10 Most Divisive Albums In Rock Music History
Splitting The Fans Down the Middle.
After a few months, you can normally get a feel for how your album is registering with the public. Either you've released a modern classic, something kind of forgettable, or one of the worst records of your career depending on who you ask. In those rare cases though, there are the albums that have some fans completely split down the middle.
Outside of the usual critics that tear through anything they can get their hands on, the songs on these records tended to be a bit hit and miss with the hardcore fanbase. And for the most part, there isn't too much middle ground with these records either. Oftentimes showing the bands taking massive risks with their sound, this marks the moment where they start to become interesting or the moment where they disappear into pop territory and ruin their career.
Since we're still talking about them now though, you have to admit that they've done something right over the past few years. Gaining mainstream fans and even getting called some of the worst music ever made by others, you can't really say that these albums left us short of things to talk about. So are they horrible or actually hidden gems in disguise? Just listen for yourself and you be the judge.
10. Heaven and Hell - Black Sabbath
There are always a lot of factors that are stacked against you before you even put an album out. If you don't have to worry about all of the industry BS that gets in the way, you also have to worry about staying true to your fans and trying to live up to the benchmark that you've already set for yourself. And it gets about 10x harder when you have to bring a new member into the mix.
After Ozzy left Black Sabbath, it looked like the days of these metal gods were over, until Tony Iommi found a replacement in Ronnie James Dio. Though Ronnie's delivery wasn't even close to the same booming register the Prince of Darkness had, you can't say they forgot how to write hooks, like the song Heaven and Hell capping things off for the next generation of Sabbath.
That doesn't mean that every fan was onboard. As much as this seemed like a match made in heaven, people who were preferring the classic Sabbath sound tended to flock towards Ozzy's solo career, which was about to take off like a bullet train after the release of Blizzard of Ozz. Still, this wasn't just going to a second run through of the classic Sabbath sound. This is what it sounds like when Tony Iommi got a new lease on his musical life and decided to lean into the darkness that much more.