Manowar is an American heavy metal band from Auburn, New York. Formed in 1980, the group is known for lyrics based on fantasy and mythology, as well as numerous songs celebrating the genre and its core audience. The band is also known for a loud and emphatic sound. In an interview for MTV in February 2007, bassist Joey DeMaio lamented that "these days, there's a real lack of big, epic metal that is drenched with crushing guitars and choirs and orchestras... so it's nice to be one of the few bands that's actually doing that". In 1984, the band was included in the Guinness Book of World Records for delivering the loudest performance, a record which they have since broken on two occasions. They also hold the world record for the longest heavy metal concert after playing for five hours and 1 minute in Bulgaria in 2008. They also have been known for their slogan "Death to false metal".
Pungent Stench is a death metal band from Vienna, Austria, formed in 1988. Their last known lineup consists of Martin Schirenc (vocals/guitar), Danny Vacuum (vocals/bass), and Mike G. Mayhem (drums). Pungent Stench achieved early on prominence in the death metal scene due to their unique style of extreme metal and their controversial lyrical content, a seamless blend of gore, paraphilia and black comedy. They dissolved in 1995, re-formed in 1999, then split up again 2007 after recording a final studio album, eventually released in 2018, and re-formed again in 2013 as “The Church Of Pungent Stench” and renamed themselves again as “Schirenc Plays Pungent Stench” in 2014”
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.
Glory to the Brave is the debut studio album by Swedish power metal band HammerFall, released in 1997. Despite the fact that the band was formed in 1993, HammerFall performed mostly live music and covers before this album was released. "Steel Meets Steel" was composed by Oscar Dronjak just before the band was formed and is included on this album. The band signed a deal with the Dutch label Vic Records. Nuclear Blast approached Vic Records and obtained a license deal for the album. Later, Nuclear Blast bought the entire rights from Vic Records. Although the In Flames guitarist Jesper Strömblad was listed as the drummer, all the drums were actually played by session musician Patrik Räfling, who joined the band as a full-time member shortly after the album's release.
Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken is the fifth studio album by Swedish power metal band HammerFall, released in 2005 through Nuclear Blast. It features the track "Knights of the 21st Century", which includes guest vocals from Venom frontman Conrad "Cronos" Lant; it is also the band's longest studio recording to date with a length of 10:25, though after 1 minute and 40 seconds of silence, at 12:05, there is an outtake from Cronos.
Enthrone Darkness Triumphant is the third studio album by Norwegian symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir, released on 30 May 1997 through Nuclear Blast. It was the band's first release through Nuclear Blast. This is the last release to feature keyboardist Stian Aarstad and the first with bassist Nagash.
Sonic Syndicate was a Swedish metalcore band from Falkenberg. They were originally influenced by Swedish melodic death metal bands such as In Flames and Soilwork, as well as American metalcore bands like Killswitch Engage and All That Remains.
Threshold is the sixth studio album by Swedish power metal band HammerFall, released on 18 October 2006. The album entered the Swedish charts at number one, staying on the chart for eight weeks. It was the band's first number 1 album since Renegade in 2000. It is currently the last HammerFall studio album with guitarist Stefan Elmgren and bassist Magnus Rosén, as Rosén left the band in 2007 and Elmgren left in 2008.
The cover artwork was created by Samwise Didier.
Chrome Division is a Norwegian heavy metal band formed in 2004 by Shagrath, the lead vocalist of symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir. Its current lineup consists of Shagrath on rhythm guitar, along with Eddie Guz as the vocalist, Mr Damage on lead guitar and Tony White on drums. The band plays biker metal and has released five albums, Doomsday Rock 'n Roll in 2006, Booze, Broads and Beelzebub in 2008, 3rd Round Knockout in 2011, Infernal Rock Eternal in 2014, and One Last Ride in 2015, the band has announced that their fifth album is their last album.
"Hearts on Fire" is a song by Swedish power metal band HammerFall released as their single on 30 September 2002. It was the only single released from their fourth studio album, Crimson Thunder. It ranked 11th in the Swedish charts and 58th in Germany.
As Yggdrasil Trembles is the tenth studio album by the Swedish death metal band Unleashed. It was released on March 19, 2010 by Nuclear Blast Records.
Helvetios is the fifth studio album by Swiss folk metal band Eluveitie. The album was released 10 February 2012 through Nuclear Blast. The CD was recorded at New Sound Studio in Pfäffikon, a municipality in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland, with producer Tommy Vetterli. It was the last album to include violinist Meri Tadić and guitarist Simeon Koch.
X is the tenth studio album by Finnish gothic rock band The 69 Eyes. The band chose "Red" as their first single. Days before the release of X, they released "Borderline" as their second single.
The Dream Calls for Blood is the seventh studio album by American thrash metal band Death Angel. It was released on October 11, 2013, via Nuclear Blast. The album sold 5,400 copies in the U.S in its first week of release and reached number 72 on the Billboard 200, marking the first time in Death Angel's history that they cracked the Top 100 on the American charts.
"Blood Bound" is a song by Swedish power metal band HammerFall, released on January 28, 2005. It was the only single released from their fifth studio album Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken.
Dawn of the Nine is the 12th studio album by the Swedish death metal band Unleashed. It was released on 27 April 2015 by Nuclear Blast Records.
From Beyond is the fourth album by Swedish heavy metal band Enforcer was released on February 27, 2015 through Nuclear Blast.
Moonglow is the eighth full-length album by Tobias Sammet's German metal opera project Avantasia. It was released on 15 February 2019 through Nuclear Blast. As with previous Avantasia projects, the album features extensive collaborations with returning and new guest vocalists. It features 11 tracks and was supported by a world tour.
Obsidian is the sixteenth studio album by British gothic metal band Paradise Lost. It was released on 15 May 2020 via Nuclear Blast. Music videos were released for the songs "Darker Thoughts" and "Fall from Grace". Metal Hammer named it as the 11th best metal album of 2020. Obsidian is the band's last album to feature Waltteri Väyrynen on drums, who went on to join Opeth in 2022.
Solitude in Madness is the twelfth studio album by the Polish death metal band Vader, released by Nuclear Blast on 1 May 2020. It is the band's final album featuring drummer James Stewart before his departure in February 2022.
