The word ‘underrated’ is probably used way too much these days, it seems that anything less than universal acclaim is undermining a bands talent to their fans. It’s probably fair to say that the skill in new bands has increased, every band is more technical/better at songwriting/straight up weirder than it’s predecessors so it’s probably natural that some guys just miss the hype train in lieu of yet another band who will save deathcore/rejuvenate djent/copy Metallica. While music is incredibly subjective in terms of taste, how often have you stumbled upon a band and just gone ‘Wow, who are these guys and why are they so damn awesome?’ Last.fm is hardly the be all and end all of popularity, but I’d say it’s a pretty good indicator, so here are five bands that are the definition of ‘underrated’:

#1: Lizard Skynard

With a mind blowing 41 listeners(!?) on Last.fm, Lizard Skynard are my favourite secret. Taking influences from all corners of heavy music including grind, hardcore and dissonant rock, they provide some of the most interesting music I’ve heard in the last few years. However, the vocals and lyrics are where the real genius lies. Provided by Erik Sprague, who you may of heard of as the Lizardman, they are mostly a collection of spoken word short stories from some very eclectic characters. Take for instance ‘Space Eels‘, which tells the tale of an insane homeless man who tries to stop an alien invasion by getting passers by to smile, or my personal favourite ‘Normal‘, a story of a police officer so hellbent on keeping the world normal that he begins to break down mentally – it’s made far more poignant when you realise that ‘Normal‘ is being told by a man who literally has the word ‘FREAK’ emblazoned on his chest.  If that at all interests you then head over their homepage where you can stream and buy copies of their 2010 self-titled debut album.

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