10 Hard Rock Songs By Non-Hard Rock Artists

When Blink-182 finished up their 2001 pop-punk effort Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, the band were burned out writing only three-chord pop songs. Regrouping in 2003, the band began to fracture while creating their self-titled record, whose sound offered refreshing sonic innovations across its track listing.

Instead of bringing care-free pop tunes to the table, Blink were suddenly heartbroken, jaded, and angry. "Easy Target" is definitely the angriest moment on the record, as the band sounds like they're at their wit's end. Opening with an unstoppable drum fill from Travis Barker, the guitars cut through the mix like a sledgehammer, putting the tune more in line with alternative music than just standard pop.

The entire track is a give-and-take between Mark Hoppus and Tom Delonge, as each seem to be wrestling with the melody. Delonge's more subdued vocal in the verses gives way to Hoppus, who takes the chorus into a much darker musical direction.

By the time the band is hitting the final coda section, Delonge's screams seem especially tortured, as if he has concentrated all his frustration into his vocal cords. The song quickly devolves into a looping instrumental section, leaving the average pop-punk listener battered and bruised and any hard rocker proud.