10 Bands RUINED by One Disgraced Member

10-Bands-Ruined-by-One-Disgraced-Member

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at some of the worst instances of bands dissolving or losing their reputation thanks to the actions of one disgraced member.

Five Finger Death Punch

Ivan Moody
One of the most successful heavy metal bands of the 2010s, Five Finger Death Punch is tarnished by the controversial actions of frontman Ivan Moody. Moody was nearly fired from the band in the early 2010s, citing his alcohol use disorder and his subsequent erratic onstage behavior. This behavior often disappointed fans, like when he cut a concert in Worcester short by falsely claiming that his mother was dying. In reality, he was too inebriated to continue performing. Moody has also faced a number of personal and legal issues, like continuously abusing his ex-wife, assaulting a flight attendant, and receiving restraining orders from his own mother and sister. Luckily, Moody is not currently using substances and attempting to fix the band’s reputation.

Various

Jonny Craig
Some people are so contentious that they ruin every band they’re in. Or were in. That’s the case with vocalist Jonny Craig. He has been the subject of many allegations and run-ins with the law. For example, he stole thousands of dollars by pretending to sell a used Macbook on Twitter, in order to fund his substance abuse disorder. He was subsequently kicked out of Dance Gavin Dance and Emarosa. Craig’s time in the band Slaves was also marred by controversy, as multiple women, including his ex-fiancée have accused Craig of sexual assault. This led to the band being dropped from their record label. They changed their name to Rain City Drive after becoming the third band to fire Craig in scandal.

Gorgoroth

Gaahl
Several Scandinavian black metal bands are represented on this list. Norwegian group Gorgoroth has faced a number of negative headlines throughout the years, with many stemming from former frontman Gaahl. Real name Kristian Espedal, Gaahl has been to prison at least twice for assault. The first sentence was handed down in 2002, and the next in 2004. In the latter incident, Gaahl reportedly kept his victim prisoner and abused him for lengthy periods of time while collecting his blood in a cup. He was sentenced to fourteen months in prison. Not long after, Gaahl attempted to remove founding member Infernus from the group, but this only resulted in his own termination.

Dissection

Jon Nödtveidt
We go from Norway to Sweden for Dissection, which was co-founded by Jon Nödtveidt in the late ‘80s. The band released two albums but hit a major impasse in 1997 when Nödtveidt was sent to prison for murder. In the summer of that year, a gay Algerian man named Josef ben Meddour was found dead in Gothenburg’s Keillers Park. The two perpetrators were Nödtveidt and another metal musician named “Vlad,” who supposedly killed the man owing to their homophobic beliefs. Nödtveidt was sentenced to ten years in prison but was released early in 2004. Dissection released one more album following his release but split for good in 2006. Less than two months after their final show, Nödtveidt took his own life.

Hedley

Jacob Hoggard
Hedley was enormously popular in their native Canada, scoring nine top ten hits. Part of this success is due to their music, while part of it stems from the popularity of frontman Jacob Hoggard, who competed on “Canadian Idol” back in 2004. However, the band’s career came to a startling end in 2018 when multiple members were accused of sexual misconduct. They admitted that they engaged in “certain rock and roll clichés” but denied that they did anything illegal. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case with Hoggard, who was personally charged with sexual assault and sentenced to five years in prison. In the midst of the controversy, Hedley was fired by their management team and entered an indefinite hiatus.

Emperor

Faust
We return to Norwegian black metal for the story of Faust. Faust was heavily involved in the black metal scene, providing the lyrics for Zyklon and drumming for Emperor. Their debut album, In the Nightside Eclipse, was released in 1994 and is widely considered one of the most influential black metal albums in history. Unfortunately, Faust wasn’t around to enjoy it. Back in 1992, Faust killed a gay man named Magne Andreassen after being propositioned. He later confessed to the murder and was sentenced to fourteen years in prison. He served nine. And while Emperor is still highly regarded within the black metal scene, Faust’s time with the band is regarded as an unfortunate sore spot.

The Mamas & the Papas

John Phillips
A major part of the late ‘60s counterculture, The Mamas & the Papas scored six top ten singles, including the multi-platinum “California Dreamin’.” The band was led by John Phillips, who passed away in 2001 at the age of 65. But both his and the band’s reputation took a major hit in 2009. That’s when his daughter Mackenzie revealed that she and her father shared an inappropriate relationship throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s. She also claims that Phillips injected her with various substances and may have even fathered a child with her, but she received an abortion before the child was born. Some people, including Phillips’s ex-wives and Mackenzie’s half-sister, deny the allegations. Others, including Phillips’s bandmate Denny Doherty, have corroborated the story.

Mayhem

Varg Vikernes
Mayhem was hugely influential within the black metal scene, but infamous for their many gruesome scandals. The breaking point came after Varg Vikernes of the acclaimed solo project Burzum joined the band on bass. His volatile relationship with Euronymous, real name Øystein Aarseth, ended with Vikernes murdering the guitarist during an altercation on August 10, 1993. One of the biggest scandals in black metal history temporarily broke up Mayhem and landed the killer in prison until 2009. But that’s not all. Vikernes also has a history of church arson and extremist ideology, even founding a neo-Nazi organization while in prison. Despite the cultural importance of his work with Burzum and Mayhem, the already controversial music is further blackened by Vikernes’s name.

As I Lay Dying

Tim Lambesis
One of the essential metalcore bands, As I Lay Dying has been nominated for a Grammy, and their albums An Ocean Between Us and The Powerless Rise hit the top ten on the Billboard 200. But their output slowed in the 2010s, and that’s thanks to the actions of frontman Tim Lambesis. In May of 2013, Lambesis hired a hitman to kill his ex-wife, Meggan Murphy. Fortunately for his wife, this “hitman” was an undercover police officer, and Lambesis was arrested for soliciting murder. He pled guilty and was sentenced to six years in prison, but he served only two and has since returned to the band.

Lostprophets

Ian Watkins
Lostprophets was on an upward trajectory until frontman Ian Watkins ruined it all. The band saw great success in the 2000s, scoring two UK top tens and selling over three million albums. And then the horrible news broke. The world learned the disgusting truth about Watkins on December 19, 2012, and while the charges are way too awful to relay here, they were enough to send him away for almost three decades. The band released a statement distancing themselves from Watkins, and they officially disbanded in October 2013. As for Watkins, he pled guilty and was given 29 years in prison, with the judge claiming that his story “plunged into new depths of depravity.”

Do you still listen to these bands, despite the controversy? Let us know in the comments below!