So I was filling in some missing info on: http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Lizer/62451
They changed their name to Bottoms Up!, released an EP, and disbanded sometime after with no known date date. When I changed Lizer's status to "changed name" it automatically showed as (1983-?, ?-present as Bottoms Up!) when they actually disbanded in the late 80s or early 90s. I'd like to suggest a small check box on the side of the "add years active" tab so that users can add a name change to a band's data and not have it make that band active by default in the scenario that there isn't a known date of disbandment, such was the case with Lizer. I changed everything back to how it was before I attempted to add the name change, and listed the name change in the additional notes for now.

Check out my edit. Use ~ and approximate years to deal with this.

Well geez that's perfect. Thank you very much.

How should I proceed if a band that is on the archives changed name, but it's not on the Archives under its first name and has not released anything under said first name?

Prior band had a ("metal") logo and stuff, but it's not on the Archives. Should I add it or just make the update on the "second band" page on the Archives?

E.g.:

Band A (no releases, not on the Archives) changes name to Band B (metal releases, on the Archives). Should I add Band A or simply update Band B's page without adding "new" Band A?

Thanks in advance, I hope I have made myself clear.

Neither. Keep the existing page exclusively to the listed incarnation. Anything that would get its own page (were it acceptable) doesn't belong on the existing page.

Please, correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't I just add the first name on bands page, such as http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Carcass/14 ?

Yes, that's fine. Just don't upload logo collages or add members that only played with the previous name or anything like that.

All right, thanks a lot for the instructions.

Considering Rhapsody / Rhapsody of Fire, http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Rhapsody/32 ...

Yeah, same band with a name change. But there are a few of those. How "big" must the change be for a separate page?

Pretty much sums it up to the sound. Say, that when Rhapsody turned into Rhapsody of Fire. Kept the same logo, the same members, the same label but changed into say, symphonic death metal, that would be enough of a change to warrant a separate entry.

iirc, this was mentioned in the Blacklist thread but if Bohren was accepted, it would only be accepted as Bohren and not Bohren & Der Club of Gore cus of the genre change that came with the name change.

That is not unreasonable. At least if one agrees that "the sound" of a band who makes a commercial sell-out that they could later have released as the metal version of the band, is a bit up to discretion according to circumstances.

It does not resolve all of what I just reported concerning Craig Goldy / Craig Goldy's Ritual: http://www.metal-archives.com/report/view/id/592803
Timeline, if I understand it right:
1: Band name "Ritual".
2: For legal reasons, changed their name to "Craig Goldy's Ritual". Have not heard the demo, but if it sounds reasonably the same, they are the same band.
3: 13th Floor, consisting of Goldy and Jeff Pilson. Never released anything under that name, but was released as "Craig Goldy" as a solo album. IMO, a different band except if one counts everything as "Craig Goldy" solo. Haven't heard the album.
4: Craig Goldy solo, new lineup.
5...665 ... Goldy occupied (or unoccupied?) with other things including his holiness RJD
666: A new incarnation of 13th Floor, changes name to Craig Goldy's 13th Floor for legal reasons, and releases a cover single. Gets rejected. Should not have been if considered the same band as #3 (although, with the reservation that that album is metal). Should definitely be considered the same as #3 if #1 through #4 are considered just to be Craig Goldy's solo under different names.