Linkin Park

Although rooted in alternative metal, Linkin Park became one of the most successful acts of the early 2000s by welcoming elements of hip-hop, modern rock, and atmospheric

electronica into their music. The band's rise was indebted to the aggressive rap-rock movement made popular by the likes of Korn and Limp Bizkit, a movement that paired grunge's alienation with a bold, buzzing soundtrack. Linkin Park added a unique spin to that formula, however, focusing as much on the vocal interplay between singer Chester Bennington and rapper Mike Shinoda as the band's muscled instrumentation, which layered DJ effects atop heavy, processed guitars. While the group's sales never eclipsed those of its tremendously successful debut, Hybrid Theory, few alt-metal bands rivaled Linkin Park during the band's heyday.

Drummer Rob Bourdon, guitarist Brad Delson, and MC/vocalist Mike Shinoda attended high school in Southern California, where they formed the rap-rock band Xero in 1996. Bassist Dave "Phoenix" Farrell, singer Mark Wakefield, and DJ/art student Joseph Hahn joined soon after, and the band courted various labels while playing hometown shows in Los Angeles. Few companies expressed interest in Xero's self-titled demo tape, however, prompting Wakefield to leave the lineup (he would later resurface as the manager for Taproot). Hybrid Theory became the band's temporary moniker in 1998 as replacement singer Chester Bennington climbed aboard, and the revised band soon settled on a final name: Linkin Park, a misspelled reference to Lincoln Park in Santa Monica. With Bennington and Shinoda sharing vocal duties, the musicians now wielded enough power to distinguish themselves from the wave of nu-metal outfits that had appeared during the decade's latter half. Warner Bros. vice president Jeff Blue took note and signed Linkin Park in 1999, sending the band into the studio with Don Gilmore shortly thereafter.

Linkin Park titled their debut album Hybrid Theory, a tribute to the band's past, and released the record during the fall of 2000. "Crawling" and "In the End" were massive radio hits; the latter song even topped the U.S. Modern Rock chart while peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, an example of the band's crossover appeal. Linkin Park joined the Family Values Tour and also played shows with Cypress Hill, leading the group to log over 320 shows in 2001 alone. Come January 2002, Hybrid Theory had received three Grammy nominations and sold over seven million copies. (Sales later topped ten million, earning the album "diamond status" and making Hybrid Theory one of the most successful debuts ever.) Despite their meteoric rise, however, Linkin Park spent the remainder of the year holed up in the recording studio, again working with producer Don Gilmore on a follow-up album. Meanwhile, the timely summer release of Reanimation helped appease the band's eager audience, offering remixed versions of Hybrid Theory's tracks.

A proper sophomore effort, Meteora, arrived in March 2003, featuring a heavier sound and stronger elements of rap-rock. Although the record spawned several modern rock hits, songs such as "Numb," "Somewhere I Belong," and "Breaking the Habit" furthered the band's crossover appeal by simultaneously charting on the Hot 100. Linkin Park once again supported the album with ample touring, including performances with the second annual Projekt Revolution Tour (the band's own traveling festival, which originally launched in 2002) and additional shows with the likes of Metallica and Limp Bizkit. Live in Texas was released to document the band's strength as a touring act, and the bandmates tackled various personal projects before beginning work on a second remix project.

Released in 2004, Collision Course found the band collaborating with king-of-the-mountain rapper Jay-Z, resulting in a number of mashups that sampled from both artists' catalogs. Collision Course topped the charts upon its release, the first EP to do so since Alice in Chains' Jar of Flies, and Jay-Z furthered his association with the band by asking co-founder Mike Shinoda to explore the possibility of a solo hip-hop project. He did, dubbing the project Fort Minor and releasing The Rising Tied in 2005 with Jay-Z as executive producer. Linkin Park then reconvened in 2006 to begin work on a third studio album, which saw Shinoda sharing production credits with Rick Rubin. The resulting Minutes to Midnight arrived in 2007, debuting at number one in several countries and spawning the Top Ten single "What I've Done." ~ Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide

Three Days Grace

Three Days Grace is a Canadian based band with a passion for post-grunge music, formed in 1992. The members of the band are as follows: Adam Gontier born May 21, 1978 (on guitars and lead vocals), Neil Sanderson born December 17, 1978 (on drums and back up vocals), Barry Stock birth date undisclosed (on lead guitar), and Brad Walst born February 16, 1977 (on bass and back up vocals).
Three Days Grace used to have the stage name of Groundswell. Under that name, the album “Wave of Popular Feeling” was released in 1995, but the recording started on the year the group was formed. Just a few months after the release of their first album, Groundwell disbanded.
In the year 1997, Brad Walst, Adam Gontier, and Neil Sanderson decided to pick up where they left off. At first, the group started as a cover band and utilized the name Three Days Grace. The band then came up with a demo album consisting of three songs with Trevor McNevan’s (of Thousand Foot Krutch) help. Three Days Grace then joined the Thousand Foot Krutch’s tour as an opening act.
In 2003, Three Days Grace released their self-titled debut album with the inclusion of Barry Stock whom they asked to play as lead guitarist. “I Hate Everything About You”, the album’s first single reached the 2nd spot on Modern Rock charts in the US, the 1st spot on the Mainstream Rock charts, and the second spot on Canada’s Rock charts. Other singles that were successful include: “Just Like You” and “Home”.
In 2005, Gontier had to undergo rehabilitation because of his Oxycodone addiction. Gontier, while in rehab, continued writing songs, which he shared with the band in 2006 upon his return. In the same year, Three Days Grace launched their album entitled “One-X” with some of Gontier's compositions: "Animal I Have Become”, “Never Too Late”, "Over and Over", etc.
The following year (2007), Three Days Grace joined different tours with other bands such as Seether, 3 Doors Down, Nickelback, and a lot more. Gontier also collaborated with other groups like Breaking Benjamin and Apolyptica. Just last year (’08), Three Days Grace released their very first live DVD which can be bought from Best Buy in the US and in major retailers in Canada. Three Days Grace is at present busy with writing and recording new songs for their third album to be released within the year.

Green Day

Out of all the post-Nirvana alternative bands to break into the pop mainstream, Green Day were second only to Pearl Jam in terms of influence. At their core, Green Day were simply punk revivalists who recharged the energy of speedy, catchy three-chord punk-pop songs. Though their music wasn't particularly innovative, they brought the sound of late-'70s punk to a new, younger generation with Dookie, their 1994 major-label debut. Dookie sold over ten million copies, paving the way for a string of multi-platinum releases that opened the doors for a flood of American neo-punk, punk metal, and third wave ska revivalists. More than a decade later, as many of their former contemporaries settled into retirement, Green Day remained at the forefront of popular music with albums like the Grammy-winning American Idiot.

Green Day arose from the Northern California underground punk scene. Childhood friends Billie Joe Armstrong (guitar, vocals) and Mike Dirnt (bass; born Mike Pritchard) formed their first band, Sweet Children, in Rodeo, CA, when they were 14 years old. By 1989, the group had added drummer Al Sobrante and changed its name to Green Day. That same year, the band independently released its first EP, 1000 Hours, which was well received in the California hardcore punk scene. Soon, the group had signed a contract with the local independent label Lookout. Green Day's first full album, 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hour, was released later that year. Shortly after its release, the band replaced Sobrante with Tre Cool (born Frank Edwin Wright III), who became the band's permanent drummer.

