3 Inches of Blood

Canadian sextet Three Inches of Blood hails from Vancouver and features Cam Pipes (clean vocals), Jamie Hooper (shrieked vocals), Sunny Dhak (lead guitar), Bobby Froese (rhythm guitar), Rich Trawick (bass) and Geoff Trawick (drums). A throwback to heavy metal's youthful 1980s heyday, the band's music consists of Iron Maiden-like galloping riffs and solos speeded up to thrash metal tempos, topped with Dungeons & Dragons-styled lyrics and titles such as "Destroy the Orcs" and "Ride Darkhorse, Ride." Their debut five-song EP of 2000 quickly sold out in the band's stomping grounds, and led to the following year's full-length, Battlecry Under a Winter Sun, which was initially only given a very limited Canadian release. However, it soon wormed its way over the border and across the oceans thanks to positive word of mouth in the underground metal scene, as well as the band's constant touring. All this led to a new record contract with legendary metal label Roadrunner Records, and, after breaking in a new rhythm section consisting of bassist Brian Redman, and drummer Matt Wood, Three Inches of Blood recorded 2004's sophomore album, Advance and Vanquish. Shortly afterwards, guitarists Froese and Dhak left the band and were replaced by Justin Hagberg and Shane Clark. They inched even closer to reconstructing the perfect '80s metallic beast with their 2007's Fire Up the Blades before Jamie Hooper, the last remaining original member, left the band the following year. Hagberg picked up his vocal duties and the band soldiered on in their pursuit of metal glory, releasing 2009's Here Waits Thy Doom and 2012's Long Live Heavy Metal, both through Century Media. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, Rovi