10 Bands Who Survived A Lead Singer Change

With any band that makes it big, most of the attention is given to the lead singer. Unless you have a jaw-dropping amount of talent in your instrumentation, vocalists tend to be thought of as the leaders of the group by default. So when the vocalist gets fed up with band drama and quits, that should the deathblow to all bands, right?

Even through the hard times of internal struggle, there are those rare groups that come roaring back to life after their main spokesperson steps down. While the lead singer possesses an added charisma to the band, that doesn't mean a replacement is capable of filling their shoes and making something even greater.

By staying true to themselves and taking that gamble, these bands have been able to survive and thrive even if it isn't the familiar voice screaming out the hits. Some of the band's releases with their revamped lineups may just surpass the music that was seen as the band's greatest work. With some fresh blood in the equation, these bands are the best examples of groups that are more than just their charismatic frontmen.

At the turn of the millennium, Alice in Chains were pretty much down for the count. After a few dysfunctional shows opening for Kiss, the band decided to go their separate ways, as singer Layne Staley sunk deeper and deeper into his drug-induced Hell. By 2002, the music world was dealt a heavy blow when it was announced that Staley had passed away of an overdose. Alice in Chains was effectively dead.

As band members pursued other interests, guitarist Jerry Cantrell would do numerous shows with vocalist William Duvall, whose vocal timbre meshed with Jerry’s perfectly. When Cantrell went out on the road with Duvall, people had to rub their eyes to make sure it wasn’t Layne. After some talks with the other surviving members, Alice in Chains came roaring back to life and went on tour with Duvall at the front.

The band eventually returned to the studio to start work on newer material, which gave way to unbelievable metal on Black Gives Way to Blue and Rainier Fog. The quality of the tracks make them feel like they could have come off the band’s Dirt period. When the band’s future was grim, the inclusion of Duvall showed there was life after death for AOC.