Ontario, Canada-born artist Bryan Adams is a rock singer/songwriter who is renowned for his hits from the 1980s and 1990s. His soft rock has enchanted Canadian audiences ever since the released of his eponymous debut album in 1980, but Adams truly earned international fame with his best 1984 best-selling album, Reckless. The record spawned several hit songs such as "Run to You", a duet with Tina Turner called "It's Only Love" and one of his most well-known tracks, "Summer of '69." Adams maintained his status as a pop/rock icon throughout the 1990s, when he released his 1994 collaboration with Rod Stewart and Sting titled "All For Love," and his acclaimed 1991 album Waking Up the Neighbours. Featuring "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You," the album carried him through an extended world tour that lasted on and off for two years. Adams continues to release new music and has become a respected photographer, but he will always be remembered as a rock and roll crooner.

Often credited as innovators of Neu Deutsche Harte (a style of music that blends heavy metal and hard rock with electronic music), the German band Oomph! has been leading the charge and pioneering the unique form of music. The band was formed in 1989 and over the course of its storied career the band has managed to evolve and incorporate new and interesting forms of technology into its ever changing hard rock sound.

Melanie Martinez is an American pop singer/songwriter and photographer of Dominican and Puerto Rican decent. After rising to attention on the third season of The Voice, the singer released her debut album, Cry Baby, with her signature electropop sound in 2015.

German rapper Cem Toraman operates under the moniker Summer Cem. He debuted with the album Feierabend in 2010. He has released several chart-toppers since then.

Formed in Montreal in 1994, Godspeed You! Black Emperor is an experimental outfit known for its large collection of 9 semi-permanent members and lengthy post-rock instrumentals. With a sound that often includes recorded snippets from AM radio, street preachers and gas station intercom announcements, the band released its first album F♯ A♯ ∞, pronounced "F-sharp, A-sharp, Infinity," in 1997 and toured regularly in the years that follows. Though Godspeed You! Black Emperor announced its hiatus in 2003 so its members could concentrate on their various side projects, the band eventually reunited and continued its constant touring schedule in 2010. The band dropped its fifth studio album and first release in a decade, 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!, in 2012.

The Drive Era is a rock-alternative band formed in the city of Los Angeles consisting of the brothers Ross and Rocky Lynch. They were previously part of R5, a pop-rock band whose music has entered the billboard charts on multiple occasions. Bringing tried and tested methods, experience and plenty of new ideas to the table helped them to create music for this band. It debuted with the single "Preacher Man," a mix of gospel, rock and dream pop which was entwined around powerful lyrics. The song received positive reviews from fans and critics and also provided a great start to the band’s career.

Eisregen is a death and black metal band from Germany that was formed in 1995. The band's chugging, brutal form of heavy metal has made it popular with German fans of the genre, but the band's success hasn't come without a great deal of controversy. The group's music has been indexed by the German government on several occasions due to lyrical content, leading to restrictions on how and where the band can perform and sell its music. In fact, the band is forbidden to play its song, "Krebskolonie," anywhere in Germany. Eisregen's lyrics are often violent, misogynistic and anti-establishment, which, coupled with the pummeling nature of the music, makes for a band that is sure to polarize its audiences' opinions.

Powerwolf is a power metal band comprised of musicians from various nationalities including German, Romanian and Dutch. Founded in 2003, the group would go on to tour throughout Europe for the first few years after it inception, to refine and shape its characteristic sound, before entering the studio to record its 2005 debut LP, Return in Bloodred. Managing to maintain a fairly busy touring schedule, Powerwolf has built up a solid following and fan base throughout most of Europe.

One of the most prolific artists of the 20th Century, Bob Dylan is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist who rose to recognition as a fixture of New York City's folk scene during the 1960s. With politically-charged lyrics and an unconventional approach to folk and pop music, he became an influential figure of the counterculture in the US while he documented the nation's social unrest through his songs. Though he invited criticism by using electronic instruments to create his brand of folk, his revolutionary songwriting style, particularly on the celebrated single "Like A Rolling Stone," and his fearless combinations of rock and roll, blues, gospel, jazz, and traditional folk shaped the nature of popular culture and continues to hold weight in today's protean music world.

And One is new wave outfit that emerged out of Berlin in 1989 when founders Steve Naghavi and Chris Ruiz bonded over their shared affinity for electronic body music and decided to form a band. They released their first record as And One, titled Anguish, in 1991, mixing synthpop and EBM into a new wave package in the same vein as Depeche Mode. The band has since continued to release new material, including the 2011 record Tanzomat, along with a third member, Alex Two.

Known by fans as Nik P., Nicholas Presnik has had quite the prolific music career in Germany and Austria. Born in 1962 in Austria, Presnik began his work as a musician in 1997 with his debut album Gebrochenes Herz, or Broken Heart. Since then, he has released upwards of 20 albums, a feat that has led him to become one of the most successful artists of his pop genre. Presnik has won several German and Austrian awards for his chart-topping hits, and at the pace that he has been releasing albums, he is bound to win many more.

