Killswitch Engage, The End, Throwdown, Poison the Well, Red, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Coheed and Cambria, 10 years, Filter, Atre

The End
Although never achieving the success they deserved, the End are best remembered for their Bill Wyman-produced psychedelic-pop that was a masterful mixture of swirling, dream-like numbers, and flowery, but never twee, pop.

Filter
Richard Patrick (vocals, guitars, bass, programming, drums) and Brian Liesegang (programming, guitars, keyboards, drums) both experimented with electronics early in their careers. Patrick was a member of the original touring incarnation of Nine Inch Nails.

Throwdown
Orange County, CA, has long been regarded for its contributions to the ever-expanding international hardcore scene, from the positive youth anthems of Insted to the fiery declarations of Inside Out.

Red
Red is comprised of Damian Morrissy (bass), Patrick McLaughlin (drums), and brothers Alan (banjo, vocals) and John Glen (mandolin, pennywhistle). The band was originally known as Uisce Beatha, but changed their name to Red after they discovered that several other bands had the same name.

Finger Eleven
The members of alternative metal outfit Finger Eleven grew up in Burlington, Ontario, and came together in high school as a funk-styled band named Rainbow Butt Monkeys. Originally comprised of Scott Anderson (vocals), Sean Anderson (bass), Rob Gommerman (drums), and James Black and...

Serj Tankian
System of a Down founder Serj Tankian was born on August 21, 1967, in Beirut, Lebanon. He and his family immigrated to Los Angeles in 1975. He studied marketing at California State University and started his own software company before beginning his music career with the formation...

Poison the Well
Florida's Poison the Well arose quickly within the underground hardcore punk scene, becoming a major touring act in several U.S. markets on the strength of their first full-length album and incredibly energized live performances.

Killswitch Engage
The foursome that came together and created Killswitch Engage already had strong fan followings. Mike D'Antonio (bass) was formerly the leader and principal songwriter of Overcast, the legendary underground metal group.

Atreyu
Coming out of Southern California during the rap-metal explosion around the turn of the century, Atreyu crafted a sound much closer to Agnostic Front or Hatebreed. The metalcore quintet was formed by Brandon Saller (drums/vocals), Dan Jacobs (guitar), Chris Thomson (bass), Travis...

Coheed and Cambria
Although originally forming as a rock trio in 1995, New York's Coheed and Cambria officially took root in 2001, shedding their former name of Shabutie and embracing a fusion of progressive rock, emocore, and highly conceptual album themes.

Theory of a Deadman
Vancouver, Canada's Theory of a Deadman became the first act to sign with Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger's 604 Records imprint in 2001. Tyler Connolly (vocals/guitar) reportedly slipped a copy of the band's demo to Kroeger at a post-concert party and the two were soon collaborating...

Shinedown
Melodic hard rockers Shinedown hail from Jacksonville, Florida and feature vocalist Brent Smith, guitarist Jasin Todd, bassist Brad Stewart and drummer Barry Kerch. Snapped up by Atlantic Records during the early ‘00's flurry of post-Creed and Nickelback signings, the group...

Scary Kids Scaring Kids
Taking their name from a Cap'n Jazz song, Phoenix sextet Scary Kids Scaring Kids began spewing impassioned post-hardcore that could be both shriekingly spastic and soothingly melodic in the early 2000s.

10 Years
Knoxville, TN's 10 Years formed in 2002 around vocalist Jesse Hasek, drummer Brian Vodinh, guitarists Matt Wantland and Tater, and bassist Lewis Cosby. The band released the Killing All That Holds You EP themselves a year later, and started to develop a local following for their...

Hurt
Hard rockers J. Loren and Evan Johns met after Johns' producer father, Andy, heard Loren on a demo tape and was intrigued by the singer's voice. Upon hearing that Loren was looking for a drummer, Andy Johns arranged for the two young musicians to get in touch, and they quickly found...

Sick Puppies
With a name like Sick Puppies, you wouldn't think hugs would play a major role in the gutsy indie crew's rise to fame, but they do, along with malls and the video-sharing site /YouTube.

Ludo
Indie rock band Ludo was formed in Tulsa, OK, in 2003 by Andrew Volpe, Tim Ferrell, Tim Convy, Marshall Fanciullo, and Matt Palermo; the group subsequently based itself in St. Louis, MO.

Blind Melon
Whereas most up and coming alternative bands of the early '90s borrowed from the leaders of the pack (Nirvana, Soundgarden, Nine Inch Nails, etc.), Blind Melon was an exception to the rule -- their roots lay in classic rock (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin).