Formed in Ellensburg, Washington in 1985, Screaming Trees was part of Seattle's pack of grunge bands to gain mainstream exposure in the early 1990s. The group was led by Mark Lanegan, an excellent singer whose gruff, whiskey-soaked voice helped define the band's sound. Though it never received as much high-profile success as some grunge acts, Screaming Trees is usually credited with inspiring the likes of Soundgarden, Mudhoney and Nirvana. The band used the typical grunge touchstones such as dirty sounding distorted guitars and elements pulled from heavy metal and punk rock, and added touches of exploratory passages that gave it a neo-psychedelia feel. Screaming Trees broke up in 2000 but Lanegan has gone on to enjoy a solid solo career that includes frequent collaborations with Queens of the Stone Age.
