10 Worst Times Hard Rock Bands Changed Singers
You go where the talent is... and all the talent that was in this band has just left the room!
At the front of any good rock band is an awesome vocalist. Whether it's looks, charisma, energy, or just sheer talent, the frontman has to connect with the fans and audiences the most. When the voice of your band is gone, many times the fans will go with them.
Changing any members of a sacred line-up is difficult. The unfortunate truth is that groups can switch out guitarists, bassists, keyboardists, and drummers and the fans will hardly notice. But sometimes, changing the frontman doesn't work out so well...
There have been success stories, of course, with groups able to find fame after switching singers like adding Corey Taylor to Slipknot or the groups that had already made it big but were forced to transition vocal duties such as ACDC.
But other times, switching singers really did NOT go over so well...
10. Flyleaf
Flyleaf was one of the most prominent mid-00's bands with a female vocalist. Lacey Sturm came in a tiny package with a massive voice that helped propel the band from Texas onto the mainstream rock charts. Singles such as "I'm So Sick", "Fully Alive", and "All Around Me" put the group on the map.
Together the group was flying high, going on multiple tours, and released three albums. Then in 2012, it was announced that Sturm would be leaving Flyleaf to concentrate on her family life. The rest of the band continued on and recruited Kristen May who had previously sang for the band Vedera.
They would only release one album, 2014's Between the Stars. Although released with mostly positive reviews, the album was thought to be more pop-rock and lost the edge that Sturm brought to the band. May seemingly had more commercial appeal, but there was a growing feeling that she never really belonged in the band and by 2016 she had stepped away, also citing family as the reason.
Meanwhile, Sturm started her solo career and released Life Screams in 2016. The album would go on to outsell Flyleaf's 2014 effort. You can also catch her guest vocals on Breaking Benjamin's re-release of "Dear Agony".