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| Most Successful Member Changes in Rock/Metal Bands
After going through some of the most spectacularly failed member changes in rock history, we take a look at the ones that had the exact opposite effect on each band's career. | | 1 |  | AC/DC
Back In Black
Replacing a charismatic and unique-sounding frontman is never an easy task – and even less so when it is done directly after their death. Yet, when AC/DC decided to soldier on after Bon Scott's death and bring in Scotsman Brian Johnson as his replacement, they could not have made a better decision – more than forty years on, and with the exception of an emergency swap for Axl Rose for touring purposes in 2016-17, the ex-Geordie singer remains the voice most associated with AC/DC, whom he has fronted through thick and thin, and probably will right up until he is no longer capable of doing so. | | 2 |  | Alter Bridge
One Day Remains
Yes, this was not so much a member swap as a swap to a brand new identity; truthfully, though, would anybody really take Scott Stapp over Myles Kennedy? | | 3 |  | Anthrax
Sound of White Noise
The first of several bands on this list to enact not one, but several successful member swaps. Joey Belladonna was a huge step up from original frontman Neil Turbin, and both he and replacement bass player Frank Bello stuck around for the long run; as for John Bush, love him or hate him, he was an integral part of the band's sound during their more modern period – though it definitely does feel good to have Belladonna back where he belongs. | | 4 |  | Arch Enemy
Wages of Sin
Another band which managed to go through several member swaps and come out on top every time. The change from Johan Liiva to the formidable Angela Gossow gave the band's otherwise standard melodeath sound a unique edge, while her subsequent replacement with Alyssa Whyte-Gluz lent it a new dimension. Replacing founder Chris Ammott with the mighty Jeff Loomis did not go amiss, either. | | 5 |  | Art of Anarchy
The Madness
It may be difficult to imagine Scott Stapp being an upgrade over Scott Weiland in any scenario, but for this predictably short-lived supergroup, that was – believe it or not – exactly the case. Stapp fits much better into the band's standard radio-rock sound than his predecessor, and his album with the group is a marked improvement over the debut with Weiland. | | 6 |  | Audioslave
Audioslave
Again, not so much a member swap as a new band - but one which still stands as perhaps the only supergroup to ever have recorded more than two albums (unless one counts the likes of Arch Enemy or The Haunted as supergroups, that is.) For once, a meeting of foreign creative minds which worked a charm, and perfectly plugged the gap between RATM's demise and their eventual return. | | 7 |  | Billy Talent
Afraid of Heights
One change, forced by circumstances, and with a personal friend filling the vacant spot – member swaps don't come much more amicable than this. | | 8 |  | Black Sabbath
Heaven and Hell
Another instance of having to replace a unique-sounding and charismatic frontman and doing it correctly – and once again, during the year 1980. Sabbath's sound may not have seemed like it would work without the one-of-a-kind vocals of Michael 'Ozzy' Osbourne, but replacement Ronnie James Dio, then late of Rainbow, achieved resounding success in his own right, and still stands as an important part of the band's discography. | | 9 |  | Blink-182
California
Another case of a band which seemed as though they might falter without the input of one of their most iconic and instantly recognisable members, but proved everyone wrong by soldiering on without them. Two albums and seven years later, Matt Skiba is still going strong as Blink's guitarist and second singer, while Tom DeLonge progressively falls off the deep end. Goes to show what some fans know. | | 10 |  | Cinderella
Night Songs
The rare instance where the change works for both parties, as the replacement of half the band's members in 1983, before a single track had even been recorded, not only brought about a stable line-up for Cinderella, but also freed up former members Tony Destra and Michael Schermick to unleash a second band upon the glam world, in the shape of Britny Fox. | | 11 |  | Deep Purple
Burn
How to replace an iconic and unique sounding vocalist by picking an equally as iconic and unique sounding substitute, part III. Coverdale's vocals may have been too associated with Whitesnake to make Purple fans apprehensive, but in the end, the experiment was nothing short of successful, bringing about at least one more classic album for the band, in 1974's 'Burn.' And that is not even considering the hiring of Ian Gillan as the replacement for original singer Rod Evans, several years before. | | 12 |  | Dream Theater
