Consecutive albums with a huge drop in quality

[Zydar]

I've been thinking about this. Can you give examples of two consecutively released albums where the quality drop was huge? Where album X was great, and then album Y was a big disappointment/flop?

Ex.

Iron Maiden: Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son - No Prayer For The Dying
Judas Priest: Defenders Of The Faith - Turbo
Pink Floyd: The Wall - The Final Cut

Some might argue Awake - Falling Into Infinity as well.

[twosuitsluke]

It's kind of been said to death, but for me...

Opeth: Watershed > Heritage

I like Heritage more now, after a decade, but it still stings 

Also Mastodon: Crack the Skye > The Hunter

[Lonk]

It's kind of been said to death, but for me...

Opeth: Watershed > Heritage

I like Heritage more now, after a decade, but it still stings 

Also Mastodon: Crack the Skye > The Hunter

Funny, I was going going to say that most bands qualify for this except mastodon. I don't think the drop in quality from CTS to The Hunter is that much. And all 3 albums after that have been consistent.

I would say Porcupine Tree is the first that came to mind with FOABP -> The Incident.

[Samsara]

Yeah, I'm a huge fan of The Hunter and don't hear a quality drop. I actually hear a band getting better and refining what they do (Crack the Skye is still my fav, followed by Hushed and Grim, but The Hunter is awesome).

As much as I hate to say it:

Queensryche's Promised Land to Hear in the Now Frontier - I really enjoy the latter, and appreciate the direction and what they were trying to achieve, but there's no denying it isn't as good as PL.

Dream Theater Awake to FII - Again, huge fan of FII, but there's no denying that either for a mountain of reasons.

Someone already mentioned PT's FOABP to the Incident, so I agree there.

[Adami]

Interesting topic. I can think of not many, as most drops in quality have been casual.

Adagio. Underworld to Dominate was like a totally different band.
Dream Theater - Dramatic Turn of Events to DT12
Pain of Salvation - Be to Scarsick
Stone Sour - House of Gold and Bones to Hydrograd or whatever

[twosuitsluke]

It's totally just my opinion. I'm not saying that The Hunter is a bad album, it's just that Crack the Skye is a phenomenal album.

I was so disappointed when I first heard The Hunter as the previous three albums had just been fantastic. I appreciate that many won't agree but that's just where its at for me.

I guess also Children of Bodom: Are You Dead Yet? > Bloodrunk

Trivium: Shogun > In Waves

Ihsahn: Arktis > Ámr

[Snow Dog]

Evergrey - The Inner Circle to Monday Morning Apocalypse

Queensr˙che - Promised Land to Hear In the Now Frontier (others might argue the transition directly previous from Empire to PL)

Evanescence - Fallen to The Open Door

Rush - Moving Pictures to Signals (I know I’m going to get some flak for this, but aside from Subdivisions, Losing It, and maybe Analog Kid, I just find the rest of the album pretty bland)

[Buddyhunter1]

DT12 -> The Astonishing

[twosuitsluke]

DT12 -> The Astonishing

Good lord yes

[Stadler]

You already named two of mine (Priest and Maiden) but I would add:

- Marillion: Season's End >> Holidays In Eden
- Marillion: Marbles >> Somewhere Else
- Fish: Sunsets On Empire >> Raingods With Zippos
- U2 Achtung Baby >> Zooropa
- Kiss: Revenge >> Carnival of Souls

[Zantera]

Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son / No Prayer for the Dying
The Cure - Wish / Wild Mood Swings
Opeth - Watershed / Heritage
Pain of Salvation - BE / Scarsick
Dredg - The Pariah, the Parrot & The Delusion / Chuckles & Mr Squeezy
Linkin Park - The Hunting Party / One More Light

[DTA]

Yes - Going For The One to Tormato. What the hell happened in one year to cause such a decline?

[Stadler]

Yes - Going For The One to Tormato. What the hell happened in one year to cause such a decline?

That's a good one; Going For The One is my favorite album of all time by any band and while parts of Tormato are good, it also has "Circus of Heaven" and "Arriving UFO".  FROM THE DUDE THAT WROTE AWAKEN! 

[romdrums]

I know that Queensryche's Promised Land to Hear in the Now Frontier has been mentioned a few times, but it's worth mentioning again.  Holy crap!

Dave Matthews Band: Before These Crowded Streets -> Everyday
Fear Factory: Obsolete -> Digimortal
Yes: Going For the One -> Tormato
Rush: Presto -> Roll the Bones
Marillion: Marbles -> Somewhere Else, Sounds That Can't Be Made -> FEAR
Our Lady Peace: Spiritual Machines -> Gravity
Radiohead: OK Computer -> Kid A
Steven Wilson: To The Bone -> The Future Bites

[Stadler]

I know that Queensryche's Promised Land to Hear in the Now Frontier has been mentioned a few times, but it's worth mentioning again.  Holy crap!

Dave Matthews Band: Before These Crowded Streets -> Everyday
Fear Factory: Obsolete -> Digimortal
Yes: Going For the One -> Tormato
Rush: Presto -> Roll the Bones
Marillion: Marbles -> Somewhere Else, Sounds That Can't Be Made -> FEAR
Our Lady Peace: Spiritual Machines -> Gravity
Radiohead: OK Computer -> Kid A
Steven Wilson: To The Bone -> The Future Bites

WOW, two good ones.  Always love a good "Our Lady Peace" reference.

