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Evergrey is a Swedish progressive metal band from Gothenburg, formed in 1993 by guitarist and vocalist Tom S. Englund and guitarist Dan Bronell. The band is known for combining progressive metal and power metal with dark lyrical themes and imagery.

In Flames is a Swedish heavy metal band from Gothenburg, formed in 1990. They are considered one of the pioneering acts of the Gothenburg metal scene, which also includes bands such as At the Gates and Dark Tranquillity. Their lineup has changed several times, with vocalist Anders Fridén and lead guitarist Björn Gelotte being the only consistent members since 1995. Since the departure of Jesper Strömblad in 2010, no original members remain with the band. The band has sold over two million records worldwide.

Dark Tranquillity are a Swedish melodic death metal band from Gothenburg, formed in 1989. They are considered one of the pioneering acts of the Gothenburg metal scene, which also includes bands such as At the Gates and In Flames. After a nearly three-decade long collaboration of four founding members frequent lineup changes between 2015-2021 have left only vocalist Mikael Stanne as an original member, together with long-time keyboardist Martin Brändström. The current lineup of the band consists of Stanne (vocals), Brandstrom, Johan Reinholdz, Peter Lyse Karmak, Christian Jansson (bass), and Joakim Strandberg Nilsson (drums).

Helloween is a German power metal band founded in 1984 in Hamburg by members of bands Iron Fist, Gentry, Second Hell and Powerfool. The band has at times been called one of the most influential European heavy metal bands of the 1980s. Its first lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Kai Hansen, bassist Markus Grosskopf, guitarist Michael Weikath and drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg. By the time Hansen left Helloween in 1989 to form Gamma Ray, the band had evolved into a five-piece, with Michael Kiske taking over as lead vocalist. Schwichtenberg and Kiske both parted ways with Helloween in 1993; Schwichtenberg died two years later as the result of suicide. Between then and 2016, there had been numerous line-up changes, leaving Grosskopf and Weikath as the only remaining original members. As a septet, their current lineup features all of the surviving members of the Keeper of the Seven Keys lineup, in addition to the remaining members from the Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy-era.

Lacuna Coil is an Italian gothic metal band from Milan. They previously used the band names Sleep of Right and Ethereal. They have recorded ten studio albums, two extended plays, two live albums, two compilation albums, one video album, and sixteen singles and music videos.

Sevendust is an American rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1994 by bassist Vinnie Hornsby, drummer Morgan Rose, and guitarist John Connolly. After their first demo, lead vocalist Lajon Witherspoon and guitarist Clint Lowery joined the group. Following a few name changes, the members settled on Sevendust and released their self-titled debut album in 1997, which sold only 311 copies in its first week but ultimately achieved gold certification.

Five Finger Death Punch, also abbreviated as 5FDP or FFDP, is an American heavy metal band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2005. The band originally consisted of vocalist Ivan Moody, guitarists Zoltan Bathory and Caleb Andrew Bingham, bassist Matt Snell, and drummer Jeremy Spencer. Bingham was replaced by guitarist Darrell Roberts in 2006, who was then replaced by Jason Hook in 2009. Bassist Matt Snell departed from the band in 2010, and was replaced by Chris Kael in 2011. Spencer then departed the band in 2018 due to recurring back issues, and was replaced by Charlie Engen, making Bathory and Moody the only members to appear on every album. In October 2020, British guitarist Andy James became the band's lead guitarist, replacing Jason Hook.

Mushroomhead is an American heavy metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1993 in the Cleveland Warehouse District, the band is known for their avant-garde sound and horror film-inspired imagery which features masks and costumes as well as their unique live shows usually performed at smaller venues.

Gemini Syndrome is an American alternative metal band formed in 2010 in Los Angeles. The band currently consists of vocalist Aaron Nordstrom, drummer Brian Steele Medina, bassist Alessandro "(AP)" Paveri, and guitarist Miguel "Meegs" Rascon.

Pop Evil is an American rock band that was formed in North Muskegon, Michigan, in 2001 by Leigh Kakaty. The band's roots reside in TenFive, a group formed in the late-1990s by Kakaty and guitarist Jason Reed. Pop Evil has several songs that topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts, including "Trenches" and "Waking Lions".