Hydra Head Records (Label)

Hydra Head Records is an American independent record label that specializes in heavy metal music, founded in 1993 in New Mexico by Aaron Turner (the frontman of Isis). It has one imprint; Hydra Head Noise Industries, which specializes in experimental and noise music. Hydra Head started as a distribution company while Turner was still in high school. In 1995, he moved to Boston to attend art school. In late 1995, he was handed a demo by local band Vent. That seven inch would be the first record released on Hydra Head. The label grew to accommodate local bands such as Roswell, Corrin, Piebald, and Converge, and after Turner graduated from college in 1999, it became a full-time endeavor. Hydra Head recently relocated to Los Angeles, California, from its former home in Boston, Massachusetts.

Though it has been listed previously as an imprint of Hydra Head, Tortuga Records is not a direct subsidiary. The labels shared two employees, but that was the only association between the two.