Suffocation is an American death metal band formed in 1988 in Centereach, New York, currently consisting of lead guitarist Terrance Hobbs, bassist Derek Boyer, rhythm guitarist Charlie Errigo, drummer Eric Morotti, and vocalist Ricky Myers. The band rose to prominence with their 1991 debut album Effigy of the Forgotten, which became a blueprint for death metal in the 1990s. Since then, Suffocation has recorded eight albums. These feature growled vocals with downtuned guitars, fast and complex guitar riffs and drumming, open chord notes and occasional breakdowns.
Pestilence is a Dutch death metal band founded in Enschede in 1986. They have been through various membership changes throughout their existence, with guitarist-vocalist Patrick Mameli as the sole constant member. After disbanding in order to pursue other musical directions in 1994, Pestilence reunited in 2008, and was put on a "permanent hold" in July 2014. However, the band reunited once again in October 2016. To date, Pestilence has released nine studio albums, and they are one of "progressive death metal's Big Four", alongside with Death, Atheist, and Cynic.
Enslaved is a Norwegian extreme metal band formed by Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson in Haugesund in 1991. They are currently based in Bergen. The band's lineup has changed many times over the years, and Bjørnson and Kjellson have been the sole constant members. The current lineup also includes lead guitarist Arve Isdal, keyboardist/singer Håkon Vinje, and drummer Iver Sandøy.
Deathcore is an extreme metal subgenre that combines death metal with metalcore. The genre consists of death metal guitar riffs, blast beats, and metalcore breakdowns. While there are some precursors to the concept of death metal fused with metalcore/hardcore elements seen in the 1990s, deathcore itself emerged in the early 2000s and gained prominence beginning in the mid-2000s within the southwestern United States, especially Arizona and inland southern California, which are home to many notable bands and various festivals.
Decapitated is a Polish death metal band formed in Krosno in 1996. The group comprises guitarist, founder and composer Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka, vocalist Rafał Piotrowski, bassist Paweł Pasek and drummer James Stewart. Decapitated have gained recognition as one of the genre's most widely respected bands and one of the finest exponents of technical death metal. The band earned an international fan base in the underground music community and became an innovating act in the modern death metal genre.
Dark Roots of Earth is the eleventh studio album by American thrash metal band Testament. It was released on July 27, 2012, in Europe, and four days later in North America by independent German record label Nuclear Blast Records. The album is available in three configurations, CD, CD/DVD and vinyl, with the latter two versions including four bonus tracks. The album was produced by Andy Sneap, who mixed and engineered the band's previous three studio releases, The Gathering (1999), First Strike Still Deadly (2001), and The Formation of Damnation (2008). The album artwork was created by Eliran Kantor. A music video was made for the track "Native Blood". Dark Roots of Earth entered the Billboard 200 at number 12, Testament's highest position ever.
Terminal Redux is the third album by the American thrash metal band Vektor, released on May 6, 2016. It is the band's first album released on Earache Records. The album is a concept album, which tells a sci-fi story about an astronaut finding the key to immortality and using it to gain vast political and financial power, but eventually experiencing an existential crisis as a result. Vocalist, guitarist and songwriter David DiSanto has also stated that the album was intended to serve as a concept album about the band itself. Terminal Redux is the final Vektor album to feature Frank Chin and Blake Anderson, as both left the band in December 2016. It was also Vektor's final album before they entered a four-year-hiatus that same year.
...Of the Dark Light is the eighth studio album by American death metal band Suffocation, released on June 9, 2017, via Nuclear Blast. It is the band's first album to feature guitarist Charlie Errigo and drummer Eric Morotti, and their final album to feature original vocalist Frank Mullen. At 35 minutes and 17 seconds, this is the shortest Suffocation album.
Eonian is the ninth studio album by Norwegian symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir, which was released on 4 May 2018.
Quadra is the fifteenth studio album by Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura, released on February 7, 2020. It is a concept album based on numerology, the number four and its significance as depicted on Quadrivium. The band went to Sweden to work with producer Jens Bogren for the recording of Quadra.
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.
Hermitage is the twelfth studio album by Portuguese gothic metal band Moonspell, released on 26 February 2021. This is their first album without original drummer Miguel "Mike" Gaspar. Drums are performed by new member Hugo Ribeiro.
Impera is the fifth studio album by the Swedish rock band Ghost. Released on 11 March 2022, it was produced by Klas Åhlund who also produced the band's 2015 album, Meliora. The release of Impera was preceded by three singles: the first, "Hunter's Moon", was released on 30 September 2021 in support of the 2021 slasher film Halloween Kills with a version being a part of the film's closing credits; the second single, "Call Me Little Sunshine", was released on 20 January 2022 and the third, "Twenties", was released on 2 March 2022.
Totem is the twelfth studio album by American heavy metal band Soulfly. It was released on August 5, 2022, by Nuclear Blast. It is also the first album since 2002 to not feature long running lead guitarist Marc Rizzo who parted ways with the band in 2021. The album's producer Arthur Rizk, John Powers and Chris Ulsh contributed guitar solos.
Divisive is the eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Disturbed. Produced by Drew Fulk, it was released on November 18, 2022, via Reprise Records.
Foregone is the fourteenth studio album by Swedish heavy metal band In Flames. The album was released on 10 February 2023 through Nuclear Blast and was produced by Howard Benson. It is the first album by the band to feature guitarist Chris Broderick who replaced Niclas Engelin and the first to entirely feature drums performed by Tanner Wayne. It is also the last album to feature the band's bassist Bryce Paul before he left the band in June 2023.
Scorched is the twentieth studio album by American thrash metal band Overkill, released on April 14, 2023. It is the band's first studio album in four years, following The Wings of War (2019), the longest gap between studio albums for the band.
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. It is the final release to feature guitarist Jani Liimatainen.
The Sinner Rides Again is the second studio album by English band KK's Priest, formed by former Judas Priest guitarist K. K. Downing. It was released on 29 September 2023 through Napalm Records. Four singles preceded the album, including the lead single "One More Shot at Glory".
The Catalyst is the seventh studio album by Swedish heavy metal band Amaranthe. The album was released on 23 February 2024 through Nuclear Blast and was produced by Jacob Hansen. It is the first album to feature Mikael Sehlin on harsh vocals.
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