Angra was formed in 1991, picking up where Viper had left off playing neo-classical progressive metal. Singer Andre Matos left Viper after the Theatre of Fate album due to creative differences. Andre soon hooked up with guitarist Kiko Loureiro to form Angra; they were joined by bassist Luis Mariutti, guitarist Rafael Bittencourt and drummer... [+] Read More

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Alongside Switzerland's Celtic Frost and Sweden's Bathory, Germany's Helloween were possibly the most influential heavy metal band to come out of Europe during the 1980s. By taking the hard riffing and minor key melodies handed down from metal masters like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, then infusing them with the speed and energy introduced by... [+] Read More

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Although Helsinki, Finland heavy metal band Stratovarius was formed in 1982 by drummer Tuomo Lassila, the group did not record its debut album, Fright Night, until 1989 (after which Lassila departed). 1992's Twilight Time established a fan base in Japan, becoming the biggest-selling import of that year; Stratovarius consolidated its Japanese... [+] Read More

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Avantasia was an all-star side project headed by Tobias Sammet, lead singer of the prog-tinged German power metal band Edguy. While recording a guest appearance from Blind Guardian singer Hansi Kursch with his regular band, Sammet conceived of a massive-scale rock opera featuring the cream of the current power metal scene. He spent a year... [+] Read More

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Edguy is a neo-classical metal band from Germany. Featuring Tobias Sammet on vocals and bass, Jens Ludwig and Dirk Sauer on guitar, and Felix Bohnke, they released their first album, Kingdom of Madness, in 1997 when all members were still in their teens. This album is good, but inconsistent. In 1998, their second album, Vain Glory Opera, took a... [+] Read More

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Following their formation in 1993, Hammerfall underwent numerous personnel changes before settling on their current lineup, which includes principal songwriters Joachim Cans (vocals) and Oscar Dronjak (guitars). In Flames skinbeater Jesper Stromblad contributed to their debut, although Patrick Rafling replaced him soon after. Since the release... [+] Read More

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Formed in 1991, the American metal outfit Kamelot did not record its debut album, Eternity, until four years later; Dominion followed shortly thereafter. For 1998's Siege Perilous, the band revamped its lineup, adding drummer Casey Grillo and ex-Conception vocalist Roy Kahn to veterans Thomas Youngblood, David Pavlicko, and Glenn Barry; Fourth... [+] Read More

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Royal Hunt began in 1991 when bandleader Andre Anderson, originally from Moscow, joined up in Denmark with singer Henrik Brockmann, bassist Steen Mogensen, and drummer Kenneth Olson. With Andre on keyboards and session musicians playing guitar, Royal Hunt was set to record their first album, Land of Broken Hearts. This was a basic rock set... [+] Read More

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