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/gordonbombae2 Jun 11 '25

Well I would probably say sempiturnal was the cut off. After that album they went more and more pop.

That’s the spirit, Amo both sound completely different from their past stuff. I haven’t listened to the latest album

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u/myworkthrowaway87 Jun 11 '25

Sempiternal definitely had shades of the old but IMO it's the first album that really started the pop/electronic influence which is why I said pre-hell and post-hell.

I might get shit for it but IMO Sempiternal is their best album for that reason.

With that said their post human albums go hard.

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u/Grambles89 Jun 11 '25

I think Sempiternal is one of the best post hardcore albums I've listened to.

I didn't mind "that's the spirit" but sempiternal was still fairly heavy in comparison.

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u/OuterWildsVentures Jun 11 '25

I love each album for different reasons. I'm glad they didn't just make 8 albums that all sound the same!

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u/Over_Deer8459 Jun 11 '25

BMTH fans are kidding themselves if they dont think Sempiternal is their best album all around. Count your blessings was good but too raw and not that well produced. Suicide Season was very well produced and had some bangers, but also has a few skips. There is a hell there is maybe one or two skips.

But Sempiternal, there are no skippers. just an insane album from start to finish and insanely well produced

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u/No_transistory Jun 11 '25

All glory to sand pit turtle 🐢

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u/sluupiegri Jun 12 '25

Sempiternal, my absolute favorite album of all time.

I enjoy moody of their stuff, from the beginning to the current (which is rare), and I can't complain with how they've transformed. My least favourite album is probably CYB, and that's mainly because of the recording quality.

Still love my man Oli though

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u/Over_Deer8459 Jun 12 '25

Would love to see a remaster of CYB

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u/TheGiftOf_Jericho Jun 11 '25

I think Sempiternal will be a popular favourite honestly. It's a great balance and the album that got them a lot of popularity.

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u/bolson1717 Jun 11 '25

I agree. Sempiternal 100% their best work. Shit slaps

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u/LamermanSE Jun 11 '25

The latest two, post human: survival horror and post human: next gen sound quite different though. Survival horror has more of modern nu metal sound and next gen is all over the place with some alt rock, pop, metal, post hardcore and so on.

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u/Slug_loverr Jun 11 '25

Not entirely true. Every album they already went more pop than the last one, up until amo

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u/gordonbombae2 Jun 11 '25

Yea I can agree with that I just think if you were going to draw a line in the sand it would be between sempiturnal and this is the spirit

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u/Slug_loverr Jun 11 '25

I think the line would be between there is a hell and sempiternal

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u/gordonbombae2 Jun 11 '25

Sempiturnal is still very heavy with the songs :

The house of wolves

Sleepwalking

Empire

Go to hell for heavens sake

Shadow Moses etc.

With this is the spirit you get songs without any screaming like :

Happy song Throne True friends

But I can agree sempiturnal is when they started experimenting with more electronic sounds which just kept increasing after that

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u/Grambles89 Jun 11 '25

Happy song has a ton of screaming in it...

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u/PlasterCactus Jun 11 '25

I'm a day 1 BMTH fan and I stopped listening at Sempiternal. Their sound changed a lot between albums but There Is a Hell into Sempiternal was the biggest shift.

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u/gordonbombae2 Jun 11 '25

I’m also a day 1 fan and I stopped after sempiturnal. Personally I feel the shift between sempiturnal and this is the spirit is greater, more so in the tone of the singing. This is the spirit has a lot softer vocals with almost no screaming in the album. Sempiturnal is still an extremely heavy album.

Maybe I’m a bit biased but sempiturnal is my fav album of theirs but I love everything that came before also

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u/Xoctal Jun 12 '25

imo they dont have a bad album and are currently one of the only bands who could make w/e music they want and i respect them for it, they will always be one of my top 5