Rock + Metal Singers Who Left Big Bands and Came Back Again

There have been quite a few rock and metal singers who left their respective bands and then came back years later for another round (or two).

Sometimes the grass seems greener on the other side, but isn't. These singers were either curious about what would happen if they took another direction in their careers or they were furious with how things were going in the band they were a part of.

Either way, they willingly left the group and then returned later on. Some of them actually left and returned more than once.

We rounded up a list of rock and metal singers who quit big bands and then came back for another go later on. The key word here is "left," so singers who were fired don't count. Unfortunately that means Ozzy Osbourne, Motley Crue's Vince Neil, Van Halen's Sammy Hagar and a handful of others aren't included.

Additionally, full band breakups don't count either — the vocalist had to have left on their own and the band remained active afterward, either with a totally new vocalist or an existing member that decided to take on vocal duties. There's only one exception to this rule, which you'll see in the gallery.

Scroll below to see rock and metal singers that left bands and then came back.

Rock + Metal Singers Who Left Big Bands and Came Back Again

These rock and metal singers left the bands they were in and then came back years later for another round (or multiple).

Gallery Credit: Lauryn Schaffner

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Gallery Credit: Philip Trapp