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Worst album by one of your favourite bands


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Mine is easy: Cold Lake - Celtic Frost

There aren;t proper words to express how utterly cheated and disappointed I was with this. After the majesty of Into The Pandemonium I was so looking forward to Cold Lake. Its even a great name for a CF album. Then I put it on and.....aaarrrgggh. So awful I've never given it a second listen. I hear Tom refuses to even discuss it these days.

(edited to reflect @MacabreEternal's positive comments about promoting discussion)

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Okay, but why is it the worst album?  We can't just have a list of "bad" albums as that won't promote discussion.  Props for starting the thread but we just need more detail.

For example, I have never gotten on with The Rack by Asphyx.  It is widely regarded as one their best releases but I find it completely underwhelming and lacking any real punch to the riffs or depth to the sound overall.  It is almost like they triumphed with the design but fell short on the content.  Compared with the riff machine that is Last One On Earth it classes as a very poor effort and I even rank Death The Brutal Way over the debut.

Had they started off with a better debut Asphyx would have grabbed my attention a lot earlier than they did and it wasn't until I worked backwards from Deathhammer that I got to their earlier stuff really because The Rack put me off exploring more when I first heard it.

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Man, oh man where do I start. 

St. Anger - Metallica

Poorly written, poorly recorded and has a terrible mix and sound. Considering that the band feels this took them back to their roots, I think they missed the mark - by a mile. 

Criptic Writings and Risk - Megadeth

Simply not Megadeth caliber albums. To "smooth" and "poppy". Not their best. 

X Factor - Iron Maiden

I grade this one on a curve due to it being Blaze's first album with band, but they still had the same writers. Don't know if Harris was trying to not sound like a Bruce led Maiden, but that is what was accomplished with this album. It's good, but not IM good. Virtual IX brought back some of the Maiden sound and feel, but still not the same. 

Path of Totality - Korn

I know a lot of people didn't like this album. It's not that I don't like it, there  are some really good songs on here, but it is definitely my least favorite of their discography. I feel the band lost a little of their sound and musical identity when Brian left, but there is some good stuff in there on the four albums without him. 

I believe they found themselves again in "Serenity of Suffering" and just reinforced it with "The Nothing"  the latter being probably one of their heaviest albums. 

Undisputed Attitude - Slayer

Simply put, this is an album Slayer didn't need to do...........

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18 minutes ago, audiophile said:

Undisputed Attitude - Slayer

Simply put, this is an album Slayer didn't need to do...........

With you on most of your list but this is actually one of my favourite modern-Slayer releases (well in fact the only one I like after Seasons in the Abyss).  I can see how it isn't for everyone but I love its punky attitude and slight variance from what we had come to expect from the band at this point.  By no means their best but still a good record to me.

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3 hours ago, MacabreEternal said:

With you on most of your list but this is actually one of my favourite modern-Slayer releases (well in fact the only one I like after Seasons in the Abyss).  I can see how it isn't for everyone but I love its punky attitude and slight variance from what we had come to expect from the band at this point.  By no means their best but still a good record to me.

Completely understand. I still dig it out occasionally but it is not in the Slayer rotation. Slayer is always a good listen............?

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  • 3 weeks later...

St. Anger: Won't say much, been done to death. I don't *hate* it, but, easily Metallica's worst sounding album. When they said back to their roots, maybe they shouldn't have gone *that* far back lol

Risk: What happens when a record label, who doesn't know what to do with thrash, gets a hold of thrash legends? Risk. Risk is what happened. Not even gonna talk about the mix or any of that business. What I will say is that is was a BORING Megadeth album. Those are words that shouldn't go together.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Cool idea for a thread. 

Here are the following worst releases from my three favourite bands: 

Cradle of Filth - 'Darkly Darkly Venus Aversa'. Could have named a couple of albums here, and I'm not sure if this is actually my least favourite, but it represents the sterile, passionless clatter of 'lost era' Cradle, when the whole band was in disarray and they had nothing passionate to say. 

