10 Bands Who Quit Music At The Peak Of Their Success

3. Misfits

In spite of instigating a groundbreaking shift that shook the entire landscape of rock, Misfits are potentially one of the most dysfunctional bands of all time. The first album they recorded together, ‘Static Age’, would take nearly 20 years to be officially released due to legal battles and complications within the band. ‘Walk Among Us’ (1982) is officially recognised as the band’s first studio album, despite coming out five years after the band initially formed. Less than 18 months later though, Misfits were no more.

Tensions within the ranks of the band grew rapidly while on tour, and it’s understandable to see why. Misfits’ drummer, Arthur Googy, was fired from the band mid-tour by Danzig after they had a fight in a McDonalds. This was followed by the remaining members of the band being arrested for attempted grave robbing in New Orleans, which resulted in bailing themselves out and skipping the court date. The final straw was plucked when replacement drummer, Brian Keats of Verbal Abuse, was too intoxicated to play a show, and had to be dragged off stage by his fellow bandmates halfway through the set. Later that night, Glenn Danzig announced it would be the band’s last show in spite of their immense fan following at the time.

A catalogue of legal battles plagued the band throughout the '80s and early '90s. Eventually, the members came to a settlement and the band reformed in 1995 without founding member, Glenn Danzig. Since reforming, the group have released four studio albums with the latest being ‘The Devil’s Rain’ (2011).