Blind Guardian is a German power metal band formed in 1984 in Krefeld, West Germany. They are often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in the power metal and speed metal subgenres. Nine musicians have been a part of the band's line-up in its history, which currently consists of singer Hansi Kürsch, guitarists André Olbrich and Marcus Siepen and, since 2005, drummer Frederik Ehmke.
Cryptopsy is a Canadian death metal band from Montreal, formed in 1988.
Reinventing the Steel is the ninth and final studio album by American heavy metal band Pantera, released on March 21, 2000 through Elektra Records and East West Records. This was the last studio album Pantera released before their nineteen-year breakup from November 2003 to July 2022, and it is the band's final album to feature the Abbott brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul, before their deaths in 2004 and 2018, respectively.
Gwar, often stylized as GWAR, is an American heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia, in 1984, composed of and operated by a frequently rotating line-up of musicians, artists, and filmmakers collectively known as Slave Pit Inc. Since the death of frontman and lead singer Dave Brockie in 2014, the collective has continued recording and performing without any of its founding artists or musicians.
Somewhere Far Beyond is the fourth studio album by the German power metal band Blind Guardian. It was released in 1992 and produced by Kalle Trapp. The cover artwork was created by Andreas Marschall, who also drew the artwork for other Blind Guardian's releases. The album saw the band creating its own original sound, while still employing most of their speed/power metal techniques.
Hot Space is the tenth studio album by the British rock band Queen. It was released on 4 May 1982 by EMI Records in the United Kingdom and by Elektra Records in the United States. Marking a notable shift in direction from their earlier work, they employed many elements of disco, funk, R&B, dance, pop and new wave music on the album. This made the album less popular with fans who preferred the traditional rock style they had come to associate with the band. Queen's decision to record a dance-oriented album germinated with the massive success of their 1980 hit "Another One Bites the Dust" in the US.
Follow the Blind is the second studio album by the German power metal band Blind Guardian. It was released in 1989 and is more in the vein of speed metal, compared to the style that would later define the band's unique sound. Guitarist Marcus Siepen stated that they were "listening to a lot of thrash metal bands like Testament or Forbidden, and that's why Follow the Blind was a bit heavier".
Alf Peter Tägtgren is a Swedish musician and record producer. He is the founder, main songwriter, lead vocalist, and guitarist of death metal band Hypocrisy as well as the industrial metal band Pain in which he is the only member. He is also the owner of The Abyss recording studio and the co-founder of Lindemann, a music project between Tägtgren and Rammstein vocalist Till Lindemann. Tägtgren left Lindemann in 2020.
Becoming the Archetype is an American heavy metal band formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1999. They have released six albums on Solid State Records. Dichotomy, which was released in November 2008, sold around 2,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen Soundscan. The CD debuted at No. 18 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the top 100 of the Billboard 200. The band was part of the new wave of American heavy metal. After 2012's I Am, the band went on an indefinite hiatus. In 2022, however, the band reunited with the lineup of Jason Wisdom, Seth Hecox, and Brent “Duck” Duckett.
Violence Has Arrived is the eighth studio album by the band Gwar. It was released on November 6, 2001, through Metal Blade Records.
Immortal Souls is a melodic death metal band from Kokkola, Finland, formed in 1991. They released a split album and their debut on Little Rose Productions in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 2002, Immortal Souls signed with Dutch label Fear Dark which released their second and third album as well as a compilation. They have performed at Tuska Open Air Metal Festival. Their musical style is characterized by their use of melodic guitar riffs and singing which shifts between growls and shouting. Their music has been called winter metal since Immortal Souls utilizes frosty metaphors in their lyrics and usually creates a cold, wintry atmosphere. The album Wintereich was released in 2007 in Europe on Dark Balance and in the USA through Facedown Records.
Wolves in the Throne Room is an American black metal band formed in 2002 in Olympia, Washington, by brothers Aaron and Nathan Weaver. They have released seven full-length albums, two live albums, and two EPs to date. They have stated one of the founding concepts of the band to be channeling the "energies of the Pacific Northwest's landscape" into musical form.
Asgaroth was a Spanish black metal band from Barcelona, Spain, formed in 1995. It started as a one man-project by Lord Lupus. Their international attention increased after their second album release, Red Shift, through Peaceville.
Pathfinder is a Polish symphonic power metal band. As of 2012, the band has released two full-length albums and collaborated and toured with widely known power metal acts such as Power Quest and Labyrinth. The band’s musical style has been described as consisting of "sweeping keyboard orchestrations, chugging riffs, blinding guitar solos, frantic rhythms, and soaring vocals".
10 Years is an American alternative metal band formed in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1999. The band consists of lead vocalist Jesse Hasek, lead guitarist Brian Vodinh, rhythm guitarist Matt Wantland, bassist Chad Grennor, and drummer Luke Narey. The group has gone through multiple line-up changes since their inception, with Vodinh and Wantland being the only remaining founding members. To date, they have released ten studio albums, their most recent being Descontructed in 2022.
Fifth Element is the second studio album by Polish Symphonic Power Metal band Pathfinder. It was released in Asia May 23, 2012 and to the rest of the world May 26, and included region-specific bonus tracks. On March 22, the band announced a poll that was to decide which of four original tracks off the upcoming album Fifth Element was to be released early as a taste of the new album. The song Elemental Power won and was made public through the band's YouTube channel on March 23. The album features 13 tracks and continues Pathfinder's tradition of symphonic power metal. On 2 December 2013 their album Fifth Element was "album of the month" according to the German website "HardHarderHeavy".
Beyond the Black is a German symphonic metal band formed in 2014 in Mannheim. Their debut album Songs of Love and Death became popular immediately after the release, and entered the German and Austrian national music charts.
Stitched Up Heart is an American rock band on Another Century Records. The band was formed in 2010 in Los Angeles by singer Alecia "Mixi" Demner. They have released three full-length albums and three EPs. They have performed as the opening act for Godsmack, Halestorm, and In This Moment.
METALWINGS is a symphonic metal band from Sofia, Bulgaria.
N.A.T.I.O.N. is the second studio album by the American heavy metal band Bad Wolves. It was released through Eleven Seven Music on October 25, 2019. It is supported by the singles "Learn to Walk Again", "Sober" and "Killing Me Slowly". Bad Wolves promoted the album as a support act on Five Finger Death Punch's headline arena tour with Fire from the Gods and Three Days Grace in November 2019. It is the last album to feature vocalist Tommy Vext, after his departure from the band in January 2021. Loudwire named it one of the 50 best rock albums of 2019.
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