[Mladen]

I agree with everyone that mentioned the transition from Seventh son to No prayer for the dying.

[Skeever]

Agree about Maiden.
Also,

Bob Dylan - Desire to Street Legal
Jay Z - The Black Album to Kingdom Come
Weezer - Pinkerton to Green
Yes - Going for the One to Tormato

[HOF]

Yes - Going For The One to Tormato. What the hell happened in one year to cause such a decline?

I prefer Tormato to Going For The One. I’d say the bigger drop off was from Relayer to Going For The One.

[Metro]

Animals as Leaders: Weightless -> The Madness of Many
Devin Townsend Project: Epicloud -> Dark Matters
Flying Colors: Self titled -> Second Nature
Ghost: Prequelle -> Impera
Weezer: Maladroit -> Make Believe, Red -> Raditude, White -> Pacific Daydream, Pacific Daydream -> Black

[SwedishGoose]

Dream Theater  The Astonishing > Distance Over Time

[HOF]

As Marillion go, even though I like Somewhere Else, I agree there is a big drop there from Marbles just because of how great Marbles is. I think I’d say there is a similar drop off from Afraid of Sunlight to This Strange Engine.

[pg1067]

Can you give examples of two consecutively released albums where the quality drop was huge? Where album X was great, and then album Y was a big disappointment/flop?

You definitely hit it with Priest (Defenders to Turbo).  Others:

- Dream Theater:  Awake to FII, Octavarium to Systematic Chaos and DT12 to The Astonishing

- Fates Warning:  A Pleasant Shade of Gray to Disconnected (and FWX)

- Metallica:  Honestly, I could say Justice to The Black Album, but the real drop is TBA to Load

- Evanescence:  Fallen to The Open Door

- Iron Maiden:  I was going to say SIT to SSOASS, but SSOASS's two best songs are so good that it's not so bad, and the drop was really a slow, gradual drop from Powerslave to the Bailey albums.

- Queensryche:  Empire to Promised Land

- Rush:  Signals to GUP, Presto to Roll the Bones

- Styx:  Paradise Theater to Kilroy Was Here

- Triumph:  Thunder Seven to The Sport of Kings

[romdrums]

Forgot another Yes one: Close to the Edge -> Tales From Topographic Oceans.

[Phoenix87x]

QR promised land to hear in the now frontier

[HOF]

Extreme - III Sides to Every Story > Waiting For The Punchline.

[ErHaO]

Ayreon
The Final Experiment - Actual Fantasy. A very nice debut, never felt the second album and I think it's most popular song, Computer Eyes, is one of the most middling songs on the album.

Van Canto
Voices of Fire - Trust in Rust. Voices of Fire is easily their best album and shows they can do something else than just metal covers. But then the new lead singer on Rust sounds terrible, ruining every song in a band almost purely vocals.

Turisas
Stand Up and Fight - For Your Own Good. Stand Up and Fight is an incredibly well crafted and fun album with a good production with real choirs and orchestras. And then the followup was terrible to me. They haven't made anything since, I wonder what happened.

[Stadler]

As Marillion go, even though I like Somewhere Else, I agree there is a big drop there from Marbles just because of how great Marbles is. I think I’d say there is a similar drop off from Afraid of Sunlight to This Strange Engine.

Considering I avoided Marillion like the plague for years after TSE, I would agree. 

[Samsara]

Extreme - III Sides to Every Story > Waiting For The Punchline.

 

It IS a drop, but Punchline is fucking awesome. I'd argue Punchline to Saudes de Rock is the HUGE drop. That latter album blows chunks except for Comfortably Dumb and maybe one other track.

[lonestar]

Boston - Boston --->Don't Look Back

[King Postwhore]

Dredg - The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion > Chuckles and Mr. Squeezy

[Crow]

Dream Theater - Dramatic Turn of Events to DT12

DT12 -> The Astonishing

Dream Theater  The Astonishing > Distance Over Time

 

uuhhh

Dream Theater: Distance Over Time -> A View From the Top of the World

for real tho
Bent Knee: Shiny Eyed Babies -> Say So
Leprous: The Congregation -> Malina
The Mars Volta: Amputechture -> Bedlam
new warforged might go here give me some time to think about it

[HOF]

Extreme - III Sides to Every Story > Waiting For The Punchline.

 

It IS a drop, but Punchline is fucking awesome. I'd argue Punchline to Saudes de Rock is the HUGE drop. That latter album blows chunks except for Comfortably Dumb and maybe one other track.

I just got nothing out of Punchline. I like Hip Today, and there’s one instrumental track that is cool I think. Have otherwise been unable to get into it at all.

[jammindude]

My first thought was Octavarium to Systematic Chaos. Literally a jump from my favorite to my least favorite.

Promised Land to HITNF is another good one.

How about Celtic Frost - Into the Pandemonium >> Cold Lake.

[chknptpie]

Hot take
Slipknot ST > Iowa. Majorly redeemed by Vol 3.

[Crow]

Dream Theater: When Dream and Day Unite -> Images & Words
Dream Theater: Falling Into Infinity -> Scenes From a Memory
Dream Theater: Black Clouds -> A Dramatic Turn of Events

any others left