In Flames is a metal band from Sweden that has constantly reinvented its sound throughout a decades long career. The band emerged out of Gothenburg, Sweden in 1990 playing melodic death metal and quickly collected a fan base of metal purists. Since the release of its debut album Lunar Strain, in 1994, the band's straightforward sound of screaming vocals and layered guitar melodies took on alternative metal elements as In Flames evolved to fit the times. Using sung vocals, prominent rhythm guitar sections, and synthesizers the band slowly split its fans yet simultaneously collected a broadened its audience. By the time its the band released its tenth album, Sounds of a Playground Fading in 2011, its sound held obvious American metal influences that make its music more accessible to western audiences.

This indie band is based in Berlin, Germany, but you wouldn't tell it from their sound. The three band members, who all come from different countries (Italy, the UK, and the US), create songs in an indie folk style that is extremely popular in the United States. Not surprisingly, their main inspirations include the memories of the Pacific Northwest.

Simon & Garfunkel is a folk rock duo comprised of singer/songwriter and guitarist Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel. One of the most popular group's during the 1960s, they would become counterculture icons during the decade's social revolution. Emerging from New York City, the duo would release its debut album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., in 1964.

With song titles like "Shredded Humans," "A Skull Full of Maggots" and "Submerged in Boiling Flesh," its no wonder that the Buffalo, New York-based death metal band Cannibal Corpse has been banned from performing in several foreign countries. The band's reputation for the repulsive has even caught the eye of a few disgruntled US senators who are afraid the band's music will corrupt the moral character of the country.

Lindsey Stirling is a violinist from Orange County, California who is probably best known for her appearance as a quarter-finalist on the television program America's Got Talent. Blending a distinctively modern, electronically minded stylistic sensibility into her playing, Stirling has managed to breathe life into an instrument that is typically thought of as reserved for symphonic and classical music. Stirling released her debut EP in 2010 and the album perfectly encapsulates the talented musician's ability to seamlessly blend genres like dubstep and glitchop with various classical styles.

Stefanie Heinzmann is a singer/songwriter from Visp, Switzerland who has distinguished herself with a unique style that blends modern pop with vintage soul. Gaining notoriety in 2008, after winning a TV talent contest called SSDSDSSWEMUGABRTLAD, Hinzmann would go on to release her debut album, Masterplan, later in the year to widespread commercial success.

"Hobos are people who move around looking for work, tramps are people who move around but don't look for work, and bums are people who don't move and don't work. I've been all three." Though this quote sounds like it comes from some grizzled travelin' man who lives on the street and has never planted roots in any one place for an extended period of time, the blues musician Seasick Steve said it. Steve, whose real name is Steven Wold, was born in Oakland, California in 1941 and left home for a life on the road when he was only 13. He traveled around for a long while until he found his true calling: the blues. His rag-tag sound is extremely unique and a chance to see the bearded, overall-sporting traveling minstrel is an opportunity not to be missed.

The 69 Eyes hail from Finland, where metal seems to be intuitive for many aspiring musicians. Formed in 1989, the band released its debut album Bump 'n' Grind, in 1992, establishing its glam metal style for the first time.

Sepultura is a death metal band from Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The band name, which means "grave" in English, was derived from the influential Motörhead album Dancing On Your Grave. In 1985, Sepultura released its debut EP, but it wasn't until after the original guitarist Wagner left the band that Sepultura found its true sound. With the addition of Andreas Kisser, the band pulled from more sophisticated thrash metal influences to create its hard-hitting trademark sound, which is perfectly captured on popular tracks like "Troops of Doom," "Refuse/Resist," "Ratamahatta" and "Roots Bloody Roots."

Singer-songwriter Jahron Anthony Brathwaite goes by the name of PatryNextDoor and is a Canadian artist signed to Drakes OVO Sound label. PND has soft vocals with a dreamy sound and masters RnB slow songs. Most of his music is about love, relationships, and life lessons. In 2013 he dropped his first album PartyNextDoor and followed his debut with PNDColours in 2014. PND received his first #1 song in 2016 on Billboard Hot 100 by helping write Rihanna's hit single "Work."

Unprocessed is a German progressive metal band that was formed in 2012. Since their inception, they have released two full-length albums, "Covenant" in 2014 and "Artificial Void" in 2019. Known for their technical prowess and modern sound, Unprocessed has garnered a dedicated following within the metal community. Their music blends intricate guitar riffs, complex rhythms, and powerful vocals to create a dynamic and melodic sound. Drawing influences from bands like Periphery, TesseracT, and Animals As Leaders, Unprocessed has carved out their own unique style within the progressive metal genre. With their intense live performances and thought-provoking lyrics, Unprocessed continues to push the boundaries of metal music and establish themselves as one of the most promising bands in the scene. Fans of technical and innovative metal music will surely appreciate the creativity and passion that Unprocessed brings to their music.

