9 Successful Bands That Changed Their Vocalist
A journey of talent and turmoil.
The vocalist is one of the most integral parts of any band, with a singer often acting as their figurehead both on and off the stage.
It is certainly one of the hardest jobs in the music industry due to the sheer difficulty of the criteria. A frontman must have the full package: charisma, stage presence, a distinctive personality, and most importantly, a good set of pipes.
Once a singer with this winning formula is found, you’d imagine that it would be plain sailing from thereon in, but this is not always the case. Be it through creative differences, a strained relationship, or the bitter sting of tragedy, sometimes a band and their vocalist go their separate ways.
This can pose a huge risk to the act; losing a familiar and well-liked member can have a detrimental effect on a bands' popularity. This issue has been tackled head-on by some of the rock scene’s most popular acts, and it’s caused some considerable turmoil…
9. DragonForce
One of the biggest names in power metal, DragonForce has been amazing audiences with their speedy instrumental work for the best part of twenty years. Formed in London, the band helped pioneer the unique genre with their lightning fast guitar solos, earth-shattering drumming style, and retro video game-like sound.
They have also became easily recognisable for their fantasy influenced lyrics, conveyed beautifully by the tones of the band's original lead singer ZP Theart. Making his first appearance on the debut album Valley of the Damned, ZP recorded a total of four studio albums with the cult metal outfit, often receiving critical praise for his vocal range both live and in the studio.
So it came as sad news for fans when the South African decided to leave the group in 2010, citing his reason as an “insurmountable difference in musical opinion”, which led to the power metal outfit finding a replacement in 2011 in the form of Marc Hudson.
Hudson remains the bands' vocalist to this day, and has recorded three studio albums with them: Maximum Overload, Reaching into Infinity, and his debut The Power Within which was home to the single Cry Thunder, their most well received song since the days of Theart.