Hard rock emerged as a subgenre in the 1960s as rock music started to splinter into numerous styles. Hard rock is characterized by bluesy guitar riffs, heavy drums, and powerful vocals. Royal Blood is an English hard rock duo formed in 2013 whose sound draws from blues rock, garage rock, and psychedelic rock. AC/DC is an influential Australian hard rock band formed in 1973 known for their energetic live shows and songs about rock n' roll lifestyle. They have sold over 200 million records worldwide. Heaven's Basement is a British hard rock band formed in 2008 that released their debut album "Filthy Empire" in 2013.

2. Hard Rock
• Hard rock is one subgenre that distinguishes a specific type of rock music from
other types of in the same genre. Hard rock is characterized by an abundance
of bluesy guitar riffs, heavy, impactful drums, and strong, powerful vocals.
• Hard rock appeared as a subgenre in the 1960s. Rock music was still a reasonably new
genre at the time. The 1950s saw rock music, (then referred to as rock'n'roll in the 50s
and 60s), make its way onto the stage of American popular culture with great haste and
force. African-American based rhythm and blues was fused with southern country and
western genres to create a genre that would define youth culture in the middle of the
20th century. Musicians such as Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, and Buddy
Holly enraptured young audiences and outraged conservative parents all through the
50s.
• By the early 1960s, rock'n'roll had started to splinter into numerous subgenres. While
the rock'n'roll of the 1950s was heard within rhythm and blues, the rock'n'roll of the
1960s assimilated many other influences from other popular genres. Girl groups
existing in the early 60s like the Supremes and the Crystals fused the vocal pop music of
the 1940s with rhythm and blues, as well as rock'n'roll, to make the first major
distinction between the more hard edged rock and the more pop-friendly versions of
rock. As British rock groups started appearing on the scene, sparking what would be
known as the British Invasion, the distinction between softer rock and harder rock
become more explicit.

3. Royal Blood
• Royal Blood are an English rock duo formed in Brighton, East Sussex, in 2013. Their sound is
reminiscent of modern blues rock, hard rock, garage rock and psychedelic rock. Their first album,
self titled as ‘Royal Blood’ was released in August of 2014.
• Royal Blood is bass guitarist/singer Mike Kerr, born 19 June 1989 (age 27), and drummer Ben
Thatcher, born 12 February 1988 (age 28). The pair are from West Sussex: Kerr grew up in
Worthing, while Thatcher is from Rustington. They first met around 2005 when they were
teenagers, and for a brief period they were part of the same four-piece band called Flavour Country
in which Kerr played keyboards and the keytar.
• Royal Blood formed at the beginning of 2013 after Kerr's return to England from a sabbatical in
Australia. Kerr had previously used the name Royal Blood whilst in Australia, working with a
drummer called Matt Swan. When Kerr returned to England, Thatcher picked him up from airport
and the two decided to form a band. Initially Royal Blood "couldn’t get a gig in Worthing for
months", and according to Kerr "we ended up just playing a lot of open-mic nights with acoustic
singer-songwriters.” The band developed their music in the studios of Brighton Electric, and it was
during these months that they were signed by Warner/Chappell Music. The band joined the same
management company as the band Arctic Monkeys. During the summer of 2013, Arctic Monkeys
drummer Matt Helders was seen wearing a shirt supporting Royal Blood (before the release of their
first single) during Arctic Monkeys Glastonbury Festival concert in July 2013.

4. AC/DC
• AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. A hard rock/blues rock band, they have also been
considered a heavy metal band, although they have always dubbed their music simply "rock and roll”.
• AC/DC underwent several line-up changes before releasing their first album, High Voltage, in 1975; Malcolm and Angus were the only original
members left in the band. Membership subsequently stabilised until bassist Mark Evans was replaced by Cliff Williams in 1977 for the album
Powerage. Within months of recording the album Highway to Hell, lead singer and co-songwriter Bon Scott died on 19 February 1980 after a night of
heavy alcohol consumption. The group considered disbanding, but buoyed by support from Scott's parents, decided to continue and set about
finding a new vocalist. Ex-Geordie singer Brian Johnson was auditioned and selected to replace Scott. Later that year, the band released the new
album, Back in Black, which was made as a tribute to Bon Scott. The album launched them to new heights of success and became their all-time best-
seller.
• The band's next album, For Those About to Rock We Salute You, was their first album to reach number one in the United States. Drummer Phil Rudd
was fired in 1983 and replaced by ex-A II Z drummer Simon Wright, who left to join Dio in 1989. The band experienced a resurgence in the early
1990s with the release of The Razors Edge. Phil Rudd returned in 1994 after Chris Slade, who was with the band from 1989 to 1994, was asked to
leave in favour of him, and contributed to the band's 1995 album Ballbreaker. Stiff Upper Lip, released in 2000, was well received by critics. The
band's studio album, Black Ice, released in 2008, was the second-highest-selling album of that year, and their biggest chart hit since For Those About
to Rock, eventually reaching No.1 on all charts worldwide. The band's line-up remained the same until 2014 with Malcolm Young's retirement and
Rudd's legal troubles. In 2016, Johnson was advised to stop touring on account of worsening hearing loss and Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose
stepped in as the band's vocalist for the remainder of that year's dates. Long-term bass player Cliff Williams subsequently indicated that he would
retire from the band on the completion of their current world tour.
• AC/DC have sold more than 200 million records worldwide, including 71.5 million albums in the United States alone, adding them to the List of
highest-certified music artists in the United States and the List of best-selling music artists. Back in Black has sold an estimated 50 million units
worldwide, making it the fifth-highest-selling album by any artist – and the third-highest-selling album by any band. The album has sold 22 million
units in the US alone, where it is the sixth-highest-selling album of all time. AC/DC ranked fourth on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Artists of Hard
Rock” and were named the seventh "Greatest Heavy Metal Band of All Time" by MTV. In 2004, AC/DC ranked No. 72 on the Rolling Stone list of the
"100 Greatest Artists of All Time”. Producer Rick Rubin, who wrote an essay on the band for the Rolling Stone list, referred to AC/DC as "the greatest
rock and roll band of all time.” In 2010, AC/DC were ranked number 23 in the VH1 list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time”.

5. Heaven’s Basement
• Heaven's Basement is a British hard rock band formed
in 2008 and signed with Red Bull Records. The current
members are Sid Glover (guitar, vocals), Rob Ellershaw
(bass, backing vocals), and Chris Rivers (drums).
• Their debut album, Filthy Empire, was released on 4
February 2013 in the UK and 5 February 2013 in the
U.S. They released their first single, "Fire, Fire", in
September 2012 leading up to their album release. The
single peaked at #11 on the Mainstream Rock chart.