Black Sabbath has been so influential in the development of heavy metal rock music as to be a defining force in the style. The group took the blues-rock sound of late '60s acts like Cream, Blue Cheer, and Vanilla Fudge to its logical conclusion, slowing the tempo, accentuating the bass, and emphasizing screaming guitar solos and howled vocals... [+] Read More

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In many ways, Alice in Chains was the definitive heavy metal band of the early '90s. Drawing equally from the heavy riffing of post-Van Halen metal and the gloomy strains of post-punk, the band developed a bleak, nihilistic sound that balanced grinding hard rock with subtly textured acoustic numbers. They were hard enough for metal fans, yet... [+] Read More

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One of the first punk/metal fusion bands, Corrosion of Conformity (C.O.C. for short) were formed in North Carolina by guitarist Woody Weatherman during the early '80s. In their early years, C.O.C. became known for their aggressive sound, intelligent political lyrics, and willingness to break away from both hardcore and metal conventions. In the... [+] Read More

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Green River were arguably the first grunge band, forming around the same time as the rest of Seattle's first wave (the Melvins, Soundgarden, and Malfunkshun). In 1985, they became the first grunge band to release a record, kickstarting the Seattle music scene and later helping to establish the Sub Pop label. However, Green River are even more... [+] Read More

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Like many influential bands, Helmet was born out of an unusual set of influences. Oregon-born guitarist and founder Page Hamilton had actually moved to New York City to study jazz, but found inspiration in the late '80s through post-punk acts Sonic Youth, Killing Joke, and Big Black, and envisioned a group that combined then-unusual tunings... [+] Read More

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nate localio= guitar & vocals
colby chase= drums & vocals

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Rising out of a new wave of independent music from Athens, GA, Jucifer produced a sound that resembled R.E.M. about as much as the New York Dolls resembled Barry Manilow. Alternating between atmospherics and frantic punk-metal, the boyfriend-girlfriend team of Ed Livengood and Amber Valentine began impressing locals with their performing skills... [+] Read More

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No band affected the metal world more than Pantera during the early to mid-'90s. Beginning with its 1990 album, Cowboys from Hell, the post-thrash band put to rest any and all remnants of the '80s metal scene, almost single-handedly demolishing any notion that hair metal, speed metal, power metal, et al., were anything but passé. Sure, a lot of... [+] Read More

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Although not the best known of Glenn Danzig's musical projects, the short-lived Samhain helped bridge the gap between the fierce punk of his Misfits days with the Sabbath-y metal blues of his solo band, Danzig. As most Danzig disciples know, the New Jersey-born singer first made a name for himself with the aforementioned Misfits, a group that... [+] Read More

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Where many of their Seattle-based contemporaries dealt in reconstructed Black Sabbath and Stooges riffs, Screaming Trees fused '60s psychedelia and garage rock with '70s hard rock and '80s punk. Over the course of their career, their more abrasive punk roots eventually gave way to a hard-edged, rootsy psychedelia that drew from rock and folk... [+] Read More

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Possibly the least appreciated of Seattle's early grunge pioneers, Skin Yard never broke out of the deeper levels of the underground. Unlike most of their peers, they never made it onto the Sub Pop roster, nor did their key personnel go on to breakout stardom with other bands. They did, however, contribute drummers to acts like Soundgarden and... [+] Read More

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Sonic Youth was one of the most unlikely success stories of underground American rock in the '80s. Where contemporaries R.E.M. and Hüsker Dü were fairly conventional in terms of song structure and melody, Sonic Youth began their career by abandoning any pretense of traditional rock & roll conventions. Borrowing heavily from the free-form noise... [+] Read More

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Soundgarden made a place for heavy metal in alternative rock. Their fellow Seattle rockers Green River may have spearheaded the grunge sound, but they relied on noise rock in the vein of the Stooges. Similarly, Jane's Addiction were too fascinated with prog rock and performance art to appeal to a wide array of metal fans. Soundgarden, however,... [+] Read More

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The self-described "power ambient" duo Sunn 0))) (also known as Sunn) formed in the mid-'90s and is headed up by guitarists Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson. These two are both experienced players in the doom metal underground, having been involved in numerous bands in addition to running the noted doom label Southern Lord. Anderson's credits... [+] Read More

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Tad were one of the heaviest Seattle grunge bands, fashioning a loud, slow, lumbering grind that -- unlike many of their peers -- was inspired far more by '70s metal than punk. Less melodic and accessible than grunge's biggest names, Tad's music simply steamrolled over everything in its way, which likely contributed to their being the last... [+] Read More

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No band deserves as much credit for keeping the gospel of classic Black Sabbath-derived heavy metal (no to mention bell-bottoms) alive during the '80s as Chicago's Trouble. And while the group's legend never exceeded cult status, their work would serve as inspiration for an entire generation of '90s bands in the thriving underground doom/stoner... [+] Read More

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Zonder cohesively blends a wide range of influences and styles. Robin Eckman’s explosive drumming, Michael Shiono’s adept bass playing, and Rus Archer’s sonic juggling combine to create an absurd stream-of-consciousness sci-fi music experience. Characterized by dissonance, odd time signatures, long, unusual melodies, and a polyrhythmic,... [+] Read More

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