Loudwire's 70 Best Rock + Metal Albums of 2020

A truly wild year for us all, but one made so much better thanks to these albums.

Source

Rank Album Artist Info
#1 POWER UP AC/DC Nov-13-2020, Hard Rock
#2 Melinoë Akhlys Dec-14-2020, Atmospheric Black Metal
#3 Wake Up, Sunshine All Time Low Apr-03-2020, Pop Rock
#4 A Quiet Place to Die Alpha Wolf Sep-25-2020, Metalcore
#5 Punching the Sky Armored Saint Oct-23-2020, Heavy Metal
#6 Guardians August Burns Red Apr-03-2020, Melodic Metalcore
#7 Hunter Gatherer Avatar Aug-07-2020, Alternative Metal
#8 666 Goats Carry My Chariot BÜTCHER Jan-31-2020, Speed Metal
#9 The Human Condition Black Stone Cherry Oct-30-2020, Hard Rock
#10 Carnivore Body Count Mar-06-2020, Rap Metal
#11 POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR Bring Me The Horizon Oct-30-2020, Alternative Metal
#12 Underneath Code Orange Mar-13-2020, Metalcore
#13 CMFT Corey Taylor Oct-02-2020, Hard Rock
#14 Sex, Death & The Infinite Void Creeper Jul-31-2020, Pop Rock
#15 Moment Dark Tranquillity Nov-20-2020, Melodic Death Metal
#16 Whoosh! Deep Purple Aug-07-2020, Hard Rock
#17 Ohms Deftones Sep-25-2020, Alternative Metal
#18 III Demons & Wizards Feb-21-2020, Heavy Metal
#19 Utgard Enslaved Oct-02-2020, Progressive Metal
#20 Fake Names Fake Names May-08-2020, Power Pop
#21 WRONG GENERATION FEVER 333 Oct-23-2020, Alternative Metal
#22 F8 Five Finger Death Punch Feb-28-2020, Alternative Metal
#23 Child Soldier: Creator of God Greg Puciato Oct-09-2020, Darkwave
#24 Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress Gulch Jul-24-2020, Metalcore
#25 Virus Haken Jun-05-2020, Progressive Metal
#26 Petals For Armor Hayley Williams May-08-2020, Art Pop
#27 Inlet Hum Jun-24-2020, Shoegaze
#28 Spirituality and Distortion Igorrr Mar-27-2020, Avant-Garde Metal
#29 Alphaville Imperial Triumphant Jul-31-2020, Avant-Garde Metal
#30 Mother In This Moment Mar-27-2020, Alternative Metal
#31 Terminal Velocity John Petrucci Aug-28-2020, Progressive Metal
#32 City Burials Katatonia Apr-24-2020, Alternative Metal
#33 Reluctant Hero Killer Be Killed Nov-20-2020, Groove Metal
#34 Splid Kvelertak Feb-14-2020, Hardcore Punk
#35 Lamb of God Lamb of God Jun-19-2020, Groove Metal
#36 I Let It in and It Took Everything Loathe Feb-07-2020, Alternative Metal
#37 Tickets To My Downfall Machine Gun Kelly Sep-25-2020, Pop Punk
#38 WE ARE CHAOS Marilyn Manson Sep-11-2020, Alternative Rock
#39 Rebirth by Blasphemy Midnight Jan-24-2020, Heavy Metal
#40 The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo Mr. Bungle Oct-30-2020, Thrash Metal
#41 Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism Napalm Death Sep-18-2020, Deathgrind
#42 HUMAN. :II: NATURE. Nightwish Apr-10-2020,
#43 Who Are The Girls? Nova Twins Feb-28-2020, Rap Rock
#44 Ordinary Man Ozzy Osbourne Feb-21-2020, Hard Rock
#45 The Bastards Palaye Royale May-29-2020, Alternative Rock
#46 Forgotten Days Pallbearer Oct-23-2020, Doom Metal
#47 Gigaton Pearl Jam Mar-27-2020, Alternative Rock
#48 The Death of Me Polaris Feb-21-2020, Metalcore
#49 I Disagree Poppy Jan-09-2020, Alternative Metal
#50 Existential Reckoning Puscifer Oct-30-2020, Art Rock
Markdown