Throughout the early '90s, Green Day continued to cultivate a cult following, which only gained strength with the release of their second album, 1992's Kerplunk. The underground success of Kerplunk led to a wave of interest from major record labels, and the band eventually decided to sign with Reprise. Dookie, Green Day's major-label debut, was released in the spring of 1994. Thanks to MTV support for the initial single, "Longview," Dookie became a major hit. The album continued to gain momentum throughout the summer, with the second single, "Basket Case," spending five weeks on the top of the American modern rock charts. At the end of the summer, the band stole the show at Woodstock '94, which helped the sales of Dookie increase. By the time the fourth single, "When I Come Around," began its seven-week stay at number one on the modern rock charts in early 1995, Dookie had sold over five million copies in the U.S. alone; it would eventually top ten million in America, selling over 15 million copies internationally. Dookie also won the 1994 Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance.

Green Day quickly followed Dookie with Insomniac in the fall of 1995; during the summer, they hit number one again on the modern rock charts with "J.A.R.," their contribution to the Angus soundtrack. Insomniac performed well initially, entering the U.S. charts at number two and selling over two million copies by the spring of 1996, yet none of its singles -- including the radio favorite "Brain Stew/Jaded" -- were as popular as those from Dookie. In the spring of 1996, Green Day abruptly canceled a European tour, claiming exhaustion. Following the cancellation, the band spent the rest of the year resting and writing new material before issuing Nimrod in late 1997. Three years later, their long-awaited follow-up, a refreshingly poppy record titled Warning, was released. Another long wait preceded 2004's American Idiot, an aggressive rock opera that became a surprise success -- a chart-topper around the world, a multi-platinum Grammy winner, and easily the best reviewed album of their career. Green Day reveled in the album's success, hitting numerous award shows and performing as part of Live 8 in July 2005. That fall brought the release of Bullet in a Bible, a concert album that documented the trio's expansive Idiot live show.

With their popularity and commercial viability restored, Green Day took on several small projects before returning to the studio. They contributed a cover of John Lennon's "Working Class Hero" to the charity album Instant Karma, appeared in The Simpsons Movie, and recorded an entire album of '60s-styled rock & roll under the alias of Foxboro Hot Tubs. While presenting an award at the Grammys in early 2009, the band announced the impending release of Green Day's eighth album, 21st Century Breakdown, which had been recorded with veteran producer Butch Vig. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Seether

Seether is a three piece grunge band from Johannesburg, South Africa. Originally called Saron Gas and signed to Musketeer Records in South Africa, they changed their name in 2002, coinciding with the release of their second album and major label debut, Disclaimer.

As Saron Gas, the band released its first album, Fragile on Musketeer Records, in 2000 in South Africa. Upon achieving success on the South African music charts, Wind-Up Records took an interest in Saron Gas' melodic-yet-heavy sound and signed them to the label. The band was asked to change their name, however, due to Saron Gas being a homophone of sarin gas, a deadly nerve agent. The band chose the name Seether, inspired by a single by the band Veruca Salt. Their first major release came in 2002 with the album Disclaimer. The album spawned three singles, Fine Again, Driven Under and Gasoline, but only Fine Again charted with any success. The remaining singles got semi-frequent radio play on modern rock stations, but were not major chart hits. Ironically, the biggest hit off the album, Broken, was not even released as a single. Morgan has cited Nirvana (and specifically the album Nevermind) as 'the reason he picked up a guitar,' and also quotes Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine, Alice In Chains and The Deftones. [1]

After Disclaimer was released, the band went on a non-stop touring route in hopes of boosting sales and name recognition. Upon completing the tour, the band had planned to go into the studio and record their sophomore release. However, they were instead tapped to support Evanescence on a worldwide tour that postponed their recording plans by almost a year. On this tour, the band reworked the acoustic ballad Broken into an electric ballad and had Amy Lee of Evanescence share vocal duties with Morgan during live performances. Inspired by the positive reaction the duet got on the road and perhaps fueled by a budding romance between Lee and Morgan, the band headed into the studio and quickly recorded an alternate version of Broken with Lee on vocals. The song, along with a new song titled Sold Me, was featured on the soundtrack for the 2004 film The Punisher and was massively successful, bringing the band fame in the US, the UK and Australia in particular. However, the reworking of the song garnered mixed reviews from some Seether fans, who felt the song was too soft or felt the band was simply hoping to ride Evanescence's fame to greater heights and thus "selling out" in the process. These criticisms combined with some unflattering comments made about Lee on the band's message board prompted Morgan to promise never to rework another Seether song and may have also led to the couple's break-up. Morgan has stated that the hit was an incident where the band was subjected to what the record company wanted for them rather than what they wanted [2]. Later in 2004, in an attempt to calm fans who were demanding a second album, the band released Disclaimer II, an alternate version of the original album with many of the songs remixed or re-recorded as well as eight extra tracks, two of which were the tracks off the Punisher soundtrack.

In 2005, the band finally recorded and set a release date for their follow-up album called Karma & Effect. The original title for the album was Catering to Cowards, but the band was pressured to change the title by Wind-Up Records. The album featured a sound different than their previous releases, most notably a fuller and richer sound, no doubt caused by the addition of a second guitarist for the album's writing and recording process. The album was also noted for not containing any "obscenities," something that Disclaimer could not claim nor could most of the albums released in the modern rock milieu. Despite initial concerns among fans that Seether may have been pressured to "clean up" the album's lyrics by Wind-Up Records, Morgan stated that it was simply the result of him maturing as a writer and a musician and realizing that he could convey his thoughts and feelings with just as much emotion and conviction without resorting to obscenity as a crutch of sorts.

In addition to the soundtrack for The Punisher, Seether have also had their songs featured on the Freddy vs. Jason soundtrack and in the film Daredevil. The song Out Of My Way was the entrance music for former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Superstar Zach Gowen. Broken was featured on a career retrospective DVD for Eddie Guerrero. Their song Sold Me was the official theme song of WWE's Bad Blood pay-per-view event in June 2004, while Remedy was the official theme song of the 2005 installment of WWE SummerSlam. In mid 2005, Seether released a video of the song Truth which also featured wrestling. In March 2006, the band performed before a crowd of 45'000 people at "The Coca-Cola Colab Massive Mix", with Simple Plan, The Rasmus, Fatboy Slim, and Collective Soul, with Metallica headlining. They were the headliners in the 2006 Winterfresh Snocore tour featuring Shinedown, and Flyleaf as the supporting acts. Seether will soon be embarking on a tour of the UK (Re-Scheduled October 2006) with support by the Essex based punk band Engerica. Their song Fine Again also featured on the Nintendo GameCube video game, 1080 Avalanche and on Madden NFL 2003.

Seether released an acoustic CD/DVD set called One Cold Night on July 11 featuring 14 songs recorded at Grape Street in Philadelphia. The performance, remarkable for its acoustic nature, was one of a few the band did during their run as co-headliners of the 2006 Snocore Tour with Shinedown. Morgan, who had been suffering from a stomach ailment, was rendered unable to perform with his typical vigor and found himself faced with difficulty when attempting to scream as he often does in certain songs. Rather than cancel their performances, the band chose to perform toned-down, acoustic versions of their typical setlist.

On June 16, it was announced via Seether's official site that lead guitarist Pat Callahan had chosen to leave the band. The announcement came as a surprise to many fans and the exact reason for Callahan's departure is unknown, but the band expressed their best wishes for Callahan in his future endeavors. Despite touring for the better part of four years as a four piece band and recording the majority of their material with two guitarists, the band has stated that they are planning to go "back to basics" and remain a three-piece unit, as they started out, for the forseeable future. Morgan has said the band's third studio album is still on schedule and currently set for a April-May 2007 release.

Recently, Wind-Up Records announced that Shaun Morgan was going into rehab for unspecified addictions and as a result, Seether has been forced to cancel their appearances on dates with Staind and Three Days Grace. The band's UK tour remains intact and the band anticipates being back at 100% by October of 2006. Shaun Morgan is now out of rehab, and they are working on a currently untitled CD.

