Diamonds in the Rough 05.03.09: Top 5 Modern Rock Bands

Posted by Leo Rivera on 05.03.2009

Here goes nothing, plus #'s 25-10 and where did Linkin Park and Nickelback go?

Let me just brush last week's dirt off my shoulders, good grief!! Now I've heard about grown men getting their panties in a bunch but last week took the cake man! First for all of my fans out there (insert sarcasm here) who were all so kind to take out their little magnifying glass out of their cabinet and take it upon themselves to proof read and fact check my work, it seems to me that you were to comfortable up in your up in your alternative/emo rock high horse to actually read what I had to say about the bands. I like how people were quick to point out my factual errors on staind (yeah I messed up we all do so don't play yourselves) and Three Days Grace and Breaking Benjamin but you conveniently forgot to point out that even I criticized them for things I thought they were doing wrong and trends that they are falling into. I also want to thank our fine editor here at 411 mania Ben C. for challenging you all to put your money were your mouth is and make your own damn list if you think your so good, we got one guy who stepped up to the plate and proved just how transparent his tastes are, in any event, lets get on with the proceedings shall we.

I actually decided to go one further this week and add #'s 25-10 just to make more sense of this list a long with recommended tracks for each band, so let the games begin!

25) Red: Solid hard rock band in the vein of band still relatively new but stacked with potential recommended songs: "Death of Me", "Let Go" and "Breathe into Me."

24) Theory of a Dead man: Many call them Nickelback clones; I call them lucky, quite frankly. While they do posses some semblance of talent as proven on the song "Clutch", they have a tendency to lean towards cheesy pop rock sing along songs like "I hate my Life" and "Bad Girlfriend." But they are making an impact on the charts so I have to put them somewhere on this list, plus their front man has to get rid of that silly happy days hair cut if they want to be taken serious.

23) Tantric: They've been hot on the comeback trial since last year's The End Begins. At one time considered to be one of the powerhouses in the modern rock scene, sole survivor (front man) Hugo has put together a solid group of musicians to keep the Tantric name alive and well. Recommended listening: "Breakdown", "Down and Out", "Change the World" ah hell too many to state here!

22) Flyleaf: Burst on to the scene in 2005 with their stacked self titled album and were able to maintain momentum through 2008, enough time to solidify these Christian rockers as a player in the modern rock scene, and I personally think they have a ton of potential. Recommended songs: "All around me", "Sorrow" and "Fully Alive."

21) Drowning Pool: Have finally settled into a nice groove with Ryan McCombs (formerly of Soil) as lead singer, after the untimely 2002 death of Dave Williams. Recommended Listening" "37 Stitches", "Sinner" "Reason I'm Alive" and of course "Bodies."

20) POD: Unfortunately POD really fell off the radar when Angels and Serpents failed to make an impact which is a shame considering this was supposed to be guitarist Marcos Cruiel's big return, and even more of a shame considering just how awesome 2006's Testify was. Recommend listening to the entire Payable on Death and Testify albums.

19) Chevelle: Really talented trio that incorporate elements of the band Tool into their style (you can't go wrong there), but really just solid songwriting and an amazing drummer. Recommended songs: "Saturdays", "The Fad", "I get it", and "The Clincher."

18) Lacuna Coil: these female fronted hard rock bands, from Italy, have been making waves in the U.S. since their 2002 breakthrough album Comalies (and yes I know that was not their debut album but it was their break through). Lacuna Coil in my opinion has always been light years ahead of Evanescence as far as musical talent and creativity. They also deserve props for their ability to seamlessly blend male and female vocals in most of their songs. By the way more on this band next week as they will be my focus so look out for that. Recommended tracks: "Swamped", "Heavens a Lie" and "Spellbound."

17)Buck Cherry: Many newer rock fans may not realize that Buck cherry were actually around for the rock boom of the late 1990's, they fizzled out in 2003 and then went on to make one of the more un-expected rock comebacks in 2006 with the album 15. 15 was as raw and high powered a rock record as we have seen in a very long time which featured unabashed sleaze rockers like "Crazy Bitch" and "Broken Glass" which gave Buck cherry a new lease on life and a second career one. However, their follow up Black Butterfly is nothing more than an uninspired and rushed record seems a little too obvious as a poor attempt to capitalize on their newfound success.

