One guitarist, one bassist, one drummer and any one of them ripping on vocals. Sometimes, less is more and these traditional power trios have made some of rock and metal’s most epic music.

Power trios have always been fascinating, but difficult to pull off. Each musician needs to be extremely proficient at their duty, whether that’s holding down a powerful anchor or flawlessly performing complex polyrhythms. Power trios have created some of music’s most vast and colorful libraries, which we salute in this Loud List.

The ‘60s and ‘70s were golden decades for power trios. Rock was a raw and powerful commodity, accentuated heavily by a three-person approach. The Experience allowed frontman Jimi Hendrix to become a guitar god, leaving him alone to explore new six-stringed realms while bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell provided one of rock’s most perfect rhythm sections. Bands like Cream and Motorhead soared as trios, relying on the strength of pure songwriting prowess and a mastery of their instruments.

It would be a crime to talk power trios and not mention Rush. Each instrument in the band is played by an all-time great of its discipline. As for songwriting, few acts have been able to craft bigger songs than Rush. The fact that they were able to write 2112 or Moving Pictures as a trio is completely unprecedented, which is why Rush claim a very high spot on this list.

Check out our choices for the 10 Greatest Rock + Metal Power Trios in the Loud List above!

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