10 Metal Albums That Shouldn't Have Been Great (But Totally Were)

Sometimes you see a band announce a new album that will be hitting shelves soon and secretly, in the depths of your mind, there's a tiny voice nagging at you, saying "It'll be terrible, you know that, right?"

Whether it's because of very public in-fighting in the band, a recent change in line-up, the success (or lack thereof) of the last record, or some combination of the three, sometimes metal fans are more than within their right to be preemptively cautious about an upcoming release.

However, what happens when that tiny voice in your mind is wrong? When, despite every odd, an album that should have failed enormously soars into success? We as humans very rarely like to be proved wrong but, all the same, it's a glorious thing to bear witness to.

With all the love and respect in the world, this list is dedicated to that phenomenon. These are the ten metal records that should have, for one reason or another, crashed and burned their way into the HMV bargain bins but, despite everything, went on to be some of the best records the world of heavy rock could offer.

The sixth album by British doom metal pioneers Paradise Lost, 1997's One Second is a phenomenal record. Melancholic and subtle, it is a dark ride driven by sombre pianos and simplistic yet sorrowful guitar riffs.

However, contextually, the album took a monumental risk. By 1997, Paradise Lost was riding high after a hot streak of three critically acclaimed and highly successful records in a row: Shades of God (1992), Icon (1993) and Draconian Times (1995).

All three of the albums were, at their core, metal records, each of them heavy, traumatic and despondent in their own unique ways.

One Second is not a metal record. It's a Gothic rock record. It was an enigmatic album that signalled that Paradise Lost had almost totally abandoned their death/doom roots for a more melodic style.

Yet, it worked. Fans and critics alike continue to praise One Second for its songwriting and tone to this very day, and its two lead singles, "Say Just Words" and the title track, still find a way to sneak into almost every live set Paradise Lost plays.