Articles

Def Leppard were formed in England in 1977 by Joe Elliot (vocals & guitar), Pete Willis (guitar), Rick Savage (bass), and Tony Kenning (drums). Joe soon left the guitar, and Steve Clark was hired. There were also changes on drums before Rick Allen joined. "On Through the Night" was released in 1980. They played heavy metal with hard rock and some glam influences. Unfortunately, they took a soft approach and weren't entirely convincing, but they delivered a decent album and gained a foothold…

Running Wild was founded in 1976 by Rock 'N' Rolf Kasparek (vocals & guitar), Uwe Bendig (guitar), Carsten David (bass), and Hasche Hagemann (drums) as Granite Heart. After changing their name and replacing Uwe and Carsten with Preacher Warnecke and, after some back and forth, Stephan Boris, they recorded "Gates To Purgatory" in 1984. The album was strong, and its speed metal with black metal influences attracted attention.

Preacher then left the band and was replaced by Majk Moti. Thus,…

Black Label Society is an American heavy metal band founded in 1998 by Zakk Wylde, former guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne. Wylde is not only the founder, but also the creative force and figurehead of the band—as singer, lead guitarist, and main composer, he has a decisive influence on the musical and visual image of Black Label Society.

Style and musical direction

Musically, the band combines classic heavy metal with southern rock, blues, and doom influences. The result is a powerful, uncompromising…

Europe is a Swedish hard rock band that was formed in 1979 in Upplands Väsby, a suburb of Stockholm. The band is one of Sweden's most internationally renowned rock groups and celebrated its greatest commercial success in 1986 with the global hit "The Final Countdown." With this song and the album of the same name, Europe achieved cult status and became a fixture of 1980s rock.

Early years and name change

The band was originally founded under the name Force by singer Joey Tempest (born Rolf Magnus…

Uriah Heep is a British hard rock legend formed in London in 1969. The band's name comes from a character in Charles Dickens' novel David Copperfield—the sleazy and conniving office assistant Uriah Heep—which lent a certain theatricality to the band's name from the very beginning. As one of the most influential rock bands of the 1970s, Uriah Heep stands alongside greats like Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath—particularly when it comes to the early pioneers of hard rock and…

Guns N' Roses is an influential American hard rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1985. With their energetic sound, which combines hard rock, punk, and blues rock, they had a decisive influence on rock music in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The band is one of the most commercially successful rock acts in music history, with around 100 million records sold worldwide, including over 42 million in the US alone.

In April 2012, Guns N' Roses was inducted into the prestigious…

In 2008, guitarist Scott Holiday, drummer Michael Miley, and bassist Robin Everhart formed the band Rival Sons after their previous project, Black Summer Crush, which they had run with Thomas Flowers (lead singer of the band Oleander), had broken up.

While searching for a suitable frontman, they came across Jay Buchanan, whose voice had already impressed Miley. After an initial unsuccessful attempt, the band finally managed to contact Buchanan via MySpace—and ultimately recruited him as the…

The Pretty Reckless is an American rock band from New York City, whose musical style is primarily alternative rock, post-grunge, and hard rock. The band was founded in 2009 by singer and frontwoman Taylor Momsen, who had previously gained notoriety through her acting career, including appearances on the television series Gossip Girl, and as a model. The band was originally called The Reckless, but for trademark reasons, the name had to be changed to The Pretty Reckless.

The band formed a…

Lordi is a Finnish hard rock and heavy metal band formed in 1992. They are known for their unusual stage costumes, which depict zombies and monsters. Similar to Kiss, Twisted Sister, Accept, Zodiac Mindwarp, W.A.S.P. or Alice Cooper, but with modern elements such as electronic sounds.

It is remarkable how Lordi combines elements of classic heavy metal with modern influences such as electronic sounds to create a sound that is both nostalgically familiar and fresh and contemporary. This artistic…

Napalm Death were formed in 1991 by singer and bassist Nik Bullen and drummer Miles The Rat. Among a host of other lineup changes, Miles was quickly replaced by Mick Harris, and they also found a guitarist in Justin Broadrick. This lineup recorded fourteen songs in one session in 1986, including the now-iconic "You Suffer," which lasts just one second. However, since the other songs were also extremely short, they could only fit on one side of the LP. This led to disputes within the band, which…

Enslaved is an influential Norwegian metal band formed in Haugesund in 1991 and is now considered one of the defining bands of Viking metal and progressive black metal. Their name, which translates as "enslaved," was suggested by Demonaz (Immortal) – inspired by the Immortal song "Enslaved in Red."

