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Bands/artists that had a massive change in genre from their debut album/early career?

R

Ramsiege

Member
Linkin Park from pioneers of nu-metal to pop Rock on their latest album, and a bunch of different styles in between.
 
D

dietdracula

Member
kris. said:
Ceremony for sure

they seemed to change sounds every album. started out as powerviolence, then a more straightforward modern hardcore, to 80s hardcore worship ala Black Flag, then idk just like garagey 70s punk worship, to last year's album that is full-blown Joy Divison-esque post-punk. it's been a wild ride. wish they'd go back to their powerviolence stuff because those shows looked so fun but i can understand them growing out of it and being burnt out on that scene.
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Given the path they've taken I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the next Ceremony record ends up sounding like (Brotherhood-era) New Order or something. The L-Shaped Man is already halfway there with its Joy Division aping, and Zoo was really trending into Wire territory. Great band.
 
K

Kasper

Member
In Flames has changed so much over the years, several times. Several of the styles had been great to varying degrees until they completely went to shit with Come Clarity. I have no idea if they've changed up their style again since, but it wouldn't surprise me.
 
A

AlteredBeast

Fork 'em, Sparky!
Kevtones said:
Winner.


I actually like some of their early stuff after getting into them via Laughing Stock. The Colour of Spring is legit.
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I have said it many times before, but thank you for getting me into Talk Talk!

My kids listen to music before falling asleep, and constantly ask me to play "that 23 minute song" lol. It is one of my favorites of theirs, along with Ascension Day and New Grass.
 
P

Parch

Member
Beatles were the first that came to mind.
Early Pink Floyd is significantly different from their peak years.
Mark Knopfler went from Dire Straits to making country music.
Miles Davis significantly evolved during his career, but some wouldn't really call that a genre change even though it was very different styles of jazz.
 
V

vatstep

This poster pulses with an appeal so broad the typical restraints of our societies fall by the wayside.
Kayo Dot (formerly maudlin of the Well)

albums 1-3 (as maudlin of the Well) – avant-prog death/doom metal with new age influences
albums 4-5 – post-metal/rock
albums 6-7 – experimental/avant chamber rock
albums 7-8 – post-metal/atmospheric black metal
album 9 – goth rock/darkwave
album 10 – progressive synthwave
 
L

Leo_Sagittarius

Member
Incubus changed a lot.

On their first two albums (Fungus Amongus and S.C.I.E.N.CE) they had this trippy djembe fuelled half singing-half talking songs, then during Make Yourself and Morning View they go through a pure pop rock radio-friendly phase.

From there on they kept swinging between soft rock and hard rock I guess.
 
M

Matty77

Member
My favorite band actually, White Zombie.

Started as a self financed noise rock/art project that cultivated a large following for their live shows, Gentleman Junkie https://youtu.be/hKaj2WqeLQ8 being my favorite song off their first album, Gods of Voodoo moon.

Then they got a deal with a smaller label and hit the mid point between what they had been and a heavier direction but still not the kings of industrial metal they would become.
https://youtu.be/PB6hcsXubeQ Murderworld off of make them die slowly.


By the end of their career they released La Sexorcisto devil music vol.1 (tied for my all time favorite album with the cures disintergration) and Astro Creep 2000, their last album.

One of my favorites https://youtu.be/ANLPDFfdvrM Welcome to planet motherfucker/psychoholic slag, the first song on La Sexorcisto.
 
C

Creamium

shut uuuuuuuuuuuuuuup
Opeth. I'm a recent fan so I haven't listened to their entire discog yet, but they evolved from death metal to prog rock.
 
D

dietdracula

Member
I feel like Brand New got pretty far away from their beginnings as a pop punk band and by the time Daisy came out their music was pretty goddamn bleak.

Also, Flying Lotus has come pretty far from his early days making J Dilla-sounding beats for Adult Swim. Listening to the July Heat beat tape and then listening to You're Dead immediately after sounds like a completely different artist.
 
K

kris.

Banned
RX Bandits started as a straight ska band before slowly morphing into this crazy weird spacey progressive rock kinda stuff.
 
B

Baron Von Beans

Member
Lion_Sagittarius said:
Incubus changed a lot.

On their first two albums (Fungus Amongus and S.C.I.E.N.CE) they had this trippy djembe fuelled half singing-half talking songs, then during Make Yourself and Morning View they go through a pure pop rock radio-friendly phase.

