I'm super-flamboyant, super-happy, and super-pissed-off," understates Papa Roach frontman Coby Dick. "I'm off the hook at shows. I've done stupid things where our lawyer was going, 'You can't be doing that!' but I've also hugged a million kids. How Nirvana was when they came out - that new edge of giving kids a release of emotions - that's how I hope people connect with Papa Roach's music. I want to cause every emotion in people. I want them to fight, to fuck; I want to bring out their violence, their sadness, and their happiness." Singer-Songwriter Dick, Guitarist Jerry Horton, Bassist Tobin Esperance, and Drummer Dave Buckner acheive Dicks estimable goals with INFEST.

Produced by Jay Baumgardner (whose worked with Coal Chamber and System of a Down), Papa Roach's major label debut "is about dealing with everyday struggle,"according to Dick, whose lyrics for songs like "Broken Home," "Never Enough," "Binge," "Thrown Away," and "Last Resort," infest's first radio track are intensely personal and darkly seductive. Inspired from everything from Divorce ("Broken Home"), struggles with alcohol ("Binge"), Attention Deficit Disorder ("Thrown Away"), and suicide. ("Last Resort") Dick tends to write in the first person. "I deal a lot with the line between good and evil. And I tiptoe down that line myself," he confesses.

"I have a side that's responsible, a part that knows right from wrong, and I have my punk rock, 'fuck everything' side." Says Horton of the band's sound; "We lean more towards hip hop, punk and funk, and we also have a rock influence, but we're not really rap-core. The songs have a pop structure, and they're very melodic, with a lot of layers and orchestration." For his part, Dick listens to hardcore bands, digs underground hip hop, played clarinet in his High Schools prize-winning wind ensemble and names Faith No Mores Mike Patton as one of his biggest influences.

Press raves, too, bare out Papa Roach's diverse approach. Las Vegas City Life praised the quartet for it's "surprising moments of vulnerability and sensitivity in it's cathartic opera-core, [Dick] sounding almost pleading in the world weary voice of youth betrayed"; the publication also informed, "Papa Roach stakes out it's territory" (May 20, 1999). Sacramento's News & Review, meanwhile voted the band "most likely to show up Rage Against the Machine at their own gig" (June 3, 1999), and the San Jose Mercury News commended the foursome's "sheer urban grit" and Dick's "randy, alluring and apocalyptic" vocals (Aug. 5, 1999). Not bad for a kid who began "playing" music in his garage with "garbage cans and baseball bats" (and who later moved out while still in high school and began working at an airforce base hospital to support himself).

Growing up in the Northern California town of Vacaville - for the moment best known as the onion capital of the world. P-Roach, as their legion of fans call them, formed in high school (Horton did not attend school with the others; he met them via an ex-girlfriend who was a P-Roach fan.) At the teens' first gig, a 1993 school talent show, Dick's mom overheard a judge mutter, "I hope they don't quit their day jobs." The band improved by leaps and bounds, however, and was soon selling out 300-500 seat venues (some of which would have required fake IDs had the band members been patrons). Despite their youth, the members of Papa Roach brought a wealth of experience to their developing sound.

Buckner, a Los Angeles native whose first instrument was violin, was taking drum lessons from a 70-year-old female jazz drummer by the time he reached junior high. He quickly made first chair in concert band but shortly thereafter got his first drum kit (for Christmas) and proclaimed: "I'm sick of this school band crap - I wanna play rock 'n' roll!" His next move? "I sat down with [Led Zeppelin's] Physical Graffiti and a set of headphones and went to work." He says of his influences: "I remember being three years oldand listening to [Pink Floyd's] The Wall on car rides with my Mom. Later I would kick it at my aunt and uncle's with Suicidal Tendencies and Metallica on vinyl. My friends in grade school got me into Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys, and junior high was all about classic rock. In high school, I was into a whole range of stuff, from John Coltrane to Fugazi.

That's when I discovered all the great and beautiful music that isn't part of the mainstream. I've kept my mind open since then. Esperance - who joined P-Roach at 13 - grewup watching his Dad play bass. "He got me my first bass when I was 10, " he recalls. His fingers blistered from the heavy bottom end he provides P-Roach, Esperance continues: "I had friends who were into jazz and reggae, and I took those and lumped them together. My Mom and I would listen to the same jazz music, or the Doors, or Duke Ellington. Then I had my punk rock category. He confirms that Papa Roach's music takes a similarly melting-pot tack, commenting: "People put us in the rap-rock category. I don't care what they call us, but we definitely do it differently from anyone out their right now."

Though Infest is Papa Roach's major-leagues bow, the band has been spewing music to the masses via CD for several years. Their first recording adventure was 1995's Caca Bonita, whcihc was followed by Old Friends From Young Years. "That's what the future is, " Dick says of the title. "We wanna have longevity, and by putting that idea in the cosmos - it's sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy." Two more independent CD's also issued on the band's Onion Hardcore Recordings, built on the momentum: 1998's 5 Tracks Deep (which featured the song "Revenge" [formerly "Revenge In Japanese"], heard on an episode of MTV's "Road Rules") and 1999's "Let 'Em Know". Cranking these out at a steady pace did not keep P-Roach rom the stage, however.

On the contrary, the band gigged steadily all over California - sometimes mounting as many as 14 shows a month - with acts like Kid Rock, Static-X, Incubus, Bad Brains and other such compadres on The Warped Tour. One of the questions most frequently aimed at the band concerns their moniker. It seems Buckner had a CD by jazz musician Pancho Sanchez called Papa Gato. The title struck a chord with Dick, whose grandfather's last name was Roatch - he was "Papa Roatch" to his family.

