Resistance Records
Resistance Records is an independent record label founded in 1993 by George Burdi in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, specializing in white power music—genres such as rock, folk, and country—produced by neo-Nazi, skinhead, and white separatist artists.[1][2][3] The label initially built its catalog around bands like Rahowa, Burdi's own group, whose lyrics promoted racial conflict and white racial consciousness, helping to establish Resistance as a key player in the underground distribution of ideologically driven recordings.[4][5] In 1999, the National Alliance, a white nationalist organization founded by William Pierce, acquired the label for around $250,000, relocating operations to the United States and expanding its reach through mail-order sales, online platforms, and merchandise including apparel and publications.[6][7] This ownership shift propelled Resistance Records to become the dominant force in white power music dissemination, releasing material from acts like Skrewdriver and generating significant revenue that funded allied extremist activities, while drawing federal investigations for its role in promoting hate ideologies.[8][1][9] Despite legal pressures and the imprisonment of key figures like Burdi for assault, the label persisted as a propaganda tool, leveraging music's appeal to recruit and radicalize younger audiences within far-right circles.[4][10]History
Founding and Early Operations (1993–1999)
Resistance Records was established in 1993 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, by George Burdi, also known as George Eric Hawthorne, a Canadian musician and white nationalist who served as the lead singer of the band Rahowa, an acronym for "Racial Holy War."[1][11] The label focused on producing and distributing music by white power skinhead bands that promoted neo-Nazi and white separatist ideologies, including rock, Oi!, and folk genres oriented toward recruiting and energizing supporters of racial separatism.[12][2] Initial operations centered on releasing recordings by acts such as Rahowa, with distribution primarily through mail-order catalogs to avoid mainstream retail barriers due to the content's controversial nature.[11] By the mid-1990s, the company had expanded beyond music production to include ancillary media, such as the Resistance magazine (first issued around 1994), an early internet homepage for promotional samples and orders, and a weekly electronic newsletter to build an international audience among skinhead and white nationalist communities.[11] This digital outreach leveraged emerging online tools to quadruple connections with supporters, facilitating global sales of compact discs and cassettes that were otherwise inaccessible through conventional channels.[11] Burdi's leadership emphasized music as a tool for ideological propagation, with Rahowa's releases forming a core part of the early catalog, though specific sales figures from this period remain undocumented in available records.[11][2] Key events during the period included Burdi's 1995 conviction for assault following a white power concert in 1993, resulting in a one-year prison sentence, which highlighted the label's association with violent incidents in the skinhead scene.[1][13] Operations continued amid legal scrutiny, including a Canadian conviction for promoting hatred in 1997, after which Burdi began distancing himself from direct involvement.[1] By late 1998, the label was sold to American interests, with relocation to the United States occurring by 1999, marking the transition out of its founding phase under Canadian ownership.[1] The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation initiated an inquiry into the company in June 1999, prompted by informant reports from the Detroit area, though details of early findings are limited to internal records.[1]Acquisition by William Pierce and National Alliance (1999–2002)
In March 1999, William Pierce, the founder and leader of the National Alliance—a white supremacist organization—began negotiations to purchase Resistance Records from its previous controllers, Todd Blodgett and Jason Snow, who had operated it under the influence of Willis Carto following the label's founder's legal troubles.[6] The acquisition was motivated by Pierce's intent to exploit the label's distribution of rock music with racial separatist themes to recruit younger audiences, aged 18 to 25, into the National Alliance, as he stated that the revitalized company "should add an increasing number of younger members… to our ranks."[6] Resistance Records LLC was incorporated on April 26, 1999, to structure the deal, which Pierce finalized by October 1999 for nearly $250,000, including over $100,000 paid directly to Blodgett and Snow plus additional funds for relaunch.[6][2] Post-acquisition, inventory and operations shifted to the National Alliance's 400-acre compound near Hillsboro, West Virginia, integrating the label into the organization's propaganda apparatus.[6][5] In fall 1999, Resistance Records absorbed the Swedish distributor Nordland Records, doubling its catalog of recordings by bands like RAHOWA and Nordic Thunder that promoted anti-Semitic and racial exclusionary lyrics.