Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, but their musical approach has changed over the years. Originally formed as a psychedelic rock and progressive rock band, they shifted to a heavier sound with their 1970 album Deep Purple in Rock. Deep Purple, together with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, have been referred to as the "unholy trinity of British hard rock and heavy metal in the early to mid-seventies". They were listed in the 1975 Guinness Book of World Records as "the globe's loudest band" for a 1972 concert at London's Rainbow Theatre and have sold over 100 million albums worldwide.
Neoclassical metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is heavily influenced by classical music and usually features very technical playing, consisting of elements borrowed from both classical and speed metal music. Deep Purple's Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord pioneered the subgenre by merging classical melodies and blues rock. Later, Yngwie Malmsteen became one of the most notable musicians in the subgenre, and contributed greatly to the development of the style in the 1980s. Other notable players in the genre are Randy Rhoads, John Petrucci, Michael Romeo, Jason Becker, Tony MacAlpine, Vinnie Moore, Uli Jon Roth, Stéphan Forté, Wolf Hoffmann, Timo Tolkki, and Marty Friedman.
Bonfire is a German heavy metal band, founded by Hans Ziller in Ingolstadt in 1972. In 1986, based on the advice of the record company and the management, the band changed its name to Bonfire. Original founder Ziller is still in the band and is the only one who has the rights to the Bonfire name.
Douglas "Doogie" White is a Scottish rock vocalist who currently sings for La Paz and Alcatrazz. He has also notably sung for Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force, Praying Mantis and Tank.
Uli Jon Roth is a German guitarist who became famous for his work with the hard rock band Scorpions and is one of the earliest contributors to the neoclassical metal genre. He is also the founder of Sky Academy and designer of the Sky Guitar. He is the older brother of fellow guitarist and artist Zeno Roth (1956–2018).
Donald Christopher Cooper is an American singer.
Richard Hugh Blackmore is an English guitarist and songwriter. He was a founding member of Deep Purple in 1968, playing jam-style hard rock music that mixed guitar riffs and organ sounds. He is prolific in creating guitar riffs and has been known for playing both classically-influenced and blues-based solos.
Silent Force is a German power metal band with neoclassical and progressive influences, founded by German guitarist Alex Beyrodt.
Mark Robert Boals is an American heavy metal vocalist and occasional bassist, best known for his vocals with Yngwie Malmsteen. He is currently a member of the band Foundry.
Anette Ingegerd Olsson, known by the stage name Anette Olzon, is a Swedish singer, best known as the former lead vocalist of Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish from 2007 to 2012. She is also the vocalist of Swedish classic rock band Alyson Avenue, and of the Finnish heavy metal band The Dark Element.
Alyson Avenue is a melodic rock band from Helsingborg, Sweden. The band was formed by keyboardist Niclas Olsson along with then bassist Thomas Lyöskä, the band was originally fronted by a male vocalist until 1995 when back-up singer Anette Olzon became a permanent member and lead vocalist.
John Michael West is an American vocalist and guitarist, perhaps best known as the lead vocalist of Artension and the former lead vocalist of Royal Hunt.
Mat Sinner is a bassist, vocalist, and record producer from Stuttgart, Germany.
Helge Engelke is a German guitar player, composer, and producer most celebrated for his guitar work in the hard rock bands Fair Warning and Dreamtide. He has also employed his considerable guitar talents in acclaimed "studio work" and has guested on various artists' albums/CDs including vocals and guitars for his friend Zeno Roth. Herr Engelke was born on 24 September 1961 in Hanover, Germany. He currently resides in Altenhorst, Niedersachsen, Germany.
Changes is the third album by Swedish AOR/rock band Alyson Avenue with new vocalist Arabella Vitanc. Alyson Avenue released their third album "Changes" through Avenue of Allies. The record was co-produced by band members and Chris Laney and includes guest appearances by Anette Olzon, Michael Bormann, Rob Marcello, Fredrik Bergh,, Tommy Stråhle and Mike Andersson.
Voodoo Circle is a German hard rock band founded in 2008, as a project of Silent Force guitarist Alex Beyrodt who had the idea to re-think his personal vision of music, making songs more based on his early influences, such as Whitesnake, Yngwie Malmsteen, Deep Purple and Rainbow.
Rising from Ashes is the fifth album by German power metal band Silent Force, released on December 13, 2013, via AFM Records. It is their first album since Walk the Earth in 2007. It was produced by Beyrodt himself and it was the first and only album also with singer Michael Bormann, bass guitarist Mat Sinner and Italian keyboardist Alessandro Del Vecchio, respectively instead of D. C. Cooper, Jürgen Steinmetz and Torsten Röhre.
Alessandro Del Vecchio is an Italian multi-instrumentalist and producer, best known for his collaborations with hard rock and heavy metal artists such as Jørn Lande, Revolution Saints, Hardline, Fergie Frederiksen, Ted Poley, Kelly Keeling and Mat Sinner, and for his work as the in-house producer for Neapolitan record label Frontiers Music SRL from his personal Ivorytears Music Works Studio located just north of Milan.
