Top 10 Bands that Lost Their Mojo the Most When a Member Left or Died
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Queen - when Freddie Mercury died
Queen isn't the same without Freddie. Freddie was the heart and motor of this band. Brian May and Roger Taylor should end it, but they won't.
Sad, very sad. Marc Martel is great. Why don't they replace Adam Lambert with him? Adam Lambert is good and all, but he's really not the same.
Get Marc Martel and save this band.
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Led Zeppelin - when John Bonham died
Not only did they lose their mojo, the entire band disbanded.
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The Doors - when Jim Morrison died
Morrison was the GOAT of all frontmen. Not even Freddie could compare to him. You got the feeling that Freddie was having a great time performing and wanted you to have a great time too. Jim Morrison became the music and helped guide you to experience it at a level unequaled before or since.
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Guns N' Roses - when Slash left
I don't really agree. In my opinion, Izzy Stradlin's departure was the real reason why Guns N' Roses fell apart.
More like when Axl "Narcissus" Rose kicked out everyone.
Chinese Democracy - enough said.
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The Who - when Keith Moon died
It was inevitable. It could never, ever have been the same without the beautiful lunatic. RIP.
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Deep Purple - when Ritchie Blackmore left (1975)
When he left, they de facto split because he was the primary composer. He left in 1975 because he didn't like what the other members wanted to incorporate into the songs - soul, blues, funk. He has always been a metal guy - that's why he teamed up with Dio and formed Rainbow to do metal.
Several short reunions later (with Ritchie's participation) helped them release a great album (Perfect Strangers, 1984) and two very good ones (Slaves and Masters, 1990, and The Battle Rages On, 1993). After this album, in 1993, Blackmore left forever. They continued with Steve Morse, putting out new albums and touring to this day. This new material is not bad for what it is, but I miss Blackmore's metal edge and his touch in songwriting.
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Helloween - when Kai Hansen left
After Hansen's departure, they released a really bad album - Pink Bubbles Go Ape (1991) - and the follow-up wasn't much better. Michael Kiske was still with the band, with his awesome voice. Michael Weikath was also still with them, but without Kai Hansen, it wasn't the same band anymore.
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Iron Maiden - when Bruce Dickinson left
I disagree. Virtual XI sounds almost exactly like Brave New World, just with a different singer. The X Factor does not sound like anything Iron Maiden has done, but it is still very good. The Blaze era contains some of the band's best songs, like Sign of the Cross, Fortunes of War, and The Clansman.
I actually think they lost some of their mojo when Adrian Smith left. They made some of their worst songs, like The Apparition, Hooks in You, Public Enema Number One, Weekend Warrior, and Nodding Donkey Blues (besides some classics). I feel like they became better in the second half of the 1990s.
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Iced Earth - when Matt Barlow left for the first time
After the September 11 terrorist attacks (2001), Matt Barlow decided to become a police officer and contribute to the "real world" instead of living the illusion of a "rock star." In 2007, he returned to the band but left again in 2011 to spend more time with his family (Iced Earth has a busy touring schedule).
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Judas Priest - when Rob Halford left
After spending nearly 20 years with Judas Priest, Halford left in 1992. After 10 years, in 2003, Halford returned to the band.
There is only one Tim Owens song I actually like (Cathedral Spires). The rest I'm just neutral about.
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Kasabian - when Tom Meighan left
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Iced Earth - when Jon Schaffer was kicked out
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Thin Lizzy - when Phil Lynott died
Phil Lynott was the essence of Thin Lizzy. Without him, it's unfair to call the band Thin Lizzy because he was its driving force.
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Helloween - when Michael Kiske left
A second big crisis for this band. After Kiske's departure, they became an average band - not bad, but just average.
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ABBA - when Agnetha Fältskog became alienated
When two band members, Agnetha and Bjorn, got divorced in 1980, ABBA de facto disbanded but announced it later. Agnetha became reclusive because Bjorn dumped her for another woman, and I guess it was difficult for her to sing his songs, see him regularly, and tour with him. Agnetha and Bjorn were married for 7 years and have two children.
I mean, it did give us one of the most beautiful songs ever written: The Winner Takes It All.
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Pantera - when Dimebag Darrell died
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Evanescence - when Terry Balsamo left
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Accept - when Udo Dirkschneider left
After 14 years, they made a great comeback with another singer.
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Bon Jovi - when Richie Sambora left
Absolutely. Richie will always be the proper guitarist. He's 100% better than Phil X.
He was THE guitarist for Bon Jovi. It's such a shame he left, but at the same time, it shows that Bon Jovi needs to take a much-deserved break.
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Metallica - when Jason Newsted left
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Guns N' Roses - when Izzy Stradlin left
He was the heart of Guns N' Roses. I think that his departure is one of the reasons why the band unfortunately fell apart at the end of the Use Your Illusion tour.
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Red Hot Chili Peppers - when John Frusciante left
His replacement was not bad, but he just did not have all the right elements to replace a guitarist like John.
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Pink Floyd - when Roger Waters left
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Metallica - when Cliff Burton died
Cliff's death was a huge shock, but fortunately, this didn't ruin the band's future drastically.
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One Direction - when Zayn Malik left
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Linkin Park - when Chester Bennington died
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Avenged Sevenfold - when Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan died
