Hard rock or
heavy rock is a sub-genre of
rock musicRock music is a genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the 1960s. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country music and also drew on folk music, jazz and classical music....
which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s
garageGarage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name. In the early 1970s, some rock critics retroactively labelled it as punk rock...
and
psychedelic rockPsychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among garage and folk rock bands in Britain and the United States...
and is considerably harder than conventional rock music. It is typified by a heavy use of distorted
electric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into an electrical current, which is made louder with an instrument amplifier and a speaker. The signal that comes from the guitar is sometimes electronically altered with guitar effects such as...
s,
bass guitarThe electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
,
drumsA drum set is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person . The term "drum kit" first became used in the 1700s in Britain...
,
pianoThe piano is a musical instrument which is played by means of a keyboard. Widely used in Western music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
s, and other
keyboardA keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include various types of organs as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
s.
Characteristics
Hard rock is strongly influenced by
bluesBlues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre created within the African-American communities in the Deep South of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
music; the most frequently used
scaleIn music, a scale is a group of musical notes collected in ascending and descending order, that provides material for or is used to conveniently represent part or all of a musical work including melody and/or harmony...
in hard rock is the pentatonic, which is a typical blues scale. Departing from earlier acoustic based blues, hard rock makes use of more modern instruments such as electric guitars, drums and electric bass. A notable departure from traditional blues forms is that hard rock is seldom restricted to the I, IV, and V
chordsIn music and music theory a chord is a set of three or more different notes from a specific key that sound simultaneously. Chords constructed of three notes are described as triads and consist of two intervals. The technical name for triad chords is tertian sonorities and is understood to be chords...
prevalent in
twelveThe 12-bar blues is one of the most popular chord progressions in popular music, including the blues. The blues progression has a distinctive form in lyrics and phrase and chord structure and duration...
or sixteen bar blues, but includes other chords, typically
major chordIn music theory, a major chord is a chord having a root, a major third, and a perfect fifth. When a chord has these three notes alone, it is called a major triad...
s rooted on tones of the
minor scaleA minor scale in music theory is a diatonic scale with a third scale degree at an interval of a minor third above the tonic. While this definition encompasses modes with the minor third, such as Dorian mode, the term may more usually refer only to the natural minor, harmonic minor, and melodic...
.
Beginnings (1960s)
One of the major influences of hard rock is blues music. American and British rock bands began to modify rock and roll, adding to the standard genre harder sounds, heavier guitar riffs, bombastic drumming and louder vocals. This sound created the basis for hard rock. Early forms of hard rock can be heard in the songs "
You Really Got Me"You Really Got Me" is a rock song written by Ray Davies and performed by his band, The Kinks. It was released as the group's third single, in August 1964, and reached Number 1 on the UK singles chart the following month, staying there for two weeks...
" by
The KinksThe Kinks are an English rock group categorised in the US as a British Invasion band. The Kinks have been cited as one of the most important and influential rock bands of the British Invasion era....
, "My Generation" by
The WhoThe Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend, vocalist Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They became known for energetic live performances including the pioneering spectacle of instrument destruction...
, "
See See Rider"See See Rider", also known as "C.C. Rider" or "See See Rider Blues" or "Easy Rider" is a popular American 12-bar blues song...
" by
The AnimalsThe Animals were an English music group of the 1960s known in the United States as part of the British Invasion. Known for their gritty, bluesy sound and deep-voiced frontman Eric Burdon, as exemplified by their signature songs "The House of the Rising Sun" and "We Gotta Get Out of This Place", the...
and "
Happenings Ten Years Time Ago"Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" was the first single by the British rock band The Yardbirds to feature future Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page in the band. Page had recently replaced the original bassist for The Yardbirds, Paul Samwell-Smith. "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" was also the first of...
" by
The YardbirdsThe Yardbirds are an English rock band, notable for starting the careers of three of rock's more famous guitarists: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, all of whom were in the top fifteen of Rolling Stones' 100 Top Guitarists list...
.
Later,
Jimi HendrixJames Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter...
, produced a form of blues-influenced
psychedelic rockPsychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among garage and folk rock bands in Britain and the United States...
, which combined elements of
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
, blues and rock and roll. He was one of the first guitarists to experiment with new guitar effects like
phasingA phaser is an audio signal processing technique used to filter a signal by creating a series of peaks and troughs in the frequency spectrum. The position of the peaks and troughs is typically modulated so that they vary over time, creating a sweeping effect...
,
feedbackAudio feedback is a special kind of feedback which occurs when a sound loop exists between an audio input and an audio output...
and
distortionA distortion is the alteration of the original shape of an object, image, sound, waveform or other form of information or representation. Distortion is usually unwanted...
, along with
Dave DaviesDave Davies is an English rock musician , best known for his membership with the English rock band The Kinks....
of the Kinks,
Hilton ValentineHilton Valentine is a English musician, who was an original guitarist in the The Animals.-Biography:Valentine was influenced by the 1950s skiffle craze...
of the Animals,
Pete TownshendPeter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
of The Who,
Eric ClaptonEric Patrick Clapton, CBE is an English blues-rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, and composer. Clapton has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Yardbirds, of Cream, and as a solo performer, being the only person ever to be inducted three times...
of Cream and
Jeff BeckGeoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He was one of the three noted guitarists — the others being Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page — to have played with The Yardbirds...
of the Yardbirds.
Hard rock emerged with groups of the late-1960s, such as
The WhoThe Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend, vocalist Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They became known for energetic live performances including the pioneering spectacle of instrument destruction...
,
Deep PurpleDeep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford, Hertfordshire in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members have tried not to categorise themselves as any one genre. The band...
