 | | Dallas-based heavy metal group Drowning Pool was one of the most promising bands of the early 2000s. |
 | | The Boston-based alternative metal group Godsmack were originally comprised of vocalist Sully Erna (a devout Wiccan), guitarist Tony Rambola, bassist Robbie Merrill, and drummer Tommy Stewart. |
 | | Although formed in September 1996, Saliva didn't hit the mainstream until 2001, when the band's mix of angsty hard rock and hip-hop helped earn a double-platinum certification for its sophomore album, Every Six Seconds. |
 | | Heavy metal quartet Mudvayne formed in Peoria, IL, in 1996, its members adopting the unusual pseudonyms sPaG (M. |
 | | 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. |
 | | One of the first acts signed to Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst's label, Flawless Records, was the alt-metal quartet Puddle of Mudd -- consisting of Wesley Scantlin (guitar and vocals), Paul Phillips (guitar), Douglas Ardito (bass), and Greg Upchurch (drums). |
 | | While they play around with the infectious grooves of reggae and Latin music as well as the heavy deliverance of hip-hop and rock, San Diego's hard rock four-piece P. |
 | | School chums Chris Brown and Peter Charell absorbed the heavy rock sound of Korn, Soundgarden, and Metallica during the mid-'90s. |
 | | Los Angeles-based thrash outfit Five Finger Death Punch formed in 2005 around the talents of former U. |
 | | 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. |
 | | The rap-metal outfit Limp Bizkit was formed in Florida in 1994 by vocalist Fred Durst and his friend, bassist Sam Rivers. |
 | | Korn's cathartic alternative metal sound positioned the group among the most popular and provocative to emerge during the post-grunge era. |
 | | The Helsinki, Finland quartet Apocalyptica were initially comprised of classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Max Lilja, Antero Manninen, and Paavo Lotjonen; formed in 1993, the group made waves internationally in 1996 with Plays Metallica by Four Cellos, which combined their formal background with their love of heavy metal. |
 | | 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. |
 | | Slipknot's mix of grinding, post-Korn alternative metal, Marilyn Manson-esque neo-shock rock, and rap-metal helped make them one of the most popular bands in the so-called nu-metal explosion of the late '90s. |
 | | Hailing from South Africa and comprising members Shaun Morgan (vocals, guitar), Dale Stewart (bass), and John Humphrey (drums), Seether embraces a brand of heavy metal mostly associated with the post-grunge era of alternative music, complete with crunchy distortion and brooding textures. |
 | | 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. |
 | | 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. |
 | | Hard rock/heavy metal band Crossfade is based in Columbia, SC, where its members reside. The group came together in the late '90s with the merging of singer/guitarist Ed Sloan with bassist/backup singer Mitch James and drummer Brian Geiger as the power trio the Nothing. |
 | | Static-X's roots trace to the Midwest, where vocalist/guitarist Wayne Static grew up in Michigan and drummer Ken Jay in Illinois. |
 | | Helmed by vocalist Spider (aka Michael Cummings, also know as Spider One or MC Spider, the younger brother of Rob Zombie), the Boston-based underground electro-metal band Powerman 5000 earned a popular cult following along the East Coast with the release of their 1994 indie debut EP, True Force, and 1995's LP The Blood Splat Rating System, the latter of which appeared on Conscience Records. |
 | | Vancouver, Canada's Theory of a Deadman became the first act to sign with Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger's 604 Records imprint in 2001. |
 | | It has been said that first impressions last a lifetime. Luckily for Staind, some only last for about 45 minutes. |
 | | The post-grunge outfit Days of the New rocked heavy in 1998 with their major-label eponymous debut and the singles "Solitude" and "Touch, Peel and Stand," and the boys from Louisville, KY, quickly absorbed the fast success and MTV's praise. |
 | | Like many late-'90s metal bands, System of a Down struck a balance between '80s underground thrash metal and metallic early-'90s alternative rockers like Jane's Addiction. |
 | | 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. |
 | | |
 | | Ann Arbor, MI's own Taproot sent their demo to Limp Bizkit's frontman/business entrepreneur Fred Durst in 1998, not ever thinking Durst would call them back personally. |
 | | 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. |
 | | 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. |
 | | Hard-hitting Canadian post-grunge outfit My Darkest Days formed in the mid-2000s around the talents of singer/songwriter/guitarist Matt Walst, bass player Brendan McMillan, drummer Doug Oliver, and guitarist Sal Costa. |
 | | Melodic hard rockers Shinedown hail from Jacksonville, Florida and originally featured vocalist Brent Smith, guitarist Jasin Todd, bassist Brad Stewart, and drummer Barry Kerch. |
 | | Jacksonville, Florida-based alternative metal outfit Cold started out by sharing the aesthetic of another Florida band, Limp Bizkit. |
 | | 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. |
 | | In late 2000, guitarist Aaron Fink and bassist Mark James Klepaski made a surprising and unexpected decision: they left Lifer, an alternative metal band that was signed to Universal and was gaining commercial acceptance. |
 | | With a name like Sick Puppies, you wouldn't think hugs would play a major role in the gutsy indie crew's rise to fame, but they do, along with malls and YouTube. |
 | | The SoCal alt-metal foursome Alien Ant Farm formed in 1996 with the raging singer/songwriter Dryden Mitchell, guitarist Terry Corso, bassist Tye Zamora, and drummer Mike Cosgrove. |
 | | Knoxville, TN's 10 Years formed in 2002 around vocalist Jesse Hasek, drummer Brian Vodinh, guitarists Matt Wantland and Tater, and bassist Lewis Cosby. |
 | | Hinder began crafting cocky, raucous post-grunge in the early 2000s, when Oklahoma City residents Joe Garvey and drummer Cody Hanson found Austin Winkler singing cover songs at a college party. |
 | | 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. |
 | | 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. |
 | | 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. |
 | | 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. |
 | | Formed in 2006 as an audio accompaniment to Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx's autobiography The Heroin Diaries, hard rock band Sixx: A. |
 | | Formed in 1997 under the name Revelation Theory, the hard rock outfit Rev Theory is made up of singer Rich Luzzi, bassist Matty McCloskey, guitarist Julien Jorgensen, and drummer Dave Agoglia. |
 | | Adema formed in the California Central Valley that spawned Korn and Videodrone. The melodic hard rock band consists of guitarist Mike Ransom, guitarist Tim Fluckey, bassist Dave DeRoo, drummer Kris Kohls, and singer Mark Chavez, the younger half-brother of Korn's Jonathan Davis. |
 | | Southern rockers Black Stone Cherry originally hailed from a small rural town in south central Kentucky. |
 | | Memphis, TN-based rock quartet Breaking Point included Brett Erickson (vocals/guitar), Justin Rimer (guitar), Jody Abbott (drums), and Greg Edmondson (bass). |
 | | Smile Empty Soul was a heavy alternative trio formed while its three members were still in Santa Clarita, California high schools. |
 | | Velvet Revolver began with a spring 2002 jam session that reunited ex-Guns N' Roses bandmates Slash (guitar), Duff McKagan (bass), and Matt Sorum (drums) on-stage. |