10 Replacement Hard Rock Singers That NAILED It (Or Just Didn't Fit)

Van Halen had been a band at the top of the world for nearly twenty years, experiencing wild successful with two legendary singers by the time Sammy Hagar left in 1996.

Iconic guitarist Eddie Van Halen, his brother Alex (drums) and bassist Mike Anthony found themselves at a cross roads for a second time, but this was a very different stage in their career.

Van Halen were not particularly fashionable in the mid-90s, which was in contrast to their standing a decade earlier when David Lee Roth walked out.

Alternative rock was reining supreme and the decline in traditional heavy rock/metal bands was all to apparent with many such as Van Halen hitting smaller venues on tour, when they had previously sold out stadiums. Principle song writer Eddie Van Halen was also a little strung out around this period in his life.

Mutual management put them together with Gary Cherone who had previously fronted the Boston based band Extreme, who had seen success themselves in the early 90s, having had a huge hit single with the ballad More Than Words.

The reunion resulted in the highly uninspired sounding Van Halen III album, a collection of largely forgettable songs and an equally mediocre tour. It was clear the collaboration would not last and Gary Cherone soon parted ways with the band while they looked to reunite with their former singers .