The most popular hard rock bands. Bands, hard rock

Rock music has a large following these days. Rock is a mix of genres from rapcore to metalcore, and each genre is filled with countless fans. But if traditional rock is quite easily perceived, and is loved by many, then such genres as metalcore, hardcore or death metal are, as they say, "an amateur".

And just for those, we have compiled the top 10 most unusual and popular death metal bands. If you are a true fan of this direction, then most of the bands will most likely be familiar to you, but if not, we hope you will find something to your liking in the list below.

The group differs from its peers both in the style of performance and excellent musicians - the famous Michael Ammot is a member of this particular group. Each new album brings Arc Enemy more and more popularity, despite the fact that many of their fans do not like the obvious softening of hardcore style.

9 Necrophageist

The group does not enjoy world fame, but deserves attention by mixing the aggression from metal with the measured and smoothness that classical music presents us. If suddenly you are not familiar with this group - we advise you to download a couple of tracks, from acquaintance with their work, you will definitely not regret it.

8. Behemoth

The Polish band scares all their new listeners pretty well. They successfully stand out against the background of similar groups not only with the help of music, but also due to their style of clothing. You will never see these guys in T-shirts and torn jeans, no, only elegant suits, which are often designed by the musicians themselves.

If you touch on their creativity, you will be pleasantly surprised by the drum parts, unusual guitar parts, and if you take everything else, you will definitely not be disappointed. Summarizing, we can say that the group has its own unique style, which you will recognize instantly.

7. Children of Bodom

This Finnish band is famous for their complex yet rather melodic guitar riffs. The exact definition of their style has not yet been given, although the group has existed since 1993. The problem of "style" is still actively discussed by the band's fans and the press.

6. Cannibal Corpse

I think the vast majority of hard rock fans have heard about these guys. These Americans make really heavy music, which is not so easy to listen to, let alone love it. Only true connoisseurs of the genre are capable of this.

5. Mastodon

Although this band creates not only in death metal, but actively uses its elements in their songs, which allowed them to get into this list. Considering just one drummer, what Brann Dailor does on drums is beyond description, it's just incredible. Mastodon were even nominated for a Grammy, which is quite a prestigious award in the music world, which says a lot about the group's status.

4. Slayer

Not a single top of this genre can do without this group. Despite not the highest level of professionalism, the team is quite popular, and often receive invitations to all kinds of "metal" concerts.

It is interesting that the musicians themselves are willing to admit the presence of errors and shortcomings in their compositions, but they refuse to redo something, answering that they like everything in its original form. Well, their right.

3. Between the buried and me

Perhaps many will be surprised to see this team in such a top, and even in a prize-winning place. But, despite the fact that the guys play not only death metal, the amount of "metal" in their work, firmly strengthened them in third place. We ask all non-believers to listen to their songs and make sure that this statement is true. You will hear a beautiful and skillful mix of styles, as well as the work of excellent musicians.

2. Deicide

Even the second place does not prevent this team from being the heaviest on our list. Formed in 1987, these guys have remained in the same, "brutal" style. Their solos are simply amazing, and the compositions are sure to give you goosebumps.

To fully experience the flavor of Deicide, we advise you to listen to a song such as "Homage for Satan".

1.Death

Well, here even the name speaks for itself. This group can be safely called a kind of "founder" of the genre, which is the criterion for this top. In addition, their music is quite beautiful, and not as aggressive as those of the same Deicide.
It is enough to listen to just a couple of compositions, as it becomes clear that each participant puts all his strength, all his soul into his work, which cannot but deserve a response from the audience.

Hard Rock This is music for the ages. The origins of the creation of such heavy rhythms were rock, rock and roll, grunge rock and other styles. Although they were initially somewhat far from the rhythmic sections of bass guitars and drums, however, they still served for the good. Initially, hard rock began its ascent to the minds and ears of people starting around the sixties of the last century. The founders of hard rock can be called such groups as The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and others, a special contribution to the creation of heavy music was made by Jimi Hendrix. As an incredible guitarist, he practically became the father of hard rock. However, if the sixties could be called the time of the birth and the first attempts at the formation of a new style, then full-fledged hard rock showed itself a decade later. It was in the seventies that the peak of its development falls. So most of the bands founded during this period of time just belong to hard rock. However, there are so many that it would be impossible to list them all completely. If you are a fan of hard rock or want to trace the origins of glam, progressive rock or heavy metal, then below you can see the hard rock bands, the list of which is divided into several categories.

