By “Tampa” Earl Burton
Recently I opined on the bands that are the current standard bearers for the world of rock and roll. There was no mention of the “classic rock” bands whose time ended forty years ago or more – no Led Zeppelin, no Beatles – and there was no mention of the bands that made up the Eighties and Nineties, such as Aerosmith and ZZ Top. We were looking at those in their prime now, and we had a rather good list.
The reality is, however, time is undefeated. In that previous article, I mentioned how Lzzy Hale was north of forty – imagine my surprise when I looked it up and she will turn 42 this October. That means that, although we have the standard bearers, we must do the “Jon Landau” – we must look for the “future of rock and roll.” It turned out to be a bit more difficult than I thought!
This time around, we have tweaked the criteria a bit. I wanted bands that had made their breakthrough in the 21st century, in their founding and most importantly in their recording histories. There are a couple of occurrences in this list that reach back deeper into the Aughts, though…it was unavoidable. But it is undeniable…these bands have all made their impact within the last ten years or so – and, because of their younger age (or something else, as you will see in a moment), they will have a long and hopefully fruitful career ahead of them.
Ghost
OK, we are going to start with a slight change on our list – instead of five, you’re getting six bands to watch! The reasoning is that I could not make a distinction between this and another band, so you get both. Putting Ghost on this list might be seen as a twisting of the rules, but bear with me here.
The leader of Ghost, Tobias Forge, didn’t create the band until 2005, meaning that there are still some legs to the group’s work. Forge, however, might not be there for it; at the age of 44, he is as old as Five Finger Death Punch’s Ivan Moody (45). What makes Ghost a viable entry is twofold: they are a masked band, meaning that Forge doesn’t have to be the one on stage (a la KISS), and all they have to do is continue to create music that is viable in the rock world (something they still do). Forge has tired of the “Papa Emeritus” schtick, killing off the line with Emeritus IV and moving on with Papa V Perpetua, so we might have to remove them from this list in the future.
I Prevail
Sometimes you must admit that you have to change your mind on a subject. For me, this is one of those times. I knew that I Prevail (founded in 2013) had gotten their start with a remake of Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space,” so that prejudiced me from the start. It wasn’t until I saw the band live that I learned a couple of different things that changed my mind about them.
On a co-headlining tour with Halestorm, I Prevail more than held their own with the veteran band. They performed, what I was soon to learn, quite a lengthy repertoire of music that I DID like, but just never put together with the group. Finally, they have an intriguing mixture of the “clean” and the “dirty” – vocals, mind you – that works well in the new age of rock. As they enter their second decade, hopefully they can stay together and keep the flag held high.
Falling in Reverse
Confession time: I do not care for FIR. I do not like their vocalist, Ronnie Radke, who seems to be a pompous ass. But, at the same time, I also cannot ignore that the band, founded in 2008 (they were initially named From Behind These Walls, reflecting Radke’s stay in prison), has had a seismic impact on the world of rock. The brooding and controversial lyrical content of Radke, along with the power generated by the band, has rocketed the group to superstardom. There is no limit on where they will go – provided Radke doesn’t do something ELSE stupid, either physically or with his mouth.
Ice Nine Kills
Yet another band that I do not care for. It is because the leader of the band, vocalist Spencer Charnas, has chosen a stylistic theme for the group – they offer musical interpretations of horror and suspense movie classics – that I don’t particularly care for. Guess what? Sometimes the music journalist/critic is not correct!
The rest of the rock world REALLY enjoys the work of Ice Nine Kills, catapulting the band into the mainstream of rock. While they’ve been around since 2000 (Charnas himself is pushing forty), they did not take root in rock until they embraced their homage to horror films on their last two albums, The Silent Scream (2018) and The Silent Scream II: Welcome to Horrorwood (2021). Will INK have to step out of their styling for long-term success? That remains to be seen…
The Warning
The Villareal Velez sisters – singer/guitarist Daniela (Dani), bassist Alejandra (Ale), and drummer Paulina (Pau) – have brought a new and fresh approach to rock and roll from their home in Monterrey, Mexico. Founded in 2013, it has been a slow but steady ascension for the ladies, who have become one of the most powerful trios not only currently but also in the annals of rock history.
To point out a list of their best work would start with their cover of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,” which brought the ladies to prominence. But their originals sparkle with immeasurable creativity. Check out “Money” (from 2022’s Error) and “Hell You Call a Dream” (from 2024’s Keep Me Fed) for just a taste of what these women bring to the table. Adding to their claim for the future of rock? None other than Lzzy Hale gifted one of her signature Gibson guitars to Dani, a “passing of the torch” if you will, to The Warning and their impact on the genre.
Plush
This was a band penciled in for superstardom when they were created, and they’ve more than met the standards for being “the future of rock and roll” and solidified their position. When they were originally founded in 2020, none of the members – guitarist/lead vocalist Moriah Formica (a veteran of The Voice), guitarist Bella Peron, bassist Ashley Suppa, and drummer Brooke Colucci – were of the legal drinking age in the States. Neither their youth nor their gender has kept them from hammering away at the rock and roll life, even though Colucci would depart the band in 2022 and be replaced by the equally formidable Faith Powell.
Plush has been at the top of the new rock world for the last five years, cranking out tunes like “Hate,” “Athena,” and “Find the Beautiful” over a self-titled debut album (2021), an EP (Find the Beautiful, 2024), and a live album released in February (Live USA ’24). If you are serious about supporting the future of rock and roll, you need to get behind these ladies, and all the bands mentioned here, to ensure that the very future will continue to live on!
- Five for the Future of Rock and Roll: Looking to the Next Big Bands - April 8, 2025
- Rock At Night Doc Review: ‘America’s Lost Band,’ the story of the The Remains - April 3, 2025
- The Standard Bearers for 21st Century Rock - April 1, 2025
