The band’s early albums were filled with highly melodic, well-written songs that drew equally from the crafted pop of, the sonic assault of, and the tongue-in-cheek musical eclecticism and humor of. Their sound provided a blueprint for both power pop and arena rock it also had a long-lived effect on both alternative and heavy metal bands of the ’80s and ’90s (and beyond), who often relied on the same combination of loud riffs and catchy melodies.
Combining a love for British guitar pop songcraft with crunching power chords and a flair for the absurd, Cheap Trick provided the necessary links between ’60s pop, heavy metal, and punk.
