Top Ten Overhated Albums by Great Bands

These are those albums that get a lot of hate, but don't necessarily deserve it.

The Top Ten

1 St. Anger - Metallica

I tend to like these "worst albums" by their respective bands. Virtual XI, St. Anger, Ummagumma, Demolition. - Alkadikce

Another hated album. No guitar solos in a Metallica album sounds pretty bizarre, if you ask me. The steel drums don't help either. But, Lulu is 1000 times WORSE. - Pony

I didn't like it - EliHbk

I love this album! - Brobusky

1 Comment
2 One Hot Minute - Red Hot Chili Peppers

Sandwiched in between two iconic albums, this is the only album to feature Dave Navarro, of Jane's Addiction fame. - Pony

3 Make Believe - Weezer

I know it is not Weezer's best work, but it is not their worst album. We can all agree that Raditude makes Make Believe look like Pinkerton in comparison. - Pony

4 All the Right Reasons - Nickelback

No, this one sucks - Bboymakinwitthefrekfreak

Nickelback? Great? Hell no!

Stop hating on nickelback }:(

5 In Through the Out Door - Led Zeppelin

I will admit its not the best LZ album, but it still gets a lot of hate. At least "Fool In The Rain" is a good song. - Pony

6 Yellow Submarine - The Beatles

The second half of the album is orchestral music from the 1968 film. That's what's to blame for this album being belittled. It's not a full album, technically. But it's still all beautiful music. - BKAllmighty

I know it was only the soundtrack and songs from previous albums, but that doesn't mean the album should get hate. - Pony

Why couldn't they just put their unreleased works as disc 1 and the soundtrack as disc 2 - marmalade_skies

7 A Thousand Suns - Linkin Park

This is actually a good album, the only reason why people don't like it is because it sounds different from their earlier albums. - Rorywilbren

I really like this album!
I know it's very different from their earlier albums, but Linkin Park was just experimenting.
And what's wrong with a band experimenting with a new sound?
It sounds surprisingly good.

8 Caress of Steel - Rush

The legendary band has only one album that fans are critically divided on- Caress of Steel. While there are decent songs like "Bastille Day", there are not one, but TWO lengthy songs. Half of Rush fans like it; others hate it. I personally thought it was okay. - Pony

I'm part of the half that loves it. I might even call it one of their best albums! - Songsta41

Great album, but too many haters. Even the band dislikes the album! - Brobusky

9 Lulu - Metallica and Lou Reed

It still sucks in my opinion. - Userguy44

10 Pablo Honey - Radiohead

As a diehard Radiohead fan, this is by FAR their worst album. Does that make it bad at all though? No, of course not. It's not nearly as much of a landmark as OK Computer, or Kid A, or even In Rainbows, but for the time it was made in, it's a solid rock album.

This album doesn't deserve the hate it gets, especially considering that this is their first album. It has a cool grunge-style sound and has some good songs, like Creep. - Rorywilbren

Many people hate it because although it is their first album, it is nothing compared to Kid A and Computer Head. I like their song "Creep", though. - Pony

I actually think Radiohead's less good album is The King Of Limbs, this is actually underrated

1 Comment

The Contenders

11 90215 - Yes

It's so sad that such a talented band sold out like this. The intro to Changes is good, but aside from that, it's all too radio-friendly for them. - Songsta41

Hated because it changed the sound of Yes into a more radio friendlier sound. - Pony

How can you hate this? I don't understand. - BKAllmighty

12 Chinese Democracy - Guns N' Roses
13 Jugulator - Judas Priest
14 Virtual XI - Iron Maiden

When you cut out 3 minutes from The Angel and the Gambler, you get an album better than The Number of the Beast (just my opinion, I know you will disagree). - Alkadikce

15 Volume 8 - The Threat is Real - Anthrax
16 The x Factor - Iron Maiden

While the 90's were an awful time for Maiden as a whole (and for metal in general), this album wasn't a reason for this. It isn't a great LP by any means, as Bayley was the wrong choice for the band (highlighted by songs like Sign Of The Cross where he drains the energy out of the songs) and it doesn't push the boundaries of the band's sound. However, it does have its good points, which are often overlooked. The tracklist is very solid here, thematically rich (particularly on a song like Fortunes Of War) and (for better or worse), a new vocalist seemed to quick in some energy into this tired band. It was a step in the right direction after two duds and still holds up, regardless of both the context it came out in and what it spawned (Virtual XI, anyone? ). Hopefully this album will be re-evaluated and will break the shackles of its poor reputation, but until then, this album remains an underrated gem from a brilliant band. - Mrveteran

X Factor is boring and mediocre overall, but Virtual XI was miles worse.

