10 Hard Rock Bands That Totally Sold Out

The end of the 70's was a glorious time for metal in England. Bands like Diamond Head and Iron Maiden were making waves in their native land that would go on to become the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Given how much they've distanced themselves from the genre, it's almost shocking to hear that Def Leppard were one of the few bands gaining traction in that scene.

These guys were a real hard rock powerhouse, with Joe Elliot's youthful growl undercut by the massive guitar riffs of Pete Willis and Steve Clarke. As the band moved up the ranks, they realized that there were much greater possibilities if they expanded beyond hard rock. After hooking up with pop producer Mutt Lange, the band went from hard rock on Pyromania to full blown pop rock on Hysteria. The kicker was that it paid off, with most of these songs becoming classics of the genre like "Love Bites" and "Pour Some Sugar On Me."

Though fans may have felt a bit disappointed, the band's creative directions afterward were what really sent fans up the wall. On albums like Slang and X, the band were clearly trying to distance themselves from their roots by chasing trends like grunge and millennial pop. The band's songwriting skills were always top-notch, but the actual sounds produced throughout their career seem to have varying degrees of authenticity.