Porcupine Tree are an English rock band formed by musician Steven Wilson in 1987. During an initial career spanning more than twenty years, they earned critical acclaim from critics and fellow musicians, developed a cult following, and became an influence for new artists. The group carved out a career at a certain distance away from mainstream music, being described by publications such as Classic Rock and PopMatters as "the most important band you'd never heard of".
Cursive is an American indie rock band from Omaha, Nebraska. Stylistically described as emo and post-hardcore, Cursive came to prominence with 2000's Domestica and found commercial and critical success with 2003's The Ugly Organ. The band has released eight studio albums, a compilations album, and a mix of singles and EPs since 1997. They have released recordings on several labels, including 15 Passenger Records, Saddle Creek Records, and Big Scary Monsters (UK).
Discharge are an English hardcore punk band formed in 1977 in Stoke-on-Trent, England. The band is known for influencing several sub-genres of extreme music and their songs have been covered by some of the biggest names in heavy metal and other genres. The musical sub-genre of D-beat is named after Discharge and the band's distinctive drumbeat.
Gorguts is a Canadian death metal band formed in Sherbrooke, Quebec, in 1989. The band has gone through various lineup changes since its inception; its only constant member has been guitarist-vocalist and founding member Luc Lemay, who remains the primary creative force of the band. To date they have released five full-length albums and one EP. Their most recent release is the EP Pleiades' Dust, released on May 13, 2016. Their latest full-length album Colored Sands was released in 2013 and was nominated for a Juno Award. Musically the band is known for its complex, musically dense form of technical death metal, and has become "one of the most advanced, experimental, and challenging groups in the entire genre."
Katatonia is a Swedish heavy metal band formed in Stockholm in 1991 by Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström. The band started as a studio-only project for the duo, as an outlet for the band's love of death metal. Increasing popularity led them to add more band members for live performances, though outside of the band's founders, the lineup was a constantly changing, revolving door of musicians throughout the 1990s, notably including Mikael Åkerfeldt of the band Opeth for a period. After two death/doom albums, Dance of December Souls (1993) and Brave Murder Day (1996), problems with Renkse's vocal cords coupled with new musical influences led the band away from the screamed vocals of death metal to a more traditional, melodic form of heavy metal music.
C tuning is a type of guitar tuning. The strings of the guitar are tuned two whole steps lower than standard tuning. The resulting notes can be described most commonly as C-F-A♯-D♯-G-C or C-F-B♭-E♭-G-C. This is not to be confused with C♯ tuning, which is one and one half steps lower than standard tuning.
Considered Dead is the debut full-length studio album by Canadian death metal band Gorguts. It was released on October 8, 1991, by Roadrunner Records, whom the band signed with after the release of their 1991 demo ...And Then Comes Lividity. The album features guest vocals by Chris Barnes of Cannibal Corpse on three tracks, as well as a guest guitar solo by James Murphy, who has played with Death, Obituary, and Testament. The following year, the band took part in the "Blood, Guts and Gore" U.S. tour along with Cannibal Corpse and Atheist.
The Erosion of Sanity is the second full-length album by Canadian technical death metal band Gorguts. The album was released on January 19, 1993, through Roadrunner Records. Though it is now considered a milestone in the genre, the album's release coincided with the decline of death metal's popularity as a genre, and Roadrunner decided to drop the band from their roster. The band subsequently entered into a five-year state of limbo in which they ceased touring, during which all members except Luc Lemay left. Gorguts later returned with a new lineup, releasing their third full-length album Obscura in 1998.
Obscura is the third full-length album by Canadian death metal band Gorguts. The album was released on June 23, 1998 through the now-defunct Olympic Recordings, but has since been reissued by a number of labels, in particular Century Media in 2015. Since its release, Obscura has come to be regarded as one of the most important albums in the technical death metal genre, and as "one of the most complex and technical records in the genre, due to its unprecedented dissonance and experimentation brought by the band's late guitarist Steeve Hurdle." Lyrically, the album represents a further departure from the band's established approach, touching on spiritual and existential themes. Luc Lemay has described the album as "the record that defined our sound."
