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The Smashing Pumpkins are an alternative rock band hailing from Chicago, USA. I enjoy their use of powerful layered guitars that drone underneath the vocals of frontman Billy Corgan to create a sound similar to that of the grunge movement of the early 90s while still being unique in their own right. I especially admire their ability to seamlessly produce sounds that are not only violent and heavy but also soft and melodic.

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One of the pioneering Seattle grunge bands, Soundgarden, were known for their gritty and murky sound which they achieved through the use of muddy, distorted guitars. I have always found their sound and the soaring vocals of frontman Chris Cornell extremely inspirational and I have been listening to them ever since my Dad introduced me to them as a young kid.

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Member Kim Thayil was heavily inspired by Hendrix's guitarwork stating “His playing had beautiful mellifluousness, heavy dark aggressiveness, quirkiness, expressiveness and the courage to use those incidental noise elements – like feedback, dive-bombing, screeching and bending the strings way sharp" (Prato, 2022). Soundgarden frequently experimented with unique sounds and techniques similar to Hendrix, often creating an eerie or mysterious sound that the band was notorious for.

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Frontman Chris Cornell has stated “I think of how comfortable [I got] with dark, moodier themes, and that’s got to have roots in listening to Black Sabbath” (Coffman, 2023). This is evident as they often explore darker, heavier themes like '[depression], failed relationships, political frustration, addiction, and morbid thoughts'. An example being "Fell on Black Days" where Cornell describes his acceptance of depression as an inescapable fate (Conway et. al, 2023).

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"The Pumpkins were heavily influenced by goth rock, particularly The Cure, in their early years" (Forrest, 2023). Two great examples being "Crestfallen" and "Ava Adore" which feature that distinct post-punk, gothic sound. Not only have they emulated The Cure's sound in their own work, but have also covered their songs, with their renditions of "A Night Like This" and a live version of "Friday I’m In Love" in 2018" (Doherty, 2024).

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Frontman Billy Corgan stated "At this august age of mine, I still go back to black sabbath for inspiration" (Revolver, 2023). We can see this in songs like "Zero" which features a heavier sound reminiscent of Sabbath and other early metal bands. The Pumpkins also write about introspective themes centred around despair and inner conflict which I believe they have in common with Black Sabbath.

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"My Bloody Valentine ended up influencing Corgan in more ways than one and contributing to the Pumpkins’ indescribable sound" (Scanlon, 2024). My Bloody Valentine were one of the pioneering bands of shoegaze, a genre built around guitar pedals and creating a lush, layered and atmospheric sound. The Pumpkins were heavily inspired by this genre and incorporated it into their own work, fusing it within their alternative rock sound.

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"Their influence can be seen in the music of countless artists, from the early British punk scene to modern punk and alternative rock bands." (Miladinović, 2024). Soundgarden, being a band that emerged in the grunge/punk scene of Seattle, had been inspired (like many other grunge artists) by the energetic style of rock, heavy riffs and catchy melodies that The Ramones and other early punk bands pioneered.