,
Iron ButterflyIron Butterfly is an American psychedelic rock band, well known for their 1968 hit "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida". They are considered an early heavy metal band as a result of this song and others like it, as well as the title of their debut album, Heavy Iron Butterfly is an American psychedelic rock band,...
,
Blue CheerBlue Cheer was an American blues-rock band that initially performed and recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and has been sporadically active since...
and
Led ZeppelinLed Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in 1968 by Jimmy Page , Robert Plant , John Paul Jones and John Bonham . With their heavy, guitar-driven sound, Led Zeppelin are regarded as one of the first heavy metal bands, helping to pioneer the genre...
who mixed the music of early rock bands with a more hard-edged form of blues rock and
acid rockAcid rock is a form of psychedelic rock, which is characterized with long instrumental solos, few lyrics and musical improvisation. Tom Wolfe describes the LSD-influenced music of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Doors, Iron Butterfly, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Cream, Jefferson Airplane,...
.
Deep PurpleDeep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford, Hertfordshire in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members have tried not to categorise themselves as any one genre. The band...
helped pioneer the hard rock genre with the albums
Shades of Deep PurpleShades of Deep Purple is the debut album by English hard rock band Deep Purple, released in 1968 on Parlophone in the UK and Tetragrammaton in the United States.The album reached #24 on Billboard's Pop Album charts in the U.S....
(1968),
The Book of TaliesynThe Book of Taliesyn is the second album by English rock band Deep Purple, released in 1968 by Tetragrammaton in the US, and by EMI's Harvest Records in the UK, and Polydor in Canada and Japan in 1969....
(1968), and
Deep PurpleDeep Purple is the third studio album by English hard rock band Deep Purple, released in 1969 on Harvest Records in the United Kingdom and on Tetragrammaton in the US...
(1969), but they made their big break with their fourth and distinctively heavier album,
In Rock (1970). Led Zeppelin's eponymous first album,
Led ZeppelinLed Zeppelin is the debut album of English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was recorded in October 1968 at Olympic Studios in London and released on Atlantic Records on 12 January 1969. The album featured integral contributions from each of the group's four musicians and established Led Zeppelin's...
(1969), and The Who's
Live at LeedsLive at Leeds is The Who's first live album, and is their only live album that was released while the group was still recording and performing regularly. Initially released in the United States on 16 May 1970, by Decca and MCA and the United Kingdom on 23 May 1970, by Track and Polydor, the album...
(1970), are examples of music from the beginning of the hard rock genre. The blues origins of the albums are clear, and a few songs by well-known blues artists are adapted or covered within them. Allmusic's Bruce Eder &
Stephen Thomas ErlewineStephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for allmusic.com. He is the author of many of artist biographies and record reviews for allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the...
note
Live at Leeds as an important rock record for The Who, capturing their notorious live 60s hard rock sound.
First era (1970s)
Led Zeppelin's third album,
Led Zeppelin IIILed Zeppelin III is the third album by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was recorded between January and July 1970 and was released on 5 October 1970 by Atlantic Records. Composed largely at a remote cottage in Wales known as Bron-Yr-Aur, this work represented a maturing of the band's music...
(1970) was more
Folk rockFolk rock is a musical genre, combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
-oriented than their second, but the heavy aspects of their music remained. 1971 saw The Who release their highly-acclaimed album
Who's NextWho's Next is the fifth album by the English rock band The Who. It was released on 31 July 1971 by Decca and MCA in the United States and 25 August 1971 in the United Kingdom through Track and Polydor. The album has origins in a rock opera conceived by Pete Townshend called Lifehouse...
.
Deep PurpleDeep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford, Hertfordshire in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members have tried not to categorise themselves as any one genre. The band...
's transformation of hard rock continued in 1972 with their album
Machine HeadMachine Head is the sixth Deep Purple studio album. It was recorded at the Grand Hotel Montreux, Switzerland in December 1971 with the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, and released in March 1972....
, considered one of the first
heavy metalHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in England and the United States...
albums, although some band members shunned that label. Two songs from
Machine Head had great success: "
Highway Star"Highway Star" is a song by British hard rock band Deep Purple off their 1972 album Machine Head. It is characterized by a long classically-inspired guitar solo and organ solo. Organist Jon Lord claimed that the organ solo is based on a Bach-like sequence.- History :This song was born on a tour...
" and "
Smoke on the Water"Smoke on the Water" is a song by the British hard rock band Deep Purple. It was first released on their 1972 album Machine Head.-Composition:...
." The latter song's main riff of four power-chords made it, for many, the "signature" Deep Purple song.
NazarethNazareth is a Scottish rock band that had several hard rock hits in the mid 1970s, including the Felice and Boudleaux Bryant penned ballad, "Love Hurts".-Career:...
, a band out of
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, provided a blend of hard rock which commercialised the genre further with their best selling album,
Hair of the DogHair of the Dog was the sixth studio album by the Scottish rock band Nazareth, released in 1975. It was released on A&M Records. The album was recorded at Escape Studios, in Kent, United Kingdom and is the band's biggest selling album to date, having sold two million copies worldwide.After three...
, which in turn, influenced numerous other bands.
During the 1970s, hard rock developed a variety of sub-genres. In 1972, macabre-rock pioneer
Alice CooperAlice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
put hard rock into the mainstream with the top ten album
School's OutSchool's Out is an album released by Alice Cooper in 1972. The album's title track has remained a staple song in Alice Cooper's live setlist and receives regular airplay on many "Classic Rock" radio stations....
. The following year,
AerosmithAerosmith is an American hard rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and seen by some as America's greatest rock and roll band. Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues,, and has...