| Rank | Album | Artist | Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | POWER UP | AC/DC | Album, Nov-13-2020, Hard Rock |
| #2 | Melinoë | Akhlys | Album, Dec-14-2020, Atmospheric Black Metal |
| #3 | Wake Up, Sunshine | All Time Low | Album, Apr-03-2020, Pop Rock |
| #4 | A Quiet Place to Die | Alpha Wolf | Album, Sep-25-2020, Metalcore |
| #5 | Punching the Sky | Armored Saint | Album, Oct-23-2020, Heavy Metal |
| #6 | Guardians | August Burns Red | Album, Apr-03-2020, Melodic Metalcore |
| #7 | Hunter Gatherer | Avatar | Album, Aug-07-2020, Alternative Metal |
| #8 | 666 Goats Carry My Chariot | BÜTCHER | Album, Jan-31-2020, Speed Metal |
| #9 | The Human Condition | Black Stone Cherry | Album, Oct-30-2020, Hard Rock |
| #10 | Carnivore | Body Count | Album, Mar-06-2020, Rap Metal |
| #11 | POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR | Bring Me The Horizon | EP, Oct-30-2020, Alternative Metal |
| #12 | Underneath | Code Orange | Album, Mar-13-2020, Metalcore |
| #13 | CMFT | Corey Taylor | Album, Oct-02-2020, Hard Rock |
| #14 | Sex, Death & The Infinite Void | Creeper | Album, Jul-31-2020, Pop Rock |
| #15 | Moment | Dark Tranquillity | Album, Nov-20-2020, Melodic Death Metal |
| #16 | Whoosh! | Deep Purple | Album, Aug-07-2020, Hard Rock |
| #17 | Ohms | Deftones | Album, Sep-25-2020, Alternative Metal |
| #18 | III | Demons & Wizards | Album, Feb-21-2020, Heavy Metal |
| #19 | Utgard | Enslaved | Album, Oct-02-2020, Progressive Metal |
| #20 | Fake Names | Fake Names | Album, May-08-2020, Power Pop |
| #21 | WRONG GENERATION | FEVER 333 | EP, Oct-23-2020, Alternative Metal |
| #22 | F8 | Five Finger Death Punch | Album, Feb-28-2020, Alternative Metal |
| #23 | Child Soldier: Creator of God | Greg Puciato | Album, Oct-09-2020, Darkwave |
| #24 | Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress | Gulch | Album, Jul-24-2020, Metalcore |
| #25 | Virus | Haken | Album, Jun-05-2020, Progressive Metal |
| #26 | Petals For Armor | Hayley Williams | Album, May-08-2020, Art Pop |
| #27 | Inlet | Hum | Album, Jun-24-2020, Shoegaze |
| #28 | Spirituality and Distortion | Igorrr | Album, Mar-27-2020, Avant-Garde Metal |
| #29 | Alphaville | Imperial Triumphant | Album, Jul-31-2020, Avant-Garde Metal |
| #30 | Mother | In This Moment | Album, Mar-27-2020, Alternative Metal |
| #31 | Terminal Velocity | John Petrucci | Album, Aug-28-2020, Progressive Metal |
| #32 | City Burials | Katatonia | Album, Apr-24-2020, Alternative Metal |
| #33 | Reluctant Hero | Killer Be Killed | Album, Nov-20-2020, Groove Metal |
| #34 | Splid | Kvelertak | Album, Feb-14-2020, Hardcore Punk |
| #35 | Lamb of God | Lamb of God | Album, Jun-19-2020, Groove Metal |
| #36 | I Let It in and It Took Everything | Loathe | Album, Feb-07-2020, Alternative Metal |
| #37 | Tickets To My Downfall | Machine Gun Kelly | Album, Sep-25-2020, Pop Punk |
| #38 | WE ARE CHAOS | Marilyn Manson | Album, Sep-11-2020, Alternative Rock |
| #39 | Rebirth by Blasphemy | Midnight | Album, Jan-24-2020, Heavy Metal |
| #40 | The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo | Mr. Bungle | Album, Oct-30-2020, Thrash Metal |
| #41 | Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism | Napalm Death | Album, Sep-18-2020, Deathgrind |
| #42 | HUMAN. :II: NATURE. | Nightwish | Album, Apr-10-2020,  |
| #43 | Who Are The Girls? | Nova Twins | Album, Feb-28-2020, Rap Rock |
| #44 | Ordinary Man | Ozzy Osbourne | Album, Feb-21-2020, Hard Rock |
| #45 | The Bastards | Palaye Royale | Album, May-29-2020, Alternative Rock |
| #46 | Forgotten Days | Pallbearer | Album, Oct-23-2020, Doom Metal |
| #47 | Gigaton | Pearl Jam | Album, Mar-27-2020, Alternative Rock |
| #48 | The Death of Me | Polaris | Album, Feb-21-2020, Metalcore |
| #49 | I Disagree | Poppy | Album, Jan-09-2020, Alternative Metal |
| #50 | Existential Reckoning | Puscifer | Album, Oct-30-2020, Art Rock |