10 Metal Bands Who Followed Up a Classic Album With a Total Dud

Here are 10 metal bands who followed up classic albums with a total dud.

Following up greatness is never easy, especially when trying to continue a hot streak. The fate of all bands is that they will inevitably release some less-than-stellar material. It's perfectly natural as creativity comes in waves and in different forms as musicians progress through life, gaining new experiences and perspectives while also trying to push boundaries or return to their roots.

Every group listed here has put out a great deal of classic material, often issuing multiple classics in a row. But we've all been there — one of our favorite artists releases a record that's near and dear to us and, perhaps amid too great of expectations, the ensuing effort sometimes falls short of those expectations.

The good news here is that each band below rebounded in various capacities, putting out more respectable and time-honored albums since these duds.

READ MORE: 11 Great Rock + Metal Bands With Mediocre Debut Albums

That's not to say these duds are the worst records by some of these artists and some aren't totally cringeworthy, but they're lowlights nonetheless. We're sure there's some fans out there who genuinely love Black Sabbath's Technical Ecstasy, for example, but there's no denying it's a major step down after the mighty Sabotage.

See what other duds lie in wait directly below!

PLAYLIST: Early Thrash (The '80s & '90s)

Over 175 songs! Listen here.