Artist Recommendations: Cody Lamb (bassist) from ANA

Starbenders:

Glam, Goth, Punk, Rock, just a really great combination of it all. This band from America is stunning both musically and visually. As soon as they found their style, they hit it out of the park with release after release. They're a modern band with a true rock 'n' roll heart and spirit, especially when it comes to giving it all for their fans.

Recommended: "The Game" - "To Be Alright" - "Summon My Heart"

Solarcycles:

Beautifully haunting symphonic folk metal from the Netherlands. They pull off the combination of the folk stylised melodies, elegant vocal performances, and epic melodic metal instrumentation quite well. Dark and heavy musical passages, beautiful violin work integrating the pieces, and hauntingly beautiful vocals that set the tone and emotional strength of the songs strongly. At this early stage, they are already a band that will be interesting to see what comes next from them.

Recommended: "Immeasurable Fog" - "Rhythm of the Sun" - "Grows Then Dies"

Plasmatics:

American Punk and Heavy Metal with a reputation for explosive, provocative, and chaotic live shows. They took that whole Shock Value and Controversy to the next step. Banned in major cities, arrests for obscenity on stage, and the iconic combo of electrical tape and shaving cream for an outfit. A sick and aggressive voice, Wendy O. Williams delivers a powerhouse performance up front and in your face. Also, when you get to chainsaw a guitar in half and blow up a car on stage during a show, what more can you ask for!

Recommended: "Nothing" - "Put Your Love In Me" - "Destroyers"

Evergrey:

From Gothenburg, Sweden, masters of beautiful darkness. Every era of Evergrey is standout, from the early, more gothic and metal-tinged albums to the more modern progressive styling of the latter half of their career. Tom's lyricism and vocals have always been a powerhouse piece of Evergrey, soulful, emotional, powerful, and aggressive when needed. Combine that with heavy, dark, and melancholic music, and what's there is something truly powerful. And the ballads they've done across their career are beautiful and moving pieces of music.

Recommended: "A Touch of Blessing" - "For Every Tear That Falls (Live)" - "Solitude Within"

VOW WOW:

From Japan, this heavy metal and hard rock band was a side project of the band BOW WOW. The songwriting of the 80's melodic heavy metal is wonderful, but the vocal performance by Genki Hitomi truly makes this group stand strong. The strength and range are outstanding. The band nailed down that huge arena rock sound of the 80's, the keys, the guitar riffs, the larger-than-life choruses; they left behind some phenomenal albums.

Recommended: "Somewhere in the Night" - "Shock Waves" - "Fade Away"

Leatherwolf:

The Triple Axe Attack! A phenomenal heavy metal band that originated in the 80's. A few different lineups after the initial iconic era of the band, but thankfully, they are still around today and moving forward. A fantastic use of the 3 guitars, strong and powerful 80's heavy metal vocals, kickass and melodic musicianship all around, with plenty of powerful choruses that will stick with you.

Recommended: - "Spiter" - "Hideaway" - "Only the Wicked"

Salems Lott:

From Los Angeles, California, this group is immediately visually striking, reminiscent of the Japanese Visual Kei scene of such acts as X Japan, Dir En Grey, and Aion. These guys can play! Heavy Metal with speed, power, melody, and technical playing. The dual guitar work is outstanding with how well they play at such speeds together; the precision these guys play with is outstanding.

Recommended: "No Choice to Love" - "Enigma" - "Thin Ice"

ANTHEM:

Japanese Heavy Metal through and through. Album after album of pure heavy metal, with strong melodies, speed, face-melting guitar solos, soaring vocals, and kickass headbanging guitar riffage. Quite simply, if you're a fan of Heavy Metal in the vein of Judas Priest, Dio, Saxon, Accept, ect, you will find plenty to love with the music of ANTHEM.

Recommended: "Danger Flight" - "Venom Strike" - "Hungry Soul"

Lordi:

The Monster Squad. Horror themes galore, heavy metal styles that branch across decades past, there's a whole lot to Lordi. So many damn catchy songs. The artistry side of the band itself is incredible, the stage designs, costumes of all the members over all the years, the artwork, everything is just so fantastically done with so much love. And if you want to talk about pure hard effort, just look at their 2021 release "Lordiversity". A box set release of not 1, not 2 or 3, but 7 WHOLE NEW STUDIO ALBUMS, each one encompassing an entirely different era and genre style of music, with the idea that this was a box set of Albums that the band released back in the 70s onwards. Disco, Prog, Industrial, Thrash, it's WILD. For all of them to be fantastic albums as well...THAT is hard work, effort, and love for music without a doubt!

Recommended: "Syntax Terror" - "Raging at Tomorrow" - "Get Heavy"

Eisbrecher:

From Germany, a Neue Deutsche Härte (Dance Metal), Industrial Metal powerhouse. If you love Rammstein, Synthwave, techno, and metal, you're sure to love and enjoy these guys. So many headbanging riffs and danceable music, it's such a wonderful combo that works, and Eisbrecher does it so damn well.

Recommended: "So oder so" - "Es lohnt sich nicht ein Mensch zu sein" - "Miststück 2012"

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