Music - Albums - Videos

Rush is a Canadian rock band originally formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart.

The band and its membership went through a number of re-configurations between 1968 and 1974, achieving their current form when Peart replaced original drummer John Rutsey in July 1974, two weeks before the group's first U.S. tour. Since the release of the band's self-titled debut album in March 1974, Rush has become known for the instrumental skills of its members, complex compositions, and eclectic lyrical motifs drawing heavily on science fiction, fantasy, and libertarian philosophy, as well as addressing humanitarian, social, emotional, and environmental concerns. Musically, Rush's style has evolved over the years, beginning in the vein of blues-inspired heavy metal on their first albums, then encompassing hard rock, progressive rock, and a period dominated by synthesizers. They have influenced various musical artists, including Metallica, The Smashing Pumpkins and Primus, as well as progressive metal bands such as Dream Theater and Symphony X.
Discography
Studio albums
* Rush (1974)
* Fly by Night (1975)
* Caress of Steel (1975)
* 2112 (1976)
* A Farewell to Kings (1977)
* Hemispheres (1978)
* Permanent Waves (1980)
* Moving Pictures (1981)
* Signals (1982)
* Grace Under Pressure (1984)
* Power Windows (1985)
* Hold Your Fire (1987)
* Presto (1989)
* Roll the Bones (1991)
* Counterparts (1993)
* Test for Echo (1996)
* Vapor Trails (2002)
* Feedback (2004)
* Snakes & Arrows (2007)

Robert Anthony Plant CBE (born 20 August 1948), is an English rock singer and songwriter, famous for his membership in the former rock band Led Zeppelin as the lead vocalist and lyricist, as well as for his successful solo career. He recently released an album, Raising Sand, produced by T-Bone Burnett with American bluegrass soprano Alison Krauss, which won the 2009 Grammy Award for Album of the Year for their 2007 effort.
Solo discography
Albums
Solo studio albums
* 1982 - Pictures at Eleven
* 1983 - The Principle of Moments
* 1985 - Shaken 'n' Stirred
* 1988 - Now and Zen
* 1990 - Manic Nirvana
* 1993 - Fate of Nations
* 2002 - Dreamland
* 2005 - Mighty ReArranger

Robert Bartleh Cummings (born January 12, 1965), better known by his stage name, Rob Zombie, is an American musician, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He founded the rock band White Zombie, and as a solo musician sold a further 15 million albums. Five of his albums have been certified platinum and another two have been certified gold, making him the artist with the most gold and platinum discs on the Geffen Records label.

He currently lives in Woodbury, Connecticut. He married longtime girlfriend Sheri Moon in 2002, whom he also frequently features in his horror films. Zombie has also established a successful career as a film director, creating the movies House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects, the 2007 remake of Halloween, and the upcoming Tyrannosaurus Rex, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto and H2.
Filmography
* 2003: House Of 1000 Corpses
* 2005: The Devil's Rejects
* 2007: Halloween
* 2009: H2
* 2009: The Haunted World of El Superbeasto (animated)
* 2011: Tyrannosaurus Rex
Discography
* 1998: Hellbilly Deluxe
* 2001: The Sinister Urge
* 2006: Educated Horses
Solo band members
Current lineup
* Rob Zombie – lead vocals (1997–present)
* John 5 – guitars (2005–present)
* Piggy D. – bass (2006–present)
* Tommy Clufetos – drums, percussion (2005–present)
Previous members
* Mike Riggs – guitars (1997–2003)
* John Tempesta – drums, percussion (1997–2003)
* Blasko – bass (1997–2006)

John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer-songwriter, whose career has now spanned four decades. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead vocalist of pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and eventually achieved a multi-platinum solo career which revolutionized the heavy metal genre.

As a result he is known as the "Godfather of Heavy Metal", and, because of some of his material, the "Prince of Darkness". In the early 2000s, his career as a celebrity hit a new zenith when he became a star in his own reality show, The Osbournes, alongside wife/manager Sharon and two of their three children, Kelly and Jack. In August 2008, Osbourne stated in USA Today that he intends to retire from his music career after two more albums.

Personal life
Osbourne has been married twice and is the father of seven children (five biological, and two adopted). He was first married to Thelma Riley (now a teacher in Leicestershire) and adopted her son Elliot Kingsley (1966); together they had Jessica Starshine Osbourne Hobbs (20 January 1972) and Louis John Osbourne (1975).

Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne
He later married Sharon Arden and had three children with her. They are Aimee Osbourne (2 September 1983), Kelly Osbourne (27 October 1984) and Jack Osbourne (8 November 1985). They also took in the family's friend Robert Marcato after his mother died, but never legally adopted him. Osbourne also has three grandchildren, Isabelle and Harry from his daughter Jessica and granddaughter Maia from son Louis. He wrote a song for his daughter, Aimee, which appeared as a b-side on the album Ozzmosis. He divides his time between Los Angeles and Buckinghamshire, England. It was reported in 1992 that Osbourne was a member of the Church of England and prayed before each show. Osbourne achieved greater celebrity status by the unlikely success of his own brand of reality television. The Osbournes, a series featuring the domestic life of Osbourne and his family (wife Sharon, children Jack and Kelly and special guest appearances from his son Louis, but not their eldest daughter Aimee, who declined to participate). The program became one of MTV's greatest hits. It premiered on 5 March 2002, and the final episode aired 21 March 2005. In 2002, Osbourne and wife Sharon were invited to the White House Correspondents' Association dinner by Fox News Channel correspondent Greta Van Susteren for that year's event. President Bush noted Osbourne's presence by joking: "The thing about Ozzy is, he's made a lot of big hit recordings 'Party with the Animals', 'Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath', 'Facing Hell', 'Black Skies' and 'Bloodbath in Paradise'. Ozzy, Mom loves your stuff." He has over 15 tattoos, the letters O-Z-Z-Y across the knuckles of his left hand was the first he had done as a teenager, by means of a sewing needle and pencil lead. Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne are one of the UK's richest couples, according to the Sunday Times Rich List. They ranked at number 458 in 2005, with an estimated £100 million earned from recording, touring and TV shows. They ranked above most British music stars, such as Rod Stewart, George Michael, Robbie Williams, the Rolling Stones' Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood, and Pink Floyd, Queen, and Dire Straits members. Osbourne experienced tremors for some years and linked them to his continuous drug abuse. In May 2005 he found out it was actually Parkin Syndrome, a genetic condition, the symptoms of which are very similar to Parkinson's disease. Osbourne will have to take daily medication for the rest of his life to combat the involuntary shudders associated with the condition. Osbourne has shown symptoms of a mild hearing loss, as evidenced in the television show, The Osbournes, as he often asks his family members to repeat what they say.

Black Sabbath
Despite only a modest investment from US record label Warner Bros. Records, Black Sabbath met with swift and enduring success. Built around Tony Iommi's guitar riffs, Geezer Butler's lyrics, and topped by Osbourne's eerie vocals, early records such as their eponymous debut album and Paranoid sold huge numbers, as well as getting airplay.

Drugs, alcohol, doves and bats
According to the press, Osbourne's antics progressively reached a more dangerous point during the 1980s; his alcoholism and drug abuse continued. He later underwent a number of treatments for alcoholism and drug abuse. After signing his first solo career record deal he came in to meet some of the people who worked at the record company. His plan was to release doves into the air to get people to notice him, but when no one noticed, he changed his plans. He grabbed a dove, bit its head off, then spat the head out. Then, with blood still dripping from his lips, a security guard came to remove him. Despite its controversy, this act has been parodied and alluded to several times throughout his career and is part of what made Ozzy Osbourne famous. He gained further notoriety on 20 January 1982, when he bit the head off a bat he thought was rubber while performing at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines, Iowa. Rolling Stone magazine in 2004 ranked this incident number two on its list of "Rock's Wildest Myths." While the Rolling Stone article stated the bat was alive, the person who threw it onto the stage said it was brought to the show dead. According to Osbourne himself in the booklet to the 2002 edition of Diary of a Madman, the bat was not only alive, but also managed to bite Osbourne, resulting in him having to take rabies shots. bDuring a tour stop in Texas in 1982, while wearing future wife Sharon's dress, Ozzy drunkenly urinated on a cenotaph erected in honor of those who died at the Alamo across the street from the actual building. A police officer arrested him, and Osbourne was subsequently banned from the city of San Antonio for a decade. Osbourne's alcohol problem also came to a very serious peak in 1989 after he became violently drunk and attempted to strangle his wife/manager Sharon. Osbourne later admitted that, at the height of his drug addiction, he shot his family's pets saying: "I was taking drugs so much I was a wreck. The final straw came when I shot all our cats. We had about 17, and I went crazy and shot them all. My wife found me under the piano in a white suit, a shotgun in one hand and a knife in the other."
Backing band
Current line up
* Zakk Wylde - guitar (1989-present)
* Rob "Blasko" Nicholson - bass (2003, 2006-present)
* Mike Bordin - drums (1997-present)
* Adam Wakeman - keyboards (2004-present)
Former band members
Guitarists
* Randy Rhoads (1979-1982)
* Bernie Tormé (1982)
* Brad Gillis (1982)
* Jake E. Lee (1982-1987)
* Steve Vai (1994-1995)
* Joe Holmes (1995-1998, 2000)
* Alex Skolnick (1995)
* Jerry Cantrell (2004-2005)
* Zakk Wylde (1987-1992, 1995, 1998, 2001-2004, 2006-2009)
Bassists
* Rudy Sarzo (1981-1982)
* Bob Daisley (1979-1981, 1983-1991)
* Phil Soussan (1986-1987)
* James LoMenzo (1994)
* Mike Inez (1989-1993)
* Geezer Butler (1988, 1995-1996)
* Robert Trujillo (1996-2003)
* Jason Newsted (2003)
* Chris Wyse (2003-2005)
Drummers
* Lee Kerslake (1979-1981)
* Tommy Aldridge (1981-1983)
* Carmine Appice (1983)
* Randy Castillo (1983-1993, 1995)
* Deen Castronovo (1993-1997)
Keyboardists
* Johnny Cook (1981)
* Don Airey (1980, 1983)
* Mike Moran (1985-1986)
* John Sinclair (1988-1991)
* Kevin Jones (1991-1992)
* Rick Wakeman (1995)
* Michael Railo (2001)

Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic power metal band, formed in 1996 in Kitee, Finland. The band has sold more than 5 million CDs, DVDs and online material internationally.

Although Nightwish has been prominent in their home country since the release of their first single, “The Carpenter” (1997) & debut album Angels Fall First, they did not achieve worldwide fame until the release of the albums Oceanborn, Wishmaster and Century Child, which were released in 1998, 2000 and 2002 respectively. Their 2004 album, Once, which sold more than 1 million copies, led to Nightwish video clips being shown on MTV in the United States and inclusion of their music in US movie soundtracks. Their biggest US hit single, “Wish I Had an Angel” (2004), made it onto three US film soundtracks as a means to promote their North American tour. The band produced three more singles and two music videos for the album, as well as “Sleeping Sun”, from the 2005 “best of” compilation album, Highest Hopes, prior to vocalist Tarja Turunen’s dismissal. In May 2007, former Alyson Avenue frontwoman, Anette Olzon, was revealed as Turunen’s replacement, & in the autumn, the band released a new album - Dark Passion Play, which has sold nearly 800,000 copies. A tour supporting the album is currently in progress. It started on October 6, 2007 and will end on September 19, 2009. A new E.P./live album, Made In Hong Kong (And in Various Other Places), was released in March 2009 as a MCD/DVD.
Language
On their debut album Angels Fall First, several songs were written in Finnish language, but since then the band has only written songs in English, with the only exceptions being "Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan" from the Once album and the single "Erämaan Viimeinen" (2007), which is a version of the instrumental "Last of the Wilds" that features vocals. Holopainen thought that he was very uncertain about the lyrics of that song, because he is of the opinion that writing in Finnish is rather hard, and stated "Finnish [could] quickly sound really cheesy." The 2004 song Creek Mary's Blood also featured a poem read in Lakota, originally written in English and then translated. Olzon has stated in an interview that there's a possibility they will write one or two songs in Swedish in the future.
Live performances
Having their first concert in hometown Kitee on December 31st, 1997, Nightwish has throughout the years grown as a live act, always with the attitude "the more gigs managed in a year, the better". Early in their career, Nightwish gained a bad reputation for not being "metal" enough. "As anyone can see from early photos, our image was pretty far from Rock'n'Roll", drummer Jukka Nevalainen explains their early days. "We all looked like ol' goody-goody nerds!". As the band budget grew after the fame of Oceanborn and Wishmaster, the live performances had more space and along with better arenas and a wilder crowd, they could also start the using more professional lighting and pyrotechnics, which are now standard for most shows. The band also developed on stage, with wilder metal-like appearances.
Band members
Nightwish's line-up has been a matter of discussion, more notably with the dismissal of vocalist Tarja Turunen in 2005, and vocalist/bassist Marco Hietala's joining in 2002. Two members - Holopainen and Vuorinen have stayed since the first line-up in 1996 and Nevalainen joined in 1997.
Current members
* Anette Olzon
o Lead Vocals (2007-Present)
* Tuomas Holopainen
o Backing Vocals (1996-1998, 2001)
o Keyboards (1996-Present)
* Erno “Emppu” Vuorinen
o Acoustic guitars (1996-Present)
o Bass guitar (1996-1998)
o Electric guitar (1997 -Present)
* Marco Hietala
o Bass guitar (2002 -Present)
o Acoustic guitars (2004 -Present)
o Lead Vocals (2002-Present)
* Julius “Jukka” Nevalainen
o Drums, Percussion (1997-Present)
Former Members
* Tarja Turunen - Lead Vocals (1996-2005)
* Sami Vänskä - Bass guitars (1998-2001)
* Samppa Hirvonen - Bass (Live Member, 1997-1998)
* Marianna Pellinen - Backing vocals, additional keyboards (Live Member, 1997-1998)
Discography
* Angels Fall First (1997)
* Oceanborn (1998)
* Wishmaster (2000)
* Over the Hills and Far Away (2001)
* Century Child (2002)
* Once (2004)
* Dark Passion Play (2007)
* Seventh Studio Album (2010)

