Here are nine rock and metal artists whose final album is also their best!It’s not uncommon for a band to lose creative steam as their recording career comes to a close; in fact, most of them hit their stride soon after they begin or peak somewhere in the middle (before steadily declining in quality as the end draws near).There are those rare exceptions, however, when a group’s greatest original sequence is their swansong.READ MORE: 11 Rock + Metal Bands Whose Fifth Album Is Their BestIn particular, the following nine acts delivered especially phenomenal collections that – whether knowingly or not – wound up being their last ones, too. In some cases, they epitomized everything that came before them, and in others, they were drastically different yet ultimately still superior to their predecessors.With that said, keep scrolling to see our picks for nearly a dozen artists whose final studio LP is their finest record they ever made!Nine Rock + Metal Bands Whose Final Album Is Their BestThese groups spent their entire careers building toward their masterpieces.Gallery Credit: Jordan Blum11 Rock + Metal Bands Whose Fifth Album Is Their BestThese artists’ fifth records are still their finest!Gallery Credit: Jordan BlumRock + Metal Bands Whose Fourth Album Is Their BestFour score! These bands delivered the best works of their career on their fourth studio album.Gallery Credit: Chad Childers, Loudwire10 Metal Bands Whose Third Album Is Their BestIn catalogs full of greatness, these records still reign supreme!Gallery Credit: Jordan Blum10 Metal Bands Whose Second Album is Their BestThe second time was definitely the charm for these metal bands!Gallery Credit: Jordan Blum