These rockers came back with a BANG… some of them better than ever. After becoming entirely defunct or losing a member, these bands returned to form and blew us away with new music.

The departure of Ozzy Osbourne from Black Sabbath in 1979 set the stage for two incredible comebacks. After a few years of internal strife with Ozzy and a couple of lackluster albums, Black Sabbath seemed to be fizzling out, until Ronnie James Dio came on board. Breathing new life into Sabbath, Dio committed his vocals to the modern classics Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules. Ozzy also came roaring back after being fired, beginning metal’s greatest solo career with Randy Rhoads on guitar.

When Bruce Dickinson left Iron Maiden in 1993, the band officially entered its dark age. With guitarist Adrian Smith already gone, Maiden was stripped to its core, releasing two underwhelming albums with Blaze Bayley on vocals. Iron Maiden were basically playing clubs at that point, but Dickinson and Smith’s 1999 return put Maiden back in arenas. 2000’s Brave New World turned out to be Maiden’s finest effort in over a decade, kicking off a second Renaissance for the iconic band.

After the phenomenal Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Red Hot Chili Peppers essentially crapped the bed with its follow up, One Hot Minute. The difference? Dave Navarro replacing John Frusciante on guitar, so when Frusciante finally returned for Californication, he helped RHCP become the biggest band in the world. Frusciante is truly one of those few irreplaceable band members, which is why fans will always yearn another comeback.

Check out the 10 Greatest Comebacks in Rock + Metal History in the Loud List above.

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