Still, according to Dick: "For the longest time, it's had nothing to do with my grandpa. We drew up this cockroach logo because we wanted to avoid the weed thing. Weed's okay, but it's not what we're about; we're kinda like the cockroach that can survive anything - we're tough, warrior soldier band. We get out there and put the work in." The band also takes pride in their familial orientation. "We're a team," Dick insists. "Some bands are like, 'We just fired our guitar player.' We don't do that shit; we don't fire people. We're family - you get booted out!" Esperance concurs: "We get along better than most any other band in the world. If you were to hang out with us, you'd wonder what the hell was wrong with us. We're constantly laughing, then getting in arguments, telling each other to fuck off, then we're best friends again in the next minute. We can't really agree on a whole lot, except the music and the band. We're real different people, but P- Roach is where we come together.

And come together they do, especially in a live setting. They're pretty goodat getting the audience to join together with the band: At any given show, the fans are onstage and airborne nearly as much as Papa Roach. The four piece has incited this mania over and over, headlining major clubs from San Francisco to Los Angeles, playing more than 400 shows since 1993. Despite such seasoning, Infest represents the beginning of this young band's journey. As the title track promises, these Roach's are "coming to infest." Those who prefer enlightenment to escapism will surely want to invest. "Pop music like Britney Spears is existence in the dark," Dick argues. "Its' candy. I don't want to escape reality - I want to go deeper into it."

In the small Northern California town of Vacaville, four high school friends, Jacoby Shaddix, Jerry Horton, Dave Buckner, and Will James, decided to start a band. In 1993, they became Papa Roach, a band whose influences included prominent Bay Area acts such as Faith No More and Primus. Papa Roach quickly rose to the top of the Vacaville music scene with their blending of hip-hop, groove-funk, and hardcore.
After a couple of years of playing coffeehouses, pizza joints, and keg-parties, they were headlining such places as the Cactus Club in San Jose, the Cattle Club in Sacramento, and the Berkeley Square in Berkeley.

Due to the antics of unpredictable Shaddix, and the raw power supplied by the band in live performances, Papa Roach captured the attention of younger audiences. In turn, kids showed their appreciation for the band by faithfully attending all the band's shows. In these early years, Papa Roach was able to support the Deftones on two shows, and have bands such as Incubus, Snot, Far, Human Waste Project, Downset and Fu Manchu open for them.

In the summer of 1996, while realizing athat they had something special, Papa Roach decided to make changes necessary to reach the next level. First, the band replaced bass player Will James because his commitment to church summer camp that would have prevented the band from practicing and playing any shows over the summer. Papa Roach did not have to go far to find their new bass player. Tobin Esperance, who was only 16 years old and who had been a roadie for Papa Roach since age 13, readily became the new bass player. Second, the band hired a manager, Bret Bair, to help them with bookings, promotions, and merchandising. With a new bass player and management in place, Papa Roach decided to enter the studio to record a full-length CD.

"Old Friends From Young Years" was recorded for $700 at E.S.P. Studios in Pittsburg, California, and was subsequently released in February of 1997. The CD contains 13 tracks, including the songs "Orange Drive Palms", and "Liquid Diet". Without any push from the band or management, many smaller independent and college radio stations in Chico, Davis, San Jose, Sacramento, and the Bay Area added Papa Roach to their playlists. To the bands' surprise, Papa Roach charted number one as Cal-State Sacramento's most requested band for five consecutive weeks. Papa Roach celebrated the release of their first album with several CD release shows. The Vacaville CD release show was attended by 700 kids, while CD release shows in Berkeley and Sacramento were attended by 400 and 300 kids, respectively.

Papa Roach's emerging popularity did not escape the eyes and ears of promoters, who started booking the band as a support act on many larger national shows. In March of 1997, Papa Roach played main support to Suicidal Tendencies in front of 1,000 people in Sacramento. They also either headlined or supported many of today's up and coming acts in the aggressive rock genre, including Incubus, Snot, Far, Human Waste Project, (hed) p.e., Sevendust, WIll Haven and Powerman 5000. Papa Roach has also played Southern California on a frequent basis, and is now becoming a regular at such reknowned clubs as the Troubador in Hollywood, and Soma in San Diego.

In April 1998, Papa Roach released "5 Tracks Deep", and E.P. containing five songs which sold 1,000 copies within the first month after its release. This CD exemplifies the natural growth in musicianship and song-writing ability within band since "Old Friends From Young Years" was recorded 18 months earlier. The songs "Revenge in Japanese" is a perfect example of the Papa Roach trademark sound where hip-hop verses lead to a catchy radio-friendly chorus. This results in a song with both energy and emotion that will attract diverse crowds of people.

AC DC

AC/DC's mammoth power-chord roar became one of the most influential hard rock sounds of the '70s. In its own way, it was a reaction against the pompous art rock and lumbering arena rock of the early '70s. AC/DC's rock was minimalist — no matter how huge and bludgeoning the guitar chords were, there was a clear sense of space and restraint. Combined with Bon Scott's larynx-shredding vocals, the band spawned countless imitators over the next two decades.

AC/DC was formed in 1973 in Australia by guitarist Malcolm Young after his band, the Velvet Underground, collapsed (Young's band has no relation to the seminal American group). With his younger brother Angus as lead guitarist, the band played some gigs around Sydney. Angus was only 15-years-old at the time and his sister suggested that he should wear his school uniform on-stage; the look became the band's visual trademark. While still in Sydney, the original lineup (featuring singer Dave Evans) cut a single called "Can I Sit Next to You," with ex-Easybeats Harry Vanda and George Young (Malcolm and Angus' older brother) producing.

The band moved to Melbourne the following year, where drummer Phil Rudd (formerly of the Coloured Balls) and bassist Mark Evans joined the band. The band's chauffeur, Bon Scott, became their lead vocalist when their singer, Dave Evans, refused to go on-stage.

Previously, Scott had been vocalist for the Australian prog rock bands Fraternity and the Valentines. More importantly, he helped cement the group's image as brutes — he had several convictions on minor criminal offenses and was rejected by the Australian Army for being "socially maladjusted." And AC/DC was socially maladjusted. Throughout their career they favored crude double entendres and violent imagery, all spiked with a mischievous sense of fun.

