The Replacements - Part 1: The Failures

This is the intro to the new idea I have had of looking at replacement vocalists, and the impact it had on bands involved. The replacement of band members is obviously very commonplace in the metal world, but the success and fortunes of the bands involve vary hugely. There have been many cases where a band has gone onto bigger and better things...completely outstripping their achievements prior to the introduction of a new member. It sometimes seems as though the missing piece has been slotted in, like the chemistry was lacking something. of course, there is also the flipside, where a band loses a key member, and never seem to be the same again. It can be that the fans of some bands (yes, Maiden, I'm looking at you) are so single-minded and obsessive that they won't allow someone they consider to be below par into the band, but it can also be that the original member was just so important (be it due to talent, charisma, etc), that they can never be convincingly replaced.

Anyway, in the next two parts. I will share my thoughts on the bands I consider to fit into one of the two camps - for right or wrong. This is by no means an exhaustive list. I have included mainly bands that I am a fan of . It would also be an incredibly daunting task and one that I don't feel I could dedicate myself to.

Below, I take a look at some of the perceived replacement failures. Decisions that proved for the most part, to be catastrophic for the bands concerned.


Blaze Bayley

I don't think there is anyone who could say, with all honesty, that Blaze was the right choice for Iron Maiden. I want to start here by saying that I liked (and still like) the two Blaze-era Maiden albums, and "The X-Factor" (oh, the irony!) still ranks among my all-time favourite albums, Maiden or otherwise. But, and here is the "but". He wasn't the ideal replacement for a frontman of the high calibre of Bruce Dickinson, who not only had a formidable vocal range, but was also hugely charismatic and outspoken in the press. To be honest, I don't really think there was anyone who could have fitted in to Maiden as a true replacement for Bruce. That isn't to say that there aren't aren't other highly talented vocalist out there, but Bruce is a one-of-a-kind, all rounder, perfect for Steve Harris' bold vision. For people to level all the blame on Blaze, however, is not only completely unfair, but also very wide of the mark. Let's look at the facts here. Who is the main man in Iron Maiden, the shot caller? Steve. Who writes the majority of the material? Steve. Who self-produced the Blaze-era albums? Steve. Who chose Blaze for the band? Steve. Despite all this, the fans just wanted another Bruce. A clone. Blaze didn't stand a chance.

Tim "Ripper" Owens

This unfortunate individual has the dubious honour to have failed in two well-established and popular metal acts, Judas Priest and Iced Earth. The reasons for Tim's failure to succeed Rob Halford in Priest are obvious. He certainly wasn't lacking in the vocal department (quite the opposite in fact) and was even the singer in a Judas Priest tribute act, which incidentally, is how he landed the job. No, his problem was, and is, a distinct lack of personality, both on stage and off. Add to that, some of the woeful songwriting on the "Jugulator" and "Demolition" albums, and you see that Rob wasn't just a powerful voiced and charismatic frontman, he also held a major songwriting position in the band. OK, to say that he was a failure in Iced Earth is a little harsh. The albums he sang on were mainly lacking in song quality, which was certainly not a failing from Tim. He just never seemed to quite fit in. To me he sounded like a Rob Halford clone (something he never was in Priest as it happens) singing in Iced Earth. So, as soon as (mainman) Jon Schaffer saw the opportunity to re-recruit former vocalist Matt Barlow, Tim was unceremoniously shown the door. With his obvious talents, I only hope that Tim finds the perfect outlet and has a chance to shine, rather than to always be remembered as a replacement vocalist. He is capable of, and deserves to be so much more.

Johnny Solinger

You would be rightly forgiven for saying, "who?" at this point. Therein lies the problem. Before the departure of Sebastian Bach, Skid Row were a great band and should have gone on to be one of the upper echelon in the rock heirachy.Sadly, due to his apparent diva-like behaviour, Bach was fired from the band (and went on to do very little of any note for over a decade), and was replaced by Johnny Solinger. Again, for me, the problem here is in the (lack of) songs. Both of the Solinger-fronted albums to date have been largely forgettable, plodding, standard hard rock. Neither are without their standout moments, but both are lacking the punch of the earlier material. This is notable both in vocal delivery and attitude, as well as the previously mentioned drop in writing quality. The band is destined to be largely forgotten about or to be looked upon as a poor Skid Row tribute act.

Derrick Green

The first point I would like to make here, is that all it would have taken to avoid the treatment of Derrick, and of Sepultura in general, is a name change. This is more than just a replacement of vocalist as for the most part, the band's style has also changed drastically. The band that started as a death/thrash act in the 1980's and morphed into more a modern metal band in the 90's, now have their feet firmly planted in hardcore territory. Almost gone are the thrash riffs and "tribal" influences. It was a shaky start with the patchy "Against" which seemed unsure of what it wanted to be. It had a flat production and the songs on offer were for the most part, forgettable. The follow up album, "Nation" turned the fortunes around (albeit, briefly) - coming out swinging with a clutch of great songs, a fantastic performance by Derrick and the all important attitude needed to show people that the band still mattered. Unfortunately it seemed that this was an anomaly, as the the decade that followed was far from kind to a band struggling to escape from the shadow of Max Cavalera. In 2011, the band released the thrashier, edgier, ballsier sounding "Kairos", which has made huge inroads towards recapturing the bands former glory. Only time will tell now how Sepultura will be remembered. Will the next album be as good as Kairos or was it another case of "smoke and mirrors"?  If you want to judge this from a firmly name-based standpoint, then yes, Sepultura are certainly a failure and are not the band they once were. However, as a purely musical entity, they are a different, but a not entirely awful prospect for those willing to listen with an open mind...just leave your preconceptions of what Sepultura is at the door.

In part 2 I will look at the successes. The bands that took their sound to the next stage or those who just experienced a massive surge in popularity.