My Favorite Rock Bands
Hey everyone, back with another post. You can’t kill me for this one, cause these are just my favorite bands XD. Yep, went through all the rock bands I know of, and figured out my top 25. Since this is a bunch I won’t say a lot about each band, just a bit. And yeah, that’s all. Enjoy!
#25. Dio
(Insert Dio meme from whatever anime that’s from)
I think we’re in agreement that Ronnie James Dio was quite the singer. Whether he was working in Black Sabbath or in his own band Dio, he was a master of metal. And his songs are soooo catchy. Rainbow in the Dark and Holy Diver are just like dang, this is lit.
#24. Avenged Sevenfold
If you’re gonna know anything about Avenged Sevenfold, it’ll be that one iconic song, Hail to the King. First of all, this guy’s voice is the kind that’s so unique that once you hear it, you’ll never forget it. But that’s not their only good song. Gunslinger, Nightmare, their cover of Wish You Were Here, they’re a great band.
#23. My Chemical Romance
Call me Emo if you want, this band still rocks. Gosh, they have so many good songs. Welcome to the Black Parade ofc, The Ghost of You, Mama, Famous Last Words, Helena, etc. I know that Emo music means depressed kids dressed in black and all, but there’s a small exception to that, and I’m part of the exception lol.
#22. Guns N’ Roses
Some people love Guns and Roses, and call Axl Rose the greatest rock singer ever. Others say he sounds like nails on a chalkboard, and hate the band. I am in the middle of those extremes, I’d say. Axl Rose is definitely talented. A bad singer can’t sing November Rain or Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door. But I’m not overly amazed by him either. Same goes for the rest of the band.
#21. System of a Down
System of a Down is very… unique. It’s kinda the same situation with Axl Rose, some love Serj Tankian’s voice and others say it’s horrible. And yet again, I think it’s awesome. Some of their songs are very weird, like Chop Suey, but others are much more deep and meaningful, like Soldier Side. I highly, highly recommend checking out this band, and their story.
#20. Evanescence
Evanescence is a great band for many reasons. Amy Lee (The singer) is a Christian, and she’s also the most talented female vocalist in my opinion (Lithium is a great example of her talent). And while Bring Me to Life may have turned into a meme, this band was iconic during the 2000s and helped cement alternative rock. The band isn’t as good these days as they were then, or at least that’s my experience, but they’re still worth listening to.
#19. Audioslave
Chris Cornell is one of my favorite singers. In terms of talent he was better than Kurt Cobain, better than Axl Rose and Serj Tankian, he had one of the best voices in the history of rock. In Audioslave, which is Post-Grunge rather than true Grunge, I think he really showed that he can do more than just scream. Like a Stone is an underrated masterpiece, if you ask me.
#18. The Beatles
Everyone knows the Beatles by this point, even if you only know the really catchy bridge of Hey Jude. I don’t really understand though, how the Beatlemania craze happened. They’re definitely awesome, and I love their songs, but people went over-the-top. I guess the 60s were just a weird time XD. That one George Harrison song, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, is very underrated.
#17. Queen
Freddie Mercury was another extremely talented singer, and it’s a shame we lost him the way we did. Queen was a very important band, both in its time and even now, with the release of the biopic about them. Brian May, the guitarist, is also pretty underrated, especially for Bohemian Rhapsody. I hope y’all have actually heard that song, and if not, go do so right now. It’s right here for ya.
#16. Led Zeppelin
I know you’ll be happy to see Zeppelin here, Auk and Holo. I find it hard to say that this band was a certain genre. Sometimes it’s rock, sometimes it’s metal, sometimes psychedelic, it’s really interesting. My favorite Zeppelin song is probably Kashmir, mostly because of the guitar, Jimmy Page is amazing. Not to say Robert Plant wasn’t good, he was also great on Kashmir and so many other songs.
#15. Slipknot
If you know about Slipknot, then you’re probably surprised they’re on here at all. I’ve never talked about them before, and based off of the bands I do talk about I don’t sound like a Slipknot fan. But let me say this, Corey Taylor is one of the best rock singers still alive. He is phenomenal. If you don’t like the screaming and crazy costumes of Slipknot, Corey also formed the softer band Stone Sour, and has done tons of acoustic covers of songs. It’s easy to find if you do a bit of looking on Youtube.
#14. Linkin Park
As you can find in the comments of almost every Linkin Park song, Chester Bennington “Sung like an angel and screamed like a demon”. That statement is so true, and it’s a shame we lost him. All of Linkin Park’s songs were packed with emotion, and his raw vocals made them even better. My favorite song of theirs is Given Up, and it’s a very depressing song given Chester’s death, but boy is that 17 second long scream glorious.
#13. Three Days Grace
I remember when I discovered Three Days Grace, I was in an Emo phase of sorts and I thought this band was insane. Who am I kidding, I still think they’re insane. They aren’t that good now that Adam Gontier’s got his own band, but their older stuff with him is amazing. In terms of alternative rock, they’re only surpassed by Breaking Benjamin, who I’ll talk about in a bit.
