Top 20 Bands That Became More Successful with a New Singer

Van Halen


Van Halen exploded with stellar musicianship and an unbeatable frontman. The hard rockers were on the rise when the howling, high-energy David Lee Roth shockingly departed in 1985. But Montrose’s Sammy Hagar brought more than a killer new voice. With more realized band chemistry and pop appeal, “5150” became the first Van Halen album to top the charts. The next two albums did the same. Still, fans heavily debate how this so-called “Van Hagar” era compares to Roth’s tenure. The commercial argument was complicated by Diamond Dave's return in ‘96 and 2006, which brought his total sales well over the Red Rocker’s. Of course, it wouldn't have been the same without Hagar leading Van Halen into generation-defining success.

Helloween


Kai Hansen’s fiery vocals and melodic guitar shredding made Helloween a unique voice in ‘80s metal. In fact, their seminal speed metal style was so intense that the frontman simply burned out. He thus provided backing and later left in favor of Michael Kiske, whose more dramatic belting complemented Helloween’s growing symphonic influences. The two “Keeper of the Seven Keys” albums are now considered the formal declaration of the power metal genre. It would become a phenomenon as the band sold over 10 million records, mostly with Andi Deris singing. Hansen was no less influential with his hit follow-up band Gamma Ray. And since 2016, Helloween has given him, Kiske and Deris their due as co-lead vocalists.

Slipknot


Perhaps no band exemplifies the style and spectacle of nu metal like Slipknot. But the Iowa ensemble were more death metal, among many other genres, when Anders Colsefni fronted them. The album “Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat.” was an obscure debut, which the band has since dubbed a demo record. Colsefni ultimately left shortly after being sidelined by Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor. His wide, melodic vocal range and outrageous showmanship were integral to Slipknot achieving unlikely stardom with such a heavy sound. They've sold tens of millions of records, and are one of the hottest live acts in metal. Taylor has proven himself a powerhouse leader, but Colsefni remains an active and eclectic performer.

Dream Theater


Founded under the name Majestic, Dream Theater helped define the progressive metal genre with their virtuosic musicianship. And yet, their work with Charlie Dominici didn't see much critical success, let alone commercial. It was ultimately decided that the singer’s more pop-oriented background just didn't groove with Dream Theater’s meticulous compositions. In 1991, the American band recruited Canadian singer James LaBrie as the ideal voice for their sophisticated style of heavy metal. He has been with Dream Theater ever since. Along the way, they have influenced countless musicians with consistent critical acclaim and commercial success. Fans still have a soft spot for the Dominici years, and mourned along with the band after his passing in 2023.

Blood, Sweat & Tears


With jazzy pop rock barely describing their style, Blood, Sweat & Tears seemed bound for stardom by the late ‘60s. Their debut album “Child Is Father to the Man” certainly won praise for Al Kooper’s dynamic vocals and musical direction. Unfortunately, it barely cracked the Top 50. As creative conflicts ensued, the band was left without its visionary leader. Enter the golden-voiced David Clayton-Thomas, to lead BS&T’s eponymous second album to the top of the charts for seven weeks! The band has since become a pop staple with a rotating lineup, though Clayton-Thomas is associated with their golden age. Meanwhile, Kooper became a Renaissance man in the music industry, and was individually inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023.

Anthrax


Thrash metalheads hail Anthrax as pioneers, but downplay that they didn’t have the same early success as the rest of the “Big Four”. They had an unstable lineup before landing on vocalist Neil Turbin for “Fistful of Metal”. The 1984 album got mixed reviews, lacking the freshness of Metallica’s ‘83 debut “Kill ‘Em All”. The band was already facing tension that ultimately led to the departures of Turbin and bassist Dan Likler. At least they had solid sales, but not like they’ve had with Joey Belladonna. His intense vocals and stage presence turned Anthrax into one of the most influential acts in their genre. And with Belladonna fronting their most commercially successful years, he himself is a metal megastar.

