 | | Toronto modern hard rock quintet Evans Blue came together around 2003 after its members found each other by chance through a local musician's message board. |
 | | Originally formed in 2003 as Farenheit, the Ontario, Canada quartet Hail the Villain make driving hard rock in the vein of Sevendust and Velvet Revolver. |
 | | Based in Memphis and named after one of its roads, hard rock group Egypt Central were formed by lead singer John T. |
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 | | Hard rock quintet the Veer Union formed in 2004, when vocalist Crispin Earl and guitarist Eric Schraeder found themselves living in adjacent rehearsal studios in downtown East Vancouver. |
 | | Vocalist Paul McCoy, bassist Kevin Dorr, guitarist Eric Weaver, and drummer Aaron Gainer were mostly still in their teens when they formed 12 Stones in the small New Orleans suburb of Mandeville, Louisiana. |
 | | Redlight King is the songwriting project of Mark Kasprzyk, an Ontario native whose music combines rock with hip-hop samples. |
 | | Earshot is Tool-inspired metal outfit that performs a similar blend of moody heavy metal. The group formed in 1999 out of vocalist/guitarist Will Martin, guitarist Mike Callahan, guitarist Scott Kohler, and drummer Dieter Hartmann. |
 | | 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. |
 | | Burn Halo is a mainstream hard rock band led by former Eighteen Visions lead singer James Hart that made its album debut in 2009. |
 | | Socialburn originated in the mid-'90s around high-school pals Neil Alday (vocals/guitar), Dusty Price (bass), and Brandon Bittner (drums). |
 | | Texas hard rock/alternative metal quintet Submersed blend heavy volume with heavy issues that reflect their rugged individualism and ambition to be a "positive force for change. |
 | | Knoxville, TN's 10 Years formed in 2002 around vocalist Jesse Hasek, drummer Brian Vodinh, guitarists Matt Wantland and Tater, and bassist Lewis Cosby. |
 | | 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. |
 | | Christian-based post-grunge outfit Red first got their start in Pennsylvania playing contemporary Christian covers to area youth groups. |
 | | 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. |
 | | Alter Bridge resurrected the music-making portion of Creed. After that band's 2004 dissolution, guitarist Mark Tremonti and drummer Scott Phillips tapped ousted bassist Brian Marshall for the new project. |
 | | Formed in 2005 in White House, TN, Framing Hanley initially played a blend of post-grunge and stylish hard rock under the name Embers Fade. |
 | | Vancouver, Canada's Theory of a Deadman became the first act to sign with Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger's 604 Records imprint in 2001. |
 | | Vancouver's Default fit the definition of straight-ahead hard rock in the early years of the 21st century: the guitar textures and melodic bent of grunge; the dark, brooding earnestness of post-grunge; and the deep, thick-sounding production (but not the rap influences) of new alternative metal. |
 | | Cavo's four members -- frontman Casey Walker, guitarist Chris Hobbs, drummer Chad La Roy, and bassist Brian Smith -- champion a mix of hard rock muscle and alt-pop melodies. |
 | | 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. |
 | | 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. |
 | | 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. |
 | | Southern rockers Black Stone Cherry originally hailed from a small rural town in south central Kentucky. |
 | | Jet found international popularity during the early 2000s, a period in which the band's mix of Exile on Main St. |
 | | Melodic hard rockers Shinedown hail from Jacksonville, Florida and originally featured vocalist Brent Smith, guitarist Jasin Todd, bassist Brad Stewart, and drummer Barry Kerch. |