[5][14] The company relaunched its Resistance magazine in October 1999, introduced Resistance Radio for online broadcasts, and expanded merchandise including apparel, books, and videos aligned with National Alliance ideology, such as those referencing the "14 Words" slogan: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children."[6][5] Pierce appointed Erich Gliebe, a National Alliance member and former boxer, to manage daily operations, emphasizing music's role in ideological outreach despite Pierce's personal reservations about rock's non-European origins.[14][2] Sales performance strengthened under National Alliance ownership, generating approximately $1 million in 2000 and $1.3 million in 2001, with strong demand from international markets in Europe (e.g., France, Germany, Poland) funding broader organizational activities and contributing to membership growth to around 1,500 active adherents by 2001.[2][5] The label supported events like concerts in Italy and Serbia, positioning itself as a primary conduit for white power music that blended entertainment with calls for racial revolution.[5] This period ended with Pierce's death from cancer on July 23, 2002, after which Gliebe assumed greater leadership over both the label and the National Alliance, though internal challenges soon emerged.[2][14]Post-Pierce Decline and Internal Challenges (2002–2006)
Following the death of William Pierce on July 23, 2002, Erich Gliebe, previously the manager of Resistance Records, was appointed chairman of the National Alliance on July 29, 2002.[15] Under Gliebe's leadership, the organization faced immediate internal discord, including the dismissal of Billy Roper, the membership coordinator, in September 2002 after he criticized the new regime in internal communications. This period marked the onset of significant factionalism, exacerbated by Gliebe's perceived lack of intellectual gravitas compared to Pierce and his focus on operational rather than ideological matters. Membership in the National Alliance declined sharply, falling from an estimated 1,400 active members in 2002 to fewer than 800 by late 2003, with several regional chapters in areas such as Boston, Dallas, Georgia, Maryland, Memphis, Phoenix, and Southern California collapsing or severely contracting. Staff reductions nearly halved the workforce at the group's West Virginia compound, contributing to operational inefficiencies. Key resignations further weakened the structure, including those of longtime member Fred Streed on August 3, 2003, and coordinator Bob DeMarais in June 2003, both citing dissatisfaction with Gliebe's management style and strategic decisions. External criticisms from figures like Alex Linder of Vanguard News Network and Bill White amplified these rifts, with online forums hosting leaks of Gliebe's speeches that alienated core supporters, particularly skinhead music buyers. Financial strains hit Resistance Records particularly hard, as its monthly sales plummeted from $50,000 in March 2002 to $7,000 by July 2003, driven by boycotts from skinhead networks upset over Gliebe's leadership rhetoric and the group's handling of events like the March 7, 2003, arrest of activist Chester Doles without robust support. Overall revenues for National Alliance-affiliated enterprises, including National Vanguard Books, halved from $20,000 monthly in 2000 to $10,000 by mid-2002, with expenses outpacing income amid reduced donations and product sales. These issues persisted into 2004–2006, compounded by personal scandals surrounding Gliebe, such as his 2004 marriage to a former exotic dancer, which drew mockery and further member defections, reducing the organization's cohesion and operational capacity. By 2005, additional high-profile exits underscored the deepening instability, with critics attributing the trajectory to Gliebe's alleged mismanagement and failure to maintain Pierce-era discipline.[16]Asset Seizure and Revival Attempts (2006–2013)
In June 2006, co-chairman Shaun Walker was arrested on federal civil rights charges stemming from assaults on minority victims in California, prompting Erich Gliebe to reassume full leadership of the National Alliance (NA) while retaining operational control over Resistance Records.[16] Walker's subsequent conviction and five-year prison sentence in 2007 further destabilized the organization, exacerbating membership losses and financial strains already evident from earlier internal purges and sales declines at Resistance Records, which had dropped from approximately $50,000 monthly in 2002 to under $7,000 by mid-2003. Dissident NA members, organized as the National Alliance Reform & Restoration Group, initiated lawsuits against Gliebe starting around 2006, seeking to oust him and seize control of NA assets, including Resistance Records and the group's West Virginia compound, amid accusations of mismanagement and personal misconduct. These legal efforts, which persisted into 2014 without success, reflected broader factional infighting following William Pierce's 2002 death, with critics alleging Gliebe's leadership had eroded the organization's discipline and revenue streams.