IRON MAIDEN-fear of the dark

The album cover of Fear of the Dark was the first Iron Maiden album cover not to be designed by artist Derek Riggs. In an interview with MTV, Bruce Dickinson said they had asked three different artists to design a cover, and they then picked the best one. Melvyn Grant's illustration was chosen over the one Riggs submitted. Melvyn Grant has since drawn two more album covers for Iron Maiden, and the cover for their single "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg" and 2010's The Final Frontier album makes him the second most-used artist for Eddie after Riggs.

The album's musical style showed some experimentation with "Be Quick or Be Dead", a fast tempo song released as the album's first single, and "Wasting Love," the group's sole power ballad. Both songs were Dickinson/Gers collaborations, stark contrasts to the traditional progressive Maiden songs penned by Harris, such as the Gulf War track "Afraid to Shoot Strangers," the band's most political song since "2 Minutes to Midnight".

Only two songs from the album, the title track, and "Afraid to Shoot Strangers", would survive on tours past 1993. "Fear of the Dark" became a popular live track and was the only song played on the Somewhere Back in Time World Tour not from the 1980s. "Afraid to Shoot Strangers" became a frequent addition on setlists during Blaze Bayley's tenure with Iron Maiden. 

Both critics and fans saw the album as a stale offering from an increasingly tired band. Dickinson's commitment to the band was in question despite the fact he tried to move the band out of its progressive metal stupor with more experimental and political material such as "Fear is the Key," and "Wasting Love." Metal Hammer criticised the lyrics on such tracks as 'The Apparition' and 'The Fugitive', but said the guitar solos redeemed the otherwise mediocre songs.

"Be Quick or Be Dead," "From Here to Eternity," "Wasting Love," and a live version of the title track were released as singles.

Fear Of The Dark Tour was the tour supporting the album

AC-DC-Black ice

On 18 August 2008, Columbia Records announced the 18 October Australian release, and 20 October worldwide release, of the studio album Black Ice. The 15-track album was the band's first studio release in eight years, and was produced by Brendan O'Brien. Like Stiff Upper Lip, it was recorded atThe Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, British Columbia. Black Ice was sold in the US exclusively atWal-Mart and Sam's Club and the band's official website.^[64]

"Rock 'n' Roll Train", the album's first single, was released to radio on 28 August. On 15 August, AC/DC recorded a video for a song from the new album in London with a special selection of fans getting the chance to be in the video.^[65] Black Ice made history debuting at #1 on album charts in 29 countries and also has the distinction of being Columbia Records' biggest debut album (since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales data for Billboard in March 1991). Black Ice has been certified Multi Platinum in eight countries, including the US, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Germany and the Czech Republic. Additionally Black Ice has achieved Platinum status in twelve countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, UK, Argentina, Singapore and New Zealand) and Gold status in four countries (Netherland, Spain, Poland and Brazil). With over 6.5 million copies of Black Ice shipped worldwide, combined with over 5.5 million in catalog sold, AC/DC have surpassed The Beatles as the #1 selling catalog artist in the US for 2008. The 18-month Black Ice World Tour supporting the new album was announced on September 11 and began on 28 October in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.^[66] The band played 42 dates in North America, ending in Nashville, Tennessee on 31 January 2009. The Answer was the opening act during the North American portion of the tour.

On 15 September 2008, AC/DC Radio debuted on Sirius Channel 19 and XM channel 53. The channel plays AC/DC music along with interviews with the band members.^[67]

Angus Young in June 2010 at the Stade de France (Paris).

With the North American release of Black Ice on 20 October 2008, Columbia Records and Walmart created "Rock Again AC/DC Stores" to promote the album. In October 2008, MTV, Walmart, and Columbia created "AC/DC Rock Band Stores" in New York City, at Times Square, and in Los Angeles. "Black Ice" trucks were also dispatched on the streets of these two cities after the release, playing AC/DC music aloud and making various stops each day to sell merchandise.^[68]

In late September 2009, the band rescheduled six shows when Brian Johnson underwent an operation for ulcers.^[69] On September 29, the band announced a collection of studio and live rarities, Backtracks, which was released on November 10, 2009 as a 3-CD/2-DVD/1-LP box-set.

On the 4th November AC/DC were announced as the Business Review Weekly top Australian earner (entertainment) for 2009 with earnings of $105 million. This displaced The Wiggles from the number one spot for the first time in four years.^[70]

On January 26, 2010, AC/DC announced on their official site the release of their new album Iron Man 2, the soundtrack for the film Iron Man 2.^[71]

On the January 25, 2010 it was announced that the band are to headline Download Festival at Donington Park, England in June 2010.^[72]AC/DC effectively headlined Download Festival on June 11, 2010.

After criss-crossing the globe for over 20 months and playing to over 5 million people, The Black Ice World Tour came to a close in Bilbao, Spain on June 28, 2010. The Black Ice World Tour took AC/DC to 108 cities in over 28 countries. They now plan to release a live DVD of one of their December 2-4–6, 2009 concerts at Estadio Antonio Vespucio Liberti in Buenos Aires

PANTERA-cowboys from hell

Shortly after Power Metal was released, "Diamond Darrell," as he was then known, auditioned for Megadeth's vacant guitarist slot, and was invited to join the band. Darrell insisted his brother, bandmate Vinnie Paul, be included, but because Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine had already hired a drummer, Nick Menza, Darrell declined and Mustaine instead decided on Marty Friedman. The Abbott brothers refocused their attention on Pantera, and in 1989 they were given their first shot at commercial success. 1989 was also when the band formed their relationship with Walter O'Brien at Concrete Management (the management arm of Concrete Marketing), who remained their manager until they disbanded in 2003.^[5]

After being turned down "28 times by every major label on the face of the Earth,"^[6] Atco Records representative Mark Ross and Stevenson Eugenio was asked by his boss, Derek Shulman who was interested in signing them, to see the band perform after Hurricane Hugo stranded him in Texas. Ross was so impressed by the band's performance that he called his boss that night, suggesting that Pantera be signed to the label. Atco Records accepted, and at the close of 1989, the band recorded its major label debut at Pantego Studios.

Released on July 24, 1990, and produced by Terry Date and Pantera, Cowboys from Hell was another leap into heavier territory. Pantera showed a more extreme style on this outing, leaving behind its glam metal influences in favor of an amalgamation of thrash metal and groove metal dubbed "power groove" by the band. Although Anselmo still used Rob Halford-influenced falsetto vocals, he also adopted a more abrasive delivery. Darrell's more complex guitar solos and riffs, along with his brother's faster-paced drumwork were evidence of the band's extreme transformation. The album marked a critical juncture in the band's history. Most fans, as well as the band itself, consider it Pantera's "official" debut.^[7] Cowboys included the popular tracks "Cemetery Gates", a brooding seven-minute piece that focuses on death and religion, and the thrashing title track, which gave the band members their nickname and asserted their raucous personality and style.

So began the Cowboys from Hell tour alongside thrash acts Exodus and Suicidal Tendencies. In 1991, Rob Halford performed with the band onstage, which led Pantera to open for Judas Priest on its first show in Europe. The band eventually landed a billing for "Monsters in Moscow" with AC/DC and Metallica in September 1991, where they played to a crowd of over 500,000 in celebration of the new freedom of performing Western music in the former Soviet Union shortly before its collapse three months later. The band was often found at the Dallas club "the Basement", where the band shot the videos for "Cowboys from Hell" and "Psycho Holiday", the band's 2006 home video compilation, 3 Vulgar Videos from Hell, features performances of "Primal Concrete Sledge," "Cowboys from Hell," "Domination" and "Psycho Holiday" from the show in Moscow.