The 90s will forever be equally loved and reviled by rock music purists. The decade offered some of the biggest momentum shifts the industry had ever seen (along with a de-glittering of the genre that was long overdue), but it also spat out some of the most watered-down, godawful excuses for "rock music" to be found in any era. And while it's pretty hard to argue that second thought, it's also a little misleading. Because some of those bands so frequently associated with ruining rock music are a helluva lot more talented than they're given credit for. But since the nature of the business is based on disposable talent, who can come in and deliver a slice of whatever the flavor of the month happens to be, a lot of great bands were overlooked because they never got a second chance. There was a treasure trove of incredible rock music lurking in the shadows. Some of it got the requisite fifteen minutes of recognition before being tossed aside, while some of it never saw any attention. So let's give some of those forgotten and disregarded bands of the 90s a little more love, shall we?
15. Temple Of The Dog
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyVTdY2BI3g It may seem silly to say that a band including members of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam were underrated in the 90s, but even to this day too many people undervalue this not-quite-supergroup's contributions. They were essential in shifting the sound away from 80s hair metal to something with just a bit more doom and gloom. Temple of the Dog was more arena-ready than a lot of their grunge counterparts, mostly because their lineup was comprised of former Mother Love Bone band members (who were always more indebted to the sounds of The New York Dolls than the Melvins). Also, Chris Cornell has that screeching, sing to the ceiling vocal style that made the songs feel more bombastic than the typical grunge anthem. Though they only released one album, Temple of the Dog had an integral role in easing folks into that newfangled Seattle sound.
