METALLICA:
Formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield, Metallica has become one of the most influential and commercially successful rock bands in history. The band have sold 100 million albums worldwide and played to millions of fans the world over. Metallica have garnered numerous awards and accolades including nine Grammy Awards and multiple MTV Video Music Awards. Their 1991 album Metallica has sold 15 million copies in the United States alone and was awarded the prestigious Diamond Award from the Recording Industry Association of America, an award given to those albums with U.S. sales of 10 million or more.
Metallica recently picked up their 8th and 9th Grammy for Best Recording Package for their most recent album Death Magnetic and Best Metal Performance for My Apocalypse.
AVENGED SEVENFOLD:
The Orange County, California-based act launched its career when barely out of high school with the release of Sounding The Seventh Trumpet, their debut in July 2001.
Avenged Sevenfold's breakthrough 2005 Warner Brothers album, the million-selling City Of Evil, featured the wildly popular single Bat Country. That was the turning point for the fearless, genre-bending quintet that, after years of clocking in on the independent level, had finally advanced towards a milestone they had been seeking throughout their careers. The band wrapped up 18 months of relentless touring in October 2006 and immediately began writing the self-titled album Avenged Sevenfold which was released in 2007.
For the album the band sought to delve into genres and recording techniques they had discovered on the road. The resulting sound and rhythm of Avenged Sevenfold is, in a word, eclectic. Yet it was still trademark Avenged Sevenfold.
ALICE in CHAINS:
Alice in Chains formed in Seattle, Washington and spearheaded the grunge scene along with the likes of Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. They were one of the most successful acts of the 1990's selling over 14 million albums in the US alone. The band reunited in 2005 for a benefit of Tsunami victims. The bug took hold and a club tour, re-issues and then the arrival of new lead vocalist William DuVall got Alice in Chains in the studio again recording their first new material in 14 years.
THIN LIZZY:
History has but two ways to define a band: Through their body of work or via the legacy they leave. Thin Lizzy are distinguished on both accounts.
Scott Gorham is at the helm of Thin Lizzy's new millennium line-up along with the band's '80s guitarist and current frontman John Sykes, drummer Tommy Aldridge and bassist Francesco DiCosmo. "We definitely have a more confident edge with what we're doing now," says Gorham. "We're that much older, wiser players, and more savvy in how we play and better at what we do.”
MASTODON:
Atlanta-based Mastodon release their new album in Ireland on Reprise Records on March 20. The seven-song strong, 50 minute tour de force entitled Crack The Skye was produced by Brendan O'Brien (Rage Against The Machine, Springsteen, Pearl Jam, AC/DC). Crack The Skye follows their massively acclaimed 2006 epic Blood Mountain, which was voted No.9 in Rolling Stone Magazine's Top 50 Album's of 2007 and the No.1 Album Of The Year in Decibel Magazine. Greater accolades followed last year when Mastodon were named Best Metal Band in Rolling Stone's annual poll and Best Band On The Planet by Kerrang!
LAMB OF GOD:
Five years ago Lamb of God nervously penned their first major label deal with Epic. Far more commercially oriented bands have buckled under the strain of similar indie-to-major leaps. Skeptical of the outcome of such a relationship, the band took the opportunity to push even harder and in 2004 released the ferocious and technical Ashes of the Wake and in 2006 the dark and unrelenting Sacrament. Fans and critics alike celebrated both albums, receiving respective Album Of The Year awards from major metal and hard rock publications around the world and the latter landing in the Top 10 of the Billboard Charts, becoming the top selling metal album of 2006 and also getting a Grammy nomination. Now entering 2009 Lamb of God - guitarist Willie Adler, Willie's drummer brother Chris Adler, bassist John Campbell, guitarist Mark Morton and vocalist Randy Blythe have recaptured the attention of the music world, toting a vicious new album they call Wrath which entered the Irish Top 40 after being released on 20 February.
THE SWORD:
Formed in Austin, Texas in 2003, the band is comprised of vocalist, guitarist, songwriter and producer John "J. D." Cronise, guitarist Kyle Shutt, bassist and engineer Bryan Richie and drummer Trivett Wingo. Signed to New York-based label Kemado Records, The Sword has released two full-length studio albums: Age of Winters in 2006 and Gods of the Earth in 2008. Hand-picked by Metallica as the opening act for much of their World Tour both this year and last, The Sword have been raising eyebrows, raising temperatures, and just plain out raising hell right across the globe.
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