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* Music/LinkinPark started out with ''Music/HybridTheory'', which, aside from "One Step Closer" and "A Place for My Head", have no real screaming, though they did have angsty lyrics, and had no swearing. ''Music/{{Meteora}}'' had angst, but no hard screaming or swearing. Then came ''Music/MinutesToMidnight'', when lead singer Chester Bennington and lead rapper Mike Shinoda swore like sailors, with several uses of the word "fuck", and had "Given Up", one of their darkest songs to date, with [[HarsherInHindsight suicide references]]. After that was ''A Thousand Suns'', a concept album about nuclear destruction, along with several more uses of "fuck" and "shit". Then the band became LighterAndSofter with ''Living Things'', with only one "angry" song, "Lies Greed Misery", and no profanity.

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* Music/LinkinPark started out with ''Music/HybridTheory'', which, aside from "One Step Closer" and "A Place for My Head", have no real screaming, though they did have angsty lyrics, and had no swearing. ''Music/{{Meteora}}'' had angst, but no hard screaming or swearing. Then came ''Music/MinutesToMidnight'', when lead singer Chester Bennington and lead rapper Mike Shinoda swore like sailors, with several uses of the word "fuck", and had "Given Up", one of their darkest songs to date, with [[HarsherInHindsight suicide references]]. After that was ''A Thousand Suns'', ''Music/AThousandSuns'', a concept album about nuclear destruction, along with several more uses of "fuck" and "shit". Then the band became LighterAndSofter with ''Living Things'', ''Music/LivingThings'', with only one "angry" song, "Lies Greed Misery", and no profanity.
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* Happened naturally to Music/MichaelJackson in the mid-90s. His 1991 album ''Music/{{Dangerous}}'' was, like his previous albums, a mix of standard pop and uplifting songs. His next album, ''Music/HistoryPastPresentAndFutureBookI'' (1995), came out following his 1993 child molestation allegations and ''it shows''. The album is filled with dark songs that exude paranoia and anger, dealing with topics like betrayal, media scrutiny, loneliness, and ''a song about a child dying from neglect''. It also has more swearing than any other Michael Jackson album, including the only instance of the word [[PrecisionFStrike "fuck"]]. Even the sole love song on the album, the R. Kelly-penned "You Are Not Alone", is a little bit of a downer because it is about separated lovers. Jackson's 2001 album ''Music/{{Invincible}}'' would retain some of the darker influences from this period though it would also be a bit of a return to form, with more upbeat, love/life-affirming songs compared to ''[=HIStory=]''.

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* Happened naturally to Music/MichaelJackson in the mid-90s. His 1991 album ''Music/{{Dangerous}}'' ''Music/{{Dangerous|Album}}'' was, like his previous albums, a mix of standard pop and uplifting songs. His next album, ''Music/HistoryPastPresentAndFutureBookI'' (1995), came out following his 1993 child molestation allegations and ''it shows''. The album is filled with dark songs that exude paranoia and anger, dealing with topics like betrayal, media scrutiny, loneliness, and ''a song about a child dying from neglect''. It also has more swearing than any other Michael Jackson album, including the only instance of the word [[PrecisionFStrike "fuck"]]. Even the sole love song on the album, the R. Kelly-penned "You Are Not Alone", is a little bit of a downer because it is about separated lovers. Jackson's 2001 album ''Music/{{Invincible}}'' would retain some of the darker influences from this period though it would also be a bit of a return to form, with more upbeat, love/life-affirming songs compared to ''[=HIStory=]''.
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* Music/VyletPony: When compared to the album that preceded it, ''can opener's notebook: fish whisperer'', which is a lot more light-hearted in both tone and subject matter, ''Music/CarouselAnExaminationOfTheShadowCreekflow'' is brooding and introspective.

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* Music/DeltaGoodrem: Went from dealing with some hopeful innocent themes and young love dilemma's (Not Me Not I), kissing the wrong guy (My Big Mistake), and wanting to be free (Predictable) in Innocent Eyes, with a soft fresh piano focused sound to dealing with issues within her friendships/close circle (Nobody Listened), issues with her own mortality (Extraordinary Day), issues with being a celebrity (Electric Storm), issues with being TheInsomniac (The Analyst) and having a general crisis of identity in (Mistaken Identity), with a jazz-rock-classical piano-based contemporary songwriter * Music/DefLeppard's 1996 album ''Slang'' showcased a more organic, darker musical style and subject matter, fueled by [[CreatorBreakdown personal turmoil]] in the band members' lives, express themselves more honestly and by their willingness to experiment with new sounds and acknowledge the [[TheNineties 1990s]] AlternativeRock movement. It was their first album since their debut ''On Through the Night'' not to be produced by Creator/RobertJohnMuttLange.

