10 Amazing Rock Cover Songs You Haven't Heard Before

Rock is a core, pivotal genre of music that has enjoyed some of music's biggest pioneers of all time.

These innovators and game-changers built lasting legacies which then inspired dozens more to continue the tradition of making great music. The thought of where music would be without incredible, defining acts such as The Ramones, Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, Black Sabbath, David Bowie, The Beatles and several others is truly alarming and distressing to consider.

A way in which some bands pay homage to their influences is by covering one (or sometimes more) of their songs, as a way to pay respect and acknowledge the inspiration they provided.

For underground bands, cover songs also work well in live settings because you know everyone will have at least one song to sing along to, even if they've never heard of you before. Bands such as Metallica even started their careers with cover song heavy set lists, paying tribute to the bands they looked up to such as Budgie and Diamond Head.

Of course, some covers get a lot more coverage than others in the same way some bands get a lot more coverage than others, so this article looks to highlight 10 of rock's most overlooked and under-appreciated cover songs.

Unlike the other bands mentioned, Within Temptation covered a relatively new song to earn a place in this list. Although the Dutch symphonic rockers have been around for almost 25 years now, they have scarcely benefited from exposure beyond the realms of rock.

Within Temptation are most well-known for their singles 'Faster', 'Stand my Ground', 'Angels' and plenty of others. However, their 2013 cover of Imagine Dragons' smash-hit single certainly deserves more credit.

Imagine Dragons originally released 'Radioactive' in 2012 and Within Temptation clearly took a liking to this anthem tinged pop tune, as they released their take on the song less than 12 months later.

Maybe releasing a cover of the song so close to its initial release didn't help the popularity or exposure of Within Temptation's cover, as fans were still jamming out to the original at that point. However, this rocked up, catchy and charismatic take on 'Radioactive' is still a must hear for all rock fans.