When it comes to rock and metal’s most iconic bands, very few of them are “one and done.” However, these 10 Greatest Bands That Only Released One Album all shifted our musical landscape with a singular full-length studio disc.

How many bands have released one album just to dissolve almost immediately after? And how many acts are willing to walk away from fame after suddenly exploding with their debut? The Sex Pistols may be the ultimate example of band who only needed one album to establish a brilliant legacy. Never Mind the Bullocks launched the underground movement of punk rock into the mainstream while simultaneously moving the genre into its most rebellious form. Despite both fame and infamy, the Sex Pistols called it quits after a disastrous U.S. tour.

Sadly, death is also to blame for halting a group’s momentum. Mother Love Bone seemed destined for mainstream success, but a heroin overdose from frontman Andrew Wood ended Mother Love Bone even before the band’s debut, Apple, even hit shelves. Hardcore punk legends The Germs fell to a similar fate after vocalist Darby Crash’s suicide at age 22 ended the band’s run.

Death also touched bands like Heaven & Hell, Control Denied and Mad Season. They all suffered the loss of an already iconic frontman, forever leaving the long-term potential of each act a mystery.

Check out our picks for the 10 Greatest Bands That Only Released One Album in the Loud List above!

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