Hello everyone welcome back to Rock Reading Tuesday and welcome to any new readers!

This week I really want to show you how over time bands can change their sound while still being apart of the Rock genre. Now I have never truly expressed myself on this matter to all of you directly, but people tend to divide Rock into hard-rock, pop-rock, punk rock, alt-rock, etc. As we have seen and will continue to see its simply not that simple anymore. Rock has come to include EDM elements, rap, pop, screamo, alternative, country, indie it all has a place in this genre. It is one of the more surprising genres to show such flexibility because of its stereotyped sound most people believe rock to be one dimensional “If you have heard one rock band you’ve heard them all.” I would hear as I shared my music. Rock is so diverse its multi-dimensional and its often something that gets overlooked. But one thing I want you all to know a band’s genre can also differ from song to song incorporating different genres and sounds into their music to produce their auditory art. The two bands I will show you guys tonight make strives to push the envelope with their albums by mixing in different forms of Rock and other genres with each new song they put out.

The first band is Twenty One Pilots, in each album they release they mix together alt-hip hop, rap, indie, pop, and alt-rock in each album they release. The two songs that prove this is Jumpsuit and Level of Concern as you listen pay close attention to Jumpsuit’s rougher rock introduction while Level of Concern sound more like an alt-rock pop with some techno funk song. Each song is expressed through rap and some light singing elements, but both songs are very distinct from each other musically. Compare them yourself down below, this band deserves a lot of respect for how they create each song musically because each song is unique, different and sounds new. Each new album shows us a different side of them.

Our second band is Disturbed which is a Heavy Metal, Heavy-Rock band. Their earlier music fits into that category The Night and Stupify are just two songs that shows their dexterity and artistry in the genre, I especially want to point out the guitar rifts in both songs. They simply put the Rock in Rock n’ Roll, their music is something people have been jamming out to for decades. But with each new album we hear the guitar riffs develop and change, this band brings in more complexities in the way how they perform vocally and musically.

Then we have one of their newer songs Hold on to Memories where our lead singer and guitarist turn down the metal and rock and give us a powerful ballad on the loss of a loved one. It gives us the listener a different view of the band and it is a sound they developed for years it is one of the few songs they have released that is not focused on Heavy- Rock or Metal. For many people they would not recognize this song as a Disturbed single if it were not for the singer’s iconic voice.

This concludes this week’s Rock Reading Tuesday; genre is not something that is iron clad anymore it is fluid like water taking shape as the band writes and designs their music. Genre is very subjective and is often determined by the listener, which is why Twenty One Pilots has so many genres attached to their name. Sometimes bands cannot be placed in a category and other times the songs they release do not fit the mold they were given. But these two bands mold the Rock genre to fit their style like a sculpture with clay, and I hope you guys enjoy them. Have a great week everyone!