Metallica is an American heavy metal band that formed in 1981 in Los Angeles. Founded when drummer Lars Ulrich posted an advertisement in a local newspaper, Metallica's line-up has primarily consisted of Ulrich, rhythm guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield, and lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, while going through a number of bassists.

Currently, the spot is held by Robert Trujillo. Metallica's early releases included fast tempos, instrumentals, and aggressive musicianship that placed them as one of the "big four" of the thrash metal subgenre alongside Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax. The band earned a growing fan base in the underground music community and critical acclaim, with the 1986 release Master of Puppets described as one of the most influential and "heavy" thrash metal albums. The band achieved substantial commercial success with Metallica (1991), which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. With this release the band expanded its musical direction resulting in an album that appealed to a more mainstream audience. In 2000, Metallica was among several artists who filed a lawsuit against Napster for sharing the band's copyright-protected material for free without the band members' consent. A settlement was reached, and Napster became a pay-to-use service. Despite reaching number one on the Billboard 200, the release of St. Anger alienated many fans with the exclusion of guitar solos and the "steel-sounding" snare drum. A film titled Some Kind of Monster documented the recording process of St. Anger. Metallica has released nine studio albums, two live albums, two EPs, twenty-two music videos, and forty-four singles. The band has won nine Grammy Awards, and has had five consecutive albums debut at number one on the Billboard 200, making Metallica the only band ever to do so. The band's 1991 album, Metallica, has sold over 15 million copies in the United States, and 22 million copies worldwide, which makes it the 25th-highest-selling album in the country. The band has sold an estimated 100 million records worldwide as of the release of their latest album Death Magnetic. As of September 2008, Metallica is the fourth highest-selling music artist since the SoundScan era began tracking sales on May 25, 1991, selling a total of 51,136,000 albums in the United States alone.
Awards
Grammy Awards
* 1990: Best Metal Performance – "One"
* 1991: Best Metal Performance – "Stone Cold Crazy"
* 1992: Best Metal Performance – Metallica
* 1999: Best Metal Performance – "Better than You"
* 2000: Best Hard Rock Performance – "Whiskey in the Jar"
* 2001: Best Rock Instrumental Performance – "The Call of Ktulu" with Michael Kamen and the San Francisco Symphony
* 2004: Best Metal Performance – "St. Anger"
* 2009: Best Metal Performance – "My Apocalypse"
* 2009: Best Recording Package - Death Magnetic
MTV Video Music Awards:
* 1992: Best Metal Video – "Enter Sandman"
* 1996: Best Metal Video – "Until It Sleeps"
American Music Awards:
* 1996: Favorite Artist: Heavy Metal/Hard Rock: Metallica – Load
* 1996: Favorite Metal/Hard Rock Song – "Until It Sleeps"
Billboard Music Awards:
* 1997: Billboard Rock and Roll Artist of the Year – Metallica (RIAA Diamond Award)
* 1999: Catalogue Artist of the Year – Metallica
* 1999: Catalogue Album of the Year – Metallica
Kerrang! Awards:
* 2003: Hall of Fame – Metallica
Band members
* James Hetfield – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1981–present)
* Lars Ulrich – drums, percussion (1981–present)
* Kirk Hammett – lead guitar, backing vocals (1983–present)
* Robert Trujillo – bass guitar, backing vocals (2003–present)
Former members
* Ron McGovney – bass guitar, backing vocals (1981-1982)
* Dave Mustaine – lead guitar, backing vocals (1981–1983)
* Cliff Burton – bass guitar, backing vocals (1982–1986)
* Jason Newsted – bass guitar, backing vocals (1986–2001)
Session musicians
* Lloyd Grant - lead guitar ("Hit the Lights", 1981)
o Only on the first pressing of the original Metal Massacre compilation. On the subsequent pressings, a different version of the song with Dave Mustaine playing the lead part is used.
* Bob Rock - bass guitar (St. Anger, 2003)
Studio albums
* 1983 - Kill 'Em All
* 1984 - Ride the Lightning
* 1986 - Master of Puppets
* 1988 - And Justice for All
* 1991 - Metallica
* 1996 - Load
* 1997 - ReLoad
* 2003 - St. Anger
* 2008 - Death Magnetic

Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in 1968 by Jimmy Page (guitar), Robert Plant (vocals), John Paul Jones (bass guitar, keyboards) and John Bonham (drums). With their heavy, guitar-driven sound, Led Zeppelin are regarded as one of the first heavy metal bands. However, the band's individualistic style draws from many sources and transcends any one genre.

Their rock-infused interpretation of the blues and folk genres also incorporated rockabilly, reggae, soul, funk, classical, Celtic, Indian, Arabic, pop, Latin and country. The band did not release the popular songs from their albums as singles in the UK, as they preferred to develop the concept of album-oriented rock. Close to 30 years after disbanding following Bonham's death in 1980, the band continues to be held in high regard for their artistic achievements, commercial success and broad influence. The band have sold more than 300 million albums worldwide, including 111.5 million sales in the United States & they have had all of their original studio albums reach the U.S. Billboard Top 10, with six reaching the number one spot. Led Zeppelin are ranked #1 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. Rolling Stone magazine has described Led Zeppelin as "the heaviest band of all time" and "the biggest band of the '70s". On 10 December 2007 the surviving members of Led Zeppelin reunited (along with deceased drummer John Bonham's son, Jason) for the Ahmet Ertegün Tribute Concert at The O2 Arena in London.
Studio albums
* 1969: Led Zeppelin
* 1969: Led Zeppelin II
* 1970: Led Zeppelin III
* 1971: Led Zeppelin IV
* 1973: Houses of the Holy
* 1975: Physical Graffiti
* 1976: Presence
* 1979: In Through the Out Door
* 1982: Coda
Filmography
* 1976: The Song Remains the Same
* 2003: Led Zeppelin (DVD)
* 2007: Mothership (DVD)

Thomas John "Jack" Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, & musician. With his friend Kyle Gass, he makes up one half of the comedy and heavy metal music duo Tenacious D. The group has two albums and a full-length film.

His acting career is extensive, starring primarily as bumbling, cocky, but internally self-conscious outsiders in comedy films. He is a member of the Frat Pack, a group of comedians who have appeared together in several Hollywood films, and has been nominated for a Golden Globe award. Black is the lead singer for the rock comedy band Tenacious D. They have released two albums, a self-titled debut, and the follow up, The Pick of Destiny, from which one of their songs "The Metal" was used in the music video game "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" and "Master Exploder" also went on to be used in music video game Rock Band 2 along with their album 'Tribute'. These two songs feature in the film Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny. The film, directed by Tenacious D veteran Liam Lynch, features recurring characters such as Lee the superfan and Sasquatch. Tim Robbins cameos (both Black and Gass appeared in Robbins' 1999 film Cradle Will Rock), as does Dave Grohl as Satan. Ben Stiller also makes an appearance as a worker at Guitar Center, and also another appearance in the music video for Tribute.
Tenacious D recently helped the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation to raise awareness and funds in San Diego on June 16, 2007. Tenacious D can also be seen performing in the Pauly Shore film Bio-Dome, where the duo are performing their song "The Five Needs" at a "Save the Environment" party. Black was also a guest star on an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show entitled "Ellen the Musical", alongside Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth and teenage singer-actress Olivia Olson. On the show, besides singing, he discussed his then-upcoming film Nacho Libre with the host.
Black has also appeared on Dave Grohl's Probot album, providing vocals for the hidden song "I Am The Warlock", and Lynch's Fake Songs album, providing vocals for the song "Rock and Roll Whore". Black performed a cover of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" in the last sequence of High Fidelity. He lent his musical abilities to the Queens of the Stone Age song "Burn the Witch" with rhythmic stomps and claps, some performed with his eyes closed. He also provided vocals for The Lonely Island's track "Sax Man" from the album Incredibad.
Black has appeared in music videos by Beck, "Sexx Laws"; Foo Fighters "Learn To Fly", "Low", and "The One"; The Eagles of Death Metal, "I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News)"; Sum 41 "Things I Want"; & Weezer "Photograph."

Immortal Souls is a Christian melodic death metal band from Kokkola, Finland, formed in 1991. For years they were quite unknown because their first label Little Rose did not have enough resources to promote Immortal Souls properly. It was not until 2002 that Immortal Souls begun achieving world wide attention with the help of Dutch label Fear Dark which released their second album.

