Roots of Shadows Fall

Darkest Hour is an American melodic death metal/metalcore band from Washington, D.C., formed in 1995. Though failing to break through early in their tenure, the band has received acclaim for their albums Undoing Ruin, Deliver Us, and The Eternal Return. Deliver Us debuted at number 110 on the Billboard album charts, with sales of 6,600, and their more recent effort The Eternal Return garnered them an even higher position in the Billboard album charts at number 104. Their album Godless Prophets & the Migrant Flora charted at 42 on the Billboard 200, a peak for the band, and it marked a stylistic shift in the band's discography.

Damageplan was an American heavy metal band from Dallas, Texas, active between 2003 and 2004. Following the demise of their previous group Pantera, brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul Abbott wanted to start a new band. The pair recruited former Halford guitarist Patrick Lachman on vocals, and later Bob Zilla on bass. Damageplan released New Found Power, their only album, in February 2004. New Found Power debuted at number 38 on the Billboard 200, selling 44,676 copies in its first week.

Slipknot is an American heavy metal band formed in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1995 by percussionist Shawn Crahan, vocalist Anders Colsefni and bassist Paul Gray. After several lineup changes in its early years, the band settled on nine members from 1999 until Gray's death in 2010: Crahan, Gray, Joey Jordison, Craig Jones, Mick Thomson, Corey Taylor, Sid Wilson, Chris Fehn, and Jim Root. Slipknot is well known for its attention-grabbing image, aggressive style of music, and energetic and chaotic live shows.

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.

Static-X is an American industrial metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1994. The line-up has fluctuated over the years, but was long held constant with band founder, frontman, vocalist and rhythm guitarist Wayne Static until his death in 2014.

Machine Head is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist/guitarist Robb Flynn, who remains the only original member of the band. Machine Head's aggressive musicianship made it one of the pioneering bands in the new wave of American heavy metal. Its current lineup comprises Flynn, bassist Jared MacEachern, drummer Matt Alston and guitarist Reece Scruggs. Bassist Adam Duce, guitarists Logan Mader, Ahrue Luster, Phil Demmel and Wacław Kiełtyka, and drummers Tony Costanza, Chris Kontos and Dave McClain are former members of the band; Mader and Kontos toured with the band in 2019 and 2020 as part of the 25th anniversary tour for its first album, Burn My Eyes (1994).

DragonForce are a British power metal band from London, formed in 1999. They are known for their long and fast guitar solos, fantasy-themed lyrics and retro video game-influenced sound. The band themselves refer to their music as "extreme power metal".

Arch Enemy is a Swedish melodic death metal band, originally a supergroup from Halmstad, formed in 1995. Its members have been in bands such as Carcass, Armageddon, Carnage, Mercyful Fate, Spiritual Beggars, The Agonist, Nevermore, Eucharist, and Once Human. It was founded by Carcass guitarist Michael Amott along with Johan Liiva, who were both originally from the death metal band Carnage. The band has released eleven studio albums, three live albums, three video albums and four EPs. The band was originally fronted by Johan Liiva, who was replaced by German vocalist Angela Gossow in 2000. Gossow left the band in March 2014, subsequently becoming the group's manager, and was replaced by Canadian vocalist Alissa White-Gluz. White-Gluz left the band at the end of 2025. American vocalist Lauren Hart was announced as the band's new frontwoman on 19 February 2026.

Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist Jesse Leach, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz, bassist Mike D'Antonio, and drummer Justin Foley. Howard Jones was the band's lead vocalist from 2002 to 2012.

As I Lay Dying is an American metalcore band from San Diego, California. Formed in 2000 by vocalist Tim Lambesis, the band's first full lineup was completed in 2001. The band has released eight albums, one split album, and two compilation albums.

Bleeding Through is an American metalcore band from Orange County, California, formed in 1999. Influenced largely by hardcore punk and Swedish melodic death metal, the band was established by lead vocalist Brandan Schieppati as a personal project after leaving Throwdown. Schieppati, who also was a member of Eighteen Visions, originally balanced playing with Eighteen Visions and Bleeding Through, recording the independent albums Dust to Ashes (2001) and Portrait of the Goddess (2002) before departing Eighteen Visions to focus on Bleeding Through. The remainder of the band today comprises drummer Derek Youngsma, keyboardist Marta Demmel, and guitarists John Arnold and Brandon Richter. As of 2024, the band have sold more than 400,000 albums worldwide.

God Forbid is an American metalcore band formed in East Brunswick, New Jersey in 1996. Initially breaking up in 2013, they have been semi-active since reuniting in 2022.

The Browning is an American electronicore band formed in Kansas City, Missouri, in 2005. The band's musical style is characterized by an eclectic blending of electronicore, deathcore, and metalcore. The group currently consists of vocalist Jonny McBee, drummer Keenan Bivens, and bassist/guitarist Akeem Bivens. They are currently signed to FiXT. The band has released six studio albums and two EPs.

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.