Bands that drastically altered their sound

[Bushmeister]

For me, the biggest change has been with Meshuggah. They started out as Metallica-influenced thrash in the 80's. Then the mid-90's rolled out, and the five Swedes just went batshit-insane technical death/thrash metal for "Destroy Erase Improve" and "Chaosphere". I swear there is nothing related with the thrash-Meshuggah of "Contradictions Collapse" and the grinding, formless fear engine of "Chaosphere".

Oh, and just as a slap in the face, they decided to go for a prog-thrash-whatthefuckever-hybrid for the new millenium and began playing 20-60 minute continous tracks like "I" and "Catch-33". Loveable.

[GhostMachine]

I've got the ULTIMATE, can't anybody disagree with me change for the worse:

Michael Bolton!

Believe it or not, he was originally a heavy metal singer.

[K]

:| Prove it

Edit:

Bolton was born in 1953 Michael Bolotin to a Jewish family in New Haven, Connecticut. Bolton found his biggest success in his mid-thirties and early forties as a solo vocalist in the adult contemporary/easy listening genre. Unbeknownst to many, however, Bolton received his first record label contract at the age of 15 and got his first national exposure in the late seventies with a hard rock band called Blackjack,

heh

[zero]

One that I absolutely HATED was Sugar Ray, they started out really good, IMO, one of my favorite bands. Then they put out "Fly" and it was ALL down hill from there...

Sum 41 started out more of a rock-rap type of thing, kind of, but they have gotten better since they started singing and just playing regular music.

Sugar Ray was an awesome band. Flat-out, bad ass hard rock. I hate the term "selling-out" because generally people use it when a band becomes popular, but Sugar Ray seriously sold out. They went from hard rock band, to music for my mom to listen to on soft rock radio.

Sum 41 is another great example. They came around at the height of rap-rock and right at the beginning of pop-punk and they merged the two together. With their next two records though, they embraced their 80s metal roots, and it's been all uphill from there.

Pearl Jam has really changed their sound. While I miss the old days of grunge, I have to applaud them for doing what they want to do and not bowing to record companies.

[Liam]

Shit....how could I forget Pearl Jam?

They did a great job of slowly moving out of the MTV limelight whilst still keeping a pretty cult fanbase, clever stuff.

I also haven't ever met a Pearl Jam album I haven't liked.

[Skummy]

Tom Waits. The guy started out as an excellent, but fairly cookie-cutter American blues singer. Fast-forward a few albums, and he's using chests of drawers as percussion instruments, beatboxing, singing through a police megaphone and duetting with Les Claypool.