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Drowning Pool
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Heavy, chugging guitars break in at the most cathartic moments as the members of Drowning Pool dig their way through nu-metal suffering and angst. Nicely produced, with all the signifying points of the genre dropping in smoothly: electronic squiggles, samples, and male shrieking. The self-obsessed choruses come on like Alice in Chains throwing a temper tantrum. Heavy, tattooed rock makes the perfect companion for videotapes of your wildest spring break adventures. - JPRUETT'); document.write('
Van Halen
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- In the late 1970s and on into the \'80s, Eddie Van Halen\'s virtual re-invention of the guitar and David Lee Roth\'s horny circus performer stage presence were the core of one of Hard Rock\'s most enduring bands. Eddie\'s older brother Alex\'s shimmering hi-hat attack has always been as much a trademark of their shiny, sexy sound as Eddie\'s hammer-on-crazy solos -- solos that essentially introduced the phrases \"ribboning leads\" and \"guitar pyrotechnics\" into the rock vernacular. From their self-titled 1978 debut to the chart-smashing, band-wrecking 1984, each of their records with Roth contains at least one Classic Rock gem, if not an entire side of them. The band\'s early era was topped off with Fair Warning (1981) -- an uncharacteristically dark record that, through blazing songs of pure, unyielding rock power, reflects the growing tensions between Eddie and Roth at the time. Those same tensions eventually led to a much-debated switch to frizzy-haired \"Red...'); document.write('
Bullet For My Valentine
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Hailing from Bridgend, England, Bullet for My Valentine\'s first incarnation was quite a bit different than the thematically immense, metal-clad rock of 2005\'s debut, The Poison. Back in 1998, the quartet of lads from Bridgend College was churning out Metallica covers under the name Jeff Killed John. It wasn\'t until 2003 that the band changed its name and beefed up their sound with a solidified lineup of guitarist and singer Matthew Tuck, guitarist Michael Paget, bassist Nick Crandle and drummer Michael Thomas. After issuing an EP and their debut on the British label Trustkill, they picked up Kerrang! magazine\'s Best British Newcomer Award in 2005 and eventually signed a deal with Sony/BMG. The band enjoyed quick success with American audiences and a number of high-profile tour slots, including one supporting Rob Zombie, from which they were booted when Tuck called Zombie and his cohorts \"money-grabbing f*cks\" on the band\'s message board. - Nate Cavalieri'); document.write('
Limp Bizkit
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Perhaps the new leaders of the rapcore movement, Florida\'s Limp Bizkit had a solid underground following long before they were signed to Interscope in 1997. They have a singular approach to psychedelic guitars overdriven past the point of corrosive distortion into the realm of aural punishment, flanked by harsh funk basslines and hip-hop beats. Aggressive rap vocals occasionally venture into whiteboy soul-isms.'); document.write('
Mudvayne
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Formed in Illinois in 1996, Mudvayne have risen as one of the top players in the nu-metal scene. Drawing many Slipknot comparisons, Mudvayne too wear crazy costumes onstage, but instead of masks, they wear frightening makeup for a chaotic appearance that goes well with their frenzied brand of metal. Banking time signatures, radical shifts in tempo, and vocals that go from semi-rapping to death-metal gurgling to unhinged screaming and even to clean singing (on later albums) are the hallmarks of Mudvayne\'s music. Their major label debut, L.D. 50, yielded the hit \"Dig\" in 2000; one year later they released the concept album The Beginning of All Things to End, which further cemented their place in the minds of America\'s angry teenagers. On 2005\'s Lost and Found Mudvayne dropped the facade, emerging in plain clothes without makeup on their most personal record to date. With four R.I.A.A.-certified gold albums, Mudvayne continue to write new records and deliver for...'); document.write('
Skillet
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Apropos to their name, husband and wife hard rockers John and Korey Cooper, joined by Ben Kasica on guitar and Lori Peters on drums, have spent their first five albums throwing all things rock into a pan and seeing what cooks up the best. Techno, thrash metal, grunge, even an excursion into acoustic alternative went into the mix, but the constants have been their strong spiritual lyrics, challenging themes, musical boldness and their worshipful willingness to experiment. It\'s been that sense of fearless unpredictability that keeps the charts and the \"Panheads\" -- as their fans dub themselves -- satisfied. - Amy Bartlett'); document.write('
Linkin Park