Katatonia - 'Dead End Kings'. This will probably annoy people who love this album, but I just find it so alienating and weirdly unengaging. There are some very good songs on here, like 'The Racing Heart' and 'Lethean', but so much boring filler, too. Definitely my least favourite and I never listen to it these days. 

Mayhem - 'Esoteric Warfare'. My third and final favourite band in the great triumvirate is the mighty Mayhem, and Teloch's first songwriting expedition yielded no fruit. While it flatters Blasphemer's songwriting style in its basic structure, there is just nothing engaging or enjoyable about listening to this album. Obscure and weird lyrics, empty riff sterility and an ungraspable overall thematic concept. 

Next person to reference Metallica or Megadeth gets an ice-pick to the spinal cord. 

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On 7/18/2020 at 5:16 AM, Requiem said:

 

Mayhem - 'Esoteric Warfare'. My third and final favourite band in the great triumvirate is the mighty Mayhem, and Teloch's first songwriting expedition yielded no fruit. While it flatters Blasphemer's songwriting style in its basic structure, there is just nothing engaging or enjoyable about listening to this album. Obscure and weird lyrics, empty riff sterility and an ungraspable overall thematic concept. 

 

More than Ordo Ad Chao?  Both were pretty forgettable, to be honest.

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In the case of Metallica, a lot of people talk about St Anger as a bad album but I think many are maybe in denial, the true champion of awfulness is Lulu. I have tried listening to it a few times, but I can't listen to just one whole song. It's a major cringe. What's interesting is that people love to hate St Anger, but very few talk about Lulu, like they want to forget it ever happened. 

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On 7/20/2020 at 10:49 AM, Balor said:

More than Ordo Ad Chao?  Both were pretty forgettable, to be honest.

'Esoteric Warfare' is easier to listen to due to its more standard riff structures (sort of), but the tracks are just so strange and weak. Teloch, the new guitarist/songwriter was all at sea. At least 'Ordo ad Chao' has that gay abandon that is Blasphemer's last musical tantrum before he left the band. It has a degree of artistic thrust that 'Esoteric' just lacks.

But I don't enjoy listening to either album in I'm being honest and they don't get played at parties at Castle Requiem. 

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On 7/23/2020 at 4:25 AM, Requiem said:

'Esoteric Warfare' is easier to listen to due to its more standard riff structures (sort of), but the tracks are just so strange and weak. Teloch, the new guitarist/songwriter was all at sea. At least 'Ordo ad Chao' has that gay abandon that is Blasphemer's last musical tantrum before he left the band. It has a degree of artistic thrust that 'Esoteric' just lacks.

But I don't enjoy listening to either album in I'm being honest and they don't get played at parties at Castle Requiem. 

I don't think I have ever managed to listen through the entirety of Esoteric Warfare, while I have for Ordo ad Chao.  I didn't like the few tracks that I had heard, and didn't think the rest was really worth my time.  I guess you are right that an album like that would edge out as being worse when compared with an album that is utterly forge table yet tolerable.

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On 7/23/2020 at 4:25 AM, Requiem said:

'Esoteric Warfare' is easier to listen to due to its more standard riff structures (sort of), but the tracks are just so strange and weak. Teloch, the new guitarist/songwriter was all at sea. At least 'Ordo ad Chao' has that gay abandon that is Blasphemer's last musical tantrum before he left the band. It has a degree of artistic thrust that 'Esoteric' just lacks.

But I don't enjoy listening to either album in I'm being honest and they don't get played at parties at Castle Requiem. 

Esoteric Warfare is bland and lifeless. I agree with you, Ordo's reckless gay thrusting is preferred.

 

On 7/22/2020 at 8:21 AM, Primal_Enigma said:

In the case of Metallica, a lot of people talk about St Anger as a bad album but I think many are maybe in denial, the true champion of awfulness is Lulu. I have tried listening to it a few times, but I can't listen to just one whole song. It's a major cringe. What's interesting is that people love to hate St Anger, but very few talk about Lulu, like they want to forget it ever happened. 