The Moody Blues


To be key figures in art rock, The Moody Blues had a very ‘60s pop name. That's because they started as an R&B group behind guitarist-singer Denny Laine. But after they scored a hit single with a cover of Bessie Smith’s “Go Now”, plummeting commercial prospects led to radical change. Laine was replaced by two lead singers, Justin Hayward and John Lodge, whose poetic and high-concept songwriting had an important impact on progressive rock. This new style was still pop enough to hook mainstream listeners. The Moody Blues became a sensation with audiences and critics, rising above ‘60s trends to become true innovators. Laine enjoyed his own successful reinvention, notably co-founding the band Wings with friend Paul McCartney.

Joy Division / New Order


Joy Division brought punk to new commercial heights with their danceable style and Ian Curtis’s charisma. They were sure to become a phenomenon when tragedy marked the end of an era. Struggling with depression and epilepsy, Curtis took his own life just before the release of the band's second album. Joy Division promptly disbanded, but the members soon regrouped and completely rebranded. With guitarist-keyboardist Bernard Sumner promoted to lead vocals, New Order helped pioneer the synth-pop craze of the ‘80s and laid the foundation for alternative dance music. Sumner has since led New Order to renown and popularity for four decades. Of course, the band's work under a different name and visionary frontman is as celebrated as ever.

Faith No More


Going into the ‘80s, these San Francisco alt-rockers faced a crisis of identity. They went through two names and three singers before Chuck Mosely fronted Faith No More for the album “We Care a Lot”. It was a success, and its title track an outright hit, but Mosley’s erratic behavior led to his dismissal after the second album. Faith No More then recruited Mr. Bungle’s Mike Patton, a virtuoso singer and off-the-wall showman. He expanded the band’s musical boundaries, earning them a devoted following and accolades as one of the most distinct rock acts of the ‘90s. Patton himself became a prolific phenom across near-innumerable genres. But many artists praise Faith No More’s influence back to the late, great Chuck Mosley.

Jefferson Airplane


Jefferson Airplane was one of the leading voices of ‘60s counterculture, two voices at a time. While Paul Kantner always provided the male vocals, his first partner was Signe Toly Anderson. She helped set the band's distinctive style with the modestly successful album “Jefferson Airplane Takes Off”. But Anderson decided to leave the group after becoming a mother. The landmark album “Surrealistic Pillow” would thus feature Grace Slick of The Great Society. Her powerful vocals and stage presence propelled the commercial appeal of psychedelic rock, placing Jefferson Airplane at the forefront of counterculture music. Slick is now regarded as an important figure among women in rock, but might not have gotten there without Anderson's underappreciated voice.

Pantera

Fans new to the history of this rough 'n ready metal act may be surprised to discover that Pantera actually started their career as a more traditional-minded, glam-flavoured metal machine. The Texas-bred band featured Terry Glaze on vocals during this time, and released three albums with the singer before eventually hooking up with New Orleans native Phil Anselmo on the Power Metal album. It wasn't long after bringing on Anselmo that Pantera would sign a deal with AtCo Records, resulting in their breakthrough major label debut, Cowboys From Hell. The rest, as they say, is history, with Pantera eventually going on to become one of heavy metal's most popular and influential bands.

Black Flag

Hardcore punk icons Black Flag have been through a number of lead vocalists over the years, including Ron "Chavo" Reyes and former Circle Jerks singer Keith Morris. But it was with the magnetic and furious frontman Henry Rollins, however, where the band arguably entered their most progressive and successful creative period. Rollins served as the longest-termed singer for Black Flag, having replaced Dez Cadena in 1981, with the latter switching over to the second guitar position. The resulting albums with Rollins, such as Damaged, My War and Slip It In, went on to influence not only Flag's punk rock community, but also metal and noise-rock bands around the world.

Deep Purple

The British rock institution known as Deep Purple did get a solid running start with their Mark I lineup alongside their first frontman Rod Evans, but it wasn't until Ian Gillan joined the band in late 1969 that they truly started their journey towards superstardom. This was largely in part to Gillan's capable ability to howl with reckless abandon on such future Purple classics as "Highway Star" and "Space Truckin,' both of which served as the earliest examples of hard rock progressing towards heavy metal. Purple and Gillan would go on to crisscross the world on tour, further cementing their status as one of heavy rock's most influential groups.