[16] Resistance Records operations continued under Gliebe, distributing white nationalist music and merchandise, though hampered by boycotts from former allies and reduced output compared to its peak under Pierce. Revival efforts during this period centered on Gliebe's attempts to stabilize Resistance Records through targeted marketing to skinhead and neo-Nazi audiences, including online sales and catalog maintenance, despite ongoing NA attrition that saw active membership fall below 200 by 2010. By 2012–2013, reports indicated a partial operational rebound, with the label described as revitalized via renewed acquisitions and distribution pushes under NA oversight, though independent verification of sales figures remained limited and contested by watchdogs citing persistent ideological isolation.[9] These initiatives, however, failed to reverse the broader institutional decay, as legal battles and reputational damage from Gliebe's personal scandals deterred broader recruitment and partnerships within the white nationalist milieu.Operations and Developments (2013–Present)
Following the collapse of active operations around 2012 under Erich Gliebe's mismanagement, Resistance Records has shown no substantive developments or revival efforts from 2013 to the present.[17] Tied to the National Alliance's rapid decline, including sharp membership drops from approximately 1,400 in 2002 to fewer than 100 by the early 2010s, the label was among the ventures discontinued as the organization prioritized survival amid internal strife and financial shortfalls.[18] Gliebe, who had managed the label since its 1999 acquisition by the National Alliance, faced criticism for operational failures that eroded its prior profitability from CD sales and merchandise, estimated at up to $1 million annually in earlier peaks.[16] No new music releases, catalog expansions, or distribution initiatives have been recorded post-2012, with the inventory of approximately 250 titles—featuring bands like RaHoWa and Nordic Thunder—remaining static and largely inaccessible.[9] Online listings in specialized metal and extremist music databases maintain a Hillsboro, West Virginia, address and "active" status, but these reflect archival persistence rather than evidence of commerce or production.[10] The absence of verifiable activity aligns with the National Alliance's near-defunct state by 2013, as reported by monitoring organizations tracking neo-Nazi entities, though such groups' adversarial stance warrants cross-verification against the lack of primary announcements or sales data indicating otherwise.[19] Resistance Records thus persists as a historical artifact of white power music distribution, without meaningful operational continuity into the 2020s.Organizational Structure
Leadership Transitions
Resistance Records was founded in 1993 by George Burdi, a Canadian white nationalist musician who operated under the pseudonym George Eric Hawthorne and served as the label's initial leader, promoting racist rock music through events and distribution networks.[1][4] In 1999, Burdi sold the label to William Pierce, founder of the neo-Nazi National Alliance, for approximately $250,000, after which Pierce integrated it into the organization's operations and appointed Erich Gliebe, a National Alliance member, to manage day-to-day activities.[6] Pierce's death from cancer on July 23, 2002, prompted a leadership succession within the National Alliance, with Pierce designating Gliebe as his successor from his deathbed; Gliebe, who had been running Resistance Records since around 2000, assumed control of both the organization and the label, leveraging its profitability—estimated at over $1 million annually—to sustain operations amid growing internal factionalism.[15][20] By 2003–2005, disputes over Gliebe's leadership style and financial decisions led to key National Alliance members, including Billy Roper and Kevin Alfred Strom, resigning or being expelled, fracturing the group; Gliebe retained personal control of Resistance Records as the National Alliance effectively dissolved around 2007, reorienting the label toward independent white power music distribution and merchandise sales under Resistance LLC.[20][9] Gliebe continued as the label's principal figure into the 2010s, editing its associated Resistance magazine and overseeing a reported revival in online and event-based sales by 2013, though output declined amid broader challenges in the white nationalist music scene.[9][2] No further major leadership changes have been documented, with Gliebe remaining the operational head as of available records.[20]Ownership Changes and Legal Entities
Resistance Records was established in 1993 by George Burdi, a Canadian neo-Nazi activist, initially operating as an informal venture from his home in Windsor, Ontario, before expanding to distribute white separatist music across North America.[9][1] The label underwent several ownership transitions in its early years, including associations with groups like a Canadian chapter of the World Church of the Creator, amid legal pressures such as a 1997 Michigan tax raid for unpaid sales taxes that was resolved through intervention by white nationalist figure Willis Carto.[9][21] In March 1999, an initial payment exceeding $100,000 was made to intermediaries Todd Blodgett and Jason Snow to secure the label's assets, culminating in its full acquisition later that year by William Pierce, founder of the neo-Nazi National Alliance, for nearly $250,000, encompassing the compact disc catalog, inventory, mailing list, and publishing rights.[21] To facilitate the purchase, Resistance Records LLC was incorporated on April 26, 1999, in Washington, D.C., with Pierce and Blodgett as the listed incorporators, shifting operations under U.S. legal structure and integrating it closely with the National Alliance.[21] Following Pierce's death on July 23, 2002, ownership and management of Resistance Records LLC remained with the National Alliance, transitioning to Erich Gliebe as the organization's chairman, who oversaw the label's continued distribution of hate music despite the group's internal declines and membership disputes.[15][9][22]Subsidiaries and Affiliated Ventures
