10 Rock Music Bands That Replaced Their Singer

Part of the appeal of Black Sabbath in the earliest days of the band was people not fully comprehending what they were even listening to. Even though most of the licks from Tony Iommi were rooted in the blues tradition, the dark undercurrents of the music paved the way for what would become metal music later down the line, with Ozzy Osbourne taking his spot on his throne as the Prince of Darkness. The '80s started with tension though, and Ozzy found himself kicked out of the band for his excessive drug use.

Although most people know Ozzy almost more for his solo work these days with Crazy Train, Sabbath weren't going to miss a beat coming back. Not looking to capture the same kind of magic that they had with Ozzy, Tony brought in Ronnie James Dio to front the band, with a voice that was strong enough to shake the foundations of the Earth. Having already turned in time in Rainbow, Dio was a much more powerful force to be reckoned with, trading Ozzy's bellows for runs that were on par with operatic singers on songs like Heaven and Hell and Neon Knights.

Though some hardened fans were having a hard time dealing with the transition to the new iteration of Sabbath, Heaven and Hell is an album of growth for Sabbath, being able to compete with the new metallic bands coming up in their wake like Judas Priest. With years passed since their inception, Sabbath knew they didn't even need Ozzy to be masters of the genre.