Live & Loud is a live album recorded by the former Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne, released on 28 June 1993. At the time, it was to be Osbourne's final album following Osbourne's final tour before retiring, aptly titled "No More Tours". The track "Black Sabbath" featured the original line-up of Black Sabbath, the members of which were invited to join Ozzy as guest stars for the Costa Mesa Reunion shows.
Tristania was a Norwegian gothic metal band formed in 1996 by Morten Veland, Einar Moen and Kenneth Olsson. Tristania's music is usually classified as Gothic metal with death influences, due to its strong tie and legacy within the gothic metal history. Their songs largely dealt with dark and sentimental topics, including depression, sadness, suicide, love, absence, and anger.
In the Nightside Eclipse is the debut studio album by Norwegian black metal band Emperor, released in 1994 through Candlelight Records. It was their only album to feature drummer Faust and one-time bassist Tchort. Considered a landmark in the black metal scene, the album has been ranked by critics as one of the most influential albums of the genre. It also contains some of Emperor's best known tracks, "I Am the Black Wizards" and "Inno a Satana".
Winterheart's Guild is the third studio album by the power metal band Sonata Arctica. It was released in 2003 through Spinefarm Records. In a 2014 interview, vocalist, keyboardist and songwriter Tony Kakko said inspiration for writing "The Ruins of My Life" came from the film Braveheart. In 2019, he would refer to the album's recording process as a "nightmare" because he only had "two or three" songs ready when the band went in the studio.
Crowbar is an American sludge metal band formed in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1990. The band is fronted by vocalist/guitarist Kirk Windstein, Crowbar's sole constant member. Infusing a slow, brooding doom metal sound with the aggression of hardcore punk, Crowbar along with other bands in the New Orleans heavy metal scene pioneered a style known as sludge metal, though Windstein himself has admitted a dislike for the term. The band are also known for their covers of songs from outside of their immediate genre; these include Gary Wright's "Dream Weaver" on Equilibrium, Iron Maiden's "Remember Tomorrow" on Odd Fellows Rest, and Led Zeppelin's "No Quarter" on Crowbar.
Acid Bath is an American sludge metal band from Houma, Louisiana that was active from 1991 to 1997. Regarded as one of the first and most influential sludge metal bands, they combined a doom metal foundation with elements of hardcore punk, death metal, gothic rock, blues, and Southern rock to create their unique sound. The band broke up following the death of bassist Audie Pitre in a January 1997 traffic collision, but announced a reunion in October 2024.
Montrose was an American hard rock band formed in 1973 and named after guitarist and founder Ronnie Montrose. The band's original lineup featured lead vocalist and frontman Sammy Hagar, who later found greater success as a solo artist and as a member of Van Halen. Rounding out the original foursome were bassist Bill Church and drummer Denny Carmassi. The band experienced moderate success before disbanding in early 1977. The 1973 debut album Montrose eventually proved to be an international sleeper hit, selling in excess of one million copies and attaining platinum status in 1986.
The Gallery is the second studio album by Swedish melodic death metal band Dark Tranquillity, released on 27 November 1995 by Osmose. It was the first full-length release to feature Mikael Stanne on vocals, as he was previously the rhythm guitarist.
Silent Nation is the ninth studio album by British rock band Asia, released in 2004. It was the last album with longtime vocalist and bassist John Payne, prior to the reunion of the original line-up in 2006.
William Henry Duffy is an English rock musician, best known as the guitarist of the band The Cult.
Michael Kiske is a German singer who is the co-lead vocalist for the power metal band Helloween. Kiske has also released four solo albums, two albums with the hard rock band Unisonic, has participated on various metal and rock related projects such as Avantasia, Place Vendome and Kiske/Somerville, and has performed with numerous bands as a guest vocalist.
When the Kite String Pops is the debut studio album of American sludge metal band Acid Bath. Released on August 8, 1994, it is considered an underground classic and an early example of sludge metal. The album's artwork is a self-portrait made by notorious serial killer John Wayne Gacy while in prison awaiting execution.
Lifesblood for the Downtrodden is the eighth studio album by American sludge metal band Crowbar, released on February 8, 2005 through Candlelight Records. Its working title in 2004 had been You Don't Need an Enemy to Have a War. It is dedicated to the memory of guitarist Dimebag Darrell, who died after the band had recorded the album. The song "Coming Down" appeared on Fear Candy 13, a compilation CD issued by British extreme metal magazine Terrorizer.
Eden Fire is the debut album by Swedish heavy metal band Sonic Syndicate. It is their first and only album to be released through the American record label, Pivotal Rockordings. The album was recorded and mixed at Studiomega from February 2005 to June 2005 by Christian Silver and Manne Engström. The album was re-released on December 9, 2008 via Pivotal Rockordings/Koch in North America and Canada. Because of this, the album would sell over 10,000 copies by the end of 2010. It was also the last record by the band before parting ways with drummer Kristoffer Bäcklund and pianist Andreas Mårtensson.
Be'lakor is an Australian melodic death metal band from Melbourne, Victoria. The band's name originates from the character Be'lakor the Dark Master, in the Warhammer Fantasy game setting.
Odd Fellows Rest is the fifth studio album by American sludge metal band Crowbar, released on July 7, 1998 through Mayhem Records. It was re-released on August 24, 1999 via Spitfire Records, featuring a bonus track.
Equilibrium is the sixth studio album by American sludge metal band Crowbar, released in March 2000 through Spitfire Records. It was original bassist Todd Strange's final album with the band until his 2016 return.
Sever the Wicked Hand is the ninth studio album by American sludge metal band Crowbar. It was released on February 8, 2011 through E1 Music, on February 14, 2011 through Century Media in the UK, and a day later for the rest of Europe. It was the band's first studio album after Lifesblood for the Downtrodden, released exactly six years before in 2005.
Tony Costanza was an American drummer, known for being the first drummer for the heavy metal band Machine Head, playing in the band from 1992 to 1993.
Rhea Sylvia is an extended play (EP) by the American metal band Thou. It was released on July 27, 2018 through the independent hardcore punk label Deathwish Inc. Except for the cover of "The Lasting Dose", the songs on Rhea Sylvia are Thou versions of band member Matthew Thudium's solo material. The EP's musical style is a mix of the band's signature sludge metal sound and grunge artists such as Alice in Chains.