16) Stone Sour: Slipknots Corey Taylor and Jim Roots' "other band" (actually their original band which pre-dates Slipknot and whose roots date back to the mid 1990's) finally saw the light of day in 2002. And they were surprisingly polar opposites of Slipknot (and some would even say better) featuring melodic hard rock that happens to be both catchy and badass. While their debut album is good I prefer the awesome Come What (Ever) May. Recommended tracks: "Made of Scars", "Hell and Consequences", "Through glass" and "Bother."

15) Mudvayne: At one point considered one of the harder bands in rock, they have seemed to take a turn for the melodic side with The New Game. While many old school Mudvayne fans hated the record, it is hard to argue that they are not evolving musically as a band and deserve respect for taking a chance while they were already hot and established. Recommended tracks "Not Falling", "Fall into Space", Happy", "We the People" and "Determined."

14) 10 Years: I dedicated an article to this band earlier in the year, and I firmly believe that their blend of melodic hard rock is one that is intriguing and can reach the masses without compromising its integrity. Divisions is a very deep and thoughtful collection of music, in my opinion, I think they have come a long way since 2005's The Autumn Effect and cannot wait to see what the future has in store for them. Recommended tracks: "Wasteland", "Russian Roulette", "Beautiful" and "Through the Iris."

13) Papa Roach: I was so close to putting these veteran rockers in my top ten and perhaps I should have (in place of Staind). There is a big reason why I say this and that is simply because Papa Roach are survivors!! Arguably the only rap/rock band of the nu-metal era to successfully adapt to the changing of the times and literally re-invent themselves into a brand new modern rock band. I had the opportunity and privilege to interview Jacoby Shaddix just prior to the release of Metamorphosis and he proclaimed that he and his band are in this business for the long haul and are always changing with the times. I believe that, and I have faith that Papa Roach will be one of the leaders of the next decade of rock, much like they were a decade ago. Recommended album: The Paramour Sessions, to see just how far Papa Roach have come from being a Nu-Metal band.

12) Disturbed: I bet a lot of people were expecting to see them in the top five, but the answer is simple: not this time! You see, Disturbed (along with Staind) have fallen into a rut, where all of their songs sound the same (something I said Three Days Grace is danger of doing as well). Their last album indestructible was mediocre at best and I expected more from these band considering that Ten Thousand Fists was a great record that featured an ambitious cover of the genesis track "Land of Confusion" seemed to be progressing the bands musical style in a forward direction. Well Indestructible took all of that progression and just put it in reverse. Recommended tracks: "Sons of Plunder", "Shout", "Intoxication", and "Bound."

11) Sevendust: If you read my column, there is no secret that I am a huge Sevendust fan, and rightfully so because they plain kick ass! And I challenge any hater to say otherwise, because you know it's true. I have to admit I made a huge mistake, I should have put Sevendust at #10 and maybe taken Staind out of the equation, so if I could go back to last week, I would make that change. There is so much to say about the awesomeness; hey you know what I actually wrote a 2 page article on them last year, why don't you check it out. Recommended tracks: Too many to name.

10) Staind, 9) Deftones, 8) Three Days Grace, 7) Seether, 6) Breaking Benjamin.

Top Five:



5)Alter Bridge: It's amazing how much a band can improve just by changing one. That is essentially what happened to Mark Tremonti, Brian Marshall and Scott Phillips did when they ditched their annoying and bombastic Creed front man Scott Stapp in favor of former Mayfield Four front man Myles Kennedy. Once this switch occurred and Alter Bridge came to fruition, it became immediately apparent that Scott Stapp had been holding his talented band back and pigeon hold into a sound that fit his limited vocal talents. With the addition of Myles Kennedy, the floodgates of creativity opened up as soon as Termonti had another guitarist that happened to have an unbelievable vocal range and unique style to feed off of. So far this band has given us to incredible records Alter Bridge and Blackbird, now rumors have just been confirmed and a tour has been set for the much talked about Creed reunion tour, so that might put the progress of Alter Bridge on hold for a bit, but here's hoping it just means a short break and not the demise of another great band. Recommended tracks: "Come to life", "Metalinguis", "The Real."



