In the age of social media, everyone is a critic with biased uneducated opinions and we are subjected to constant negativity from old washed up Rock stars that play to a backing track. “Rock Is Dead” seems to be a go to trope when you don’t know what Youtube or Sirius Xm are and think that you’re the last rock star. I am so very tired of the misinformation that “Rock is Dead”. Is Rock suffering monetarily, because big corporations continue to shove their Pop and Rap down our throats? Yes, Rock is not as big as it was in the 1980s and 1990s, and everyone continues to blame Hair Metal and Grunge. Are there good Rock bands? YES there are million good Rock bands still putting out absolutely fantastic music that has progressed without the crutch of technology. Below is a comprehensive list of Rock bands catering to a wide range of tastes! Rock IS NOT DEAD! It’s just been shut out from the mainstream by big corporate radio.

Blondshell- Indie Rock Solo Musician from Los Angeles left Pop to create throwback music like The Cranberries, The Cardigans, Yeahyeahyeahs

The Hellacopters- Swedish Garage Rock band formed in 1994, reformed in 2016. Inspired by Early Punk Rock and Grunge

The Band Camino- American Rock and Electropop with slick guitars and anthemic nostalgic sound

The Warning- Mexican High Octane Rock and Heavy Metal with great riffs and huge vocals and technicality. My favorite band on this list. Prepare to be blown away by these three sisters

Eva Under Fire- Detroit Hard Rock band with 1980s Arena Rock sounds and early 2000s Metalcore. Hell of a voice

Halestorm- Pennsylvania Hard Rock band and Grammy Award winners, this band is still underrated and should be the pinnacle of Rock. One of the greatest singers of all time, Lzzy Hale should be a household name. Like Skid Row, Pat Benatar, Alice Cooper. and so many classics

Chevelle- Chicago brothers bring a dark new feel to Hard Rock with heavy riffs, Proggy drums, and melancholy vocals. These guys don’t get enough credit.

Nonpoint- Groove Heavy Metal with soulful vocals and heavy riffs came out in the Nu Metal era.

Squid- British Post Punk formed in 2016, sounds like The Offspring, Talking Heads, Queens of the Stone Age with Jazz elements

Breaking Benjamin- Pennsylvania Hard Rock band consistently puts out catchy, heartfelt, bass heavy music with expert vocals. Gets looked over a lot due to Christian labels and mistaken for a Radio Rock band despite having one of the greatest Rock albums of the 2000s.

Currents- Connecticut Metalcore band formed in 2011 always changing their sound and evolving to create technical, progressive, heart wrenching music.

The Pretty Reckless- American Grunge and Blues Rock band brings back the glory of American Rock with heavy riffs, vocals with character and power, and great grooves. Akin to Soundgarden, The Winery Dogs, and Southern Rock. You can’t say Rock is dead with these guys around

Illumishade- On the heavier side of things, this band breaks genre constructs and brings Symphonic Metal, Blues, Soundtrack, and Prog Metal altogether with heavy riffs, great solos, and a dynamite vocalist. They have something for everyone.

Plush- Alternative Rock all girl group formed in 2020 aims to bring Rock back to its former glory with epic powerful vocals, insane music chemistry, and great riffs and hooks. One of the best bands on this list, Moriah Formica is one of the most underrated singers of our time, sounding like she could be Chris Cornell’s daughter.

Lords of the Trident- Wisconsin Power Metal band might be a little heavy for Rockers, but they bring a throwback sound that is sure to please an 80s Metalhead. They have neoclassical guitars and dueling solos, Meatloaf and Hagar-esque vocals, and great hooks that are sure to get stuck in your head for days.

Seven Kingdoms- Florida based Heavy Power Metal band bringing back Iron Maiden dual guitars, Speed Metal, 1980s Metal and Rock, and powerful female vocals. One of my all-time favorite bands.

Mammoth WVH: The Son of Eddie Van Halen has launched his solo project. He writes all the songs and plays all the instruments, and not surprisingly creates some of the best Rock I have heard in ages.

Copy and Paste this list in a memo to check out all my recommended bands:

• The Warning
• Plush
• The Band Camino
• Squid
• Mammoth WVH
• Blondshell
• The Midnight
• Illumishade
• The Pretty Reckless
• Lords of the Trident
• Halestorm
• Nonpoint
• Currents
• Breaking Benjamin
• Novelists
• Seven Kingdoms
• Lutharo
• Dorothy
• Holy Wars
• CrazyEightyEight

Great information on why Rock Radio died: https://loudwire.com/how-rock-bands-radio-got-screwed-90s/

Support Indie Rock and Metal bands at: https://bandcamp.com/discover/-rock

Follow my new X account for daily recommendations and updates: https://x.com/KeepMetalErin