King’s X

One of the most notoriously unlucky bands in metal, King’s X was never quite able to find the stardom their followers believed they deserved. A could-have-been breakthrough single in 1989, “Over My Head,” was inexplicably ignored by MTV and radio, while the even catchier 1990 follow-up single “It’s Love” only ignited as management issues sidelined the band. In 1994, when grunge was finishing off the remnants of ’80s hard-rock, King’s X received a rare pardon from Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, who plugged the band full-heartedly, but even that endorsement didn’t translate into sales. Despite the indignities, King’s X has aged gracefully and continued to churn out strong albums pairing prog-metal artiness with power-metal hooks, as on their recent XV, as good an introduction to the group as any.