After taking a couple of loads, I'm not really sure what Metallica fans were really expecting. St. Anger isn't good, but it's not nearly as bad as people say it is. But in metal circles, herd is the word.

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On 6/12/2020 at 7:45 PM, Balor said:

Burzum Umskiptar 2012

Burzum - Umskiptar

While I have not listened to the newest release, I still think that I have to pick this one.  Of all of Varg's post-prison bm, this is probably the most forgettable.

I like the cover art work but balor looks like the album is sending the kid on the horse to sleep. ?

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 7/22/2020 at 10:21 AM, Primal_Enigma said:

In the case of Metallica, a lot of people talk about St Anger as a bad album but I think many are maybe in denial, the true champion of awfulness is Lulu. I have tried listening to it a few times, but I can't listen to just one whole song. It's a major cringe. What's interesting is that people love to hate St Anger, but very few talk about Lulu, like they want to forget it ever happened. 

I had to go back and look that up. Didn't even know it existed. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 7/27/2020 at 1:34 AM, Valso said:

Thyrfing - De ödeslösa. From the whole album only the song with the same name is good, the rest are crap.

Thyrfing are one of my favourite B level bands. I think I generally agree with you about 'De Odeslosa', although if pushed I might like it a little more than 'Hels Vite', which I felt was a pretty big let down from the dark and gritty brilliance of 'Farsotstider'. 

Jens Ryden is a cool guy and pretty good vocalist, but he just can't meet the gargantuan vocals of Thomas Vaananen whom I consider to be one of metal's all time great roarers. Both 'Hels Vite' and 'De Odeslosa' suffer in the vocal department I reckon.

It's sort of like the viking metal version of when Blaze Bayley took over from Bruce in Maiden. He's ok, but the magic just wasn't there and he's better in his own projects. 

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  • 2 months later...
On 6/12/2020 at 4:09 PM, audiophile said:

Man, oh man where do I start. 

St. Anger - Metallica

Poorly written, poorly recorded and has a terrible mix and sound. Considering that the band feels this took them back to their roots, I think they missed the mark - by a mile. 

Criptic Writings and Risk - Megadeth

Simply not Megadeth caliber albums. To "smooth" and "poppy". Not their best. 

X Factor - Iron Maiden

I grade this one on a curve due to it being Blaze's first album with band, but they still had the same writers. Don't know if Harris was trying to not sound like a Bruce led Maiden, but that is what was accomplished with this album. It's good, but not IM good. Virtual IX brought back some of the Maiden sound and feel, but still not the same. 

Path of Totality - Korn

I know a lot of people didn't like this album. It's not that I don't like it, there  are some really good songs on here, but it is definitely my least favorite of their discography. I feel the band lost a little of their sound and musical identity when Brian left, but there is some good stuff in there on the four albums without him. 

I believe they found themselves again in "Serenity of Suffering" and just reinforced it with "The Nothing"  the latter being probably one of their heaviest albums. 

Undisputed Attitude - Slayer

Simply put, this is an album Slayer didn't need to do...........

Definitely agree with you audiophile that st anger is very disappointing effort. I've tried to listen to it few times but admit I don't get it. Haven't listened for a while so probably worth another play.

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On 10/21/2020 at 9:48 PM, halloween said:

 Every opeth album after WATERSHED. It's so bad, they wouldn't include the lyrics. A couple of cool songs, but everything since then is crap.

As mad as it sounds I really like the recent opeth prog albums heritage,pale communion and sorcerer. I didn't like them at first but really like them now. There not metal albums for me at all and after Initially hating them for not having such great metal music in them and devoid of the for me one of my favourite guttoral singers. It's still sounds like opeth to me, at times it's just much slower and more ponderous. Initially I thought opeth should have changed there name. That probably would have been easiest really. I can see why people don't like them and I was one of them. To me when you hear Michael akerfeldt in interviews my take on them is he's not that big a metal fan, clearly he likes the genre but he likes alot of other genres more so in my humble opinion not that surprising they changed there style. Although some say new album is more metal but not heard it

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