10 Metal Songs We Wish We Never Heard

Metal songs can come in a lot of shapes and sizes and that is part of the charm. The variety, the different influences, all of that can make each song something special. However, there are also some tunes that can have quite a negative impact on the listener and make them wish to never hear them ever again. It is a complicated matter since we all have different tastes and points of view, but some songs do tend to appear on people’s lists of worst metal songs.

In that regard, these songs are considered some of the worst in these bands‘ catalogs. We picked a song per band and they go in no particular order. As one can imagine, this list is entirely subjective and people are free to disagree. This is only meant to be an exercise to discuss these infamous songs and what they represent for these groups.

1. Metallica – “All Within My Hands”

The early 2000s were arguably the worst period of Metallica‘s entire history. Not only were they dealing with bassist Jason Newsted‘s exit and drummer Lars Ulrich was dealing with the Napster situation, but guitarist and singer James Hetfield went to rehab to deal with his drinking problems. It was an extremely complicated and tense period, which resulted in the infamous 2003 album, “St. Anger“.

Widely regarded as one of the worst records of all time, it also has one of the worst metal songs, “All Within My Hands“. And the biggest issue is the poor production, Ulrich‘s bizarre choice for the drum sound, the repetitive nature of the song, and Hetfield‘s raw but poorly structured vocals. Like the majority of “St. Anger“, there is potential here, but it ends up feeling unprofessional and half-cooked.

When it comes to “All Within My Hands“, it falls apart the more you listen to it. Furthermore, clocking in at almost nine minutes, it is way too long for its own good. It wasn’t the time for the band to make a record and it shows here.

2. Celtic Frost – “Cherry Orchards”

Celtic Frost‘s 1988 “Cold Lake” is infamous for obvious reasons. The band decided to aim for a much more commercial sound and even revamped their appearance, going for a glam metal look. Nothing wrong with that from a perspective of trying something different, but the results in the music weren’t so positive. “Cherry Orchards” is one of those metal songs that prove said results and rightfully so.

The biggest issue with this change is that Tom G. Warrior‘s vocals simply don’t suit this new style. When the band was playing heavier, darker material, it fit his vocals a lot better. However, when trying to be melodic and catchy, the music suffers, as is the case with “Cherry Orchards“.

Furthermore, the song is simply bad as a standard 80s heavy metal song. It doesn’t offer anything new and Celtic Frost didn’t specialize in this kind of music either. Therefore, they ended up in no man’s land. Add to that a poor production and you have one of the most infamous songs of the 80s.

3. Slayer – “Death’s Head”

When it comes to metal songs and the genre as a whole, a band’s musical change can oftentimes be exaggerated. It is true that Slayer‘s 1998 album, “Diabolos in Musica“, saw them alter their sound a bit, but it wasn’t as radical as some people make it out to be. However, that doesn’t mean that “Death’s Head” is one of the group’s weakest moments.

The song itself is intense for intensity’s sake, without any of the band’s skill or talented songwriting. It seems to channel some of their hardcore influences, but without the charm of that style. Perhaps the weakest part of “Death’s Head” is that is a wall of sound that is so easy to forget. It is a massive shame. One of the few times that the band tried something different and was mostly ineffective.

4. Machine Head – “Is There Anybody Out There”

Robb Flynn is a peculiar man when it comes to crafting metal songs. He can come up with some truly amazing records with Machine Head, such as “Burn My Eyes” and “The Blackening“, but he is also prone to trying to tap into the modern market with mostly negative results. That comes in full force with the song “Is There Anybody Out There“.

For some reason, Flynn decided to aim for a radio-friendly, metalcore-like style with this single in 2016, which was a massive departure from the recent albums, which were complex thrash metal behemoths. The band was doing well there, the songwriting was solid, and then they aimed for this song, which has a repetitive and uninspired chorus, dumbed-down riffs, and overall a lack of intensity.

This is not the first time that Machine Head has been treated like trend-hoppers, but this one was a lot more valid to criticize, in my opinion. Back in the 2000s, there was still a commercial market to appeal to. In 2016, it’s a free-for-all and Flynn and co. lost their time trying to appear as a modern band. Nothing wrong with being veterans of the scene and looking the part. This song will foreshadow the coming years of musical inconsistency from this band, making it even worse in hindsight.

5. Helloween – “Heavy Metal Hamsters”

Helloween in 1991 is a prime example of what not to do when a major songwriter leaves a successful band. In 1989, guitarist and founder Kai Hansen chose to jump ship due to the rigorous touring schedule, bringing in talented guitar player Roland Grapow. That’s all well and good, Grapow would go on to prove his worth as a musician, but the band decided to offer a watered-down and more comically-based version of their sound with 1991’s “Pink Bubbles Go Ape“.