Images and Words
Many fans can no longer imagine the Theater without the unique stylings of singer James LaBrie – a much more layered and technically gifted performer than his predecessor, Charlie Dominici, who provided lead vocals in the band's 1989 debut. | | 13 |  | Faith No More
The Real Thing
Mike Patton. Enough said. | | 14 |  | Green Day
Kerplunk
Poor Al Sobrante – choosing the sensible option, only to see his high school friends go on to make more money than he can ever dream of. Still, the addition of teenage wunderkind Tre Cool brought a level of technical dexterity to the drumming that Sobrante could neve quite achieve, and changed the band's sound for the better. | | 15 |  | Helloween
Keeper of the Seven Keys Part I
Another band to pull off multiple successful swaps, first with the addition of wunderkind Michael Kiske on vocals (a HUGE update over competent-but-limited Kai Hansen), then with the replacement of the late Ingo Schwichtenberg for Uli Kusch, and finally, with the exchange of Kiske for Andi Deris. Other, minor replacements were also successful in allowing the band to continue their career, making them front-runners in the field of successful line-up changes within the heavy metal world. | | 16 |  | Iced Earth
Burnt Offerings
The addition of Matt Barlow on vocals provided an iconic element to Jon Schaffer's band's sound that helped set them apart from the pack in their early goings. | | 17 |  | Iron Maiden
The Number of the Beast
Yet another group who underwent several formation changes and came out the other side as an improved unit. The big one was, of course, the swap of attitudinal yet limited Paul DiAnno for caterwauler extraordinaire Bruce Dickinson; however, while considerably more low-key, the addition of Adrian Smith for Dennis Stratton and Nicko McBrain for Clive Burr were also instrumental in shaping the band's future, as both men would remain in the band for forty years and counting. | | 18 |  | Killswitch Engage
The End of Heartache
Another case of a band where both singers managed to leave a distinctive and positive mark. Many purists feel Jesse Leach's vocals fit KsE better, but the fanbase unanimously has a lot of time for interim shouter Howard Jones, who crafted more than a few above-average albums with the group. | | 19 |  | Linkin Park
Hybrid Theory EP
The switch from original singer Mark Wakefield to former Grey Daze frontman Chester Bennington brought not only a technical upgrade for the vocals, but a key element of the band's uniquely distinctive sound for the remainder of their career. | | 20 |  | Metallica
Metallica
The early exchange of Dave Mustaine for Kirk Hammett, the later addition of Jason Newsted for the late Cliff Burton, and Newsted's subsequent replacement with Rob Trujillo all resulted in long-term stability for the band, and must therefore be considered successful on all fronts, | | 21 |  | Motorhead
Overkill
Another pre-recording stage lineup shakeup saw uncontested band leader Lemmy Kilmister bring in Philty 'Animal' Taylor and 'Fast' Eddie Clarke as his backing band – a lineup which would remain in place for decades, and craft many a classic punk'n'roll album. | | 22 |  | Napalm Death
Harmony Corruption
As great of a singer as Lee Dorrian is, 'Barney' Greenway is the voice truly synonymous with Napalm Death, whom he continues to front to this day. | | 23 |  | Nightwish
Dark Passion Play
When Tarja Turunen left the band she was synonymous with, in the late 2000s, fans feared the worst for Nightwish; however, the Finns bounced back with gusto, first incorporating Annette Olzon and changing their style accordingly, then eventually welcoming After Forever diva Floor Jansen to the ranks. And while Annette did struggle to win the fans over at first, both women are now rightfully seen as important parts of Nightwish's trajectory, and given the respect they are due by fans of Holopainen's crew | | 24 |  | Nirvana
Nevermind
As good of a drummer as Chad Channing was (and he was) it would be Dave Grohl who would become synonymous with the stool-and-sticks position in Cobain's shaggy, shabby crew. | | 25 |  | Ramones
Road to Ruin
Marky Ramone's two stints with the New York band still represent some of the best drumming the Ramones have ever boasted, on record as well as live. | | 26 |  | Red Hot Chili Peppers
Mother's Milk
