Bands/Artists that changed drastically

[lame ass security]

A band that comes immediately to mind is Ministry and Al Jourgesen. They actually started as a new wave type band then morphed into industrial rock. The transformation was unbelievable to the point that I questioned if it was the same band. Another band to a lesser degree is STP, they evolved from grunge to a more fully rounded sound in just a few years. 

Edited June 8 by lame ass security

[EvanG]

I don't necessarily agree with 'grunge' being a music genre, but I understand what you mean.

Silverchair: They started as a hardrock band with metal influences and were also labelled 'grunge' because they came on the scene in 1994, but if they had been around ten years earlier they would have been considered a hardrock band with metal riffs. Then by their last record they had transformed into a more art rock/pop band and sounded completely different.

Radiohead when they turned to electronic music.

Red Hot Chili Peppers, at least their By The Way record. If someone listens to one of their first records and then to By The Way, I doubt they would think it's the same band, even the vocals changed from mainly rapping to mainly singing.

John Frusciante, from mostly rock on his first records to electronic, acid house, jungle, drum n bass type of music nowadays.       

Edited June 8 by EvanG

[username]

A lot of bands come to mind really. Especially those that have been around for a long time. 

Aerosmith in the 70's was much more hardrock/bluesrock oriented than poppier Aerosmith that emerged from Permanent Vacation onwards. Just night and day. I like both for all sorts of reasons, but the change was huge. And the period in between was a mess. 

AC/DC with Bon Scott was an entirely different animal than AC/DC with Brian Johnson. 

The Beatles started as a (really good) pop group in matching suits and changed into a much more experimental studio-oriented band. 

Pink Floyd was originally was a very experimental psychadelic thing with Syd Barrett but over time became way more melodic. Especially from Meddle onward. 

Metallica went from pure underground trashmetal to a much slower and more melodic sound. 

I also think Coldplay's first 2,5 albums are just a hugely different thing from the pop group they became. 

Bob Dylan went through at least 5 vastly different sounds. From original pure folk to the Judas of the genre embracing electric music, then there was a country phase, a religious phase and after some twists and turns he ended up with the much more jazzy arrangements he does today. 

Even early Queen was a straight hardrock band on their earlier albums and became an entirely different thing by A Night At The Opera. 

[EvanG]

Aerosmith didn't change drastically at all. They started working with professional songwriters in the late 80s so some of their songs got a poppy hook in them and they started doing more ballads, but the bluesy/hardrock sound from the 70s can be found on every record they have done.

[ShadowOfTheWave]

Pantera is probably the best example of this. Glam in the 80s, groove in the 90s.

AC/DC didn't change at all, let alone become a completely different animal. Sure, Scott was a much more unique singer and songwriter, but the band's style never changed.

Edited June 8 by ShadowOfTheWave

[EvanG]

I forgot to mention Genesis. Obviously very different after Peter Gabriel left.

[janrichmond]

Fleetwood Mac. I prefer the Peter Green era.

[Rindmelon]

Marrillion, Hogarth era far better than Fish and very different.

[Graeme]

In Flames went from sounding like this in 1997: 

To sounding like this in 2016:

From very raw melodic death metal to basically alternative rock with a very glossy production.

They seem to be drifting back towards their former sound (at least a little); their last record contained a lot more melodic death metal elements, but kept some of the poppy choruses with pitch correction and layering of the vocals.

[F*ck Fear]

On 6/8/2024 at 2:19 PM, ShadowOfTheWave said:

Pantera is probably the best example of this. Glam in the 80s, groove in the 90s.

AC/DC didn't change at all, let alone become a completely different animal. Sure, Scott was a much more unique singer and songwriter, but the band's style never changed.

Thanks to Phil Anselmo. Those early albums are awful.

[Rindmelon]

4 hours ago, F*ck Fear said:

Thanks to Phil Anselmo. Those early albums are awful.

They really are. They were like a parody of hair metal gone wrong. Wasn't really until Phil got there that they got that heavy groove sound 

[F*ck Fear]

15 minutes ago, Rindmelon said:

They really are. They were like a parody of hair metal gone wrong. Wasn't really until Phil got there that they got that heavy groove sound 

Philip introduced the Abbott's to stuff like Slayer & Venom, then they were off to the races! Thankfully.

[rocknroll41]

RHCP

Kiss chased trends for awhile, as did Ozzy

White Zombie started as a punk/noise band and then went full metal and then Rob went solo and kinda became a Marylin Manson clone

Nirvana (and AiC to a lesser extent)

Gnr (obviously)

Faith No More

Smashing Pumpkins

Linkin Park

Metallica

all my favorite bands, funny enough

Edited August 4 by rocknroll41

[Cosmo]

Black Sabbath became a whole different thing after Ozzy was fired.

Judas Priest also changed their sound drastically after Sin After Sin.

There's Sleep prior to Holy Mountain and after Holy Mountain.

Radiohead got completely different after Ok Computer.

King Gizzard and the Llzard Wizard changes their sound with every album (all 25+ of them) but in the beginning, they were a more "normal sounding" alternative rock band.