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* Music/DeltaGoodrem: Went from dealing with some hopeful innocent themes and young love dilemma's (Not Me Not I), kissing the wrong guy (My Big Mistake), and wanting to be free (Predictable) in Innocent Eyes, with a soft fresh piano focused sound to dealing with issues within her friendships/close circle (Nobody Listened), issues with her own mortality (Extraordinary Day), issues with being a celebrity (Electric Storm), issues with being TheInsomniac (The Analyst) and having a general crisis of identity in (Mistaken Identity), with a jazz-rock-classical piano-based contemporary songwriter songwriter
* Music/DefLeppard's 1996 album ''Slang'' showcased a more organic, darker musical style and subject matter, fueled by [[CreatorBreakdown personal turmoil]] in the band members' lives, express themselves more honestly and by their willingness to experiment with new sounds and acknowledge the [[TheNineties 1990s]] AlternativeRock movement. It was their first album since their debut ''On Through the Night'' not to be produced by Creator/RobertJohnMuttLange.
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* The '80s albums from British band ''Music/{{Madness}}'' progressively got more serious as time went on. Their first album, ''Music/OneStepBeyond'', featured reggae covers and songs about singing and dancing, any potentially serious subject matters (such as the chorus in "Mummy's Boy" that reveals the song's main character to be a pedophile) sung purely tongue-in-cheek. By their sixth album (the tellingly titled "Mad Not Mad"), they were singing critiques of the modern song industry itself, cynical parodies of Americanism and a surprising number of completely serious songs about child abuse.

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* The '80s albums from British band ''Music/{{Madness}}'' ''Music/{{Madness|Band}}'' progressively got more serious as time went on. Their first album, ''Music/OneStepBeyond'', ''Music/OneStepBeyondAlbum'', featured reggae covers and songs about singing and dancing, any potentially serious subject matters (such as the chorus in "Mummy's Boy" that reveals the song's main character to be a pedophile) sung purely tongue-in-cheek. By their sixth album (the tellingly titled "Mad Not Mad"), they were singing critiques of the modern song industry itself, cynical parodies of Americanism and a surprising number of completely serious songs about child abuse.
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* When Music/{{Kittie}} debuted with their album ''Spit,'' they were pretty easily lumped in with the late 90s/early 2000s NuMetal movement that was all the rage at the time, but gradually, starting from 2001's ''Oracle,'' they would increasingly bring in more and more influences of GrooveMetal, DeathMetal and GothicMetal. Getting darker and edgier from the already-abrasive ''Spit'' is no easy task, but Kittie pulled it off.
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** West himself famously [[CreatorBreakdown became this in real life]] when his mother, who he [[MommasBoy famously loved immensely]], tragically passed away in November 2007, just two years after the release of what was his biggest release up to that point, his third album ''Graduation'' (2007), which was his lightest and poppiest album to date. Every album since then has been some of the darkest, despondent, paranoid, angry works of his career, starting immediately with ''808s & Heartbreak'' (2008), which was directly written in response to both the death of his mother and the subsequent dissolution of his engagement to a long-time fiancée. His fifth album ''Music/MyBeautifulDarkTwistedFantasy'' (2010) is a dense [[ConceptAlbum concept album]] centered on his personal struggles with fame, mental health, self-doubt, paranoia, and interpersonal relationships. His sixth album ''Music/{{Yeezus}}'' (2013) is probably his darkest and edgiest album in his entire discography, experimenting with (among other genres) glitch, [[PunkRock punk]], and [[NoiseRock noise]]. Even his seventh album ''Music/TheLifeOfPablo'' (2016), while considerably lighter and more pop-friendly than ''Yeezus'', is still incredibly jagged, dissonant, and unsettling in tone [[note]]See in particular: "Pt. 2", "Feedback", and "FML"[[/note]] and sound compared to his first three albums.