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Naysayers predicted that this whole rap-rock thing would be dying a slow, silent death right about now, but it seems to be breathing just fine without needing to come up for air. Linkin Park are one of the most successful guitar-swinging, lyric-dropping scratch wizards to simultaneously glorify the big riff while bowing down at the altar of hip-hop. In the course of a single song they let their guitars run amok, push plodding rhythms and growl like angry dogs roused from sleep -- all while dexterously zipping back and forth along record grooves. Linkin Park formed in 1996, but all the pieces didn\'t fall into place until 2000, when Warner Brothers released Hybrid Theory, dubbed after the band\'s original name. Thanks to \"In the End,\" the album was a massive hit and the second single, \"Crawling,\" won them a Grammy for \"Best Hard Rock Performance.\" Despite a somewhat cool reception from anyone over the age of 13, Linkin Park claimed a spot at the very top of the heap in the...'); document.write('
System of a Down
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Along with Slipknot, Los Angeles-based System of a Down are far and away the most impressive mainstream metal band today. Despite the fact that they appeared amid a maelstrom of crappy Korn-inspired rap metal that was controlling the airwaves, their hyperactive song structures and truly warped vocal stylings put them way beyond the pap being served up by many of their Ozzfest colleagues at the time. When music this extreme makes it onto the radio it\'s always a good thing. They broke nationally with their second record, Toxicity, which shot to No. 1. Through the next several albums, System of a Down took lessons learned from Tool and other bands from the \"alt metal era\" of the early 1990s and transmuted them, adding eastern European folk elements, a wide array of traditionally non-metal instruments, and strong political content in the lyrics department. By the time they released Mesmerize and Hypnotize, an epic album released in two parts -- and seven months...'); document.write('
Korn
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Between the mid-\'90s and the early \'00s, Korn was the de facto nu metal band, spawning the nu metal movement and even the term itself; armies of disenfranchised 13-year-old fans flocked to stadiums to see them and innumerable copycat bands sprang up on MTV and the radio looking to get in on the action. Today the band is still cited as a major influence on most radio metal, with Taproot and Breaking Benjamin being prime examples. Before them it was Alien Ant Farm and, to a degree, even System of a Down. Since their self-titled first album came out in 1994, Korn has had nine consecutive records debut in the Top Ten, one of which was just a greatest-hits collection. Musically, the band has messed with prodigious amounts of funk and hip-hop from the beginning, folding sheets of abrasive noise into the mix and ultimately being identified by Jonathan Davis\' soul-baring mania delivered in a stricken yelp-and-growl freakout and James \"Munky\" Shaffer\'s banking, spiky guitarwork. - Mike...'); document.write('
Rage Against the Machine
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Rage Against the Machine\'s militant political stance straddles an equally militant sound. Furious riffs churn out of Tom Morello\'s guitar and dive into grinding psychedelics -- the American music of opposition. But these are the sounds of a culture that is too angry for \'60s passive resistance. The wah-wah pedal is a call to action. The urgency of Zack de la Rocha\'s frantic podium rants are taken out of the riot directing bullhorn and put into percussive rap poetics. Key to RATM\'s appeal is their fusion of some of America\'s most political musical movements: the liberation sounds of funk, the anarchistic resistance of punk, the angry alienation of metal, and the urban exasperation of hip-hop creating a revolutionary synergy on all four studio albums. De La Rocha left the band in 2000 to pursue a solo career while his bandmates went on to form Audioslave with Chris Cornell of Soundgarden on vocals. In 2007, Rage were received with open arms as they re-grouped and returned to...'); document.write('
Queens of the Stone Age
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Borne of early/mid-\'90s cult faves/stoner-rockers Kyuss, these men of impeccable filth and taste push the hesher aesthetic through the \'90s alterna-blender. Queens of the Stone Age resuscitate the \'70s myth of hard rock decadence, blitzkrieging the discriminating, heavy jean jacket-wearing sweathog with sucker-punch melodies, grinding fuzz-bass propulsions, and sleazy rhythms straight from the gutter. Josh Homme\'s sleepy vocals add a certain narcoticism to the band\'s trademark pounding attack, offering an antithetical element to their otherwise visceral musical agenda. The band\'s near-metal sound has garnered praise from metalheads and alternafolk alike. Their guitar sound may be a direct descendent of Gish-era Smashing Pumpkins, and the roll in their rock definitely owes a certain debt to Saturation-era Urge Overkill, but the spiritual rock influences stained on their sleeve can be traced back to early Black Sabbath and other sludgy hard rock acts of the \'70s. -...'); document.write('
Ozzy Osbourne