The group released two albums — High Voltage and TNT — in Australia in 1974 and 1975. Material from the two records comprised the 1976 release High Voltage in the U.S. and U.K.; the group also toured both countries. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap followed at the end of the year. Evans left the band at the beginning of 1977, with Cliff Williams taking his place. In the fall of 1977, AC/DC released Let There Be Rock, which became their first album to chart in the U.S.

Powerage, released in spring of 1978, expanded their audience even further, thanks in no small part to their dynamic live shows (which were captured on 1978's live If You Want Blood, You've Got It). What really broke the doors down for the band was the following year's Highway to Hell, which hit number 17 in the U.S. and number eight in the U.K., becoming the group's first million-seller.

AC/DC's train was derailed when Bon Scott died on February 20, 1980. The official coroner's report stated he had "drunk himself to death." In March, the band replaced Scott with Brian Johnson. The following month, the band recorded Back in Black, which would prove to be their biggest album, selling over ten million copies in the U.S. alone. For the next few years, the band was one of the largest rock bands in the world, with For Those About to Rock We Salute You topping the charts in the U.S. In 1982, Rudd left the band; he was replaced by Simon Wright.

After 1983's Flick of the Switch, the band's commercial standing began to slip; they were able to reverse their slide with 1990's The Razor's Edge, which spawned the hit "Thunderstruck." While not the commercial powerhouse they were during the late '70s and early '80s, the '90s saw them maintain their status as a top international concert draw. In the fall of 1995, their 16th album, Ballbreaker, was released. Produced by Rick Rubin, the album received some of the most positive reviews of AC/DC's career. Ballbreaker entered the American charts at number four and sold over a million copies in its first six months of release. Stiff Upper Lip followed in early 2000.

Mark
Full name: Markus Allen Hoppus
Wife: Skye Hoppus (a.k.a. Skye Everly)
Children: 1 boy Jack Hoppus
Pets: 3 dogs Atticus, Cheesburger, and Ahi
Current residence: Encinitas, California
Birthday: March 15th/1972
Bands that he is in (or was in): Blink 182, Plus 44
Fact about him: His role model is Homer Simpson


Tom
Full name: Thomas Matthew DeLonge
Wife: Jennifer DeLonge (a.k.a. Jen Jenkins)
Children: 1 girl Ava Elizabeth DeLonge (born on July 15th/2002
Pets: German Shepherd named Grey
Current residence: Encinitas, California
Birthday: December 13th/1975
Bands that he is in (or was in): Blink 182, Box Car Racer, Angels & Airwaves
Hometown: Poway, California
Fact about him: When he was 16 years old, he got suspended from school for getting drunk at a basketball game.


Travis
Full name: Travis Landon Barker
Fiancee: Shanna (former miss USA)
Children: 1 boy Landon Barker and 1 girl
Current residence: San Diego, California
Birthday: November 14th/1975
Bands that he is in (or was in): Blink 182, Box Car Racer, Plus 44, The Transplants, Aquabats
Fact about him: He broke his foot a couple of weeks before the Australian tour, which forced Blink 182 to cancel a few of their shows on the tour.


In the life of every band, there comes a time to take stock; to reflect on goals set and goals achieved; to offer a silent prayer of thanksgiving for the many blessings so richly bestowed upon us.

For Blink-182, this is not the time.

They're too busy touring the world, scarfing Sombrero’s burritos, farting and rocking the planet till the ozone layer disintegrates. In the recent past, Blink-182 won a Teen Choice Award, a Blockbuster Music Award, and appeared on the MTV Awards '00 where they performed "All The Small Things" and won Best Group Video. In Europe they received an MTV Europe Award for Best New Act. They performed on Saturday Night Live and the Tonight Show (twice), appeared in American Pie and opened the Billboard Music Awards. The band also graced the covers of Rolling Stone, Alternative Press (twice), Teen People, Teen and CosmoGirl, just to name a few.

It's safe to say the Blink-182 is now a worldwide phenomenon, with their records reaping platinum and their concert tours packing ‘em in all across Europe, Australia, Asia, and the Americas. And earlier this year, Blink-182 ventured back to the studio with producer Jerry Finn to record their fourth studio album, Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (you should say the title out loud to fully appreciate the subtle, sophisticated humour).

By every indication, Take Off Your Pants and Jacket is turning out to be an evolutionary hybrid for Blink-182, as hooky as 1999's multi-platinum Enema of the State, but with all the punk spirit of their MCA debut album Dude Ranch. "This is the hardest, fastest record that we've done," says Blink's Tom DeLonge of the upcoming album. "It's way more punk-rock than our previous records, and we're excited about it." Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (release date 6/12/01) follows Enema of the State and last year's smash live album The Mark, Tom and Travis Show (The Enema Strikes Back).

The band's popularity has only increased since their formation in '93. They began building momentum with a string of popular 7"s, and in 1994 they released their first full-length album, Cheshire Cat, on Grilled Cheese (a division of Cargo Music). In 1996, they signed a joint-venture record deal with Cargo Music and MCA Records, with their first MCA release Dude Ranch (1997) setting the stage for their current success. By the end of 1998, they had emerged as one of the most popular pop-punk bands of the year – the album went platinum in the U.S. and the year-end Billboard Airplay Monitor Report (BDS) stats indicated that "Dammit (Growing Up)" from Dude Ranch earned top spins at many key radio stations.

Blink-182 took a break from the road after Christmas '98 to begin pre-production for Enema Of The State, recorded in the band's hometown of San Diego at Signature Sound. Handling production duties was Jerry Finn, whose previous credits include Green Day and Rancid. Enema Of The State shattered the standard set by Dude Ranch. World-wide sales are now over seven million copies, not to mention the fact that the CD perched high atop the upper-reaches of Billboard's Top 200 for over a year. The album's three singles, "What's My Age Again," "All The Small Things" and "Adam's Song" dominated MTV, alternative, rock and Top-40 radio.

