Sometimes a band changes its singer—and the whole world tilts a little. One voice leaves, another arrives, and suddenly the same band sounds brand new. Here are 15 pairs of albums that prove lightning can strike twice.
AC/DC – Highway to Hell (Bon Scott) / Back in Black (Brian Johnson)
Tragedy didn’t stop the thunder. Scott’s swagger met Johnson’s grit—and rock got a resurrection.
Alice in Chains – Dirt (Layne Staley) / Black Gives Way to Blue (William DuVall)
Staley’s haunting pain defined grunge’s soul, but DuVall carried that flame with reverence and renewal. The harmonies still ache, beautifully.
Black Sabbath – Paranoid (Ozzy Osbourne) / Heaven and Hell (Ronnie James Dio)
From doom-laden riffs to soaring metal opera — Ozzy’s menace met Dio’s majesty. Two singers, one unstoppable Sabbath.
Deep Purple – Fireball (Ian Gillan) / Burn (David Coverdale & Glenn Hughes)
Gillan’s screams were pure power; Coverdale and Hughes brought blues and soul. Every era burned hot in its own way.
Faith No More – Introduce Yourself (Chuck Mosley) / The Real Thing (Mike Patton)
Mosley gave it punk-funk grit; Patton gave it operatic chaos. Together they wrote the rules for weird, loud brilliance.
Fleetwood Mac – Then Play On (Peter Green) / Rumours (Stevie Nicks & Lindsey Buckingham)
From British blues heartbreak to California pop perfection—two bands, same name, both legends.
Genesis – Selling England by the Pound (Peter Gabriel) / A Trick of the Tail (Phil Collins)
Gabriel’s theatrical art-rock gave Genesis its mythic edge, while Collins brought pop precision without losing the prog heart. Two eras, both glorious.
Iron Maiden – Iron Maiden (Paul Di’Anno) / The Number of the Beast (Bruce Dickinson)
Di’Anno’s raw punk bite versus Dickinson’s operatic wail — the torch was passed, and heavy metal never looked back.
Joy Division / New Order – Unknown Pleasures (Ian Curtis) / Low-Life (Bernard Sumner)
Different names, same DNA. Curtis’ darkness gave way to Sumner’s synth light—melancholy evolved into dancefloor catharsis.
King Crimson – Red (John Wetton) / Discipline (Adrian Belew)
Wetton’s bass thunder defined the ‘70s; Belew’s avant-garde wizardry rebooted the band for the ‘80s. King Crimson never repeats itself—only reinvents.
Marillion – Misplaced Childhood (Fish) / Season’s End (Steve Hogarth)
Fish painted poetic despair; Hogarth offered cinematic emotion. Two eras of prog storytelling, both beautifully British.
Pink Floyd – The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (Syd Barrett) / The Dark Side of the Moon (David Gilmour)
Barrett’s psychedelia birthed a dream, Gilmour’s precision turned it into an empire. Two Pink Floyds, one universe of sound.
The Doobie Brothers – Toulouse Street (Tom Johnston) / Minute by Minute (Michael McDonald)
From boogie rock to smooth soul, they proved one band could own both the barroom and the yacht.
Van Halen – 1984 (David Lee Roth) / 5150 (Sammy Hagar)
Roth gave the band swagger and spandex; Hagar brought melody and maturity. Either way, Eddie’s guitar never missed a beat.
Yes – Close to the Edge (Jon Anderson) / Drama (Trevor Horn)
Anderson’s cosmic vocals gave way to Horn’s sharp pop sensibilities. Proof that prog could still groove in the ‘80s.