Manowar is an American heavy metal band from Auburn, New York. Formed in 1980, the group is known for lyrics based on fantasy and mythology, as well as numerous songs celebrating the genre and its core audience. The band is also known for a loud and bombastic sound. In an interview for MTV in February 2007, bassist Joey DeMaio lamented that "these days, there's a real lack of big, epic metal that is drenched with crushing guitars and choirs and orchestras... so it's nice to be one of the few bands that's actually doing that". In 1984 the band was included in the Guinness Book of World Records for delivering the loudest performance, a record which they have since broken on two occasions. They also hold the world record for the longest heavy metal concert after playing for five hours and 1 minute in Bulgaria in 2008. They also have been known for their slogan "Death to false metal". Although the band has never been a mainstream commercial success in the United States, they maintain a strong cult following. As of 2019 Manowar has sold more than 20 million records worldwide.
Kreator is a German thrash metal band from Essen, formed in 1982. Their current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Mille Petrozza, drummer Jürgen "Ventor" Reil, lead guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö, and bassist Frédéric Leclercq. The band's lineup has changed multiple times over its 38-year career, most noticeably with their bassists and lead guitarists. Petrozza and Reil are the only two original members left in Kreator, though the latter had one hiatus from the band, from 1994 to 1996.
Opiate is an EP by American rock band Tool. It was produced and engineered by Sylvia Massy and former Minor Threat bassist Steve Hansgen. Released in 1992, it was the result of some two years of the band playing together after their formation in 1990. Opiate preceded Tool's first full-length release, Undertow, by a year. It is named after a quote by Karl Marx: "religion ... is the opiate of the masses". As of July 7, 2010, Opiate has sold 1,155,000 copies in the US and is certified Platinum by the RIAA. The EP charted on several international charts when Tool released their catalog to online streaming in August 2019.
Third Eye Blind is an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1993. The songwriting duo of Stephan Jenkins and Kevin Cadogan signed the band's first major-label recording contract with Elektra Records in 1996, which was later reported as the largest publishing deal ever for an unsigned artist. The band released their self-titled debut album in 1997, with the band largely consisting of Jenkins, Cadogan, Arion Salazar, and Brad Hargreaves (drums). Shortly after the release of the band's second album in 1999, Blue, with the same line-up, Cadogan was released from the band under controversial circumstances.
Jesu are a British experimental band formed in 2003 by Justin Broadrick following the 2002 breakup of his band Godflesh. It is named after the last song on Hymns, the final album of Godflesh's initial run. Jesu's sound is heavily layered and textured, incorporating a diverse mix of influences. Broadrick himself has stated that "...it's very loosely speaking pop/rock/metal/electronica ... I'm intentionally writing what I consider to be coherent "pop" songs".
Mastodon is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 2000. The group is composed of Troy Sanders (bass/vocals), Brent Hinds, Bill Kelliher, and Brann Dailor (drums/vocals). Mastodon has released seven studio albums, as well as a number of other releases. The band's 2002 debut album, Remission, garnered significant critical acclaim for its unique sound. Mastodon's second full-length release, Leviathan, is a concept album based on the novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville. Three magazines awarded the record Album of the Year in 2004: Revolver, Kerrang! and Terrorizer.
Bullet for My Valentine, often abbreviated as BFMV, are a Welsh heavy metal band from Bridgend, Wales, formed in 1998. The band is currently composed of Matthew Tuck, Michael Paget, Jason Bowld (drums) and Jamie Mathias. Former members include Michael Thomas, Jason James and Nick Crandle; the latter were on bass. They were formed under the name Jeff Killed John and started their music career by covering songs by Metallica and Nirvana. Jeff Killed John recorded six songs which were not released; two of these tracks were reworked later in their career as Bullet for My Valentine. A change of style from that of Jeff Killed John led the band to change their name. In 2002, the band secured a five-album deal with Sony BMG. The band has stated that their music is influenced by classic metal acts such as Metallica, Iron Maiden and Slayer. The band is part of the Cardiff music scene.
dälek is an American experimental hip hop group formed in Newark, New Jersey in 1998. The group is composed of MC dälek and Mike Manteca.
