Stumble and fall
The Worst Mistakes Made by Metal Bands
August 02, 2007
Sometimes, in the world of metal, evolution and change may not necessarily be the best move for a band. Metal heads are a loyal crowd, and when a radical change happens to one of their favorite artists, it is not often received well.
There are examples where change has been positive and successful for bands. But adaptations that generate responses from fans such as, "they have sold out", or "it just isn't the same" are usually signs that the band in question has made a deplorable mistake. These mistakes can take years to rectify, if at all, in the eyes of loyal followers.
Since the inception of metal way back when Black Sabbath began grinding their vision out to the world, up until the modern day metal scene, there have been countless incidents, changes, and choices made by bands that were despised by their fans.
Here is a list of nine such mistakes made by metal bands and artists:
Ozzy Osbourne
From his days in Black Sabbath, to his metallic reign as a solo artist during the eighties, Ozzy Osbourne has been pointed to by countless musicians as a key influence in their lives. Known as the Prince of Darkness, Ozzy had an element of mystique about him. This mystique was shattered once and for all when he and his wife Sharon decided to go down the path of making a reality show out their lives and their family. Despite the fact that the decision did give new fans some exposure to Ozzy, and while it was a successful show that made them much richer, it was not well-perceived by many of Osbourne's long-term fans. The image of the Prince of Darkness had been converted to the Bumbling Father of Family Dysfunction. It is true that the television show was seen by many as quite entertaining; but his hardcore fan base would never look at Ozzy in the same light ever again.
The Osbournes: Ozzy Meets Britney Spears?
Iron Maiden
While it is commonly agreed amongst metal heads that Iron Maiden never sold out, their career was not without stumbling blocks. Possibly their worst mistake was made after vocalist Bruce Dickinson decided to leave the band in 1993. The remaining members were confident in stepping forward, probably because they had faced a change in front men before in their past when original vocalist Paul Di'Anno stepped down. Dickinson's successor turned out to be Blaze Bayley, singer of Wolfsbane, a band that generated a lot of positive attention among metal heads and critics alike. And while many pointed to both Dickinson and Bayley looking very much like each other; Blaze's vocal style just did not fit with the Irons very well. His work with Wolfsbane was perfect, but with Iron Maiden, his vocals at times sounded misplaced. Maiden released two albums with Bayley, The X Factor and Virtual XI, and both faced backlash from fans (though a few songs such as Sign of the Cross were moderately well-received). Iron Maiden later reunited with Bruce Dickinson, and guitarist Adrian Smith. The band was back; and began releasing new material that many have pointed to as some of their finest works in years.
Iron Maiden: Virus
Megadeth
Dave Mustaine's biggest mistake happened in 1992, when he and Megadeth began playing the "let us follow and copy Metallica" game. Mustaine, having been an original member of Metallica before replaced by Kirk Hammett, had often felt somewhat left in the shadows of James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich during the eighties. When Metallica released The Black Album in 1991 and exploded with worldwide success, Mustaine decided to direct Megadeth into a similar direction. The band released Countdown to Extinction and Youthanasia, which were both much more polished and commercialized. While many fans enjoyed some of the new material, it just could not compare with some of the impressive musicianship they had displayed on their earlier Rust in Peace album. Through countless line-up changes during the nineties, Mustaine continued pressing Megadeth into commercial sounding waters (with albums Risk and Cryptic Writings), fans criticized them for trying to follow and copy Metallica, instead of standing tall on their own merits. At some point, Mustaine must have gotten the message. In 2007, the band released a new album, United Abominations, with a new line-up and a sound that rivals some of their greatest works in their history.
Megadeth: Symphony of Destruction
Van Halen
During the course of Van Halen's history, fans either believed that the David Lee Roth era was the only worthwhile line-up of the band, or believed that the Sammy Hagar years were just as good, if not better. Whereas some fans believed Van Halen continuing with Hagar was a mistake; it was not until 1997 that they actually made perhaps the biggest mistake of their career. Sammy Hagar left the band, and Gary Cherone was his replacement. However, it was not Cherone's addition to the band that was the mistake; indeed, Gary had come from popular nineties band Extreme and was a very talented and diverse singer who was noted for his vocal dexterity. Van Halen's mistake was the musical direction they decided to take after Cherone joined the band. With him in the line-up; the band had the potential to take themselves to some higher levels of success. Instead, the band limited Cherone's input into musical collaboration, as they worked on altering their sound into something longer, eerie, and attempted to give the lyrics more provocative and with a more intellectual feel. It was a disastrous mistake. To fans, the new music, though Eddie's guitar work was identifiable, seemed to have taken a dull and unfamiliar direction. Critics panned the album, especially when comparing how much justice Cherone was doing to the classic songs in a live concert setting. Van Halen have never truly recovered from this incident, and have been struck with countless line-up changes, as well as being somewhat unable to develop further when facing Eddie Van Halen's health problems over recent years.
Van Halen: Without You
Danzig
Glen Danzig generated a good following for his solo band during the eighties and nineties. The former frontman of the Misfits not only had his punk fans following his career, but the musical direction he was taking with Danzig was also being welcomed by hardcore and metal fans as well. Taking on a darker image and approach to his music helped to consolidate a particular musical identity for the band. This would fall apart in 1996, as the Danzig line-up started to break apart. Glenn Danzig would release Blackacidevil, an album so far from the musical identity he established it was received extremely poorly by his fans. The album was an experimental attempt of incorporating the Industrial style into Danzig's music. It would not be until 2002's Danzig 777: I Luciferi and 2004's Circle of Snakes albums that fans began to return to Danzig: both releases were a return to a much darker sound and image.