Let's start with foreign performers, whose history spans more than one decade. Although, some of them left the stage a long time ago, leaving at the peak of their fame, but many still decided to continue their careers and not to no avail. So the founders of hard rock can be called such legends as AC/DC, Guns N" Roses, Scorpions, Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Alice Cooper, Van Halen, Aerosmith and many others. Each of these groups takes pride of place on the musical Olympus. Whatever happens, they have already become legends.

Among those groups that are still performing, it is worth noting the team Bon Jovi. The team can be safely attributed to the best bands in the world. At that time, it was made up of Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, David Bryan, Tico Torres and Hugh McDonald. This is how the composition has reached our time. Quite unusual considering the group has been around for over three decades. But now is not about that. World fame came to the group three years after its foundation. A lot of studio albums, concerts and just recordings allowed the musicians to move up the career ladder and make a big name for themselves. In particular, I would like to note their most famous track - "It's My Life". Throughout the formation of their career, musicians have experienced many ups and downs. They released more than eleven studio albums, played more than two and a half thousand concerts around the world and already in 2006 received a place in the UK Rock Hall of Fame, but composers Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora even managed to get into the Composers Hall of Fame, although this is not marvelous. Throughout their history, the musicians have remained true to their originally chosen style, although they tried to combine it with glam and heavy metal, soft rock, but one way or another, hard rock has remained and remains with them for many years of creativity.

Another of the legends of hard rock can be called a group deep purple. It was these Britons who conquered all the world's stages in the early seventies. Their songs were everywhere. At the moment, musicians are considered the most influential stars in the world of heavy music. This becomes especially clear in the example of the contribution of musicians to the development of not only hard rock, but also progressive rock and heavy metal. So, this group can also be safely ranked among the founders of hard rock.

Guns N' Roses. One of the most successful rock bands in the world. And if we consider that they perform in the style of hard rock and do not change their preferences for a long time, then they can also be considered among the founding fathers of the genre. Almost thirty years on stage without interruption - it's not just.

One of the most popular old-school bands performing in the genre of hard rock can safely be called a group Kiss. It was these American guys in the distant 73 who turned rock not just into a genre of music, but made it a full-fledged art for music lovers all over the world. Creating their incredible image, makeup, stage costumes, special effects for the show, hardly any of them thought that all this would remain an indicator of high-quality rock music for centuries.

In addition to the above groups, the real kings of hard rock can be called the British group Led Zeppelin. It was they who, starting from 68, were recognized as the most successful rock project in history. Heavy guitar drive, piercing vocals and a loud rhythm section allowed the band to become one of the leaders in the hard rock style. Although, the musicians did not stop at one style and continued to experiment and develop other genres, which were just beginning to develop during the formation and development of their career. It was this musical four that laid the concept of album rock for future generations. Led Zeppelin currently occupies a leading position in the list of the hundred greatest artists of hard rock, but the fact that the group is recognized as the best musical project of the seventies is not even worth talking about. Since 1995, the musicians have received an honorary place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It is impossible not to appreciate their musical contribution for all twelve years of their career.

Another legend of hard rock can be called the band Aerosmith. Having started their career in the distant seventies, the musicians continue it to this day and without obvious breaks. Their albums have sold over one hundred and fifty million. And this is already a record for American hard rock bands. Although, the legendary AC / DC remain in the first place. In addition, the group is the highest paid in the world. Well, their contribution to the formation of musical groups of our time and just hard rock cannot be overestimated. It was they who developed rock by combining different directions such as hard rock, heavy metal, pop music, glam and blues. Like most famous musicians, the group is included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in the list of the hundred greatest musicians of all time.

Speaking of old-school hard rock bands, one cannot fail to mention such American legends as Warrant. Warrant, though not as legendary as Aerosmith, have made a huge contribution to the development of hard rock. And there is not a single person who has not heard their famous track "Cherry Pie". The founders of glam metal and hard rock are still performing today.

