Heavy Metal Flop Songs That We Can't Help But Love

Let's be real for a moment here: Heavy metal isn't a genre of music that receives a lot of mainstream love. While it possesses its legion of ardent fans, it's highly unlikely that a commercial radio station will blast Slipknot's "Eyeless" or Slayer's "South of Heaven" during the breakfast hour. Even so, the genre defies the odds, as the loyal fanbase keeps it alive and thriving well into the darkest nights, because you should fight for your right to headbang.

Throughout the history of heavy metal, countless songs from big artists have achieved legendary status, but others belly-flopped spectacularly upon arrival. Maybe the fans didn't vibe with the jams back then, or the world wasn't ready for the direction in which the musicians took their music at the time — whichever way, these tracks had grand ambitions but failed to make it out of the starting blocks, either charting poorly or not at all.

The funny thing about music is that it never dies; it's omnipotent. Even if it didn't hit the mark when it was expected to, it could still turn into a success much later. We picked a handful of heavy metal flop songs from notable artists that didn't receive the love from the charts and/or critics, but in retrospect, they deserve to be remembered as certified bangers. So, turn up the volume to 11 and throw those devil horns in the sky!

Whether as a part of Black Sabbath or a solo artist, Ozzy Osbourne knew how to write a killer song. He had no shortage of hits that appeared in the top half of the Billboard Hot 100, but there's one criminally underrated track of his that never made it there. Unfortunately, much like the 2010 album "Scream" that it's off, the lead single "Let Me Hear You Scream" largely failed to even get the audience to yelp about it when it was released.

While it might not feature Zakk Wylde on guitar, Gus G more than proves his credentials as a master shredder, firing off an electric riff that shrieks throughout the entire song and lets the listener know that it's about to go hard. "Let Me Hear You Scream" doesn't stop grooving for a single second, turning into a fist-pumping track that could rally an entire arena behind Ozzy. And speaking of the Prince of Darkness, his voice is in fine form here, as he demonstrates his impressive vocal range that often goes underappreciated.

Is "Let Me Hear You Scream" the best song from Ozzy? No, but think about the heavy metal songs nominated for the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, which would have been the period when the song would have been eligible for nomination. As far as we're concerned, there's no way that "Let Me Hear You Scream" is inferior to Korn's "Let the Guilt Go" or Lamb of God's "In Your Words."

There's an album that nearly broke up Metallica. In fact, many fans still get angry about 2003's aptly titled "St. Anger." It's a rawer and unpolished record — perhaps a bit too unpolished, as it often sounds like Lars Ulrich is smashing paint tins instead of drums, and the guitar tracks hum like a light bulb about to burst. One of the songs that drew a lot of ire at the time was the single "Frantic."

As the name of the track implies, it's a berserk piece of music, charging off at 100 miles an hour and bouncing off the walls with rage. Yet, it also takes unexpected and poignant turns, as James Hetfield gets cathartic about "wasted days" and his personal issues.

While "Frantic" might not have the instant appeal of other Metallica classics, such as "Enter Sandman" or "Master of Puppets," there's an undeniable originality and unbridled aggression to its composition. Up to this point, Metallica hadn't released a song or album like "St. Anger," which caught everyone off guard. At the time of its release, the metal genre was dominated by nu metal, but 'tallica decided to go in a different direction rather than follow trends or retrace the footsteps from the past. Sure, "Frantic" is messy and all over the place from a sonic standpoint, but it's also very real. And isn't that what everyone wants from their music?

Slayer stands out as the poster child for unruly heavy metal. This band isn't chasing platinum records and mainstream appeal; instead, it chooses to focus on topics about the occult, blood rain, and the horned one. Most fans know what to expect when purchasing a Slayer album, though the group's direction for 1998's "Diabolus in Musica" left everyone slightly bewildered. The bang-until-your-neck-breaks speed set to the backdrop of Tom Araya's shouty lyrics from previous records made way for a new hop and groove reminiscent of nu metal bands of the time, and the song that best embodies "Diabolus in Musica" is "Stain of Mind." 

"Stain of Mind" is the equivalent of Slayer smashing up Slipknot, Coal Chamber, and Korn into a heavy metal version of Frankenstein's monster. There's a natural bounce to the track that gets the head and feet moving, as the palm-muted guitar verses build up to an explosive chorus where Araya erupts with: "You'll never feel greater misery/ Master of my enemy/ Let the purest stain of mind/ Wash the virtue from your eyes."

While some members of Slayer, such as guitarist Kerry King, don't look back too fondly on the "Diabolus in Musica" era, let's not be too harsh here: "Stain of Mind" is a speaker wrecker that still slays to this day. Yes, it might not be the thrash metal everyone expects from the legendary band, but it's still a back-breaking banger that deserves its bouquet of black roses.

There are a number of unusual 9/11 stories that history overlooked. One of them is how the tragic event all but derailed the momentum of Machine Head's 2001 album, "Supercharger," especially the lead single, "Crashing Around You." Robb Flynn and his band couldn't have predicted what was to happen, but the song's lyrics and music video that showcased a city's skyline condemned this track to the abyss.

Released during Machine Head's nu metal phase, "Crashing Around You" is a powerful song about the effects of depression and how difficult it is to cope when life hits you hard. Flynn uses visceral language and shifts his voice to mimic the internal dialogue of negative self-talk. The music proves to be as heavy as the contents of the lyrics, as Adam Duce's monstrous bass line does a lot of the work in the verse along with Flynn's vocals.

Despite the song being an unfortunate case of wrong place, wrong time, Flynn believes "Crashing Around You" receives its due credit from live audiences now. "I feel like music has this butterfly effect," he told the "Talk Toomey" podcast. "It has this thing, and maybe songs that people don't need right then, they go back whenever, a year later, five years, ten years later, and they need that song then. And they need that music then."

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

In the late '90s, Limp Bizkit became one of the most hated bands in music, screaming about everything from the struggles of the generation to hot dog-flavored water and sticking cookies up your yeah. The tunes were in your face and unafraid of rattling the cages of those easily offended and music elitists who would pout and say, "That's not metal." The Bizkit's influence waned from the mid-2000s onward, and while the group continued to tour, it failed to release an album after 2011's "Gold Cobra" until 2021's "Still Sucks." As it turns out, "Still Sucks" debuted at number 155 on the Billboard 200, the lowest position of any Limp Bizkit release until that point. Its single, "Dad Vibes," didn't even feature in the Billboard Hot 100 at all.

It's a shame, because "Dad Vibes" sees Limp Bizkit embracing both its own silliness and the passage of time. Wes Borland's down-tuned guitar continues to menace with his idiosyncratic riffs, while Fred Durst rocks and rhymes the ultimate tribute to dads who refuse to grow up. Not only is it an earworm that stays stuck in the brain for a long time, but it's also a fun party song if you want to keep rollin'. Say what you want about the Bizkit's natural gravitation toward controversy, but this song ... this is art.