Resistance Records maintained a network of subsidiary labels and affiliated ventures to broaden its reach within niche segments of the white power music industry, particularly emphasizing National Socialist black metal (NSBM) productions. These entities facilitated the release and distribution of ideologically aligned recordings, often operating as imprints under the parent company's oversight.[2] One prominent subsidiary was Cymophane Records (also referred to as Cymophane Productions or Cymophane Nightside), originally established by Norwegian musician Varg Vikernes for his black metal project Burzum. Resistance Records acquired Cymophane, integrating it into its operations to handle NSBM catalog releases, including reissues of Burzum material, before the imprint effectively ceased independent activity.[23][24] This acquisition, occurring around the early 2000s during Resistance's expansion under National Alliance ownership, allowed the label to tap into international black metal audiences sympathetic to racialist themes.[25] Another affiliated imprint was Unholy Records, which focused on black metal acts consistent with Resistance's ideological framework, serving as a specialized outlet for extreme genre variants within the broader hate music ecosystem.[10] These subsidiaries operated from Resistance's base in Hillsboro, West Virginia, after the 1999 acquisition, contributing to the company's revenue streams through targeted releases that complemented its core rock and punk offerings.[2] Beyond music imprints, Resistance Records managed additional small music companies as part of its role within the National Alliance structure, though specific names and operational details for these entities remain sparsely documented in public records due to their underground operations and legal challenges faced by the organization post-2002. These ventures supported ancillary activities such as limited distribution networks and collaborative productions, aimed at sustaining the label's market amid fluctuating demand for separatist-themed content.[2][21]Products and Distribution
Core Music Catalog
Resistance Records' core music catalog consisted primarily of compact discs, cassettes, and later digital formats featuring rock against communism (RAC) music—a subgenre of punk, oi!, and heavy metal emphasizing themes of white racial identity, anti-immigration sentiments, and opposition to perceived cultural decline. The label's releases, numbering over 150 by the early 2000s, were produced with basic studio setups and distributed through mail-order catalogs, focusing on bands aligned with racialist ideologies.[26] Early productions under founder George Burdi prioritized raw, aggressive soundscapes to appeal to skinhead and youth audiences, with lyrics often drawn from nationalist literature.[7] Prominent acts included RAHOWA (Racial Holy War), the label's flagship band led by Burdi, whose debut album Declaration of War (1993) featured tracks like "White People Awake" and established the RAC template with militant rhetoric.[27] RAHOWA's follow-up, Cult of the Holy War (1995), incorporated heavier metal elements and pagan imagery, selling steadily through the label's network. Bound for Glory, a U.S.-based thrash-influenced group, contributed The Fight Goes On (1994), an 11-track effort blending speed metal riffs with calls for racial solidarity, which became a staple in the catalog.[28] Other key releases encompassed Nordic Thunder's Born to Hate, highlighting folk-tinged anthems, and Centurion's Fourteen Words (1994), referencing the white nationalist slogan "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children."[5] Blue Eyed Devils and Aryan also featured prominently, with the latter's New Storm Rising (1993) marking an early compilation-style entry. These albums drove the label's revenue, estimated at over $1.5 million annually by 2001, largely from international markets in Europe.[5] Post-acquisition by the National Alliance in 1999, the catalog expanded to include reissues and new RAC acts, maintaining a focus on ideological consistency over commercial polish.[10]| Artist | Album | Release Year | Format | Key Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAHOWA | Declaration of War | 1993 | CD | Debut album; 10 tracks including "Triumph of the Will"[29] |
| Aryan | New Storm Rising | 1993 | CD | Early RAC entry with nationalist themes |
| Bound for Glory | The Fight Goes On | 1994 | CD | Thrash metal style; catalog no. CBG-001A[30] |
| Centurion | Fourteen Words | 1994 | LP/CD | References core slogan; oi!/punk influences |
| RAHOWA | Cult of the Holy War | 1995 | CD | Metal-oriented; final studio album |