The legends of American hard rock can safely be attributed to such a group as Motley Crue. It is this band that is considered the most scandalous hard rock band in the world. However, all their adventures, imprisonments and other scandals did not prevent them from becoming widely known rock performers.

As you can see from the above list, most of the hard rock bands that have ascended the Olympus of hard rock are American or British, but Europe also boasts great performers. These include the popular group Scorpions. It is these German guys that still excite the minds of millions and torment listeners with their compositions. A successful combination of classic rock, which eventually turned into hard rock, became a win for the team. Thus, Scorpions are still considered legends of the world rock scene and the hard rock scene in particular.

However, even now the hard rock industry does not stand still. One notable example was the group Lordi. Performers from Finland became not only the first musicians performing in the hard rock genre who performed at the world Eurovision Song Contest, but also took first place there. Even such a seemingly political contest could not resist the charm and heavy sound of real hard rock. The group itself was founded in the mid-nineties in Helsinki. The music they have chosen for themselves is a combination of heavy rock sound with metal elements. Well, if you combine such an image with the compositions themselves, then Lordi is often referred to as shock rock, although they are not. Musicians are often compared in sound to such legends as Kiss, Twisted Sister, Accept and U.D.O. So, based on such reviews, there is no need to talk about the quality of music.

In addition to such bright world stars, modern groups performing in the style of hard rock should include such a group as Nickelback. Although the successful career of the band did not start for quite a long time, however, they were able to rise to the big stage and win back a not bad piece of public attention for themselves. And if initially their work did not go beyond creating cover versions of popular rock songs, now there is not a single person who has not heard of Nickelback. Although the musicians are currently performing in the alternative genre, they started with hard rock. It was he who allowed them to stand on their feet and establish themselves on the world stage.

Another group playing in the style of hard rock is currently considered Black Stone Cherry. Formed in the early 2000s, the band has already become quite popular on the world stage. Despite the fact that hard rock is no longer considered the most popular direction, having passed the primacy to alternative rock, however, the musicians prove that even now hard rock is developing. At the moment, the group has released three albums and is not going to stop their path to fame. In their work, the guys use not only hard rock, but also combine it with such areas as southern rock and heavy metal. But in general, they are not going to change their direction yet.

Sixx:A.M. is an American rock band founded most recently by Nikki Sixx, the guitarist of Mötley Crüe. The project was originally recorded as an add-on to The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star. After the release of two albums, the musicians realized that such a successful project should not be missed and now the formation of a new rock band is taking place, performing in a slightly modified old style, although they still perform in the hard rock genre, except perhaps with the addition of alternative metal in the spirit of modernity.

The group should also be attributed to modern hard rockers. The Darkness. Formed in England in 2000, the band decided to revive the style of hard rock combined with glam rock and glam metal. The team decided to create music based on the sound of such legends as Queen, Aerosmith, Thin Lizzy and others. Currently, the musicians have recorded three albums, but their career is just beginning.

Quite quickly, Japanese groups are also gaining popularity in the world. Among them, the Nightmare team is especially worth highlighting. It is this group that currently does not act as a standard for such bands in the style of glam rock or alternative, but combine blues rock with hard rock in their work. So they can be safely ranked as performing hard rock. Moreover, over the thirteen years of their career, the musicians have recorded 8 full-length albums, two mini-albums, and their soundtracks for Japanese TV series and anime are known to all lovers of this art.

However, don't forget about Russian hard rock bands. Although he did not become particularly popular in Russia and most of the groups in this direction are known only in a narrow circle, the most popular and old school include Gorky Park. The group was created only in 1987. However, she managed to gain popularity not only at home, but also in America. The group is the first Soviet musical group that appeared on the MTV channel. In different periods of the formation of their work, musicians turned to such genres as hard rock, heavy metal, glam metal and progressive rock. The band has released four albums throughout their career. Although the musicians' careers are not at their peak at the moment, they still continue to release albums and participate in concerts. We will count on their next career rise and the revival of former glory.

Among modern bands performing in heavy rock, one can note such groups as Demon of Illusions, Voice of the Prophet, Moby Dick and the like.