Their summer tour, where The Mark, Tom & Travis Show (The Enema Strikes Back) was recorded, sold a third of a million tickets. The aforementioned album was a 20-track collection of live versions of classic Blink-182 hits produced by Jerry Finn, and also contained never-before-released songs, a new studio track, and all the hilarious potty-mouthed one liners a fan could want. In its limited release, The Mark, Tom & Travis Show (The Enema Strikes Back) sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide. In other Blink-182 news, a massive U.S. summer 2001 tour is on the drawing boards, and a book about the band's early days, written by Hoppus' younger sister, Anne, now carries a title, Tales From Beneath Your Mom. It's scheduled to hit bookstores in mid-September.

Then there's the ever-expanding Blink-182 mercantile empire, which stretches from pole to pole, from sea to shining sea. First there's their own blink182.com website for fans and curious onlookers. Travis's "Famous Stars and Straps" is a successful retailer and website for clothes, belts and accessories. Mark and Tom's "Loserkids.com" is an equally vibrant website for clothes, skates, music, movies. But despite these ancillary success stories, Mark, Tom and Travis never lose sight of what's most important for Blink-182 and their worldwide legions of fans: music and tasteless comedy at every opportunity.

Who knows what's next for the band? There's an old expression "You can't turn chicken shit into chicken salad." But, in the case of Blink-182, you can really put chicken shit in someone's chicken salad

Music Video:ALL THE SMALL THINGS (by Blink 182)

Music Video Code provided by Video Code Zone

"We've got to regain knowledge again, and we've got to regain an understanding again, of who we are. Not just those chosen to fuel systems, but individuals who have the power to criticize and analyze, and attack injustice when it becomes prevalent and apparent in front of our faces like it is in ours right now. We've been all put to sleep. Put to sleep to a system. A system that continues to perpetrate ignorance amongst our spirits and amongst our minds. One that wants you not to act. A system that would rather see all of you at that bar drinking beer filling your minds being put to sleep with beer or with drugs, rather than acting against it and fighting a system which has been perpetrating imperialist lies and other fucking bullshit for five hundred years.

So fucking drink up or fucking wake up. You're part of the solution or you're part of the fucking problem. I am sick and tired of my own complacence in my life and I know I'm fucking sick of yours. So wake up and stop fucking sleeping. Wake Up." --Zack De La Rocha

The music of Rage Against The Machine is a fierce and uncompromising meld of punk-inspired hard rock and politically-charged rap. Less than two years from the time of their first public performance in an Orange County living room party, the Los Angeles-based band has created a growing storm of both controversy and fan support. Rage's influences range (in their words) "from Bad Brains to Malcolm X, from Led Zeppelin to Che Guevara, from Minor Threat to Martin Luther King Jr., from Public Enemy to the Clash."


Rage Against The Machine was co-produced by the band with engineer Garth Richardson, who has worked with Red Hot Chili Peppers and Ozzy Osbourne. All sounds are the product of guitars, bass, and drums; no samples, keyboards or synthesizers were used to create this music. What was used was the raw musical power and highly charged language of such key Rage songs as "Settle For Nothing," "Killing In The Name," and "Bullet In The Head." This last-named track is also the first video by Rage Against The Machine, even though FCC regulations preclude airplay.

Before signing with Epic Associated, Rage Against The Machine recorded a 12-song cassette which sold over 5,000 copies at the band's live shows and through its fan club. In fact, the present album version of "Bullet In The Head" is taken directly from that self-released tape. In its first year of existence, Rage Against The Machine opened shows for Ice-T's Body Count, Public Enemy, and Pearl Jam. The band supported Perry Farrell's Porno For Pyros on the latter's July 13, 1992 debut performance; toured Europe with Suicidal Tendencies; and appeared September 11-12, 1992 on the second stage of Lollapalooza II in Los Angeles dates.

"On the strength of the album," wrote Timothy White in Billboard, "they must be viewed as one of the most original and virtuosic new rock bands in the nation...Rage Against The Machine generates the most beautifully articulated torrent of hardcore bedlam that one could imagine. And the hopes invested in these humming murals of urban din are equally visionary."

Lordi

With their operatic heavy metal and monster-movie stage persona, Lordi seemed a most unlikely choice to represent their native Finland in the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest. So just imagine how many jaws hit the floor when the group not only claimed top honors, but also earned the most points in the venerable event's history. Vocalist Tomi Petteri Putaansuu, aka Mr. Lordi, assembled Lordi in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1996 following a concert headlined by his favorite band, Kiss; after recruiting guitarist Jussi Sydänmaa (known as "Amen"), bassist Magnum (real name unknown), former Chidren of Bodom keyboardist Erna Siikavirta ("Enary"), and drummer Sampsa Astala ("Kita"), he began writing songs as well as creating the elaborate foam-latex monster costumes and pyrotechnic effects that would become the hallmark of their theatrical live performances. After a series of label auditions went nowhere, Lordi signed to Sony BMG Finland and in 2002 issued a debut LP, Get Heavy, which rose to the number three spot on the Finnish charts on the strength of the number one single "Would You Love a Monsterman?" Magnum left the group soon after, and with new bassist Pekka Tarvenen ("Kalma"), Lordi cut a sophomore album, 2004's The Monsterican Dream, returning to the Top 20 with "Blood Red Sandman." After touring in support of the LP, both Tarvenen and Siikavirta left the lineup, and with new bassist Samer el Nahhal ("Ox") and keyboardist Leena Peisa ("Awa"), Lordi released a third full-length, The Arockalypse. When the record's chart-topping lead single, "Hard Rock Hallelujah," was appointed Finland's official entry in the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest, some religious leaders criticized the move, charging the band with advocating Satanism (even in the face of their 2003 hit "The Devil Is a Loser"); Lordi scored the most points in contest history with 292, 44 more than runner-up Dima Bilan of Russia. In the wake of Lordi's victory -- Finland's first in Eurovision competition -- tabloids from across Europe scrambled to publish photos of the band sans makeup, earning criticism from fans and media rivals alike and forcing public apologies from the offending parties. On May 26, 2006, Lordi celebrated their triumph with a free open-air performance in Helsinki's Market Square, playing to more than 80,000 fans. Finland president Tarja Halonen even took the stage to award the band for their global recognition.