John Frusciante and Chad Smith were instrumental in steering the band away from the funky 90s alt-metal sound of their earlier albums crafting the more melodic funk-rock sound the band would become known for, and profit off of, for the rest of their career. | | 27 |  | Sex Pistols
Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols
Cosmetic and aesthetically-driven as the change may have been, Sid Vicious is nowadays perhaps THE symbol of the madcap group of London lunatics known as the Sex Pistols, with his tragic life story perfectly mirroring the band's supernova trajectory through the music world. | | 28 |  | Slipknot
Slipknot
The band that recorded the legendary 'Mate, Feed, Kill, Repeat' demo were go-nowhere chumps, headed by a limited vocalist who favoured shouting in angsty despair about videogames; the band who put out the landmark self-titled follow-up, two years later, were a self-assured bunch of turn-of'-the-century alt-metallers, who went on to craft a worthy (and ongoing) career under the tutelage of lead screamer Corey Taylor – a man who has yet to craft a lyric about videogames. | | 29 |  | System of a Down
System of a Down
The swap of Andy Khachaturian for John Dolmayan, shortly before the recording of the band's debut album, has so far constituted the only ever lineup change for the Armenian-American foursome, most definitely classing it as a fully successful lineup change. | | 30 |  | The Beatles
Please Please Me
Much like with Al Sobrante, one cannot help but feel bad for Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best for missing out on the gravy train Ringo Starr was more than happy to hop on board of... | | 31 |  | The Haunted
Made Me Do It
The choice between Dolving and Aro continues to divide the Swedes' fanbase to this day, but the fact remains: both singers made important contributions to the band, and both deserve recognition for it. | | 32 |  | Three Days Grace
Human
Whatever fans' opinion on the swap of Adam Gontier for Matt Walst, the swap cannot be considered less than successful, as it not only prevented the band from breaking up, but also gave their career a new boost, which the Canadians are still riding to this day. | | 33 |  | Deftones
Diamond Eyes
As this list has made abundantly clear, it is not easy to replace a dead musician who is an integral part of a band's alchemy: yet when Californian alt-metallers Deftones decided to soldier on in memory of fallen comrade Chi Cheng, they found the perfect new running partner in Sergio Vega, an old acquaintance who had already filled in for Cheng on tour, back during the Around the Fur period. And while Vega is now listed as a former member of the band on Wikipedia, a 12-year run which still stands as the band's only personnel change after settling into a stable lineup can never be considering anything short of successful. | | 34 |  | Tool
Ænima
Paul D'Amour for Justin Chancellor (1996)
Nominated by IsisScript80 | | 35 |  | Yes
The Yes Album
Peter Banks for Steve Howe (1970)
Nominated by ArsMoriendi | |
ReturnToRock
03.20.22 | Tried to stick to one entry per band, or some bands would take up several slots on the list.
Also, Motorhead's first album is apparently not on the database, so had to use Overkill as a placeholder. | IsisScript80
03.20.22 | Most that came to mind initially are listed, however: Justin Chancellor- Tool | ArsMoriendi
03.20.22 | Steve Howe joining Yes for the Yes Album and staying forever | rockarollacola
03.20.22 | I like this list a lot. | JKing92
03.20.22 | Pink Floyd: Syd Barrett being replaced by David Gilmour. With Barrett, they were a pretty good space rock band, but with Gilmour, they became one of the best bands of all time. Simply put, we could not have gotten classics like The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, and The Wall with Barrett instead of Gilmour. | ArsMoriendi
03.20.22 | I'm not sure I agree with that JKing, I overall prefer Gilmour era Floyd, but Barrett-era Floyd was also something truly special
Also I wouldn't call the majority of Piper or the early singles Space rock (maybe like 2-3 tracks max?) it's psychedelic pop
Honestly, with Barrett's aptitude for songwriting, if he didn't lose his mind, there's a chance what we would've gotten could've been equally great | ReturnToRock
03.20.22 | @King/Ars. Pink Floyd were on the list right up until I started filling it in, but then I saw Gilmour had done one album with Barrett still in the band, so it wasn't a straight swap. | robertsona
03.20.22 | Can! | JKing92
03.20.22 | Eh, fair enough genre-wise, Ars. But I would still say that Piper is only like my seventh favorite (behind Dark Side, Wall, Animals, Wish, Meddle, and Saucerful). I just prefer their 1971-1979 work by a mile. Outshines everything else they did, to me.
