Zimmer's Hole

Dark Angel are an American thrash metal band formed in Downey, California in 1981, whose extremely fast, lengthy, tempo-shifting songs earned them the nickname "the L.A. Caffeine Machine" and the motto "too fast, my ass." They are widely credited as one of the progenitors of technical/progressive thrash — Time Does Not Heal (1991) was famously advertised with "246 riffs" — and their second album Darkness Descends (1986) is cited as a major influence on the later death, doom and groove metal scenes. The band launched the career of drummer Gene Hoglan, who joined in late 1984 and went on to Death, Testament and Devin Townsend's projects.

The Burning of Sodomplay in the dock

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Mastodon is an American heavy metal band formed in Atlanta in 2000, fusing sludge and stoner metal with progressive rock, hardcore aggression and jazz-influenced drumming into an ambitious, concept-driven sound. Their breakthrough Leviathan (2004), a song cycle built around Moby-Dick, established them as one of the most original and influential American metal bands of the 21st century, and later records like Crack the Skye (2009) pushed further into psychedelic prog territory. The classic four-piece held together for 25 years until guitarist Brent Hinds split with the band in March 2025 and died in a motorcycle accident that August; three of the four members trade lead vocals, giving the band its distinctive multi-voiced attack.

Blood and Thunderplay in the dock

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Tenet was a Canadian thrash metal supergroup from Vancouver, formed in 1996 by Strapping Young Lad/Zimmers Hole guitarist Jed Simon and eventually rounded out by guitarist Glen Alvelais (ex-Forbidden/Testament), bassist Byron Stroud, drummer Gene Hoglan and Exodus vocalist Steve 'Zetro' Souza. Simon conceived the project as a 'very straight-up, right-in-your-face style of metal' built on 'pure aggression, with feeling,' deliberately eschewing keyboards, multi-layering and over-production. Their sole album, Sovereign, finally surfaced on Century Media in 2009 after years of delays; reviewers pegged it as old-school thrash in the vein of Exodus, Testament, Overkill and Slayer, executed with melodic leads and skilled shredding rather than any experimental streak.

Crown of Thornsplay in the dock

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Pitch Black Forecast is an American metal supergroup formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 2005 (originally as Absentee) around ex-Mushroomhead vocalist Jason Popson and drummer Gene Hoglan (Strapping Young Lad, Death, Dark Angel, Testament), who met in 2004 while Popson sold merch on a Strapping Young Lad/Meshuggah tour. Rounded out by former Integrity bassist Steve Rauckhorst and guitarists Rob Reinard and Tom Shaffner, the band plays a groove-heavy blend of metalcore and thrash. Their catalogue spans the debut Absentee (2008) through Burning in Water... Drowning in Flame (2012) and As the World Burns (2014), with guest turns from Randy Blythe, M. Shadows, Devin Townsend and Ringworm's Human Furnace.

Landmine (feat. M. Shadows)play in the dock

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Giraffe Tongue Orchestra is an American rock/alternative-metal supergroup founded in 2012 by guitarist Ben Weinman of The Dillinger Escape Plan, melding hard rock and progressive metal. Its lineup drew members from various established acts: Brent Hinds of Mastodon (guitar), William DuVall of Alice in Chains (vocals), Thomas Pridgen of The Mars Volta (drums), and bassist Pete Griffin (Dethklok, Zappa Plays Zappa). The band released its debut LP, Broken Lines, on September 23, 2016 via Party Smasher Records, reaching #85 on the Billboard 200.

Crucifixionplay in the dock

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Killer Be Killed is an American heavy metal supergroup formed in 2011 by Greg Puciato (The Dillinger Escape Plan) and Max Cavalera (Soulfly), later joined by bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders (Mastodon) and drummer Ben Koller (Converge). Conceived by Puciato and Cavalera in the vein of Cavalera's 1990s project Nailbomb, the band signed to Nuclear Blast and released its self-titled debut in 2014, with drums by Dave Elitch. Elitch left in 2015 and was replaced by Koller, who plays on the second album, Reluctant Hero (2020).

Dream Gone Badplay in the dock

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Testament are a Bay Area thrash metal band formed in Berkeley in 1983 (as Legacy, renamed Testament in 1986), long regarded as one of the leading second-wave thrash acts alongside the genre's 'Big Four.' Built around constants Chuck Billy (vocals) and Eric Peterson (guitar), with jazz-trained lead guitarist Alex Skolnick, they broke out with The Legacy (1987) and Practice What You Preach (1989) before pushing into heavier, death-metal-inflected territory on Low (1994) and Demonic (1997). Drummer Gene Hoglan — also of Strapping Young Lad, Dark Angel and Death — anchored the band from 2011 to 2022, recording Brotherhood of the Snake (2016) and Titans of Creation (2020) and becoming their longest-serving drummer.

Practice What You Preachplay in the dock

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Deli Creeps is guitarist Buckethead's formative avant-garde/funk-metal band, formed in Claremont/San Francisco in the early 1990s and built around Maximum Bob's manic vocals and Buckethead's already-virtuosic, genre-hopping lead guitar. Their sole album, Dawn of the Deli Creeps (2005), compiles re-recorded demo-era material and functions as an origin document for Buckethead's later solo vocabulary — several of its riffs and songs were repurposed on his solo records. Mike Patton has praised the band, and it sits at the root of the Bay Area Buckethead/Praxis/Primus-adjacent avant-metal cluster.

Can I Have a Ride?play in the dock

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Zelophilia is the solo studio project of Lou Kelly, based in Ukiah, California, releasing one full-length, Lust, Loathing & Love, in December 2011. Blends death metal, hardcore, and mathcore with baroque classical touches and absurdist, humor-laced songwriting.

Korog is a Budapest black'n'roll/death'n'roll outfit formed in 1995, most widely known for the two years (2001-2003) that Mayhem vocalist Attila Csihar spent behind the microphone.