Burzum is a Norwegian music project founded by Varg Vikernes in 1991. Although Burzum never played live performances, it became a staple of the early Norwegian black metal scene and is considered one of the most influential acts in black metal's history. Vikernes has also released five dark ambient and neofolk albums. The word "burzum" means "darkness" in the Black Speech, a fictional language crafted by The Lord of the Rings writer J. R. R. Tolkien. Burzum's lyrics and imagery are often inspired by fantasy and Norse mythology.
NOFX is an American punk rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983. Bassist/lead vocalist Fat Mike, rhythm guitarist Eric Melvin and drummer Erik Sandin are original founding and longest-serving members of the band, who have appeared on every release by the band, although Sandin departed briefly in 1985, only to rejoin the following year. El Hefe joined the band in 1991 to play lead guitar and trumpet, rounding out the best-known iteration of the lineup.
Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! is the debut studio album by American thrash metal band Megadeth, released on June 12, 1985, by Combat Records. At the beginning of 1985, the band was given $8,000 by Combat to record and produce its debut album. The band was forced to fire their original producer and produce the album by themselves, after spending half of the album's budget on drugs, alcohol, and food. Despite the poor production, the album was a well-received effort that obtained strong reviews in various music publications. Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! played an essential role in establishing thrash metal as an authentic subgenre of heavy metal music. It explores themes of death, occultism, and violence.
The Offspring is an American punk rock band from Garden Grove, California, formed in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Bryan "Dexter" Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Todd Morse, multi-instrumentalist Jonah Nimoy and drummer Brandon Pertzborn. The Offspring is often credited for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the 1990s. During their 39-year career, the Offspring has released 10 studio albums and sold more than 40 million records, making them one of the best-selling punk rock bands in history.
Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness, Jonny Wickersham, Brent Harding, David Hidalgo Jr. (drums), and David Kalish (keyboards).
The Matches are an American rock band from Oakland, California, active from 1997 to 2009. Formed as the Locals, the group changed their name after five years to avoid conflict with a Chicago band of the same name. As the Matches, they self-released their debut album E. Von Dahl Killed the Locals in 2003, then signed to Epitaph Records who re-released it the following year. Decomposer followed in 2006, seeing the band move from their pop punk roots in a more idiosyncratic direction with contributions from nine different record producers; it reached no. 18 on Billboard's Independent Albums chart. With their third album, A Band in Hope (2008), their sound became even more heavily layered and experimental; it was their only release to chart on the Billboard 200, reaching no. 179.
Travis Brandon Richter is an American musician, singer and record producer. He is known for being a vocalist and guitarist in the band From First to Last and the lead vocalist of The Color of Violence and The Human Abstract. He is also a record producer and in 2018 cofounded a music venue in Los Angeles, CA called "1720", with Alex Alereza (Nekrogoblikon) and Brett Powell.
"Unholy" is a song by American hard rock band Kiss, written by Gene Simmons and Vinnie Vincent. Featured on their 1992 album, Revenge, the song is one of the three Vincent co-writes to appear on the album despite the fact that he had been fired from the band 8 years earlier. The release of "Unholy" signaled the return to a heavier sound for Kiss. The song was played live during the Revenge Tour and was included on the 1993 live album Alive III, but did not return to the live Kiss set list until 2004's Rock the Nation Tour.
I Set My Friends on Fire is a post-hardcore band from Miami, Florida. The band was formed in 2007 by Matt Mehana and Nabil Moo. The group signed with Epitaph Records before releasing their debut album, You Can't Spell Slaughter Without Laughter, in 2008. Drummer Chris Lent joined the band in 2009. The group's second album, Astral Rejection, was scheduled to be released on June 22, 2010, but it was shelved for a year by Epitaph. Moo left the band in 2010, then Lent left the band. The group's third album, Caterpillar Sex, was announced in 2013 but has never seen a release.
