10 Most Underrated Rock Bands Of The 90s

The beginning of the '90s felt more like a cultural event for music listeners. Rather than the amazing flashy colors of the '80s and the pure arena rock bombast of the '70s, this was the first time since the Summer of Love where it felt like music was going to have some sort of effect on the culture. With new genres popping up left and right though, even some of the greatest bands tended to get lost in the shuffle.

In the midst of the grunge explosion, the pop punk revival and even the ska movement happening around the same time, some of the best bands were putting out music that could go toe to toe with the legends of the day. As much as some of them might just seem like a retread of what was already happening, taking a closer look shows how much potential these bands had at the best of times.

And it seems like time is at least turning the corner on some of these acts, with some of them getting further exposure in later life or being rediscovered by the next generation of rock and rollers. Not every band is able to rise to the top, but if you have the right ingredients to your sound, you're still going to last.

The industrial rock boom of the mid '90s is pretty much known as the house that Trent built at this point. Even though bands like Ministry may have been making waves back in the '80s, the dominance of Nine Inch Nails in the mainstream made them the go to band for those who wanted something a little more caustic than your average metal act. Then again, Trent may have had some competition from the man that he sacked a few years before his peak.

Around the same time that the Downward Spiral became one of the biggest albums at the time, Filter was emerging with Richard Patrick, who had been a member of Nine Inch Nails before striking out on his own. In between the more abrasive side of Filter's sound though, there was a lot of genuine talent underneath the hood, complete with some rolling riffs like what we got on Hey Man Nice Shot.

Richard also doesn't get nearly enough credit for the softer side of the band's sound, with Take a Picture showing the commercial potential of the industrial that wasn't as threatening as something like Closer. There are probably still a few people who consider this to be the diet version of what someone like Reznor would have done. To stomp out them, throw on something like the Amalgamut and see wat you've been missing all these years.