11 Artists Who Turned Down Joining Huge Rock + Metal Bands

Virtually all aspiring musicians aim to join a huge band one day, so it might seem like a no-brainer to say, “Yes!” ASAP when such an opportunity comes along.

However, there are more factors to consider than may appear at first, prompting many artists – be they emerging and established – to politely decline when they’re asked to hop on board a promising project.

Maybe they’re just not a fan of the other group’s music, or there’s tension between certain members. Perhaps the person values the creative autonomy and dedicated audience they already have (and they’d rather not risk losing any of it for a chance at bigger fame and fortune).

Whatever the reasoning, and as demonstrated by the 11 artists below, rock and metal history is full of fascinating cases like this. In fact, it’s hard not to wonder what could’ve been had the stars aligned differently, wouldn’t you say?