Black Stone Cherry is a rock band from Edmonton, Kentucky that was formed in 2001 by lead vocalist/guitarist Chris Robertson, lead guitarist Bed Wells, bassist John Lawhon and drummer John Fred Young. Young connected the band with the same practice space used by his father's band the Kentucky Headhunters. Known as the Practice House, Black Stone Cherry began to practice non-stop and record its characteristic style of hard rocking material. The band released its self-titled debut album in 2006 and embarked on a tour of Europe soon after. In 2009, the band released its second studio album, Folklore and Superstition, before joining Nickelback on tour. Black Stone Cherry released its third album, Between the Devil and the Deep blue Sea, in 2011.

Forged in Chicago in 2004, Veil of Maya is a four-piece heavy metal band that creatively fuses melodic death metal with thrash and progressive. Lauded as one of the few metal bands able to shift sub-genres so effortlessly while keeping the audience interested, Veil of Maya slowly made a name for itself in the industry by booking all of its own shows and self-releasing its debut album. Finally grabbing the attention of Sumerian Records in 2007, Veil of Maya has since headlined major metal tours and festivals around the US and Europe.

Founded as a three-member band in Säffle, Sweden, Draconian originally coupled death metal, black metal and melodic metal to complement its sound. Originally called Kerberos, it changed its name to Draconian following the addition of Anders Jacobsson to the band's lineup. The band's first round of brainstorming and songwriting led to the release of its first demo, Shades of a Lost Moon, in 1996. The band's next releases were a series of demos that didn't quite do justice to its talent. It was 2002's Dark Oceans We Cry that shaped up the band's artistic image. After years of fiddling with its sound, Draconian finally dropped its debut album Where Lovers Mourn in 2003. Its second album, 2005's Arcane Rain Fell, added to the band's growing-fanbase and Draconian got working on a special album for its fans. Over the years, the band has added numerous albums to its repertoire and churned out tracks like "Stellar Tombs," "Sorrow of Sophia," "Pale Tortured Blue," "Heavy Lies the Crown," "Rivers Between Us" and "Lustrous Heart" that have become fan-favorites.

London Grammar is a trip-hop influenced, avant-pop trio from the UK that's composed of Hanna Reid, Dot Major and Dan Rothman. With roots dating back to 2009, when Reid and Rothman met at University, the band released its first single, "Hey Now,"in 2012, followed shortly by its debut EP Metal & Dust. Combining ethereal vocals, melancholy guitar and a sharp indie rock sensibility, London Grammar earned a solid fan base by the time it released its debut LP, If You Wait, in 2013.

Brothers of Metal is a Swedish power metal band that incorporates Nordic mythological stories into its songs. The group, formed in 2012, comprises Ylva Eriksson, Joakim Lindbäck Eriksson, Mats Nilsson, Dawid Grahn, Pähr Nilsson, Mikael Fehrm, Emil Wärmedal and Johan Johansson. It self-published its debut album Prophechy of Ragnarök in 2017. Recorded in 2015, the 14-track record featured tracks like "Son of Odin," "Prophecy of Ragnarök," "Defenders of Valhalla" and "Yggdrasil." Its follow-up album, Emblas Saga, dropped in early 2020 to a positive response from critics and fans alike. It found a place among the top ten of German charts and was applauded by music gurus for being true to the metal genre.

Nas is a rapper with a turbulent past. Born Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, he grew up in the projects of New York City, dropped out of school in the eighth grade and soon began making a name for himself as a rapper. He quickly gained clout as a prodigious lyricist, and in 1991 he performed at Main Source's "Live at the Barbeque," under his then alias, Nasty Nas. Soon, he was making a name for himself as one of America's premier rappers with monumental albums like 1994's Illmatic--an LP that has prompted many to say that Nas basically invented "good rap music." Famous for his feud with Jay-Z in 2001, Nas has gone on to collaborate with rap artists like P. Diddy, Kanye West and Dr. Dre.

Guano Apes is a nu metal band from Gottingen, Germany. The group officially formed in 1994, when Henning Rumenapp (guitar), Dennis Poschwatta (drums) and Stefan Ude (bass) asked Sandra Nasic to join the band and take over on lead vocals. As a singer, Nasic is brash, yet not without an intact melodic sense, offering Guano Apes a balance between its more tame alt-rock tendencies and aggressive metal influences. As the band has progressed over the years, it's been inspired by the American nu metal genre of the late 90s and early 2000s popularized by bands such as Limp Bizkit, Korn and Papa Roach, leading to the subtle incorporation of hip hop, synthesizers and funk rhythms on later albums.

Rammstein is a German industrial metal band that has built a solid reputation for itself as one of the more theatrical live bands--with pyrotechnics, lasers, absurdist costumes and lavish stage decorations. Founded in 1994, Rammstein established a regional following in Germany before releasing its debut 1995 album, Herzeleid. While the group managed to resonate well with followers of forward-thinking European metal, Rammstein properly broke out in 1997 when it released its album Sehnsucht, which featured the crossover hit "Du Hast."