Foundation and Musical Roots

Enslaved was founded by Grutle Kjellson (bass, vocals) and Ivar Bjørnson (guitar, keyboards), who previously played together in the death metal band Phobia. Disappointed…

Linkin Park is a band founded in Los Angeles in 1996, which is mostly classified as crossover or nu metal. High chart positions in the US and Germany, among other countries, massive airplay, various music awards, and ongoing support from the mass media and fans are the reasons why Linkin Park is now considered one of the best-known and best-selling rock bands. Mike Shinoda and Brad Delson knew each other from high school. A concert they attended together in 1991 by the thrash metal band Anthrax…

System of a Down (abbreviated SOAD) is an alternative metal band founded in California in 1995 that combines various musical genres. All band members are of Armenian descent. In 1993, Serj Tankian (vocals, keyboard) and Daron Malakian (guitar, vocals) formed the band Soil (not to be confused with the band SOiL). In 1994, the band met Shavo Odadjian, who had attended the same Armenian private school in California as Serj and Daron. In 1995, Serj and Daron founded the band System of a Down. The…

As I Lay Dying (AILD for short) is an American metalcore band from San Diego, California, formed in 2000 by former Society's Finest guitarist Tim Lambesis and drummer Jordan Mancino. The band's name is a reference to the novel "As I Lay Dying" by American author William Faulkner.

The first complete lineup was formed in 2001, and in June of that year, the band released their debut album "Beneath the Encasing of Ashes" on the indie label Pluto Records. This was followed in 2002 by a split CD with…

Marilyn Manson is the name of an American rock band centered around singer Brian Hugh Warner, who is also known by his stage name Marilyn Manson. Since Warner is both the creative force and public face of the band, the name Marilyn Manson is often used to refer to him as an individual. As a result, both in the media and in the perception of many fans, the boundaries between the band as a collective and Warner as its central figure are often blurred.

Long before the enigmatic aura surrounding…

Machine Head is an American metal band from Oakland, California, founded in 1991 by singer and guitarist Robert Flynn. Stylistically, the band is often classified as neo-thrash, a modern offshoot of thrash metal, although their music also features elements of groove metal, heavy metal, and occasionally metalcore.

Since 2013, Machine Head has been signed to Nuclear Blast Entertainment, a sublabel of Nuclear Blast. Their discography to date includes several studio albums, including influential…

Pantera (Spanish: Panther) was an American metal band from Fort Worth, Texas. The exact date of the band's formation cannot currently be verified by official sources, but it most likely took place in 1981. Pantera's music had a strong influence on the development of modern metal. From 1983 to 1985, Pantera released the albums Metal Magic, Projects in the Jungle, and I Am the Night without the support of a record company. The first record, Metal Magic, is a collection of songs that stylistically…

Sepultura (Portuguese for "grave") is one of the most influential metal bands from South America and was founded in 1984 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The band is known for its powerful mix of thrash, death, and groove metal, which it has enriched throughout its career with influences from traditional Brazilian music as well as hardcore and tribal rhythms.

The band's name came about through a translation of the Motörhead song "Dancing on Your Grave," which the band members translated into…

Killswitch Engage is a metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts (USA). Founded in 1999, the band is signed to Roadrunner Records and has released six studio albums and one DVD to date. Their third studio album, The End of Heartache, was certified gold in the USA. The title track was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Metal Performance category.

When the metal band Overcast broke up in 1998, bassist and songwriter Mike D'Antonio and guitarist Pete Cortese looked for other musicians to form a…

Caliban is a German metalcore band that was founded in Hattingen in 1997 and is considered one of the most important bands of its genre in the German-speaking world – often mentioned in the same breath as Heaven Shall Burn. The band's name refers to Caliban, a dark character from William Shakespeare's play "The Tempest," who appears there as the deformed son of the witch Sycorax.

The band originally operated under the name Never Again, but changed it in the year it was founded. After about six…