down after COVID as well because prices have gone up a lot for the artists, renting stage and sound equipment, et cetera. So a lot of people are leaving the business and, of course, a lot of new people are entering as well. But starting up a record label these days, it should definitely only be for the love of it.
Eugenio Meccariello – Singer For Excruciation	You’ve hit the nail on the head. I know very few musicians who are only in one band. That’s fine in itself if you want to give free rein to your creativity and feel too restricted in one style within the construct of a band. Or if you’re a musician without being a songwriter yourself and just like making music, that’s fine too. But what I can’t understand, for example, are the artists who write black metal songs in different black metal bands or always play in the same genre and you can’t really tell them apart. Wouldn’t it be better to put their energy and creativity into one band?	I don’t think heavy metal has become a cash cow. The bands that used to be big still earn good money, but as a smaller band you have to tour a lot and try to sell as much merchandise as possible directly to the fans. But even then it’s difficult as a musician. Here in Zurich you need at least around 6,000 bucks a month to make ends meet. Actually it’s illusory to achieve that for the whole band. The fact that more and more special editions in different colours and several releases are being reissued again and again is also a sign that the labels are not doing well either and are trying to make money with mass sales. We should go back to making art free from economic constraints, because that’s the only way to create honest music.