By 1997 the band had around 800 gigs to their credit, but eleven years of hard underground gigging had taken its toll and the band was beginning to fracture. Katmandu had left the band during the 1996 recording sessions for their third album, "The Hanged Man", leaving Emerald as sole lead vocalist (with occasional backup from Bubblekeys). Around this time the band also dispensed with their stage costumes, as it was considered that these were holding the band back. "The Hanged Man" was released on the Blueprint label (a subdivision of Voiceprint) but during the promotional tour Tjunca also departed. The band continued to play live, using taped basslines, and subsequently went through a period with greater vocal input from Bubblekeys, a harder and more metallic sound and the inclusion of rapping. In 1998, Bubblekeys also left the band and Poisoned Electrick Head was put on hold for a decade.