10 Most Divisive Hard Rock Albums
8. The Black Album - Metallica
In terms of divisive records, you actually have a few choices to pick from when it comes to Metallica. Ever since they came together in the early '80s, not many bands can claim to have some of the best and worst music that their respective genre has to offer. Although Lulu and St. Anger get a brunt of the vitriol from fans nowadays, it's not like we all forgot how much the metal community lost their minds with the Black Album.
As much as the idea of Bob Rock hooking up with Metallica was destined for big things, the radio ready side of the band ended up becoming a huge turnoff for their hardcore fanbase. Why the hell were the guys behind masterpieces like One and Master of Puppets now writing songs that sounded like they could be side by side with AC/DC on the charts?
It wasn't even simpatico among their peers either, from the Testament members loving it to Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo throwing the record down a flight of stairs the first time he heard it. While there are still metal purists looking to call out Metallica today, this was the lynchpin that made metal a much bigger player in the game. Given the amount of millions they made off the back of songs like The Unforgiven, this was a small price to pay for becoming heavy metal's promoters.