WIthin Temptation

Within Temptation have come a long way in the last ten years. From their humble beginnings, the Dutch band have now sold over 1.2 million CDs and DVDs world-wide, making them not only Holland’s biggest selling musical export but also one of the fastest growing new rock acts internationally.

Formed in 1996 around the nucleus of guitarist Robert Westerholt and vocalist Sharon den Adel, Within Temptation released their debut album Enter through Dutch indie label DSFA the following April. The album saw the band playing gigs across the continent, firmly cementing their phenomenal live reputation – most notably two appearances at the legendary Dynamo festival (in both 1997 and then on the main stage in 1998).

Unbelievably for a band who were attracting such critical and commercial acclaim, they were actually all still in college. And so in 1999, Within Temptation went on hiatus to allow the band to finish their studies.

Returning to the fray twelve months later, 2000 was to prove a pivotal year for the band. Building on their strong live following by playing all the major European festivals, the band released their second album Mother Earth in December. The new album again garnered critical acclaim - hugely influential Dutch music magazine Aloha tipped Within Temptation “for a major breakthrough” – and Mother Earth stayed in the Dutch charts for over three months.

Starting the year with a major club tour of their homeland, Within Temptation released two singles from Mother Earth, Our Farewell and Ice Queen. It was Ice Queen that finally led to Within Temptation’s first mainstream commercial success. The single peaked at #2 in the Dutch charts with the album re-entering the charts at #3, eventually reaching Platinum status.

The band’s popularity in Holland continued to grow and in 2002 it spread like wildfire across the continent. Mother Earth clocked-up Platinum and Gold status in Germany and Belgium respectively, while the Mother Earth Tour DVD received Gold status in their homeland and won the band an ‘Edison Award’.

Returning to the studio in 2004, Within Temptation were set to record their third and most successful record to date, The Silent Force, with producer Daniel Gibson. Fuelled by the massive international radio hit Stand My Ground, the album went to #1 in the Netherlands and Finland, #5 in Germany, Top 10 in Belgium, Portugal and Spain, Top 20 in Austria and Switzerland and Top 30 in Greece, France, Turkey, Sweden and Norway. A myriad of Gold and Platinum certifications followed.

The single Angels was released in June 2005 to coincide with their now annual festival run - which included appearances at Pinkpop, Werchter, Rock Am Ring, Sweden Rock, Ruisrock, Aerodrome and Gurtenfest – and European tours with Iron Maiden and Rammstein. In August, Within Temptation received a World Music Award for Best Selling Dutch Artist In The World. A release of The Silent Force in Japan, Australia, and the UK was next.

More plaudits followed in 2006 when the band won a Golden God Award from the UK’s Metal Hammer magazine for Best Video. They also released a special video trailer of new song The Howling via the internet in December in cooperation with game developer Spellborn.

2007 started of great as the band received the Dutch Export Award (“Best International Selling Artist”) for the fourth consecutive time in a row.

In February Within Temptation released the brand new single What Have You Done, featuring guest vocals from Life Of Agony front man Keith Caputo, and tour extensively across Europe (starting March 23 in Lisbon). Their new album, The Heart Of Everything, is set for release in March, produced again by Daniel Gibson and mixed by Stefan Glaumann (Rammstein).

In describing The Heart Of Everything Westerholt comments, “Although you can still clearly hear that this is a Within Temptation record, many things have changed and evolved. Sharon shows how versatile she is as a singer more than on any record we've done. On some songs, she sings with a lot of power; on other songs she is more melodic… a siren enchanting her subjects. Sometimes she is emotional and sensitive. The guitars also play a larger part, and we have added an extra dimension to our new songs too by enhancing them with historic samples, as we did before on Our Solemn Hour. Compared to The Silent Force, our new album is more dynamic and energetic. It has a more natural sound.“

Motörhead's overwhelmingly loud and fast style of heavy metal was one of the most groundbreaking styles the genre had to offer in the late '70s. Though the group's leader, Lemmy Kilminster, had his roots in the hard-rocking space rock band Hawkwind, Motörhead didn't bother with his old group's progressive tendencies, choosing to amplify the heavy biker rock elements of Hawkwind with the speed of punk rock. Motörhead wasn't punk rock -- they formed before the Sex Pistols and they loved the hell-for-leather imagery of bikers too much to conform with the safety-pinned, ripped T-shirts of punk -- but they were the first metal band to harness that energy and, in the process, they created speed metal and thrash metal. Unlike many of their contemporaries, Motörhead continued performing into the next century. Although the band changed its lineup many, many times -- Lemmy was its only consistent member -- they never changed their raging sound.

The son of a vicar, Lemmy Kilmister (born Ian Fraiser Kilmister; December 24, 1945) first began playing rock & roll in 1964, when he joined two local Blackpool, England, R&B bands, the Rainmakers and the Motown Sect. Over the course of the '60s, he played with a number of bands -- including the Rockin' Vickers, Gopal's Dream, and Opal Butterfly -- as well as briefly working as a roadie for Jimi Hendrix. In 1971, he joined the heavy prog rock band Hawkwind as a bassist. Lemmy was originally slated to stay with the band only six months, yet he stayed with the group for four years. During that time, he wrote and sung several songs with the band, including their signature song, the number three U.K. hit "Silver Machine" (1972).

Lemmy was kicked out of Hawkwind in the spring of 1975, after he spent five days in a Canadian prison for drug possession. Once he returned to England, Kilminster set about forming a new band. Originally, it was to have been called "Bastard," but he soon decided to call the band Motörhead, named after the last song he wrote for Hawkwind. Lemmy drafted in Pink Fairies guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox to round out the lineup. Motörhead made its debut supporting Greenslade in July. Two months later, the group headed into the studio to make its debut album for United Artists with producer Dave Edmunds. Motörhead and Edmunds clashed over the direction of recording, resulting in the group firing the producer and replacing him with Fritz Fryer. At the end of the year, Fox left the band and Lemmy replaced him with his friend, Philthy Animal (born Philip Taylor), an amateur musician.