Danzig: Sacrifice
KISS
Love them or hate them, KISS were a momentous influence on the direction of metal in the seventies. With their image and their merchandising, the band scaled the heights of success during that particular decade, reaching their zenith in 1977. However, two years later, while the devoted KISS Army were anticipating a new hard rock / metal album from the band, they instead delivered Dynasty - a pop album heavily influenced by the disco craze. The album's single, I Was Made for Loving You, was a hit worldwide, but the damage was already done. KISS was no longer the bad boys of rock and roll: they had tarnished their image and sound and had become a family-friendly band that appealed to children more so than the metal heads of the era. It was the beginning of a long decline for KISS, which would be followed with 1981's disastrous concept album, Music from the Elder; the unmasking of the group in 1983; and a constant revolving door of line-up changes in the lead guitar department. The most devoted of KISS fans stuck with the band during the eighties, and while they enjoyed some success, the band just was not the same as they were during their height in the seventies. They returned to their roots of harder edged rock with 1992's Revenge (produced by Bob Ezrin), an album praised by fans; but it was not until the Reunion Tour in 1996 when the band came close to reaching the same level of success from 20 years earlier; and surpassed it in some nations.
KISS: I Was Made For Loving You
Metallica
Despite the fact that some fans might point to The Black Album as Metallica's point of "selling out", it was five years later that would see a massive decline for the band from the perspective of their loyal fan base. The Black Album saw Metallica soar to a level of success they had not previously attained, and lead them to a world tour that continued for three years. In retrospect, the band could have taken the opportunity after the tour to get back to working with producer Flemming Rasmussen and expose their now expanded fan base to their metallic roots. Instead, the band made the mistake of working with Bob Rock on the albums Load and Reload - a move that would distance Metallica even further from the metal scene and from metal heads in general. It didn't help that members of the band radically changed their image, and were making public comments such as, "heavy metal is dead". For many fans, the final coffin nail was Metallica's (most notably Lars Ulrich's) crusade against Napster in the late nineties. Some would consider their 'burial' to be the release of Saint Anger. Hopes have been raised for their upcoming ninth studio album, but many fans remain skeptical after what they perceive and feel to be not only a constant string of terrible career changes and choices during the nineties, but also a betrayal of their foundational metal sound and of their dedicated fan base.
Metallica: Until It Sleeps
Pantera
Pantera's worst mistake is somewhat more of a tragic one. While they never sold out (though funnily enough they began as a hair metal band during the eighties - before they developed into a harder sounding band and were signed to a major label), towards the end of the band's life time, the steadily declining relationship between the band members would evolve into their biggest mistake: breaking up. Even though in retrospect, it might have been impossible for them to continue on good terms, the tragic murder of Dimebag Darrell in 2004 would put an end to any possibility of Pantera ever getting back together. The true cause of Pantera's demise was in the declining health and attitude of vocalist Phil Anselmo. His physical problems and drug addictions afflicted his interactions and collaborative efforts with the band. Things became so bad that even after the break-up, band members held such a grudge against Anselmo that he was not permitted or invited to attend Darrell's funeral. It was never a band choice that made this a mistake; rather, it is only in retrospect after Dimebag's death could Pantera and their fans look back and ponder what may have been had the band members resolved their differences.
Phil Anselmo: Statement on Dimebag's death
Guns & Roses
The Guns & Roses that metal heads and rock fans remember is not the same as the band that exists today. The worst mistake made was vocalist Axl Rose's decision to claim the band name and move forward with an ever-changing line-up. The last studio release of original material from Guns & Roses was the two Use Your Illusion albums in 1991. Since the mid-nineties, Rose had been promising fans a new album, entitled Chinese Democracy. More than a decade later, the album still has not been released, is still considered to be a work-in-progress (currently believed to be in the final mixing stages), and is still being promised by Axl Rose to be coming soon. Although the band has been doing some recent touring and playing some of the new material, some of which has been leaked online, many fans still remain pessimistic as to whether Chinese Democracy will ever see the light of day.
Sometimes, in the world of 
From his days in Black Sabbath, to his metallic reign as a solo artist during the eighties, 
While it is commonly agreed amongst metal heads that Iron Maiden never sold out, their career was not without stumbling blocks. Possibly their worst mistake was made after vocalist Bruce Dickinson decided to leave the band in 1993. The remaining members were confident in stepping forward, probably because they had faced a change in front men before in their past when original vocalist 
Dave Mustaine's biggest mistake happened in 1992, when he and Megadeth began playing the "let us follow and copy Metallica" game. Mustaine, having been an original member of 
During the course of 
Love them or hate them, 
Despite the fact that some fans might point to 
Pantera's worst mistake is somewhat more of a tragic one. While they never sold out (though funnily enough they began as a hair metal band during the eighties - before they developed into a harder sounding band and were signed to a major label), towards the end of the band's life time, the steadily declining relationship between the band members would evolve into their biggest mistake: breaking up. Even though in retrospect, it might have been impossible for them to continue on good terms, the tragic murder of 
The Guns & Roses that metal heads and rock fans remember is not the same as the band that exists today. The worst mistake made was vocalist Axl Rose's decision to claim the band name and move forward with an ever-changing line-up. The last studio release of original material from Guns & Roses was the two Use Your Illusion albums in 1991. Since the mid-nineties, 
