While heavy metal band Disturbed displays all the expected aggression and angst of its peers, it has achieved a wildly successful, chart-busting popularity, bolstered by a melodic complexity and frontman Dave Draiman's persuasive swagger. Formed in C…

Heavy metal was in danger of losing its hold on the mainstream by the early 1990s, but Korn helped jolt the genre back to life again. Combining rage-purging, rapped/shouted vocals and explosively heavy riffs, these rap-metal pioneers spawned a slew o…

Not since the days of Kiss have any rockers completely hidden their faces as thoroughly from the public as Slipknot has. Formed in 1996, each member of this nine-man Iowa group hides behind a mask … la Insane Clown Posse. Appealing to the Korn/Limp B…

System of a Down may be seen as part and parcel of the nu-metal explosion of the late-'90s, but their style is less akin to the likes of Limp Bizkit and Korn than to vintage thrash from the '80s, spiced with a touch of hardcore punk. The band's sound…

Those who mourn MIA grunge rockers Alice In Chains may find relief in some of AIC's late-'90s musical offspring, especially Godsmack (named after an Alice In Chains song). Leader Sully Erna has a voice that's a dead ringer for that of Layne Staley, a…

Initially mentored by Nine Inch Nails mainman Trent Reznor, Marilyn Manson created an accessible, highly successful variant on the former's electronic-tinged industrial rock. Manson took shock-rock to a whole new plateau in the late-1990s, influenced…

This nu-metal outfit was formed in Peoria, Illinois, USA in 1996 by Gurrg (b. Greg Tribbett; guitar), Spag (b. Matthew McDonough; drums), Kud (b. Chad Gray; vocals), with Ryknow (b. Ryan Martinie; bass) added to the line-up two years later. Always co…

These Vacaville, CA boys first got together in high school, influenced by the likes of Rage Against the Machine and Faith No More, they constructed their own rap-metal hybrid. Papa Roach was no overnight success; they toured relentlessly, building up…

Heavy metal fans may sense that the B-movie/comic book hero/sci-fi/muscle car world that Powerman 5000 (or PM5K, for short) lives in is quite similar to the same one inhabited by Rob Zombie. There is good reason for this ' Powerman 5000's singer, Spi…

This Los Angeles, California, USA-based nu-metal outfit comprises Wayne Static (b. 4 November 1970, Muskegon, Michigan, USA; vocals/guitar), Tony Campos (b. California, USA; bass), Koichi Fukuda (b. Osaka, Japan; keyboards, programming) and Ken Jay (…

This theatrical metal band was formed in 1985 in the Lower East Side of New York City, New York, USA, and were named after a horror movie. Led by Rob Zombie (b. Robert Cummings, 12 January 1966, Haverhill, Massachusetts, USA) and female bass player S…

After a false start as a 1980s glam-metal band, Pantera reinvented itself as a fierce thrash combo for 1990's landmark album COWBOYS FROM HELL. The Texan band distinguished itself by offering up its trademark "power groove" sound--a potent, slowed-do…

This Dallas, Texas, USA-based quartet made an immediate impact on the rock scene with their refreshingly diverse debut, Sinner. Stevie Benton (bass) and Mike Luce (drums) attended high school together in Dallas, but parted company when Luce moved to …

The members of metalcore outfit Avenged Sevenfold or A7X were still in high school when they formed in 1999 in Huntington Beach CA Still it didnt take long for M Shadows vocals Zacky Vengeance guitar Synyster Gates guitar the Reverend drums and Johnn…

While a select few hard rock bands incorporated rap into their sound (Anthrax, Faith No More, etc.), it was Rage Against The Machine that perfected and popularized the rap-metal genre in the 1990s. Unlike the aforementioned bands, the Los Angeles-bas…

Before Nine Inch Nails, electronic-based rock was often considered devoid of feeling and danger. Leader Trent Reznor merged synths with tortured vocals/lyrics, distorted guitar, and repetitive, slamming rhythms into an unpredictable amalgam, helping …

Taking their musical cue from their friends in Korn, Limp Bizkit bottled the rage of metal and merged it with vocalist's Fred Durst's white-boy rapping skills. With the kind of rock-star excess missed by some in the mid-late 1990s (due largely to Gun…

Getting his start with one of heavy metal monolith Black Sabbath, singer Ozzy Osbourne split from the band in 1979, and forged a highly successful solo career that quickly eclipsed his former outfit. While Osbourne's strange antics sometimes overshad…

Metallica deflated the pomposity of 1970s rock, while reinvigorating heavy metal with their fast, fierce, and surprisingly melodic sound. Pioneers of the thrash metal subgenre, vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich set down the fo…

Formed in 1994 in East Berlin, Germany, this confrontational alternative rock band first came to international prominence when film and television director David Lynch (Twin Peaks) declared his admiration and commissioned them to work with him. By th…