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

Stone Fury　

Slash　

As the lead guitarist for Guns N’ Roses, Slash established himself as one of hard rock’s finest and most soulful soloists during the late ’80s, technically adept yet always firmly grounded in th ..more

Slipknot　

Slipknot’s mix of grinding, post-Korn alternative metal, Marilyn Manson-esque neo-shock rock, and rap-metal helped make them one of the most popular bands in the so-called nu-metal explosion ..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

Sebastian Bach　

The one-time frontman for hair metal hitmakers Skid Row, singer Sebastian Bach was born Sebastian Bierk in the Bahamas on April 3, 1968. A veteran of short-lived, little-known bands including He ..more

SODOM　

This German black metal band’s early lineup consisted of Tom Angelripper (bass/vocals), Aggressor (guitar/vocals), and Chris Witchhunter Dudek (drums). They were heavily influenced by thras ..more

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

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

Children Of Bodom　

Combining elements of melodic death metal, power metal, neo-classical, and thrash, Children of Bodom have been one of the world’s most expansive and hard to define bands since their formation in 19 ..more

TNT　

Tesla　

Although Tesla emerged during the glory days of hair metal, the band’s music was equally indebted to contemporary blues and ’70s-style hard rock, a fusion that helped differentiate albums lik ..more

Dio　

For a brief spell during the mid-’80s, the heavy metal quintet Dio were one of the top U.S. concert attractions, boasting one of the most over the top stage acts of its time loaded with props an ..more

Deicide　

Controversy has plagued Florida-based quartet Deicide. During their first tour in 1992, the band was severely criticized for their statements in favor of animal sacrifices. Their Stockholm, Sweden ..more

Death　

Over the course of more than a decade and seven increasingly accomplished albums, Chuck Schuldiner, the architect behind the ubiquitous Death, became a bona fide heavy metal icon. Now widely ..more

Def Leppard　

UK heavy metal top band Def Leppard dates back to Atmoic Mass, formed in 1977 by Rick Savage (bassist) and Pete Wills (guitarist). Let’s take a review at their long and winding career. ..more

Tommy Bolin　

It’s hard to listen to the music of Tommy Bolin and not wonder what could’ve been if the exceptionally talented (and versatile) guitarist hadn’t succumbed to a senseless drug overdose at the age of ..more

Dokken　

At a time when the charts were ruled by pop-metal acts, Dokken was a major attraction throughout the 1980s. With vocalist Don Dokken’s captivating stage presence and guitarist George Lynch ..more

DragonForce　

U.K.-based power metal sextet DragonForce formed in 1999 around the twin-guitar assault of Herman Li and Sam Totman, keyboard player Vadim Pruzhanov, and the powerful vocals of ZP Theart ..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