Karl Johan Schuster, known professionally as Shellback, is a Swedish record producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Shellback was listed as the No. 1 producer of 2012 on Billboard magazine's year end chart, and he also topped the list of their "Top 10 Songwriters Airplay Chart" the same year; he has won four Grammy Awards.
You Can't Spell Slaughter Without Laughter is the debut full-length studio album by American experimental rock band I Set My Friends on Fire, released on October 7, 2008 via Epitaph Records. It includes the band's most famous song, "Things That Rhyme With Orange", a promotional video for which was released July 22, 2009. Four of the album's tracks are re-released songs from the band's self-released EP I Set My Friends On Fire EP. The album reached #29 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart.
Chris Lent is an American drummer and keyboardist, formerly a member of the post-hardcore band From First to Last, and of the experimental metal band I Set My Friends on Fire.
The Ghost Inside, formerly known as A Dying Dream, is an American metalcore band from El Segundo, California. Formed in 2004, the band currently consists of vocalist Jonathan Vigil, guitarists Zach Johnson and Chris Davis, bassist Jim Riley and drummer Andrew Tkaczyk. They have released one EP and six studio albums, with their fifth album, The Ghost Inside, released on June 5, 2020, via Epitaph Records as a return from their hiatus with their latest album, Searching for Solace, released on April 19, 2024.
Young Guns are an English alternative rock band from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The members, working with each other in various musical interests throughout the 2000s, formally formed the band in 2008, and rose to prominence after their debut EP, Mirrors, earned them spots opening live shows for Bon Jovi and Guns N' Roses. Their debut album, All Our Kings Are Dead, on 12 July 2010. Their second album, Bones, was released in February 2012. Their single "Bones" reached no. 1 on the Billboard Active Rock charts in the US in May 2013. Their third album, Ones and Zeros, was released on 9 June 2015. The band's fourth album, Echoes, was released on 16 September 2016.
Letlive, stylized letlive., was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. The band's final lineup consisted of lead vocalist Jason Aalon Butler, guitarist Jeff Sahyoun, bassist Ryan Jay Johnson and drummer Loniel Robinson. Butler was the band's only constant member. The band has released four full-length albums and one EP, with their final album If I'm the Devil being released on June 10, 2016. The band was last signed to Epitaph Records.
Falling in Reverse is an American rock band that formed in 2008 by lead vocalist Ronnie Radke while he was incarcerated. The band's original name was "From Behind These Walls", but it was quickly renamed to Falling in Reverse shortly after formation. They are currently signed to Epitaph Records. The band has undergone numerous lineup changes, with Radke being the only remaining original member.
Andrew Robert Wade is an American recording engineer and music producer.
American Awesome Alliance is an American post-hardcore band from Orlando, Florida. Formed in 2012 by Brannon Centeno and Christopher Lee, the group has released six singles and one cover to date. Their cover of Let It Go from Disney's Frozen garnered the band a lot of attention and was met with mostly positive reception from critics. The group has been featured by popular websites such as Alternative Press, MetalSucks, Stuff You Will Hate, and The New Fury. American Awesome Alliance is currently working on their highly anticipated full-length album and are pioneering new, uncharted grounds in the post-hardcore scene.
John Elias Villagran III, known professionally as Lil Lotus is an American musician, singer and rapper from Dallas, Texas. He has released two solo studio albums, four solo EPs, three collaborative EPs and an additional two EPs as a part of the alternative hip hop group Boyfriendz and three EPs as a member of the post-hardcore band If I Die First.
Nathan Charles Blasdell is an American musician, songwriter, composer and businessman. He is the former lead guitarist for the experimental band, I Set My Friends on Fire, and currently runs Motorsports management agency, Snow Belt Management, with Buffalo Bills running back, Antonio Williams, and the father of NASCAR driver, Joe Graf Jr. He was previously a guitarist for the post-hardcore experimental rock band The Bunny the Bear from 2013 to 2015.