17 Weezer (Red Album) - Weezer

It is hated because some people generally didn't like the experimentation they did on this album. - Pony

Is hated just because it's between the two most hated Weezer albums (Make Believe and Raditude)

18 Diabolus in Musica - Slayer
19 Be Here Now - Oasis

So glad to see this on the list. This is my personal favorite album from Oasis. The songs are massive and epic sounding. It's also a decently lengthy album being around 72 minutes long. It you look past the fact that this album is hated by a lot of the fans and the band themselves, it's truly a fantastic listen. The Gallagher brothers were not getting along during the recording of this album so I suppose they have an excuse for detesting the album. Regardless, still a masterpiece in my opinion. If you don't want to listen to the whole thing, at least listen to Stand by Me, Magic Pie or All Around the World. Definitely the highlights of the album.

20 Ummagumma - Pink Floyd
21 Death Magnetic - Metallica

Why do people hate this album? - Userguy44

Some didn't like it as much as previous Metallica albums. - Pony

Hated because "the sound is weird" Now Metallica fanboys are a completely crybabies

It's great - Brobusky

22 A Momentary Lapse of Reason - Pink Floyd
23 A Head Full of Dreams - Coldplay
24 Minutes to Midnight - Linkin Park

In what world is Linkin Park even good, let alone great?

25 21st Century Breakdown - Green Day

Not in the same level as American Idiot or Dookie but still a good album

26 Living Things - Linkin Park

Now it's a fashion hate Linkin Park because their latest works aren't the same as Hybrid Theory when in this album is looks a lot to Hybrid Theory mixed with A Thousand Suns

27 Fear of the Dark - Iron Maiden
28 Slipknot - Slipknot
29 The World Needs a Hero - Megadeth
30 The Ritual - Testament
31 Ghost Stories - Coldplay

Well it's not A Rush Of Blood To The Head but it's better than Mylo Xyloto and A Head Full Of Dreams

32 Mylo Xyloto - Coldplay
33 Invisible Touch - Genesis
34 V - Maroon 5
35 Falling Into Infinity - Dream Theater

Similar case with RHCP's One Hot Minute. Smack dab between two iconic prog albums, this had too much to live up to after Awake. Then again, it ain't the band's fault entirely; executive meddling played a huge role in gutting it of what it could have been.

36 Load - Metallica
37 Warning - Green Day
38 Demolition - Judas Priest
39 Music from the Elder - Kiss

Kiss Sucks - 12cc

40 Dark Passion Play - Nightwish

I get it. Anette's voice is different than Tarja and Floor. That doesn't make her bad, though.

41 Showbiz - Muse
42 Metallica (The Black Album) - Metallica

The album was hated back in the day and still is to an extent because fans claimed that Metallica "sold out" and became more mainstream.

It's a stupid reason to hate this album for 3 reasons:

1. You need to have metal bands in the mainstream because it's how you get more people into metal, otherwise the metal community would consist of nothing but hipsters who complain about a band who reaches a certain degree of success. Also having mainstream metal bands allows metal to be better understood by fans of other music genres.

2. Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden all had top 20 albums before Metallica released The Black Album, Pantera had a number 1 album in 1994.

3. Judas Priest changed their style to a more mainstream sound on the album Killing Machine and yet nobody complains. Megadeth did the same on the album Countdown To Extinction and while metal hipsters do make claims of "sell-out" towards Megadeth it does not seem to be as prevalent as the ...more - OC96

43 The Q-Music Sessions - Within Temptation
44 Kings of Suburbia - Tokio Hotel
45 Adore - The Smashing Pumpkins
46 Abacab - Genesis
47 Reload - Metallica
48 Paramore - Paramore

They said is too poppy but (With the exception of Still Into You and Ain't It Fun) There are too rock songs here (Part II, Be Alone, Proof, Last Hope)

49 The 2nd Law - Muse

Not a bad album, just not so good as Absolution or Origin of Symmetry

50 The King of Limbs - Radiohead

I know this is the weakest Radiohead album with Pablo Honey, but come still be a good album

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List Stats

100 votes
61 listings
3 years, 166 days old

Top Remixes

1. Virtual XI - Iron Maiden
2. Jugulator - Judas Priest
3. Ummagumma - Pink Floyd
1. All the Right Reasons - Nickelback
2. St. Anger - Metallica
3. Lulu - Metallica and Lou Reed
1. One Hot Minute - Red Hot Chili Peppers
2. Make Believe - Weezer
3. St. Anger - Metallica


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