,
QueenQueen were an English rock band. Formed in London in 1970 following the demise of the band Smile, Queen consisted of vocalist Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, bassist John Deacon and drummer Roger Taylor. The band became popular with audiences via their hit songs, live performances,...
and
MontroseMontrose was a Californian hard rock/heavy metal band. The band originally featured Ronnie Montrose on guitar and future solo artist and former Van Halen member Sammy Hagar.-History:...
released their eponymous debut albums, demonstrating the broadening directions of hard rock. In 1974,
Bad CompanyBad Company are an English hard rock supergroup founded in 1973, consisting of band members from Free , Mott the Hoople , and King Crimson . Bad Company was managed by Peter Grant, who had also guided Led Zeppelin to massive success...
released its debut album and Queen released its third album,
Sheer Heart AttackSheer Heart Attack is the third album by English rock group Queen, released November 1974. It was produced by Queen and Roy Thomas Baker for EMI in the UK, and Elektra in the US.-Track listing:-Brighton Rock:...
, with the track "
Stone Cold Crazy"Stone Cold Crazy" is a song by English rock band Queen from their successful 1974 album Sheer Heart Attack. The song is the eighth track on the album...
" influencing later thrash metal artists, such as
MetallicaMetallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1981. Founded when drummer Lars Ulrich posted an advertisement in a local newspaper, Metallica's line-up has primarily consisted of Ulrich, rhythm guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield, and lead guitarist Kirk...
and
MegadethMegadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1983. Founded by Dave Mustaine following his departure from Metallica, the band has since released twelve studio albums, six live albums, two EPs, twenty six singles, thirty-two music videos, and three compilations.As...
. Queen used layered vocals and guitars and mixed hard rock with glam rock, heavy metal,
progressive rockProgressive rock is a form of rock music that evolved in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility."...
, and even
operaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score. Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
.
KissKiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in December 1972. Easily identified by its members' trademark face paint and stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid and late-1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
released their first three albums
KissKiss is the self-titled debut album from the American hard rock band Kiss. When it was released, on February 18, 1974, Kiss had been a band for little more than one year. Much of the material on the album was written by Gene Simmons and/or Paul Stanley, as members of their pre-Kiss band, Wicked...
,
Hotter Than HellHotter Than Hell is the second album from the rock group Kiss. It was certified Gold on June 23, 1977, having sold 500,000 copies. The album was re-released in 1997 in a remastered version...
and
Dressed to KillDressed to Kill is a 1975 album from American hard rock group Kiss. It is the band's third studio album and is unique for having been produced by the president of Casablanca Records, Neil Bogart....
, in a little over a year, achieving their commercial breakthrough with the double live album
Alive! in 1975. The Canadian trio
RushRush is a Canadian rock band originally formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
released three distinctively hard rock albums in 1974-75 (
RushRush is the eponymous debut studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1974 and remastered in 1997. Rush's first release shows much of the heavy metal sound typical of many of the popular rock bands emerging from Britain earlier in the decade...
,
Fly by Night, and
Caress of SteelCaress of Steel is the third studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1975. The album shows more of Rush's adherence to the hard rock and progressive rock styles of the band's first two albums. Long pieces, pieces broken up into parts, and solo passages of speed and agility are all...
) before moving toward a more progressive sound.
In the mid-1970s, Aerosmith released the ground-breaking
Toys in the AtticToys in the Attic is the third album by American rock band Aerosmith. The album is their second most commercially successful studio album, with eight million copies sold in the US alone....
and
RocksRocks is the fourth album by American rock band Aerosmith, released May, 3 1976. Allmusic described Rocks as having "captured Aerosmith at their most raw and rocking". Rocks also ranked #176 on Rolling Stones list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and is also noted in musician Kurt Cobain's...
which incorporated elements of blues and hard rock and would later influence rock artists such as
MetallicaMetallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1981. Founded when drummer Lars Ulrich posted an advertisement in a local newspaper, Metallica's line-up has primarily consisted of Ulrich, rhythm guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield, and lead guitarist Kirk...
,
Guns N' RosesGuns N' Roses is an American rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band, led by frontman and co-founder Axl Rose, has gone through numerous line-up changes and controversies since its formation...
and
Mötley CrüeMötley Crüe is a American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The band was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
. In 1976,
BostonBoston is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts that achieved its most notable successes during the 1970s and 1980s. Centered on guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, and producer Tom Scholz, the band is a staple of classic rock radio playlists...
released their highly successful
debut albumBoston is the debut album by American rock band Boston, released in August of 1976 on Epic Records, catalogue 32038. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200, and has been certified as selling 17x platinum in 2003.-Background:...
while
HeartHeart is a rock band whose founding members came from Seattle, Washington, USA in the early 1970s. Going through several lineup changes, the only constant members of the group are sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. The group rose to fame in the 1970s with their music being influenced by hard rock as...
paved the way for women in the genre with the release of their
debutDreamboat Annie is the debut album by the band Heart, released in 1976. It contained three hit singles which became staples on FM radio. Producer Mike Flicker of Mushroom Records, a newly formed Canadian label, helped the group to polish their sound and obtain a recording contract with the...
.
The
IrishIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
band
Thin LizzyThin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band who formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1969. The band were led throughout their recording career by bassist, songwriter and singer Phil Lynott, and are best known for their songs "Whiskey in the Jar", "Jailbreak" and "The Boys Are Back in Town", all major...
, which had been around since the late 1960s, made their most substantial commercial breakthrough in 1976 with the hard rock album
JailbreakJailbreak is the sixth studio album by Irish hard rock band Thin Lizzy, released in 1976. This album proved to be Thin Lizzy's commercial breakthrough in the U.S. The singles include "Jailbreak" and "The Boys Are Back in Town", the latter being Thin Lizzy's biggest hit...
and its top single, "
The Boys Are Back in Town"The Boys Are Back in Town" is a single from Irish hard rock band Thin Lizzy. The song came out in 1976 on their album Jailbreak. It was honoured with the 499th position among Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time...