After several years of touring in Central Europe they created a solid fanbase that made it possible for them to play bigger festivals such as Tuska Open Air Metal Festival. Their musical style is characterized by their use of melodic guitar riffs and singing which shifts between growls and shouting. Their music has been called winter metal since Immortal Souls utilizes frosty metaphors in their lyrics and usually creates a cold, wintry atmosphere. Their new album Wintereich was released in Europe on June 1, 2007 through Dark Balance and in the USA on August 21, 2007 through Facedown Records.
Current members
* Aki Särkioja – Vocals, Bass
* Esa Särkioja – Lead Guitar
* Pete Loisa – Rhythm Guitar
* Juha Kronqvist – Drums
Former members
* Antti Nykyri – Drums (1994-1995)
* Jupe Hakola – Drums (1996-2004)
* Jukka-Pekka Koivisto – Drums (2005)

Godsmack is an American heavy metal band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band comprises founder, frontman and songwriter Sully Erna, guitarist Tony Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill and drummer Shannon Larkin. Since its formation, Godsmack has released four studio albums, one EP, four DVDs, and one greatest hits collection.

The band has sold over 17 million records in the United States according to the RIAA. The band has had two consecutive number one albums (Faceless and IV) on the Billboard 200. They have had seventeen top ten mainstream rock singles, being the band ever to do so and a debut album that has sold over 4 million copies since its release. Since its inception, Godsmack has toured on Ozzfest on more than one occasion, and have toured with many other large tours and festivals, including supporting its albums with its own arena tours.
Band members
* Sully Erna: lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, drums, percussion, harmonica (1996–present)
* Tony Rombola: lead guitar, backing vocals (1997–present)
* Robbie Merrill: bass guitar, backing vocals (1996–present)
* Shannon Larkin: drums, percussion (2002–present)

Geoff Tate (born Geoffrey Wayne Tate, January 14, 1959, in Stuttgart, West Germany) is an American singer and musician, best known for his work with the progressive metal band, Queensrÿche. Hundreds of modern, popular artists cite him and his band as a major influence.

Shortly after his birth his family relocated to Tacoma, Washington. Geoff states his influences are Rob Halford of Judas Priest and Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden. His aunt is a classical trained opera singer. Geoff started off his musical career with progressive band Myth, on lead vocals and keyboards, along with Kelly Gray (who later was Queensrÿche's first attempt at a replacement for guitarist Chris DeGarmo). He joined Queensrÿche (then called The Mob) in 1981. The band already had a full demo of songs, but there was one still left without lyrics. "The Lady Wore Black" became Geoff's first penned song with the band. In 1983 the band released their self produced and self titled debut EP. His 4-octave range of A1-A5, unique tone and intense expressiveness have placed him among the finest vocalists in the heavy metal genre. Tate has also separated himself from many other artists of his genre by writing with a social conscience as "the thinking man's metal band." Lyrics with these socially conscious themes were present on Operation: Mindcrime, developed more on Empire, and really came to fruition on the divergent work Promised Land.
In 2002, Tate released his first (self-titled) solo album on Sanctuary Records. It has been rumoured for quite a while that Tate would be involved in a project with Judas Priest lead singer, Rob Halford (with whom he previously collaborated on Hear 'n Aid), and Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson, in a metal project resembling The Three Tenors. The project was to be called The Three Tremors. However, other than a few live performances, the project has not seen the light of day.
On January 22, it was reported that Tate would make his acting debut in an upcoming horror movie House of Eternity, alongside Candice Night of Blackmore's Night fame. He is also working on a documentary about subliminal messages in media.
Geoff has three daughters: Miranda, Bella, and Emily.

Yngwie Johan Malmsteen (born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck on June 30, 1963) is a Swedish guitarist, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and bandleader.

Malmsteen became notable in the mid-1980s for his technical fluency and neo-classical metal compositions. Four of his albums, from 1984 to 1988, Rising Force, Marching Out, Trilogy, and Odyssey, ranked in the top 100 for sales. Malmsteen was born in Stockholm, Sweden, as the first child of a musically talented family. At age seven, he saw a television news report on the death of Jimi Hendrix. To quote his official website, "The day Jimi Hendrix died, the guitar-playing Malmsteen was born". At the age of 10 he took his mother's maiden name Malmsten as his surname, slightly changed it to Malmsteen, and Anglicised his given name Yngve to "Yngwie". Yngwie also created his first band "Track On Earth" at the age of 10, consisting of himself and a friend from school on drums. Malmsteen was a teenager when he first encountered the music of the 19th century violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini, whom he cites as his biggest classical music influence.
Through his emulation of Paganini concerto pieces on guitar, Malmsteen developed a prodigious technical fluency. Malmsteen's guitar style includes a wide, violin-like vibrato inspired by classical violinists, and use of such minor scales as the Harmonic minor, and minor modes such as Phrygian, and Aeolian. Malmsteen also cites Brian May of Queen, Steve Hackett of Genesis, Uli Jon Roth, Alex Lifeson of Rush, and Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple as influences.