Motörhead delivered its debut album to UA early in 1976, but the label rejected the album. Shortly afterward, former Blue Goose and Continuous Performance guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke joined the band. Following one rehearsal as a four-piece, Wallis left the band, leaving Motörhead as a trio; this is the lineup that would later be recalled as the group's classic period. However, the band spent most of 1976 struggling, performing without a contract or manager and generating little money. At the end of the year, they cut a single, "White Line Fever"/"Leavin' Here," for Stiff Records which wasn't released until two years later. By the summer of 1977, the group had signed a one-record contract with Chiswick Records, releasing their eponymous debut in June; it peaked at number 43 on the U.K. charts. A year later, the band signed with Bronze Records.

Overkill, Motörhead's first album for Bronze, was released in the spring of 1979. The album peaked at number 24, while its title track became the band's first Top 40 hit. Motörhead continued to gain momentum, as their concerts were selling well and Bomber, the follow-up to Overkill, reached number 12 upon its fall release. The band was doing so well that UA released the rejected album at the end of the year as On Parole. Ace of Spades, released in the fall of 1980, became a number four hit, while the single of the same name reached number 15.

Ace of Spades became Motörhead's first American album, yet the group was making little headway in the U.S., where they only registered as a cult act. Back in England, the situation could hardly have been more different. Motörhead was at the peak of its popularity in 1981, releasing a hit collaboration with the all-female group Girlschool entitled Headgirl and entering the charts at number one with their live album, No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith. Though the group was rising commercially, there was tension within the band, particularly between Clarke and Lemmy. Clarke left the band during the supporting tour for 1982's Iron Fist, reportedly angered by Kilmister's planned collaboration with Wendy O. Williams. Former Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson replaced Clarke.

The new lineup released Another Perfect Day in the summer of 1983. Another Perfect Day was a disappointment, only reaching number 20 in the U.K. Robertson left two months later, being replaced by two guitarists: former Persian Risk member Phillip Campbell and Wurzel (born Michael Burston). Shortly afterward, Taylor left to join Robertson's band Operator, and was replaced by former Saxon drummer Pete Gill. This lineup released a single, "Killed by Death," in September of 1984, but shortly afterward the group left Bronze and the label filed an injunction against the band. As a result, Motörhead was prevented from releasing any recordings -- including a bizarre collaboration between Lemmy and page-three girl Samantha Fox -- for two years.

Motörhead finally returned to action in 1986, first with a track on the charity compilation Hear 'n Aid and later with the Bill Laswell-produced Orgasmatron, which was released on their new label, GWR. Orgasmatron was successful with the band's still-dedicated cult audience in England and America, and received some of the group's best reviews to date. The following year, they released Rock 'N' Roll, which was equally successful. In 1988, the live No Sleep at All appeared, and Lemmy made his acting debut in the comedy Eat the Rich. Two years later, the band signed to WTG and released The Birthday Party. Taylor briefly rejoined the band in 1991, appearing on that year's 1916, before Mikkey Dee, formerly of King Diamond, took over on drums. Dee's first album with the band was 1992's March or Die, which didn't chart in the U.S. yet played to their U.K. cult following. WTG dropped the band after the album's release and the band started their own label, appropriately called Motörhead, which was distributed through ZYX. Their first album for the label was 1994's Bastards.

For the remainder of the '90s, Motörhead concentrated on touring more than recording. Outside of the band, Lemmy appeared in insurance commercials in Britain. He also acted in Hellraiser 3 and had a cameo in the porno movie John Wayne Bobbit Uncut. In 1997, the group moved to the metal-oriented indie label Receiver and released Stone Dead Forever; the live Everything Louder Than Everyone Else followed in 1999, and a year later they returned with We Are Motörhead. Hammered appeared in 2002 and was followed by 2004's Inferno. In 2005 the Sanctuary label reissued some of the band's classic albums (Overkill, Ace of Spades, and Iron Fist) in two-CD deluxe editions. A collection of all-new material, Kiss of Death, arrived in 2006, followed by Motorizer (the band's seventeenth studio album) in 2008.

Sepultura

The curse were spoken, but very few creed that those boys would fly so high. Many people know SEPULTURA began as a role-play, early 80's in Belo Horizonte, a city located in southeast Brazil. And destiny was generous when it gave Paulo Jr. (b), Jairo Guedez (g), Max (g/v) and Igor Cavalera the ways of metal music. The Brazilian death metal scene was a crawling toddler when the band released their first LP in 1985. Entitled BESTIAL DEVASTATION, the record was split with fellow band Overdose and their SÉCULO XX recording.

Songs like Antichrist and Bestial Devastation made clear what SEPULTURA's goal was with their music, and their ever-growing legion of fans understood them well. The next step up was their very own album MORBID VISIONS (1986). Full of good riffs and the everlasting anthem Troops of Doom this remarkable record made them known all over Brazil, giving the band the opportunity of touring their land. But it also were their last album with Jairo Guedez, who unfortunately decided to leave the band.

SEPULTURA was growing in the Brazilian scene at a speed never seen before and their need for a new lead guitar player was fulfilled when Andreas Kisser, a talented and innovative musician like no other, joined the band. 1987 marked the release of SCHIZOPHRENIA, an instant classic to Brazilian metal and very well produced record with outstanding songs, like Escape to the Void and the instrumental piece Inquisition Symphony. By this time SEPULTURA arrived in foreign ears, driving attention from abroad to the Brazilian scene.

SCHIZOPHRENIA was bootlegged in Europe, selling 30.000 copies for which the band received no copyright profits at all. In its homeland, the band was playing even in the most inaccessible cities, like Manaus near the Amazon in Northern Brazil.

Igor, Max, Paulo and Andreas
Reaching for fame, after this outstanding album, SEPULTURA signed with Dutch label RoadRunner Records. Their first release on RR was 1989's BENEATH THE REMAINS, a reference in metal music nowadays. The band recorded the album in Brazil and despite a low budget, decided to bring Scott Burns from the USA to produce it. His experience and expertise were essential to bring professionalism to the band, teaching them to work like grown-ups. Burns also mixed and mastered the album in the US, something no other Brazilian metal band had ever done before.

