Dimmu Borgir is a Norwegian symphonic black metal band from Jessheim, formed in 1993. The name is derived from Dimmuborgir, a volcanic formation in Iceland, the name of which means "dark cities" or "dark castles/fortresses" in Icelandic, Faroese and Old Norse. The band has been through numerous lineup changes over the years; vocalist Shagrath and rhythm guitarist Silenoz are the only original members who still remain, with lead guitarist Galder being a longstanding member.
Emperor is a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1991, regarded as highly influential by critics and emerging black metal bands. The group split up in 2001, but reunited from 2005 to 2007 for a few festival dates and brief US tours, and again reunited in 2013 to 2014. Emperor reformed for the third time in 2016. The group was founded by Ihsahn (guitar/vocal) and Samoth.
Therion is a Swedish symphonic metal band founded by Christofer Johnsson in 1987. Its name was inspired by the Celtic Frost album To Mega Therion. "To Mega Therion" is Greek for "The Great Beast" and was a title used by occultist Aleister Crowley. Originally a death metal band, Therion adjusted its musical style by adding orchestral elements, including choirs, classical musicians, and even a full orchestra at their concert performances. As a result, they are considered pioneers of the symphonic metal genre.
The Black Dahlia Murder is an American melodic death metal band from Waterford, Michigan, formed in 2001. Their name is derived from the 1947 unsolved murder of Elizabeth Short, often referred to as Black Dahlia. Since 2016, the band had consisted of lead vocalist Trevor Strnad, rhythm guitarist Brian Eschbach, bassist Max Lavelle, drummer Alan Cassidy, and lead guitarist Brandon Ellis. The Black Dahlia Murder has undergone various lineup changes, with Strnad and Eschbach remaining the only constant members, until the former's death in 2022. Out of the eight studio albums they have released to date, the last seven have charted on the U.S. Billboard 200, with their fifth album Ritual peaking at No. 31 in 2011, marking them as one of the most popular contemporary American extreme metal bands. Their ninth and latest album Verminous was released on April 17, 2020.
Edguy is a heavy metal band formed in Fulda, Germany in 1992.
Leaves' Eyes is a symphonic metal band from Germany and Norway. They were formed in 2003 by Liv Kristine, formerly the lead singer of Theatre of Tragedy, and the entire line-up of Atrocity. To date, the band has released eight studio albums, a single, six EPs, one live album and a DVD.
Mob Rules are a German power metal band. They were founded in 1994 by erstwhile Van Blanc guitarist Matthias Mineur and bassist Thorsten Plorin. Pulling in vocalist Klaus Dirks and drummer Arved Mannott, the quartet began to gig. Opening slots included shows with Pink Cream 69, C.I.T.A. and Crossroads.
Guano Apes are a German rock band formed in 1994 in Göttingen. The band consists of Sandra Nasić (vocals), Henning Rümenapp, Stefan Ude, and Dennis Poschwatta.
God Forbid is an American heavy metal band formed in 1996 in East Brunswick, New Jersey.
Eisbrecher are a German Neue Deutsche Härte band that consists primarily of Alexander Wesselsky (vocals) and Noel Pix, with live support from Jürgen Plangger (guitar), Rupert Keplinger (bass), and Achim Färber (drums). In the United States and Canada, their record label is currently Metropolis Records.
Suidakra is a German melodic death metal band from Düsseldorf, Germany. During their twenty-year career, they have performed over 200 live shows for several European and Russian tours, as well as a North American tour. They are known for their use of traditional instruments to augment their sound, such as the bagpipe, banjo, and tin whistle.
Equilibrium is a German symphonic folk metal band from Bavaria. The band's music combines elements of folk music, pagan metal, melodic black metal and symphonic metal with various other influences. Their riffs reflect traditional Germanic melodies. Their lyrical themes focus on Germanic tales and Germanic mythology. The songs of the band are almost always in German, although most recently they prioritized the English in their songs, mostly with their sixth album Renegades (2019).
Necromance was a Christian gothic metal band from Spremberg, Germany, formed in 1987, disbanded in 2002. Originally signed to Morbid Records as a death metal act and later signed to Pleitegeier Records after changing the music style, the band built a reputation in the underground scenes touring with groups such as Demigod. Necromance released two albums in the 1990s: White Gothic (1997) and Wiederkehr der Schmerzen (1999). Their 2001 album Tribulation Force showcased a strong industrial metal influence. The band has toured Europe, and performed on notable European festivals such as Freakstock in Germany. Their two latest albums were well received by magazines such as Rock Hard and Metal Heart. The band leader Runhardt Scheffler typically writes lyrics about the End Times.
Sagas is Equilibrium's second full-length album, released on 27 June 2008.
Eluveitie is a Swiss folk metal band from Winterthur, Zürich, founded in 2002 by Chrigel Glanzmann. The project's first demo, Vên, was released in 2003. Vên was a studio project of Glanzmann's, but its success led to the recruitment of a full band. The band then released a full-length album, Spirit, in June 2006. In November 2007, Eluveitie was signed by Nuclear Blast. The group rose to fame following the release of their first major-label album, Slania, in February 2008. The album peaked at number 35 in the Swiss charts and number 72 in the German charts.
Rekreatur is Equilibrium's third full-length album, which was released on 18 June 2010. The band released the music video for "Der Ewige Sieg" on 16 June 2010. On 11 June, the album in its entirety was available for streaming from the band's official MySpace until 18 June.
The Gentle Storm is a Dutch musical project by singer and lyricist Anneke van Giersbergen and composer and musician Arjen Anthony Lucassen, founder and leader of other musical projects such as Star One, Ayreon, Guilt Machine and Ambeon. The duo has previously collaborated in Ayreon albums Into the Electric Castle and 01011001. The project's debut album, The Diary, was released on March 23, 2015 in Europe, and the following day in the US.
Armageddon is the fifth studio album by German folk metal band Equilibrium. Guitarist, producer and songwriter René Berthiaume considers Armageddon a heavier effort with darker lyrics than previous Equilibrium albums. It also features a higher usage of lyrics in English. Berthiaume said the band concluded some songs would work better sung in English.
Oomph! is a German rock band from Wolfsburg, formed in 1989. The band pioneered the Neue Deutsche Härte movement. Their work contains lyrics in both English and German, with a shift towards German exclusively on recent albums.
Renegades is the sixth studio album by the German folk metal band Equilibrium. It is also the first album featuring the band's new clean male vocalist and bassist Martin Berger and the new keyboardist Skadi Rosehurst.
