Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist Jesse Leach, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz, bassist Mike D'Antonio, and drummer Justin Foley. Howard Jones was the band's lead vocalist from 2002 to 2012.
Metalcore is a broadly defined fusion genre combining elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk, that originated in the late 1980s. Metalcore is noted for its use of breakdowns, which are slow, intense passages conducive to moshing, while other defining instrumentation includes heavy and percussive pedal point guitar riffs 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.
Avenged Sevenfold is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist M. Shadows, rhythm guitarist Zacky Vengeance, lead guitarist Synyster Gates, bassist Johnny Christ, and drummer Brooks Wackerman.
Bullet for My Valentine, often abbreviated as BFMV, are a Welsh heavy metal band from Bridgend, formed in 1998. The band is currently composed of Matthew Tuck, Michael Paget, Jason Bowld (drums) and Jamie Mathias (bass). 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.
Trivium is an American heavy metal band from Orlando, Florida, formed in 1999. The band comprises vocalist and guitarist Matt Heafy, guitarist Corey Beaulieu, bassist Paolo Gregoletto, and drummer Alex Bent.
Arise and Ruin was a Canadian metalcore band from Guelph, Ontario. Its members were Ryan Bauchman (vocals), Ben Alexis (bass), Derek Prince-Cox (drums), and guitarists Brent Munger, Sam Pattison, and Greg Richmond.
Bury Tomorrow are a British metalcore band formed in 2006 in Southampton, Hampshire, England. The band is composed of six members; lead vocalist Daniel Winter-Bates, bassist Davyd Winter-Bates, drummer Adam Jackson, lead guitarist Kristan Dawson, who replaced founding guitarist Mehdi Vismara in 2013, rhythm guitarist Ed Hartwell, and keyboardist and vocalist Tom Prendergast, who both replaced Jason Cameron in 2021. Bury Tomorrow have released seven studio albums, their most recent being The Seventh Sun, released on 31 March 2023.
Beartooth is an American rock band founded by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Caleb Shomo in Columbus, Ohio, in 2012. Originally Shomo performed every instrument when in the studio, before being joined by a four-piece band. Beartooth has been signed to Red Bull Records since 2013; its debut EP Sick was released on July 26, 2013, followed by the debut full-length album Disgusting on June 10, 2014. Since then, Shomo has released a further three studio albums under the Beartooth moniker: Aggressive (2016), Disease (2018), and Below (2021). The band's fifth studio album, The Surface, was released on October 13, 2023.
Fit for an Autopsy is an American deathcore band from Jersey City, New Jersey, formed in 2007. The band consists of guitarists Pat Sheridan, Will Putney and Tim Howley, drummer Josean Orta, vocalist Joe Badolato, and bassist Peter "Blue" Spinazola. They are currently signed to Nuclear Blast and have released seven studio albums since formation.
I Prevail is an American rock band formed in Southfield, Michigan, in 2013. They released their debut EP Heart vs. Mind (2014) and rose to popularity from releasing a metal cover of Taylor Swift's "Blank Space" as a single, which eventually was certified platinum in the US. The band has since released three studio albums: Lifelines (2016), Trauma (2019), and True Power (2022). The band found success with their original material as well, with the singles "Breaking Down" and "Hurricane" performing well on rock radio, the single "Bow Down" being nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2019, and Trauma being nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album the same year.
Bad Omens is an American alternative metal band from Richmond, Virginia, formed in 2015 by vocalist and producer Noah Sebastian, guitarist Nicholas Ruffilo, and bassist Vincent Riquier. The band was later joined by guitarist and producer Joakim "Jolly" Karlsson and drummer Nick Folio, releasing their critically acclaimed debut self-titled album in 2016 under Sumerian Records. Their second full-length album, Finding God Before God Finds Me, was released in 2019, with a deluxe edition released in 2020. Their third album, The Death of Peace of Mind, was released in 2022, and spawned the sleeper hit "Just Pretend", which has become Bad Omens' biggest hit to date and was certified platinum by the RIAA.
Vein.fm is an American metalcore band from Boston that formed in 2013. They are known for their frequent tours and have performed shows with groups such as Code Orange and Twitching Tongues while in Europe. In 2017 the band was signed onto Closed Casket Activities, who would issue their first full-length work Errorzone to positive reception among critics, even appearing on Revolver's early "Best Albums of 2018" list. The album also managed to peak at number 21 on Billboard's Hard Rock album chart. In July 2020, after the release of their remix album, the band announced it changed its name to Vein.fm.
Errorzone is the debut studio album by American metalcore band Vein, which was released on June 22, 2018, through Closed Casket Activities. Noted by critics for taking influence from nu metal, mathcore, and screamo, the album has gained praise for its genre-bending style. To promote the record, music videos were produced for the tracks "Virus://Vibrance" and "Demise Automation". The album peaked at number 21 on the hard rock Billboard chart within its first week of release.
Atonement is the eighth studio album by American metalcore band Killswitch Engage, released through Metal Blade Records on August 16, 2019. Lead single "Unleashed" was released on June 25, and followed by "I Am Broken Too" in July which would later follow up with a music video in August, as well as "The Signal Fire" shortly before the album's release. The band began a co-headlining tour of North America with Clutch in promotion of the album in July.
Rapture is the fourth and final studio album by French metalcore band Betraying the Martyrs. It was released on 13 September 2019 through Sumerian Records and was produced by Henrik Udd. It is the band's first release with lead guitarist Steeves Hostin. It is the last album to feature the band's vocalist Aaron Matts before he left the band in April 2021. It is also their last album to be released on this label before the band signed to Out of Line Music in October 2021, and their final studio album overall before their breakup in 2023.
Tallah is an American heavy metal band from Pennsylvania. They are currently signed to Earache Records. The band consists of vocalist Justin Bonitz, lead guitarist Derrick Schneider, rhythm guitarist Alex Snowden and drummer Max Portnoy.
"Shed My Skin" is a song recorded by Dutch symphonic metal band Within Temptation in collaboration with German metalcore band annisokay. It was released as a single worldwide via digital download and streaming on 25 June 2021. The song was produced by their longtime producer Daniel Gibson, with Mathijs Tieken and Within Temptation serving as additional producers.
Scoring the End of the World is the sixth studio album by American metalcore band Motionless in White. It was released on June 10, 2022, through Roadrunner Records. The album was produced by Drew Fulk and Justin DeBlieck. It is the band's first album to feature drummer Vinny Mauro and bassist Justin Morrow performing on the release.
Splinters from an Ever-Changing Face is the debut studio album by American hardcore punk/metalcore band End, which was released on June 5, 2020, through Closed Casket Activities. The album was recorded and produced in the Graphic Nature Audio studio by member Will Putney.
Profound Morality is the third extended play by British metalcore band Heriot, released on 29 April 2022 through Church Road Records. It is the band's first release as a quartet, featuring guitarist and vocalist Debbie Gough, who joined in 2019. The band wrote and recorded the bulk of the EP in five days at their rehearsal space in Bristol in April 2021. Whilst primarily categorized as a metalcore release, Profound Morality's sound combines elements from a variety of genres, including extreme metal, hardcore, industrial and noise music. Its lyrics, inspired by the "rhetoric of wealth and class" during the COVID-19 pandemic, focus on accountability, blame, integrity, questioning power, and identifying your morals.