Ekkstacy, born in British Columbia, is a Canadian singer-songwriter known for his innovative approach to music. Starting his musical journey during high school, Ekkstacy initially experimented with YouTube beats, using them as a backdrop for his expressive vocals. He gained recognition with the release of his debut EP "Negative" in November 2021, featuring the popular single "I Walk This Earth All by Myself." Transitioning to a more rock and new wave-inspired sound, Ekkstacy continued to captivate audiences with his sophomore album "Misery," released in September 2022.

Fish is the stage name for Derek William Dick, a progressive rock singer/songwriter who is perhaps best known for his work as the lead singer for the classic progressive rock band Marillion. Since branching out on his own in the late 1990s, Fish almost immediately released his debut album Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors, which stands as his most critically and commercially successful album to date. With a sound that is reminiscent of some of the great progressive rock acts of the 1970s, Fish never fails to take listeners back to the genre's heyday while managing to add enough spark and originality to bring his sound into the 21st Century.

Dirty Loops is a Swedish cover band that takes modern pop hits and transforms them into jazz fusion masterpieces. Blending funk, rock and experimental textures into its songs, the band uses is own distinct style to turn well-known songs into brand new listening experiences.

Myles Kennedy is an American singer and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the renowned band Alter Bridge. He released his debut solo album, Year of the Tiger, in 2018 to substantial critical acclaim for its sparse, yet emotionally-rich blues sound.

Kayef is a German rapper and singer who has been writing his own music since he was 11 years old. Blending pop sensibilities with hip-hop, he released a joint album with fellow artist Loint, titled Sexstreetboys, in 2013. Kayef released his debut solo album, Hipteen, later the same year.

Dream Theater is a progressive rock band that was formed in 1985 by musicians at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. Distinguishing themselves with virtuoso instrumental arrangements and non-traditional time signatures, Dream Theater built a reputation for itself as an extremely skilled band that favors substance over style. Unfortunately, the group's co-founder and drummer Mike Portnoy left the group in 2011. After trying out several adept drummers, drum prodigy Mike Mangini was brought aboard to fill Dream Theater's rhythmic void.

Mixing hard rock, heavy metal and hardcore punk, While She Sleeps is a metalcore band from Sheffield, England that was formed in 2006. Fronted by vocalist Lawrence Taylor, the band has earned increasing amounts of notoriety for its heavy guitar music since its 2010 debut mini-album, The North Stands for Nothing. With record deals in the UK, US and Australia, the band released its first full-length record This Is the Six, in 2012.

Jess Glynne is a singer/songwriter from the UK. Weaving together soul, pop and house music, she owns a modern brand of R&B. Glynne released her debut album, I Cry When I laugh, in 2015 with Atlantic records.

Vanessa Mai is a pop singer from Aspach, Germany. She began her musical career filling in for the lead singer of the band Wolkenfrei, who was suffering with medical problems in 2012. Their first single, "Jeans,T-Shirt und Freiheit" and debut album, Endlos Verliebt hit the top of the German music charts in 2014. It was that same year, that the remaining members of Wolkenfrei stepped aside and Mai embarked on a solo career. Since then she has been busy recording and releasing new music and appearing as a judge on various reality show competitions on German television.

Swiss hip-hop artist and producer Raphael Ragucci is best known by his stage name, RAF Camora. He got an early start on his music career when he formed a hip hop crew at the age of seventeen. Moving from project to project since the early 2000s, working as a producer and a performer, Ragucci has released several singles and albums and has collaborated with various other european hip hop artists.

One of the more prominent British bands to blend electronic music with various other genres, including rap and rock, is Faithless. The group was founded in 1995 and rose to success in the UK with a slew of albums that highlighted the group's ability to make dance-friendly hits as well as trip hop tracks.

You Me At Six is a pop punk band from Surrey, England that was formed in 2004. The group released its debut album, Take Off Your Colours, in 2008 and since then the group has kept active, releasing additional LPs and maintaining a regular performance schedule.

Known for her country and pop songs, Ilse DeLange is a popular Dutch artist who began her career in entertainment at age 8. Through both regional and national talent shows, DeLange grew into one of the nation's top country singer/songwriters and recorded her first album World Of Hurt, in 1998. After a decade, in 2008, DeLange wrote and released her popular hit single "Miracle," off of her album Incredible. In 2013, she stepped on as one of the coaches of the television talent show The Voice of Holland. In 2014, she experienced one of her career highlights when she finished the Eurovision Song Festival in second place as one-half of the country duo The Common Linnets, along with singer Waylon.

The Chats is a band from Sunshine Coast, Australia that creates an innovative style of punk rock. Initially receiving attention for its 2017 single "Smoko" and its accompanying music video that went viral, The Chats would eventually go on to release its debut album, Get This In Ya, in the same year.

