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-based quintet has consistently delivered sharp-edged music. Dream Theater is known for its high-energy concert performances. While they've released several... [+] Read More

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With their fusion of heavy metal, funk, hip-hop, and progressive rock, Faith No More has earned a substantial cult following. By the time they recorded their first album in 1985, the band had already had a string of lead vocalists, including Courtney Love; their debut, We Care a Lot, featured Chuck Mosley's abrasive vocals but was driven by Jim... [+] Read More

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So named in honor of the anti-hero of a series of legendary French crime novels, Fantomas was formed by singer Mike Patton in the wake of the breakup of his previous band, Faith No More. After cutting a rough demo in early 1998, Patton recruited Melvins guitarist Buzz Osbourne, Mr. Bungle bassist Trevor Dunn, and Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo to... [+] Read More

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The German alt-rock quartet Guano Apes consists of vocalists Sandra Nasic, guitarist Henning Ruemenapp, bassist Stefan Ude and drummer Dennis Poschwatta. Ude, Ruemenapp and Poschwatta had been playing together for awhile and added Nasic in time to win first place in the 1996 "Local Heroes" competition held by VIVA, Germany's music TV channel.... [+] Read More

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Korn's cathartic alternative metal sound positioned the group among the most popular and provocative to emerge during the post-grunge era. Korn began their existence as the Bakersfield, CA-based metal band LAPD, which included guitarists James "Munky" Shaffer and Brian "Head" Welch, bassist Reginald "Fieldy Snuts" Arvizu, and drummer David... [+] Read More

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The pioneering force behind the rise of trip-hop, Massive Attack were among the most innovative and influential groups of their generation; their hypnotic sound -- a darkly sensual and cinematic fusion of hip-hop rhythms, soulful melodies, dub grooves, and choice samples -- set the pace for much of the dance music to emerge throughout the 1990s,... [+] Read More

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From their humble beginnings in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Sepultura went on to become the most successful Brazilian heavy metal band in history. Over a ten-year period, the band grew from strength to strength, transforming itself from a primitive death metal ensemble into one of the leading creative trendsetters of the international aggressive... [+] Read More

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Upon his exit from Sepultura in late 1996, singer/guitarist/songwriter Max Cavalera almost automatically set out to form his next musical endeavor, the ultra-heavy Soulfly. Besides leaving one of the most popular heavy metal bands in the world, which he co-founded in the early '80s, he also had to deal with the unsolved murder of Dana Wells, his... [+] Read More

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In the 1970s, Tom Waits combined a lyrical focus on desperate, lowlife characters with a persona that seemed to embody the same lifestyle, which he sang about in a raspy, gravelly voice. From the '80s on, his work became increasingly theatrical as he moved into acting and composing. Growing up in southern California, Waits attracted the... [+] Read More

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Tool's greatest breakthrough was to introduce dark, vaguely underground metal to the preening pretentiousness of art rock. Or maybe it was introducing the self-absorbed pretension of art rock to the wearing grind of post-thrash metal -- the order really doesn't matter. Though Metallica wrote their multi-sectioned, layered songs as if they were... [+] Read More

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