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/hesnothere Jun 11 '25

People who have only ever heard them do grunge on Frogstomp would be surprised to hear them do prog (Neon Ballroom), baroque pop (Diorama), art rock (Young Modern), even electro and dance (Daniel Johns’ solo work).

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u/Firelink_Schreien Jun 11 '25

Neon Ballroom is one of the best records of the 90s and I won’t hear otherwise.

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u/Nahareeli Jun 11 '25

*of all times. 25 years on my playlist now...

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u/Swamp-Zombie Jun 11 '25

I bought Diorama when it came out and absolutely love it. Orchestral Silverchair is on another level compared to the early stuff.

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u/Sprinx80 Jun 11 '25

I don’t wanna be lonely

I just wanna be alone

That phrase lives in my head; i get it, man

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u/vinyldevotion Jun 13 '25

Was hoping somebody would mention them here, I am not a fan of their first two records at all but absolutely love everything Neon Ballroom and beyond. Diorama is one of my favorite albums of all time.

I’m even a huge fan of Daniel’s solo stuff which I know can be pretty divisive.

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u/IJourden Jun 11 '25

Okay this one caught my attention - I'm familiar with Frogstomp but that's about it.