Amorphis is a Finnish heavy metal band founded by Jan Rechberger, Tomi Koivusaari, and Esa Holopainen in 1990. Initially, the band was a death metal act, but on later albums they evolved into playing other genres, including progressive metal and folk metal. They frequently use the Kalevala, the epic poem of Finland, as a source for their lyrics.
Catamenia is a Finnish black metal band founded in 1995 by Riku Hopeakoski and Mika Tönning in Oulu. They have been signed to Massacre Records since their first full-length release Halls of Frozen North in 1998. As of 2010, they have released nine albums, one EP, and one DVD. They are known for frequent usage of wolves in their album art, but the band is named after a kind of bird. Catamenia also means "menstruation", which the band did not know until a fan pointed it out to them after the release of their debut album.
Autopsy is an American death metal band formed in Contra Costa County, California, in 1987 by Chris Reifert and Eric Cutler. The group disbanded in 1995 and reunited in 2009. The band's hometown is in Concord, California.
Blood Duster are an Australian grindcore/stoner rock band from Melbourne. Their name comes from the song "Blood Duster" by John Zorn, from the 1990 album Naked City.
Ensiferum is a Finnish folk metal band from Helsinki. The members of the band label themselves as "melodic folk metal".
Waltari is a Finnish band from Helsinki known for combining numerous styles, from different metal subgenres such as progressive metal, alternative metal and extreme metal to non-metal styles such as hip hop, pop, industrial, techno, punk and hard rock.
Shape of Despair is a funeral doom metal band from Finland.
Wintersun is a Finnish heavy metal band from Helsinki originally formed as the side project of Jari Mäenpää, then-vocalist and guitarist of folk metal band Ensiferum.
Beherit is a Finnish black metal band from Rovaniemi. The band was formed in 1989 by Nuclear Holocausto Vengeance, Demonic Fornication and Sodomatic Slaughter, with the purpose of performing "the most primitive, savage, hell-obsessed black metal imaginable". "Beherit" is claimed to be the Syriac word for Satan, but this word does not exist in the language and the claim is falsehood. Through the uncommercial nature of their music, visuals, and live performances, the band quickly attracted a cult following. Besides the "raw" sound, the band's music is noted for its avant-garde side and emphasis on atmosphere. Beherit are now regarded as a pioneer in their genre.
Omnium Gatherum is a six-piece melodic death metal band from Finland, founded in the autumn of 1996. Although the band mainly follows the path of the melodic death metal genre, much of their work shows strong influences from progressive metal, especially their later albums. Their music is influenced by Gothenburg-style bands such as At the Gates, In Flames, Dissection, and Dark Tranquillity, but also Iron Maiden, Death, Anathema, and Megadeth among others.
Cruachan are an Irish folk metal band from Dublin that have been active since the 1990s. They are recognised as one of the founders of folk metal, and have been acclaimed as having "gone the greatest lengths of anyone in their attempts to expand" the genre. With a specific focus on Celtic music and the use of Celtic mythology in their lyrics, Cruachan's style of folk metal is called Celtic metal.
Solefald is a Norwegian avant-garde metal/black metal band that was formed by members Lars Are "Lazare" Nedland and Cornelius Jakhelln in August 1995, with Nedland singing and playing keyboard/synthesizer/piano and drums, and Jakhelln singing and playing guitar and bass. The duo experiment with a wide array of musical styles, frequently work on other projects, and rarely perform live under the Solefald name, leading them to describe themselves as "two stubborn goats pretending to be a band." According to the duo, their name is an Old Norse word for "sunset," taken from one of Theodor Kittelsen's paintings illustrating a poem of the same name by Theodor Caspari, published in the 1901 book Vintereventyr.
Merritt Gant is an American guitarist most recognized for his association with the band Overkill.
Cadaveria, real name Raffaella Rivarolo, is an Italian musician famous for being one of the first women to enter the extreme metal scene in the early 1990s, as former vocalist and keyboard player of the symphonic black metal band Opera IX.
Merauder is an American metalcore band from New York City, formed in 1990.
Shadowheart is the debut album by Finnish symphonic/folk metal band Kivimetsän Druidi. It was released through Century Media on October 20, 2008.
myGRAIN is a melodic death metal band from Helsinki, Finland. They were signed to Spinefarm Records. They released five studio albums.
Children of Bodom was a Finnish melodic death metal band from Espoo. Formed in 1993 as Inearthed, the final line-up of the group upon their split in 2019 consisted of frontman Alexi Laiho, drummer Jaska Raatikainen, bassist Henkka Seppälä, keyboardist Janne Wirman and rhythm guitarist Daniel Freyberg. The band released ten studio albums, three live albums, two EPs, two compilation albums and one DVD.
Spread Eagle is an American hard rock band from New York City, formed in 1989. After only a few months of formation, they were signed by MCA/Universal Records. They have released three albums: Spread Eagle (1990), Open to the Public (1993) and Subway to the Stars (2019).
Naglfar is a Swedish melodic black metal band that was formed in 1992. The group was established by Jens Rydén and Kristoffer Olivius, originally under the name Uninterred.
