Revolution Saints　

Hard rock three-piece Revolution Saints feature the talents of former Ozzy Osbourne, Journey, and Bad English drummer/vocalist Deen Castronovo, Night Ranger and Damn Yankees bassi ..more

Dream Theater　

The technically proficient guitar playing of John Petrucci elevated Dream Theater to the upper echelons of contemporary heavy metal. While its lineup has continuously evolved, the Long Island-ba ..more

Mama's Boys　

In the wake of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal explosion of the early ’80s, several bands attempted to blend in with the movement even though they formed long after such bands as Iron Maiden ..more

Slayer　

Slayer were one of the most distinctive, influential, and extreme thrash metal bands of the 1980s. Their graphic lyrics dealt with everything from death and dismemberment to war and the horrors of ..more

Firewind　

Yet another power metal ensemble showcasing the widely acknowledged and always in-demand talents of Greek guitar hero Gus G. (whose real name is Kostas Karamitroudis, and whose other credits inc ..more

Kerry King　

Kreator　

Arguably the most influential and successful European thrash metal band ever, Germany’s Kreator are also by far the most enduring. Like many of their European speed metal brethren, Kreator fused ..more

Lillian Axe　

This melodic rock quintet, originally from Michigan, was formed by Ron Taylor (vocals), Steve Blaze (guitar), Jon Ster (guitar, keyboards), Rob Stratton (bass), and Danny King (drums). ..more

Stryper　

Heavy metal has been associated with ol’ Beelzebub ever since its inception, but a few acts took the opposite route and put their Christian beliefs in hard-rocking songs, such as Stryper. Formed in ..more

Vandenberg　

Led by guitarist Adrian Vandenberg, this Dutch hard-rock band also included singer Bert Heerink, bassist Dick Kemper, and drummer Joe Zoomer. After failing to break through, the band broke ..more

Europe　

Originally a progressive rock group, Europe didn’t achieve success until they reworked their sound into bombastic yet melodic pop-metal. In their first incarnation, the Swedish band was called Forc ..more

Extreme　

Extreme’s music was never easy to classify, since it rarely confined itself to heavy metal, hard rock, or pop. The Massachusetts-based band formed in 1985; guitarist Nuno Bettencourt had already ..more

Bring Me The Horizon　

Fronted by a tattooed clothing designer and influenced by death metal, grindcore, and emo, Bring Me the Horizon aren’t the average deathcore band. The group was formed in 2004 from the ashes of sev ..more

Autumn's Child　

Sonata Arctica　

Finnish prog metal quartet Sonata Arctica specializes in a soaring, orchestral variation on European heavy metal, fusing the sweeping, romantic bombast of bands like Europe with the over-t ..more

Enuff Z'Nuff　

If there is such a thing as false advertising in rock ＆ roll, then Enuff Z’nuff is one of its textbook examples. Packaged in garish peace-glam attire by their record company, the group was wrongly ..more

Primal Fear　

The European power metal combo Primal Fear has been kicking around the metal underground for years, refining their brand of melodic riffing and soaring vocals. Their sound, highly influenced by G ..more

KK's Priest　

Tygers of Pan Tang　

Hailing from the tiny town of Whitley Bay in North-East England, the Tygers of Pan Tang (whose name originated from the Michael Moorcock novel Stormbringer) formed when aspiring vocalist Je ..more

Queensryche　

Although they were initially grouped with the legions of pop-metal bands that dominated the American heavy metal scene of the ’80s, Queensryche were one of the most distinctive bands of the era. Wh ..more