Then and Now: Three Bands That Became Sellouts and Three That Didn't

Twenty years is a long time and there's a lot that can happen to a person within two decades. That being said, we often hold musicians to a higher standard and for some reason expect them to be eternal, unwavering monuments. That's really not that fair, all things considered but it's something we come to expect from the artists we've known and loved year after year. So, when they start going through changes, altering their music style or trying to appeal to a different audience; that tends to piss off the fanbase.

Often times the case is that originally the band started out doing their own thing before they became widely popular and their evil record companies stepped in and tried to get them to sensationalize in order to sell more records! So here, I'll give a few examples of some bands that admirably stuck it out all these years and a few who gave in to the money.

First, the failures.

In Flames

This is In Flames in 1994:

And this is them in now:

This one is a bit upsetting to me because I love In Flames. While some people would say that Lunar Strain, the '94 album, was when they were at their best, while others, like me, would say that Clayman and Come Clarity was the high point. Whichever you think, the band has been going downhill ever since and I'm getting more and more sure that they're not going to return.

Katatonia

Here we have Katatonia in 1993:

And here they are now:

Now don't get me wrong, I do like the song My Twin but it's a hell of a drastic change no matter how you slice it. I think the strangest part of this case is that for Katatonia, much unlike In Flames, it wasn't a gradual change that happened over the course of twenty years, it was all at once. Seriously, in 1997 they put out an EP called Sounds of Decay and then in '98 they give us Saw You Drown. If you're curious enough, you can look those songs up.

Skillet

I had to pick at least one non-metal band. They've been around since 1996 and they've made a name for switching their style constantly. For awhile, they were in a hard rock phase and sounded like this:

And this is them now:

I'm not really sure what happened.

And now...

Just in case you were thinking that I'm holding these artists to an unfair standard, check out these artists who have remained strong for a long time.

Opeth

Here they are in 1995:

And this is them now:

Darkthrone

Darkthrone in 1991:

Darkthrone now:

Tool

Tool as they were on their first EP in 1992:

Them now:

So there it is. Three bands that succumbed and three that didn't.