Dio is an American heavy metal band led by vocalist Ronnie James Dio, who formed it in 1982 after leaving Black Sabbath. In an interview, available on the special edition re-release of Holy Diver, Dio states that he never intended to begin a solo career.

His intention was to form a new band with fellow former Black Sabbath member, drummer Vinny Appice. Naming the band Dio made sense from a commercial standpoint, as the name was already well-known at that time. Dio in Italian and Medieval Latin means "God" but when the band's logo is inverted, it appears to form the word "devil". This apparent duality of good and evil was also touched on in the song "Heaven and Hell" that Dio wrote while still a member of Black Sabbath.
Current members (2006-present)
* Ronnie James Dio - vocals (1983-1991, 1993-present)
* Craig Goldy - guitar (1986-1989, 1999-2001, 2004-2005, 2006-present)
* Rudy Sarzo - bass (2005-present)
* Scott Warren - keyboards (1993-present)
* Simon Wright - drums (1989-1991, 1999-present)

Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford, Hertfordshire in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members have tried not to categorize themselves as any one genre.

The band also incorporated blues-rock, pop and progressive rock elements. They were once listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's loudest band,and have sold over 100 million albums worldwide. Deep Purple was ranked #22 on VH1's Greatest Artists of Hard Rock program. The band has gone through many line-up changes and an eight-year hiatus (1976-84). The 1968-76 line-ups are commonly labelled Mark I, II, III and IV. Their second and most commercially successful line-up featured Ian Gillan (vocals), Ritchie Blackmore (guitar), Jon Lord (keyboards), Roger Glover (bass guitar) and Ian Paice (drums). This line-up was active 1969-73 and was revived from 1984-89 and again in 1993 before the rift between Blackmore and other members became unbridgeable. The current line-up including guitarist Steve Morse has been much more stable, though Lord's retirement in 2002 has left Paice as the only original member.
Current members
* Ian Gillan - vocals, harmonica, congas (1969-1973, 1984-1989, 1992-present)
* Steve Morse - guitar (1994-present)
* Roger Glover - bass guitar, synthesizer (1969-1973, 1984-present)
* Don Airey - keyboards (2002-present)
* Ian Paice - drums, percussion (1968-1976, 1984-present)
Former members
* Ritchie Blackmore - guitar (1968-1975, 1984-1993)
* Jon Lord - keyboards, backing vocals (1968-1976, 1984-2002)
* Rod Evans - lead vocals (1968-1969)
* Nick Simper - bass guitar, backing vocals (1968-1969)
* David Coverdale - lead vocals (1973-1976)
* Glenn Hughes - bass guitar, vocals (1973-1976)
* Tommy Bolin - guitar, vocals, piano (1975-1976)
* Joe Lynn Turner - vocals (1990-1992)
* Joe Satriani - guitar (1993-1994)

Chris Cornell (born Christopher John Boyle on July 20, 1964) is an American rock musician best known as the lead singer and songwriter for rock bands Soundgarden (1984–1997),

Audioslave (2001–2007) and for his numerous solo works and soundtrack contributions [1998-2009]. He is known for his wide vocal range and powerful vocal belting technique. He was the founder and frontman for Temple of the Dog, the one-off tribute band dedicated to his former roommate, Andrew Wood, and he has released two solo albums, Euphoria Morning (1999) and Carry On (2007). His third solo album, Scream (2009) is set for release on March 10, 2009.

Burial is an English dubstep producer. His eponymous debut album was released in 2006 to critical acclaim. The Wire magazine named it their album of the year, along with achieving fifth place in the Mixmag 2006 Album of the Year list,

And eighteenth in the best of the year list of The Observer music monthly supplement. On 28 September 2007, a message on the Hyperdub website announced a new Burial album. Untrue was released on November 5, 2007. Label owner Kode9 also posted tracklistings to dubstepforum.com, with the vinyl and CD releases of the album featuring different running orders and exclusive tracks.

