2004 marks the tenth anniversary of Trustkill Records. Over the past decade, the label has risen out of a college dorm-room into a world famous independent music source. A wildly successful DIY story, Trustkill has attained authoritative status in the worlds of hardcore, punk and emo. Their current roster includes such heavyweight artists as Bleeding Through, Most Precious Blood, Roses Are Red, Throwdown, Walls Of Jericho, Open Hand, Nora, It Dies Today, Eighteen Visions, ArmsBendBack, and Hopesfall. These groups that have burst through the underground to appear on MTV, Spin Magazine, national television and beyond.

The label's website (www.Trustkill.com) which is equipped with everything from a national punk show search engine (www.TrustkillShows.com) to band tour journals, receives over 10 million page views a month! From the label's headquarters in Tinton Falls, NJ (forty-five minutes from New York City), Trustkill president Josh Grabelle reflects on what he has created. Growing up at the New Jersey shore, Grabelle was exposed to punk in junior high when he went to see NY hardcore heroes, 'Underdog' at a VFW hall. A defining moment, Grabelle, supported the local scene by throwing basement shows at his house. This suburban basement held way over the legal occupancy limit and became the New Jersey stop for many legendary groups on tour including Earth Crisis, Hatebreed, Sensefield, & Snapcase. Of course, praise must also be given to Grabelle's parents, whose bedroom was located directly above where the band's played.

Josh went off to Syracuse University in the early 90's. In-between classes and shows, the restless youth worked on a zine entitled 'Trustkill.' Grabelle's roommate in 1993, co-founder of the indie label Watermark Records, was putting together a Tribute record to Ian Mackeye's (Minor Threat, Fugazi) influential but often glossed over pioneering emo project, Embrace. Lacking funds to release the album, the project was offered as a split-release to Grabelle, who fate had just given his first record. That record was "Land Of Greed, World Of Need" (good luck finding it ebayer's!) and included tracks by Rancid, Avail and Lifetime.

Something about this experience agreed with Grabelle, who began to sign bands that he enjoyed but had yet to reach past their own regions. Trustkill would sign New Jersey favorites such as Endeavor and Nora, (singers of both bands are best friends with Grabelle and went to High School with him) whom he would help to reach worldwide notoriety. Other early signings included what would become the definitive bands of the mid 90's metal-core movement such as Harvest, Brother's Keeper and Despair.

A wide network of fans developed and Grabelle managed the busy mail order while attending law school at Syracuse University. Trustkill would go beyond the local scene and sign groups from around the country. During the Fall of 1999, the label signed Poison The Well, Eighteen Visions and Walls Of Jericho, all of whom became hugely popular and are still making their mark in heavy music. Poison The Well's first release for the label "The Opposite Of December" rapidly sold 20,000 copies in its first year (with no distribution) and were the hottest band in hardcore and beyond. It was at this point that Grabelle was to begin a Federal clerkship in New Jersey. Plagued with the choice of either pursuing the label or a career in law, Grabelle decided to take a chance on Trustkill instead.

Today Trustkill Records has genre-defining artists, fulltime employees, a state of the art street team, is the main sponsor of Hellfest (an annual rock festival), a brilliant webstore, tremendous credibility, devoted fanbase, and everything else the majors want... but can't have.