Bathory was a Swedish black metal band formed in Vällingby in March 1983. Named after Hungarian countess Elizabeth Báthory, they are considered pioneers of black metal and Viking metal. The book Lords of Chaos described Bathory's first four albums as "the blueprint for Scandinavian black metal." Acts influenced by their early records include Mayhem, Burzum, Darkthrone, Gorgoroth, Satyricon, Emperor, Dark Funeral, Enslaved, Immortal, Marduk, Moonsorrow and Dimmu Borgir.
Orchid is the debut studio album by Swedish progressive metal band Opeth, released on 15 May 1995 in Europe by Candlelight Records, and on 24 June, 1997 in the United States by Century Black. It was reissued in 2000 with one bonus track called "Into the Frost of Winter", an early unproduced rehearsal recording by the band. The recording sessions occurred at the old Unisound studio, in Finspång with production by Opeth alongside Dan Swanö. The band did not record a demo to get signed to a record label. Lee Barrett, the founder of Candlelight Records, enjoyed an Opeth rehearsal tape, and decided to sign the band. The album received critical acclaim.
Killing Machine is the fifth studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released in November 1978 by Columbia Records. The album pushed the band towards a more commercial style while still featuring the dark lyrical themes of their previous albums. At about the same time, the band members adopted their now-famous "leather-and-studs" fashion image, inspired by Rob Halford's interest in leather culture. It is the band's last studio album to feature drummer Les Binks. In the United States, it was released with a different title as Hell Bent for Leather due to controversy over the Cleveland Elementary School shooting.
Haunting the Chapel is an extended play (EP) released by American thrash metal band Slayer in 1984 through Metal Blade and Enigma Records. Slayer's debut album Show No Mercy became Metal Blade's highest-selling, leading to producer Brian Slagel wanting to release an EP. Recorded in Hollywood, the recording process proved difficult when recording drums in a studio without carpet, although it resulted in drummer Dave Lombardo meeting Gene Hoglan who was to become an influence in his drumming style and speed. It was during the recording of this session that Lombardo first had the double bass added to his kit. Hoglan, working for Slayer at the time, sat at the kit and played a double bass for the first time. Lombardo was impressed and although Hoglan never gave him lessons, he did give him tips regarding the use of the double kick drum.
Mystic Prophecy is a German power metal band from Bad Grönenbach. Their sound has been described as heavy and melodic, similar to American power metal bands such as Iced Earth, due to their melodic riffing and powerful drumming.
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.
Never-Ending is the third studio album by German power metal group Mystic Prophecy, released in October 2004. This is the last album of a trilogy and also the last to feature Gus G and Dennis Ekdahl.
Regressus is the second studio album by German power metal group Mystic Prophecy.
Savage Souls is the fourth studio album by the German power metal band Mystic Prophecy.
Black Widow were an English rock band that formed in Leicester in September 1969. They were mostly known for their early use of Satanic and occult imagery in their music and stage act.
Necrophobic is a Swedish blackened death metal band.
As Blood Rains from the Sky... We Walk the Path of Endless Fire is the fifth studio album by the German death metal band Fleshcrawl.
Powerwolf, often stylized as POWERWOLF, is a German power metal band founded in 2003 in Saarbrücken by members of Red Aim. The band consists of vocalist Karsten Brill as "Attila Dorn", lead guitarist Benjamin Buss as "Matthew Greywolf", bassist/rhythm guitarist David Vogt as "Charles Greywolf", keyboardist Christian Jost as "Falk Maria Schlegel" and drummer Roel van Helden. The group uses religious themes and images, contrary to traditional power metal music, as well as corpse paint, gothic-tinged compositions and songs about werewolf and vampire legends.
Satanic Curses is the fifth studio album by the German power metal band Mystic Prophecy.
Sacred Steel is a German heavy metal band.
David Parland was a Swedish metal guitarist, best known for his work in the bands Dark Funeral, Necrophobic and Infernal, all of which he was one of the founding members.
Dark Adrenaline is the sixth studio album by Italian gothic metal band Lacuna Coil. The album was produced by Don Gilmore, and mixed by Marco Barusso. The album debuted at number fifteen on the Billboard 200 chart with initial sales of 20,000. It also charted in the top five on four other Billboard charts including the Rock Albums, Alternative Albums, Hard Rock Albums and the Independent Albums charts. The album was also successful throughout Europe, charting in ten countries, six of which Lacuna Coil have achieved their highest chart positions in those countries to date. This album has charted in fifteen countries.
Monuments Uncovered is the tenth studio album by the German power metal band Mystic Prophecy. It was released by Massacre Records on the 12 January 2018 and contains 11 metal cover tracks of famous rock hits primarily from the 1970s and 1980s with the exception of "Are You Gonna Go My Way" and "Space Lord" releasing from the 1990s.
War Brigade is the ninth studio album by the German power metal band Mystic Prophecy. It was released by Massacre Records on the 18 March 2016 and contains 12 tracks. The album was a selling success and contains some of the best known songs of the band like "Metal Brigade", "The Crucifix", "Burning Out", and "War Panzer".
"In League with Satan" is the first song released by the English extreme metal band Venom. It was released on 19 April 1981 as a single with the B-side "Live Like an Angel" by Neat Records and later appeared on the band's first album, Welcome to Hell. The song has been cited as the first black metal song and is also often cited by critics who claim a connection between heavy metal and Satanism.
[1] 