25 Worst Albums by Legendary Metal + Hard Rock Bands

First, we’d like to say that no band is perfect. Even some of our favorite rock and metal artists have released some stinkers over the years, and it’s all well and good because the greatness far outweighs a couple missteps or steps off the cliff entirely. As some of the world’s most creative forces, the batteries can become drained and the inspiration just isn’t there or sometimes there’s an undying desire to experiment and take the music in a new direction.

For some bands, reinvention and experimentation has helped widen their appeal and intrigued diehard fans. For others, it sent fans running in every other direction, returning albums to music stores, burning them and flat out abandoning an act altogether.

Some of these measures are a bit extreme, but it demonstrates just how passionate these fans are and how the greatest albums from bands like Iron Maiden, Metallica, Guns N’ Roses and more had such a lasting impact. Only by consistently releasing great works can you ever get such a harsh reaction to an album that falls flat.

It’s a curious thing to see such impressive musicians stuck in such a creative valley, often times indicative of changing musical landscapes as they feverishly claw at the coffin lid of relevance. The flame may have burned low on these records, but the bands refused to be snuffed out entirely.

Scroll through the gallery below and take a look at the 25 Worst Albums by Legendary Bands.

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