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- He fronted Black Sabbath. He purposefully bit the head off a live dove in a meeting with Columbia Records executives. He accidentally bit the head off a real bat at a concert. He pissed on the Alamo. He was accused of subliminally manipulating kids to commit suicide. Basically, Ozzy rules. During a career that spans more than thirty years as the lord of heavy metal, he has amassed a veritable army of devoted fans. His first two records, both of which include the talents of late guitarist Randy Rhodes, are timeless classics, packed with cut after cut of blazing, untouchable riffs. Though his subsequent material never quite reached the creative peak of these recordings, they are far from poor, and continue to amass new followers. Anyone who needs further proof of Osbourne\'s immeasurable contribution to rock needs only to look at the enormous success of the Ozzfest tour, whose entire lineup includes bands that could never have existed without their hero. - Doug Russell'); document.write('
Megadeth
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Who knew when Dave Mustaine was booted out of Metallica in 1983, that he\'d go on to form one of the biggest Thrash Metal acts of the \'80s and \'90s? Mustaine\'s Megadeth torpedoed through the starting gate with albums that corralled bottled up, suburban teen male angst and exploded it onto vinyl. They were nihilistic and numbingly relentless in their twin guitar and rhythm section assault. In 1990, Rust in Peace fulfilled the promise shown on their major label debut Peace Sells...But Who\'s Buying? -- Thrash Metal with complex musical craftsmanship. Mustaine had always surrounded himself with talented players and certain songs on that album are mind-blowing in their construction and musicianship. However, a band can\'t live by lightning fast riffs, long instrumental passages, lyrics that play upon the supernatural, and a cynical worldview alone. By the early \'90s, Grunge became the rallying cry for repressed youth. While all eyes focused on Seattle, Megadeth...'); document.write('
Scorpions
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Thirty years strong and still rocking out, this German quintet virtually defined the Pop Metal genre. Their \"Wind of Change\" provided a fitting soundtrack to the end of the Cold War, and \"Rock You Like a Hurricane\" remains a fixture at air shows across the country. Between the dueling guitars of Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs, Jurgen Rosenthal\'s booming drums and Klaus Meine\'s high-pitched vocals, Scorpions have carved out a Hard Rock niche as distinct as it is bombastic. Anyone who has seen them live will tell you that their concerts always live up to their Monsters of Rock status, and that live is the only way to experience the band. To quote the title of their eleventh epic album, when you hear Scorpions, it\'s Love at First Sting. - Doug Russell'); document.write('
Staind
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Formed by two like-minded nu metal buds in Springfield, Mass., in 1995, Staind grabbed the attention of Limp Bizkit\'s Fred Durst and the rest -- as they say -- is history. Prior to signing to a major label, the band was ignored by the Boston scene. They ended up playing lower-profile but frequent gigs in Western Mass, their dark sound benefiting from edgy, melodic vocals (somewhat like Alice In Chains) that ride over heavy, groove-oriented metal. Their frequent touring strategy paid off: after seeing the Staind open up a show for him, Durst took them under his wing. They released Dysfunction on Elektra in 1999, but their big breakthrough was Break the Cycle, which came out in 2002 and yielded the mega-mega seller \"It\'s Been Awhile.\" In 2005, the band set its sights on the commercial alternative charts with Chapter V. - Jessy Terry'); document.write('
Evanescence
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Some say the devil is in the details. If that\'s true, the particulars of the Evanescence story add up to an epic allegory involving a Judas-like betrayal of the band\'s early Christian fanbase during its rise from a little-known Southern goth-metal band with religious underpinnings to a massively successful mainstream band in the secular pop world.'); document.write('
Uncle Kracker
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Take Kid Rock\'s rhyming style, tone down the guitars, replace his wife-beater with a cowboy shirt, and you\'ve got Uncle Kracker. Rhymes focus more on the \"wandering everyman\" vibe, with mildly distorted vocals, slide guitar breakdowns and sung choruses. Uncle Kracker\'s 2000 debut, Double Wide, was a radio hit, and his subsequent records have found the rapper exploring all kinds of music, from soul to country rock. - BWINNING'); document.write('
Marilyn Manson
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Drawing inspiration from Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, David Bowie, the occult, horror comics, and, by his own admission, the King James Bible, Marilyn Manson established himself in the \'90s as one of the most vilified agents provocateur in rock history. Predictably, the more parental groups, politicians and religious advocates protested his music and stage antics, the more Manson emerged as a martyr in the war against censorship. Charismatic and outspoken in interviews, he defended himself as a result of, rather than a cause of, a corrupt society.'); document.write('
KISS
