Artists

Lifelover

Banda sueca | Black metal atmosférico, black metal depresivo suicida, post-punk, metal industrial, metal progresivo (2005)

Cited as one of the driving forces behind the ultra-bleak, black metal subgenre depressive suicidal black metal (DSBM), Sweden's Lifelover was formed in 2005 in Stockholm by Jonas Bergqvist and <a href="spotify:artist:2EeSQVyCLcqNOFb6lNyQUD">Kim Carlsson</a>. Bergqvist chose the deliberately ironic name Lifelover after being having the phrase hurled at him by an acquaintance he particularly loathed. Combining elements of post-punk, goth rock, dark ambient, and doom metal, Lifelover issued their debut album, Pulver, via Goatowarex in 2006, followed by Erotik (2007), Konkurs (2008), and Sjukdom (2011), the latter of which proved to be the band's last studio album as a result of the accidental overdose death of guitarist/co-founder Bergqvist. ~ James Christopher Monger, Rovi

SATANIC WARMASTER

Banda finlandesa | Black metal (1998)

Sargeist

Banda finlandesa | Black metal (1999)

Behexen

Banda finlandesa | Black metal (1994)

BEHEXEN was born under a black banner in 1994 when Torog (vocals), Horns (drums) and Reaper (guitars) joined forces. Black Metal has been the keyword since inception. The first demo "Reality Is In Evil..." briefly saw the moonlight in ’95; the second demo "Eternal Realm" surfaced in ’97; and the third demo "Blessed Be The Darkness" followed in ‘98. At this point, Reaper left the band and BEHEXEN recruited Gargantum on guitar and Lunatic on bass in order to perform live rituals. "Blessed Be The Darkness" brought forth an ill-fated deal from Sinister Figure and the debut album "Rituale Satanum" was recorded in the summer of 1999. Due to countless problems, the band drifted away from this rip-off label and waited three years for that deal to expire. During this period, Veilroth joined as second guitarist. In May 2003, BEHEXEN signed with Finnish label Woodcut Records and recorded their second full-length album "By The Blessing Of Satan" which was unleashed the following year. In 2008, fresh from the Tour Of The Blackmoon with ARCHGOAT and HELL MILITIA, the band unleashed its third album, “My Soul For His Glory” on Hammer Of Hate. BEHEXEN has now inked a deal in blood with Debemur Morti Productions to deliver the fourth full-length, the two parties having conspired previously on a reissue of the BEHEXEN / HORNA split. BEHEXEN, with original members Torog and Horns, is and always will be Black Metal in its blackest and rawest form.

Mayhem

Banda noruega | Black metal, black metal disonante, black metal progresivo, black metal noruego (1984)

Mortician

Banda estadounidense | Brutal death metal/Deathgrind (1989)

A grindcore-influenced death-metal duo from Yonkers, NY, Mortician is made up of vocalist/bassist Will Rahmer and guitarist/drum machine programmer Roger Beaujard. Although the group's sound is extreme and inaccessible to many ears, their song intros and use of slasher-film samples demonstrate a sense of humor (albeit a morbid one), overall a rare commodity in a genre that usually thrives on a dark, threatening posture. Mortician signed with the Relapse label and debuted in 1993 with Mortal Massacre, following it with 1996's The House by the Cemetery EP and 1997's full-length, evocatively titled Hacked Up for Barbecue. Further releases included 1998's Zombie Apocalypse and 1999's Chainsaw Dismemberment, which saw producer Desmond Tolhurst beginning to contribute guitar work as well. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi

Slayer

Banda estadounidense | Thrash metal (1981)

