To say that 2020 has been a difficult year is an understatement. Between the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, which became a pandemic in a few weeks, and the difficulties Brazil was already facing with the political polarization of recent years, this year will go down in history.
But by now, we're all tired of being part of this story, aren't we? Amidst all this chaos, the population is suffering from countless difficulties, such as social isolation, unemployment, exchange rates changing every second, hunger, poverty, and, of course, healthcare. All of this is compounded by the increasing number of deaths we see every day and the unstable state of our healthcare system. It's terrifying.
But among all these issues and problems we are facing, one subject has been making headlines around the world: the change of leadership at the Ministry of Health in the midst of the pandemic.
From the beginning of Bolsonaro's government until today, May 21st, we have already had three changes: Gilberto Occhi, who remained in office throughout 2019, Luiz Henrique Mandetta, who stayed for almost four months, Nelson Teich, who lasted just under a month, and now we have to settle for the interim minister Eduardo Pazuello who, according to Bolsonaro's own statements, "will stay for a long time" in the position.
Why are we talking about this on Wikimetal , you ask? Because this constant coming and going is very common in the music world. For example, did you know that Black Sabbath had 27 lineup changes? And Megadeth 23? That's a lot, right? So stick around and see which bands have had more lineup changes than our Ministry of Health:
8. Misfits had 18 lineup changes. The band, formed by Glenn Danzig in 1977 in New Jersey, was one of the creators of the horror punk movement within old punk rock, but the horror didn't stop at the musical style. Danzig went through 18 bandmates before settling on the current lineup with Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein, Dave Lombardo, and Acey Slade.
The group, like the Ministry of Health, also had members who stayed in the role for a very short time, such as Manny Martínez (who was part of the band only during 1977), Franché Coma (joined in 1977 and left the following year), Mr. Jim (joined in 1978 and left the same year), and Joey Image (joined in 1978 and left the following year). What a confusing time, huh?
7. Warrant has had 20 lineup changes. The glam metal group was formed in 1984 and, to this day, has struggled to maintain a lineup that pleases everyone. Bobby Borg joined the band in 1996 and left the following year, while Kevin Phares was only with Warrant between 2003 and 2004. Brent Woods was only with the band during 2004.
Today, they reached a consensus and have the following lineup: Robert Mason, Erick Turner, Joey Allen, Jerry Dixon, and Steven Sweet.
6. Megadeth has had 23 lineup changes. The most important change for Brazilians is, without a doubt, the addition of Kiko Loureiro in place of Chris Broderick, but before that, the group had a lot of history to tell, even if all of it was short.
Here, we've selected musicians who spent the least amount of time in the group, including Kerry King, who joined in 1984 and left the same year, and Chris Adler, who joined in 2015 and left the following year. Other quick changes, lasting less than a year, were: Dijon Carruthers (1983), Richard Girod (1983), Lee Rausch (1984), and Jay Reynolds (1987).
5. Iron Maiden has had 23 lineup changes. Here, perhaps heavy metal fans won't be surprised, since today the band only has two members who have participated in all the albums: Steve Harris and Dave Murray. Like Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden went through unforgettable vocalist changes: Bruce Dickinson replaced Paul Di'Anno in 1981 and then left to make way for Blaze Bayley. Just five years later, Dickinson returned and remains in the band to this day.
Besides these changes that we all vividly remember, Iron Maiden went through difficulties between 1975 and 1980. Just look at how many people passed through there: Paul Day (1975-76), Terry Rance (1975-76), Dave Sullivan (1975-76), Rob Angelo (1977-77), Thunderstick (1977-77), Tony Moore (1977-77), Terry Wapram (1977-78), Paul Cairns (1978-79), Paul Todd (1979-79), Tony Parsons (1979-79) and Dennis Stratton (1979-80).
04. Guns N' Roses had 23 lineup changes. That Guns N' Roses had some lineup problems over the years is nothing new to anyone, but, wow Axl, 23? And, to absolutely no one's surprise, the changes were quick.
Rob Gardner, Tracii Guns, and Ole Beich were part of Guns N' Roses for a brief but important period in 1985. They were responsible for forming the group alongside Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin, but clearly, it didn't work out for the trio. They only played three shows under the name Guns N' Roses and were soon replaced by Steven Adler, Slash, and Duff McKagan, respectively. But it's worth remembering that the trio was important because it was from them that the "Guns" came to be combined with Axl's "Rose" in the band's name.
03. Anthrax has had 23 lineup changes. Formed in 1981, the thrash metal group currently has only one member from the original lineup, and that is Scott Ian. Although he has been accompanied by Charlie Benante, Frank Bello, and Joey Belladonna almost from the beginning, Anthrax has gone through some significant changes.
With the exception of Jason Rosenfeld, who joined in 1981 and left the following year, the following names remained in the group for only a few months, joining and leaving in the same year. These are John Connelly (1981), Paul Kahn (1981), Kenny Kushner (1981), Dirk Kennedy (1981), Tommy Wise (1982), Bob Berry (1983) and Matt Fallon (1984).
02. Black Sabbath had 27 lineup changes. The most famous lineup change in the group's history, of course, is that of Ozzy Osbourne for Ronnie James Dio, and then vice versa, but what perhaps few people know is that Black Sabbath had many other changes besides that.
The list of musicians who passed through the group and stayed for a short period of time is extensive, so get ready. Let's go? Dave Walker (1977-78), Craig Gruber (1979-79), Bev Bevan (1983-84), Ron Keel (1984-84), David Donato (1984-84), Jeff Fenholt (1985-85), Gordon Copley (1985-85), Glenn Hughes (1985-86), Dave Spitz (1985-86), Bob Daisley (1986-86), Ray Gillen (1986-87), Terry Chimes (1987-88), Jo Burt (1987-88), Laurence Cottle (1988-88) and, finally, Neil Murray (1989-90).
01. Whitesnake has had 36 lineup changes. The band with the most lineup changes and the closest competitor to current president Bolsonaro is David Coverdale. The group has had hiatuses throughout its 42-year history, but Coverdale was practically the only consistent element in the lineup. Today, he is accompanied by Rob Beach, Joel Hoekstra, Michael Devin, Michele Luppi and, of course, Tommy Aldridge, but the vocalist has gone through some tough times before finding the current formula.
Look who's been in Whitesnake for such a short time: Dave “Duck” Dowle (1978-79), Colin Hodgkinson (1982-83), Vivian Campbell (1987-88), Steve Vai (1989-90), Warren DeMartini (1994-94), Paul Mirkovich (1994-94), Guy Pratt (1997-97), Brett Tuggle (1997-97), Mark Francis (1997-97), Steve Farris (1997-97), Tony Franklin (1997-97) and Derek Hilland (1997-97).