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Scene: interior of house. Dad reading newspaper on recliner. Mother crocheting on couch. Television is on, Mary Tyler Moore is heard dimly in the background. A young man of about fifteen walks through front door carrying a plastic bag. He says nothing to his parents, walks down the hall into his bedroom. Posters of rock stars like KISS, Alice Cooper and Queen are on his wall. He shuts the door, sits on his bed, takes a record out of the bag. It is KISS Alive!. He removes vinyl from the sleeve, puts record on turntable and stares in awe at the maniacal, rapturous, cartoonish hard rockers on the cover. \"Deuce\" blasts out of the speakers, and the boy is transported to an arena where it\'s all happening. Scene: Concert stage. Paul, Gene, Ace and Peter are there, bashing away at their instruments, the crowd is screaming with delight, smoke is pouring from the stage, explosions are going off. The boy finds himself with a guitar around his neck and in makeup similar to...'); document.write('
The Devil Wears Prada
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Escape The Fate
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Las Vegas-based post-hardcore quintet Escape the Fate formed in 2005 and immediately gained a large local following thanks to radio airplay and by winning a contest judged by members of My Chemical Romance, who took the fledgling band on tour with them. After signing to Epitaph, releasing an EP (No Sympathy For the Dead) and a debut LP (Dying is Your Latest Fashion) in 2006 and agreeing to a tour with Bullet For My Valentine, singer Ronnie Radke was charged as an accomplice in a murder trial, an event that sunk the tour opportunity and effectively ended Radke\'s time in the band. In 2008, Escape the Fate released This War Is Ours with new frontman Craig Mabbitt. - Mike McGuirk'); document.write('
Killswitch Engage
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Vocalist Howard Jones, guitarists Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel, bassist Mike D\'Antonio and drummer Justin Foley are no strangers to the history of the modern metalcore scene they represent. Hailing from a strong lineage of seminal Massachusetts metalcore outfits, with former members from pillar bands Overcast and Aftershock, their family tree doesn\'t stop there. KSE guitarist and producer extraordinaire Adam D. not only produces every Killswitch album, but has also pulled production duty for Mass natives Unearth, All That Remains and Shadows Fall, among many other popular metalcore acts from across the country. Translation: Not only have Killswitch helped set the stylistic pace of what denotes modern metalcore, but they also have a hand in the sound new metalcore acts churn out. Sonically, Killswitch Engage possess the same preciseness and agility in and out of labyrinthine passages as Swedish melodic death metal masters At the Gates. Flame-scorched screams define verses and...'); document.write('
Guns N\' Roses
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Not since the Sex Pistols, has a band generated more grist for gossip column mills than Guns N\' Roses. The sexual exploits of the band\'s members and their persistent problems with drugs have led to relentless badgering from the music press. As with the Pistols, it is difficult to objectively comment on the merits of GN\'R\'s music, because of the tower of hype obscuring it from view. Suffice it to say that the 1987 album Appetite for Destruction is a benchmark against which few albums in the genre of Heavy Metal (including subsequent GN\'R records) can be measured and not deemed inferior. Axl Rose\'s vitriolic songwriting electrified a generation, and the enigmatic Slash will no doubt continue to be the subject of fawning guitar magazine profiles for decades to come. Though they\'ve taken a beating over the course of their career, few would write off at least the possibility for Guns N\' Roses to rise, phoenix-like, from the ashes and reassert their claim to the Heavy Metal...'); document.write('
Atreyu
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Formed in the burgeoning O.C. metalcore scene in 1998, Atreyu plays fast and furious hardcore with occasional stinging leads, gurgling vocals and extremely melodic choruses. Releasing the bulk of their content on local indie Victory Records, the band caught breaks in the early 2000s with slots on the Vans Warped Tour and getting a song featured on the soundtrack to the vampire-babe vehicle Underworld Evolution. With a dark, practically goth aesthetic, the band seemed poised for an eventual major label signing like other SoCal kids Avenged Sevenfold and Halifax and were snatched up by Hollywood Records in 2007. Atreyu took their moniker from the protagonist of the film \"Neverending Story.\" - Mike McGuirk'); document.write('
Apocalyptica