."
The 1975 departure of Deep Purple guitarist
Ritchie BlackmoreRichard Hugh "Ritchie" Blackmore is an English guitarist, who was a founding member of hard rock bands Deep Purple and Rainbow. He left Deep Purple in 1993 due to a growing rift between Blackmore and other members in spite of renewed commercial success...
(who went on to form
RainbowRainbow were an English rock band formed by former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore in 1975. In addition to Blackmore, the band originally consisted of former Elf members; lead singer Ronnie James Dio , keyboardist Mickey Lee Soule, bassist Craig Gruber, and drummer Gary Driscoll...
the same year) was followed by the sudden death of his replacement
Tommy BolinThomas Richard 'Tommy' Bolin was an American-born guitarist best known for his work with Zephyr , The James Gang , Deep Purple , and his solo work.- Musical career :Tommy Bolin began playing in bands around Sioux City as a youth before moving to Boulder, Colorado, in...
in 1976, but by that time the group had already disbanded. In 1978, The Who's drummer,
Keith MoonKeith John Moon was an English drummer of the rock group The Who. He gained notoriety for exuberant drumming and his destructive lifestyle that earned him the nickname, "Moon the Loon." Moon joined The Who in 1964...
, died in his sleep via an overdose. With the rise of
discoDisco is a genre of dance music that that had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, psychedelic and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and early 1970s...
in the U.S. and
punk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed the perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
in the UK, hard rock's mainstream dominance was rivaled and began to decline. Disco appealed to a more diverse group of people and punk seemed to take over the rebellious role that hard rock once held. Meanwhile,
Black SabbathBlack Sabbath are an English rock band, formed in Birmingham in 1968 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple lineup changes, with a total of twenty-two former members...
moved away from the darkness of their early work with albums such as
Technical EcstasyTechnical Ecstasy is a 1976 album from heavy metal band Black Sabbath.- Album information :Technical Ecstasy continued the band's separation from its signature doom and darkness that had been such a trademark of the band's early career...
.
Van HalenVan Halen is a hard rock band formed in , USA in 1974. They enjoyed success from the release of their self titled debut album in 1978. As of 2007, Van Halen has sold more than 200 million albums worldwide and have had the most number one hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
, another important group in hard rock, emerged in 1978. Their music was based mostly on the guitar skills of
Eddie Van HalenEdward Lodewijkz "Eddie" Van Halen , is a Dutch-born American guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the hard rock band Van Halen. Van Halen is widely known for his rapid guitar playing, tapping, and high frequency feedback...
, the lead guitarist, who popularised a technique called
tappingTapping is a playing technique generally associated with the electric guitar, although the technique may be performed on almost any stringed instrument...
in guitar playing. The song "
Eruption"Eruption" is an instrumental guitar solo by Van Halen from their first album, Van Halen. Written and primarily performed by Eddie Van Halen, this electric guitar solo showcase is considered one of the most influential rock instrumentals of all time, appearing on many 'greatest guitar solos' lists,...
" from the album
Van HalenVan Halen is the eponymous debut album by American hard rock band Van Halen, released in 1978.-Background and reception:Recorded in 1977 and released in February 1978, it has sold over ten million copies in the United States alone and is one of the most successful debuts by a hard rock band...
, demonstrated his technique and was very influential.
In 1979, the differences between the hard rock movement and the rising heavy metal movement were highlighted when the Australian hard rock band,
AC/DCAC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Although the band are commonly classified as hard rock and are considered pioneers of heavy metal, they have always classified their music as "rock and roll".AC/DC underwent several line-up...
, released its second-biggest album,
Highway to HellHighway to Hell is the sixth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released in July 1979. It is also AC/DC's fifth international studio album...
. AC/DC's music was based mostly on rhythm & blues and early-1970s hard rock, with the group explicitly repudiating the "heavy metal" tag.
Second era (1980s)
In 1980,
Led ZeppelinLed Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in 1968 by Jimmy Page , Robert Plant , John Paul Jones and John Bonham . With their heavy, guitar-driven sound, Led Zeppelin are regarded as one of the first heavy metal bands, helping to pioneer the genre...
disbanded after the accidental sudden death of drummer
John BonhamJohn Henry "Bonzo" Bonham was an English drummer and songwriter, best known as the drummer of the band Led Zeppelin.He was renowned for his power, fast right foot, distinctive sound and "feel" for the groove....
, who died of asphyxiation after consuming too much alcohol.
Bon ScottRonald Belford "Bon" Scott was an Australian rock musician, best known for being the lead singer and lyricist of Australian hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980...
, the lead singer of AC/DC, also died of alcohol poisoning in 1980. With these deaths, the first wave of "classic" hard rock bands ended. Some bands, such as Queen, moved away from their hard rock roots and more towards pop rock. AC/DC recorded the album
Back in BlackBack in Black is the seventh Australian and sixth internationally released studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released on 25 July 1980. Back in Black was the first AC/DC album recorded without former lead singer Bon Scott, who died on 19 February 1980 at the age of 33...
, with their new lead singer,
Brian JohnsonBrian Johnson is a English singer and songwriter who, since 1980, has been the lead singer for the Australian rock band AC/DC, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 along with the other members of the band....
.
Back in Black is the fifth highest-selling album of all time in the U.S. and the second largest selling album in the world.