D-A-D was formed in Copenhagen in the 1980s as Disneyland After Dark. However, the heavy melodic rock band was forced to change its name in 1989, after their international breakthrough, to avoid legal problems. D-A-D released their first EP in 1985 and has continued to work together, with only one lineup change, since then.

The Spider Murphy Gang is a German band from Munich best known for their greatest hit "Skandal im Sperrbezirk". It was founded in 1977 by bank clerk Günther Sigl, together with Gerhard Gmell ("Barny Murphy"), Michael Busse and Franz Trojan. In many songs elements of the Bavarian German Dialect are used.

Die Fantasischen Vier (The Fantastic Four) got together in 1988 under the name Terminal Team, and worked hard on its breakthrough single, 1992's "Die da," which was arguably the first ever German hip-hop hit. Even with some long pauses between album releases, Die Fantastischen still manages to get the crowds going every time it comes around. The group is known for its fluid wordplay as well as its decidedly non-violent subject matter.

French shoegaze band Alcest has taken many forms, but always with founder and creative leader Stéphane Paut, also known as Neige, at its center. Alcest was born in 2000 as a solo project, which Neige used as a black metal outlet. The one-man act soon became a trio with the addition of a bassist and guitarist, who both left the band shortly after the release of its first demo in 2001. Looking to change the band's style, Neige began releasing shoegaze music inspired by rock and metal. He continued to release music, including the 2007 debut album Souvenirs d'un autre monde, as the sole member of Alcest until 2009, when Les Discrets drummer Winterhalter joined the lineup. The duo released Alcest's second and third album, Écailles de Lune and Les Voyages de l'Âme, in 2010 and 2012 respectively.

Deichkind is a German hip-hop group formed in Hamburg, whose style in the last few years has drastically trended towards electro and electroclash. The band creates its own unique style and sound often involving funny and ironic lyrics. Their sense of humor always made the band stand out among the rest of the German rap-scene, and also made them more popular.

Kreator is a band from Germany with a black/trash metal sound. The group was formed in 1982 with no name, but it began performing in 1984 under the name Tormentor. The band has cycled through various members, although two of the three founders, Mille Petrozza and Jurgen Reil, are still with Kreator. Its style evolved from speed metal with Venom influences into a more industrial and gothic sound through the 2000s; however, today Kreator is back to what brought it its desire to make music in the first place: trash metal.

Betontod is a punk rock band that hails from Germany. Formed in the early 1990s, the band took its time building a name for itself in the underground before releasing its debut album, Hier Kommt Arger, in 1999. Patience has paid off, and Bentotod enjoys a solid following that has remained dedicated through each of its releases, from 2006's Schwarzes Blut to 2015's Traum von Freiheit.

In the 1980s Anthrax established itself as one of the more talented American heavy metal bands with fast beats, aggressive guitar playing and distinctive vocals. Though the line-up has changed a few times since the group's inception, rhythm guitarist Scott Ian has been wailing on the 6-string ever since the group's first started and has been creating the signature hardcore style that Anthrax fans look for.

Known for his involvement with several legendary classic rock groups and as an innovator of the blues-rock style, Eric Clapton is widely regarded as one of the best guitarists of the modern era. He started his career with The Yardbirds, a 1960s psychedelic rhythm and blues garage band that would at various times include British classic rock royalty such as Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck. Popular songs like "For Your Love" showcased a young Clapton experimenting with styles and tones, offering hints of what would come later. In the latter half of the decade, he'd partner up with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker to form Cream, a power trio that first initiated the classic blues and electric guitar-driven rock and roll hybrid that Clapton would build his name upon. By the time he launched his solo career in the mid-1970s, he was already one of rock music's most prominent names. His work has dabbled in classic blues, psychedelic rock, acoustic balladry, New Orleans jazz and has seen him collaborate with B.B. King, George Harrison, John Mayall, Phil Collins and Luciano Pavarotti, to name just a few. And to top off an already legendary list of accomplishments, Clapton is currently the only member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to have been inducted on three separate occasions.

Haftbefehl (Arrest Warrant) is the stage name of a German rap musician of Kurdish descent. Haftbefehl, who's original name is Aykut Anhan, was born and grew up in the German city Offenbach. His rap style is strongly influenced by his Kurdish accent and the usage of Kurdish words within his lyrics. Haftbefehl is one of the several gangsta rappers from Germany to become famous over the last decade. Like these other acts, Haftbefehl's lyrics include homophobic, sexist, violent, criminal and drug related content.

Volbeat is a band from Copenhagen, Denmark. The band combines heavy metal, rockabilly, and groove metal to create its trademark sound. Often Volbeat's music is referred to as "Elvismetal"since the singer's voice resembles that of the King of Rock'n'Roll’s. The band was founded in October 2001 by singer and guitarist Michael Poulsen in an effort to discover new musical ground beyond death metal. Volbeat's debut The Strength / The Sound / The Songs was released in 2005.

Tankard is German thrash metal outfit that was founded in 1982. Based in Frankfurt, the group quickly captured local attention with its first show: in 1983, the band played in a local classroom and smuggled beer into the school using milk cartons. With a fair amount of notoriety, Tankard signed to Noise Records and dropped its first LP, Zombie Attack, with the imprint in 1986. Encapsulating the band's style of quick-fired songs about drinking, the album set the tone for Tankard's growing discography of alcohol themed records, including 2004's Beast of Bourbon, 2006's The Beauty and the Beer and 2014's A Girl Called Cerveza.

Insomnium is a heavy metal outfit that emerged in 1997 with a melodic death metal sound. Based in Joenssu, Finland, the group took its time devoloping its progressive, doom-tinged style and collecting a regional following before releasing its first LP, In the Halls of Awaiting, in 2002. Infusing its music with dark lyrical themes of pain and loss, the band slowly rose to national attention and embarked on its first headlining tour of Europe in 2011. Along with that year's studio effort, One for Sorrow, the tour catapulted Insomnium onto the world stage.

German heavy metal band Grave Digger has steadily shifted its sound and lineup since its formation in 1980. While the band members have had their musical ups and downs, the group has maintained a fan base that appreciates its thematically diverse speed metal/power metal combo. With albums based on everything from Scottish history to Edgar Allen Poe to The Last Supper, Grave Digger has proven itself as a band that constantly challenges itself to create something different than what its done before.

British electropop pioneers Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware formed synthpop/new wave group Heaven 17 in 1980 after the dissolution of their former group, The Human League. The two musicians simultaneously created the production company British Electric Foundation, or the BEF, and completed Heaven 17's lineup with vocalist Glenn Gregory. The band quickly made use of drum machines and synthesizers to create its new wave sound. After failing to gain commercial success after the release of its debut album Penthouse and Pavement, in 1981, the group reached the number two spot on the UK Singles Chart with "Temptation," the second single featured on its 1983 follow-up record The Luxury Gap. Under the moniker BEF, the band was earning respect as producers and working with acts such as Band Aid, Sting and Tina Turner, whose career was restarted with her hit version of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," a track with back up vocals by Heaven 17. The band continued to produce and release its own material into the 1990s, including its 1996 album Bigger Than America, as well as into the 2000s, which saw two more studio albums as well as a collaboration with modern synthpop artist La Roux that merged together the past and present of British electropop.

Nimo is a German rapper of Iranian origin who released his debut single in 2015. Since then, he has grown into a prominente voice on the modern European hip-hop scene.

Columbus, Ohio native Spencer Sutherland is a self-taught singer/songwriter who combines subtle R&B elements into his pop music. Armed with soulful vocals and an affinity for commercial pop composition, he released his debut single "Heartstrings," in 2013 to mainstream attention.

Orden Ogan is a German power metal band that blends elements of progressive rock with various Northern Europe folk styles to create a distinctive and uncompromising style of music. Orden Ogan was founded in 1996 and gigged around Germany for several years, honing its sound and refining its songwriting approach, before entering into the studio to record its 2004 debut album, Testimonium A.D.

Unleash The Archers hails from Victoria, BC. The band came together in 2007. The band released its debut album Behold the Devastation in 2009. The band's second album is titled Demons of the AstroWaste and came out in 2011. The band plays a combination of heavy metal and death metal.

The jam band moe. has attracted a wide fan base (mainly on the East Coast) with experimental guitar excursions, oftentimes wacky lyrics and a penchant for attracting a party friendly crowd. The group's music often falls in the straightforward "rock" category, but the band also experiments with more modern influences; as well as old-timey folk and country traditions. The group found a perfect home for itself during the 1990s jam haze with other acts like Phish, Widespread Panic and The String Cheese Incident.

Beginning its career under the moniker Jeff Killed John--a band that only covered Nirvana and Metallica songs--Bullet for My Valentine is a Welsh heavy metal band that has seen success with its Metallica and Iron Maiden influenced style. Founded in 1998, the group that has garnered multiple awards and has grown to become a highly influential group on the modern hard rock scene.

With a full band sound that pulls upon the strengths of the group's horn section, JJ Grey & Mofro put its stamp on modern soul/blues music with a distinctly modern approach to erstwhile grooves. Formed in Florida in the late 1990s, the band has experimented with a number of music styles including Southern rock, R&B and funk before landing on a easily accessible style that has won the group fans from across the country. JJ Grey & Mofro released its first two records, starting with its 2001 debut Blackwater, with Fog City Records before switching to the Alligator label and releasing a string of records including 2011's Brighter Days.

Irving Adjei, who performs and releases music as Headie One, is a rapper from Tottenham, England. Raised by Ghanaian parents, when Adjei first started rapping, his lyrics centered around the difficulties of modern immigrant communities and the various socioeconomic injustices they face on a daily basis. Releasing his debut mixtape in 2014 with Headz or Tails, Adjei has since kept active, releasing additional material and building a solid reputation for himself on the modern English hip-hop scene.

