Did you know that some of your favorite metal and rock bands changed their names after releasing music? In some instances, you might not have even recognized them.
There are some simple ones, like, for example, Blink-182 used to be Blink. They changed it after recording their first two albums due to another band having the same name. Then there’s The Verve, who were previously just Verve. Other bands, however, changed their names entirely…
Rain City Drive Started As ‘Slaves’
Ok buckle in for this first one… So, back in 2014, bassist Colin Vieira, guitarists Weston Richmond and Juan Felipe Sanchez, drummer Zachary Baker, and lead vocalist Jonny Craig formed the band Slaves. Craig, as some may remember, was the embattled vocalist in two major post-hardcore bands: Dance Gavin Dance and Emarosa.
During their first four years together, Slaves released three albums: Through Art We Are All Equals (2014), Routine Breathing (2015), and Beautiful Death (2018). Then in 2019, the band announced that they had parted ways with Craig due to his struggle with substance abuse. He was replaced by The Voice Season 7 runner-up Matt McAndrew.
The following year, Slaves announced that they were changing their band name in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and removing negative connotations from their music. They released their last album as Slaves, To Better Days, in 2020. The band has since rebranded it as their first album under their new name, Rain City Drive.
Lamb Of God Was Originally Called ‘Burn The Priest’
Way back in 1994, bassist John Campbell, drummer Chris Adler, and guitarists Mark Morton and Matt Conner started a band called Burn The Priest. The Richmond, Virginia band played around for a few years, recording some demos along the way, and then eventually recruited vocalist Randy Blythe.
New frontman in tow, Burn the Priest recorded their self-titled debut album. However, they didn’t love being constantly mistaken for a satanic band. So, they decided to change their name before it was too late to rebrand.
Settling on Lamb Of God, the band has since gone on to record 12 studio albums. The most recent of which, Into Oblivion, comes out on March 13. They’ve also built a passionate and dedicated fan base by touring relentlessly. Still, the Lamb Of God guys didn’t just abandon their old moniker. In fact, they revived it back in 2018 for a covers album, dubbed Legion: XX.
Black Sabbath Became ‘Heaven & Hell’ for a While
After Ozzy and Black Sabbath parted ways in the late 70s, they tapped Rainbow frontman Ronnie James Dio to join the band. Together, they recorded two albums: Heaven and Hell (1980) and Mob Rules (1981). After the second album, Dio exited the band. (He returned more than a decade later to record vocals for Sabbath’s 1992 album Dehumanizer.)
Skipping over a bunch of stuff, Dio and the Sabbath fellas got together to work on new music in the early-mid 2000s. Ultimately, instead of releasing a new Black Sabbath album, they called their new project Heaven & Hell. It was obviously named for the first album that Dio performed on with the heavy metal godfathers.
Heaven & Hell only released one album, The Devil You Know. Sadly, some time after they completed their promotional tour for the album, Dio was diagnosed with cancer. He passed away in 2010. The tour’s final show in Atlantic City, New Jersey, ended up being his final performance.
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