5 ’80s Rock and Metal Guitarists Who Started Great New Bands

These five ’80s rock and metal guitarists who started great new bands serve as an unfortunate reminder that previous success and loads of talent don’t guarantee future prosperity.

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t applaud them for trying — and for gifting us with some excellent music in the process.

Bands that are formed or led by guitarists could be a gamble, especially in the ’80s and early ’90s. In an era when hard rock and glam metal ruled the roost, and dizzying guitar solos were an integral part of countless hits, it was easy — perhaps even encouraged — for guitarists to go overboard with the fretboard-melting histrionics.

The problem was that, often, these hotshot shredders forgot to write songs around their blazing solos. (We’re not specifically talking about Vinnie Vincent, but we’re not not talking about Vinnie Vincent.)

It makes sense, then, that when the guitarists on this list left their lucrative main gigs, they did so to form other bands, not solo projects. (There’s one pseudo-exception here, but more on that later.) They applied their incredible skills in a group context, recruiting top-tier musicians and songwriters to round out their endeavors.

In some cases, these guitarists’ new bands even surpassed their previous efforts in terms of quality. Liberated from commercial expectations and intraband dysfunction, they could get back to making the music they wanted to make. Sometimes, the results were so electrifying that fans couldn’t help but wonder: Why couldn’t they have done this with their old band?

READ MORE: 10 Underrated Hair Metal Bands That Deserved to Be Way Bigger

It’s a valid question, especially because none of the projects on this list performed particularly well, and consequently, most of them were short-lived. But perhaps that’s just part of the magic. Sometimes, great rock bands are meant to be here for a good time, not a long time — and it’s up to us to appreciate what they made, rather than mourn what could have been.

Read on to see five ’80s rock and metal guitarists who started great new bands.