One of the cardinal sins in hard rock and metal is “going soft.” Taking a step backwards in intensity can be a surefire way to lose fans, but these 10 acts didn’t just do it successfully, most of them got even better!

Let’s talk about Finnish melodic death / folk metal titans Amorphis. The band has gained significant popularity over the last 10 years, but what you may not know is Amorphis have been around since 1990! The guys started off as a pure death metal / doom band, but the addition of vocalist Tomi Joutsen in 2005 gave Amorphis a softer edge which caught the year of metalheads worldwide.

Baroness started as a southern sludge band and hit their peak with that style with Blue Record in 2009. With the eyes of the underground metal scene tightly focused on Baroness, the four-piece took a sudden and dramatic shift with 2012’s Yellow & Green. The double album was shockingly soft, but the songwriting quality and lush production was universally beloved by fans, with many calling Yellow & Green Baroness’ finest work.

Some of these bands are completely unrecognizable from their original form. Take Anathema or Ulver, for example. Both began their careers on the extreme spectrum, but as the years went by, they took calmness and made it grand. You’ll see what we mean.

Check out 10 Rock + Metal Acts That Went Soft But Still Rule in the Loud List above!

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