Over the long years of the existence of hard rock, many bands have appeared that can be considered the best of the best. The main creators of the style who created the modern look of the hard rock style can be considered the following. It is advisable to divide them into two groups, founders and heirs.

Classic hard rock bands

The first include Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple, recognized as the three pillars of hard rock. They are the ones.

Led Zeppelin. The group is recognized as the best hard rock band and is the founder and pioneer of heavy metal. It was the "zeppelins" that laid the foundation and developed the basic principles of sound for future generations. It was also the Zeppelins who were the first to write, which became a hallmark of hard rock in the 80s.

Black Sabbath. The musicians are considered the founders of heavy metal and many other styles of heavy music. They also had an influence on the formation of punk rock. The early Black Sabbath albums, and especially Tony Iommi's riffs, had a great influence on the way guitarists played in the late 70s.

deep purple. Another significant group Albums of the third line-up (Mark III) are considered classics of the genre, which is still recognized as one of the best rock songs. This is especially true for Machine Head and In Rock albums, which take 2nd and 3rd places in the list of the best hard rock albums in the Classic Rock edition list.

Uriah Heep. This group is often forgotten, because even in Britain they are considered only the 4th hard rock group. However, the work of the "hips" of the early 70s brought a lot to the development of music. David Byron's high vocals soon became the benchmark for some heavy styles, and the songs seem to be considered no less classic by connoisseurs than Child in Time or Stairway to Heaven.

Def Leppard. The British band is a prominent representative of the era of the new wave of heavy metal. However, they soon moved away from heavy music towards a more commercial sound, which subsequently developed in the Americas into a distinct genre of Glam Metal.

Post-classic hard rock bands

The teams that continued to popularize and develop the genre, which is symbolic, are not the British. Raised in the mists of London, the genre has evolved under the hot American sun. It is advisable to include all of the following among the leading teams of American hard rock.

Kiss. The main merit of the collective is the formation of the atmosphere of the show at concerts, which is now characteristic of all groups of heavy genres. Incendiary in every sense Kiss concerts and bright make-up contributed to the popularization of the group, and their work in the 70s is recognized as one of the best to this day.

Aerosmith. The team, which for the United States became a counterbalance to the British hard rock invasion. Their work went through a decline in the 80s, but in the 90s they returned to the top along with the famous ballads - Crazy and Cryin".

Bon Jovi is one of the iconic bands of the hard and heavy era. It was Jon Bon Jovi who became the progenitor of the direction of melodic hard rock. The main achievement of the hard rock group is the album Slippery When Wet, which sold more than 25 million copies and is considered the best-selling record among American hard rock bands of the 80s.

By the way, John often plays poker and likes to visit American casinos, preferring Atlantic City.

Van Halen. It was Eddie van Halen who happened to make a revolution in the sound of the guitar in heavy music. His two-handed tapping technique, invented early in his career, became especially popular in the eighties, changing the sound of all the bands of the new generation. The first attempts to light up Van Halen made back in 1976 with the help of Gene Simmons, but bassist Kiss turned out to be a poor assistant.

Guns n "Roses. In fact, they became the last significant group in the history of hard rock. Their song Welcome to the Jungle was even recognized as the most popular by VH1, and their debut album Appetite for Destruction is considered the most successful debut, as evidenced by its sales, which almost reached record Bon Jovi.It is symbolic that the same Jon Bon Jovi gave them a start in life.

Simply the best hard rock bands

But there are two more bands that every music fan knows about. They did a lot for the formation of the genre - some gave it enthusiasm, while others gave it soul. We are talking about with Australian and German roots, which successfully took root first in England and then in the USA.

Incendiary Australians presented the world with a completely different kind of hard rock. Instead of long compositions with an abundance of solo parts and high vocals, they offered the perky three chords and the hoarse voice of Bon Scott, which became the hallmark of the band's early work. It is AC / DC, together with Led Zeppelin, that is considered the most commercially successful hard rock group, and their album Back in Black is the best-selling hard rock record, second only to the works of Michael Jackson.

The German pioneers continued the work of the Zeppelins. It is their love lyrics that are considered the reference on the world stage. They were the first to lift the curtain on commercial success for bands from continental Europe.

