Which record label originally released "Kill 'Em All"?

Metallica’s debut album, Kill ’Em All, was originally released by Megaforce Records. The independent label issued the album on July 25, 1983, helping introduce the band’s early thrash-metal sound to a wider audience.

Megaforce founders Jon and Marsha Zazula became important early supporters of Metallica. Jon Zazula heard the band’s No Life ’til Leather demo and provided a recording budget of $15,000. The album was recorded in Rochester, New York, with producer Paul Curcio.

The original title was intended to be Metal Up Your Ass, but the band changed it after distributors objected to the name and proposed artwork. Megaforce initially pressed only 15,000 copies, and the album spread through independent record stores, tape trading, and metal magazines.

Elektra Records is a common source of confusion because it later reissued Kill ’Em All in 1988. That later association does not change the original release label: Megaforce Records was first.