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- If there\'s anything that proves Metallica has become a pop culture institution on par with Led Zeppelin and hula hoops, it\'s the existence of Finland\'s Apocalyptica. Coming together in the mid \'90s, the cello quartet specialized in the Metallica songbook, including head-banging chestnuts like \"Enter Sandman,\" \"Creeping Death\" and \"Harvester of Sorrow.\" In 1996, the band released its debut album Plays Metallica by Four Cellos. By its second record, however, Apocalyptica started reworking selections from Faith No More, Sepultura and Pantera. Then something strange happened. What started out as really nothing more than a novelty act (a Trans-Siberian Orchestra for real metal heads) evolved into a bona fide experiment in neo-classical heavy metal (a move which makes sense considering both genres worship symphonic grandeur). In addition to featuring all original compositions, 2003\'s Reflections saw the group collaborate with Slayer drummer Dave Lambardo. Since then...'); document.write('
Alice in Chains
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Alice in Chains\' debut arrived at the outset of the \'90s without a name for the market they were supposed to attract. Their sound was too unique to be considered metal and more visceral than mere straight-ahead rock, but it was soon lumped in with that of other prominent bands emerging from the overcast skies of Seattle around the same time. Gritty, down-tuned guitars kept their legion of fans headbanging to \"Man in a Box\" and \"Would?,\" offering sharp contrast to their mellower acoustic output (\"Got Me Wrong,\" \"No Excuses\"). However, it was Jerry Cantrell and Layne Staley\'s thick and dissonant harmonies which became one of their most imitated and original features, spawning endless copiers. Heroin-tinged lyrics and jagged, odd-time riffs foreshadowed their supposed demise, but their influence lives on in many of today\'s copycat bands. - JTERRY'); document.write('
Godsmack
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Boston lumpen-rockers of note have made a career out of flogging the last bit of life out of Alice In Chains\' workhorse grunge formula: fierce guitar riffage, over-the-top crooning and heavy bass lines that sink through the rock sludge like Liquid Plumber. By taking heavy metal chops and precision beats and hammering them together with \"\'roid rage,\" Godsmack have created the state-of-the-art jock rock for the new millennium. The band signed to Universal Records in 1998 and almost immediately scored with the single \"Whatever,\" from their self-titled debut. A spot on the Ozzfest tour followed, as well as their follow-up record, Awake, which cemented their place near the top of the post-grunge heavy music heap. In 2002, they were nominated for a Grammy for \"Best Instrumental Rock performance\" for the song \"Vampires.\" Godsmack continues to headline tours and put out records, the most recently, an acoustic reworking of some of their older songs, came out in 2003 and was...'); document.write('
Bon Jovi
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Eternally topping the A-list of Jersey-bred pop-metal lady-killers, Bon Jovi dominated American life in the mid-\'80s. Their third album, 1986\'s Slippery When Wet (original, tragically banned cover art = awesome), made them megastars, but they had already won over more than 50,000 pop Hessians with 1984\'s \"Runaway,\" a melodramatic story-song made unforgettable by a killer chorus and Jon Bon Jovi\'s absolutely perfect hair in the video. A string of hits between 1986 and 1988 -- \"You Give Love a Bad Name,\" \"Livin\' on a Prayer\" and \"Wanted Dead or Alive,\" followed up by \"Bad Medicine\" and \"Lay Your Hands on Me,\" from New Jersey -- defined the power ballad and resulted in a virtual Bon Jovi sleeper hold on the mainstream psyche. While the grunge explosion rendered them instantly obsolete, Bon Jovi continued to put out records amid side projects for both Jon and guitarist Richie Sambora. In 2000 they returned with Crush, an updated look (no hairspray)...'); document.write('
Papa Roach
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Great big guitars and steadfast, drumstick-twirling breaks fronted by an angry rapper/cusser -- that\'s Papa Roach in a nutshell. If you miss the genre-smashing hybrid of Faith No More\'s breakout record, these guys will be happy to fill the void. Regardless of whether you consider the fact to be positive or negative, Papa Roach took the nu-metal world by storm in 2000 with the massive hit single \"Last Resort.\" The album that single came off of, Infest, sold about a gajillion copies, making Papa Roach a household name practically overnight. Their 2002 follow-up, Lovehatetragedy, didn\'t break any records, but the band managed to hold onto a respectable following. \"Getting Away With Murder,\" their first new single in two years, was released in July 2004, and led off their album of the same name. Papa Roach\'s fourth album, The Paramour Sessions, came out in fall of \'06. - MMCGUIRK'); document.write('
Seether
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Bearing plenty of sonic similarities to neo-radio metal big shots Nickelback (albeit with more crunch) and a knack for choruses almost as catchy as main influence Nirvana, Seether formed in South Africa in 1999. Wind-Up Records signed them within a year of their storming the charts in their homeland; released their debut, Disclaimer, in 2002; and sent them out on a series of lengthy tours. A remix of that album, Disclaimer II, turned up in 2004, and Karma and Effect followed in 2005. In 2007, the quintet released Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces. They play metal-pop with some tasty guitars and ties to the heydays of grunge that seem to grow stronger with each release. Even singer Shaun Morgan\'s lyrics reflect the introspection of those times, using his struggles with substances and his former relationship with Evanescence singer Amy Lee as subject matter for some of their better songs (see their first single, \"Fine Again\"). - Mike McGuirk'); document.write('