Hard rock in the USSR

In the USSR, hard rock began to develop only in the late 80s and the most prominent representative is Gorky Park, which also took under the care of the ubiquitous Bon Jovi. The group released two groovy albums Bang and Moscow Calling (which is remarkable with different vocalists - Nikolai Noskov and Alexander Marshal, who now perform not rock at all), but then changed direction and soon disbanded.

In addition to these groups, there are many other groups that have not achieved such popularity. They can be distinguished into a special:

• Grand Funk Railroad - the first USA;
• Motorhead is an influential but commercially unsuccessful band that plays a wondrous mixture of hard, heavy and speed metal;
• Rainbow - in fact, is a continuation of the traditions of Deep Purple in the version of Ritchie Blackmore;
• Whitesnake - similar, but applied to ;
• Dio is a solo project of an ex-Rainbow and Black Sabbath member;
• Alice Cooper is best known for his shock rock affiliation, being the first to put on a real show on stage.

Hard rock (the first word translates as "heavy") is a musical style that appeared in the 60s and gained the greatest popularity in the 70s of the last century. What are his distinguishing qualities? Firstly, heavy and secondly, a fairly calm pace, which cannot be said about heavy metal, which appeared a little later.

The origin of style

It is believed that this style was founded by the group "The Kinks", who released a simple song "You Really Got Me" in 1964. She, however, was interesting in that the musicians played overblown guitars. Just imagine: we would probably not know anything about this style if it were not for the contribution of this group. Hard rock appeared precisely thanks to this team. Around the same time, there was an activity that performed music in the same style. But there was a touch of psychedelia in it. Also, blues teams began to come to the newly minted style, for example, "Yardbirds", as well as "Cream".

early 70s

It should be noted that this direction was most actively developed in the UK, and "Black Sabbath", "Deep Purple" and "Led Zeppelin" soon formed. All-time hits like "Paranoid" and "In Rock" soon followed.

The most successful hard rock album was "Machine Head", which included a song that everyone knows now, it was called "Smoke On The Water". At the same time, a rather gloomy band from Birmingham, calling themselves "Black Sabbath", worked on a par with their illustrious colleagues. Also, this team laid the foundation for a style called doom, which began to develop only ten years later. As soon as the 70s began, new hard rock bands appeared - Uriah Heep, Free, Nazareth, Atomic Rooster, UFO, Budgie, Thin Lizzy, Black Widow ", "Status Quo", "Foghat". And this is not all the bands founded at that time. There were also bands among them that flirted with other styles (for example, "Atomic Rooster" and "Uriah Heep" did not shy away from progressive, "Foghat" and "Status Quo" played boogie, and "Free" gravitated towards blues-rock) .

But be that as it may, they all played exactly hard. In the US, too, many drew attention to this style. The bands "Bloodrock", "Blue Cheer", and "Grand Funk Railroad" appeared there. The teams were not bad at all, but they did not achieve wide popularity. But many still fell in love with these groups. The hard rock they played ignited the hearts of their fans.

Mid and late 70s

In the mid-70s, such wonderful bands as "Montrose", "Kiss" and "Aerosmith" were founded. In addition, Alice Cooper, who performed shock rock, and Ted Nugent began to gain popularity. Followers of the style from other countries also began to appear: Australia put forward the kings of hard rock and roll under the name "AC / DC", Canada gave us "April Wine", a rather melodic group "Scorpions" was born in Germany, formed in Switzerland " Krokus.

But for "Deep Purple" everything was not going very well - they were going through a difficult period in their lives. Soon the group ceased to exist, but after that two wonderful bands were formed - "Rainbow", founded by R. Blackmore (later he gave birth to "Dio"), and "Whitesnake" - the brainchild of D. Coverdale. However, the end of the 70s could not be called a prosperous time for hard rock, since then new wave and punk began to gain popularity. It is also important that the kings of style began to lose ground - "Deep Purple" no longer existed, "Black Sabbath" lost their leader and unsuccessfully searched for a new one, nothing was heard about "Led Zeppelin" after he died

90s

The 90s were marked by a widespread interest in the alternative, including grunge, and hard rock was relegated to the background at that time, although good bands occasionally met. The group "Guns N" Roses, which shocked the world with their song "Use Your Illusion", was of the greatest interest, followed by the European bands "Gotthard" (Switzerland) and "Axel Rudi Pell" (Germany).