Nightwish

Nightwish started as an acoustic project by Tuomas Holopainen of Nattvindens Grat, who wanted to do something different from what he had been playing before. So he came up with three songs just for keyboards, acoustic guitar and female vocals. Acoustic guitars were performed by his friend Emppu, who came up with the idea of using their friend Tarja, a student from Sibelius Academy, on vocals. The result was something they all had hoped for: Tarja's voice fit the music perfectly.

The self-titled demo was recorded during Dec.96 and Jan.97 at Kitee Huvikeskus Studio by their friend Tero Kinnunen. The tape, however, did not end up being distributed; it was only sent to some labels and magazines, which all gave the tape relatively good credit but the labels thought music was too narrow, and did not have enough variety. However, this first tape never reached the ears of Spinefarm.

In Apr.97 the band entered the same studio again to record seven new songs they had written, now including also electric guitars and drums. The line-up was still the same: Tarja handling the vocals, Emppu acoustic and electric guitars and bass, Tuomas the synths and some vocals. Drums and percussions were performed by their friend Jukka, the latest addition to their line-up.

After the recording they received offers from two labels and Spinefarm's proposal was accepted. Nightwish debut album Angels Fall First (SPI 47 CD) was released in Finland in October 1997 and for the rest of Europe in March 1998.

Angels Fall First featured 12 songs of atmospheric metalrock with incredible female vocals, a good load of gothic influences and with a great sound, with total running time of nearly 52 minutes.

The second album Oceanborn was released in December 7th. It went up to fifth place on the Finnish official album chart (and stayed on charts over 30 weeks!). Singles from Oceanborn, Sacrament of Wilderness and Walking in the air also ruled the charts. Actually Nightwish had three (3) singles at the top 10 at the time - also their first single The Carpenter returned to the single chart. Beat that!

After Oceanborn Nightwish started to do some serious touring around Finland. Even though they had done just couple of gigs before it was clear from the very beginning of tour that Night wish would take their audience just like that. Almost every venue and festival was packed with opera metal maniacs. Now it was time to go abroad. Autumn 1999 Nightwish toured European venues with German progressive metal gods Rage. Again, the feedback just excellent. No wonder since the German release Sleeping Sun EP had sold over 15000 copies in one month.

In early 2000 the band entered studio again for the recordings of our third album. A welcome interruption to the repetitive studio work became when we took part in the Finnish qualification of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Sleepwalker. Nightwish cleared the first round of the qualification but the final position was second despite an overwhelming win in the public televoting.

The newest album, Wishmaster, was released in May and it immediately was number one on the Finnish charts, kept the position for three weeks, and finally went gold just like its predecessor Oceanborn and all the singles released so far!

The idea of making a live Nightwish-recording took shape during the autumn of 2000, and that idea was made into reality on New Years Eve 2000-2001, when Nightwish played a gig at club Pakkahuone in Tampere, Finland. The gig was filmed and recorded, and that material was then made into a DVD and VHS. The Finnish fans also got an extra treat: a limited edition full-length Live CD for Finland only. All of these formats were released under the name "From Wishes to Eternity - Live", and every format proved to be a huge seller.

To relieve the pain the fans were feeling while waiting for Nightwish's next full-length CD, the band decided to release a Mini-CD called "Over the Hills And Far Away". The CD included a cover version of the title song, originally performed by Gary Moore, a re-make of "Angels Fall First"'s "Astral Romance" and two new songs. On the other hand to relieve the misery of the European fans who didn't get a live CD, Drakkar's version of "Over the Hills And Far Away" included a few of the Finnish Live CD's songs as a bonus.

After "Over the Hills and Far Away", some changes had to be made in the band line-up because there had been tensions. Holopainen even quitted the band for 2 weeks, but then realised it was a mistake and rejoined. Sami Vänskä was excluded from the band, and Marco Hietala was included.

Their 4th full-length CD came out in May 2002. It sold platinum in Finland and reached high chart positions in many countries. This album was followed by "Century Child World Tour 2002". Nightwish toured South America for the first time, and almost every concert there was sold out. After the tour they took a break.

In 2003, Nightwish received a double-platinum award for Century Child and gave around 20 concerts, only 1 of them to the Finnish audience. In 2003, the material for the End of Innocence DVD was put together and released in October.

The year 2004 was eagerly expected by both the fans and the band. The band released their first single "Nemo", which rapidly became a hit. This song earned Nightwish many new fans. Also a video was made for Nemo.
The 5th full-length studio album "Once" was released in May 2004. The album sold gold in Finland on the day of its release, as did the single "Nemo". Nightwish started a world tour of 130 concerts, which lasted until the end of 2005. This tour was the biggest in the history of Nightwish so far.
The second single from Once, "Wish I had an Angel", was released in Autumn 2004. The single gained great success and boosted the sales of the Once album. In august 2004, Nightwish finally made it to the USA.

In the beginning of 2005 Nightwish received many major Finnish awards.
In July, the 3rd single, a new version of "Sleeping Sun" was released to promote the forthcoming best-of album "Highest Hopes". The "Highest Hopes" collection has sold double platinum in Finland and gold in Norway by the end of the year 2005. Also a new video for Sleeping Sun was made, in which the band acts! During all this, the band was still touring. . During the Autumn 2005, Nightwish played several shows and performed in the legendary Hammersmith Apollo Venue for sold out seats. After a short festival tour in South America (in October), the Once World Tour was coming to an end. The final concert was played on 21 October for 11,500 people in Hartwall-Arena in Helsinki. The concert was also recorded to be released as an End of an Era live DVD.
By the end of 2005, "Once" has sold approx. 1,000 000 copies worldwide as well, it has sold triple platinum in Finland, platinum in Germany, and gold in Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Greece, and Austria.

After the last concert, Nightwish fired their frontwoman Tarja Turunen and her manager-husband Marcelo Cabuli. The reason for this was because during the Once Tour their attitude and actions had turned out to be against almost all that Nightwish represents. As one may guess, the news of the firing was followed by an incredible sensation and hullabaloo which didn't really stop until late summer in 2006 (more and more scandals within the bands relationships with Tarja Turunen were revealed, which caused the fuss to last that long).

In 2006-2007, the band recorded their sixth full-length studio album, Dark Passion Play.

On Thursday 24 May 2006, the 35-year-old Alyson Avenue lead singer Anette Olzon from Katrineholm, Sweden was announced to replace Turunen.

Dark Passion Play was released around Europe in the last week of September, 2007, in the UK on October 1st, and the United States on October 2nd.

Several magazines, including Kerrang! have noted how the departure of Tarja Turunen seems to have released the band from their shell and how restraint has been left to other bands. The use of some 175 additional musicians for the orchestral and solo parts of the album has resulted in the band now being described as "epic metal" by many people - especially in 14 minute album opener "The Poet and The Pendulum". The album was awarded 5/5 (classic) by Kerrang! magazine.

Their first official concert with the new singer was in Tel Aviv, Israel on October 6, 2007. The Dark Passion Play tour has now visited the United States, Canada, most of Europe, and have (as of December 18, 2007) a planned tour in parts of Asia and Australia, a second tour in North America, Europe and more.

According to Holopainen, this will be the longest tour the band has yet attempted, and will probably last about two and a half years.
In July, 2008, Holopainen claimed that he has started working on Nightwish's seventh studio album, probably to be released in late 2009 or early 2010.

Nickelback

Few bands did more than Nickelback to establish the force of slick, commercially minded post-grunge in the 2000s. Led by vocalist Chad Kroeger, the band initially emerged in the late '90s as Canada's answer to Creed, prizing a blend of gruff vocals and distorted (yet radio-friendly) guitars. After a handful of singles failed to gain much traction in Canada, "How You Remind Me" caught hold in 2001, eventually topping the charts in several countries while gathering four Grammy nominations and four Juno Awards. Creed imploded several years later, but Nickelback's popularity only grew as the decade progressed, effectively eclipsing those acts that had once informed the band's sound.