Slayer were one of the most distinctive, influential, and extreme thrash metal bands of the 1980s. Their graphic lyrics dealt with everything from death and dismemberment to war and the horrors of hell. Their full-throttle velocity, wildly chaotic guitar solos, and powerful musical chops painted an effectively chilling sonic background for their obsessive chronicling of the dark side; this correspondence helped Slayer's music hold up arguably better than the remaining Big Three '80s thrash outfits (Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax). Naturally, Slayer stirred up quite a bit of controversy over the years, with rumors flying about Satanism and Nazism that only added to their mystique. Over the years, Slayer put out some high-quality albums, including one undisputed classic (Reign in Blood), and saw the numbers of naysayers and detractors shrinking as their impact on the growing death metal movement was gradually and respectfully acknowledged. Slayer survived with arguably the most vitality and the least compromise of any pre-Nirvana metal band, and their intensity inspired similar responses from their devoted fans. Slayer were formed in 1982 in Huntington Park, California, by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman; also recruited were bassist/vocalist Tom Araya and drummer Dave Lombardo. They started out playing covers of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden songs, but quickly discovered that they could get attention (and fans) by exploiting threatening, Satanic imagery. The band was invited by Metal Blade's Brian Slagel to contribute a track to the Metal Massacre, Vol. 3 compilation (a series that also saw the vinyl debuts of Metallica and Voivod); a contract and debut album, Show No Mercy, followed shortly thereafter. While Slayer's early approach was rather cartoonish, their breakneck speed and instrumental prowess were still highly evident. Two EPs, Haunting the Chapel and Live Undead, were released in 1984, but 1985's Hell Awaits refined their lyrical obsessions into a sort of concept album about damnation and torture and made an immediate sensation in heavy metal circles, winning Slayer a rabid cult following. Def Jam co-founder Rick Rubin took a liking to the band, signed them to his label, and contributed the first clear-sounding production heard on any Slayer album for the stripped-down Reign in Blood. Due to the graphic nature of the material, CBS refused to distribute the album, which garnered a great deal of publicity for the band; eventually, Geffen Records stepped in. Combining Slayer's trademark speed metal with the tempos and song lengths (if not structures) of hardcore, along with the band's most disturbing lyrics yet, Reign in Blood was an instant classic, breaking the band through to a wider audience, and was hailed by some as the greatest speed metal album of all time (some give the nod to Metallica's Master of Puppets). South of Heaven disappointed some of the band's hardcore followers, as Slayer successfully broke out of the potential stylistic straitjacket of their reputation as the world's fastest, most extreme band. Drummer Lombardo took some time off and was briefly replaced by Whiplash drummer Tony Scaglione, but soon returned to the fold. Released in 1990, Seasons in the Abyss was well-received in all respects, incorporating more of the classic Slayer intensity into a more commercial -- but no less uncompromising -- sound. "War Ensemble" and the title track became favorites on MTV's Headbanger's Ball, and Slayer consolidated their position at the forefront of thrash, along with Metallica. Following the release of the double-live album Decade of Aggression, Lombardo left the band again and formed Grip Inc. Slayer remained quiet for a few years; the only new material released after 1990 was a duet with Ice-T recorded for the Judgment Night soundtrack on a medley of songs by the Exploited. After leaving the Forbidden, Paul Bostaph signed on as the new drummer for 1994's Divine Intervention, which was released to glowing reviews; thanks to the new death metal movement, which drew upon Slayer and particularly Reign in Blood for its inspiration, Slayer were hailed as metal innovators. The album was a massive success, debuting at number eight on the Billboard album charts. Bostaph left the band to concentrate on a side project, the Truth About Seafood, and was replaced by ex-Testament drummer Jon Dette for Undisputed Attitude, an album consisting mostly of punk and hardcore covers. Bostaph rejoined Slayer in time to record 1998's Diabolus in Musica. The band reunited with Def Jam for 2001's God Hates Us All and in 2002, Lombardo rejoined the band once more. In 2004, they unleashed the four-disc anthology Soundtrack to the Apocalypse, followed by an album of all-new material, Christ Illusion, in 2006. After a relentless tour and festival schedule in 2007 and 2008, Slayer emerged from the studio with World Painted Blood in 2009. In 2010, Slayer appeared with Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax on Big 4: Live from Sofia, Bulgaria. On May 2, 2013, Slayer guitarist and co-founder Jeff Hanneman died of liver failure at a Los Angeles hospital; he was 49 years old. King and Araya refused to let their friend's death deter them from carrying on with Slayer, and set to work writing a new album. Lombardo was kicked out of the band for the third time; Bostaph came back on board, and Exodus' Gary Holt, who had filled in for Hanneman when he was seriously ill with necrotizing fasciitis in 2011, joined as his permanent replacement. The album was eventually finished in 2015 and titled Repentless. Three tracks, "When the Stillness Comes," "Implode," and the title cut -- which King dubbed a "HannemAnthem" in tribute -- were released as digital singles throughout the spring and summer. Repentless appeared on September 11 through Nuclear Blast. ~ Steve Huey

Iron Maiden

Banda británica | Heavy metal (1975)

Iron Maiden are an institution. Over 50 years they’ve come to embody a spirit of fearless creative independence, spectacular live shows, ferocious dedication to their fans, and a cheerful indifference to their critics that’s won them a colossal worldwide following. Their epic discography includes the studio albums ‘Iron Maiden, ‘Killers’, ‘The Number Of The Beast’, ‘Piece Of Mind’, ‘Powerslave, ‘Somewhere In Time’, and ‘Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son’ right up to their 17th outing – ‘Senjutsu.’ That celebrated catalogue has inspired many classic such as ‘The Trooper’, ‘Wasted Years’, ‘Hallowed Be Thy Name’, ‘The Number Of The Beast’, ‘Wasting Love’, ‘Run To The Hills’, ‘Aces High’, ‘Rime Of The Ancient Mariner’ and ‘2 Minutes to Midnight’. 2024 sees the conclusion of their The Future Past world tour ahead of their newly announced Run For Your Lives tour in 2025/26, celebrating the group’s 50th anniversary. It will include some of the largest venues the band has ever played.

Ozzy Osbourne

Músico y compositor británico | Heavy metal, hard rock (1966)

If you need to read a bio to learn about who Ozzy Osbourne is, what rock have you been living under?

System Of A Down

Artist nu-metal

Deftones

Artist

Molchat Doma

Artist

Molchat Doma (translated as “Houses Are Silent”), founded in 2017 in Minsk, Belarus, stands at the intersection of post-punk, new-wave and synth-pop. Dark yet danceable, and with a heavy dose of goth ethos, their music is reminiscent of the masters that predate them, but make no mistake: Molchat Doma creates a sound and meaning that is immediately recognizable as all their own. The Belarusian post-punk / synth pop group have always exuded the kind of brutalist aesthetic of the architecture that adorns their album art. It’s cold, gray, imposing, industrial—and yet there are human hearts beating within those foundations. In the wake of their breakthrough success in 2020, the trio endured a polarity of experiences, from the nadir of an uprooted life and forced relocation away from their native Minsk to the apex of headlining massive shows across the world. It was in this headspace that the band settled into their new home of Los Angeles to finish writing their fourth album &#39;Belaya Polosa&#39;, a testament to change in difficult times, a love letter to the digital pulse of the ‘90s, and a technicolor reinvention of the band’s somber dancefloor anthems.