Image: Florian Bergau [xoxo_photography_ on Instagram], Impericon Festivals Leipzig 2023
In the history of heavy metal and hard rock, there have been quite a few ups and downs; many band breakups, but also reunions. Today we want to take a look at the 10 biggest comebacks in our favorite genres!
Whether it's a new album after years of inactivity, a band member returning, or a full band reunion, we've compiled 10 comeback highlights for you. Let's get right into it!
1. AC/DC
Let's start with the absolute rock legends. AC/DC gave their comeback the perfect name with the album title Back In Black. The band released the record in 1980 as the first without their singer Bon Scott, who had died in the same year. From then on the vocals were performed by Brian Johnson. The comeback was more than successful, with the album being the band's most popular and one of the best-selling albums in the world.
2. Misfits
In 1977 the US band was formed by Glenn Danzig, but the singer already left the band in 1983. He devoted his time to the band project Samhain. For some time, bassist Jerry Only was the only remaining member of the original lineup and was criticized by former members for his continuation of the Misfits. It wasn't until 2016 that the band reunited with Danzig and guitarist Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein and headlined a show at Riot Fest in the US.
3. Foo Fighters
After the tragic death of Kurt Cobain, the drummer of the cult band Nirvana founded the new band Foo Fighters. Dave Grohl has long proven that he always continues to make music despite severe tragedies. It wasn't until March 2022 that Taylor Hawkins, the Foo Fighters' longtime drummer, died, leaving the band facing a difficult time. Two tribute concerts were dedicated to the drummer, one of which has even been nominated for a Grammy by now. The band also released a new album this summer, titled But Here We Are. Emotions are still best processed with music.
4. Guns n' Roses
After their long tour Use Your Illusion, which the famous hard rock band ended in 1993, Guns N' Roses didn't exactly part on friendly terms. Especially singer Axl Rose and guitarist Slash seemed to be estranged from each other for life. For many years, no one would have thought that the band would get back together in 2016. But since then, there have actually been tours and performances together again. Certainly a most unexpected, but all the more delightful comeback!
5. Iron Maiden
How to imagine Iron Maiden without Bruce Dickinson, their iconic singer since 1981? In the period from 1993 to 1999 he was not a member of the band: he had already announced his departure in 1992, to the disappointment of the loyal Iron Maiden fans. The new cast for the vocals was Blaze Bayley, but the new album The X-Factor caused rather moderate enthusiasm from fans for various reasons. However, Bruce Dickinson returned to Iron Maiden in 1999 and continues to thrill audiences with his performance to this day!
6. Metallica
As one of the most influential bands in Thrash Metal, Metallica has been attracting a huge audience for years. But there was a tragic break in the band's history back in the 80s. Their bassist Cliff Burton died in an accident of the band's tour bus on their European tour. From then on, Jason Newsted played bass for Metallica. With him they also recorded one of the strongest albums of the band: ... And Justice For All.
7. Blink-182
The band history of the rock and pop-punk band Blink-182 has been marked by several break-ups, breaks and reunions. Initially, the group wanted to take a break in 2005 and for quite a while it was not entirely clear when and if there would actually be a reunion. In 2009, fans could finally breathe a sigh of relief: there was a redesigned logo, an official message to fans, a new album (2011) and numerous live shows. In 2015, however, the departure of singer and guitarist Tom DeLonge was announced. After all these years, the second reunion of 2022 becomes much more important. Together with DeLonge, an extensive tour is planned for 2023 and 2024, as well as a new album!
8. KORN
One of the founding members of the Nu-Metal band Korn, Brian "Head" Welch had been with the band as a guitarist since 1993. That lasted until 2005, when he surprisingly announced his departure during the production of a new album because he wanted to devote himself to faith. However, Welch returned to the group in 2012, causing them to record a reunion album titled The Paradigm Shift.
9. The Ghost Inside
Only recently The Ghost Inside have returned with their new single "Earn It". But from 2015 to 2020 the American hardcore band took a break. The reason for this was a serious accident with their tour bus in 2015, in which several band members were severely injured. However, the band is now putting out new music again and released the self-titled album The Ghost Inside in 2020!
10. My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance are without question one of the biggest and most influential bands of the alternative rock and emo scene. And this despite the fact that they have released only four studio albums. The band was formed in 2001 after the terrorist attacks of September 11. The band's second album, Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, led to great popularity, which was only increased by the follow-up album The Black Parade. However, in 2013, the group headed by Gerard Way announced their split. But fans always hoped to see the band live again at some point. There were speculations especially in 2016 as a result of a social media post of the band. But the real reunion didn't happen until 2019, and the first shows were sold out in no time. 2022 saw the release of the band's new single "The Foundations Of Decay", which you can listen to directly below:
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Makes it hard to decide which of these strong comeback albums to listen to first, doesn't it? It's best to listen to all of them one after the other and then start all over again. Along the way, you can browse through our store at your leisure, from Heavy Metal Merch to Hard Rock Merch to Pop Punk Merchandise. Whoever your favorite band is, you will surely find it at Impericon. We wish you a lot of fun while browsing!
