Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock and acid rock, heavy metal bands developed a thick, monumental sound characterized by distorted guitars, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats and loudness.
Ride the Lightning is the second studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica, released on July 27, 1984, by the independent record label Megaforce Records. The album was recorded in three weeks with producer Flemming Rasmussen at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark. The artwork, based on a concept by the band, depicts an electric chair being struck by lightning flowing from the band logo. The title was taken from a passage in Stephen King's novel The Stand, in which a character uses the phrase to refer to execution by electric chair.
Darrell Lance Abbott, best known by his stage name Dimebag Darrell, was an American musician. He was the guitarist of the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan, both of which he co-founded alongside his brother Vinnie Paul. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest metal guitarists of all time.
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.
Michael Amott is a Swedish guitarist, founding member of the metal bands Arch Enemy, Spiritual Beggars and Carnage, as well as a former member of Carcass. He is the older brother of Christopher Amott.
Annihilator is a Canadian thrash metal band founded in Ottawa in 1984 by Jeff Waters. Waters is the band's sole constant member and has acted as its guitarist, bandleader, writer, producer, engineer, and occasional bassist and vocalist. Annihilator has released seventeen studio albums and has undergone many line-up changes, with Waters regularly assembling touring or session musicians to perform with him. Along with Sacrifice, Voivod and Razor, Annihilator is known as one of the "Big Four" of Canadian thrash metal. They are also considered to be part of the "second wave" of thrash metal bands from the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Groove metal, sometimes also called neo-thrash or post-thrash, is a subgenre of heavy metal music that began in the early 1990s. Heavily influenced by thrash metal, groove metal features raspy singing and screaming, down-tuned guitars, heavy guitar riffs, and syncopated rhythms. Groove metal is usually slower than thrash. Pantera are often considered the pioneers of groove metal, and the genre expanded in the 1990s with bands including White Zombie, Machine Head, and Sepultura. Successful groove metal acts of the 2000s include Lamb of God, DevilDriver, and Five Finger Death Punch.
Set the World on Fire is the third studio album by Canadian heavy metal band Annihilator, released on May 4, 1993 by Roadrunner and Epic Records. The album received mixed reviews, toning down the thrash elements of Alice in Hell and Never, Neverland in favor of a more radio friendly sound. The title track, "Knight Jumps Queen", and "Brain Dance" are still setlist regulars, becoming fan favourites years after the release of the album.
Alice in Hell is the debut studio album by Canadian thrash metal band Annihilator, released on April 17, 1989 through Roadrunner Records. This was the only Annihilator album for ten years to feature Randy Rampage on vocals, until he returned for their seventh studio album Criteria for a Black Widow (1999).
Jeff Waters is a Canadian guitarist and the founder, bandleader and producer of the metal band Annihilator. He was born in Ontario and resides in the UK. Waters has owned Watersound Studios since 1994 and from 2003 until 2018, in Ottawa, Ontario, and now in the UK.
Barry Graham Purkis, more commonly known as Thunderstick, is an English drummer who wore various masks and used to perform on-stage closed in a cage. He was in the cult-band Samson, with whom his name is most associated.
WarCry is a Spanish power metal band led by founder, singer, and songwriter Víctor García. Formed in 2001 when García and drummer Alberto Ardines were ejected from Avalanch, the band has since released seven studio albums and two live albums, with an eighth studio album currently in progress. WarCry has had a fluctuating lineup with García as the sole constant member. The band has been acclaimed as one of Spain's most famous heavy metal acts and has won numerous awards in both Spain and Latin America.
Waking the Fury is the ninth studio album by the Canadian heavy metal band Annihilator, released on March 18, 2002, by SPV. It was the last album with Joe Comeau on vocals and Russ Bergquist as the touring bassist.
Cage is an American heavy metal band from San Diego, California. Over their career, the band has released seven studio albums and played shows with Great White, Manowar, Metallica, and Judas Priest.
Evildead is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1986. The band was originally composed of members of two former bands, Agent Steel and Abattoir, including guitarist Juan Garcia, who is their only remaining original member. During their initial nine-year run, Evildead released two studio albums: Annihilation of Civilization (1989) and The Underworld (1991). Evildead was plagued by extended inactivity due to lineup changes and problems with making a third album, which resulted in their official breakup in 1995. After a short-lived reunion from 2008 to 2012, the band reformed once again in 2016, and they have since released two more studio albums: United $tate$ of Anarchy (2020) and Toxic Grace (2024).
Warrior is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, formed in 1982. Best known for their 1985 debut album, Fighting for the Earth, the band has released a total of four studio albums. Guitarist and co-founder Joe Floyd is the only Warrior member to appear on every album.
Psychotic Waltz is an American progressive metal band formed in El Cajon, California in 1988.
Astrology is the second album by American heavy metal band CAGE. It was released on September 4, 2000, by Omega Records and has a running time of 72 minutes.
Juan Bautista Sánchez García , also known as Juan of the Dead, is a Cuban-American guitarist. He is perhaps best known as the guitarist for the thrash metal bands Agent Steel and Evildead and the power metal/speed metal band Abattoir. Garcia is also the rhythm guitarist of Body Count.
Hell Destroyer is the fourth album by the heavy metal band Cage.
