The Grunge Explosion
The term "grunge" applies to a certain style of music that arose out of a culturally diverse city called Seattle. Although many people associate grunge's roots as Nirvana's rise to the mainstream, grunge has a far more complex history than one would imagine. It's roots date back to the mid eighties and although grunge is dead today, it's resonance can still be heard through the airwaves of popular music.

The History of Grunge
Grunge started in the mid eighties in Seattle when a few bands started playing a hybrid of punk and heavy metal. This hybrid combined the dark, sludgy riffs of Black Sabbath and the intensity of punk. The first wave of grunge bands (Soundgarden, Green River, and Mudhoney) were very heavy and laid down the foundation for the next waves of grunge bands to come. The second wave of grunge bands (Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Nirvana) were all the most influential bands of the 90's and their importance cannot be summed up in words.

Grunge was a response to the countless and pointless hair metal bands that were dominating the MTV airwaves in the late 80's. Pop metal band after pop metal band were playing pointless balads and were wearing down the music industry. Grunge had introspective lyrics and an urgent attack that a generation of teens and many others could relate to.

Although there were many grunge bands that came out of Seattle during the early 90's, the four most influential bands are the ones that really defined the genre and influenced many many waves of bands to come. These four bands were, in no particular order: Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden.

Soundgarden

Here is the unofficial homepage to Soundgarden .

Soundgarden was one of the first grunge bands to come out of Seattle. They combined dark, metallic riffs with Chris Cornell's wailing yet beautiful vocals. Cornell had a knack for penning lyrics, like his description of his luck with love: "I'm love's last match struck, in the pouring down wind." Soundgarden was a great band with many singles including Rusty Cage, Hands All Over, Jesus Christ Pose and Black Hole Sun. They were a very popular band and the climax of their career was with the phychadelic hit "Black Hole Sun". After producing many influencial albums and having an all too short career, Soundgarden disbanded in 1997 for reasons unknown. A list of their albums is as follows:

1988: Ultramega OK
1990: Louder Than Love
1991: Badmotorfinger
1994: Superunknown
1996: Down on the Upside

Soundgarden was one of the most influential bands of the 90's and their influences can be heard greatly in such bands as Nickleback and others.

Alice in Chains

Here is the official homepage to Alice in Chains .

Alice in Chains formed in 1987 when local Seattle guitarist Jerry Cantrell met up with local singer Layne Staley. They formed Alice in Chains and got signed to Columbia records in 1989. Upon being signed to Columbia records, they released several EP's before their first album, Facelift. After Facelift, they released a subtle EP called Sap. After Sap, they released their multi-platinum success, Dirt. Dirt was a milestone in heavy metal and one of the best rock album's of the decade. It combined grinding riffs and beautiful melodies from Cantrell and Staley. Highlights of the album include Rooster, Angry Chair, Would and others. The album eventually went multi-platinum. Alice and Chains had really depressing yet soothing music that was harsh yet beautiful to listen to. Here is a list of their albums in order:

1990: Facelift
1992: Dirt
1994: Jar of Flies
1995: Alice in Chains
1996: Unplugged
2000: Live

Alice in Chains were plagued by Layne Staley's personal demons; he suffered from a heroin addiction that forced the band to miss many tours and release more albums. This problem was never contained and he was found dead from a drug overdose on April 8th 2002. This was coincidental because it was exactly 8 years after Kurt Cobain died. But unlike Cobain, it was concluded that Staley had been dead up to 2 weeks prior to finding the body. Kurt Cobain died in a moment of glory and the climax of the grunge scene, Staley died alone and sad just like his depressing but beautiful music. Alice in Chains' influence is ever prominent nowadays. They even influenced a band so much that their name comes from an Alice in Chains song, Godsmack.

Nirvana

Here is the official homepage to Nirvana .

Nirvana brought alternative music into the mainstream. Although they didn't single handedly popularize the grunge movement, as some people believe, they did have a great influence. Nirvana, consisting of Kurt Cobain, Krist Novelisec, and Dave Grohl, had interesting stop start dynamics that many bands have copied nowadays. They had a fierce punk energy with a grungy style and dissonant grungy riffs. Their popularity is indescribable. Here is a list of their albums in order:

1989: Bleach
1991: Nevermind
1993: In Utero
1994: MTV Unplugged in New York
1996: From the Muddy Banks of Wishkah

Nirvana spearheaded the alternative movement. Unfortunately, the attention was too much for Cobain who committed suicide in his Seattle home on April 8th, 1994.

Pearl Jam, the last of the four grunge bands, has a page dedicated to itself.

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