From Wisdom to Hate is the fourth album by Gorguts, released on March 6, 2001 through Olympic Recordings and Season of Mist. The musical style can be considered a compromise between the previous album Obscura and the older albums Considered Dead and The Erosion of Sanity. This is the only Gorguts album to feature drummer Steve MacDonald. MacDonald had a history of recurrent depression and committed suicide in 2002, which eventually led to the break-up of Gorguts in 2005.
"Lunchbox" is a song by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released as the second single from their debut album, Portrait of an American Family (1994). A heavy metal song that features elements of death metal, industrial music and punk rock, "Lunchbox" was written by the band's eponymous vocalist, Daisy Berkowitz, and Gidget Gein, and produced by Manson with Trent Reznor. According to Berkowitz, the track was written as the frontman's plea to be left alone; it was also inspired by a time where Manson defended himself from bullies with a Kiss lunchbox. The track features elements of "Fire" (1968) performed by Arthur Brown, a musician who influenced the band.
Colin Marston is an American record producer and musician residing in New York City. He graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in music technology in 2004, and owns Menegroth The Thousand Caves Recording Studios in Woodhaven, Queens while not on tour with one of a number of bands. He is also known for his performances in Behold... The Arctopus, Dysrhythmia, Krallice, and the reunion lineup of Gorguts. Marston has produced, mastered, and mixed music for artists such as Imperial Triumphant, Cleric, Genghis Tron, Kayo Dot, Jarboe, Capillary Action, Origin, Panopticon, Altar of Plagues, Liturgy, Pyrrhon, and Orthrelm, as well as for his own bands. Marston is multi-instrumentalist; he plays guitar, bass and keyboards.
Krallice is an American black metal band formed by New York City musicians Colin Marston, Mick Barr, Nick McMaster and Lev Weinstein. They play an experimental, highly technical style of black metal. The band has released fourteen studio albums and three EPs, most recently the LP Mass Cathexis 2 - The Kinetic Infinite on December 1, 2023. They have been described as "one of the most interesting, engaging black metal bands to emerge in recent years" and "one of the most important bands in modern black metal".
Portal is an Australian extreme metal band whose style is an unorthodox fusion of death metal, black metal, dark ambient and experimental music. The band's hybrid musical style is characterised by heavily distorted guitar riffs, down-tuned rhythms, and vocals ranging from "menacing, echoing" sound effects to death grunts.
Warp Zone is Martyr's 2nd full-length album. It was released independently on March 11, 2000. A European edition was released by Sekhmet Records which contained two bonus tracks, several live videos and other multi-media. In October 2006, Galy Records released a re-issue containing four bonus tracks.
Kevin Hufnagel is an American musician, based in NYC. He is known for his solo guitar works, for forming the progressive instrumental rock/metal band Dysrhythmia, and for being a member of Gorguts, Vaura, Sabbath Assembly, Veldune, and Byla. He also is a full time guitar instructor, teaching both in-person and virtually.
Colored Sands is the fifth full-length album by Canadian technical death metal band Gorguts. It is Gorguts' first studio album since 2001's From Wisdom to Hate. The album features the band's first recordings with guitarist Kevin Hufnagel and bassist Colin Marston, and the band's only recordings with drummer John Longstreth. It is a concept album based on Tibet. The album was released digitally on August 6, 2013, and the release of the CD and vinyl versions on September 3, 2013.
Ævangelist are an American death metal/black metal band that integrates avant-garde and experimental elements into their music. The band is primarily composed of Ascaris and Matron Thorn, though additional musicians take on drum and guitar duties for live performances. The band was formed in 2010 by Ascaris and Matron Thorn and they have released four full-length albums and five EPs to date.
Rheia is the third studio album by Belgian metal band Oathbreaker. The album was produced by Jack Shirley and released through independent record label Deathwish Inc. on September 30, 2016. Oathbreaker toured internationally in support of Rheia from September until December with Skeletonwitch and Iron Reagan. The title references Rhea, mother goddess in Greek mythology.
Cryptic Shift is an English extreme metal band formed in Leeds, West Yorkshire in 2013. They have two EPs and two demos, with their debut album Visitations from Enceladus being released on 4 May 2020 through Blood Harvest records. In an article for The Quietus, the album was referred to as "damn near essential, and proof that [Britain] has a valid contribution to make to this new wave of progressive death metal".
