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 | | Born of a chance meeting and the innate musical rapport established between vocalist Maria Brink and lead guitarist Chris Howorth, In This Moment quickly grew from local cult favorites performing in Los Angeles clubs to a MySpace phenomenon before landing a deal with Century Media Records. |
 | | Siblings Elizabeth and Arejay Hale, the core members of the hard rock band Halestorm, began the group in late 1997 near York, PA, with Arejay on drums and Elizabeth on vocals and keyboard. |
 | | 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 the gritty Aerosmith and Stones licks he loved. |
 | | Although Slipknot made their mainstream debut in the late '90s, singer Corey Taylor and guitarist Jim Root got their start a few years prior in Stone Sour. |
 | | Formed by guitarist Oli Herbert and ex-Shadows Fall vocalist Phil Labonte in 1998, Massachusetts' All That Remains debuted in 2002 with Behind Silence and Solitude on Metal Blade. |
 | | Since their inception in 2003, the 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 rock songs. |
 | | Formed in 2006, Black Veil Brides originally came together in Cincinnati, Ohio. Primarily the brainchild of vocalist Andy Six, the band combines cathartic metalcore/screamo with a dark, gothic image to set it apart from its contemporaries. |
 | | The four bandmembers who came together and created Killswitch Engage already had strong fan followings. |
 | | Formed by brothers Gabe and Dameon Aranda in 2001, Aranda is an emotionally charged post-grunge band based out of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. |
 | | The Atlanta-based quintet Sevendust became one of the rising acts in late-'90s heavy metal with an aggressive blend of bottom-heavy riffs and soulful, accessible melodies. |
 | | Originally called Vessels, metalcore band the Plot in You initially began as the side project of Landon Tewers, formerly of fellow Findlay, Ohio band Before Their Eyes. |
 | | Los Angeles-based thrash outfit Five Finger Death Punch formed in 2005 around the talents of former U. |
 | | Christian-based post-grunge outfit Red first got their start in Pennsylvania playing contemporary Christian covers to area youth groups. |
 | | Mixing the power of the grunge era with the vigor of punk, the Virginmarys create driving hard rock reminiscent of the Foo Fighters. |
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 | | Hollywood Undead hail (unsurprisingly) from the streets of Hollywood, California, mixing brash hip-hop, rock, and minor metalcore touches with cocky posturing and thug attitudes. |
 | | Influential West Coast heavy metal quartet Machine Head formed in 1992 around the talents of ex-Vio-Lence guitar players Robert Flynn and Phil Demmel, bass player Adam Duce, and drummer Chris Kontos. |
 | | Toronto-area Christian rockers Thousand Foot Krutch first appeared in 1997, when Trevor McNevan, Joel Bruyere, and Steve Augustine started putting a worship song spin on a rap-metal sound similar to Limp Bizkit or Korn. |
 | | Melodic hard rockers Shinedown hail from Jacksonville, Florida and originally featured vocalist Brent Smith, guitarist Jasin Todd, bassist Brad Stewart, and drummer Barry Kerch. |
 | | Edgy Las Vegas-based hard rock outfit Adelitas Way broke into the mainstream in 2009 with the song "Invincible," which appeared on numerous television spots for CSI Miami and served as the theme song for the weekly World Wrestling Entertainment Superstars show. |
 | | Dallas-based heavy metal group Drowning Pool was one of the most promising bands of the early 2000s. |
 | | After leaving Ceremonial Oath to form In Flames, founding member and guitarist Jesper Strömblad saw this project as a way of expressing his songwriting creativity rather than being stuck in the background. |
 | | School chums Chris Brown and Peter Charell absorbed the heavy rock sound of Korn, Soundgarden, and Metallica during the mid-'90s. |
 | | In many ways, Alice in Chains was the definitive heavy metal band of the early '90s. Drawing equally from the heavy riffing of post-Van Halen metal and the gloomy strains of post-punk, the band developed a bleak, nihilistic sound that balanced grinding hard rock with subtly textured acoustic numbers. |
 | | Starting out as a punk- and rap-influenced band, the northern Californian group Papa Roach eventually grew into a straight-ahead hard rock ensemble with strong heavy metal leanings. |