Chad Kroeger honed his frontman skills by performing with cover bands in Hanna, a small Canadian town 215 kilometers northeast of Calgary. After growing tired of playing other people's songs, he borrowed money from his stepfather and relocated to Vancouver, where he recorded his first batch of original material. Mike Kroeger, Chad's bass-playing sibling, decided to join his brother's band, as did fellow Vancouver transplants Ryan Peake (a guitarist who had befriended the Kroegers in middle school) and Ryan Vikedal (a drummer from Peake's hometown of Brooks, Alberta). Nickelback officially took shape in 1996 and quickly set to work, releasing two albums -- the Hesher EP and full-length album, Curb -- before the year was up. By 1998, the bandmates were managing themselves; Chad courted radio stations, brother Mike Kroeger handled distribution, Ryan Vikedal booked shows, and Peake maintained the band's website.

January 2000 saw the arrival of The State, Nickelback's second independent release. Issued at a time in which Canadian content requirements were increased (and, accordingly, local radio stations had begun to desperately seek out homegrown product), the album fared very well on indie charts. Nickelback toured ceaselessly in support of The State, logging approximately 200 shows while playing alongside other groups of the burgeoning post-grunge genre. Nickelback's commercial appeal wasn't lost on the record industry, either, and The State's distribution rights were quickly snapped up by Roadrunner Records in the U.S. and EMI in Canada. As the band continued to tour, Chad Kroeger kept writing new songs, many of which were honed in front of live audiences. Much of that material found its way onto Silver Side Up, which was produced by Rick Parashar (who came to prominence in the early '90s by helming Pearl Jam's Ten, Alice in Chains' Sap, and Blind Melon's self-titled debut) and recorded at Green House, the same Vancouver studio used during The State's creation. The combination of Nickelback's growing popularity and Kroeger's focused songwriting propelled Silver Side Up onto album charts across the world, spearheaded by the hit single "How You Remind Me." Kroeger capitalized on that exposure by producing another Vancouver-based band, Default, and collaborating with Saliva's Josey Scott for the Spiderman soundtrack. The Long Road then arrived in 2003, featuring an increasingly polished sound and another high-charting single, "Someday." While some listeners criticized the apparent similarities between "Someday" and "How You Remind Me," The Long Road had little trouble maintaining Nickelback's wide audience, eventually selling over five million copies worldwide.

In February 2005, Nickelback announced the departure of Ryan Vikedal. He was soon replaced by 3 Doors Down's former drummer, Daniel Adair, and Nickelback returned to Kroeger's studio in Vancouver to begin work on another album. ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons and Pantera's Dimebag Darrell (who unfortunately died before the album's release) were guests on the chart-topping All the Right Reasons, which arrived in October 2005. The album proved to be Nickelback's most popular effort to date, remaining in the Billboard Top 30 for over two years and selling over 7 million copies in the U.S. alone. It also spawned five Top 20 singles, a feat that attracted the attention of veteran producer (and demonstrated hit-maker) Mutt Lange. Nickelback traveled to Lange's home in Switzerland to share songwriting ideas; impressed with the results, they also enlisted him to helm their next album. Recorded in a converted Vancouver barn, Dark Horse marked the band's sixth studio album upon its release in November 2008. Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide

One Republic

OneRepublic is a US-based pop rock group that was formed in the state of Colorado, gaining success from their single “Apologize”. OneRepublic’s “Apologize” did not only garner a lot of sales in record stores, but also over the Internet via digital downloads.

OneRepublic’s current members are:
• Ryan Tedder (d.o.b. June 26, 1979) – the group’s lead vocalist. Other instruments he plays include: piano, drums, bass guitar, and the glockenspiel.
• Eddie Fisher (d.o.b. undisclosed) – OneRepublic’s drummer and percussionist.
• Zach Filkins (d.o.b. September 15, 1978) – the band’s guitarist, also a vocalist
• Brent Kutzle (d.o.b. August 8, 1985) – the group’s bassist. He can also play the cello, the keyboards, and the guitars. He also does vocals for OneRepublic.
• Drew Brown (d.o.b. undisclosed) – OneRepublic’s guitarist. Other instruments he handles include the bass guitar and the glockenspiel (2002–present)
Former members of OneRepublic:
• Tim Myers (d.o.b. undisclosed)– the bassist
• Jerrod Bettis (d.o.b. undisclosed) – the drummer

Tedder, a famous record producer and songwriter formed OneRepublic together with his friend Filkins in Colorado Springs. The band’s initial name was: This Beautiful Mess. Tedder had a ‘gig’ in a talent show sponsored by MTV and that was where he caught Timbaland’s attention, leading to Tedder becoming Timbaland’s protégé. After two years, Filkins and Tedder went on their separate ways and Tedder started becoming famous in writing songs and producing records for many performers. Tedder used “Alias” as his nom de plume. He was nominated in the Grammy’s for his contribution to “A Lively Mind” (by Paul Oakenfold).

In 2002, Filkins and Tedder reunited and after several months, the two gained a deal with Columbia Records. The band OneRepublic emerged, with new members included: Fisher as the drummer, Kutzle as the bassist and the cello player, Brown as the guitarist, while Tedder became the lead singer of the group and FIlkins handled the guitar and provided backing vocals. The group first called themselves “Republic”, but later utilized the name: OneRepublic.
Two months before the release of OneRepublic’s debut album, Columbia Records let go of the band, however, during that time, OneRepublic has started gaining Internet exposure on MySpace, even becoming the number one act (unsigned) on the said site. This led to OneRepublic’s contract with Timbaland’s label: the Mosley Music Group.

In 2007, OneRepublic’s debut album “Dreaming Out Loud” was introduced together with the lead single “Apologize”, which was written by Tedder. The said single was also featured in TImbaland’s “Shock Value” as a remix. “Apologize” became a chart topper for a total of twenty weeks, until it was replaced by “Bleeding Love” which was produced as well as co-written by Tedder. In 2008, OneRepublic went on tour with Brandi Carlile and Maroon 5. In May 2008, the group also performed “Apologize” on the 7th season of American Idol, singing together with one of the show’s finalists: David Archuleta. In the 2008 MTV Asia Awards, OneRepublic garnered the “Best Hook-Up” Award for their single ”Apologize”, winning over Shakira, Rihanna, and Beyonce.
OneRepublic is currently working on their new album which is targeted to be released in the Fall of the current year ’09. The group has currently completed five songs for the album and is working on a few more tracks.

Apologize

Papa Roach

Starting out as a punk- and rap-influenced band, the northern Californian alt-metal group Papa Roach grew into a straight-ahead hard rock ensemble with strong heavy metal leanings. Consisting of Coby Dick, Jerry Horton, Dave Buckner, and Tobin Esperance, Papa Roach formed in 1993 and began releasing EPs soon after, including 1994's Potatoes for Christmas and 1995's Caca Bonita. By 1996, the group replaced original bassist Will James with Esperance and hired a new manager; the following year, Papa Roach released their first full-length album, Old Friends from Young Years, which became a surprise hit on local radio.

The band's regional success led to more prominent gigs, including dates with Suicidal Tendencies, Sevendust, and Powerman 5000, and a deal with Dreamworks Records, which released Papa Roach's second album, Infest, in early 2000. The album went triple platinum thanks to the success of the single "Last Resort." Two years later, frontman Coby Dick opted to go by his given name of Jacoby Shaddix. A second album, lovehatetragedy, appeared in June 2002. Stylistically, the band had begun to grow beyond its rap-rock roots and the new tracks showcased a slightly more mature, melodic, and straightforward hard rock sound. That same summer, the band joined a number of rap acts including Ludacris and Xzibit on Eminem's Anger Management Tour.

