10 Best Grunge Bands Of All Time
The flannel-wearing 90's juggernauts.
At the beginning of the 90's, rock and roll was beginning to feel stale. While harder genres like metal were still going strong, the average rock fan didn't have much to be proud of. With the rise of hair metal becoming more and more ridiculous, it was time to return to something much more authentic.
Instead of coming from the gritty streets of New York or the sunshine of California, rock found its way back to its roots thanks to bands from the rainy city of Seattle. Given the community's depressing weather, bands pounded out music day after day in their basements until they came out with an undeniable hard rock sound.
Grunge was then born, a genre which melded rock, punk, metal, and new wave together into a unique blend of noise that was unlike anything the world had ever heard. The meteoric rise of the genre is something that has been unequaled in rock circles and may never be seen again. As a result, the mainstream rock charts was blown wide open for something more alternative than the great guitar gods of old.
After grunge tore down hair metal and infested the airwaves, rock's next decade was officially underway.
10. Failure
Even though they started in the middle of grunge's golden age, Failure's subtle rise came when the genre was a faint memory. At the same time, the band's take on more modern production and alternative musings give a glimpse of what grunge could have been had it continued on.
Though the band's earlier albums shared some hallmarks of the grunge sound, with loud guitars and distinctive vocal style, it wasn't until the release of Fantastic Planet that the band really came into their own. The group's eclectic mix of grunge, shoegaze, and space rock was able to muster only one hit with "Stuck On You," but delving into this group's back catalog is an absolute treat.
The vocals of Ken Andrews are the perfect amalgamation of the alt-rock frontman by being both gruff like Kurt Cobain's bite but also having an inherent tunefulness of someone like Thom Yorke. Even though the general public never grasped this band, their shelf life has been incredibly healthy, with former member Try Van Leeuwen playing in Queens of the Stone Age and having their songs covered by everyone from Paramore to A Perfect Circle. Have a listen and get in on one of the most overlooked bands not just of grunge, but of the 90's in general.