THE HYST LIST // Bands that did a Style 180

In the immortal words of every music fan there ever was: “I like your old stuff better than your new stuff.”

Tastes change. Bands change. We change. But all three at the same time? That has literally never ever happened.

Some artists are built on change; can you imagine David Bowie doing the same shit over and over? Then again, can your brain parse an AC/DC or Motörhead that didn’t sound the same with each album? Bands in da scene are twisting, shifting, moving creatures and we can’t blame them too much for altering their sound, evolving as artists. Especially if they’re chasing greater fame or greater … er, notoriety. Celebrating (or denigrating) Paramore’s recent stylistic revolution, we present a Hyst List of bands in recent memory that made those agonising changes—for better or worse. //Tom Valcanis

BRING ME THE HORIZON

Trading Drop B tunings and hell summoning breakdowns for radio ready synths and arena commanding choruses, no modern metal band has made the transition from Hot Topic heroes to festival headliners quite like Bring Me The Horizon. The side fringe donning teens who once claimed Pray For Plagues as their anthem grew up, ditched Deathcore and adopted a musical style that parallels the sleekness of their new aesthetic. The release of Sempiternal in 2013 set a new standard in the world of metalcore. Four years on it’s yet to meet a worthy contender for modern classic status.

OCEAN GROVE

A worship of a then trendy Warped Tour-esque metalcore was evident when Ocean Grove released their Outsider EP in 2013, placing them in a realm of interchangeable bands you’d find playing Bang! Or Hot Damn once a month. Now, OG have single-handedly risen to the top of the Australian nu-metal revival as a musical conglomerate of creative, transcending the realms of Australian heavy identity.

TONIGHT ALIVE

All signs pointed to pop-punk glory with the release of 2013’s The Other Side, leading them to the main stages of festivals around the globe. Combining early 00s songwriter-pop and soft rock balladry 2015’s Limitless couldn’t help but totally polarise the band’s fanbase, as self help preaching took precedence over writing punchy songs the band became known for.

LINKIN PARK

With the release of new single Heavy in February, fans of nu-metal’s most Billboard Chart dominating exports were shocked to say the least. Even though the last decade has seen the band shift genuinely intriguing and catchy Alt Metal stylings to straight up stadium rock, the track treads closer to Halsey than Helmet. What was it again that Mike Shinoda said about rock bands in this day and age sounding like “Disney commercial music”?

STORM THE SKY

Like Ocean Grove, Storm The Sky once dominated the local scene’s revolving door of metalcore imitators. After multiple lineup changes 2016’s excellent Bring Me the Horizon meets The 1975 effort Sin Will Find You.

FALL OUT BOY

Never a band to shy away from experimentation, Fall Out Boy have built a career on bucking expectations. Although comeback albums Save Rock n Roll and American Beauty/American Psycho did showcase an awareness for trendy indie pop and hip hop, they were at their core, impenetrably Fall Out Boy. 2016’s Young and Menace has seen an even further departure from the days of From Under The Cork Tree, inserting throbbing glitch dubstep soundscapes and EDM inspired vocals.

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