Dimmu Borgir

Of all the names in the Norwegian black metal scene, none is more fearsome than that of Dimmu Borgir. Founded in 1993, the band has taken symphonic black metal to new heights on albums like Enthrone Darkness Triumphant and Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia. Recording with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra to augment the group’s classical arrangements, the band released the monumental Death Cult Armageddon album in 2003. In Sorte Diaboli, the group’s latest, is scheduled for April 2007 release.

The Stings of Conscience introduced Massachusetts metalcore band Unearth to the underground in 2002. Known for its mix of metal and hardcore, Unearth specialize in complex, harmonized guitar parts, harmonized bass riffs, screaming vocals, and politically based lyrics, a style the group honed on the 2003 disc Endless. The group went on to join MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball tour, as well as play with Slipknot, the Sounds of the Underground tour, Ozzfest, and Slayer. The group’s latest is III: In the Eyes of Fire.