Journey

The crystal clear voice of Steve Perry is the one most closely associated with the career of rock legends Journey, but the band's story actually started much earlier. Band leader Neal Schon initially formed Journey after leaving Santana in 1973, coming together with Greg Rolie on keyboards and vocals. Journey briefly employed singer Robert Fleischman after releasing their third album in 1977, but it was the Steve Perry era from 77’ to 98’, which served as their most commercially successful, resulting in numerous top ten singles and successful world tours.

Fleetwood Mac
It's quite difficult to make sense of the twisted mass of tangled threads that is Fleetwood Mac lineup changes. What isn't difficult, however, is to note how the band's commercial profile increased in 1974, when the former blues-rock band enlisted singer/songwriter couple Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks into their ranks. Buckingham and Nicks brought with them a stripped down, emotional passion to the band's songwriting, in the process tempering down Fleetwood Mac's riff-heavy sound into one more balanced between Buckingham's flowing guitar melodies and Nicks’ charismatic vocals and stage presence.

Duran Duran

The tenure of one Stephen Duffy was not one that lasted long within an early incarnation of the British pop/rock goliath known as Duran Duran. Although Duffy helped form the band alongside bassist John Taylor and keyboardist Nick Rhodes, he was ultimately one of a small revolving door of vocalists that assisted Duran Duran during their early nightclub days. It was with the addition of Simon Le Bon in 1980 that cemented what most fans see as the "definitive" lineup of the band as this version of Duran Duran would go on to become legitimate 1980s superstars, thanks to music videos for "Rio," "Save a Prayer" and "Hungry Like the Wolf" receiving massive MTV rotation.

Genesis

Genesis were responsible for spearheading the progressive rock movement in the 1970s, thanks much in part to the magnetic stage presence of their theatrical frontman Peter Gabriel. Early Genesis shows were marked by Gabriel's penchant for stage makeup and showmanship, while the band's complex songwriting exemplified prog rock's reputation for musical intricacy. Fast forwarding to the band's tenure under singer/drummer Phil Collins, however, showcased a band very much taking this progressive musicality and stripping it down to its most essential, commercial elements. Smash Genesis hits like "Land of Confusion" and "That's All" all took the band's early elements and combined them with smart songwriting, resulting in the band's most commercially successful period.

AC/DC

Most AC/DC fans will likely agree that the band's iconic frontman Bon Scott was irreplaceable. That is...until they heard Brian Johnson. It was Johnson's debut with AC/DC in 1980 that assisted in softening the blow struck by Scott's alcohol-related death earlier that year, a magnificent riff-rock collection known as Back in Black. Johnson's paint-peeling screech was one patterned after Scott's own legendary wail, yet the former Geordie frontman never made it a point of copying Scott note for note. Rather, the band and Johnson paved their own way together, writing, recording and touring together for the next thirty-plus years.

Iron Maiden


Many members have passed through the hallowed halls of metal masters Iron Maiden over the years, but it's the coveted lead vocal position that has served as the most hotly debated among fans. Iron Maiden were diehard fan favorites in their native England, after toiling through the underground with their punk-fueled frontman Paul Di'Anno. Substance use issues took their toll on the frontman after two albums with Maiden, however, resulting in him being replaced in 1981 by former Samson singer Bruce Dickinson. The resulting albums with Dickinson would cement Iron Maiden as a worldwide metal powerhouse, increasing the band's commercial profile around the world.

Pink Floyd


The heavy psychedelic sound that characterized early Pink Floyd was thanks largely in part to the band's founder, guitarist Syd Barrett. It was the songwriter's erratic personal behavior, exacerbated by heavy substance use that would eventually lead to Barrett's dismissal from Pink Floyd. Vocalist and guitarist David Gilmour had already been introduced into the band at this point to support and supplement Barrett, but it was this shift in creative control with Syd's exit which led to some of Floyd's most commercially successful records. Gilmour's smooth vocals and expressive, emotional guitar playing would go on to define the "new" Pink Floyd sound, bringing in fans around the world throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s.




What are your favorite vocalist replacements in bands? Lend your voice in the comments.