Granted, Helloween always had a silly side in their music and that is part of their charm, but some metal songs such, as “Heavy Metal Hamsters“, show what happens when that becomes the focus. It seems like a parody of the fast-paced metal they crafted in the late 80s, which proves to be quite frustrating after a couple of listens. And when considering that this album has bangers such as “Mankind“, “Someone’s Crying“, and “Kids of the Century“, it is even more annoying.

“Pink Bubbles Go Ape” is a much better album than what people claim it to be. However, “Heavy Metal Hamsters” is not a good example of the record’s positive qualities.

6. Iron Maiden – “Bring Your Daughter…To The Slaughter”

Arguably, one of the worst metal songs to become a minor hit for the band. Iron Maiden lost guitarist and songwriter Adrian Smith when recording their 1990 album, “No Prayer for the Dying“, and it shows. While not a bad record, it attempts to strip down the band and aim for a raw sound, which simply doesn’t fit the band anymore. A good example of that is the big hit from this album, “Bring Your Daughter… To The Slaughter“.

Revamped from a track made by singer Bruce Dickinson on his own, this tune is the band at their worst. The chorus is annoying, the structure is predictable and lacking energy, and it simply sounds like a dumbed-down version of what Iron Maiden is all about. In an attempt to distance themselves from the grandiose and ambitious music of the previous album, 1988’s “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son“, this song encapsulates their worst habits from this era.

It gave the band some money, which is nice, but it is ultimately a very disappointing song on an uneven record.

7. Def Leppard – “Pour Some Sugar On Me”

Some may consider this pop metal or glam metal, so there is room for this track to be here. Def Leppard would reach the top of the music world with the 1987 “Hysteria” album and that also meant delivering a poppier, much more commercial sound with this production. Now, commercial and quality can go hand in hand, but that wasn’t the case with “Pour Some Sugar On Me“.

This song has not only been played to death, but it is also quite bad in terms of having a sleazy and annoying chorus, a lack of musicality, and overall becoming quite irritating after a couple of listens. It is a prime example of what happens when commercial appeal becomes the sole focus, with the band losing a significant edge when it comes to the music. Furthermore, it also does a massive disservice to Def Leppard that this is their most famous song.

8. Warrant – “Cherry Pie”

Now, there is a disclaimer here. Warrant is actually a much better band than what most people think and the reputation they got from “Cherry Pie” did them a disservice. However, when considering the mechanics of this song and the impact it had on their career, it deserves a place as one of the worst metal songs.

It is mostly a combination of the worst traits of glam metal, from the lyrics to the guitar work and the vocals. The late Jani Lane was a masterful vocalist and would go on to prove his worth across several different songs and albums. Therefore, it is a shame that he is going to be remembered because of this song when he was a lot more.

All in all, it is one of those songs that has been played to no end and has gotten old with a lot of people. That is understandable since it doesn’t have that much staying power with newer generations. However, the biggest shame is that Warrant deserves a lot more recognition. Even this record, “Cherry Pie“, deserves a lot more attention than just for the title track. All of that makes this song even worse.

9. Black Sabbath – “The Illusion of Power”

Black Sabbath is metal itself. They created the genre in 1970 with their debut and continued to make amazing records for decades. However, that doesn’t mean that guitarist Tony Iommi and co. didn’t have mistakes along the way. “The Illusion of Power” is such an example.

The most obvious reason is the Ice T collaboration. Nothing against him, he is a good musician in his own right and his love for metal is well-documented, but this is a direction that Black Sabbath should not have taken. It doesn’t fit their style and it doesn’t even fit with the song itself, which was already struggling with Tony Martin‘s performance. An amazing singer, but his extremely aggressive vocals don’t work on this song. The riffs, usually Iommi’s strongest area of expertise, are also quite dull and uninspired.

Ultimately, 1995’s “Forbidden” album was the representation of a band without a clear vision. It is a shame since the Tony Martin era delivered some truly amazing records, but this one ended that era on a low note.

10.Megadeth – “Super Collider”

Late-era Megadeth is mostly underrated. For the most part, since 2007’s “United Abominations“, Dave Mustaine and his men have crafted some quality records that deserve more appreciation. However, 2013’s “Super Collider” wasn’t a bright spot during this era and the title track is perfect evidence of that.

Simply put, it is watered-down, hard rock-style Megadeth. It is extremely easy to forget that the guitar work is weak, and Mustaine‘s vocals are at their worst here. This band never thrived because of the vocals, but they always managed to find a way to make it work. However, this time around, the vocals on “Super Collider” only make the song a lot worse. They are grating and it almost seems like Mustaine is in pain, which is certainly disappointing.

The band deserves a lot of recognition for trying different things throughout the years. But this song, and this whole record, was a poorly executed idea.