The Charlatans were an American folk rock and psychedelic rock band that played a role in the development of the San Francisco Haight-Ashbury music scene during the 1960s. They are often cited by critics as being the first group to play in the style that became known as the San Francisco Sound.
Meshuggah is a Swedish extreme metal band formed in Umeå in 1987. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Jens Kidman, guitarists Fredrik Thordendal and Mårten Hagström, drummer Tomas Haake and bassist Dick Lövgren. Since its formation, the band has released nine studio albums, six EPs and eight music videos. Their latest studio album, Immutable, was released in April 2022 via Atomic Fire Records.
A number of heavy metal genres have developed since the emergence of heavy metal during the late 1960s and early 1970s. At times, heavy metal genres may overlap or are difficult to distinguish, but they can be identified by a number of traits. They may differ in terms of instrumentation, tempo, song structure, vocal style, lyrics, guitar playing style, drumming style, and so on.
Metalcore is a fusion genre combining elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk, that originated in the late 1980s. Among other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use of breakdowns, which are slow, intense passages conducive to moshing. Other defining instrumentation includes heavy guitar riffs often utilizing percussive pedal tones and double bass drumming. Vocalists in the genre typically perform screaming, more popular bands often combine this with the use of standard singing, usually during the bridge or chorus of a song. However the death growl is also a popular technique within the genre.
Season of Mist is an independent record label and record distributor with subsidiaries in France and the United States. The record label was founded in 1996 by Michael S. Berberian in Marseille, France. From the start releasing black metal, pagan metal, and death metal records, the label moved on to releasing albums of avant-garde metal, gothic metal and punk bands as well. The label has two offices, one in Marseille, France and one in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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.
Invocator are a Danish technical thrash metal band featuring Esbjerg-based guitarist/singer Jacob Hansen, founder of the band. They are considered influential on the European thrash metal/heavy metal scene, and known for incorporating elements from death metal, thrash metal, groove metal and progressive metal into their style.
Make Them Suffer is an Australian metalcore band from Perth, formed in 2008. They are currently signed to SharpTone Records. Their debut studio album, Neverbloom, peaked at No. 56 on the ARIA Album charts in June 2012, and showcased the band's earlier mix of metalcore, blackened death metal, and symphonic metal. Its follow-up Old Souls debuted at No. 30 upon release in May 2015 and displayed the band beginning to transition from death/black metal to a more progressive metalcore sound. After the band signed with Rise Records, the label released an expanded version of Old Souls in August 2016, containing also an EP from their death metal era Lord of Woe and a new track, "Ether".
Bloodlust is the debut studio album by American deathcore band Through the Eyes of the Dead, released on October 25, 2005 through Prosthetic Records. After releasing an EP and a split, Through the Eyes of the Dead released Bloodlust. The album is considered a deathcore album with elements of melodic death metal, featuring a musical style similar to bands like At the Gates and The Black Dahlia Murder. Before the deathcore label existed, Bloodlust was labeled as metalcore due to its combination of melodic death metal with occasional hardcore breakdowns, which resembled metalcore. Bloodlust's lyrics were inspired by serial killers, and depicted poetic lyrics telling stories and imagery. Through the Eyes of the Dead cited Cannibal Corpse, Carcass, Death, In Flames, At the Gates and Dark Tranquility as influences.
The Eyes of a Traitor were an English metalcore band from Harpenden, Hertfordshire, formed in the summer of 2006. The band consists of vocalist Jack Delany, drummer Sam Brennan, guitarists Tim George and Matthew Pugh, and bassist Tom Hollings. There have been numerous line-up changes within the band, mainly due to members wishing to pursue education. According to the band, its name derives from a conversation the band members had whilst watching Star Wars.
After the Burial is an American progressive metal band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. They are currently signed to Sumerian Records and have released five of their six full-length albums through the label. Since their inception in 2004, the band has gone through two vocalist changes, two drummer changes, the departure and death of founding rhythm guitarist Justin Lowe, and the departure of bassist Lerichard Foral. Lead guitarist Trent Hafdahl remains the sole remaining founding member. They are considered key contributors to the development of subgenres such as djent and progressive metalcore.
Djent is a subgenre of progressive metal characterized by its use of complex and heavily syncopated rhythm patterns. Its distinctive sound is that of high-gain, distorted, palm-muted, down-tuned strings. The name "djent" is an onomatopoeia of this sound.
UNFD is an independent record label based in Melbourne, Australia. The label is home to a number of Australian artists including Thornhill, Ocean Grove, Hellions and In Hearts Wake, and international artists Frank Iero, ERRA, Stray From the Path, Silverstein, and more. The label has offices in London and Los Angeles.
The Euroblast Festival is a heavy metal music festival taking place in Cologne, Germany since 2008. The festival was initiated by close friends John Giulio Sprich and Daniel Schneider.
The Contortionist is an American progressive metal band from Indianapolis, Indiana. Formed in 2007, the band consists of guitarists Robby Baca and Cameron Maynard, drummer Joey Baca, vocalist Mike Lessard, bassist Jordan Eberhardt, and keyboardist Eric Guenther. They have released four studio albums and three EPs. The band signed with eOne Music and Good Fight Entertainment in early 2010.
The Algorithm is the musical project of French musician Rémi Gallego from Perpignan. His style is characterised by an unusual combination of electronic music with progressive metal. Gallego chose the name The Algorithm to highlight the music's complex and electronic nature.
Rings of Saturn is an American deathcore band from the Bay Area, California. The band was formed in 2009 and was originally just a studio project. However, after gaining a wide popularity and signing to Unique Leader Records, the band formed a full line-up and became a full-time touring band. Rings of Saturn's music features a highly technical style, heavily influenced by themes of alien life and outer space. They have released six full-length albums, with their third, Lugal Ki En, released in 2014 and peaking at 126 on the American Billboard 200 chart while their fourth, Ultu Ulla was released in 2017 and peaked at 76 on the Billboard 200, making it the band's highest peak to date. Gidim was released in October 2019.
Reflections is an American progressive metalcore band formed in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, United States, in 2010. Their logo is the Japanese Kanji 王, meaning king.
The Afterimage was a Canadian progressive metalcore band from Barrie, Ontario. The band formed in 2011 with members from local bands such as Centuries Apart and The Prologue--vocalist Kyle Anderson, guitarists Alex Lappano and Mike Ticar, drummer Nick McCaslin, and bassist Dallas Bricker.
Shadow of Intent is an American deathcore band from Connecticut. They formed in 2013 as a Halo-themed studio project by Ben Duerr and Chris Wiseman. The band's name is a reference to a Covenant ship in the Halo series. They are not signed to a label and have released their albums independently. They have released four studio albums to date, along with two instrumental versions of previous releases, and a deluxe album. Their fourth studio album entitled Elegy was released independently on January 14, 2022.
