10 Albums That Should Have Never Gotten Big

The Mixed Blessings.

Deftones Around the Fur
Maverick

For most albums that find their way onto the charts, it's anyone's guess as to whether or not they are actually good. After all, just because it has the ear of the masses, that kind of dynamic doesn't always line up with quality art most of the time. Then again, even when you do have good art on the charts, it can be a bit of a double edged sword for the artist in question.

While not many of these albums deserve to get called horrendous or anything, the fact that they were able to chart actually ended up hurting these artists in the long run. Whether it be some one off project that just happened to get big or some graphic exploration into someone's mind, these tend to feel more exploitative of the musicians than anything else. Whereas most albums make you feel good, it's almost like you're sitting in on the therapy sessions of these people, as they try their best to keep it together in front of their audience.

Regardless of whether they're proud of it now or not, these albums can range from subtle hints of brilliance to some of the most questionable pieces of music ever made by a professional artist. These groups certainly deserve the action...but these tracks are far from seeing them at their best light.

10. St. Anger - Metallica

There's absolutely no one on this Internet that needs to remind you that St. Anger is far from Metallica's greatest moment. Along with burying guitar solos and having what sounds like a beer keg for a snare drum, this is by far one of the most uninviting Metallica records ever made, with a sound that hits on the wrong side of raw too many times to count. Combine that with the fact that it did well just makes it all the more disappointing for metalheads.

Compared to the usual god-like riffage you find on the rest of Metallica's catalog, this is borderline nonsensical in its construction, with songs that feel drawn out just for the sake of being long. As much as you might trick yourself into thinking that Some Kind of Monster is epic, the only real feature defining it is the fact that it's just slow as hell.

Then again, this is rough around the edges because the band themselves were rough around the edges. Clearly still going through major personality conflicts after James Hetfield's stint in rehab, a lot of this record just feels like the band trying desperately to make something that sounds off the cuff. While a garage rock flavor of Metallica is something that most fans are glad exists, it starts to get a bit pathetic when we award therapeutic exercises with praise for no good reason.

 
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