10 Classic Albums That Were Originally Considered Failures
2. The Black Album - Metallica
Metallica were in a state of change when compiling tracks for the Black Album. Coming off some of the greatest thrash albums of the '80s, the band's collaboration with producer Bob Rock brought heavy metal to the masses, with songs like Sad But True and Enter Sandman etching their names in metal history. The band were finally stars, the money was rolling in, and the fans were PISSED!!!!
Yeah, rather than applauding the band's new effort, most fans felt betrayed by Metallica's sudden shift into the world of hard rock. Sure, there was some thrash stuff to go around, but most of the metal faithful took one listen to something like Nothing Else Matters and discarded the band for the rest of eternity. It's not like it was exclusive to fans either, with Dave Lombardo even confessing to throwing the album down a flight of stairs in sheer frustration.
On the other hand, Metallica's rise to the top of the rock heap ended up being exactly what the metal world needed at the time. This album may not have the power to go toe-to-toe with Ride the Lightning, but this more palatable approach to songwriting was enough to get pop listeners interested in the metal genre. Is this record a sellout? Yes... but with 10 million records sold and more fans growing by the day, this is far from Metallica dropping the ball.