10 Biggest 'Sellout' Albums In Rock

The Black Album, might be the greatest example of a group 'selling out' while still creating an absolute masterpiece. Metallica had spent the '80s whipping fans into a frenzy of flailing hair. For thrash-heads, they were up there with the best; these guys played harder and faster than almost anyone.

But the pressure to maintain their status as the kings of thrash, left the band feeling discouraged and uninspired. After four albums of racing up and down the fretboard, James Hetfield in particular, felt as though they had thrashed the creative horse to death.

The group changed tack. They slowed everything down, opting for melody and power, over speed. The sound became heavier. The riffs were classic rock, fuelled by the power of metal. They also explored a more tender side of the genre. Once they wrote Nothing Else Matters, all bets were off. This was the moment, Metallica made a sharp right turn they could never go back from.

The Black Album transformed the group from heroes of a sub-genre to one of the biggest rock acts ever to flip the devil horns. There were grumblings from the hardcore thrash community, but they were drowned out by a sea of critical acclaim.