Masters of Reality

A lot of stoner-rock fans date the genre's birth to this now-legendary flop of an album. Released at the height of '80s hair metal, the Billboard had no space for a bunch of grizzled dudes from upstate New York dropping references to the occult while grooving like Sabbath and Cream. Even when the band goes into rust-belt bar rock mode -- as on "Gettin' High" and "The Candy Song" -- they sound ominous and oddly detached, as if they're serial killers who've just satisfied their ravenous appetites.