Otep got their start in late 2000, when singer/band namesake Otep Shamaya brought her Marilyn Manson-meets-Kim Gordon style of singing to a crew of musicians known only as Rob, Moke, and eViL j. The foursome began gigging around Los Angeles and scored a deal with Capitol solely on the strength of their live show (they'd not yet recorded a demo), releasing the Jihad EP the following year. Rumors of cannibalism and dabbling in the mystical arts helped add to their mysterious image, and they found themselves being complimented by the likes of Marilyn Manson himself for their antics. Their eighth live show ever was at 2001's Ozzfest, and Otep stepped back into the studio with Terry Date at the tail end of the year to record their full-length debut, Sevas Tra, which saw the light of day in the summer of 2002. That summer they again joined up with the Ozzfest tour, gaining a prime spot on the second stage. In 2004 the group released its sophomore effort, House of Secrets. Working with producer Dave Fortman (Evanescence, Mudvayne), Otep followed up three years later with The_Ascension and supported it on spring 2007 dates with Static-X.

The Birthday Massacre is from Toronto, Canada. Combining their interests in various musical and artistic styles, the band has successfully accumulated an impressive international fan base, press accolades, and defied categorization with their unique sound and visuals.

The band was formed in 1999 and independently produced and recorded their first two albums, Nothing and Nowhere and Violet. Through both of these high-demand releases, as well as their highly acclaimed and beautifully atmospheric website, the band obtained a large and loyal fan base throughout the world. Due to their independent success, in 2005 they were approached by European record label Repo Records (followed shortly by Metropolis Records in North America) and the band began its steady climb to reaching a much wider audience with the 2007 release of the acclaimed and wildly popular Walking With Strangers.

In the last few years, the band has been performing internationally, traveling extensively across Canada, the United States, Mexico, Australia, the U.K. and Europe. They have become renowned for their high-energy live performances, drawing large, mixed crowds through their appeal to fans of a surprisingly wide range of genres. Equally comfortable playing intimate venues as they are on a festival stage, the band's highly-praised performances will continue into the next year as they continue touring.

Currently, the band is working on their fourth full-length album, looking ahead to the North American release of their Show and Tell live DVD (it's out in Europe now!), and preparing for shows in 2010.

Merging death metal, hardcore, and melody, Beneath the Sky formed in mid-2004 after various bands on the Cincinnati scene dissolved (most notably Blind Judgment) and some of their members united as one. Comprised of vocalist Joey Nelson, guitarists Jeff Nelson and Chris Profitt, bassist Nick Scarberry, drummer Brandon Sowder, and keytar player Matt Jones, the band first released a four-song demo in early 2005. Through constant promotion and the group's rounds of regional touring, the demo went on to sell over 5,000 copies by the year's end. Beneath the Sky continued to play shows throughout the Midwestern and Eastern U.S. before recording another EP, More Than You Can Handle, which was self-released in spring 2006. It was received well by their local fan base; things escalated quickly and a deal was inked with Victory Records that summer. Their full-length and label debut, What Demons Do to Saints, appeared in January 2007.

A typical product of the mid-2000s metallic deathcore movement, Montreal, Canada's the Agonist are composed of vocalist Alissa White-Gluz, guitarist Danny Marino, bassist Chris Kells, and drummer Simon McKay. Formed in early 2007, the quartet originally went by the name of the Tempest, but quickly made the switch while recording its debut album, Once Only Imagined, for release through Century Media. The label then sent them out on tour with labelmates God Forbid and operatic power metallers Epica.