In 2004, Papa Roach released their third studio effort, Getting Away with Murder. Buoyed by the success of the single "Scars," Getting Away with Murder sold well and eventually went platinum. Two years later, Papa Roach began work on their fourth studio album at the infamous and historical Paramour mansion in Hollywood -- once the home of silent movie star Antonio Moreno. Released in fall 2006, The Paramour Sessions featured a heavy L.A. rock aesthetic and generated two Top 10 rock singles, although its sales stalled around 400,000 copies. Drummer Dave Buckner exited the lineup one year later; after filling the empty seat with Unwritten Law's Tony Palermo, Papa Roach hit the road to support The Paramour Sessions with tour dates alongside Seether and Staind. They remained on the road after joining Mötley Crüe's Crüe Fest in 2008, but the band also found time to return to the Paramour mansion, where they launched songwriting sessions for another album. Released in early 2009, Metamorphosis found Papa Roach reprising their interpretation of metallic hard rock and reuniting wiht Infest producer Jay Baumgardner. Heather Phares, All Music Guide
Papa Roach-Between angels and Insects

Tokio Hotel

Starting Point
Twins Bill Kaulitz and Tom Kaulitz (born ten minutes before his brother) had been performing since the age of 9. After putting on a show in their hometown of Magdeburg in 2001, Bill and Tom met Gustav Schäfer and Georg Listing. Their similar taste in music led to the creation of the band 'Devilish'. In 2003, the group was approached by music producer Peter Hoffmann and were soon after signed with Universal Music Domestic Division in Hamburg. They were then known as 'Tokio Hotel' (Significance: 'Tokio' for the lively and engaging city of Tokyo and 'Hotel' for the band's constant touring around the country). Assisted by professionals, Bill co-wrote the majority of the songs on their album, Schrei (Scream).

Career

The music video of their debut single "Durch den Monsun" (Through the Monsoon) has been playing on German television since July of 2005. The band quickly gained a multitude of fans after its release. The single appeared on the German music charts at #15 on August 20th and reached #1 on August 26th. It also climbed to #1 on the Austrian music charts. Second video was "Schrei"...This video also climbed to #1 all over Europe.They released their album Schrei in September of 2005. In early 2006, their third music video "Rette Mich" (Save Me) was released. This version of the song was different from the original version on their first album because of Bill's now propubescent voice and some instrumental differences. "Rette Mich" made it to the #1 spot as well. The rerelease of their first album was initiated by Bill's voice change and was released with three new songs ("Schwarz (Black), "Beichte" (Confession) and "Thema nr. 1" (Topic #1) in March 2006 titled Schrei: So Laut Du Kannst (Schrei - Noch Lauter Edition) (Scream: As Loud As You Can (Scream - Even Louder Edition)). In September 2006 they released their fourth and last single from their album Schrei: "Der Letzte Tag" (The Last Day). This song also made it into the number one position. The video for "Der Letzte Tag" also includes a bonus track called "Wir Schliessen Uns Ein" (We Lock Ourselves Away).

Popularity, controversy, and criticism

Tokio Hotel is largely popular among teenage girls, of whom most are drawn by the sex appeal of the lead singer of the band, Bill Kaulitz and his twin brother Tom. There has been controversy about Bill's androgynous look (long unconventional dyed hairstyle, black nail polish, unconventional wardrobe), in spite of the fact that the young Kaulitz has made it clear that he is simply an artist expressing himself through his music as well as through his choice of clothing. There has also been controversy about Bill and Tom's weight and concern that their 'unhealthy' underweightness might cause complications for themselves as well as send a bad message to their fans. Furthermore, the band members have been criticized for being 'too young and immature' and for having their music composed and arranged by their production company for them.It is also said that Bill Kaulitz copied his hair style from Japanese singer Miyavi and band style from HIM.

Currently

According to recent interviews with the band, they are in the process of releasing their second album in English to gain international success and are currently improving their English skills. Recently 4 of their songs in English: "Through the Monsoon", "Scream", "Black" , and "Rescue Me" were leaked. A Universal Music spokeman assured that the versions are NOT Official, and that legal actions will be taken against those involved in the distribution of the songs.Tokio Hotel just performed the song Instant Karma by John Lennon at the "50 JAHRE BRAVO" (50 years of bravo,bravo is a very populer german magazine)at the 21.10.2006. Tokio Hotel are currently working very hard on the second CD that's due to come out in 2007.

Evanescence

Domiciled at Little Rock (Arkansas), Evanescence is an alternative rock band. It lines up Amy Lee in Vocals and Piano (also co-founder), John LeCompt on Guitar, Rocky Gray on drums, William Boyd on Bass and Terry Balsamo on Guitar. Formerly, Ben Moody (a co-founder) was the lead guitarist and he left the team on October 2003. David Hodges was the Keyboardist then and he had also left in December 2002.

Evanescence was founded by Lee and Ben Moody. Their first meeting happened at a youth camp in Arkansas. There, Moody heard Lee playing I'd Meat Loaf’s “Do Anything for Love” on the piano. They came to understand that they nurtured a common love for Jimi Hendrix and Björk, and soon started writing songs together. ‘Solitude’ was the first song that flowed from Amy Lee’s pen, followed by Ben Moody’s ‘Understanding’. The third song, ‘Give Unto Me’, came from Amy Lee, and the fourth song written was ‘My Immortal’ by Ben Moody.

Both Lee and Moody have modified the songs lyrically and musically, the reason why the names of both the artists figure in the credits for the compositions. For some time they were unable to make live shows. The paucity of fund to pay professional musicians to accompany them was the reason. However, their two hit numbers, ‘Understanding’ and ‘Give Unto Me’, made the entry onto local music charts. Following this, the demand for their live show began to increase. And finally when they started emerging as live performers, they became one of most sought-after artists in the area.

In October 2003, in the middle of the European programme tour, Moody bid adieu to the band abruptly. It is said that "creative differences" had led to his separation. Lee said in an interview a few months later, "we'd gotten to a point that something needed change to make a second record." Since then, Lee has said that tension was fuming within the band and it was almost a relief for him to have left the band. Moody was replaced by Terry Balsamo from Cold. However, of late, Ben confessed that he is a victim of bipolar disorder, and he was in crisis when he left Evanescence.

The name of the band “Evanescence” means “ the event of fading and gradually vanishing from sight”. The name was a thing of delight for the band’s detractors. The band members had to browse through several names, including Childish Intentions and Stricken before they decided upon the name, Evanescence. In the beginning they were considered to be a part of the Christian rock scene. For a short time they also received promotions through Christian stores. But shortly after they revealed their dislike to be considered as a Christian rock band, Evanescence was removed from the Christian stores.

Topping #5 on the American Billboard Hot 100, Evanescence's major label debut single "Bring Me to Life" was a global hit-maker. Along with their even more popular "My Immortal", it found place in the soundtrack of the action movie ‘Daredevil’. The recognition came fetching the band at the 2004 Grammy Awards. Evanescence received the Best New Artist Award and the single got the award for the Best Hard Rock Performance.

Evanescence’s full-length album, Origin, released in 2000, remained apparently unknown to the mass. The band’s two EPs were the self-titled Evanescence EP of 1998 and the Sound Asleep EP of 1999 also known as the Whisper EP (1999). Presently, Evanescence is working on their second album.

Evanescence is said to be of goth metal genre, which is correct to certain extent. In the band’s music, the classical style piano also plays an important part. Their songs mostly reflect the negative and darker aspects of life like unquenched love, loneliness and death. However, the band has declared that they are not a gothic band.

Korn

Musical revolutions can foment in the oddest places: Athens, Georgia. Aberdeen, Washington. Bakersfield, California.