A little bit later…

Music in this style was performed later, however, some bands, for example, "Velvet Revolver" and "White Stripes", sounded a little different, there was an admixture of alternative, it was not pure hard rock. The bands are foreign for the most part and did not try to adhere to any standards.

But the most devoted followers of the style, who have not forgotten about the classical traditions, can be called "Answer", "Darkness", and also "Roadstar", however, the last two of them soon ceased to exist.

"Gorky Park"

Of a number of Russian representatives of hard rock, this group stands out most clearly. It was popular back in the USSR, the guys sang songs in English. In the 80s, the team was also known in America, and soon it became the first domestic team to be shown on MTV. Many people remember such “chips” of this group as Soviet symbols and folk clothes.

Performance with Scorpions, new album, video shooting, popularity in America

The Gorky Park team appeared in 1987. 12 months later, the team sang on the same stage with the Scorpions when they were in St. Petersburg.

Soon after that, the guys began to call themselves in English - “Gorky Park”, and in 1989 the eponymous name was recorded. It had an interesting design - the letters G and P were drawn on it, resembling a hammer and sickle in shape. The group then flew to New York to make videos there called "Bang!" and My Generation. In Western countries at that time, many were interested in the USSR, and the team fell in love with a wide range of Americans. And no wonder, because it was the best Russian hard rock. The bands that play this style in our homeland could be counted on the fingers, and Gorky Park undoubtedly surpassed them all. Their success has been tremendous.

"Music Festival of the World"

"Gorky Park" began to travel both in their native country and in the states. In 1989, the team performed their songs at the famous Moscow "Music Festival of the World", then they were heard by one hundred and fifty thousand music lovers.

Bon Jovi, Ozzy Osbourne, Motley Crue, Skid Row, Cinderella and Scorpions performed on the same stage. Of course, this was a great event for the band, the guys were happy that they were able to sing along with such legendary musicians. They later recalled this festival as one of the best events in the band's history, and they were right.

Touring Europe

Two years later, the group received the status of the most successful new international team. At the dawn of the 90s, the team successfully toured Sweden, Germany, Denmark, and Norway. For a long time these countries have not seen such a wonderful group. Hard rock in their performance was just great. At each performance there was a full house, people went in crowds to listen to good music. And no one was left disappointed, everyone was delighted with the performance of this group. But could one expect anything else from a team, each member of which was really talented? Therefore, it is not surprising that the group has been successful.

"Moscow Calling", the departure of Alexander Minkov, the collapse of the group

However, after a while, Russia stopped captivating the minds of people in the West, and Gorky Park in America began to be forgotten. Soon the team released the album "Moscow Calling", and began touring our country.

1998 was marked by the departure of Alexander Minkov from the team, who came up with the name "Alexander Marshal" for himself and began to sing separately from the group. After that, Gorky Park began to experience hard times, and soon the team actually ceased to exist. However, Yan Yanenkov, together with Alexei Belov, continued to perform old compositions. They began to call themselves "Belov Park".

But the former members of the once famous group did not forget about each other and sometimes got together for performances. Well, not a bad idea. Their fans were happy to see the newly assembled team and listen to their favorite songs. Each time they sang along with their idols, wondering if this was the last performance or if they would have another opportunity to hear the legendary band.

Hard rock bands: list

Summing up, it is necessary to list the bands playing in this style. Just for ease of understanding.

Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Nazareth, Atomic Rooster, Uriah Heep, Free, Thin Lizzy, UFO, Black Widow, Status Quo, Foghat, Budgie, Bloodrock, Blue Cheer, Grand Funk Railroad, Montrose, Kiss, Aerosmith, AC/DC, Scorpions, April Wine, Krokus, Rainbow, Dio, Whitesnake, Guns N' Roses, Gotthard, Axel Rudi Pell, Velvet Revolver, White Stripes, Answer, Darkness, Roadstar.

Russian groups: Gorky Park, Bes Illusions, Moby Dick, Voice of the Prophet.

Here are the most successful groups. Hard rock is performed by completely different and at the same time somewhat similar bands.