| Season of Mist | |
| Founder: | Michael S. Berberian |
| Genre: | Heavy metal, extreme metal |
| Country: | United States, France |
| Location: | Marseille, France |
Season of Mist is an independent record label and record distributor with subsidiaries in France and the United States. The record label was founded in 1996 by Michael S. Berberian in Marseille, France. From the start releasing black metal, pagan metal, and death metal records, the label moved on to releasing albums of avant-garde metal, gothic metal and punk bands as well. The label has two offices, one in Marseille, France and one in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1]
From the beginning, Season of Mist focused on releasing more extreme metal records by stylistically diverse bands like Oxiplegatz, Bethzaida and Kampfar. With the signing of Norwegian legends Mayhem in 1999, the label's profile clearly shifted towards black metal and attracted internationally renowned artists like Carpathian Forest, Rotting Christ, Arcturus, and Solefald, with the latter two representing a marked progressive and avant-garde side to Season of Mist.[2]
While staying close to its black metal roots with the creation of the Season of Mist Underground Activists division in 2007,[3] the label widened its musical range and added to its black, death, doom (Saint Vitus) and thrash metal roster bands playing progressive death metal (Morbid Angel, Cynic, Atheist, Gnostic, Gonin-ish), sludge (Kylesa, Outlaw Order Black Tusk[4]), industrial metal (Genitorturers, The CNK, Punish Yourself), hard rock (Ace Frehley), gothic rock (Christian Death), mathcore (The Dillinger Escape Plan,[5] Psykup), garage rock (1969 Was Fine), groove metal (Dagoba, Eths, Trepalium, Black Comedy) and metalcore (Eyeless, The Arrs).
Season of Mist was formed in 1996, while founder Michael S. Berberian was completing his scholarships in "International Economics Sciences" [6] initially, according to Berberian, to avoid the compulsory national military service in France. Since his graduation the label has become a full-time job for Michael and achieved a steady growth with Season of Mist now employing 20 staff members. In 2002 Season of Mist also started out as a distributor for the French territory, which includes other metal labels like Spinefarm Records[7] or Napalm Records on their roster.
Season of Mist's name originates from , which in turn comes from the opening phrase of John Keats' "To Autumn".[8]
Bands signed on a license deal with Season of Mist for exclusive release in North America.
Record companies distributed in France by Season of Mist.