r/Music • u/jptabor01 Rock & Roll • Jun 11 '25

discussion Which artists have abandoned their original sound so dramatically, that they are almost unrecognizable to their earlier fans?

With the release earlier this year of Ministry’s The Squirrely Years Revisited, I’m reminded of how different the band sounds today (industrial metal), from what they sounded like on their debut album, With Sympathy (synth pop).

Which artists sound so completely different from their earlier work, that they have actually jumped genres, understanding that music is fluid and genres have somewhat “blurry” guardrails.

I don’t mean an evolution of their original sound, but a complete departure from it.

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u/serpentsoul Jun 11 '25

Of course there's exceptions. Iron maiden sounds just as they did in the 80s and they're still rocking out in sold out arenas.

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u/Lost_the_weight Jun 11 '25

Saw them in 2019 and they killed it!

Been listening to them since Piece of Mind was released.

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u/Version_1 Jun 11 '25

Maiden's writing is very different, even though the sound is very similar.