Nightfall is a Greek extreme metal band from Athens. Formed by vocalist/bassist Efthimis Karadimas in 1991, the group is currently signed to Metal Blade Records. They are widely considered the forerunners to a "mediterranean way to black metal" together with Inchiuvatu and Moonspell.
Five Finger Death Punch, also abbreviated as 5FDP or FFDP, is an American heavy metal band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2005. The band's name comes from kung fu cinema. The band originally consisted of vocalist Ivan Moody, guitarist Zoltan Bathory, guitarist Caleb Andrew Bingham, bassist Matt Snell, and drummer Jeremy Spencer. Bingham was replaced by guitarist Darrell Roberts in 2006, who was then replaced by Jason Hook in 2009. Bassist Matt Snell departed from the band in 2010, and was replaced by Chris Kael in 2011. Spencer then departed the band in 2018 due to re-occurring back issues, and was replaced by Charlie Engen, making vocalist Moody and guitarist Bathory the only original members of the band.
Job for a Cowboy is an American death metal band from Glendale, Arizona. Formed in 2003, the band's debut album Genesis was released in 2007, peaking at No. 54 on the US Billboard 200 and selling 13,000 copies in its first week of release. The second album, 2009's Ruination, sold 10,600 copies in the United States in its first week to debut at position No. 42 on the Billboard 200 chart. The band comprises vocalist Jonny Davy, guitarists Tony Sannicandro and Al Glassman and bassist Nick Schendzielos. Davy is the only remaining founding member.
Cody R. Simpson is an Australian singer, songwriter, dancer, actor, and model.
Zombie is the first EP by American metalcore band The Devil Wears Prada. It was released on August 23, 2010. The band announced they would tour in support of the EP's five year anniversary, where they will play the album in its entirety.
Black Veil Brides is an American rock band based in Hollywood, California. The group formed in 2006 in Cincinnati, Ohio and is currently composed of Andy Biersack, Jake Pitts, Jinxx, Lonny Eagleton, and Christian "CC" Coma (drums). Black Veil Brides are known for their use of black makeup, body paint, tight black studded clothing, and long hair, which were all inspired by the stage personas of KISS and Mötley Crüe, as well as other 1980s glam metal acts.
Dominic Ross Hunn, better known by his stage name Dom Kennedy, is an American rapper from Leimert Park, Los Angeles, California. Since 2008, Kennedy has released 5 independent mixtapes, most notably his 2010 "critically acclaimed mixtape" From the Westside with Love. His first commercial studio album From the Westside with Love II was released on iTunes June 28, 2011. Despite it being his iTunes debut, FTWSWL2 received "a top 10 spot on Hip Hop/Rap albums chart during its release week" and was Kennedy's first album associated with The OpM Company, Kennedy's self-established record label. His song "My Type of Party" was ranked by Complex at #43 in the magazine's Best 50 Songs of 2012 list.
Dom is an American pop / electronic solo musical project by Dominic Cournoyer originating from Worcester, Massachusetts. With warped vocals, fuzzy lo-fi distortion, and broken Casio keyboard lines, Dom filters a DIY aesthetic through the upbeat, sunny rhythms of pop music.
Halos for Heros, Dirt for the Dead is the debut EP by American rock band A Day to Remember.
Matthew Tyler Musto, known professionally as Blackbear, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has released five studio albums, six EPs, one mixtape and two collaborative albums. Musto is also a member of the alternative hip hop/R&B duo Mansionz with American singer and rapper Mike Posner.
Cane Hill is an American heavy metal band formed in New Orleans, Louisiana in 2011. The band consists of vocalist Elijah Witt, guitarist James Barnett, bass guitarist Ryan Henriquez, and percussionist Devin Clark. In 2015, the band signed to Rise Records, releasing their debut EP, Cane Hill. They released their debut full-length studio album, Smile, on July 15, 2016. On January 19, 2018, their sophomore album Too Far Gone, was released, again via Rise Records. "Too Far Gone" reached number 1 on Billboards Heatseakers Chart.
Dominic Michael Merendino-Sarich, better known by his stage name Dom Sicily, is an American record producer, rapper, disc jockey (DJ) from Seattle, Washington. He is of Sicilian and Croatian descent.
