Whenever an established artist releases a new CD there is a certain level of expectation. When it meets or exceeds those expectations it is received positively. But when it doesn't live up to those expectations disappointment, sadness, indifference and sometimes even anger follow. That doesn't mean the CD is bad, just that it didn't live up to expectations. So don't take this list as the worst CDs of the year, just the ones that didn't live up to expectations and were the biggest disappointments of 2006.
1. Rob Zombie - Educated Horses
This album is the mellower side of Rob Zombie. There are a few metal moments, but for the most part it's mainstream rock. Most of the songs have a classic rock or glam rock vibe, and most are pretty forgettable. After some of his groundbreaking work with White Zombie and his solo material it was really disappointing to hear this collection of generic and watered down songs.
2. Dissection - Reinkaos
After more than a decade Dissection returned with a new album. On its own merits it was actually pretty good, but when compared with the band's previous work, it was a disappointment. Dissection's sound changed from black metal to melodic death metal, which caused a big backlash among their fans. The biggest disappointment of all is that Dissection won't have the chance to record a follow up because of the recent suicide of frontman Jon Nödtveidt.3. Theatre Of Tragedy - Storm
On their latest release Theatre Of Tragedy have moved closer to their gothic roots and away from the electro pop influences of their last couple CDs. They also have a new vocalist, Nell Sigland, who has an ethereal voice similar to previous singer Liv Kristine. The music on the album is very slick and commercial gothic metal in the vein of Lacuna Coil or Evanescence. The songs are decent, but lack a hit single or really memorable chorus.4. Between The Buried And Me - The Anatomy Of
North Carolina's Between The Buried And Me is an excellent band, but this album of cover songs misses the mark. Most of the songs sound like bad karaoke. The death metal style vocals on their version of Metallica's "Blackened" are just atrocious, and the melodic vocals on Motley Crue's "Kickstart My Heart" are really weak. Most of the songs sound really sterile and too technical. Even on the songs where they change the arrangements it still sounds very karaoke without a lot of passion or emotion. I'm sure the band had a lot of fun recording the album, but you can't say the same for the listeners.5. Behold The Arctopus - Nano-Nucleonic Cyborg Summoning
It takes more than technical skill to make for an interesting album. The songs have no hooks, no melodies, and are completely forgettable. The albums starts off with 5 studio songs, and then 4 live tracks which duplicate 4 out of the 5 studio songs, which doesn't make a lot of sense. This is a band with amazing musicianship, which is why it is so disappointing that they can't write better songs.