Did the Foo Fighters Kill Grunge?

This is something that's been bothering me for a long time.

Basically, I've been home since Tuesday because I had early exams. The majority of my friends are still in school so I've been playing a lot of video games and listening to music. Well, I am currently what is known as "broke", or something like it, so I haven't gotten new music for a month or so. Well, except for the new Foo Fighters album that I bummed off someone else because I didn't think it was worth buying, but that doesn't really count because I don't see myself listening to it. The last two albums have had no character whatsoever, with the exception of the song "The Pretender". I can actually tolerate that song, but songs like "Best of You" and "Long Road to Ruin" are death. I will not even honor them with links. The Foo Fighters have been reduced to watered-down "hard rock" that really has no traceable structure and is boring as heck. It kills me because the Foo Fighters were the second band that I was ever obsessed with (after Creed, so really I should say that the Foo Fighters were my first favorite good band). But obtaining the album was enough to thrust me into nostalgic stage of listening to the first four Foo Fighters albums. Even then, though, you can trace a downward spiral of quality.

This spiral has led me to ask myself the same question for years; Did the Foo Fighters, namely Dave Grohl, kill grunge music? I feel terrible thinking that because I like the guy. However, after Kurt Cobain died, and Dave Grohl formed the Foo Fighters, the movement was really placed on Dave's back. As the Foo moved out of their grungy ways from their first album and into the ballads and "hard rock" songs, did the crowd move along with it, or did they become disgusted with the way it was going and move on to other things? OR did Cobain's death signify that the style was dead with him, or leave grunge fans thinking that no one could ever do it better? I was six when the guy died, so I really can't use myself as an example to answer these questions. I knew Wierd Al's "Smells Like Nirvana" before I knew "Smells Like Teen Spirit".

But grunge's legacy lives on in the crappy post-grunge bands like Nickelback, Puddle of Mudd and Seether (again, screw you, no links), who do their best to sound like Kurt Cobain. This is why I fret over the Foo Fighters. They could have taken it in a respectable direction. Instead, one of the most influential bands ever, the "Beatles of the 90's" now lives on in "How You Remind Me" (please do watch that link, because it helps my argument).

I'll make the song of the day a Foo Fighters song, which seems to be inconsistant with my rant, but my qualm is with their new music, not the early stuff. "Everlong" is one of my favorite songs of all-time. So "Everlong" it is.

"Everlong" by the Foo Fighters at YouTube.