Roots of Iced Earth

Blind Guardian is a German power metal band formed in 1984 in Krefeld, West Germany. They are often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in the power metal and speed metal subgenres. Nine musicians have been part of the band's lineup throughout its history, which currently includes singer Hansi Kürsch, guitarists André Olbrich and Marcus Siepen, and, since 2005, drummer Frederik Ehmke.

Kiss was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1973 by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. Known for their face paint and stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid-1970s with shock rock–style live performances that featured fire-breathing, blood-spitting, smoking guitars, shooting rockets, levitating drum kits and pyrotechnics. The band went through several lineup changes, starting with drummer Eric Carr replacing original drummer Peter Criss in 1980, with Stanley and Simmons remaining the only consistent members. The final lineup consisted of Stanley, Simmons, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer.

Piece of Mind is the fourth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released on 16 May 1983 in the United Kingdom by EMI Records and in the United States by Capitol Records. It was the first album to feature drummer Nicko McBrain, who had recently left the band Trust.

Century Media Records is a German heavy metal record label with offices in Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom. In August 2015, Century Media was acquired by Sony Music for US$17 million.

Screaming for Vengeance is the eighth studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 1 July 1982 in the United States and on 9 July 1982 in the United Kingdom by Columbia Records. The album continues the more commercial, streamlined direction that their previous two albums, Point of Entry and British Steel had taken, albeit returning to a heavier, harder sound.

"The Trooper" is a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released as the second single on 20 June 1983 from the band's fourth studio album, Piece of Mind (1983). It was one of only a few Iron Maiden songs to achieve frequent radio airplay in the United States, peaking at No. 28 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock.