Barbiturates are drugs that act as central nervous system depressants, and can therefore produce a wide spectrum of effects, from mild sedation to total anesthesia. They are also effective as anxiolytics, as hypnotics, and as anticonvulsants. Barbiturates also have analgesic effects, however these effects are somewhat weak, preventing barbiturates from being used in surgery in the absence of other analgesics. They have addiction potential, both physical and psychological. Barbiturates have now largely been replaced by benzodiazepines in routine medical practice - for example, in the treatment of anxiety and insomnia – mainly because benzodiazepines are significantly less dangerous in overdose. However, barbiturates are still used in general anesthesia, for epilepsy, and assisted suicide. Barbiturates are derivatives of barbituric acid.

Barbituric acid was first synthesized December 6, 1864, by German researcher Adolf von Baeyer. This was done by condensing urea (an animal waste product) with diethyl malonate (an ester derived from the acid of apples). There are several stories about how the substance got its name. The most likely story is that Von Baeyer and his colleagues went to celebrate their discovery in a tavern where the town's artillery garrison were also celebrating the feast of Saint Barbara—the patron saint of artillerists. An artillery officer is said to have christened the new substance by amalgamating Barbara with urea. Another story holds that Von Baeyer synthesized the substance from the collected urine of a Munich waitress named Barbara. No substance of medical value was discovered, however, until 1903 when two German scientists working at Bayer, Emil Fischer and Joseph von Mering, discovered that barbital was very effective in putting dogs to sleep. Barbital was then marketed by Bayer under the trade name Veronal. It is said that Von Mering proposed this name because the most peaceful place he knew was the Italian city of Verona.

Steve Smyth (November 28, 1970) is the guitarist for the metal band Forbidden.

Smyth was born in Northern California and started his career in the female-fronted melodic progressive metal band Ariah after graduation in 1988. Ariah never released an official studio album, but they recorded a few songs and played local shows with bands like Vicious Rumors and King Diamond. Ariah disbanded in 1992.

After a three-year hiatus, he joined the power metal band Vicious Rumors to replace guitarist Mark McGee who had left the band after the death of Vicious Rumors vocalist Carl Albert. Something Burning (1996) was the first album which Smyth played on. It was followed by Cyberchrist in 1998, and now he participated in songwriting too.

In 1999 Smyth left Vicious Rumors and joined Testament. The Bay Area thrash legend had just released The Gathering album, but lead guitarist James Murphy was diagnosed with a brain tumor, so Testament were in want of a new guitarist for the forthcoming tour. In the next 5 years Smyth toured with Testament all around the globe and played uncountable shows as a member of the band. He wanted to make a studio album with Testament but that remained a dream for him.

Ola Salo, born Rolf Ola Anders Svensson on 19 February 1977 in Avesta, Sweden, is the Swedish rock vocalist of the Swedish glam rock band The Ark. Salo lived in Rottne, Växjö Municipality, in Sweden when he was a child. It was while living in Rottne, in 1991, that he and his friends Jepson and Leari officially started the band The Ark. Salo is openly bisexual.

Salo and the other members of the band had an international breakthrough in 2000 with the album We Are The Ark, containing the signature song "It Takes a Fool to Remain Sane" (for which Ola won a Grammis for "Song of the Year"), a song Salo wrote after watching the Danish film Idioterne (The Idiots).

In October 2006 during a party celebrating the new Swedish embassy in Washington, The Ark was performing on stage. As a plane was flying very low overhead Salo said "In this country, you don't know where those planes are headed. Well, this one seems to be heading in the right direction anyway..." meaning the airport, but then suddenly adding "...to the White House" which happened to be in the same direction. This caused controversy because many newspapers colored his words telling that Salo had "wished an airplane to crash into the White House". Salo later said that it was a bad joke, "totally unserious way of being cheeky toward the White House" and not a political statement. The band ended up cancelling almost all of its US tour.