Black Tide

As mere teenagers ranging in age from 14 to 19 years old, Black Tide (formerly called Radio) share a surprising affinity for metal bands that hit their career peaks and vanished behind the curtain of grunge well before any members of the group were born. Citing guitar virtuosos Yngwie Malmsteen, Paul Gilbert, and Steve Vai as influences, as well as the more traditionally referenced metal trendsetters like Metallica and Slayer, the boys make heavy-hitting speed metal that would sit right at home in the mid-'80s, blaring over the opening credits of MTV's Headbanger's Ball. Bassist Zachary Sandler, drummer Steven Spence, and guitarists Gabriel Garcia and Alex Nunez got their big breaks when they were invited to play the main stage of Ozzfest in August of 2007. Swinging their long manes of black hair wildly and shredding explosively, they caught the attention of Interscope Records, which made plans to release their debut album, Light from Above, in early 2008, just after they started a tour with Avenged Sevenfold. The album was released in March of that year.