Lead guitarist Esa Holopainen and drummer Jan Rechberger formed the band Amorphis in Finland in 1990. To complete their lineup they recruited vocalist/guitarist Tomi Koivusaari and bassist Olli-Pekka Laine. They released a demo in 1991 called Disment of Soul. The demo was so successful in getting attention for the group that they acquired a record deal and released an EP the same year…

Portrait is a metal band from the southern parts of Sweden, founded in 2006 by guitarist Christian Lindell and drummer Anders Persson. After playing together in different irrelevant extreme metal bands since they were about 12 years of age, and after in one of these constellations rehearsing a cover of the Running Wild classic “Black Demon”, the two came to the conclusion that what they really wanted to do was to play that same kind of timeless heavy metal, being the most elevated form of music there ever was.

EU three CD set containing a trio of original albums from the AOR/Melodic Rock greats: Departure (1980), Escape (1981) and Frontiers (1983). While the band had been active during the '70s, it wasn't until Steve Perry joined as vocalist, leading to Journey's dominance of FM radio during the first half of the '80s. Departure features the hit 'Any Way You Want It', which really kickstarted their ascension to the upper reaches of the charts. Escape features the hits 'Don't Stop Believing', 'Who's Crying Now' and the mega hit 'Open Arms'. Frontiers includes the hits 'Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)', 'Send Her My Love' and 'Faithfully'.

Fierce rave-into-hardcore collective that became one of the best-selling dance acts ever thanks to the incendiary "Firestarter". Collection includes: 'Experience' (1992); 'Music For The Jilted Generation' (1994) 2CDs; 'The Fat of the Land' (1997); 'Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned' (2004); 'Their Law: The Singles 1990-2005' (2005) 2CDs; 'Invaders Must Die' (2009) 2CDs.

English soul-influenced pop singer and actress who mixed modern dance grooves with vintage-style R&B. Collection includes: 'Affection' (1989); 'Real Love' (1991); 'So Natural' (1993).

Asaf Avidan is a singer-songwriter and musician from Israel. His vocal - sounding very much like the legendary Janis Joplin - is unmatched; and he sings primarily in English.
In 2006, he recorded his debut EP, Now That You're Leaving, a six-track record dealing with his breakup with his long-term girlfriend. To promote the self-released EP, Avidan put together a backing group (featuring bassist Ran Nir, drummer Yoni Sheleg, guitarist Roi Peled, and cellist Hadas Kleinman) and went on to perform as Asaf Avidan & the Mojos. Avidan's first full-length album, The Reckoning, followed in 2008, followed by Poor Boy/Lucky Man in 2009…

Though Broken Bells featured two of the bigger names in indie and alternative music – the Shins' singer/guitarist James Mercer and producer/multi-instrumentalist Brian Burton, aka Danger Mouse – the duo managed to keep their project secret for a relatively long time. The pair were inspired to collaborate when they met at 2004's Roskilde music festival in Denmark, where they discovered they were fans of each other's work. However, they didn't start writing and recording together as a band until March 2008, when Mercer holed up in Burton's home studio in Los Angeles. The duo took a different approach to their work together than they had with their other projects: Burton avoided the sample-heavy style he used on The Grey Album and Beck's Modern Guilt, and played only live instruments, while Mercer broadened his vocal style to include falsettos and deeper registers. Mercer and Burton announced they were Broken Bells in fall 2009, and late that year they released their debut single, "The High Road." Their self-titled debut album arrived in spring 2010.

Formed in 2009 as a solo vehicle for Sydney-based singer/songwriter Dave Hosking, Boy & Bear specializes in evocative and heartfelt indie folk-rock in the vein of contemporaries like Fleet Foxes, Bombay Bicycle Club, and Mumford & Sons. Rounded out by guitarist Killian Gavin, bass player Dave Symes, and brothers Tim (drums) and Jon Hart (mandolin, keyboards), the Aussie quintet inked a record deal with Island Records on the strength of its independently released first single, "Mexican Mavis." The group's debut EP, With Emperor Antarctica, dropped in early 2010, followed in 2011 by Boy & Bear's debut long-player, Moonfire, which went platinum in their native Australia. The band's sophomore outing, 2013's Harlequin Dream, would go gold.

Clogs are four classical musicians hailing from Australia and the United States. Featuring viola, classical guitar, bassoon, and percussion, they scrawl the folk sounds of India and the Jewish Diaspora atop lessons learned from minimalism, ambient music, and rock. The New Yorker writes that, "fans of Sigur Ros, the Rachel's, and other post-rock ensembles who know how to listen in respectful silence will have no trouble appreciating the softly evocative compositions." Philadelphia City Paper says "few new CDs in any genre will do as much to challenge the way you listen to music."…

Vocalist Phil Mogg, guitarist Mick Bolton, bassist Pete Way, and drummer Andy Parker formed the British space metal outfit UFO in 1969. Originally known as Hocus Pocus, the group, which took the name UFO in honor of a London club, debuted in 1971 with UFO 1…

Talented and flamboyant British synthesizer act whose pop focus helped achieve steady success on both sides of the Atlantic during the 1980s. Collection includes: Side Kicks (1983); Into The Gap (1984); Here's To Future Days (1985); Close To The Bone (1987); Big Trash (1989); Queer (1991).

Klaus Schulze, one of the most illustrious exponents of the kraut-electronic musical current, was born on the 4th of August 1947, right in Berlin, the heart of the entire action. He has also used the alias Richard Wahnfried. He was briefly a member of the electronic band Tangerine Dream as well as cofounding Ash Ra Tempel before a pioneering and prolific solo career of 40+ albums (totalling 110+ CDs) in 30+ years.
In 1969, Klaus Schulze was the drummer of one of the early incarnations of Tangerine Dream for their debut album Electronic Meditation. In 1970 he left this group to form Ash Ra Tempel with Manuel Göttsching. In 1971, he chose again to leave a newly-formed group after only one album, this time to mount a solo career…

Dire Straits were a British rock band that formed in Deptford, London, in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), his younger brother David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals), and Pick Withers (drums and percussion). Dire Straits' sound drew from a variety of musical influences, including jazz, folk, and blues, and came closest to beat music within the context of rock and roll…

Grand Funk Railroad, sometimes known as Grand Funk, is an American rock band that was very popular during the 1970s, they toured extensively and played to packed arenas worldwide. David Fricke of Rolling Stone magazine once said, "You cannot talk about rock in the 1970s without talking about Grand Funk Railroad!" Grand Funk Railroad has certainly had their fair share of compilations released over the years. This set takes the albums in the well named Trunk of Funk and releases them in two bite size chunks. For long time Grand Funk fans looking to replace their vinyl with remastered CDs, the two Trunk of Funks boxes are a good way to start. Included in the box one are the group's first four albums - their 1969 debut, On Time, and their 1970 trio of releases (something that is unheard of nowadays by modern rock bands), Grand Funk, Closer to Home, and Live Album - plus previously unreleased tracks.