Ozzy OsbourneJohn Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English singer-songwriter, whose career has now spanned four decades. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead vocalist of pioneering British heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and eventually achieved a multi-platinum solo career which revolutionized the heavy metal genre...
released his first solo album,
Blizzard of OzzBlizzard of Ozz is a heavy metal album by Ozzy Osbourne, recorded in Surrey, UK and released on September 20, 1980 in the UK and on March 27, 1981 in the U.S.....
which featured American guitarist
Randy RhoadsRandall William "Randy" Rhoads was an American heavy metal guitarist who played with Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot. Despite his short career, he is cited as an influence by many contemporary heavy metal guitarists. A devoted student of classical guitar, Rhoads often combined his classical music...
.
In 1981, the British hard rock band
Def LeppardDef Leppard are an English rock band from Sheffield, who formed in 1977 as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Largely on the strength of their albums Pyromania and Hysteria, Def Leppard became one of the top-selling rock bands throughout the 1980s, selling over 65 million albums...
released their second album
High 'N' DryHigh 'n' Dry is the second studio album by British heavy metal band Def Leppard, released on July 11, 1981 and the last studio album by the band to feature original co-lead guitarist Pete Willis, who was fired in 1982 for excessive alcohol consumption Its title song "High...
, on which they categorized the sound of hard rock in the 1980s with songs like "Bringin' on The Heartbreak." The U.S. band
Mötley CrüeMötley Crüe is a American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The band was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
followed suit with their release
Too Fast for LoveToo Fast for Love is the debut album of American glam metal band Mötley Crüe. Originally released independently on November 10, 1981, on the band's Leathür Records label, the album was produced by Michael Wagener...
. A year later, the style grew, led by bands such as
Twisted SisterTwisted Sister is an American heavy metal band from New York City. Their work fuses the shock tactics of Alice Cooper, the rebellious mood of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, and the extravagant image of glam rock bands such as New York Dolls notably for the makeup...
and
Quiet RiotQuiet Riot was an American heavy metal band whose 1983 US Festival appearance helped to solidify metal's image. They are best known for their hit singles "Cum on Feel the Noize" and "Metal Health." They were founded in 1973 by guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni, under the name Mach 1...
.
In 1983, Def Leppard released the album
PyromaniaPyromania is the third studio album by British heavy metal band Def Leppard, released in 1983. It broke the band across North America and in Japan, and would sell over 10 million copies in the US alone...
, which reached #2 on the American charts. With this release, they established their trademark style of mixing glam-rock and heavy metal.
Pyromania undeniably started the pop influenced metal explosion that followed, with songs such as "Photograph" and "Rock of Ages," which gatecrashed the American Top 20. This same album spawned the songs "Foolin'" and "Too Late for Love," which were major Top 40 hits. "Photograph" was also the most played video clip on
MTVMTV is a cable television network based in New York City and launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs...
that same year, beating out even
Michael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson , known as the "King of Pop", was an American musician and one of the most commercially successful and influential entertainers of all time...
's highly successful "Thriller" video.
That same year, Mötley Crüe released the album,
Shout at the DevilShout at the Devil is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, released on September 26, 1983. The songs "Looks that Kill" and " Too Young to Fall in Love" charted on the Billboard Singles Chart, and "Shout at the Devil" also charted on the Mainstream Rock...
, which became a huge hit.
Van HalenVan Halen is a hard rock band formed in , USA in 1974. They enjoyed success from the release of their self titled debut album in 1978. As of 2007, Van Halen has sold more than 200 million albums worldwide and have had the most number one hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
's album
19841984 is the sixth album by American hard rock band Van Halen. One of the band's more popular albums , 1984 is the final album featuring singer David Lee Roth, who later left the band in the spring of the following year because of escalating tensions between him and...
became a huge success as well, hitting #2 on the Billboard album charts. In particular, the song "
Jump"Jump" is a song recorded by the rock group Van Halen. It is the only single the group released in their career to reach number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It was released in 1984 as the second track on the album 1984...
" reached #1 on the
singles chartThe Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, where it remained for several weeks.
After a number of lineup changes and an 8-year disbandment, Deep Purple's classic
Machine Head formation made a successful comeback in late 1984 with the release of
Perfect StrangersPerfect Strangers is the eleventh studio album by Deep Purple, released in October 1984. It represents the first album recorded by the reformed, and most successful and popular, 'Mark II' line-up....
. The album reached #5 in the
UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
and #6 on the
Billboard 200The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling new music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
in the
USThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The late 1980s saw the most commercially successful time period for hard rock. Numerous hard rock acts achieved hits in the mainstream charts. One of those hits was the album
Slippery When WetSlippery When Wet is the third studio album by Bon Jovi, released in August 1986 by Mercury Records. Slippery When Wet was an instant commercial success. The album features songs that are considered today as Bon Jovi's most well-known tracks, with songs such as "You Give Love A Bad Name", "Livin'...
(1986) by
Bon JoviBon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Fronted by lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , Bon Jovi formed in 1983 with guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, bassist Alec John Such and drummer Tico Torres. Other than the departure of Alec John Such in 1994 and...
, which spent a total of 8 weeks at the top of the
Billboard 200The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling new music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
album chart, sold 12 million copies, and became the first hard rock album to spawn three Top 10 singles—two of which reached #1. In addition, the anthem rock album
The Final CountdownThe Final Countdown is a 1980 science fiction film about a modern aircraft carrier that travels through time to just before the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor...
by
SwedishSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
group
EuropeEurope is a Swedish hard rock band formed in Upplands Väsby in 1979 under the name Force by vocalist Joey Tempest and guitarist John Norum. Although widely associated with glam metal, the band's sound incorporates heavy metal and hard rock elements...
was released in 1986 and reached #1 on 26 countries' charts and sold more than 6 million copies. This time period also saw more glam-infused American hard rock bands come to the forefront, with both
PoisonPoison is an American glam metal band that achieved great success and popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They have become icons of the '80s MTV era and have had widespread commercial success. To date, the band has sold more than 60 million records worldwide, including 14.5 million in the...
