Brand of Sacrifice and Fit For A King Members Announce New Label

Leo Valeri & Ryan O’Leary

Launch Artist-First Label

PAPERCUT RECORDINGS

BLACKSHAPE And LIMBS Announced As First Signings

Wednesday, August 27, 2025 – In a move that redefines what it means to run a modern heavy label, longtime friends, collaborators, and creative powerhouses Leo Valeri (Brand of Sacrifice, Shibori Threads) and Ryan “Tuck” O’Leary (Fit For A King, Beacon Management Group) have launched Papercut Recordings—a new home for artists unwilling to compromise.

The label’s mission is simple, but urgent: to give power back to the artists. Built on the principle of equitable partnerships, Papercut Recordings pairs transparent funding with lived expertise, offering artists real support from people who understand the grind firsthand.

“If there’s one thing we’ve seen enough of, it’s seeing new talent get steamrolled,” say Valeri and O’Leary. “Our mission is to return creative control and power to the people who earned it—the artists. We provide fair, transparent funding paired with real-world expertise from people who are metal musicians themselves, living and breathing the scene alongside you. It’s about partnership, respect, and building something authentic together.”

To mark its official launch, Papercut has announced its first two signings: BLACKSHAPE, whose dark, cerebral compositions blur the edges of math rock and post-metal, and LIMBS, the post-hardcore disruptors known for their searing live presence and emotionally charged precision.

For Valeri, the label is an extension of his decade-long evolution as an artist-entrepreneur, a visionary creative and cultural force at the intersection of heavy music and e-commerce. As the founder of Shibori Threads, he built one of the most recognizable alternative streetwear brands in the music scene, known for its signature tie-dye, genre-blending aesthetic, and collaborations with global powerhouses like Sleep Token, Ghost, Spiritbox, Bandai Namco, Konami and many more.

He’s also the chief songwriter and producer behind Brand of Sacrifice, a charting extreme metal act celebrated for its cinematic production, cutting-edge visuals, and boundary-pushing sound. Leo has redefined what it means to be an artist-entrepreneur in the modern era: blending immersive storytelling, aggressive branding, and unmatched creative execution.

O’Leary brings his own deep wealth of experience. A music industry entrepreneur and talent scout with a proven knack for finding and developing rising stars. As the bassist and writer for metalcore titans Fit For A King, Ryan has helped craft multiple charting albums while staying deeply connected to what fans want and where the scene is headed, garnering millions of streams and a rabid global fanbase.

He’s also widely recognized as an industry leader, founding Featured X, an artist-first tech platform, and co-founding Beacon Management Group, where he manages and supports emerging artists, helping shape their careers with smart strategy and hands-on guidance. Ryan’s unique mix of creative talent and industry insight makes him a driving force behind the next wave of heavy music.

With Papercut Recordings, Valeri and O’Leary are boldy correcting to an outdated industry model that has too often sidelined the people doing the talent that fuels it. By designing a label grounded in transparency, autonomy, and lived experience, Papercut Recordings creates a unique label structure that treats artists like partners, not products.

ABOUT PAPERCUT RECORDINGS

Papercut Recordings is a new record label run by musicians who know the grind firsthand. We put creative control back in the artists’ hands—offering fair funding and real-world expertise from people who live the scene every day. We invest and partner to build bold, uncompromising talent that demands respect. No bullshit, no red tape, just pure commitment to respecting and amplifying authentic voices in heavy music, pushing the culture forward.

BLACKSHAPE Photo

ABOUT BLACKSHAPE

Haunting, intricate, and emotionally brutal, BLACKSHAPE create music that lives in the shadowed space between chaos and clarity. Their compositions stretch across post-metal, math rock, and ambient minimalism—twisting tension and release into something visceral and cinematic. For fans of sonic unease, dramatic builds, and songwriting that lives outside the lines.

LIMBS Photo

ABOUT LIMBS

Unflinching and vital, LIMBS are the Florida-born, northeast-based band reshaping post-hardcore on their own terms. Known for their searing live presence and sharpened songwriting, they fuse melody and menace into something wholly their own—balancing raw catharsis with deliberate craft. Since their 2018 debut, they’ve become a fixture in the heavy scene and a touchstone for fans who value both musical precision and emotional authenticity.

Find Papercut Recordings Online