10 Hard Rock Songs By Non-Hard Rock Artists

Weezer have always been a band that was slightly left-of-center for typical rock music. While everyone in the 90's were writing songs about depression and their narcotic habits, Weezer exploded onto the scene with a pop-punk masterpiece that ruled the pop airwaves. Once the band regrouped after the turn of the millennium, they decided it was time to experiment.

Contrary to his musical style, Rivers Cuomo's guitar influences starting out were more tougher acts like Van Halen and Kiss, whose influence can certainly be heard on "Take Control." The guitars' sonic bite is quite harsh for your typical Weezer rocker, with Cuomo reaching for more of a commanding vocal presence in the chorus. The highlight of the tune has to be the guitar solo, where Cuomo moves around the riff with an off-kilter swagger, as if he's a 10-year old in his bedroom writing a solo that would make Ace Frehley proud.

There had been Weezer songs where the band had their more raw aggression laid out, but this rocker was the first time the confident rock riffs matched their pop-punk format perfectly. Though the band didn't venture too much further in this direction, this is an interesting case study of nerd rock's poster boys reaching for the big leagues.