and
CinderellaCinderella is an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They emerged in the mid-1980s with a series of multi-platinum albums and hit singles whose music videos received heavy MTV rotation. They were famous for being a glam metal and hard rock band, but then shifted over towards a more...
releasing their multi-platinum debut albums this year. Also in 1986,
Van HalenVan Halen is a hard rock band formed in , USA in 1974. They enjoyed success from the release of their self titled debut album in 1978. As of 2007, Van Halen has sold more than 200 million albums worldwide and have had the most number one hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
released their first album with
Sammy HagarSamuel Roy "Sammy" Hagar , known as "The Red Rocker", is an American rock singer, guitarist, composer and solo artist. Hagar was one of the three singers for Van Halen, as well as of the early 1970s rock band Montrose. On March 12, 2007, Hagar was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a...
on lead vocals,
51505150 is the seventh album by American hard rock band Van Halen, released in 1986. This was the first album recorded with new lead singer Sammy Hagar, who replaced David Lee Roth....
, which was #1 for three weeks and sold over 6 million copies in the U.S.
In 1987, the most notable success of the decade came in the form of
Appetite for DestructionAppetite for Destruction is the debut studio album by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses. Released in 1987 , it was well-received by critics and topped the American Billboard 200 chart. As of September 2008, the album has been certified diamond by the RIAA, accumulating worldwide sales in...
by
Guns N' RosesGuns N' Roses is an American rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band, led by frontman and co-founder Axl Rose, has gone through numerous line-up changes and controversies since its formation...
, and
Hysteria by Def Leppard (both of which reached #1 on Billboard's album chart). Both sold well over 10 million copies in America alone and more than 20 million around the world to date.
Appetite produced three Top 10 hits, including the #1 "Sweet Child o' Mine," and is still listed as the fastest-selling debut album by any artist in history as well as the biggest selling debut album in history, selling 18 million copies in the U.S. alone.
Hysteria produced seven hit singles (more than any hard rock act before or since). Also of note that year was Mötley Crüe's
Girls, Girls, Girls, Aerosmith's comeback album
Permanent VacationPermanent Vacation is the ninth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released in 1987.The album marks a turning point in the band's career. It is their first album to employ professional songwriters, instead of featuring material solely composed by members of the band. It was also the...
and
WhitesnakeWhitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1977 by David Coverdale . The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple but by the mid eighties Whitesnake had moved away from the early blues-rock influenced heavy metal to a more commercial hard rock style.They were recently...
's
self-titled albumWhitesnake is the eighth studio album by British hard rock band of the same name , released in 1987. The album was a major crossover hit eventually selling over eight million copies in the United States alone...
.
In 1988 and 1989, the most notable successes were
New JerseyNew Jersey is Bon Jovi's fourth album, released on September 19, 1988. New Jersey was particularly notable for producing five Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 singles, the most top ten hits to date for a rock album. New Jersey was supported by the massive New Jersey Syndicate Tour, which ran from 1988 to...
by
Bon JoviBon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Fronted by lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , Bon Jovi formed in 1983 with guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, bassist Alec John Such and drummer Tico Torres. Other than the departure of Alec John Such in 1994 and...
,
PumpPump is the tenth album by American rock band Aerosmith, released in 1989. The album was remastered and reissued in 2001.Pump was widely acclaimed by both fans and critics upon its release...
by
AerosmithAerosmith is an American hard rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and seen by some as America's greatest rock and roll band. Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues,, and has...
,
OU812OU812 is the eighth album by American hard rock band Van Halen, released in 1988. The album title is allegedly a joke on Van Halen's previous lead singer David Lee Roth's 1986 album Eat 'Em and Smile . However, "OU812" was also seen in the 70s sitcom Taxi written on a wall...
by
Van HalenVan Halen is a hard rock band formed in , USA in 1974. They enjoyed success from the release of their self titled debut album in 1978. As of 2007, Van Halen has sold more than 200 million albums worldwide and have had the most number one hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
,
Dr. FeelgoodDr. Feelgood is the fifth album by American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, released on September 1, 1989.-Album information:Dr. Feelgood topped the Billboard 200 chart , being the first album Mötley Crüe had recorded after their quest for sobriety and rehabilitation in 1989...
by
Mötley CrüeMötley Crüe is a American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The band was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
, and
Open Up and Say... Ahh! by
PoisonPoison is an American glam metal band that achieved great success and popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They have become icons of the '80s MTV era and have had widespread commercial success. To date, the band has sold more than 60 million records worldwide, including 14.5 million in the...
.
New Jersey spawned five Top 10 singles, the most ever for a hard rock album. In 1988,
Skid RowSkid Row is an American heavy metal band, formed in 1986 in Toms River, New Jersey. They are named after Phil Lynott and Gary Moore's first band. They were most successful in the late 1980s and early 1990s when their first two albums with lead singer Sebastian Bach and drummer Rob Affuso were...
formed. Their first album,
Skid RowSkid Row is the debut album from the American heavy metal band Skid Row, released on January 24, 1989. The album is certified 5x Platinum by the RIAA. The album spawned the top 10 singles "18 and Life" and "I Remember You" and the Mainstream rock hit "Youth Gone Wild". It is the band's most...
, was released in 1989, reaching number 6 in the Billboard 200. Towards the end of the 1980s, numerous hard rock artists such as
Mr. BigMr Big is a hard rock group that formed in 1988. The band is a quartet composed of Eric Martin , Paul Gilbert , Billy Sheehan , and Pat Torpey ; Mr Big also included Richie Kotzen, a reputable blues-based guitarist who replaced Gilbert in 1999. The band is noted especially for their musicianship,...