To support the release of BENEATH THE REMAINS, SEPULTURA went on their first international tour. They toured Europe as an opening act for metal-legend Sodom, traveled over the US and went down to Mexico, marking their name across an ever growing amount of frontiers. It was a memorable tour for the band as they met some of their all time idols, Motörhead and Metallica, crossed the Berlin wall before the cold war was over, and shot their first video. Inner Self was the chosen song, one of the album's greatest hits along with title track Beneath the Remains and Mass Hypnosis.

First international tour
Being the first Brazilian metal band to succeed abroad, they were invited to the select group of headliners of the second edition of the Rock in Rio festival. To mark the occasion, their upcoming album ARISE (1991) had an anticipate release as a commemorative edition, the ARISE ROUGH MIXES (today a collector's item).

Max Cavalera
After playing in Rio de Janeiro, the band played a free outdoors gig in Sao Paulo in the Charles Muller Square, just outside Pacaembu Stadium, as a huge party to compensate for the long time they were away from their homeland. Unfortunately among the crowd of over 40.000 enthusiastic and excited fans, things ran out of control and a fan was murdered.

This tragic incident brought an aura of fear surrounding the Brazilian show business producers, and conveyed a false image of evilness of the SEPULTURA fans. For years to come all their concerts in Brazil would only happened after long and harsh negotiations.

However, the ARISE tour was a complete success worldwide. The band played in places they could never imagine they would like Greece, Japan and Australia, where one of the band's first single (Third World Posse) was released. In Holland, SEPULTURA played their first big international festival, the Dynamo Open Air. Also, over 100.000 fans celebrated their 2 sold out stadium concerts in Indonesia, where they went gold on ARISE's cassette tapes sales.

Beside the Third World Chaos single, singles were released for the songs Under Siege and Dead Embryonic Cells. Two video clips from Arise were done (Arise and Dead Embryonic Cells), and a home video entitled Under Siege, with live footage from Barcelona, Spain. After all was said, sung, played and done SEPULTURA had gotten the recognition they deserved for their hard work.

Recording the video for 'Territory'
But their most important work was released in 1993, with a stunning party in a medieval castle in England, where the press from all over the globe met. With CHAOS AD the band incorporated some unexpected elements to their brutal sound, like the Brazilian rhythms in the instrumental piece Kaiowas.

Ever since ince this album came out, bringing new ideas, concepts and cultures in their music became SEPULTURA's trademark. Territory was the first single off CHAOS AD. The Territory video clip was shot in Israel, which was a huge step forward for a Brazilian metal band.

The band then won the MTV Video Music Awards for best video of the year in Brazil. The songs Refuse/Resist and Slave New World also became singles/videos, and later the three were released as a home video (Third World Chaos).

Promo picture for CHAOS A.D.
This amazing album brought along an amazing tour. They broke taboos being the first Brazilian band to tour Russia and also the first Latin American band to play "The Monsters of Rock" festival in Donington, England. Meanwhile, in Brazil, it wasn't easy to book concerts as the band's fans still were portrayed as violent people following that horrible incident at the free Sao Paulo gig (during the ARISE Tour). But thanks to the Brazilian Official Fan Club (a.k.a. SOBFC) efforts the band finally could showcase its new work in its homeland. Working as hard as they could, the fan club members and Antonio Coelho (a.k.a. Toninho, president and founder) obtained an amount of signatures so impressive demanding SEPULTURA's presence at "The Hollywood Rock Festival" that its producers had no choice but adding the band to the bill.

In 1994 Max developed a great parallel project with Alex Newport from the band Fudge Tunnel. They named it NAILBOMB and recorded the album POINT BLANK with ultra-special guests Andreas Kisser, Igor Cavalera, Dino Cazares (Fear Factory), just to name a few. NAILBOMB recorded a second and last album while playing at the DYNAMO Open Air to a crowd of 100.000. It was a quick but strong project, and is considered a cult by the SEPULTURA fans.

With the Xavantes tribe
By then, SEPULTURA had written its part of the history of music and was celebrating a decade of existence but still felt the urge to create, innovate and evolve. And they did rose to a new level with their 1996's effort entitled ROOTS. The album title made clear what had influenced the band during the writing and recording process. Lots of Brazilian icons can be found in this remarkable record but the strongest is without a doubt the experience with the Brazilian native Xavantes tribe. The band spent some days living with the tribe and recorded the song Itsari during its stay there.

The songs Roots Bloody Roots, Attitude and Ratamahatta were all realeased as singles and videos. The first video clip (Roots Bloody Roots) was recorded in the city of Salvador, the birthplace of Brazil. The Attitude video features The Gracie family, Brazilian sport legends, and creators of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

With Gracie family recording the video for 'Attitude'
Ratamahatta is sung in Portuguese and features Brazilian percussionist Carlinhos Brown. The video clip for the song won the Best Rock Video award at MTV's Video Music Awards Brazil, and is the only video of SEPULTURA featuring no humans. It only shows puppets in a digitally animated world. The band then released a double version of the album entitled THE ROOTS OF SEPULTURA, with the regular version of ROOTS in one CD and a brief musical history of the band on the second one.

Monsters Of Rock '96
The ROOTS tour was scheduled worldwide and included some important festivals. The band's routine was quite tiring. Tragedy struck the band the day SEPULTURA was playing Donington's "Monsters of Rock" Festival. They received the sad news that a close friend of the band, the son of the band's manager and Max's stepson, Dana Wells, had died. As soon as possible Max flew back to the USA and the band had to perform for the first time as a three piece, in one of the most meaningful concerts of their career. Some fellow musicians helped them out and the three band members did well, they were hurt and sad, but didn't let their fans down that day.

The crowd understood the situation and showed respect to the band with one minute of absolute silence, a bone chilling moment. After this concert SEPULTURA took a break to pay their last respcets and mourn Dana but was back on the road shortly after.