That's right, Bakersfield; a bleak, arid little town just west of Death Valley that could double as a David Lynch movie set-if there were anything going on, that is. As a kid Fieldy Arvizu spent much of his adolescence "standing around in dirt fields, drinking beer, watching other kids fight." At some point, Fieldy and some friends decided their time would be better spent taking out their frustrations on musical instruments instead.

And rock music would never be the same.

So Fieldy, James "Munky" Shaffer, David Silveria, Brian "Head" Welch, and eventually, an assistant coroner with a troubled past named Jonathan Davis left Bakersfield for Los Angeles and collectively became known as KORN. It helped that they all had common influences--the angry, urban stylings of hip-hop, the heavy, riff-driven angst of death metal. But the sounds emanating from this band's Huntington Beach rehearsal space would soon set an entirely fresh musical precedent--and set off a wave of imitators that eventually threatened to engulf the band itself.

After touring for nearly two years, KORN was signed by Immortal and released their now-classic eponymous 1994 debut. KORN opened with the prophetic, gravel-throated challenge "Are you ready?!" before kicking into the heaviest guitar sound yet heard in rock thanks to the team of Shaffer and Welch, who tuned their already-low 7-string guitars even lower and played with no regard for traditional harmonic consonance. The sound was metallic sludge, but tempered oddly by bassist Fieldy and drummer Silveria, who added a mix of porn-soundtrack funk and hip-hop rhythms that was puzzlingly aggressive and chill. Next, nursery-rhyme-like melodies were woven into the dark mix, helping make KORN the creepiest, heaviest debut since Black Sabbath. But Davis had no desire to sing about devils and witches; he was busy exorcising real-life demons. Songs such as "Faget" and "Shoots and Ladders" were discomfortingly personal confessionals of shattered childhood, and by album's end Davis was literally in tears in the harrowing "Daddy."

"Are you ready?!" Well, commercial radio sure wasn't. And neither was MTV. Not yet, anyway.

So KORN took their grisly show on the road someplace they knew it'd get noticed: back to the tour circuit, and a stint on Ozzfest. The band's unique sound may have been unfamiliar, but the kids knew it rocked mightily-and many of them could directly relate to Davis' grim lyrical obsessions. At that point in time, there was quite simply no band on earth like KORN.

And so they began to amass a following that would send their next album, 1996's brutal yet cheekily titled Life is Peachy, into platinum sales. And this time at least the press was ready. "...Perverts, psychopaths and paranoiacs" gushed the Chicago Tribune. "An ingeniously twisted piece of personal hell" raved Cleveland's Plain Dealer.

And while Peachy served more to reinforce the band's core sound rather than innovate in the manner of the debut, it did introduce to the world to a side of the band no one ever suspected existed: humor. The bagpipe-driven cover version of War's "Lowrider" was just one example. An A-Z dictionary of vulgarity called "K@#%!" was another-though some critics and self-appointed moral guardians were put off by the language. One Zeeland, Michigan high school administrator told the press that KORN was "indecent, vulgar, and obscene" shortly after suspending a student for wearing a T-shirt that merely said "KORN." After the band filed a cease-and-desist order against the school on behalf of the student, he was reinstated. But the episode marks yet another milestone for the band: it was the first of many times the band would go to bat for its fans.

Years of touring followed again as the band fortified its fan-base to the degree that their next album, 1998's Follow the Leader, would debut at No. 1 on Billboard's Top 200. The band charted two bona fide singles with "Got the Life" and "Freak on a Leash," while the album's actual "rap-metal" tracks ("Children of the KORN" with guest rapper Ice Cube, and "All in the Family" with guest abuser Fred Durst) were some of the band's hardest-hitting to date, and reaffirmed their status as the band by which others would be judged in this genre.

Others seemed to agree. Rolling Stone christened Follow the Leader one of the best alternative albums of the '90s, praising KORN's ability to channel "their disgust with the state of the nation--and the generation doomed to inherit it--into booming, articulate violence."

Booming, articulate violence aside, Follow the Leader exposed yet another side of KORN.

When a 14-year-old boy suffering from terminal intestinal cancer requested to meet the band for a few minutes through the Make-A-Wish foundation, the band was stunned. And nervous. But they hit it off, and the few minutes turned into a day, and that turned into a few more days, and then a song-"Justin."

Reaffirming KORN's populist roots were their weekly live Internet video broadcasts from the studio during the album's making. These "after school specials" kept fans up on the progress of the record, offered them live, call-in Q&A sessions with the band themselves, and introduced them to guests running the gamut from members of 311, the Deftones, and Limp Bizkit to porn stars like Ron Jeremy and Randi Rage.

In yet another populist move, the band launched "KORN Kampaign '98," a political campaign-style American tour to promote their album that featured "fan conferences" in major cities throughout the country. KORN also put together a heavy-rock-and-rap arena circus, mockingly called the Family Values Tour, which featured everyone from Ice Cube to Limp Bizkit to Rammstein, and proved to be one of 1998's most successful tours. A live compilation CD, The Family Values Tour '98, was certified gold the following summer, when KORN performed an explosive set at Woodstock '99.

Meanwhile, KORN's record label Elementree was up and running just fine as its first signed act, Orgy, scored a platinum record for them with Candyass.

By now, almost every heavy band on the planet was playing down-tuned 7-string guitars (which were virtually extinct before KORN). The proliferation of sound-alike bands ironically placed the band in a tenuous position: Not only was KORN in danger of seeming "played out" in the very genre they spearheaded, the beginnings of a backlash to "rap-metal" chart domination were cropping up in the media. KORN knew that another Peachy or Leader, however great, however welcome by fans, and however commercially successful, would not do. It was time to reinvent themselves and break from the pack-a risky move given the band's traditionally loyal following. KORN took some time off to work on what would be one of the most important records of their career.

"We knew when we wrote this album that we were going to have to do something really great," Shaffer said at the time. "...We had to move forward, push the boundaries, and create something very personal."

In yet another nod to their audience, KORN allowed the fans to design the cover. Fans submitted their work, and one fan painting was chosen for the record's striking cover art. Several runners-up got limited-edition album covers of their own work.

Musically, Issues turned out to be the best album since the group's debut release, and eclipsed even that record in strength of songwriting. When Issues was finally released, all the band's efforts paid off wildly. For the second time in their career, they debuted at No. 1. They had yet another high-charting single with the eerie, crushing "Falling Away From Me." And the record went quadruple platinum. This was followed by yet another massively successful tour, which kicked off on Halloween 1999 at Harlem's historic Apollo Theater.

If Issues represented an artistic, critical, and commercial triumph at a crucial moment for the band, how would KORN respond to the inevitable pressure of its follow-up?

By making a better one: Untouchables. Using a 24-BIT sampling rate--twice the highest rate normally used for recording--KORN and producer Michael Beinhorn have created a rich sonic panorama. Unfathomably heavy, uncompromisingly introspective, and startlingly unique, Untouchables catapults KORN to yet another level.

But what should we expect? After all, this is a band marked by an insatiable desire to push the rock envelope. It's what makes them KORN.