, Firehouse, Warrant, Winger, and
ExtremeExtreme is an American rock band, headed by frontmen Gary Cherone and Nuno Bettencourt, that reached the height of their popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s.Among some of Extreme's musical influences are Queen and Van Halen...
broke into mainstream success, with many of these bands achieving their peak success in 1990 and 1991.
Third era (1990s-present)
The early 1990s were at first dominated by
Guns N' RosesGuns N' Roses is an American rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band, led by frontman and co-founder Axl Rose, has gone through numerous line-up changes and controversies since its formation...
,
MetallicaMetallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1981. Founded when drummer Lars Ulrich posted an advertisement in a local newspaper, Metallica's line-up has primarily consisted of Ulrich, rhythm guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield, and lead guitarist Kirk...
and
Van HalenVan Halen is a hard rock band formed in , USA in 1974. They enjoyed success from the release of their self titled debut album in 1978. As of 2007, Van Halen has sold more than 200 million albums worldwide and have had the most number one hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
. The multi-platinum releases of Metallica's
MetallicaMetallica, informally known as The Black Album, is the fifth album by the American heavy metal band Metallica, released August 13, 1991 through Elektra Records. The album features songs that are considered today as Metallica's most well-known tracks, with songs such as "Enter Sandman", "The...
(often referred to as "The Black Album"), Guns N' Roses'
Use Your Illusion IUse Your Illusion I is the third studio album by hard rock band Guns N' Roses. It was the first of two albums released in conjunction with the Use Your Illusion Tour, the other named Use Your Illusion II, thus they are sometimes seen together as a double album...
and
Use Your Illusion IIUse Your Illusion II is the fourth studio album by hard rock band Guns N' Roses. It was one of two albums released in conjunction with the Use Your Illusion Tour, and as a result the two albums are sometimes seen together as a double album...
and Van Halen's
For Unlawful Carnal KnowledgeFor Unlawful Carnal Knowledge is the ninth album by the American hard rock band Van Halen, released in 1991. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart, and maintained the position for three weeks...
in 1991 showcased this popularity. In 1991 an alternative to hard rock broke into the mainstream.
GrungeGrunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
combined elements of
hardcore punkHardcore punk, often just called hardcore, is a subgenre of punk rock that originated primarily in North America in the late 1970s. The new sound was generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock...
and
heavy metalHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in England and the United States...
into a dirty sound that made use of heavy guitar distortion, fuzz and feedback, along with darker lyrical themes than their "hair band" predecessors. Although most grunge bands had a sound that sharply contrasted mainstream hard rock (for example
NirvanaNirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
,
Pearl JamPearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
and
L7L7 was an American rock band from Los Angeles that was active from 1985 to 2000. Due to their sound and image, they are often associated with the grunge movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s. -History:...
), a minority (for example
Alice in ChainsAlice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist Jerry Cantrell and vocalist Layne Staley. Although widely associated with grunge music, the band's sound incorporates heavy metal and acoustic elements. Since its formation, Alice in Chains has released...
,
Mother Love BoneMother Love Bone was an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1988. The band was active from 1988 to 1990. Frontman Andrew Wood's personality and compositions helped to catapult the group to the top of the burgeoning late 1980s/early 1990s Seattle music scene...
, and
SoundgardenSoundgarden was a Grammy Award winning American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by lead singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
) were more strongly influenced by much 1970s and 1980s rock and metal. However, all grunge bands shunned the macho, anthemic and fashion-focused style of hard rock at that time.
As the popularity of artists such as Metallica and Van Halen continued from the 1980s into the 1990s, some other bands had begun to fuse metal with a range of eclectic influences. These bands came to be known as
alternative metalAlternative metal is a genre of heavy metal that gained popularity in the early 1990s. Most notably, alternative metal bands are characterized by heavy guitar riffs; typically, these riffs have a pronounced experimental edge, including unconventional lyrics, odd time signatures, more syncopation...
artists, a subset of
alternative rockAlternative rock is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s...
. Some, such as
PrimusPrimus is an American funk metal band currently composed of singer and bassist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde, and drummer Tim "Herb" Alexander....
,
Red Hot Chili PeppersRed Hot Chili Peppers is an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1983. For most of the band's existence, the members have been vocalist Anthony Kiedis, guitarist John Frusciante, bassist Michael "Flea" Balzary, and drummer Chad Smith...
,
Rage Against the MachineRage Against the Machine , is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1991...
,
Living ColourLiving Colour is an African American funk metal band from New York City, formed in 1983. Stylistically, the band's music is a creative fusion influenced by heavy metal, funk, hard rock, free jazz, hardcore punk and hip hop...
and
White ZombieWhite Zombie was a Grammy Award-nominated American rock band named afterthe 1932 film of the same name, which starred Béla Lugosi.Based in New York, White Zombie was originally a noise rock band. White Zombie are better-known for their later heavy metal-oriented sound, with lyrics heavily...
fused
funkFunk is an American music genre that originated in the late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, soul jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
with metal styles, though most of these bands actually formed in the '80s.
Faith No MoreFaith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California formed originally as Faith No Man in 1981 by bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist Wade Worthington, frontman Mike Morris and drummer Mike Bordin. A year later when Wade Worthington was replaced by keyboardist Roddy Bottum, and Mike...
/
Mr. BungleMr. Bungle was an experimental rock/avant-garde metal group from Northern California. The band was formed in 1985 while the members were still in high school and was named after a children's educational film. Mr. Bungle released four demo tapes in the mid to late 1980s before being signed to...
fused many genres with hard rock, ranging from rap music to soul. The Darkness's retro glam-metal influences helped propel them to the upper realms of the charts in the early 2000s, with the likes of
WolfmotherWolfmother are an Australian hard rock band that formed in Erskineville, Sydney in 2000. Originally a trio comprising vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, bassist and keyboardist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett, the band released their debut self-titled album in October 2005, which reached...