The band did extended and successful concerts during that tour, but meanwhile administrative concerns were creating tension within the band. Often, they would not agree with the management and ultimately opted not to renew the contract of their manager when the time came. Unfortunately, the band's manager happened to be Max's wife, and the couple couldn't agree with the rest of the band. They were given the choice to split the management of the band, so Max could be managed by his wife. Instead, Max decided to leave the band. The rest of the tour had to be cancelled and the band's future was in jeopardy.

Recovering from the shock, the band knew they couldn't end their life's work this way and abandon their legion of loyal fans, as SEPULTURA is more than a band to some; it also is an ideology. As soon as they could they started working on their next album as a three piece. Meanwhile, Max went on and formed a new band (SOULFLY).

Sepultura, 1997
Igor, Paulo and Andreas found a new way for their music. This new direction brought Paulo's bass to the spotlight and Andreas did he vocals for a while but, as he never had sung before, wasn't comfortable doing it. SEPULTURA then started auditioning for a new singer.

The demo tapes came flying in RoadRunner Records offices from all over the world and the selection process proved to be a tough one. A small number of vocalists sounded good enough to take the spot. Each received a tape containing a couple of songs and were asked to work on it, including writing lyrics, before meeting the band for an audition. The final auditions took place in Brazil, for the fondness of the new singer with the band's homeland and its culture was essential, so were the bonding and relations with the band members.

Igor, Paulo, Derrick and Andreas
Right from the start, the band was impressed by Derrick Green. Derrick felt comfortable in Brazil, became a soccer fan, and got along with the band extremely well. Derrick was the man SEPULTURA was looking for and he became part of the family.

When Derrick joined, most of the songs were already written, only the the vocals were missing, and the band was in a rush to get the album released. Still they did everything the best they could, and AGAINST was released in 1998.

A very emotional album, AGAINST reflects the struggle of the band to win back their confidence and sportrays the power of SEPULTURA. Very special guests contributed to the album : long time friends of the band Joao Gordo (REZA) and Jason Newsted (HATRED ASIDE) and the Japanese Taiko drummers from KODO (KAMAITACHI), who hosted SEPULTURA at the KODO village (the Sado Island in Japan).

Then came the time to meet the fans again and make clear to everyone that all the press's gossip about SEPULTURA being dead were shameless rumors and lies. The first concert of the AGAINST era was a big charity event in Brazil, the BARULHO CONTRA FOME (Noise against hunger) concert.

Barulho Contra Fome ad
Derrick had been in a few bands before, but never had to face such a numerous, loyal and demanding audience. SEPULTURA rehearsed for BARULHO CONTRA FOME by playing a few concerts in small venues in California, including Los Angeles (Brick by Brick), under the name 'TROOPS OF DOOM'.

BARULHO CONTRA FOME was a great success. Several special SEPULTURA guests performed with them, presenting the 30.000 fans a show they'll remember forever. Mike Patton traveled from Italy to Sao Paulo to jam with the band. Jason Newsted came from the US. The Xavantes Indians got to know a whole new world coming down from their village to the concrete jungle of Sao Paulo. Carlinhos Brown left sunny Bahia to do RATAMAHATTA again. Jairo gladly joined his ex-band mates again and horror movie legend Coffin Joe blessed the band in his evil ways. Press and fans from abroad joined the enthusiastic crowd and warmly welcomed Derrick to the Sepultribe.

The singles 'TRIBUS', 'AGAINST' AND 'CHOKE' (this one also having a video clip with live footage from BARULHO CONTRA FOME show) were released off AGAINST. The AGAINST TOUR was succesful, reaching countries all over the world. SEPULTURA join classic metal act SLAYER to tour for the first time, putting an end to an unfounded rumor that the bands didn't get along well. And for the joy of die-hard Brazilian fans, SEPULTURA finally toured Brazil after years of absence.

As soon as the tour was over, the four musicians started writing the next album. The AGAINST years were an essential energy boost to the band that led them to conquer their own NATION (2001).

Andreas, Paulo, Igor and Derrick altogether wrote an album and created a utopian world. A special place for the most important people: fans, friends and families. The lyrics of the song SEPULNATION explain it all, their music is their weapon and they use it skillfully.

Rock In Rio 3
Thanks to the cooperation of the band's WebTribe, SEPULTURA were invited to play the third edition of the Rock in Rio festival. There they introduced NATION to a 150.000 people crowd, starting the show with the amazing anthem VALTIO, written with the collaboration of Finnish musicians APOCALYPTICA.

This new record went gold even before it reached the stores. It has its own style, guests like Jello Biafra and Dr. Israel, and even quotes from Mother Teresa de Calcutta, Albert Einstein, Gandhi and the 14th Dalai Lama.

The SEPULNATION already is rising up!

Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from East London. Formed in 1975 by bassist Steve Harris, previously of Gypsy's Kiss and Smiler, Maiden (as some fans affectionately refer to the group) are one of the most successful and influential bands in the heavy metal genre, selling over 70 million albums world-wide. Iron Maiden has so far released 14 studio albums, four 'best of' compilations, nine live albums, and four boxed sets. They won the Ivor Novello Award for international achievement in 2002.

Iron Maiden's mascot, Eddie, is a perennial fixture in the band's horror-influenced album cover art, as well as in live shows. Eddie was originally drawn by Derek Riggs but has had various incarnations by Melvyn Grant. Eddie is also featured in a first-person shooter video game - Ed Hunter - as well as numerous books, graphic comics and band-related merchandise.

The band has headlined several major events in its career, notably Rock In Rio, Ozzfest alongside Black Sabbath, Donington's famous "Monsters of Rock", "Download" Festivals and the "Reading and Leeds Festivals.

Iron Maiden were ranked #24 in VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock", and in Kerrang! magazine were ranked as the most important band of the last 25 years. They were ranked fourth on MTV's "Top 10 Greatest Heavy Metal Bands of All Time". They also have one of the most iconic mascots in music history.