You are right, though, ReturnToRock. Not a straight swap by any means (while they recorded very few songs on Saucerful as a five-piece unit, they did record a couple all together). I will say that, because of the fact that they didn't record much as a quintet, it may be easy for those who don't know Floyd as well to think that Gilmour up and replaced Barrett, when it didn't just happen like that. | ReturnToRock
03.20.22 | I also forgot the Deftones swap - might add it in at the end of the list. | JKing92
03.20.22 | Oh yeah -- I remember doubting if the band could really continue on successfully without Chi after being disappointed by Diamond Eyes and especially Koi No Yokan ten years back, but I think they've really bounced back in recent years -- Gore and Ohms were triumphs, and I can't wait to see what they'll do next. | IsisScript80
03.20.22 | “Gore and Ohms were triumphs, and I can't wait to see what they'll do next.”
Well, Sergio Vega has just left the band, so fresh turbulence there… and obviously your taste is your taste, but I’m kinda baffled at the assessment that ‘Diamond Eyes’ was a disappointment, but ’Gore’ was a triumph. | JKing92
03.20.22 | Ooh, I didn't know that Sergio was out of the band! Wow.
And yeah, I definitely prefer Gore to Diamond Eyes by a mile. I don't hate Diamond Eyes, I think of it more as a disappointment relatively speaking, compared to albums like Around the Fur, White Pony, and Saturday Night Wrist. I will say it is better than albums like Adrenaline and especially Koi No Yokan (the latter of which is my least favorite Deftones album), but it's far from being my favorite. | IsisScript80
03.20.22 | @JKing92: That’s cool, I just find it interesting how a band whose qualities are obvious to their fans, have such a wide variance of opinion on what works for them and what doesn’t. For me, ‘Diamond Eyes’ is second behind ‘White Pony’ as my favourite, and ‘Gore’ right in last place.
Also, the wider patterns and trends in taste I’m picking up is a thing as well; it seems that ‘Saturday Night Wrist’ an album I’ve always considered, from the time of its release until now, a very middling effort in their discography, is now being reappraised by many as one of their very best releases, and the initially lauded, ‘Ohms’ being heavily relegated in current thinking.
To me it’s like, are we even listening to the same band? | Purpl3Spartan
03.20.22 | 2 is so true | JKing92
03.20.22 | Well, ultimately, as you note at the beginning of your comment, it's a matter of opinion. My Deftones tastes may not be shared by many (my top five is White Pony, Around the Fur, Ohms, Gore, and SNW, with the rest being merely OK or worse to me), but I stand by them regardless of what the world thinks. I think most people who are confident in their own opinions would stand behind my line of thinking, even if their opinions don't quite jibe with mine. There's no right or wrong here, just different perspectives. | furpa
03.20.22 | 32 infuriates me but I understand the logic. Like, 3DG weren't even a good band with Gontier on vocals but the new fuckin dude has to legitimately be the worst vocalists in rock, bar none. That being said I get the inclusion because somehow they're still successful as fuck lol. | SitarHero
03.20.22 | GnR: Tracy Guns/Slash
AiC: Starr/Inez and Staley/Duvall
Soundgarden: Hiro Yamamoto/Ben Shepherd
Opeth: Anders Nordin/Martin Lopez
Also, since you have Black Sabbath on there, you might as well put all the Ozzy guitarists on there as well since he's had a fair level of critical and commercial success with at least 3 different guitarists.
Oh, and Def Leppard because of Rick Allen's left arm/left leg. | ReturnToRock
03.20.22 | @Sitar good shout on AIC, GnR and Ozzy's guitarists. I would go for Zakk Wylde personally.
Def Leppard is not a member change, it's an adaptation to account for Rick Allen's accident. If we were talking about Leppard, it would be because of Vivian Campbell. Which, by the way, totally fits on here.