From there on they kept swinging between soft rock and hard rock I guess.
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Oh man these guys too. SCIENCE and everything before was amazing. Everything after....not so much..
 
D

dtcm83

Member
Came to post Silverchair, Linkin Park, got beat.

How about Paramore? Their most recent album is VERY poppy.
 
Clockwork5

Clockwork5

Member
Lion_Sagittarius said:
Incubus changed a lot.

On their first two albums (Fungus Amongus and S.C.I.E.N.CE) they had this trippy djembe fuelled half singing-half talking songs, then during Make Yourself and Morning View they go through a pure pop rock radio-friendly phase.

From there on they kept swinging between soft rock and hard rock I guess.
Click to expand...

Came here to say this too.

Incubus used to be a great band.
 
C

Cranster

Banned
I can't think of a band who has changed their sound as much as Def Leppard.

NWOBM Era: 1980-1981
On Through The Night
High 'n' Dry

Setting the spark/80's blueprint: 1983
Pyromania

Creating a Hard Rock Thriller/Hysteria and running with it: 1987-1993
Hysteria
Adrenalize
Retro-Active

90's experimentation: 1993-1996
Retro-Active
Vault! Greatest Hits
Slang


Return to signature sound and production: 1999
Euphoria

Going pop/adult contemporary: 2002
X

Paying tribute to influences and return to form: 2006-present
YEAH!
Songs From The Sparkle Lounge
Mirror Ball
Def Leppard
 
T

theWB27

Member
Couleurs said:
She's one of my favorites, but her early songs will never fail to make me laugh. It's so weird to see her dancing around all happy when you're used to brooding angry 90s Alanis.
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She's been my favorite artist since Jagged Little Pill, but I cannot stomach her music before that. I pretend it doesn't exist.
 
L

Laevateinn

Member
B

brianjones

Member
Sonic_Groove_Flower_album_cover.jpg
Vanishing_point_album_cover.jpg
 
P

PHOENIXZERO

Member
StrongBelwas said:
Silverchair thread?
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Gutek said:
Yup. Silverchair thread.

Every single record sounds like a different band recorded it.
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Yeah there's a huge difference between Frog Stomp or Freakshow to Young Modern but in their case it shouldn't really be shocking, their being like 15 when Frogstomp came out and Tomorrow blowing up aside, they pretty much laid groundwork from one album to the next to the direction the band was going, Young Modern was a culmination of it and the five year gap probably lead to it being pushed harder but the elements were there in Diorama just as that was a continuation of what was done in Neon Ballroom which was also built upon what was done in Freakshow.


Bronx-Man said:
Didn't Katy Perry used to be a christian gospel singer like way back in 2001?
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Yeah, one album that failed before she got involved with a label that kinda spent years finding a niche for her.
 
S

ShooterMcGavin

Member
Sufjan Stevens' discography is kind of all over the place. Goes from indie folk to electronic, back to indie, etc.

Also, Bon Iver. Started out with some pretty "pure" indie folk and then took on the "folktronica" genre with their most recent album (not bad, but really can't get into this stuff as much).
 
D

Doomsayer

Member
Thrice

Started off as a melodic punk/core band. (Identity Crisis/The Illusion of Safety/the Artist in the Ambulance)

Then moved to sort of a "cinematic" type of music with metalcore influences. (Vheissu/The Alchemy Index/Beggars)

Then, they moved to an almost grunge type sound with an emphasis on key changes and tone shifts. (Major/Minor, to be Everywhere is to be Nowhere)

They've never made a bad album, but you can hardly recognize them from then til now. Anthology is the only album that doesn't really fit and shortly after it was released the band broke up. Then got back together a few years later.
 
old

old

Member
I haven't followed them close enough but I hear Avenged Sevenfold started as scream metal, became hard rock/metal, and are now prog metal.
 
H

Hella Lugosi

Member
Boris. Started out as a drone doom band and performed in a variety of genres since then including ambient, j-pop, shoegaze, post-rock, ambient, stoner rock, harsh noise. Their current sound is kind of a mish-mash of all of these things.

Ween changes genre on basically every track
 
K

Kevtones

Member
AlteredBeast said:
I have said it many times before, but thank you for getting me into Talk Talk!

My kids listen to music before falling asleep, and constantly ask me to play "that 23 minute song" lol. It is one of my favorites of theirs, along with Ascension Day and New Grass.
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For sure man! Old GAF represent and that's amazing you're children are into it. I ought to try Hollis' solo record as a sleep aide...
 
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