An article from Loudersound rounds up ten obscure 70s rock bands that critics regard as genuinely brilliant but who never achieved the commercial success or fame of contemporaries such as Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Queen and Black Sabbath. The piece argues these acts helped shape the sound of hard rock and proto-metal despite releasing little material and splitting up early, often due to record label troubles or lack of commercial viability.

Featured acts include a San Francisco trio who released just one 1972 album before being dropped by RCA; an early-70s British band credited with blending proto-metal and punk aggression across two politically charged albums before disbanding mid-recording; and a Cleveland, Ohio group whose sole 1973 self-titled album is now seen as a landmark that helped define the blueprint for later American hard rock.