Ride the Lightning is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on July 27, 1984, by the independent record label Megaforce Records. The album was recorded in three weeks with producer Flemming Rasmussen at the Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark. The artwork, based on a concept by the band, depicts an electric chair being struck by lightning flowing from the band logo. The title was taken from a passage in Stephen King's novel The Stand. Although rooted in the thrash metal genre, the album showcased the band's musical growth and lyrical sophistication. This was partly because bassist Cliff Burton introduced the basics of music theory to the rest of the band and had more input in the songwriting. Instead of relying heavily on fast tempos as on its debut Kill 'Em All, Metallica broadened its approach by employing acoustic guitars, extended instrumentals, and more complex harmonies. The overall recording costs were paid by Metallica's European label Music for Nations because Megaforce was unable to cover it. It was the last album to feature songwriting contributions from former lead guitarist Dave Mustaine, and the first to feature contributions from his replacement, Kirk Hammett.
The Moving Sidewalks was an American psychedelic blues rock band, most notable for giving future ZZ Top guitarist, Billy Gibbons, his start in the music business. The band consisted of Gibbons on guitar, Don Summers on bass, Dan Mitchell on drums and Tom Moore on keyboards.
1349 is a Norwegian black metal band from Oslo, Norway, formed in 1997. The band's name is a reference to the year the Black Death reached Norway.
Torture Squad is a Brazilian death/thrash metal band, founded in 1990.
Independent music is music produced independently from commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, a process that may include an autonomous, do-it-yourself approach to recording and publishing. The term indie is sometimes used to describe a genre, and as a genre term, "indie" may include music that is not independently produced, and many independent music artists do not fall into a single, defined musical style or genre and create self-published music that can be categorized into diverse genres. The term ‘indie’ or ‘independent music’ can be traced back to as early as the 1920s after it was first used to reference independent film companies but was later used as a term to classify an independent band or record producer.
40 Below Summer is an American metal band from New Jersey.
Unleashed is a Swedish death metal band that was formed in 1989 by Johnny Hedlund in Stockholm. Common lyrical themes found in the band's music include Viking culture, recollection of a pre-Christian world, and Norse folklore. A number of their recent songs also contain references to J. R. R. Tolkien. Unleashed is considered one of the "big four" of Swedish death metal.
The Wannadies were an alternative rock band formed in 1988 in Skellefteå, northern Sweden. The band's initial line-up featured Pär Wiksten, Christina Bergmark, Stefan Schönfeldt (guitars) and his younger brother Fredrik Schönfeldt (bass) with Gunnar Karlsson (drums) and Björn Malmquist (violin).
Snowy Shaw is a Swedish heavy metal musician, based in the port city of Gothenburg in the west coast of Sweden. He has played with many heavy metal bands, like King Diamond, Dream Evil, Mercyful Fate, IllWill, Notre Dame and Memento Mori.
Half the World Is Watching Me is the second album by Danish alternative rock band Mew, released on their own record label Evil Office in 2000. The album was originally printed in about only 5,000 copies, but has been reissued twice for wider distribution. The reissued version released 4 September 2007 includes a nine-track bonus disc. The original release and the 2007 reissue include a hidden track, "Ending". The final 11 seconds of "Ending" are in fact the first 11 seconds at the start of "Am I Wry? No" before the drums kick in.
Delaware is a Norwegian indie/alternative rock band from Drammen.
Destiny is a Swedish heavy metal band that was formed in 1982 by Stefan Björnshög (bass) and Magnus Österman (guitar). The band has released 7 full-length albums to date. Their debut album Beyond All Sense was released in 1985 and their latest one, Climate Change, in October 2016. The band categorises its music as "mörk rock", which in English translates to "dark rock". Stefan Björnshög is the only remaining member from the original line-up.
Snowpony are a British indie rock group initially formed in 1996 by Katharine Gifford and Debbie Googe.
Flemming is an Amsterdam-based band, founded in 1997 as Lemming.
Gehenna is a Norwegian black metal band.
Drottnar is a extreme metal band from Fredrikstad, Norway. Formed in 1996, the band has released four albums, Spiritual Battle (2000), Welterwerk (2006), Stratum (2012) and Monolith (2019) and an EP titled Anamorphosis (2003). The first album was released on UK label Plankton Records. They are currently signed to Swedish label Endtime Productions.
Dunderbeist is a heavy metal band from Hedmark in Norway. The band was formed by former members of Krace, KITE and Stonegard. Dunderbeist has been recording since 2008 with several albums and extensive touring. The six-piece band now releases material outside Norway following its first international album, Black Arts & Crooked Tails.
White Lung are a Canadian punk rock band. The band consists of Mish Barber-Way (vocals), Kenneth William (guitars) and Anne-Marie Vassiliou (drums). They have released two albums on Deranged Records and their latest two on Domino Recording Company. Exclaim! named the band's first full-length album It's the Evil as 2010's punk album of the year. The band was nominated for Punk/Hardcore Artist/Group of the Year at the 2011 Canadian Music Week Indie Awards.