I might have to make a part 2 for this... | IsisScript80
03.20.22 | “I think most people who are confident in their own opinions would stand behind my line of thinking, even if their opinions don't quite jibe with mine. There's no right or wrong here, just different perspectives.”
Absolutely. Agree 100%. :) | SitarHero
03.20.22 | Ha! I was joking about Def Lep since Rick Allen's left foot does all the stuff his left arm used to do. But the real important change in that band was actually the Pete Willis/Phil Collen swap which really kicked off their career. | Pikazilla
03.20.22 | 23 is one of the worst though if you consider how bad post Tarja Nightwish has been | alamo
03.20.22 | 23 is one of the best though if you consider how good post Tarja pre Floor Nightwish is | EoinCofa
03.20.22 | Anathema - Darren White to (Danny then) to Vinnie Cavanagh and Lee Douglas
Fates Warning - Arch to Alder and Zimmerman to Zonder
Genesis - Peter to Phil (this one is controversial)
| Trebor.
03.20.22 | The Blink one is odd to me because those Skiba albums are trash and Angels and Airwaves have put out better material | onionbubs
03.20.22 | underoath always the first band that comes to my mind, mostly bc spencers a huge upgrade over dallas but also literally only one og is still in the band | BookoftheFallen
03.20.22 | Corpsegrinder replacing chris barnes was very successful for cannibal corpse. | Storm In A Teacup
03.20.22 | NGl i thought this would be about the userbase reading the cutoff title | ReturnToRock
03.20.22 | @Trebor. I did not just consider the quality of the band's music, I mostly looked at whether the change stuck in the long run, and what it did for the band's career irrespective of records created during that period. That is why Derrick White is going to be on my follow up list even though post-Max Sepultura is not as good as pre-Max Sepultura - because for better or worse, he has now spent LONGER in Sepultura than Max ever did. That counts as a successful swap, as they have not had to re-cast the singer role in almost 25 years. Hope that makes sense. | Storm In A Teacup
03.20.22 | Nice perspective. | Keyblade
03.20.22 | Summoning, after the human drummer was replaced by the program | Cimnele
03.20.22 | andrew eldritch kicking out his entire band and learning to program a drum machine and then making Floodland lol
godlike behaviour | Storm In A Teacup
03.20.22 | I think Coheed and Cambria could make the list, they struggled with breaking up for years along with arrests and creative differences, and finally when they got the original drummer back at end of 2011 and auditioned Zach a new bassist, also at the end of 2011, since then no more drama or member changes and all we get are tours and albums etc. | Emim
03.21.22 | New guy in Three Days Grace is so damn bland it's offensive. At least Adam had a unique voice. | Muzz79
03.21.22 | With Nightwish I agree Once was excellent but I firmly believe NW got better after | Space Jester
03.21.22 | I nominate Stephen Tucker replacing Dave Vincent in Morbid Angel | Kompys2000
03.21.22 | Hmm good list but I see several GLARING OMISSIONS
Van Halen- Van Hagar obviously remains divisive amongst the band's fanbase, but the decade of consistent success they had with Sammy at the helm is all the more impressive considering how integral David Lee Roth was to their original sound.
The Flaming Lips- Wayne Coyne and co. made a gutsy move to not replace lead guitarist Ronald Jones after his departure in 1996. with drummer Steven Drozd stepping into a multi-instrumentalist/songwriting role the band went on to put out some of their most beloved and enduring records.
Porcupine Tree- Chris Maitland left some big shoes to fill but plenty of fans prefer Gavin Harrison's tenure with the band, and with this new one he's officially performed on more PT albums than Maitland has. | Emim
03.21.22 | Maitland was great, but Harrison is in a class of his own. Fantastic drummer. | Kompys2000
03.21.22 | I simp hard for chris on sky moves sideways but yeah Gavin pretty much carried foabp and like half of in absentia | ReturnToRock
03.21.22 | Ooh Kompys, good shout on Van Halen. How did I forget that?!
Yup, this is definitely getting a part II soon. | IsisScript80
03.21.22 | Also forgot, even though I was discussing him recently in another thread: Greg Puciato replacing Dimitri Minakakis in DEP. |
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