Melodic Death Metal

Shadows Fall formed in 1996 in Springfield, Massachusetts and rose up as a prominent member of the bustling Massachusetts metal and hardcore scene that has recently produced bands such as Killswitch Engage, All That Remains, and Unearth. Guitar duo Jonathan Donais and Matt Bachand got together in '96 and had the original lineup complete within a year. These members were vocalist Philip Labonte, now with All That Remains, bass player Paul Romanko, and drummer David Germain.

As I Lay Dying is an American metalcore band from San Diego, California. Founded in 2000 by Tim Lambesis and having completed their first Line-up in 2001, the band consists of vocalist Tim Lambesis, drummer Jordan Mancino, lead guitarist Nick Hipa, rhythm guitarist Phil Sgrosso, and bassist Josh Gilbert, all of whom are Christians. Signed to Metal Blade Records, As I Lay Dying has released four studio albums, one split album, and one compilation album.

Formed in mid 2008, Widow The Sea have set themselves aside from a vast growing number of Australian metal bands by adopting a modern take on the Swedish death metal sound of fast melodic guitars, technical drumming and vicious vocals. Solidifying it's line-up in early 2009, Widow The Sea are continuing to break away from heavy music's generic clichés and breakdown saturated formulas, focusing on writing more relentless, aggressive death metal.

(1) Crown of Thorns was a Thrash/Death Metal band from Trollhättan, Sweden. They released two demos (Forever Heaven Gone [1993], Forget the Light [1994]) and two albums (The Burning [1995], Eternal Death [1997]) under this name. They later were forced to change their name to The Crown.
(2) Crown of Thorns were a blast of melodic rock fresh air when they crashed onto the scene in the mid 90's. The dynamic pairing of vocalist Jean Beauvoir and former Shalamar guitarist Micki Free. AOR melodic rock band Crown of Thorns featuring Jean Beauvoir. Toured with Bon Jovi and Van Halen.