Top 10 Rock Bands of the 21st Century... So Far

 There are many rock bands that have evolved over the past eight years, but only a few of them have really made a difference in the music world today. Of course, everyone has different tastes when it comes to rock music, but when researching to see which bands really made an impact on the 21st Century, it seemed unanimous as to which bands have made their presence known.

1. Muse: Muse are an English rock band who are best known for their energetic and intense live performances. Their music is often compared to Radiohead, but with a louder, heavier rock tone. Muse actually didn’t become well-known until the release of their third album Absolution in 2003, which contained their hit singles “Time Is Running Out” and “Hysteria.” They released their fourth album “Black Holes” and “Revelations” in 2006 which reached #9 on the Billboard music chart. Personally, I think they’re one of the greatest bands that rock has seen in a long time. Their music is unique and captivating.

2. My Chemical Romance: My Chemical Romance released their major label debut “Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge” in 2004, which sold over one million copies and went platinum within the first year. “Helena” was the emotional, gothic rock single that showed America what these guys were really made of. “Welcome to the Black Parade” followed a few years later (off their 2006 album “The Black Parade”), which was more of an upbeat rock song, so it showed off diversity in their music skill set. These guys have a lot of talent and I hope they continue to do well in the future.

3. The White Stripes: The White Stripes are a Grammy-winning rock duo, consisting of singer/guitarist Jack White and his ex-wife, Meg White (drums). Their music is unlike anything else you’ve ever heard before. It’s been described as “50’s inspired rock music.” I’ve found that the majority of people either love them or despise them, there’s rarely an in-between. They became quite a musical success after the release of their third album “White Blood Cells,” which featured their hit single, “Fell In Love With A Girl.” Their most recent album “Icky Thump” was released in 2007, and has been compared to Black Sabbath’s earlier albums.

4. Linkin Park: Linkin Park’s electrifying hit singles “Crawling” and One Step Closer” soon swept the nation after the release of their first album “Hybrid Theory” in 2000, as did their rising fame. Their remix album “Reanimation” featured appearances by other well-known rockers such as Jonathan Davis of Korn and Aaron Lewis of Staind, and sold nearly 270,000 copies it’s first week. After the releases of “Meteora” and “Minutes to Midnight.” Linkin Park had certainly proved that they had what it takes to make an impact on this decade’s world of rock.

5. The Killers: The Killers are a Las-Vegas based rock band most famous for their pop-rock hit singles “Mr. Brightside” and “When You Were Young.” The first two albums, “Hot Fuss” and “Sam’s Town,” have sold over 10 millions copies to date. Although they are an American rock band, they sound like they’re British rockers. When I first heard them, I had no idea they were from the States. But nevertheless, they’ve become quite a hit to teens everywhere over the past few years.

6. Fall Out Boy: Fall Out Boy is also technically considered more of a pop/rock band as opposed to hardcore rock and roll. Over the past three years, their catchy tunes have attracted the majority of teens all over the nation. They released their major label debut, “From Under the Cork Tree” in May of 2005, which sold over 68,000 copies in it’s first week, placing the #9 spot on the Billboard charts. Their first hit single, “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down,” reached the top 10 on numerous different pop and rock charts, as well as MTV’s TRL. They are currently working on a second album, “Infinity On High,” which Pete Wentz has stated will have more of a folk-style to it than the last album. Nevertheless, since Fall Out Boy has made such an impression on the music scene today, I have no doubt that his album will be just as successful as the last.

7. Queens of the Stone Age: Queens of the Stone Age didn’t become well-known until the release of their third album Songs for the Deaf in 2002, with the help of Foo fighters frontman Dave Grohl and Mark Lanegan from Screaming Trees. Their recently released 2007 album, “Era Vulgaris” was described by Rolling Stone Magazine as “intricately crafted, meticulously polished and ruthlessly efficient in its pursuit of depraved rock thrills, with robotic rhythm machines like ‘Turning on the Screw’ and ‘I’m Designer.’” These guys definitely have a different sound than most artists on the rock scene today.

8. Maroon 5: Even if you despise most rock/pop bands that are constantly overplayed on every radio station in American, it’s hard not to like these guys. Maroon 5 made their way across airwaves everywhere after the release of their debut album “Songs About Jane” in 2002. After a 5-year hiatus, they released their second studio album “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long” in 2007, which Adam Levine stated was “sexier and stronger” than their previous album. Apparently fans agreed because the album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 within the first week. Between the high-pitched, unique tone of Adam Levine’s voice and the fun loving nature of their tunes, these guys have sure made themselves known to music lovers everywhere.

9. Coldplay: For anyone that’s seen the movie The 40-Year-Old Virgin, you’ll recognize this infamous line, “You know how I know you’re gay? You listen to Coldplay.” Well, considering that Coldplay’s first album “Parachutes” reached double platinum status, and they were also nominated by Rolling Stone Magazine’s readers as the best band of the year in 2003, I’d have to say that they’re far from gay.

10. System of a Down: Talk about having some diversity in your music. There isn’t one band out there that I could honestly say sounds like System of a Down. Not one. Most of their songs contain one minute of ear bursting guitar wails and death-defying screams, followed by a soft, flowing melody. Their music is borderline absurd, except for the fact that it’s actually appealing to the majority of rock lovers. “Chop Suey” was the hit single that sent these guys on the fast track to stardom in 2001, followed by “Toxicity” which actually stole the #14 slot on VH1’s list of the 40 Greatest Metal Songs of All Time.

90’s Rock Collaborations of the 21st Century:

Audioslave: Is it cheating to consider Audioslave one of the most popular bands of the 21st Century? Technically, they are a collaboration of well-known artists from 90’s bands, so I feel it’s deceiving to consider them a band from the 2000’s. Audioslave consisted of former Soundgarden frontman, Chris Cornell, and former Rage Against the Machine guitarist, Tom Morello, so for anyone who was a fan of both Rage and Soundgarden, their music was like a dream come true. They sounded like a mix of Soundgarden’s 90’s grunge rock and Rage’s aggressive, hard-rock instrumentation. Their debut self-titled album was released in November of 2002, which reached #7 on the Billboard chart after only one week. The band released two more albums, “Out of Exile” in 2004 and “Revelations” in 2006. They broke up in 2007, shortly after the release of “Revelations” due to “personality conflicts and musical differences,” Cornell stated. Cornell has since decided to tour solo following the release of a solo album, “Carry On,” in May of 2007.

Velvet Revolver: Velvet Revolver was yet another collaboration of well-known music artists thrown together. They not only had STP’s frontman Scott Weiland as their lead singer, but some of the remaining members of Guns ‘n Roses as well: Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum. The band released their first album, “Contraband” in 2003, which sounded a bit like a mix of old-school rock and roll and 90’s grunge. Weiland has since reunited with STP, depriving us the opportunity to see more of the talent that these guys had to unfold.

A Perfect Circle: Led by Tool frontman, Maynard Kennan, A Perfect Circle released their debut album in 2000. They had quite a following since Tool is a very well-known band, but in comparison to Tool, their music has much more of a relaxed, mellow vibe to it.