10 Worst Burnouts In Rock History

At the end of the '90s, Metallica had just recently attained the status of legendary metal band. After already being the kings of the '80s thrash metal scene, the release of the Black Album gave them their first blockbuster album, with songs like Enter Sandman rocketing up the charts. Though they were already on shaky ground after the Load era, none of them could have anticipated the wall they were about to smash into.

Starting with Jason Newsted parting ways with the group, the sessions for what would become St. Anger were absolutely grueling from the start. Amid band disagreements, frontman James Hetfield ditched the sessions for rehab and would not resurface again until almost a year after work started. Working with therapists in the studio, drummer Lars Ulrich was also battling a feud against piracy with Napster, which made him Public Enemy #1 in the eyes of most rock fans.

By the time the record eventually came out, St. Anger was practically a culmination of all of the tension in the group, with everything dialed up to the max...and not in a good way. Looking back on the record now, this is one of the most fractured Metallica releases, as if every member is desperately trying to hold everything together. Then again, this works less as a proper album and more like a document into the darkest days from one of metal's greatest acts.