'00s Rock

The evolution of rock never ceases to amaze — each subsequent decade since the '50s has produced artists who galvanize feelings, inspire loyalty, and nail the moment. Now's the time to sit on the apex of the '00s and survey the vast valley of rock that lies behind us: rising out of the mist with regal assurance are Kings of Leon ("Use Somebody"), who emerged as one of the great modern forces in stadium/festival rock; the White Stripes ("Seven Nation Army"), who stripped it right back to supercharge the impact; and Green Day ("American Idiot"), who took the state of their nation as the cue for a glorious reinvention.

Splinter bands and supergroups feature strongly among our '00s Rock Next Steps.

In keeping with the prevailing eclecticism of the '00s, along with a tendency among big-name artists to kick down generic boundaries and throw multiple styles into their shaker with creative abandon, several hard-rockin' supergroups and splinter projects have made their presence felt in a big way — Jack White lent his heft to the Raconteurs ("Consoler of the Lonely") and made the transition from minimal to maximal; Josh Homme left Queens of the Stone Age a-simmerin' and perfected a scuzzy kind of garage sound with Eagles of Death Metal; and Slash fused his god-like guitar to the electrifying vocals of Stone Temple Pilots' Scott Weiland in Velvet Revolver ("Slither").

Modern rock's leftfield moves into the spotlight, in Deep Cuts.

You've rocked out righteously with the major players of the '00s — here's where we pick out those highly deserving of an honourable mention. The Mars Volta ("The Widow") proved that progressive rock had not been laid to rest by punk back in the '70s, and by weaving jazz and Latin elements into 2005's Frances the Mute, delivered one of the decade's most fascinating and rewarding albums. Los Angeles indie heroes Silversun Pickups debuted in 2006 with Carnavas and created a multitextured hybrid of grunge and dream-pop. Chicago's Disturbed, meanwhile, hijacked the slick 1986 Genesis track "Land of Confusion" and worked it over with fists of steel.

Now that we've had a chance to step back and look at the big picture, it's blindingly apparent that the '00s will be remembered as one of the most multifaceted and unpredictable decades in the history of rock. The Darkness straddled the line between parody and sincerity, and we lapped it up; phenomenal TV talent show American Idol spawned a genuine rock contender in Daughtry; and the Followill family from Nashville, a.k.a. Kings of Leon, enjoyed such huge success here in the U.K. that they felt like they could "take on the world" . . . and they did. The biggest sellers of the decade included Linkin Park, Metallica, Nickelback, and Kid Rock; the throwback metal of Iron Maiden not only refused to die, but also picked up fresh momentum; and the Strokes reinvented garage rock out of New York. No doubt about it, rock of every stripe flourished in the '00s.