 | | The members of Three Days Grace began bashing punk chords when they were in their teens, carving a derivative yet energetic sound that fueled their live performances. |
 | | Inspired by the lurching riffs of Helmet and the soft/loud vocal dynamics of Tool, the Chicago-based trio Chevelle formed in 1995 with an aggressive, heavy sound. |
 | | Formed in 2004 by vocalist Jared Weeks and guitarist Jason Null, Saving Abel combine riff-heavy hard rock with sexually charged lyrics and Southern rock influences. |
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 | | Volbeat, a Danish metal band begun by former Dominus leader Michael Poulsen in October of 2001, became a dominant force not only in Danish metal, but in Danish rock as a whole, charting albums and singles on a regular basis. |
 | | Lovehammers were hard-working regulars on Chicago's mainstream rock scene, barely known outside the city limits till reality television came along and gave them the big break they had long been ready to receive. |
 | | Inspired by the crunchy blues-based riffs of Led Zeppelin and two-piece alt-rock bands like the White Stripes and the Black Keys, Beware of Darkness was formed in 2010 by vocalist/guitarist Kyle Nicolaides and drummer Tony Cupito. |
 | | The members of metalcore outfit Avenged Sevenfold (or A7X) were still attending high school in Huntington Beach, CA, when they formed their band in 1999. |
 | | Knoxville, TN's 10 Years formed in 2002 around vocalist Jesse Hasek, drummer Brian Vodinh, guitarists Matt Wantland and Tater, and bassist Lewis Cosby. |
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 | | Melodic post-grunge outfit Pop Evil formed in Grand Rapids, MI, in November 2001 with a sound that took cues from the likes of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, aptly putting the quartet right in line with popular modern rock acts such as Crossfade, Shinedown, and Puddle of Mudd. |
 | | Soundgarden made a place for heavy metal in alternative rock. Their fellow Seattle rockers Green River may have spearheaded the grunge sound, but they relied on noise rock in the vein of the Stooges. |
 | | The longtime frontman for metal superstars White Zombie, Rob Zombie was born Robert Cummings on January 12, 1966, in Haverhill, Massachusetts, forming the group soon after moving to New York City circa 1985. |
 | | Although rooted in alternative metal, Linkin Park became one of the most successful acts of the 2000s by welcoming elements of hip-hop, modern rock, and atmospheric electronica into their music. |
 | | Taking a cue from bluesy classic rock icons like Aerosmith and AC/DC, Baltimore, Maryland's Charm City Devils craft traditional hard rock anthems in the vein of Buckcherry and Aussie rockers Airbourne. |
 | | Heavy metal band Disturbed came together through the matching of a band with a singer. Longtime friends Dan Donegan (guitar), Mike Wengren (drums), and Fuzz (bass) played together in Chicago for some time before hooking up with singer David Draiman around 1997. |
 | | Heralded in their early days by Fox News as one of the best unsigned bands in the country after their debut single, "Soldiers," sold over 10,000 copies on iTunes, Otherwise are out to live their rock & roll dreams with a blend of plaintive post-grunge and driving hard rock. |
 | | The technically proficient guitar playing of John Petrucci elevated Dream Theater to the upper echelons of contemporary heavy metal. |
 | | Heavy metal "supergroup" Hellyeah formed in 2006 in Dallas, TX, around the talents of Mudvayne's Chad Gray (vocals) and Greg Tribbett (guitar), Nothingface's Tom Maxwell (guitar) and Jerry Montano -- the latter also played with Danzig -- and Pantera/Damageplan drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott. |
 | | Nearly as much as Metallica or Megadeth, Anthrax were responsible for the emergence of speed and thrash metal. |
 | | The preeminent metal band of the early to mid-'90s, Pantera put to rest any and all remnants of the '80s metal scene, almost single-handedly demolishing any notion that hair metal, speed metal, power metal, et al. |
 | | Metallica was easily the best, most influential heavy metal band of the '80s. Responsible for bringing the genre back to Earth, the bandmates looked and talked like they were from the street, shunning the usual rockstar games of metal musicians during the early '80s. |