New record shop focusing on heavy metal opens in Kettering

Credit: Submitted Photo

Credit: Submitted Photo

A new record shop dedicated to heavy metal music has opened in Kettering with a listening room.

Catacomb Records, owned by Timothy Wright, caters to the metal underground scene by covering genres like death metal, black metal, doom metal and thrash metal. Wright told Dayton.com they even have some of the older, harder to find, used metal records from the ‘80s.

Credit: Submitted Photo

Credit: Submitted Photo

The record shop, located at 2310 W. Dorothy Lane next to Maverick’s Cards and Comics, has everything from cassettes, CDs and records to audio equipment, T-shirts and more. Wright said he has plans to add posters, battle vests, patches and horror movies.

“It has been a dream for a long time,” Wright said. “I’ve (been) to a lot of record stores through the years not only in the U.S., but abroad.”

He particularly noted going into record shops in Norway and seeing the amount of love and attention the metal community was given there.

Wright said he thought a record store specializing in metal would do well in the Dayton area. He says there is a strong metal community here that is “not really getting represented in a lot of stores.”

Credit: Submitted Photo

Credit: Submitted Photo

Before deciding to go all in and open his own store, Wright said he talked with his friends, Gwen Downing-Groth, who owns Blind Rage Records, and Luke Tandy, who owns Skeleton Dust Records. He explained they encouraged him to make that next step.

“I’ve had so many people walk in and just thank me for putting a store in that was really catering to the metal scene and selling metal records,” Wright said.

In addition to selling new releases and used records, Catacomb Records buys collections and offer trades. Wright said he doesn’t carry new releases of other genres, but he does buy collections that include other genres. He encourages people to go ahead and bring in collections that include other genres and if he is not interested in something, he may refer you to one of his friends in the industry.

“Our goal here is to make sure when you buy a record from us, you’re happy with it (and) you’re getting the best record you can at the best price you can.”

Before customers buy a used record, Wright said they can play it in their listening room.

Credit: Submitted Photo

Credit: Submitted Photo

He said he is looking forward to growing the store and talking about music with people that are just as passionate as him.

Catacomb Records is open noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. The record store is closed on Mondays for restocking.

For more information about Catacomb Records, visit www.catacomb-records.com or the record store’s Facebook page.

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