. Towards the mid 2000s with new bands started to become mainstream,
JetJET is a rock band from Melbourne, Australia composed of Cameron Muncey, Mark Wilson, and brothers Nic and Chris Cester. The group has sold 4 million records worldwide; with their debut album Get Born, released in 2003, accounting for about 3.5 million of that figure.-Formation and Dirty...
,
WolfmotherWolfmother are an Australian hard rock band that formed in Erskineville, Sydney in 2000. Originally a trio comprising vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, bassist and keyboardist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett, the band released their debut self-titled album in October 2005, which reached...
, White Stripes,
The StrokesThe Strokes is an American rock band formed in 1999 in New York City. They rose to fame in the early 2000s as leaders in the garage rock revival. The band's members are Julian Casablancas , Nick Valensi , Albert Hammond, Jr...
,
The VinesThe Vines are an Australian garage rock band noted for producing a musical hybrid of '60s rock and '90s alternative music. Since 2006 their line-up has consisted of vocalist and lead guitarist Craig Nicholls, rhythm guitarist Ryan Griffiths, bassist Brad Heald and drummer Hamish Rosser.They...
,
The AnswerThe Answer are a Northern Irish hard rock and blues-rock band from Newcastle and Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland. They have achieved success with their debut album Rise selling in excess of 30,000 copies in the UK & Europe, 10,000 on day one in Japan and 100,000 worldwide.-Lineup:*Cormac...
,
The GlitteratiThe Glitterati are a hard rock band from Leeds, and now primarily based in London, England. The band are currently signed with DR2 RECORDS/GLOBAL MUSIC.-Debut album:In 2004 the band released an EP called "Here Comes a Close Up"...
,
The DatsunsThe Datsuns are a hard rock band from Cambridge, New Zealand, formed in 2000.-History:In 1997, while still at school, Dolf de Borst , Phil Buscke , and Matt Osment formed a band under the name Trinket. Christian Livingstone joined the band in 1997 as a second guitarist...
, plus Nineteenth century and punk-influenced
Towers of LondonTowers of London are a punk band fromLondon, England who formed in 2004. Their music mixes elements of Rock and heavy metal music with '77-style British punk...
, are some of the new rock bands which followed up from the Garage rock revival.
This has helped revive the
glam metalGlam metal is a term used to describe the visual style or fashion of certain heavy metal music bands that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...
scene (e.g. bands like
BuckcherryBuckcherry is a Grammy-nominated hard rock band from Los Angeles, California formed in 1995. The band released two albums, Buckcherry and Time Bomb , before dissolving in the summer of 2002...
, which Guns N' Roses
Appetite for Destruction album is often credited with influencing). The 00's even saw reunions and subsequent tours from
Rage Against the MachineRage Against the Machine , is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1991...
,
Stone Temple PilotsStone Temple Pilots, often abbreviated to STP, is an American rock band consisting of Scott Weiland , brothers Robert and Dean DeLeo , and Eric Kretz . The band found immediate success with the release of their debut album Core in 1992, which was certified 8× platinum by the RIAA...
,
Eric BurdonEric Victor Burdon is best known as a founding member and vocalist of The Animals, a rock band formed in Newcastle, England, his multi-racial funk rock band War and his aggressive stage performance....
and
Living ColourLiving Colour is an African American funk metal band from New York City, formed in 1983. Stylistically, the band's music is a creative fusion influenced by heavy metal, funk, hard rock, free jazz, hardcore punk and hip hop...
, in addition to
Van HalenVan Halen is a hard rock band formed in , USA in 1974. They enjoyed success from the release of their self titled debut album in 1978. As of 2007, Van Halen has sold more than 200 million albums worldwide and have had the most number one hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
,
AC/DCAC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Although the band are commonly classified as hard rock and are considered pioneers of heavy metal, they have always classified their music as "rock and roll".AC/DC underwent several line-up...
,
The WhoThe Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend, vocalist Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They became known for energetic live performances including the pioneering spectacle of instrument destruction...
and
Black SabbathBlack Sabbath are an English rock band, formed in Birmingham in 1968 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple lineup changes, with a total of twenty-two former members...
and even a one off performance by
Led ZeppelinLed Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in 1968 by Jimmy Page , Robert Plant , John Paul Jones and John Bonham . With their heavy, guitar-driven sound, Led Zeppelin are regarded as one of the first heavy metal bands, helping to pioneer the genre...
, renewing the interest in previous eras.
In addition, a few hard rock bands from the 1970s and 1980s managed to sustain highly successful recording careers throughout the 1990s and 2000s by constantly re-inventing themselves and exploring different musical styles, namely
AerosmithAerosmith is an American hard rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and seen by some as America's greatest rock and roll band. Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues,, and has...
,
Bon JoviBon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Fronted by lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , Bon Jovi formed in 1983 with guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, bassist Alec John Such and drummer Tico Torres. Other than the departure of Alec John Such in 1994 and...
and
MetallicaMetallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1981. Founded when drummer Lars Ulrich posted an advertisement in a local newspaper, Metallica's line-up has primarily consisted of Ulrich, rhythm guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield, and lead guitarist Kirk...
. Aerosmith released two #1 albums, a #2 album, and a #5 album and achieved eight Top 40 singles (including a #1 hit) since 1989's
Pump. Bon Jovi released five albums which achieved platinum status or better, had a #1 album in 2007 and also achieved eight Top 40 singles since 1988's
New Jersey, and Metallica released five #1 albums since 1991's
The Black Album. All bands remained successful touring acts as well.
See also
- List of hard rock bands and artists
- Timeline of hard rock/heavy metal