9 Cool Rock Bands You Might Not Have Heard Of
July 19, 2024, a month ago
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We all crave a limitless world, right? Check out this list of 9 awesome rock bands you might not know yet. They're seriously amazing and could totally be your next obsession. These bands are all about pushing boundaries and making music that's totally unique. From hardcore vibes to indie rock innovation, they're redefining what rock is all about. You've gotta give them a listen! And if you are also a punter, try sportsbooks that don't limit.
1. '68
Check out this duo we found for you: Josh Scogin and drummer Michael McClellan. Their shows are insane. They do acrobatics with guitars flying everywhere! Musically, '68 sticks to a wild punk rock style with fuzzy guitars and intense vocals. If you're into Jack White, Nirvana, or any of Josh Scogin's old stuff, you'll like these guys.
2. DZ Deathrays
Probably you have never heard of DZ Deathrays. But they're this awesome dance-punk band from Australia. What's cool is they keep it simple—just one guitar, one vocal, and drums, but man, they rock it hard! If you liked '68 and Nirvana, you'll like these guys too. Oh, and their music videos are a riot—especially the ones where Shane and Simon are just chilling and having a drink. Check 'em out!
3. Mogwai
There was a time when canonical post-rock with its template tracks, sound, and arrangements became so prevalent that the genre lost its relevance: many popular projects of the 2000s disbanded, and the audience of others dwindled significantly. But there are still a few active bands worth listening to, and one of them is the Scottish fathers of post-rock, Mogwai.
Mogwai offers atmospheric music with a guitar shoegaze sound, experiments with time signatures, and occasional borrowings from other genres. They manage to stay as diverse as possible within the narrow genre of post-rock. If you're hearing about this for the first time, Mogwai is the best introduction to the style.
4. The Fever 333
Fever 333 is an American rock band formed in Inglewood, California, in July 2017. The three-member band was founded by former Letlive vocalist Jason Aalon Butler, former Chariot guitarist Stephen Harrison, and Night Verses drummer Aric Improta.
Their music combines elements of punk rock and hip hop, which Butler describes as both being "rooted in subversion," drawing inspiration from Rage Against the Machine, Public Enemy, and Black Flag. Their lyrics address politically and socially conscious themes such as racism, sexism, and homophobia. Their music has been categorized as rap rock, rapcore, rap metal, post-hardcore, hardcore punk, and nu metal. Some songs also feature trap music elements, leading to the trap metal classification.
5. Foo Fighters
Probably the most well-known band on the list, led by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. However, since 1996 he has written so many good and entirely non-Nirvana-style songs that this eternal title of ex-drummer of the great band could well be omitted.
Foo Fighters offer recognisable, fairly conventional guitar music with an optimal balance of lyricism and drive. Despite their relative conventionality and popularity, Foo Fighters are not Nickelback and rarely irritate anyone. Perhaps that's why they filled Wembley Stadium for a two-day show in 2008, and in 2015, a thousand musicians performed their song "Learn to Fly."
6. Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age (QOTSA) is an American rock band formed in 1996 in Seattle. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme, who has remained the only constant member through various lineup changes. Since 2013, the lineup has included Homme, Troy Van Leeuwen (guitar, lap steel, keyboard, percussion, backing vocals), Michael Shuman (bass guitar, keyboard, backing vocals), Dean Fertita (keyboards, guitar, percussion, backing vocals), and Jon Theodore (drums, percussion). The band also frequently collaborates with a wide range of contributors.
Known for their blend of blues, Krautrock, and electronica influences, QOTSA creates riff-oriented and rhythmic hard rock music, characterized by Homme's distinctive falsetto vocals and unconventional guitar scales.
Queens of the Stone Age have been nominated for Grammy Awards nine times: four for Best Hard Rock Performance, three for Best Rock Album, and once each for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song.
7. At the Drive-In
At the Drive-In is an American post-hardcore band, though their roots can be traced to Mexico and Puerto Rico. The band existed from 1993 to 2001, after which frontmen Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodríguez-López shifted towards progressive rock and founded The Mars Volta. Since then they've had a couple of reunions, and the one in 2016 seems to have stuck. It's been over twenty years, so things have mellowed a bit—Omar's not swinging his guitar around like crazy anymore, and Cedric's mic stands aren't flying as high. But their music has grown up too. It became more mature and polished. Their live shows, while not as wild as before, are still packed with energy and totally captivating. People call their style post-hardcore, but they've also been tagged with punk rock, emo, and even art punk.
8. The Kills
The Kills are a duo of vocalist Alison Mosshart and guitarist Jamie Hince. Over 18 years, their music hasn't changed much. It involves simple drums, sharp guitar from Jamie, and Alison's unmistakable voice, all in minimalistic arrangements. But here's the twist—they sometimes bring in session musicians for live gigs and use additional instruments in their recordings.Their fifth album, Ash & Ice, dropped in 2016 and even hit the top 20 on the UK Albums Chart. Definitely worth a listen!
Alison, besides The Kills, also sings in The Dead Weather, this cool supergroup with Jack White.
9. Enter Shikari
This British rock band has been around since '99. It was founded by Chris Batten, Rou Reynolds, and Rob Rolfe in St Albans. They later added guitarist Rory Clewlow to complete the lineup.
Their music is a mix of alternative rock, electronic rock, and post-hardcore, and they're known as pioneers of electronicore. Think metalcore meets synth-metal with a twist of electronic genres like drum and bass, dubstep, and techno. Their sound really blends punk and hardcore punk with these electronic vibes.
What's cool is their lyrics. It is super political stuff, from climate change to political leaders like Trump, and even personal themes. They're pretty deep!
And what's your favorite rock band that you think not many people know about? Drop us an email, and we'll include it in our next list of great but not very well-known bands