Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Bullet For My Valentine
Bullet for My Valentine are a Welsh metalcore band from Bridgend, Wales, formed in 1998. The band started their music career by covering songs by Metallica and Nirvana under the band name "Jeff Killed John". Jeff Killed John recorded six songs which were not released. Two of these songs were later re-made for their debut album as Bullet for My Valentine. The song title "Eye Spy" was changed to "Hit the Floor" and "Nation to Nation" was changed to "Turn to Despair". There were lyric changes and changes in tempo, guitar, drums, bass, and overall sound for the songs as well. Financial difficulties marked a change in music direction and name for the band and so the band went through numerous name changes, until deciding on "Bullet for My Valentine". In 2002 the band was offered a record deal by Roadrunner Records. That offer was not taken, and the band later secured a five-album deal with Sony BMG.
Bullet for My Valentine's debut album The Poison was released on October 3, 2005 in the United Kingdom and on Valentine's Day in America in 2006 to represent their band name "Bullet for My Valentine", the album was dedicated to long time friend Liam Roy Denning, and entered the Billboard 200 at number 128, and the Top Heatseekers chart at number 1, and has sold over 500,000 copies in the U.S. The band made appearances at the Download Festival, Kerrang! XXV, and a United States tour with Rob Zombie, which the band were ultimately kicked off due to vocalist Matthew Tuck's comments on the band's message board. Bullet for My Valentine's second studio album Scream Aim Fire debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200, with first week sales of 53,000 copies.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Lacuna Coil
Lacuna Coil is an Italian rock band from Milan, Italy, formed in 1994. Formerly known as Sleep of Right and Ethereal, the band was inspired by the combination of gothic imagery and music, and the members have been known, musically, for composing mid tempo songs consisting of guitar lines overlaid with prominent keyboard work, and contrasting dual female/male vocal harmonies to help create a melodic detached sound. Much of the band's recent material, however, sees a heavier and more down-tuned style, featuring a more distinct bass line and a higher mixing of the guitars within the songs.
The band's 2006 release, Karmacode peaked at number 28 on the Billboard 200. They have played among the world's biggest heavy metal festivals on the main stage including Ozzfest, Bloodstock Open Air, Wacken Open Air, and played with Megadeth on their Gigantour tour in November 2007, and alongside Disturbed and Killswitch Engage on the fourth Music as a Weapon Tour.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Papa Roach
Papa Roach is a four-piece hard rock band from Vacaville, California. They broke into the mainstream with their three times platinum major-label debut album Infest (2000). The group's success continued with later releases Lovehatetragedy (2002), Getting Away with Murder (2004), and The Paramour Sessions (2006). Their newest album, Metamorphosis, was released on March 24, 2009. Papa Roach has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide.
P.O.D
P.O.D. (Payable On Death) is an American Christian Rock band formed in 1992. The band's line-up consists of vocalist Sonny Sandoval, drummer Wuv Bernardo, guitarist Marcos Curiel, and bassist Traa Daniels. They have released seven studio albums and have sold over nine million records worldwide. Over the course of their career, the band have received six Grammy Award nominations and toured internationally.
With their third studio album, The Fundamental Elements of Southtown, they achieved their initial mainstream success; the album was certified Platinum by the RIAA in 2000. Their following studio album, Satellite, continued the band's success with the hit singles, "Alive" and "Youth of the Nation", pushing it to go 3x platinum.
Pussycat Dolls
The Pussycat Dolls (sometimes abbreviated as PCD) are an American pop girl group and dance ensemble founded by choreographer Robin Antin. The group originated in 1995 as a burlesque troupe based in Los Angeles, California. After attracting national attention, Antin eventually negotiated a record deal with Interscope Records in 2003, and the troupe was re-cast as a music group, comprising lead singer Nicole Scherzinger alongside Melody Thornton, Jessica Sutta, Ashley Roberts, Kimberly Wyatt and Carmit Bachar, who left the group in early 2008.. Subsequently the group also diversified into reality television programs; a Las Vegas act, venue, and casino; merchandising; and other ventures overseen by Antin, Interscope, and their partners.
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1981. Founded when drummer Lars Ulrich posted an advertisement in a local newspaper, Metallica's line-up has primarily consisted of Ulrich, rhythm guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield, and lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, while going through a number of bassists. Currently, the spot is held by Robert Trujillo.
Metallica's early releases included fast tempos, instrumentals, and aggressive musicianship that placed them as one of the "big four" of the thrash metal subgenre alongside Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax. The band earned a growing fan base in the underground music community and critical acclaim, with the 1986 release Master of Puppets described as one of the most influential and "heavy" thrash metal albums. The band achieved substantial commercial success with Metallica (1991), which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. With this release the band expanded its musical direction resulting in an album that appealed to a more mainstream audience.
Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit is an American nu metal band from Jacksonville, Florida. The band achieved success with over 50 million albums sold worldwide.
The current members of the band include vocalist Fred Durst, guitarist Wes Borland, bassist Sam Rivers, drummer John Otto (Rivers' cousin) and turntablist/sampler player DJ Lethal. The band's guitarist Wes Borland departed in 2001 following the release of their first three albums to be replaced by Mike Smith for the band's fourth release Results May Vary. Borland rejoined for The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1) only to quit once again in 2006 to work with other projects. February 2009 saw the confirmation of all five members reuniting for a world tour set to launch in the Spring of that year.
Katy Perry
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984, better known by her stage name Katy Perry) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Perry rose to fame in 2007 with her internet hit "Ur So Gay", and later scored in 2008 her breakthrough single "I Kissed a Girl".
She began with an on-and-off recording career, having been dropped three times by record labels. After signing to Capitol Music Group in 2007, she released her first mainstream album, One of the Boys. It contains the worldwide hits "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot N Cold", both certified three-time platinum in the United States. She is known for wearing unconventional style of dress, often combining colors and vintage fashion, as well as associating outfits with fruits.