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** West himself famously [[CreatorBreakdown became this in real life]] when his mother, who he [[MommasBoy famously loved immensely]], tragically passed away in November 2007, just two years after the release of what was his biggest release up to that point, his third album ''Graduation'' (2007), which was his lightest and poppiest album to date. Every album since then has been some of the darkest, despondent, paranoid, angry works of his career, starting immediately with ''808s & Heartbreak'' (2008), which was directly written in response to both the death of his mother and the subsequent dissolution of his engagement to a long-time fiancée. His fifth album ''Music/MyBeautifulDarkTwistedFantasy'' (2010) is a dense [[ConceptAlbum concept album]] ConceptAlbum centered on his personal struggles with fame, mental health, self-doubt, paranoia, and interpersonal relationships. His sixth album ''Music/{{Yeezus}}'' (2013) is probably his darkest and edgiest album in his entire discography, experimenting with (among other genres) glitch, [[PunkRock punk]], and [[NoiseRock noise]]. Even his seventh album album, ''Music/TheLifeOfPablo'' (2016), while considerably lighter and more pop-friendly than ''Yeezus'', is still incredibly jagged, dissonant, and unsettling in tone [[note]]See in particular: "Pt. 2", "Feedback", and "FML"[[/note]] and sound compared to his first three albums.
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** West himself famously [[CreatorBreakdown became this in real life]] when his mother, who he [[MommasBoy famously loved immensely]], tragically passed away in November 2007, just two years after the release of what was his biggest release up to that point, his third album ''Graduation'' (2007), which was his lightest and poppiest album to date. Every album since then has been some of the darkest, despondent, paranoid, angry works of his career, starting immediately with ''808s & Heartbreak'' (2008), which was directly written in response to both the death of his mother and the subsequent dissolution of his engagement to a long-time fiancee. His fifth album ''Music/MyBeautifulDarkTwistedFantasy'' (2010) is a dense [[ConceptAlbum concept album]] centered on his personal struggles with fame, mental health, self-doubt, paranoia, and interpersonal relationships. His sixth album ''Music/Yeezus'' (2013) is probably his darkest and edgiest album in his entire discography, experimenting with (among other genres) glitch, [[PunkRock punk]], and [[NoiseRock noise]]. Even his seventh album ''Music/TheLifeOfPablo'' (2016), while considerably lighter and more pop-friendly than ''Yeezus'', is still incredibly jagged, dissonant, and unsettling in tone [[note]]See in particular: "Pt. 2", "Feedback", and "FML"[[/note]] and sound compared to his first three albums.

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** West himself famously [[CreatorBreakdown became this in real life]] when his mother, who he [[MommasBoy famously loved immensely]], tragically passed away in November 2007, just two years after the release of what was his biggest release up to that point, his third album ''Graduation'' (2007), which was his lightest and poppiest album to date. Every album since then has been some of the darkest, despondent, paranoid, angry works of his career, starting immediately with ''808s & Heartbreak'' (2008), which was directly written in response to both the death of his mother and the subsequent dissolution of his engagement to a long-time fiancee.fiancée. His fifth album ''Music/MyBeautifulDarkTwistedFantasy'' (2010) is a dense [[ConceptAlbum concept album]] centered on his personal struggles with fame, mental health, self-doubt, paranoia, and interpersonal relationships. His sixth album ''Music/Yeezus'' ''Music/{{Yeezus}}'' (2013) is probably his darkest and edgiest album in his entire discography, experimenting with (among other genres) glitch, [[PunkRock punk]], and [[NoiseRock noise]]. Even his seventh album ''Music/TheLifeOfPablo'' (2016), while considerably lighter and more pop-friendly than ''Yeezus'', is still incredibly jagged, dissonant, and unsettling in tone [[note]]See in particular: "Pt. 2", "Feedback", and "FML"[[/note]] and sound compared to his first three albums.



** The "Ditch Trilogy" – ''Time Fades Away'' (1973), ''On the Beach'' (1974), and ''Tonight's the Night'' (1975) – is his first example of this. They are the product of Young struggling to deal with the pressures of fame as well as the recent deaths of two close friends, Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten and roadie Bruce Berry. Whitten was so addicted to heroin that it rendered him unable to play and resulted in Neil firing him; on November 18, 1972, Neil gave Whitten $50 and a plane ticket to Los Angeles in an attempt to help him get back on track. ''On the same day'', a combination of Valium and alcohol resulted in his death. Just 6½ months later on June 4, 1973, Berry fatally overdosed on heroin and cocaine. ''Time Fades Away'' was recorded live from February 11 – April 1, 1973 (except "Love in Mind", which was recorded on January 30, 1971), and is generally a hard rock album; but it feels unpolished and abrasive even by Young's standards, and deals implicitly with themes of loneliness and loss. ''Tonight's the Night'', which was recorded from August–September 1973, but not released until 1975, bears every indication that it was written and performed by someone in the process of grieving - Young even sounds like he's on the verge of breaking down in some of the album's tracks. Reprise Records was initially hesitant to release ''Tonight's the Night'' because of its harsher tone, and is still widely considered the darkest record in Neil's catalogue. Although ''On the Beach'' was released almost 11 months before ''Tonight's the Night'', it was recorded about half a year after it (February 5 – April 7, 1974).[[note]] Just for the sake of further clarity, the release dates of ''Time Fades Away'', ''On the Beach'', and ''Tonight's the Night'' are October 15, 1973, July 16, 1974, and June 20, 1975, respectively.[[/note]] While not quite as acerbic as either of the other two albums in the Ditch Trilogy, ''On the Beach'' is still an all-around despondent collection of songs.