Blue Öyster Cult is an American rock band formed in New York in 1967 and still active in 2009. The group is especially well known for songs including "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "Godzilla", and "Burnin' for You".

The band is one of the pioneering bands in heavy metal music, both for its hard-edged musical assault and its use of sci-fi and occult imagery and subject matter. They have sold over 14 million albums worldwide.
Current lineup
* Eric Bloom: lead vocals, guitar, keyboards
* Buck Dharma: lead guitar, vocals
* Richie Castellano: keyboards, guitar
* Rudy Sarzo: bass guitar, back-up vocals
* Jules Radino: drums, percussion
Original lineup
* Eric Bloom: lead vocals, guitar, keyboards
* Buck Dharma: lead guitar, vocals
* Allen Lanier: keyboards, guitar
* Joe Bouchard: bass, vocals
* Albert Bouchard: drums, percussion, vocals

Apocalyptica is a Finnish cello metal band, composed of classically trained cellists and, since 2005, a drummer. Three of the cellists are graduates of the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland.

Their music features elements from classical music, neo-classical metal, thrash metal, and symphonic metal. To end 2007, the band toured Europe successfully, selling out many of the venues they played. In 2008 the tour continued in US and included numerous festivals in Europe. The band has played approximately 850-1000 concerts during their career in about 50 countries. Apocalyptica announced a large world tour for 2008, so far including concerts in Europe and North America (including Mexico). They have sold over three million albums to date. In June 2008, during the Rock in Rio concert in Lisbon, Apocalyptica joined the Greenpeace "energy [r]evolution campaign" and played the Beethoven 5th symphony from the stage. They have most recently recorded 'I Don't Care' with Three Days Grace lead singer Adam Gontier.
The band also appeared on Last Call with Carson Daly on October 31st, 2008. Here they made their American television debut with a performance of "I Don't Care" with Toryn Green.
Current members
* Eicca Toppinen – cello
* Paavo Lötjönen – cello (1996–present)
* Perttu Kivilaakso – cello (1999–present)
* Mikko Sirén – drums (2003–present)
Former members
* Max Lilja – cello (1996–2002)
Discography
* 1996: Plays Metallica by Four Cellos
* 1996: Apocalyptica (Christmas Single)
* 1998: Inquisition Symphony
* 2000: Cult
* 2002: Best of Apocalyptica (Japan only)
* 2003: Reflections
* 2005: Apocalyptica
* 2006: Amplified // A Decade of Reinventing the Cello
* 2007: Worlds Collide

Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1987 by guitarist Jerry Cantrell and vocalist Layne Staley. Although widely associated with grunge music, the band's sound incorporates heavy metal and acoustic elements.

Since its formation, Alice in Chains has released three studio albums, three EPs, two live albums, four compilations, and two DVDs. The band is known for its distinct vocal style which often includes the harmonized vocals of Staley and Cantrell.
Alice in Chains rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the early 1990s, along with bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden. It was one of the most successful music acts of the 1990s and sold over 14 million albums in the United States alone. The band achieved two number-one Billboard 200 albums (Jar of Flies and Alice in Chains), 11 top ten singles on the Mainstream Rock Tracks charts, and six Grammy Award nominations.
Although never officially disbanding, Alice in Chains was plagued by extended inactivity due to Layne Staley's problems with substance abuse, culminating in his death in 2002. Alice in Chains reunited in 2005 and as of 2008 are working on their first studio album in 14 years with new lead vocalist William DuVall.

Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier; February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans five decades.

With a stage show that features guillotines, electric chairs, fake blood, and boa constrictors, Cooper has drawn equally from horror movies, vaudeville, heavy metal, and garage rock to create a theatrical brand of rock music that would come to be known as shock rock.
Alice Cooper was originally a band consisting of Furnier on vocals and harmonica, lead guitarist Glen Buxton, Michael Bruce on rhythm guitar, Dennis Dunaway on bass guitar, and drummer Neal Smith. The original Alice Cooper band broke into the international music mainstream with 1971's monster hit "I'm Eighteen" from the album Love it to Death, which was followed by the even bigger single "School's Out" in 1972. The band reached their commercial peak with the 1973 album Billion Dollar Babies.
Furnier's solo career as Alice Cooper, adopting the band's name as his own name, began with the 1975 concept album Welcome to My Nightmare. In 2008 he released Along Came a Spider, his 18th solo album. Expanding from his original Detroit garage rock and glam rock roots, over the years Cooper has experimented with many different musical styles, including conceptual rock, art rock, hard rock, new wave, pop rock, experimental rock and industrial rock. In recent times he has returned more to his garage rock roots.