Metallica

Best Rock Albums 2020s (So Far)

The 2020s have already delivered some of the most exciting and dynamic rock albums in recent years, as the decade continues, this list will likely shift, as new releases further defining the sound.

Metallica’s 72 Seasons was not a reinvention; it’s a reaffirmation—raw, unrelenting, and pulsing with the weight of time.

The decade’s first few years have seen established icons like Ghost (Impera) and Green Day (Saviors) push their sounds forward, while newer acts like Turnstile (Glow On) and The Smile (A Light for Attracting Attention) bring fresh energy to the genre. These albums capture the spectrum of rock’s evolving landscape, blending traditional power with bold experimentation.


Number 20


Fleet Foxes - Shore

Fleet Foxes
Shore

Shore is a sweeping and luminous exploration of hope, nature, and renewal, released as a balm for tumultuous times. The album marks a departure from the intricate baroque harmonies of their earlier work, favoring a more immediate, open soundscape that feels both intimate and expansive.


Number 19


Ozzy Osbourne - Patient Number 9

Ozzy Osbourne
Patient Number 9

Patient Number 9 is a triumphant and electrifying showcase of the Prince of Darkness’ enduring appeal and creative vitality. The album merges heavy metal’s ferocity with introspection, capturing Ozzy’s reflections on mortality, resilience, and his storied career.


Number 18


*The Human Fear* finds Franz Ferdinand dancing with dread, not reinvention.

Franz Ferdinand
The Human Fear

The Human Fear finds Franz Ferdinand dancing with dread, not reinvention. Slick grooves meet simmering tension as new blood revives their swagger. Not flawless, but when it hits, it crackles—fear you can move to, charm with sharp edges.


Number 17


Foo Fighters – But Here We Are (2023)

Foo Fighters
But Here We Are

But Here We Are is Foo Fighters at their rawest—grief-stricken, unfiltered, and loud. It’s a gut-punch of love and loss, with Grohl breaking and rebuilding in real time. No polish, just pain, power, and the sound of surviving one more chorus.


Number 16


Architects - The Sky The Earth and all Between

Architects
– The Sky, the Earth & All Between

Architects’ The Sky, The Earth & All Between blends crushing riffs with melodic depth, tackling themes of resilience and introspection. It’s a bold, mature leap forward—ferocious yet reflective, proving evolution doesn’t mean losing your edge.


Number 15


Paramore – This Is Why (2023)

Paramore
This Is Why

A sharp, nervy evolution, This Is Why blends post-punk bite with emotional clarity. Hayley Williams channels frustration and vulnerability into taut, danceable anthems. It’s Paramore’s most mature and stylistically adventurous album yet.


Number 14


Linkin Park - From Zero (2024)

Linkin Park
From Zero

From Zero is Linkin Park’s raw return, shaped by grief and grit. Stripping back electronics and reworking their sound, they craft an urgent, emotionally charged album about loss, survival, and pushing forward—imperfect but powerful.


Number 13


Pearl Jam - Dark Matter (2024)

Pearl Jam
Dark Matter

The band’s 12th studio album contains the title track and “Wreckage.” Both songs went to #1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart.


Number 12


The Killers - Pressure Machine

The Killers
Pressure Machine

Pressure Machine is a deeply introspective and stripped-back departure from their signature anthemic rock. The album offers a poignant, narrative-driven exploration of small-town life in Nephi, Utah, Brandon Flowers’ hometown. Its reflective tone and storytelling focus bring to light themes of isolation, loss, faith, and resilience, painting vivid, heartfelt portraits of the people and experiences that shaped Flowers’ upbringing.


Number 11


Dream Theater - Parasomnia (2025)

Dream Theater
Parasomnia

Dream Theater’s Parasomnia dives into the shadows of the mind, blending prog-metal precision with raw emotion. Portnoy’s return fuels a haunting, exhilarating journey through sleep, fear, and illusion—an album both intricate and intensely human.


Number 10


Jack White - No Name (2024)

Jack White
No Name

Jack White’s No Name is a raw, electrifying return to garage rock and blues punk. Released unexpectedly, it strips away recent experimentation, delivering ferocious riffs and tight rhythms, earning praise as one of his best solo efforts.


Number 9


Greta Van Fleet – The Battle at Garden’s Gate (2021)

Greta Van Fleet
The Battle at Garden’s Gate

The Battle at Garden’s Gate is a bold, theatrical leap into grandeur—classic rock meets prog ambition. Mythic lyrics, cinematic swells, and soaring vocals mix with sincere naiveté. It’s big, loud, and unafraid to overreach for the stars.


Number 8


Wet Leg - Wet Leg

Wet Leg
Wet Leg

A messy, bratty, and irresistibly fun debut built on deadpan charm, sharp hooks, and post-punk swagger. It’s lo-fi, loud, and laced with sarcasm—like turning boredom into a dance party you didn’t know you needed. Unbothered, clever, and oddly sincere.


Number 7


The Strokes – The New Abnormal (2020)

The Strokes
The New Abnormal

The New Abnormal is dreamy detachment meets existential burnout. These songs drift, shimmer, and ache—less rebellion, more reckoning. Aging cool turned inside out, trading swagger for slow-motion honesty and the strange comfort of not faking it.


Number 6


Corey Taylor – CMF2 (2023)

Corey Taylor
CMF2

Corey Taylor’s CMF2 is a fiery, unfiltered blast of rage, heart, and swagger. Jumping from barroom brawls to tender ballads, it’s chaotic in the best way—raw, real, and relentless. No mask, no filter—just Taylor burning it all down.


Number 5


Green Day - Saviors

Green Day
Saviors

The band’s fourteenth studio effort includes “The American Dream Is Killing Me” which had an eight week stay at #1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart… the band’s eighth #1 on the survey. The set also contains “Look Ma, No Brains” and “Dilemma.”


Number 4


Turnstile
 - Glow On

Turnstile
Glow On

Glow On is a groundbreaking album that redefines modern hardcore, blending intense energy with a strikingly diverse sonic palette. The record pushes genre boundaries by incorporating elements of shoegaze, funk, and even dream-pop into their blistering core sound. It’s an exhilarating listen that simultaneously honors Turnstile’s punk roots and ventures boldly into new territory.


Number 3


Ghost - Impera

Ghost
Impera

Impera is a monumental work that blends theatrical flair with intricate songwriting, firmly establishing Ghost as one of the most unique forces in modern rock and metal. Drawing on themes of imperialism, decay, and the cyclical rise and fall of power, the album weaves a grand narrative with its conceptual depth and ambitious scope.


Number 2


The Smile – A Light for Attracting Attention (2022)

The Smile
A Light for Attracting Attention

Anxious, twitchy, and strangely playful, this album trades legacy for freedom—paranoia grooves, angular riffs pulse, and dread shimmers with sly charm. It’s a leaner, looser exploration of modern unease that dances while everything quietly unravels.


Number 1


Metallica – 72 Seasons (2023)

Metallica
72 Seasons

The band’s eleventh studio effort debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200.  It also ruled the Top Rock Albums, Top Hard Rock Albums, Top Album Sales and Vinyl Albums charts. The band is pictured above.
Metallica Bio


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