This week, we've listed the 11 most controversial albums upon their release. Check out our picks and leave a comment with other controversial albums we missed!
11. “Black Metal” (Venom) from 1982 – The album couldn't have caused more controversy in its time with its satanic themes, heavy sound, and image that led it to be considered one of the precursors of the Black Metal movement.
10. “Liebe Ist Für Alle Da” (Rammstein) from 2009 – Due to its controversial cover, the album was banned from being displayed in stores in Germany, and the track " Ich Tu Dir Weh" banned, resulting in a re-release of the album without that song (which, in addition, had its music video released on an adult content website). A year later, the censorship was lifted by German courts, but the album's reputation as controversial remains. Recently, the song "Führe Mich" was used by director Lars Von Trier as the soundtrack for the also controversial film "Nymphomaniac".
9. “WASP (WASP) 1984 – Blackie Lawless's band's debut album had to remove the song Animal (F**K Like A Beast) because it became a symbol and enemy #1 of Tipper Gore and his initiative (PMRC – Parents Music Resource Center) to ban songs or place warning stickers on albums deemed unhealthy for youth. The banned song was later released only as a single and only in 1998, included in the album's re-release.
08. “Reign In Blood” (Slayer) from 1986 – When released, both the cover art, the sound, and the lyrical themes shocked the world, especially the opening track, Angel Of Death .
7. “Holy Wood (In The Shadow Of The Valley Of Death)” (Marilyn Manson) from 2000 – The first album released by Marilyn Manson after accusations that his music had influenced the perpetrator of the Columbine High School massacre, it features a true declaration of war and rebuts the criticism with highly controversial songs such as Disposable Teens .
6. “Chinese Democracy” (Guns N' Roses) from 2008 – The album, which took about 15 years to be released, was entirely re-recorded, had its band lineup completely changed numerous times, and cost around 13 million dollars, thus becoming one of the most controversial albums, as well as the most expensive in history.
5. “Cop Killer” (Body Count) – Cop Killer is possibly the song that angered the most people, including actor Charlton Heston, who openly spoke out against it. The pressure against the controversial album was so great that Warner and Ice-T agreed to re-release the album without the song and rename it “Body Count” to minimize the controversy.
04. “Dawn Of The Blackhearts” (Mayhem) from 1995 – While this live EP didn't garner much attention for its music, the album cover features a photo of the band's vocalist, who died after committing suicide. The photo was taken by the band's guitarist upon finding the body in 1991.
03. “St. Anger” (Metallica) from 2003 – Following a sequence of controversial albums (“Black Album”, “Load” and “Reload” generated a lot of controversy), St. Anger surpassed them all, whether for its questionable drum sound, the absolute lack of solos, the strange production, the documentary “Some Kind Of Monster”, the band's new lineup, in short: There was no shortage of reasons for controversy.
02. “Stained Class” (Judas Priest) from 1978 – In 1985, the legendary Judas Priest had to defend themselves in an American court after being accused of influencing the suicide of two young people through subliminal messages in the song " Better By You, Better Than Me ." Rob Halford stated during the trial , "We accept that some people don't like Heavy Metal, but we won't allow them to say that Heavy Metal is negative and destructive. Heavy Metal is the friend that brings pleasure and satisfaction to people and offers help in difficult times..."
01. “Black Sabbath” (Black Sabbath) from 1970 – The album that started it all and opens with the tritone, the sequence of notes that was banned by the Catholic Church, couldn't be more controversial and leave such a wonderful legacy.
