In Greek and Roman mythology, Odysseus, also known by the Latin variant Ulysses, is a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in that same epic cycle.
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".
Ross Friedman, also known as Ross the Boss, is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of both the punk band the Dictators and the heavy metal band Manowar.
Rotting Christ is a Greek black metal band formed in 1987. They are noted for being one of the first black metal bands within this region, as well as a premier act within the European underground metal scene. They are also responsible for creating the signature Greek black metal sound prevalent in the early 1990s.
Virgin Steele is an American heavy metal band from New York, originally formed in 1981.
Into Glory Ride is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Manowar and the first to feature drummer Scott Columbus. The album's title is a reference to the title track from the band's previous album Battle Hymns. After 'Into Glory Ride' released, Manowar became one of the most influential bands to the development of this "epic" style of heavy metal and had a critical influence on the genre.
Athanasios "Sakis" Tolis is a Greek musician best known as the vocalist and rhythm guitarist of Rotting Christ. He is also known as Necromayhem.
Hail to England is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Manowar, released in 1984 on Music for Nations.
Khronos is the sixth full-length album by Greek extreme metal band Rotting Christ.
Thy Mighty Contract is the first studio album by Greek extreme metal band Rotting Christ, released in November 1993 on Osmose Productions.
Hades Almighty is a Norwegian black metal band from Bergen, Norway. They were formed in 1992, originally under the name Hades. The band was forced to change their name to Hades Almighty in 1998, following complaints from an American band with a prior claim to the name.
Phoebus, sometimes spelled Phivos or Foivos, is a well-known songwriter in both Greece and Cyprus. Phoebus is mostly known for his music through Despina Vandi and Katy Garbi, although he has composed albums for many other artists in Greece and Cyprus. A high percentage of the albums he composes receive certification making him one of the most successful Greek songwriters of the 1990s and 2000s, selling 6,000,000 records. In 2009, he founded his own record label, The Spicy Effect, to which he has signed various artists, many of whom he has collaborated with in the past.
Wearing a Martyr's Crown is the fourth album by the melodic death metal band Nightrage. The album was released on 22 June 2009 through German label, Lifeforce Records. The European digipak includes a demo version of "Failure of All Human Emotions" as a bonus track. The Japanese version of the album includes a cover of Metallica's "Holier Than Thou."
Aealo is the tenth full-length album by Greek extreme metal band Rotting Christ. It was released on 15 February 2010 via Season of Mist.
Jesse Garba Abaga, known professionally as Jesse Jagz, is a Nigerian rapper, record producer and songwriter. He signed a record deal with Chocolate City in 2010 and released his debut studio album Jag of All Tradez that same year. He voluntarily exited the Chocolate City deal in 2013 and announced the launch of his independent label, Jagz Nation. Jagz released his second studio album Jagz Nation, Vol.1. Thy Nation Come in 2013; it included singles such as "Redemption", "Bad Girl", "Sex & Scotch" and "God on the Mic". His third studio album, Jagz Nation Vol. 2: Royal Niger Company, was released in 2014. He returned to Chocolate City in 2015 but left the label again prior to releasing his fourth studio album Odysseus in 2017. In May 2020, he released a 5-track EP titled Garba.
Κατά τον δαίμονα εαυτού is the eleventh full-length album by Greek extreme metal band Rotting Christ. The album title represents in Greek the well-known Aleister Crowley saying "Do what thou wilt".
Lorna Shore is an American deathcore band formed in New Jersey in 2009. The group currently consists of lead guitarist Adam De Micco, drummer Austin Archey, rhythm guitarist Andrew O'Connor, vocalist Will Ramos, and bassist Michael Yager. The band is most known for their 2021 single "To the Hellfire". They have released four studio albums Psalms (2015), Flesh Coffin (2017), Immortal (2020), and Pain Remains (2022). The band has also released four EPs. Since 2017, no original members remain in the band.
The Heretics is the thirteenth full-length album by Greek extreme metal band Rotting Christ. It was released on 15 February 2019 via Season of Mist. Loudwire named it one of the 50 best metal albums of 2019.
The Final Battle I is the fifth EP by American heavy metal band Manowar, released March 29, 2019. It is the first recording without former member Karl Logan, who was arrested a year prior. He was replaced with guitarist E. V. Martel, who first was a touring replacement following Logan's arrest. On March 22, 2019, the band announced that they would release a trilogy of EP's based upon The Final Battle World Tour. Plans for any follow-up recordings were silently canceled for unknown reasons. The first EP, The Final Battle I, was released on March 29 in an exclusive pre-sale at the merchandise booth in Frankfurt and also during the European shows. It was then released on iTunes worldwide that day. The EP was digitally and physically released on May 30. Former HammerFall and Yngwie Malmsteen drummer Anders Johansson was announced as the new live drummer shortly after and made his debut at the March 25 show in Brno, afterward joining the band full time. In promotion of the EP, the band went on tour, dubbed "The Final Battle World Tour 2019". Upon the reveal of the EP, fans and critics believed the title was a reference to this being their final studio recording before retiring. Despite the tour's name, the band's sole ruler and bassist, Joey DeMaio however, dismissed any claims of Manowar's retirement, mainly due to the fans' demands to have them continue to perform. In an interview published on Manowar's website, bassist Joey DeMaio says Manowar is not breaking up and The Final Battle is not their farewell tour.
Anno 1696 is the ninth studio album by Finnish melodic death metal band Insomnium, released on 24 February 2023 via Century Media. Insomnium began working on the album shortly before the release of Argent Moon, in 2021, with the album originally planned to be released in 2022. Like their 2016 album Winter's Gate, the album is based on a short story by vocalist/bassist Niilo Sevänen, first hinted on October 24, 2022, less than two weeks before the album's official announcement.