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** The "Ditch Trilogy" – ''Time Fades Away'' (1973), ''On the Beach'' (1974), and ''Tonight's the Night'' (1975) – is his first example of this. They are the product of Young Neil struggling to deal with the pressures of fame as well as the recent deaths of two close friends, Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten and roadie Bruce Berry. Whitten was so addicted to heroin that it rendered him unable to play and resulted in Neil firing him; on November 18, 1972, Neil gave Whitten $50 and a plane ticket to Los Angeles in an attempt to help him get back on track. ''On the same day'', a combination of Valium and alcohol resulted in his death. Just 6½ months later on June 4, 1973, Berry fatally overdosed on heroin and cocaine. ''Time Fades Away'' was recorded live from February 11 – April 1, 1973 (except "Love in Mind", which was recorded on January 30, 1971), and is generally a hard rock album; but it feels unpolished and abrasive even by Young's standards, and deals implicitly with themes of loneliness and loss. ''Tonight's the Night'', which was recorded from August–September 1973, but not released until 1975, bears every indication that it was written and performed by someone in the process of grieving - Young even sounds like he's on the verge of breaking down in some of the album's tracks. Reprise Records was initially hesitant to release ''Tonight's the Night'' because of its harsher tone, and is still widely considered the darkest record in Neil's catalogue. Although ''On the Beach'' was released almost 11 months before ''Tonight's the Night'', it was recorded about half a year after it (February 5 – April 7, 1974).[[note]] Just for the sake of further clarity, the release dates of ''Time Fades Away'', ''On the Beach'', and ''Tonight's the Night'' are October 15, 1973, July 16, 1974, and June 20, 1975, respectively.[[/note]] While not quite as acerbic as either of the other two albums in the Ditch Trilogy, ''On the Beach'' is still an all-around despondent collection of songs.
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%% (ZCE) * Music/IcedEarth played this trope straight with ''Burnt Offerings'', which band leader Jon Schaffer admits was due in no small part to his growing frustration with label Century Media. -- How does it qualify?
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* Of all the Seattle [[Main/{{Grunge}} grunge]]-era bands, Music/AliceInChains were this compared to the [[Music/{{Nirvana}} other]] [[Music/PearlJam three]] [[Music/{{Soundgarden}} bands]] from the "Big 4", with a lot of their music even qualifying as DoomMetal. But this trope even applies to the band's discography, as they got ''much'' heavier with each release; their predecessors Alice 'n' Chainz were pure GlamRock in the vein of Music/{{Poison}}. The first incarnation of the current Alice in Chains was GlamMetal in the vein of Music/GunsNRoses, and their debut album ''Facelift'' took it even further, with a much heavier sound clearly in HeavyMetal territory, but still very glam. The album that followed, 1992's ''Dirt'', was a far bigger transition, with the music being their first attempts at doom metal and the lyrics focused on war, death, depression, and ''especially'' heroin addiction. Their 1995 self titled album is easily one of the darkest, most depressing albums ever released into mainstream. The band's latest material, with William [=DuVall=] having replaced the late Layne Staley on vocals, has still kept the tradition going.

