The Melvins

Kurt Cobain loved the Melvins. And if he hadn't shot himself into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, then biographers and dutiful note-takers of music history might not have paid any attention to this small fact. And here's another one: Without the influence of the Melvins, there would be no grunge. The outfit un-cheesed Sabbath and created truly evil-sounding metal that directed future generations toward methodical bass lines and sick uses of distortion. Cobain (the band's most tragically beloved roadie) tinker-punked the Melvins' rock-opus sounds and made it palatable for a mainstream audience, thereby skyrocketing Nirvana into ultra-fame. Meanwhile, despite a brief major-label deal, the Melvins themselves remained out of the spotlight, where they ended up flourishing on a cult level as the forefathers of a heavy-music revival. And they ain't done yet: The duo of Big Business was recently absorbed into the ranks of the Melvins -- a new recording with this lineup is due out in October -- creating a four-piece monstrosity with dual drummers, quadruple vocals and full-on guitar magnificence. Kurt, buddy, you're missing out.