Blink 182

Based in San Diego, California, USA, Blink-182's highly melodic and entertaining thrash rock achieved mainstream success in the late 90s. The band were originally formed by Mark Hoppus (b. 15 March 1972, USA; bass/vocals), who had moved to San Diego to study, and Tom DeLonge (b. 13 December 1975, USA; guitar/vocals). Hoppus and DeLonge were joined by drummer Scott Raynor, and began a non-stop gigging schedule on the local punk circuit. The self-released Fly Swatter EP appeared in 1993, and was followed by the cassette only "Buddha" demo, released by Filter Records in a run of less than a 1,000 (the material was re-issued in a slightly different format three years later by Kung Fu Records). Several of the songs from the demo tape subsequently appeared on the band's full-length debut, Cheshire Cat, which was released by the Grilled Cheese label in 1994. Shortly afterwards the trio were forced to adopt the new moniker Blink-182 following the threat of legal action by an Irish techno outfit already recording as Blink. Despite the enforced name change, the trio's popularity continued to grow owing to support slots with several leading punk bands including No FX and Pennywise, and their ubiquitous presence on the skating and snow boarding scenes. They also developed a reputation for stripping off during live shows. A steady flow of singles and EPs confirmed both the trio's penchant for gloriously immature scatological lyrics, and their ability to craft great tunes. Their commercial breakthrough arrived with 1997's Dude Ranch. The album included the endearing hit "Dammit (Growing Up)", which enjoyed constant radio play alongside material by other hardcore bands, including the Offspring, Green Day and Smash Mouth. Following the release of Dude Ranch, founding member Raynor was replaced by Travis Barker (b. 14 November 1975, USA). Barker appeared on the band's major label debut, Enema Of The State, which debuted in the US Top 10 in June 1999 and went on to sell over a million copies in barely two months. The album was helped by two highly catchy hits, "What's My Name Again?" and "All The Small Things".

Limp Bizkit

Limp Bizkit is a band from Jacksonville, Florida. They started out on around late 1994 giving free shows and concerts whenever they could get a gig. Yes i know its hard to believe but the Number 1 band in the nation once was nothing but your tipical Local Band trying to get a record deal. Fred and Sam met up and became good friends when Sam suggested his cousin, John Otto, to play the drums for the band. Later, Wes was brought into the picture along with House of Pains main man, DJ Lethal and Limp Bizkit was started. They got their name when Fred was talking to his friend (and now roadie) when said that "his brain was like a limp biscuit." So Fred liked it and the name of their band after it.

This is an awesome band that already has a large fan base from touring with Family Values, and other tours that tend to attract large crowds.It also helps when you open for bands such as Korn and the Deftones. Limp Bizkit, after all the struggles and shit they had to put up with, has the biggest fan crowd in North America with their first hit "Faith from the album 3 Dollar Bill Ya'll, then they really hit it big with there big hit "Nookie" which was on there sophmore album, Significant Other.

After "Nookie" took the top spot on every chart in Canada and US, it was time for Limp Bizkit to give alittle something back to the fans. That summer, Limp Bizkit started the now famous "Back to Basics Tour". This tour was a free tour, first come first serve basis and was ment to give something back to the fans and to thank them for their support. Soon after that Fred and the gang got ready to release their Junior (3rd) record to the public. Struggling with titles such as "Limpendence Day" and "The Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavored Water," Limp Bizkit finally decided on a name, "The Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavored Water." Around November/October they released the album. It was a total hit right away selling thousands within the first week. With hits such as "rollin" and "my generation" Limp Bizkit was back on top of the world.

Wes Borland dropped the group to set off in his own way, and this left the band short a guitarist. After trying Fred, and having a nation wide contest, then hadn't found anyone. John Otto, at a bar, was having fun. He ran into Mike Smith, former S.N.O.T native. They found each other talking, eventually jamming, and eventually touring.

Their fourth album is dropped Septemeber 23rd, and the first single off of it is "Eat You Alive". Results May Vary is the title of the album, and now is housing "Behind Blue Eyes" as it's single.

Bullet for my valentine

"The best British metal band to emerge in years." - Q Magazine

The Welsh metal-core band Bullet For My Valentine has spent most of the past two years taking over the world with massive U.K., European, U.S. and worldwide tours, sharing the stage with Guns N Roses, Metallica and Iron Maiden, playing the Main Stage at just about every rock festival on the planet, and seeing their 2006 debut album THE POISON - an album London's daily The Sun called "One of the finest debut albums in rock history" - sell more than one-million copies worldwide – 350,000 in the U.S. alone – a very rare achievement for an emerging band.

Back home, Bullet For My Valentine has graced the covers of the UK’s Kerrang!, Rock Sound, and Metal Hammer. They won Metal Hammer’s 2006 “Golden God Award” for Best British Band, and the 2006 Kerrang! Award for “Best UK Single” for their track “Tears Don’t Fall.” Here in America, Revolver magazine heralded the band “British Import of the Year,” and THE POISON generated the hit singles “Tears Don’t Fall” and “All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me),” with the video for “All These Things I Hate” going to the #1 spot on MTV2. The band has toured North America three times, and in early 2007, they sold out their first headline trek.

On January 29, 2008, Bullet For My Valentine is set to return with SCREAM AIM FIRE (20-20/Jive/SonyBMG), the band’s highly anticipated sophomore release. The 11-track assault was produced by Colin Richardson (Machine Head, Funeral For A Friend) and recorded at Sonic Ranch just outside of El Paso, TX in early 2007, and is, according to front man Matthew “Matt” Tuck, “really melodic heavy metal…catchy, hooky choruses and full-on vocals with the music being very in-your-face and heavy…it’s a lot more up-tempo than The Poison, a lot more aggressive.”

SCREAM AIM FIRE, featuring the distinctive and powerful six-string dexterity of Michael “Padge” Padget, the unwavering instrumental groove of bassist Jason “Jay” James and the relentless thundering rhythms of Michael “Moose” Thomas, the musical backbone of Bullet is an intimidating force. With a lifetime of classic metal inspiration behind him, vocalist/guitarist Tuck is a formidable and powerful voice for the ever energetic, young metal generation.

“We have stepped it up a gear,” says the front-man. “This album is chock full of classic Bullet ingredients. Metal riffs, pounding rhythms, shredding solos and great melodies. We took everything that we learnt from ‘The Poison,’ and took up tenfold. Better, fresher, harder, sadder and more real.”

Opening with the aural assault of the title track and first single -“Scream Aim Fire” – to the hard-hitting riff slammer of “Waking The Demon,” and the arena-ballad epic “Hearts Burst Into Fire,” this album will definitely catapult Bullet into a world-wide spotlight.

“(The track) ‘Scream Aim Fire’ set the benchmark for the rest of the album,” says Tuck. “It was the moment we realized the direction of where we wanted the record to go. Lyrically, it’s not a saying that anyone can relate anything else to. It’s ours and the meaning is ours alone. Kill or be killed – that’s what this game is like. You’re either on top of the game, or you are out, and we are very much still in. Our quality of song writing, our structures, our timing – the songs are intense and accessible, whilst still keeping our metal roots.”

Tuck believes that the band’s unique accessibility lies in the fact that fans – regardless of age, gender or nationality – can relate to the subjects and issues tackled within their tracks.

“It’s important to us that fans can make a connection with our songs,” says the front-man. “For example, ‘Waking The Demon’ is about being bullied at school – which is something that me and most of the boys went though. The track is about one day, just turning round, and deciding to not take it anymore. I’d hope that our fans can relate to that.”

And despite the fact that these four musicians are now considered prominent players in the UK/European metal world, as well as serious up-and-comers here in the U.S. – the lads remain grounded (all still living in their native Welsh homeland) – and eternally grateful for the position that they now find themselves in.

“If it wasn’t for the fans, we would never even have been able to make this second album,” says Tuck. “We are so thankful to them, and we will always try to deliver the goods. I know we had to cancel a load of shows last year (Tuck was hospitalized in the winter of 2006 and forced to undergo surgery on his tonsils), but it hurt us so much to do so. We really hated to let anyone down, but it was an unavoidable evil, and now I am confident that this record – and this band – are stronger than ever.”

To support the release of SCREAM AIM FIRE, Bullet for My Valentine will set off on what will be more than two years of solid, worldwide touring, starting in the UK and Europe in January, 2008, and then coming to America beginning in late February.