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* Of all the Seattle [[Main/{{Grunge}} grunge]]-era Main/{{grunge}}-era bands, Music/AliceInChains were this compared to the [[Music/{{Nirvana}} other]] [[Music/PearlJam three]] [[Music/{{Soundgarden}} bands]] from the "Big 4", with a lot of their music even qualifying as DoomMetal. But this trope even applies to the band's discography, as they got ''much'' heavier with each release; their predecessors Alice 'n' Chainz were pure GlamRock in the vein of Music/{{Poison}}. The first incarnation of the current Alice in Chains was GlamMetal in the vein of Music/GunsNRoses, and their debut album ''Facelift'' took it even further, with a much heavier sound clearly in HeavyMetal territory, but still very glam. The album that followed, 1992's ''Dirt'', was a far bigger transition, with the music being their first attempts at doom metal and the lyrics focused on war, death, depression, and ''especially'' heroin addiction. Their 1995 self titled album is easily one of the darkest, most depressing albums ever released into mainstream. The band's latest material, with William [=DuVall=] having replaced the late Layne Staley on vocals, has still kept the tradition going.
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* Music/PJHarvey pulled this one off a couple of times. Her first album ''Music/{{Dry}}'' is not a warm sunny walk in the park kinda album, but its tone and subject matter is far more about longing and loneliness. ''[[Music/{{RidOfMe}} Rid Of Me]]'' is about the aftermath of said longing, rife with lyrics about breakups and anger and perversion and gender-fluidness/confusion that make Music/AlanisMorissette and ''Music/JaggedLittlePill'' look like Tiffany by comparison, right alongside the trademark abrasive and raw engineering style that Music/SteveAlbini contributed to it. Enter 3rd album ''Music/ToBringYouMyLove'' with its subject matter of child sacrifice and longing and Delta Blues style, but helped along by the production of Flood[[note]]The producer/engineer who is most known for working with Music/U2.[[/note]] Somehow, her follow-up, ''Music/IsThisDesire'' with it's trip-hop influence is even darker, its themes being murder, suicide, mental breakdown and suicidal ideation. This, combined with a cold electronic music style added to an oppressive atmosphere that scared Harvey herself; after this, she vowed to never go into these depths of darkness ever again.

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* Music/PJHarvey pulled this one off a couple of times. Her first album ''Music/{{Dry}}'' is not a warm sunny walk in the park kinda album, but its tone and subject matter is far more about longing and loneliness. ''[[Music/{{RidOfMe}} Rid Of Me]]'' is about the aftermath of said longing, rife with lyrics about breakups and anger and perversion and gender-fluidness/confusion that make Music/AlanisMorissette and ''Music/JaggedLittlePill'' look like Tiffany by comparison, right alongside the trademark abrasive and raw engineering style that Music/SteveAlbini contributed to it. Enter 3rd album ''Music/ToBringYouMyLove'' with its subject matter of child sacrifice and longing and Delta Blues style, but helped along by the production of Flood[[note]]The Flood.[[note]]The producer/engineer who is most known for working with Music/U2.[[/note]] Music/{{U2}}[[/note]] Somehow, her follow-up, ''Music/IsThisDesire'' with it's trip-hop influence is even darker, its themes being murder, suicide, mental breakdown and suicidal ideation. This, combined with a cold electronic music style added to an oppressive atmosphere that scared Harvey herself; after this, she vowed to never go into these depths of darkness ever again.
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* Music/PJHarvey pulled this one off a couple of times. Her first album ''Music/{{Dry}}'' is not a warm sunny walk in the park kinda album, but its tone and subject matter is far more about longing and loneliness. ''[[Music/{{RidOfMe}} Rid Of Me]]'' is about the aftermath of said longing, rife with lyrics about breakups and anger and perversion and gender-fluidness/confusion that make Music/AlanisMorissette and ''Music/JaggedLittlePill'' look like Tiffany by comparison, right alongside the trademark abrasive and raw engineering style that Music/SteveAlbini contributed to it. Enter 3rd album ''Music/ToBringYouMyLove'' with its subject matter of child sacrifice and longing and Delta Blues style, but helped along by the production of Flood. Somehow, her follow-up, ''Music/IsThisDesire'' with it's trip-hop influence is even darker, its themes being murder, suicide, mental breakdown and suicidal ideation. This, combined with a cold electronic music style added to an oppressive atmosphere that scared Harvey herself; after this, she vowed to never go into these depths of darkness ever again.

to:

* Music/PJHarvey pulled this one off a couple of times. Her first album ''Music/{{Dry}}'' is not a warm sunny walk in the park kinda album, but its tone and subject matter is far more about longing and loneliness. ''[[Music/{{RidOfMe}} Rid Of Me]]'' is about the aftermath of said longing, rife with lyrics about breakups and anger and perversion and gender-fluidness/confusion that make Music/AlanisMorissette and ''Music/JaggedLittlePill'' look like Tiffany by comparison, right alongside the trademark abrasive and raw engineering style that Music/SteveAlbini contributed to it. Enter 3rd album ''Music/ToBringYouMyLove'' with its subject matter of child sacrifice and longing and Delta Blues style, but helped along by the production of Flood. Flood[[note]]The producer/engineer who is most known for working with Music/U2.[[/note]] Somehow, her follow-up, ''Music/IsThisDesire'' with it's trip-hop influence is even darker, its themes being murder, suicide, mental breakdown and suicidal ideation. This, combined with a cold electronic music style added to an oppressive atmosphere that scared Harvey herself; after this, she vowed to never go into these depths of darkness ever again.

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