Slipknot (Metal)
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Adopting stage costumes reminiscent of Clive Barker\'s Hellraiser might cause some to wonder what it is about Slipknot\'s music that cannot speak for itself. But for the mostly teenaged fan base of these twisted metallurgists, the masks are infinitely more entertaining than the Iowa farm boy personalities behind them. The nine, count \'em, nine members of this band crank out dense, claustrophobic walls of sound that turn the forces of Metal and hip-hop loose on one another in a brutal battle royal. Whereas the vast majority of Rap Metal acts aren\'t rap at all, at least Slipknot are down enough to get themselves a DJ. Perhaps beneath the carnival-esque madness of their costumes, there is method after all. - Chad Driscoll'); document.write('
Three Days Grace
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Formed in Ontario way back in 1992, Three Days Grace is a 4-piece alternative metal act prone to heavy radio fare concerned with the darker side of life, due in part to singer Adam Gontier\'s struggles with substance abuse. After a two-year hiatus between 1995 and 1997 (as well as a name change from Groundswell), the band signed to Jive Records and released a self-titled debut in 2003. Album number two, One-X, appeared in 2005, and focused on Gontier\'s recent experiences in rehab. The record gained the band a following in both Canada and the U.S., thanks to the single, \"Animal I Have Become,\" extensive touring with such peers as Seether and Breaking Benjamin and respectable showings on the rock charts. As of 2008, Three Days Grace had assumed their spot as de facto kings of the alt metal hill. Third studio album Life Starts Now, a title that reflected Gontier\'s post-rehab outlook, surfaced in September of 2009. - MMCGUIRK'); document.write('
Deftones
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Sacramento Alt Metal leaders slam you into submission with thick, ominous aggro-guitar riffs and the thunderous pounding of a lead-fisted drummer. Chino Moreno supplies vocals that can whisper or scream you into submission, catching you off-hand with a melodic hook. - Jessy Terry'); document.write('
Rob Zombie
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- When Rob Zombie\'s first album, Hellbilly Deluxe sold better in its first week than any White Zombie album had managed to do, Zombie dissolved the group to pursue his solo career full-time. Since then, he has continued to explore his obsessions with horror movie shtick and sci-fi schlock, incorporating these themes into instantly accessible Industrial Metal grinders. Throwing himself utterly into his undead persona, Zombie has emerged as alternative music\'s premier purveyor of heavy, disco-metal grooves that break down the barricade between the mosh pit and the dance floor. - CDRISCOLL'); document.write('
Breaking Benjamin
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Breaking Benjamin formed in northern Pennsylvania in 2000, when members of the Universal-signed alt metal act Lifer split to start the band with singer and primary songwriter Ben Burnley. In the ensuing years, they toured with Evanescence, released a pair of records on the Hollywood imprint, got sued by their former drummer and collaborated with former Smashing Pumpkin Billy Corgan. 2006 saw the release of their third album, Phobia, which became a quick success on active rock radio thanks to the single \"The Diary of Jane.\" - Mike McGuirk'); document.write('
Creed
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Floridian superstars Creed play punchy, Grunge-inflected rock. Big, open acoustic chords, rock-solid drums with sophisticated accents and singer Scott Stapps\' powerful, earnest voice drive epic verses with introspective lyrics. Also watch for thunderous, sometimes beautifully melodic choruses.'); document.write('
Chevelle
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Formed by three brothers -- Pete, Sam and Joe Loeffler -- outside of Chicago in 1994, Chevelle began making noise right off the bat. Their debut album Point # 1 was produced by Steve Albini, and it earned them a spot headlining Ozzfest that same year. Their second and third albums, Wonder What\'s Next (2002) and This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In) (2004), both yielded hits on MTV. Vena Sera came out in 2007. The band plays the sort of heavy rock with strong melodies such groups as Trapt and Creed are known for. Although lyrically Chevelle remain focused on positivity and soul-searching, they have since distanced themselves from a Christian rock categorization they had been labeled with early on in their career. In May of 2007, their entire trailer of equipment was stolen while touring Texas, resulting in the immediate but temporary cancellation of the tour. - Mike McGuirk'); document.write('
Puddle Of Mudd
