10 Rock Albums That Were A Nightmare To Make

Metallica emerged into the '00s with one hell of a thud. As they were coming off of the colossal Napster case with Lars Ulrich going to court, it seemed that every other thing went wrong behind it, with Jason Newsted leaving the group shortly after the case was being settled. That should have already sent alarm bells off, but no one was prepared for the monster that St. Anger became.

Going into an abandoned military fort, the initial sessions were grueling, as the guys tried to get on the same page without much success. In the middle of things, tensions got so heated that James Hetfield stormed out, checked into rehab, and left the group for over a year. Once everyone finally got back on the same page, their work in emotional therapy helped them recognize their own strengths and finally throw together a cohesive album.

Though St. Anger is a miracle in and of itself, it sound is far less so, with most of the tracks sounding like emotional grieving rather than legitimately great rock songs. In the grand scheme of Metallica records, this is definitely at the bottom, including but not limited to the worst production, songwriting, and god-awful snare drum sound. While this is far from the Metallica that would come to expect, this may have been the sacrificial offering needed to keep one of the greatest metal bands of all time still alive.