Alphaville is a German synthpop group with a distinct 1980s feel. The group's music--particularly hit single "Forever Young"--has showed up in several ubiquitous places including Hollywood movies and samples of hip-hop mogul Jay-Z's own musical endeavors.

Animals as Leaders is an instrumental progressive metal band that hails from Washington, D.C. Formed in 2007 after the guitarist Tosin Abasi's band Reflux broke up, the band originated out of Prosthetic Records' idea for Abasi to front his own solo project. Under the moniker Animals As Leaders, Abasi recorded an eponymous album with the help of engineer Misha Mansoor and embarked on an extensive tour after adopting a live backing band and dropping the album in 2009. Though the band hasn't necessarily found enduring commercial success, the group is composed of three virtuosic musicians who have collected pockets of highly dedicated fans with its dexterous tunes.

Dorian is an electropop band from Barcelona, Spain that was formed in 2002 with the intention of blending stylized electronic sounds with a defined listener-friendly pop sonic aesthetic. Already an underground sensation before releasing its debut Metropolis in 2004, Dorian has grown into an internationally recognized band with a far reaching fan base.

Jamie xx, born Jamie Smith, is an English musician and electronic producer who's best known as a member of the London-based indie pop group, The xx. In his solo endeavors, he creates forward-thinking bass music that's a clear response to the wonky dubstep movement that has engulfed both the UK and the US. With off-beat time signatures, strange pace changes and manipulated vocals, Jamie's music is not created to be danced to necessarily, but the bass music is intellectually deep and worthy of the heaps of accolades that has been placed on it by prominent music publications.

Ten Years After is a blues-rock band from England that is best known for its hits during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The band's 1967 self-titled debut,the first in a chain of acclaimed albums between 1968 and 1973, resulted in tours to the US and Scandinavia. Ten Years After signed with Columbia Records in 1971 and released three studio albums, ending with Positive Vibrations in 1974, before splitting up. Though the band hasn't experienced the same success during its various reunions since the 1970s, it has maintained a solid fan base since its heyday.

Alan Walker is a British-Norwegian DJ and producer who released his debut single, "Spectre," in 2015. With a dance-friendly, electro-house sound, Walker would go on to achieve massive notoriety with his smash hit "Faded."

Starting his career as a drummer in different semi-successful German bands in the early 1970s, Udo Lindenberg became one of the most famous German rock singers and songwriters of all time. His breakthrough as a solo artist was achieved with the 1973 album Andrea Doria and its catchy single "Alles klar auf der Andrea Doria". Since then, he has crafted an unmistakable style, consisting of his unusual way of singing and showing off his pretentious lifestyle. Udo Lindenberg always performs his songs with his band, called the Panikorchester (Panic Orchestra), and he is almost never seen without his distinctive hat and sunglasses.

Amir Mohamed el Khalifa is a hip-hop artist from Washington, D.C. who creates a soulful, observational brand of rap under the moniker Oddisee. After crafting his signature sound at the heart of the DMV community (an area encompassing D.C., Virginia and Maryland), he released his first mixtape in 2005 before relocating to Brooklyn, New York and signing a deal with Mello Music Group in 2008. After dropping his debut album, 101, in 2008, he created his own imprint, Oddisee Music, further solidifying himself into New York City's multifaceted music scene.

The Chicago-born pop singer Anastacia, or Anastacia Lyn Newkirk, rose to fame via a talent show. She appeared on the MTV program The Cut, and even though the singer didn't come in first place, she inspired the judges so much that she managed to land an impressive recording contract. Throughout the 2000s, Anasticia achieved global success with several well received albums and even overcame breast cancer to remain one of pop music's more recognizable voices.

After leaving the highly influential progressive rock band Genesis in 1975, Peter Gabriel embarked on what would become a successful solo career defined by several commercially successful albums. The English musician has widely been seen as a performer that can dig his hands into various forms of music and consistently manage to create well oiled sonic productions, such as 1980's Melt, and 1986's So. With a keen knack for stage theatrics, Gabriel became known for accompanying his new wave, pop and experimental music with engaging visual spectacles during his live shows.

Joe Bonamassa is a blues guitarist, singer and composer from Utica, NY. Bonamassa opened for B.B. King at the age of 12 and has continued to perfect his blues-rock sound since then. He's known for his rough voice and his precise, yet twangy guitar playing. In 2000, he released his debut album, A New Day Yesterday.

Now widely seen as a modern rock laureate, the New Jersey-born artist Bruce Springsteen got his start in the music business in 1969 but is best known for his work in the late 1970s and 1980s. While developing his style in the early 1970s, Springsteen sang about the Jersey Shore and the boardwalk lifestyle, often filling his music with poetic lyrics and American sentiments. But as he matured, Springsteen started shifting his focus to larger issues that dealt with social and political themes. Springsteen's most renowned albums,1975's Born to Run and 1984's Born in the U.S.A., as well as his ability to turn songs into rousing anthems about life's struggles have earned him a dedicated fan base and an undisputed place in rock history.