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- This hugely popular alt-metal four piece owes a great debt to the dark mood metal of Alice In Chains and Tool. The group\'s aggressive, no-frills approach has won them many fans who value the type of earnestness mixed with self-deprecating Cobain-isms heard on their big hits, \"Control\" and \"She Hates Me.\" - Jon Pruett'); document.write('
Avenged Sevenfold
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Avenged Sevenfold are a Huntington Beach, CA phenomenon. They apply soaring, pop-punk harmonies to raging power metal licks with chugging hardcore breakdowns. At the start of their career in 1999, it seemed fans of Bad Religion and Iron Maiden finally had something to agree on, but these metalcore stalwarts-turned-mainstream-rock-stars upped the ante on their signature sound, combining a more eclectic range of influences in the hard rock arena, and flipping the ratio of guttural growls to clean singing to include more of the latter and less of the former. In 2005, this new approach saw the release and success of City of Evil -- the band\'s major label debut, and platinum-selling record. Continuing to conquer the Billboard Charts, A7X returned in 2007 with their self-produced, self-titled hard rock tome containing political outcries and an ode to Pantera. - JGUYRE'); document.write('
Five Finger Death Punch
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Groove-metal guitars and the basso vocals of Ivan \"Ghost\" Moody mark the music of this LA-based 5-piece modern radio metal band. Formed by Hungarian guitarist Zoltan Bathory and ex-W.A.S.P. guitarist Darrell Roberts, Five Finger Death Punch (aka FFDP, or even 5FDP) launched in 2005, signed to Firm Music, a well-heeled management company/label and released The Way of the Fist in 2007. Alternating between throaty yell/screams and near spoken word singing amid decidedly crushing riffs, the band offers a brand of metal that is both accessible to the Warped Tour kids and tough enough to allow singer Ghost Moody to appear shirtless in most photo opportunities. - Mike McGuirk'); document.write('
A Perfect Circle
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- The most obvious criticism of A Perfect Circle is that they\'re not Tool. Anyone who comes to this Maynard James Keenan side project looking for a booster shot of venom to tide them over until the next Tool album will begin to feel the hot flashes and nausea of withdrawal almost immediately. Not surprisingly, \"Judith,\" the most Tool-sounding song on Mer de Noms, was also the first to be promoted, but don\'t be misled -- A Perfect Circle are much closer in sensibility to the Smashing Pumpkins than Tool. Songs such as \"The Hollow\" and \"Thinking of You\" show Keenan to be capable of sensitivity, longing, even instances of vulnerability. His sinuous voice still sneers on occasion, but is more inclined to coil gently or soar ecstatically. On \"Orestes\" he sounds like a man liberated, however briefly, from a defeated world. Even without the presence of strings (!) and the gorgeous textures achieved by vocal overdubbing, there\'s something phenomenal happening here that fans...'); document.write('
Iron Maiden
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Iron Maiden\'s heavy metal assault has soldiered on since the band\'s inception in 1980. As frontiersmen of the massively significant New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Maiden has influenced metal\'s many branches, from power and prog to speed and thrash. Rhythmic velocity, epic lyrics, operatic vocals and tremendous, wailing TRIPLE guitars with ripping solos to match are what made them kings early on, from 1981\'s Killers to 1988\'s Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. After weathering several lineup changes and directional departures during the \'90s, Maiden\'s legendary status was restored when famed singer Bruce Dickinson returned in 1999. They charged into the new millennium by touring and releasing new albums. 2008 found Maiden flying around the world on the Somewhere Back in Time Tour, performing an all-vintage set -- complete with the original 1985 Powerslave stage design. Maiden continue to conquer and inspire. Up the irons! - Jen Guyre'); document.write('
Sevendust
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Sevendust seem to have the ideal primary ingredients for winning any metal lover\'s heart: aggressive, jagged-edged guitars churning out choppy heavy metal riffs, thunderous bass seething beneath growled, angry vocals and walloping drums that grind like a ten-year-old blender. Even their testosterone-injected, amphetamine-fed cover of Alice Cooper\'s \"School\'s Out\" makes the original seem innocuous by comparison. - Kali Holloway'); document.write('
Filter
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Although Filter haven\'t abandoned the Industrial Metal formula that broke them big -- the combination of aggression and catchy riffs continues with songs such as \"Welcome to the Fold\" -- they offer quite a bit of diversity in their music. \"Take A Picture\" is dreamy and poppy, opening with acoustic guitars playing a progression that\'s positively folksy. - Will Lerner'); document.write('
Shinedown
