Dead Letters is the fifth album by Finnish band The Rasmus released in 2003. It was released later in 2004 in the US, UK and Australia. Their previous album, Into, had seen some success in some parts of Europe, particularly Scandinavia and Germany, but Dead Letters signified the band's major break-through. The album received 8 Gold and 6 Platinum music certification awards. Lead single "In the Shadows" received 6 gold and 2 platinum awards, selling over 1 million copies and breaking the record for performance royalties received abroad on a Finnish composition.
Dark Funeral is a Swedish black metal band from Stockholm, founded by guitarists Blackmoon and Lord Ahriman in 1993. They emerged during the second wave of black metal.
Love Metal is the fourth studio album by Finnish gothic rock band HIM. Released on 11 April 2003, HIM began recording demos for the album in northern spring 2002, after an exhausting touring cycle for their previous album, which nearly broke the band up. Excited and invigorated by the new material, HIM entered Finnvox Studios in September 2002 with producer Hiili Hiilesmaa, who had previously helmed the group's 1997 debut album. Musically Love Metal featured a more raw and organic sound, inspired by the band's early influences, which was also seen as a reaction to the difficulties they faced while recording their previous album. Vocalist Ville Valo has since described Love Metal as the album where HIM found their sound. Love Metal was also the band's first album to predominantly feature their logo, the Heartagram, on the cover, while the album's title was coined in the mid-nineties as a description for HIM's musical genre.
Paradise Lost is the tenth studio album by British heavy metal band Paradise Lost. It was recorded between January and June 2004 at Chapel Studios, Lincolnshire and Hollypark Lane, Los Angeles; it was mixed and mastered at Green Jacket Studios.
Mikael Svanberg, better known as Lord Ahriman, is a Swedish musician and composer best known as the primary guitarist, songwriter and sole founding member of black metal band Dark Funeral. He is also the rhythm guitarist in the band Wolfen Society. His name is derived from Ahriman, the evil equivalent of the deity Angra Mainyu in Zoroastrianism.
One Second is the sixth album released by British metal band Paradise Lost. The album marks the group's transition from a gothic metal act to a more electronic direction. It is the bestselling record of their career and enabled the band to sign with the German branch of major label EMI. One Second is Paradise Lost's first album recorded in digital format.
Insomnium is a melodic death metal band from Joensuu, Finland. The sound and lyrical themes of their music portray darkness, sorrow, loss, pain, and nature. They are primarily a melodic death metal band with occasional elements of doom metal and progressive metal.
Haven is the eleventh studio album by American power metal band Kamelot, released in North America on May 5, 2015 and world-wide on May 8. The album is produced by Sascha Paeth and mastered by Jacob Hansen. The cover and artwork were created by Stefan Heilemann and the additional art/layout were done by Gustavo Sazes. It features guest appearances by Alissa White-Gluz, Troy Donockley and Charlotte Wessels. It is also the band's first album with Napalm Records.
Hammer of the Witches is the eleventh studio album by the English extreme metal band, Cradle of Filth. It was released on 10 July 2015 and is their first release under record label Nuclear Blast. Hammer of the Witches features the band's new line-up following the departure of Paul Allender and James McIlroy, which includes new guitarists Marek 'Ashok' Šmerda and Richard Shaw and new keyboardist and female vocalist Lindsay Schoolcraft.
Feel the Misery is the 12th studio album by British doom metal band My Dying Bride. It was released on 18 September 2015 on Peaceville Records.
The Shadow Self is the sixth studio album released by Finnish vocalist Tarja Turunen. The record was released on 5 August 2016. The record produced two singles.
Atoma is the eleventh full-length studio album by Swedish melodic death metal band Dark Tranquillity. It was released on 4 November 2016 through Century Media Records. Atoma is the band's first studio album with new bassist Anders Iwers, who replaced founding member Martin Henriksson, after Henriksson left the band in early 2016 due to loss of passion for playing music. Atoma is the last release to feature founding lead guitarist Niklas Sundin, who would depart from the band in March 2020.
The Stage is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. It was released on October 28, 2016, through Capitol Records, their first release through the label. It is the first Avenged Sevenfold album to feature drummer Brooks Wackerman, who joined the band in November 2015 but was not revealed as previous drummer Arin Ilejay's official replacement until Ilejay's departure in 2015, because the band wanted to find a drummer that would "fit in".
Rheia is the third studio album by Belgian band Oathbreaker. The album was produced by Jack Shirley and released through independent record label Deathwish Inc. on September 30, 2016. Oathbreaker toured internationally in support of Rheia from September until December with Skeletonwitch and Iron Reagan. The title references Rhea, mother goddess in Greek mythology.
Fifty Shades Darker is the soundtrack album to the 2017 film Fifty Shades Darker, an adaptation of E. L. James's novel of the same name. The soundtrack album was released through Republic Records on February 10, 2017. The lead single, "I Don't Wanna Live Forever", was performed by Taylor Swift and Zayn Malik and was released on December 9, 2016. The single was commercially successful, reaching number five on United Kingdom and number two on the Billboard Hot 100. The film's soundtrack was released in two separate versions; one for the 19 popular artists songs used in the film, and another separate release for the original score composed for the film by Danny Elfman. Two of Elfman's themes were also included on the popular artists version of the soundtrack release.
Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay is the twelfth studio album by the British extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. It was released on 22 September 2017 through Nuclear Blast Records. It is the second and final album to feature Lindsay Schoolcraft on narration before her departure in February 2020.
Berdreyminn is the sixth album by the Icelandic heavy metal band Sólstafir. It was released on May 26, 2017 through the record label Season of Mist.
Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex is the third studio album by Anglo-Swiss symphonic power metal band Gloryhammer. It was released on 31 May 2019. It is the final album to feature vocalist Thomas Winkler.
Spiritual Instinct is the sixth studio album by French post-black metal band Alcest. The album was released on 25 October 2019 through Nuclear Blast and garnered mostly positive reviews from critics. Spiritual Instinct features Alcest live bassist Indria Saray performing on bass in the studio for the second time in the history of the band after Kodama.
We Are the Apocalypse is the seventh studio album by black metal band Dark Funeral. The album was released through Century Media Records on 18 March 2022. The album is the first to feature the band's new drummer, Jalomaah, and bass player, Adra-Melek. The album was recorded in Studio 33 and was engineered by Fredrik Thordendal and Daniel Bergstrand. It peaked at No. 6, No. 13, and No. 28 in the German, Finnish, and Swiss albums charts respectively.
