The most traditional pop band of all the Welsh bands to emerge in the post-Brit-pop days of the mid-'90s, Catatonia reworked the sound of jangling late-'80s alternative rock with a punchy, amateurish indie rock attack. Comprised of vocalist Cerys Matthews, guitarist/vocalist Mark Roberts, guitarist Owen, bassist Paul Jones, and drummer Aled Richards, Catatonia formed in Cardiff, Wales in the early '90s. Matthews and Roberts used to busk together in Cardiff before officially forming the band.

Savoy is a Norwegian-American indie rock trio formed in 1994 by co-singer/songwriter/guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (formerly Pål Waaktaar) of a-ha, along with his wife, Lauren Waaktaar-Savoy (formerly Lauren Savoy). Multi-instrumentalist Frode Unneland joined the couple as drummer. Warner Bros. released Savoy's debut album, Mary Is Coming, in 1996. Finding commercial success in Norway, it was followed by 1997's Lackluster Me for EMI. Though Savoy was formed during a hiatus for a-ha, the European synth pop icons reunited in 1998, and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy would continue to write, record, and tour for both bands over the next six years.

Three Days Grace's self-titled debut showcases the simplicity of their music, which is both the band's biggest strength and biggest weakness. The album's taut arrangements and grinding but melodic sound are quintessential alt-metal, suggesting a much poppier, less cerebral Helmet (or among Three Days Grace's contemporaries, Chevelle), and while the production is mostly simple and crunchy, it occasionally delves into Linkin Park-like atmospheres. At its best, the band's focus and adherence to alt-metal's formulas – coupled with tight songwriting and some unexpectedly pretty choruses – results in a strong tracks that are more memorable than the work of many of their peers. "I Hate Everything About You" was Three Days Grace's big single and remains the band's best song, gaining most of its power from its directness and bluntness in examining a dysfunctional relationship.

Double vinyl (21 tracks) and single CD (19 tracks) collection pulled from their studio album discography, the compilation includes a selection of fan favourites and hit singles including "Everlong," "Best of You," "All My Life," "Walk," "These Days" and many more.

The fifth studio long-player from the Jacksonville, Florida-based hard rock unit, Threat to Survival is also Shinedown's most pop-oriented set of songs to date. Front-loaded with two of its hardest-hitting (and classic-sounding) cuts in "Asking for It" and the hefty first single "Cut the Cord," both of which are as hook-laden as they are bruising, Threat to Survival begins to detour from the post-grunge highway with "State of My Head," a slick amalgam of electro-pop and vintage alt-rock with a catchy as hell though extremely well-worn chorus. Meticulously crafted radio fodder like "How Did You Love," "Thick as Thieves," and the Killers-lite "Misfits" follow suit, further distancing the group from its nu-metal origins, but the band hasn't completely lost its knack for crafting punishing blasts of groove-laden and distortion-heavy modern rock.