AC / DC　

AC/DC’s mammoth power chord roar became one of the most influential hard rock sounds of the ’70s, and is now one of the defining sounds of rock and metal. In its own way, it was a reaction against ..more

Accept　

With their brutal, simple riffs and aggressive, fast tempos, Accept are one of the top metal bands to debut in the early ’80s, and a major influence on the development of thrash. Led by the unique ..more

Ace Frehley　

Along with Eddie Van Halen, Kiss’ Ace Frehley inspired numerous up-and-coming rockers to pick up the guitar in the 1970s -- and come the ’90s, he was listed by just about every contemporary r ..more

Alcatrazz　

Alcatrazz was originally formed as a vehicle for vocalist Graham Bonnet, but became famous for introducing budding guitar heroes instead, namely Swedish phenom Yngwie J. Malmsteen and ex-Fr ..more

Alice Cooper　

Originally, there was a band called Alice Cooper led by a singer named Vincent Damon Furnier. Under his direction, Alice Cooper pioneered a grandly theatrical and violent brand of heavy metal ..more

Amorphis　

Lead guitarist Esa Holopainen and drummer Jan Rechberger formed the band Amorphis in Finland in 1990. To complete their lineup they recruited vocalist/guitarist Tomi Koivusaari and bassist ..more

Anthrax　

Nearly as much as Metallica or Megadeth, Anthrax were responsible for the emergence of speed and thrash metal. Combining the speed and fury of hardcore punk with the prominent guitar ..more

Arch Enemy　

Formed by ex-Carnage, Carcass, and Candlemass guitarist Michael Amott (also of Spiritual Beggars) with his brother Christopher (Armageddon), Arch Enemy took a straight-ahead ap ..more

Autumn's Child　

Badlands　

Led by former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Jake E. Lee and one-time Black Sabbath vocalist Ray Gillen, Badlands was one of the most talented bands to spring from the fertile hair band sce ..more

Black Label Society　

After falling out with mentor Ozzy Osbourne following the recording sessions for 1995’s Ozzmosis, guitarist Zakk Wylde struck out on his own with his first solo album, Book of Shadows, in ..more

Black Sabbath　

An English hard rock institution whose influence on heavy metal cannot be overstated, Black Sabbath not only pioneered the genre, they helped launch the career of one of its most colorful and contr ..more

Black Swan　

Blue Ambition　

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

Bullet For My Valentine　

Since their inception in 2003, Welsh quartet Bullet for My Valentine have been taking cues from ’80s metal bands and the punk-infused metal of the new millennium to make melodic, metallic, dark roc ..more

Cameron Winter　

Cannibal Corpse　

If vomit were a movie, this would be the soundtrack, wrote one critic of Cannibal Corpse’s music, some of the most extreme, violent death metal sounds and subject matter ever committed to tape. R ..more

Chez Kane　

Coroner　

From their modest beginnings as roadies for avant-garde Swiss metal legends Celtic Frost, the members of Coroner carved out one of the most unique careers in the European thrash metal scene. The ..more