“We are still so hungry for this,” states Tuck. “We are motivated and ambitious. We know where we want to be. We have played with legends and if we get to that level, it would be amazing. But you know what? If it ended tomorrow, we would still be happy. We are amazingly proud of what we have achieved and what we have done. We are having the time of our lives. The world is our oyster…”

Hearts Burst Into Fire - Official Video

Metallica

Metallica is an American heavy metal band of the 1980s, 1990s and the 2000s.

Formation and early work

Metallica was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981 by drummer and former tennis protege Lars Ulrich, and guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield, who met after each had separately placed classified advertisements in the American publication The Recycler. The band got their name when drummer Lars Ulrich was helping a friend to pick out a name for the magazine he was planning to use to promote Thrash metal and the NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) bands. Ulrich's friend came up with a suggestion: "Metallica." Lars quickly suggested another and decided to use that name for the band he and James Hetfield had just started.

The band's first demo, "No Life Till Leather", featured Lloyd Grant on guitar; Grant was soon replaced by Dave Mustaine, the guitarist and singer who later went on to form Megadeth. Guitarist Jef Warner and Bassist Ron McGovney were brief members, and Mustaine soon departed due to personal tensions with the other members. Bassist Cliff Burton was the next to join, and would remain a member until his untimely death in 1986. Mustaine was replaced by guitarist Kirk Hammett, who first performed in concert with Metallica in 1983.

The group relocated to San Francisco and eventually built a healthy local following via word-of-mouth and live performance bootlegs which, somewhat ironically in light of later events, were encouraged by the band. After traveling to New York in 1983 at the urging of local promoters Jon and Marsha Zazula, the band signed with the Zazula's brand new label, MegaForce Records, and who would release their first two albums. The first album, Kill Em All set the template that they would follow throughout the 1980s, strongly featuring the heavy vocals and rhythm guitar of James Hetfield. The next, Ride The Lightning expanded and improved their form with longer songs featuring both instrumental pyrotechnics and lyrics which rose above some of the more puerile songs on Kill 'Em All. Perhaps the most significant feature of Ride the Lightning was the inclusion of "Fade to Black," a slower, more interior song that mused on the thoughts of someone contemplating suicide. Indeed "Fade to Black" is the first such song in a tradition of these kinds of songs that would come to include "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" and the band's first single to receive a video, "One." The inclusion of these songs distinguished Metallica from other speed metal bands such as Anthrax, Slayer, and Megadeth.

Metallica's formation was seen by some fans as a direct reaction to the prevalent rock and roll music of the early 1980s. Inspired by bands such as Diamond Head and Saxon, the so-called New Wave of British Heavy Metal, as well as hardcore punk like the Misfits and Discharge, Metallica were single-minded in their desire to break the grip of soft metal on heavy metal fans.

Popular success

Signing to a major label Elektra Records in 1986, Metallica went on to produce another album, Master Of Puppets, regarded by some of their fans as their best work. The same year the band's bassist Cliff Burton perished in a coach-accident during a tour. The band eventually found a new bassist in Jason Newsted. As a preliminary effort with their new bassist, Metallica produced in 1987 The $5.98 EP: Garage Days Re-Revisited. This album continued the band's interest in recording obscure songs by relatively obscure (to American audiences) British metal and hardcore bands. In 1988 they recorded ...And Justice For All, an album full of some of the band's most structurally complex music. Critics regarded ...And Justice For All as a milestone in the history of metal, noting its intense focus on topics related to personal control and independence. Importantly, many writers also celebrated this album (and, by extension, Metallica itself) for the way it appeared to divorce hard rock from the blues in ways bands such as Mötley Crüe or Poison resisted.

In 1990, their self-titled album, Metallica (popularly known as "The Black Album") broadened the band's horizon again. Although still heavy metal, the record was co-produced with Bob Rock to create a more commercially viable product, and with a black cover that was a sly nod to Spinal Tap. The album featured the hits "Enter Sandman", which exemplified the radically pared-down style of songwriting across the album, and "Nothing Else Matters", a more plaintive, acoustic ballad that outraged some of their more hardcore fans. The album was a massive crossover hit, bringing Metallica firmly into the mainstream, and it was with this album that band first encountered accusations of having "sold out." Charges of selling out would follow Metallica throughout the 1990s.

Burnt out from almost three years of touring upon the Black Album's success, Metallica took a respite until late 1995, when they came back into the studio with a new zest for recording. Ulrich and Hetfield, both of whom were very strict on Hammett and Newsted in previous endeavours, claimed to have loosened the reins somewhat. Some have said the albums, Load (1996) and Reload (1997) were alternative rock-influnced, but others disagree, citing the band's hard touring, hard knocks, and hard liquor as factors in the "softness" of these albums. "Alcoholica's" reputation was catching up to them; they received flak for cutting their hair, a symbol many hardcore thrash fans saw as an earmark of Metallica going soft, but as Metallica themselves say, "The hair doesn't make the band."

In 1998 Metallica compiled a double CD called Garage, Inc, featuring eleven newly recorded cover songs as well as gathering all of the band's previous cover songs. The first CD contained the newly recorded tracks, ranging from obvious Metallica influences Danzig and Sabbath to more unexpected choices such as Bob Seger and Nick Cave. The second CD consisted of previously released covers including the Garage Days Re-Revisited EP, which had become a hard to find collectors item, and a collection of b-sides from Metallica singles going as far back as 1984. While many fans appreciated the chance to get a hold of rare Metallica recordings, others saw this as a cyncical method of releasing an album without having to write any new material.

On the 21st and 22nd of April 1999 Metallica recorded a live show with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, led by Michael Kamen. Kamen, who had previously worked with the band on the black album, (specifically the track "Nothing Else Matters"), had approached the band shortly after with the idea of pairing Metallica's music with a classical orchestra. Metallica played a collection of tracks dating as far back as Ride The Lightning, in addition to composing two new tracks for the event. The recording was eventually released as the album S&M (a word play on Symphony and Metallica, as well as being the common abbreviation for Sadism and Masochism) in November 1999 on both CD and VHS/DVD.

Napster controversy

Lars Ulrich found himself a new enemy, alienating himself further from the long-haired hard rockers and anti-Classical Thrashers in the form of every teenage boy on the face of American in his clash with the internet file sharing network Napster, claiming it was "sickening to know that our art is being traded like a commodity rather than the art that it is." They managed to set forth action that eventually led to the fall of Napster. Some have commented that Metallica's slogan could easily be "Destroying competition for 20 years." Metallica successfully took the evil sheen and feathered hair out of thrash music, pushing the competition to another level of success.

Jason leaves

Before they went into the studio to record their next album in 2001, Jason Newsted left the band due ostensibly to "the physical damage I have done to myself over the years while playing the music that I love", but subsequent interviews with Jason and the remaining members reveal that Jason's intent to release his Echobrain side-project was a main cause of friction (or perhaps the catalyst for other, deeper rooted problems).

This signalled a low-point in recent Metallica history, with James entering rehab due to "alcoholism and other addictions" in July, 2001. The band continued as an incomplete 3-piece throughout the recording of their next album, with producer Bob Rock roped into bass duties for the recording sessions. Metallica eventually found their newest member, ex-Suicidal Tendencies bassist Rob Trujillo, who was at the time playing with Ozzy Osbourne's band. In an interesting turn of fate, Jason Newsted, who had joined Canadian heavy metal band Voivoid, filled Rob's shoes playing bass for Ozzy during the Ozzfest 2003 tour (which Voivoid also supported).

In 2003, Metallica released their ninth studio album, St. Anger, which debuted at number one on the album charts but has also received harsh criticism for its underproduced sound (notably the sound of the drum snare), overwrought songs and lack of guitar solos.

The band has, to date, received 6 Grammy Awards.