Roots of Soulfly

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).

Sacramento heavyweights whose alt-metal absorbed shoegaze and dream pop.

Limp Bizkit is an American nu metal band from Jacksonville, Florida. Its lineup consists of lead vocalist Fred Durst, drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, and turntablist DJ Lethal. The band's musical style is marked by Durst's angry vocal delivery and Borland's sonic experimentation. The band is one of the most successful nu metal bands of all time. It has been nominated for three Grammy Awards, sold 40 million records worldwide, and won several other awards.

Cypress Hill is an American hip-hop group formed in South Gate, California in 1988. One of the first Latin American groups to gain mainstream recognition in hip-hop, they have sold over 20 million albums worldwide, and have obtained multi-platinum and RIAA platinum certifications. They are considered to be among the main progenitors of West Coast hip-hop and 1990s hip-hop. All of the group members advocate for recreational marijuana use as well as medical marijuana use of cannabis in the United States. In 2019, Cypress Hill became the first hip-hop group to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Snot is an American funk metal band from Santa Barbara, California. Formed in 1995, the band released their only studio album Get Some with founding vocalist Lynn Strait in 1997 and disbanded after his death in 1998. In 2008, the lineup of lead guitarist Mikey Doling, bassist John Fahnestock, drummer Jamie Miller and rhythm guitarist Sonny Mayo reunited. In 2009, a new band, Tons, was formed, with Brandon Espinosa as vocalist. Snot reformed again in 2014, followed by another hiatus in 2015. The band reunited again in 2024, with Andy Knapp as their vocalist.

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.

Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and vocalist/bassist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style made them one of the "big four" bands of thrash metal, alongside Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax. Slayer's current lineup comprises King, Araya, drummer Paul Bostaph, and guitarist Gary Holt, who initially joined as a touring musician in 2011 before joining the band permanently after Hanneman's death in 2013; the drummer Jon Dette is a former member of the band.

Ill Niño is a Latin American nu metal band formed in Union City, New Jersey, in 1998 by drummer Dave Chavarri, who remains the band's sole original member. They have released seven studio albums, two EPs, and one compilation album, with total worldwide album sales exceeding 1.3 million.

Sacred Reich is an American thrash metal band from Phoenix, Arizona, formed in 1985. As of 2025, the band's lineup has consisted of vocalist-bassist Phil Rind, lead guitarist Wiley Arnett, rhythm guitarist Joey Radziwill, and drummer Eduardo Baldo. Former members include rhythm guitarist Jason Rainey, and drummers Greg Hall and Dave McClain. Their music often features mid-tempo song structures as well as musical and lyrical influences from punk rock and hardcore punk, with their lyrics focusing on political and social topics. The band is credited with leading the second wave of thrash metal in the late 1980s.

Primer 55 is an American nu metal band formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1997. The name originated from the combination of Primer, meaning "something that's unfinished", and 55, which refers to Interstate 55, "the road that drugs run on to get to Chicago through Memphis". To date, Primer 55 has released two studio albums: Introduction to Mayhem (2000) and (The) New Release (2001). After disbanding for the first time in 2003 and reuniting from 2007 to 2015, the band announced another reunion in June 2025.

Megadeth is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal—along with Slayer, Anthrax, and Metallica—and is credited with helping to develop and popularize the genre. Their music features intricate arrangements, fast rhythm sections, dual lead guitars, and lyrical themes such as war, conflicts, politics, religion, death, and personal relationships.

Probot was a heavy metal recording project led by American musician Dave Grohl, as a side project from his primary group Foo Fighters. The album was released in February 2004.

Skrape was an American nu metal band formed in Orlando, Florida in 1997. They released two albums, New Killer America (2001) and Up the Dose (2004), before disbanding in 2004 and briefly reuniting in 2005. After twenty-one years of inactivity, the band are currently attempting to reform in 2026 pending the outcome of a legal challenge to vocalist Billy Keeton's use of the band's name.

Sarcófago was a Brazilian extreme metal band formed in 1985. They were fronted by Sepultura's original singer, Wagner Lamounier, and Geraldo Minelli.