Monster Magnet was a full-on space rock LSD-induced stoner band in the beginning, but after Dopes to Infinity, they became kind of like a straightforward rock band.

Ghost was a retro satanic metal band in their first album, and slowly became a mainstream "stadium" rock act

Queens of the Stone Age began as a successor to Kyuss, on a desert rock kind of sound, but is now a more alternative rock band.

Coldplay was once a U2-sounding rock band but is now basically Chris Martin singing pop songs over synths.

Maroon 5 was a pop rock band, now it's basically a pop solo act.

Tool started as a more agressive and heavy "normal" prog metal band, and is now an over-elaborate mystic cinematic magnum opus kind of band.

[WAR41]

Cave In is the clearest example of this that I know of.  They went from Boston hardcore band to alternative experimental rock band.  And I love both versions of the band.  Listen to the Until Your Heart Stops album followed by their Final Transmission album.  The shift is insane.

Cosmo is right about Maroon 5 too.  Went from rock band to solo pop act featuring members of the old band. 

[Rindmelon]

I guess if were talking chasing trends then I would have to say Motley too. Generation Swine and the self titled album with Corabi on vocals were worlds apart from there old school sound. That album with Corabi is there best one

[Rindmelon]

2 hours ago, rocknroll41 said:

RHCP

Kiss chased trends for awhile, as did Ozzy

White Zombie started as a punk/noise band and then went full metal and then Rob went solo and kinda became a Marylin Manson clone

Nirvana (and AiC to a lesser extent)

Gnr (obviously)

Faith No More

Smashing Pumpkins

all my favorite bands, funny enough

If were saying Nirvana then I'd have to say Hole as well. Celebrity Skin was far slicker than Pretty On The Inside era

[rocknroll41]

35 minutes ago, Rindmelon said:

If were saying Nirvana then I'd have to say Hole as well. Celebrity Skin was far slicker than Pretty On The Inside era

That’s cause Billy Corgan wrote a good chunk of Celeb Skin, but either way, your point stands.

[pbj_jam]

Anything and everything by General Patton, I'll drop the deuce on Mr. Bungle, a fusion of styles, but all with a common thread rooted in jazz, so maybe going off topic there.. You'll always know a Bungle record when you hear one..

 

I guess the obvious elephant would be 'Melvins'

[-W.A.R-]

On 6/15/2024 at 3:45 AM, pbj_jam said:

Anything and everything by General Patton, I'll drop the deuce on Mr. Bungle, a fusion of styles, but all with a common thread rooted in jazz, so maybe going off topic there.. You'll always know a Bungle record when you hear one..

Mike Patton had the type of career that i believe Axl envisioned for himself in the 90s. Always reinventing himself and going in weird obscure directions. If only Axl was a 10th as prolific.

Faith No More is perfect for this thread. The change from The Real Thing to Angel Dust is pretty drastic.  

On 6/13/2024 at 9:44 AM, F*ck Fear said:

Thanks to Phil Anselmo. Those early albums are awful.

  The ones after him are awful too,

Edited June 17 by -W.A.R-

[F*ck Fear]

On 6/16/2024 at 7:21 PM, -W.A.R- said:

Mike Patton had the type of career that i believe Axl envisioned for himself in the 90s. Always reinventing himself and going in weird obscure directions. If only Axl was a 10th as prolific.

Faith No More is perfect for this thread. The change from The Real Thing to Angel Dust is pretty drastic.  

  The ones after him are awful too,

In your opinion.

[Gibson87]

I see this a lot in the EDM/House scene. You'll get a guy who comes in with something new or unique and after finding success, they end up trashing their old sound and chasing the trends.

Zedd is a prime example. He used to make amazing electro house back in the early '10s and then completely abandoned that sound in '16 to make pop songs. I respect the decision but don't agree with it.

Then you get guys like deadmau5 who have had the same sound for the last 20+ years but have kept it from going stale by continuing to evolve

Edited June 18 by Gibson87

[Gordon Comstock]

On 6/9/2024 at 1:48 PM, Graeme said:

In Flames went from sounding like this in 1997: 

To sounding like this in 2016:

From very raw melodic death metal to basically alternative rock with a very glossy production.

They seem to be drifting back towards their former sound (at least a little); their last record contained a lot more melodic death metal elements, but kept some of the poppy choruses with pitch correction and layering of the vocals.

 

Each decade was basically a new sound for them, with occasional glimpses of their classic sound. I haven't followed them in a while, but Anders is featured on the new VOLA album coming in November, I'm really interested to hear that song.

 

Foxy Shazam changed their sound on almost every album.

Arctic Monkeys early records are much different, and way better, than their newer records.

Cradle Of Filth, at least for most of the 2000s, had a drastic change from their 90s styles.

[Karice]

Jefferson Airplane started off as Psychedelic/LSD Folk music in the late 60's(White Rabbit/Somebody To Love) and became Jefferson Starship' with manufactured Pop Trash in the 80's (We Built This City/Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now) 

 

Grace Slick said  they sang manufactured Pop Trash because they wanted the money. She said something like,"We Built This City is garbage, and Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now felt hypocritical. I know how fast love can end, so me singing about everlasting love felt hypocritical."