4) Shinedown: Again there is no secret that I think the world of this band and I honestly feel that they have the potential to fill up arenas and stadiums around the globe and it's a shame that they have not gotten their due, but I am going to give it to them right here. The #3 Modern Rock Band today: Shinedown! Since Leave a Whisper Brent Smith and co. have put out hit record after hit record, for more on their story read my article on them. Recommended album: Leave a Whisper.



3) Godsmack: You know what before you harp on this selection (because I know you will!) listen to what I have to say. This band right here is way more than "Nu-Metal", simply put Godsmack is talented. If you don't believe me please check them out live! They have arguably the best drummer in the world in Shannon Larkin, a grossly underrated guitar player, and one of the more charismatic front men in all of rock. Sully Erna's drum battle with Larkin is something to behold and their opening video montage of their career (to the tune of AC/DC's "For Those About to Rock") is pound for pound the best rock intro today. Their 2004 acoustic EP The Otherside was a slap in the face of all of their critics and proved just how diverse they can be. They further drove that point home with 2006's IV which showed a more bluesy melodic side of Godsmack without compromising their signature sound. They also gave us a terrific cover of Led Zeppelins' "Good Times, Bad Times" which was featured in their greatest hits album.



2)Korn Ok I could see it now, "Korn hasn't been relevant since ‘Life is Peachy', their Nu-Metal has-beens…yada yada yada" well I call bullshit! Just look at the albums that Korn have put out in this decade alone, starting with Untouchables which was arguably their best album ever!, followed by Take a Look in the Mirror which kicked ass in spite of the fact that the wheels were literally coming off the band with guitarist Brian "Head" Welch's' well documented drug addiction at the time. Then in 2005 when "Head" suddenly and dramatically announced his departure from the band that helped create, to find a life with Christ, it seemed that the bottom fell out on korn. But they persevered in the wake of this shattering news and bounced back in 2006 with See You on the Otherside there most musically eclectic and diverse offering in the bands storied career. They were also the only band with enough balls and enough clout to help usher in a new business model for the way musicians worked with record labels, by signing short term contracts with major record labels and essentially just using them as distributors while the band maintained total creative control and freedom. From the moment their first record was released way back in the day, they have been groundbreakers in this industry ushering in a new sound and changing the course of rock history after it was left without a direction with the demise of grunge. Like it or not Korn deserves all the recognition in the world and I am more than happy to tip my hat off to them. Recommended album: MTV Unplugged: Korn.

1)The Foo Fighters: What were you expecting Nickelback or Linkin Park? I'm sorry but in my opinion nobody better exemplefies modern rock today on a grand scale like the Foo Fighters. I cannot say enough about Dave Grohl and the impact that he has had on rock music and in a sense pop culture's evolution. This man went from being the drummer of the most influential band of our generation (well mine at least) Nirvana to then in the wake of the tragic suicide of Kurt Cobian, putting together the Foo Fighters. The Foo Fighters started of modestly enough and were almost like a band put together for shits n giggles at first. But man did they ever take it up a notch in the mid-late 90's with The Colour and the Shape and There is Nothing Left to Lose. Songs like "Monkey Wrench" "My Hero", "Ever long" and "Breakout" became staples in radio and MTV. Then in 2002 the band continued to progress with One by One which featured the hits "All my Life", "Low" and the most important hit of their career "Times Like These" which came just one year after 9/11 and touched the hearts of an entire nation. It's amazing that a band with the goofy sense of humor of Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins can also be the most sensitive band in the world at the right time. Fast forward six years later one double album, one mega smash album and countless hits and countless arena and stadium sellouts (including Madison Square Garden and Wembley Stadium) and The Foo Fighters are the best modern Rock band today cased closed!