Founded in 2008, Imagine Dragons is a four-piece indie rock/pop outfit from Las Vegas. After winning various battle of the bands competitions, the band entered the studio for the first time and released two EPs, 2008's Speak to Me and a self-titled 2009 offering. The band's punchy sound quickly resonated with audiences. Once the 2012 single "It's Time" was featured in the trailer of the anticipated film adaptation of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Imagine Dragons began to cross the line between the realms of indie and mainstream rock music. The band released its anticipated debut album Night Visions, in 2012.

Iron Maiden helped pioneer the new wave of heavy metal sound that rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s. The group is a classic metal act with galloping power chords, harrowing vocals, chugging rhythms and a theatrical live show. Though the English act has been pegged as satanic by many conservative Christian groups, this backlash only seems to heighten the appeal of Iron Maiden and add to the reputation of the band as one of the more nefarious acts of its day.

Germany's rock band BAP is one of the most successful and widely known rock groups from the country. The band was formed in 1976 by Hans Heres and lead singer Wolfgan Niedecken, who writes all the band's lyrics in Kölche, the dialect in the group's hometown, Cologne. BAP has released over 20 albums total, ten of which reached the number one spot on Germany's record charts starting with the band's debut album Rockt Andere Kölche Leeder in 1979. Although Niedecken is the band's only original member, his music writing has maintained a catchy alternative rock sound and personal but accessible lyrics.

German crooner Johannes Oerding specializes in modern pop vocals with a bit of a polished rock vibe. With tracks full of syrupy guitar strings, minor piano chords and a radio-rock sheen, Oerding emotes away like a Deutsch Bryan Adams.

Maybebop is an a cappella quartet from Germany that formed in 1993 while its members attended the Academy of Music, Theater and Media in Hanover. The band's name is a description of its early work, bebop music made up of jazz standards. Initially formed by founding members Oliver Gies, Jens Pape, Niles Ole Peters and Markus Jaursch, Maybebop has undergone several lineup changes while also migrating towards a more pop sound. The band released its first album Leichte Kost, in 1996, and three subsequent albums with its original members before the artistic mastermind and baritone Oliver Gies, the only remaining founder, was joined by countertenor Jan Bürger, tenor Lukas Teske and bass Sebastian Schröder. The revitalized group released Maybebop's fifth album Heiße Luft, in 2003 and recorded another nine albums in the next decade including 2011's Extrem nah dran. Though Maybebop predominantly sings in German, it has been known to mix English into its live performances.

Finch is a post-hardcore band that emerged out of Temecula, CA in 1999 under the name Numb. The band changed its name to Finch just before recording and releasing its debut EP, Falling Into Places, in 2001. After a well received debut album, 2002's What It Is to Burn, but an unsuccessful follow up in 2005's Say Hello to Sunshine, the band took its first hiatus, which lasted only a year. The band returned with a live DVD, several music videos, a self-titled EP and plans for releasing its third album. Despite having several recording done, Finch never released its third album but instead decided to break up before releasing a digital EP titled Epilogue in 2010. Finch reunited for a 10 year anniversary tour of its debut album in 2013

Nina Chuba is a German singer-songwriter known for her emotive and introspective pop music. Her discography includes EPs such as "Power" and "Watching Gravity," which showcase her unique blend of heartfelt lyrics and lush production. Nina first gained attention with her debut single "My Time," which received critical acclaim and has since amassed millions of streams on digital platforms. With a soulful voice and an undeniable gift for storytelling, Nina Chuba has quickly established herself as a rising star in the music industry. Her music often explores themes of empowerment, self-discovery, and resilience, resonating with listeners around the world. Nina's live performances are captivating, with her powerful vocals and captivating stage presence leaving audiences in awe. As she continues to evolve as an artist, Nina Chuba's future in music looks bright, and her genuine passion for creating meaningful and authentic music sets her apart as a truly talented musician.

With hits such as "Dancing Queen," ABBA became synonymous with the disco trend of the 1970s. The Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972, though the musical partnership of Benny Andersson (vocals, keyboard) and Bjorn Ulvaeus (vocals, guitar) dates back to 1966. With the eventual addition of two female vocalists in Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, ABBA was officially formed, taking its name from an acronym of the members' first names. The debut single, 1973's "Waterloo," won the Swedish Eurovision song contest, sparking the group's career. In the following years, pop music fans worldwide would come to fall for ABBA's harmony-rich songs full of lavish production values and sunny melodies. The disco period helped the group hit its strongest stride, as the genre's characteristic beat and dance-friendly style matched its overall tone extremely well. Though some listeners will certainly find ABBA's music overly kitschy, the group's success and influence on pop music cannot be understated.