10 Rock Bands That Released 2 Masterpiece Albums In A Row

When people were looking at the finest bands that Seattle had to offer in the early '90s, Nirvana wasn't actually that safe a bet. You had people like Soundgarden who already seemed ready for the big time, but Kurt Cobain's little arthouse project seemed to be a bit rough around the edges on the album Bleach. Somewhere in the next few years, Cobain found the magic inside him on Nevermind.

Acting as the final death knell for hair metal, Nirvana's second record was the moment that alternative rock reached its peak, with songs that sounded anthemic but felt more disaffected than anything else, with Smells Like Teen Spirit being more about indifference. Though the album was polished to an absolute sheen, Cobain started to quickly turn on his most popular creation, and was going to use everything in his power to make something more caustic on the next album.

Working with punk producer Steve Albini, In Utero is one of the most anti commercial records that managed to reach the top of the charts, with Cobain delving into the world of art rock and punk and coming through with something that sounded a lot more disturbed than it ultimately became. While his suicide confirmed that we'd never see a sequel to these two albums, both Nevermind and In Utero gives us a nice insight into Cobain as a songwriter: a voice strong enough to lead a generation, but not strong enough to carry it for too long.