Amon Amarth, Mastodon, Trivium

Amon Amarth
Swedish death metal band Amon Amarth originally formed in 1988 under the name Scum; by the time the new moniker was adopted four years later, the line-up consisted of vocalist Johan Hegg, guitarists Olli Mikkonen and Anders Hansson, bassist Ted Lundstrom and drummer Niko Kaukinen.

Mastodon
The Atlanta, GA, quartet Mastodon plays an innovative, hard-to-categorize blend of metal, grindcore, and hardcore that puts them right at home on the Relapse label alongside the likes of Today Is the Day, the Dillinger Escape Plan, Coalesce, Burnt by the Sun, and other boundary-crossing acts.

Trivium
Hailing from central Florida, Trivium formed in 2000 and quickly built a buzz around Orlando's metal community with a blend of metalcore, thrash, and progressive metal flourish. Having secured a contract with the German imprint Lifeforce, the band issued its debut album, Ember to...