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Formed in Jacksonville, Fla., in 2001, Shinedown have separated themselves from the ranks of their peers since the very beginning, when an acoustic cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd\'s \"Simple Man\" found its way into local and then nationwide rotation. The modern hard-rockers\' debut album, Leave a Whisper, was re-released on the heels of the single\'s success and promptly went platinum, while carving out a Southern rock identity for the band. Second record, Us and Them, appeared in 2005 and furthered Shinedown\'s popularity on the strength of the emotionally charged, grungy single \"Heroes.\" Third album, The Sound of Madness, found the band moving away from their Southern rock label and toward more straight-up hard rock with strong elements of the salad days of grunge informing their sound. The album yielded hits in \"Devour,\" \"Second Chance\" and the title track. - MMCGUIRK'); document.write('
Hollywood Undead
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- By throwing together a kitchen-sink mix of hip-hop, metal and pop punk, Hollywood Undead update the sound of \'90s rapcore acts like Insane Clown Posse and Korn. It\'s hardly groundbreaking, but it works -- they\'ve won wide adoration from MySpace crowds, who have helped them break out of the social networking site and into mainstream pop culture on the strength of their singles. Hollywood Undead became the first act to sign on with MySpace Records in 2005, wearing hockey masks that introduced the band\'s puzzling public image -- another imitative nod to Insane Clown Posse. After a number of personnel changes (all of which happened behind the shroud of their veiled identity), the core duo of Deuce and J-Dog put together a lineup for live gigs in 2008. That same year Hollywood Undead signed to a major and released their debut, the encouragingly titled Swan Songs. - Nate Cavalieri'); document.write('
Pantera
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- If you\'ve ever shaved the sides and back of your head and left the top long, you probably know what Pantera\'s about. Driven by the Van Halen-influenced wailing and Metallica-like sledgehammer riffs of \"Dimebag\" Darrell, Pantera forged their own niche in the early \'80s, barreling over lighter Metal fare with a fast, heavy, gut-vibrating energy. Philip Anselmo\'s deep growls and stratospheric screams may have had their roots in the group\'s original incarnation as a hair metal band, but they perfectly complement Pantera\'s speed-thrash and moody ballads. Double-bass drumming by Vinnie Paul and an in-your-face Texas attitude complete the formula for one of Metal\'s ballsiest, most ear-demolishing bands. - Jessy Terry'); document.write('
Queensryche
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- One might say that Queensryche came along as a culmination of \'80s music and a transition into the \'90s. Their emphasis on almost operatic vocals and symphonic rock arrangement, in conjunction with guitar-based art rock, nabbed them a huge audience, just as many other \'80s Metal bands were beginning to look for new jobs. The strength of \"Silent Lucidity\" and its subsequent MTV promotion showcased this Seattle band\'s dramatic songwriting and multifaceted guitar playing, adding to the the band\'s future success. - Jessy Terry'); document.write('
Poison
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- For many listeners, Poison\'s music is adequately summed up by the band\'s name -- pretending to spit out noxious fluids when a Poison song comes over the radio is a timeless gag. But do we actually change the station? Usually not. There is an undeniable magnetism in Poison\'s music that remains forceful even though the 1980s are so long past. With party anthems like \"Nothin\' But a Good Time\" and \"Unskinny Bop,\" Poison captured the hedonistic sound of Metal before it lost its innocence to aggro-suburbanite Crossover Rap. Back then, it was okay for boy bands to squeeze their asses into spandex, tease their hair, paint their faces and sing a tender ballad like \"Every Rose Has Its Thorn.\" It\'s time to \'fess up -- we only made fun of Poison to look cool. Secretly we loved them, and today we kind of miss not having them around. - Chad Driscoll'); document.write('
Soundgarden
'); document.write('Top Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online:- Soundgarden debuted as a swaggering, leaden Hard Rock outfit, all flailing hair and meaty Metal riffs -- this was the Soundgarden of \"Big Dumb Sex\" and \"Full On Kevin\'s Mom.\" By the time grunge reached its heyday on MTV, the pages of Rolling Stone, and the radio, the Seattle band had reined in its lunk-headed tendencies and focused on crafting excellent songs such as \"Burden In My Hand,\" \"Like Suicide\" (the elegiac swansong for grunge\'s commercial invincibility), and \"Overfloater.\" They never completely captured the imagination of a generation the way their friends and contemporaries did -- Nirvana were more mercurial, Pearl Jam more anthemic. But more than any other grunge outfit, Soundgarden demonstrated the influence of \'70s Hard Rock on grunge. Longtime fans claim that Soundgarden softened up over the years, citing the insane crossover success of \"Black Hole Sun\" (1994) as Exhibit A in the band\'s paving of their previously potholed Grunge/Metal hybrid. But...'); document.write('