#12. Type O Negative
The first thing that I thought when I listened to Type O Negative was, “This is deep”. Not like, deep thoughts XD, I mean a deep voice. Peter Steele, the singer, was terrifying to listen to. But at the same time, his voice combined with the Goth Metal tone of it all, makes the band great to listen to. Type O Negative is highly underrated, and I’m grateful to Ten Second Songs for introducing me to them.
#11. The Jimi Hendrix Experience
I do believe that Jimi Hendrix was one of the greatest guitarists, if not the greatest (I’m not trying to start any fights with SRV and Clapton fans XD). Sure, he may not have played the fastest songs or the most complex ones, but he put his heart and soul into it. Not to mention that he helped set the groundwork for metal and psychedelic rock. Rock music as a whole owes a lot to him.
#10. Breaking Benjamin
Benjamin Burnley has one of the best screams of any rock artist ever, in my opinion. But that’s not the only thing his voice is good for, not at all. Breaking Benjamin was for the 2010s was Evanescence was for the 2000s, the forefront of the alternative rock movement. I love this band so much, both their older songs and newest stuff. And on their new album they recorded a song with Adam Gontier (Three Days Grace), and it is so incredible to listen to.
#9. Soundgarden
You could consider Soundgarden to be the original Grunge band, considering that it started being successful before Nirvana did, and carried on for 3 years longer. Like I said earlier, Chris Cornell is one of my favorite singers. His voice was pretty insane during the 90s, and I’m grateful he didn’t really get into drugs or anything. Highly recommend Soundgarden to all of you.
#8. Pearl Jam
Eddie Vedder is a hero of mine, for still being around and making music, and not having gotten involved in drugs or alcohol. Not to mention his iconic voice, and his awesome hair. Yes, I’m jealous of his hair. Fight me. But really, Pearl Jam is a great band, and his voice is so addicting, even if it’s hard to understand at times. Their peak was in the 90s though, I’d say, they can’t get any better than Ten.
#7. The Doors
No band will ever be like the Doors, and no singer will ever be like Jim Morrison (Although young Eddie Vedder came close to it). Morrison was not only a musician, but a poet and a philosopher too. Just listen to one of their songs, and it’s no wonder they became so popular. And their final song, Riders on the Storm, is one of the greatest songs ever in more than one way. I do hold out hope that Jim faked his death (There is evidence suggesting it), and that he’s happy wherever he is.
#6. Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd is a classic example of how a rock band doesn’t have to be heavy to be successful. It’s like the only band I can fall asleep too, so I sometimes use it to help with my sleeping issues. But overall, their career was one amazing song after another. Comfortably Numb, Time, Wish You Were Here, Shine on You Crazy Diamond, and on and on. Props to David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Syd Barret and the rest of the band for being so epic.
#5. Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy is known as the Godfather of Metal, and for good reason. He started off his career as the singer of Black Sabbath, and from there sprang into a very successful solo career that is still going on. It’s amazing how little his voice has changed since the 80s, despite all the drugs and alcohol he’s done. He’s like Lemmy Kilmister, although Lemmy was an absolute tank XD. But that’s another post for another time.
#4. Black Sabbath
Speaking of Ozzy, here he is again, with Black Sabbath. Not only was Black Sabbath the first true metal band, but they made some sick riffs, and I love Ozzy’s early voice in this band. I’m not a huge fan of Geezer and his guitar playing, as much as I like Tony Iommi. He also looks the coolest out of the band, ngl.
#3. Metallica
Ozzy may be the Godfather of Metal, but Metallica is the voice of the genre. Or should I say, James Hetfield’s voice is the voice of the genre. I love his voice, honestly, it’s amazing. But it’s not just him that makes the band good. It’s Kirk Hammett on guitar and Lars Ulrich on drums that truly make them a metal band to remember. Oh, and those glorious riffs. Enter Sandman, Master of Puppets, One, Nothing Else Matters, Whiplash, even some of their later stuff like The Unforgiven II, are all amazing.
#2. Alice in Chains
I may have been born two years after Layne Staley died, but boy do I miss him. His voice is unrivaled, even Chris Cornell wasn’t as good. It’s a shame that the drugs got to him and ruined his voice, but before then he released some very good music. My particular favorite is Love, Hate, Love, but songs like Man in the Box and Would also showcase his talent. Jerry Cantrell is also good, and I admire him for carrying on in Layne’s footsteps, but he just doesn’t have the same kind of voice. But yeah, Alice in Chains ftw.
#1. Nirvana
Yep, after almost a year, Nirvana is still my favorite band. Some things never change. Kurt Cobain was not the greatest singer. Dave Grohl is not the greatest drummer. Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear are not the greatest guitarists. But with all their respective talents put together, it makes for a stunning band that can’t be compared to anything else. Sure their music may have been a bit weird when they started out, but with Nevermind they really found their place, and rocked hard.
Hey, what do you know, we’ve reached the end. So yeah, those are my 25 favorite bands. Hope you found that at least a bit interesting. Thank you for reading/listening, and I'll see you around!
