The Top 10 Rock Albums of 2025

Rock music continues to be one of the last vestiges of picking up instruments and playing songs the artist has written.  With metal having a more loyal market, it feels like less straight-up rock music is coming out, but then again, it's not something I always look for. There is a very specific feel of moodiness, melody, and underlying mental health issues I seek out from rock music, and these albums touch on varied corners of that sound.  In fact, this year's list is more varied than last year's list. After I sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 20 albums of 2025. 

 The fact that these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album; there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all, we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day, what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, and you look forward to listening to it again. You might find your next favorite on this list. I included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these guys. Anyway, here are the top 10 Rock albums of 2025.

10-Wet Leg-"moisturizer." 

This quirky power pop band from the Isle of Wight has an odd New Wave vibe to their take on indie rock. They shift slightly from song to song, with subtle hints of punk influences, with a little drive in its strummed shuffle. Their singer has a detached apathy to her voice that carries its own sex appeal.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/07/wet-leg-moisturizer.html

9-Buckcherry- "Roar Like Thunder."   

I have at least heard the bulk of Buckcherry's 10 albums leading up to this one, so I doubt there is going to be a great deal of surprise with album 11. They intend for this album to be fun and lift your spirits, and I am not sure if that is what I want from this band. I prefer them when they are wrestling with the fact that they love cocaine.  It has more of the Hollywood sleaze to it, taking you back to the 80s, which is where their sound originated. They have never been a metal band; they just play a sometimes explosive style of rock n roll. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/06/buckcherry-roar-like-thunder.html

8-Haunt- "Ignite"

Their 2022 album "Windows To Your Heart' was the last album I checked out by these guys. I was a devoted follower since, for all practical purposes, they are a revamped Beastmaker. But they have been moving in an increasingly slick A0R proto-metal direction. Things have not changed. Trevor Church continues to smooth into a sugary tenor that brings Ghost to mind, but his songwriting has an urgency Ghost lacks. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/08/haunt-ignite.html

7-Skunk Anasie-"The Painful Truth." 

One of my favorite bands from the 90s, who in America were always a best-kept British secret. In my mind, they will always have to measure up against their 1999 album 'Post Orgasmic Chill". Skin's vocals are still on point. They have mellowed into a shimmering pop pulse, with electronic elements becoming hard to decipher from where guitars are plugged into amps, but a the end of the day, they pull it off in a way that does not matter much to me how they got here.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/skunk-anansie-painful-truth.html

 

6-LA Guns -"Leopard Skin."

If Tracii Guns and Phil Lewis are both in the band it's L.A. FUCKING Guns to me. The past few albums have held up their legacy, so here's to hoping this one does, and the first two songs find them staying true yet not stagnant. They have the sleazy vibes from their era, but more slathered in blue grooves. It's more rock n roll than metal.  Phil Lewis sounds great. Amazingly, he is 68 years old. Holy shit. That is four years older than Vince Neil, and he sounds better than Neil has since "Dr. Feelgood". 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/la-guns-leopard-skin.html

5-Hellacopters-"Overdriver"

This album feels more like lost classics from 70s rock radio. The singer places his voice in all the right places to compensate for his limitations, which is a skill in and of itself, as the melodies work really well, and everyone in this band is serving the song with zero overplaying. Granted, if you mainly listen to punk, all of this might seem like overkill to your ears, but it works for what is going on here, regardless. I can hear less dramatic traces of Meatloaf, but aside from a little ELO, I do not hear them heavily tipping their hat to their influences. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/the-hellacopters-overdriver.html

4-Chokecherry-"Ripe Fruit Rots and Falls." 

 I was a big fan of the band's 2024 EP "Messy Star." They are back with a marginally more shoegazing effort that is still rooted firmly in the sounds of the '90s. The jangling grunge drive provides the backbone. There is more punk energy, but the smooth croon of her vocals balances this out. Even when they amble along, with a dreamy slacker attitude, they are still rocking out with more intention than their peers. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/12/chokecherry-ripe-fruit-rots-and-falls.html

 

3-Jaye Jayle- "After Alter" 

Jaye Jayle went from being Evan Patterson’s solo project that explored sounds outside of what he did in Young Widows, and has now become a full-fledged band. Some of the arrangements are more minimalist, though it's not underproduced as they captured some interesting drum sounds, and the overall mix leans into the ambiance by giving all the instrumentation a great deal of open space, even when things begin to come together dynamically. If Josh Homme wrote songs for Queens of the Stone Age with no radio aspirations, the result might be similar. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/01/jaye-jayle-after-alter.html

  2-AVATARIUM-"Between You, God, the Devil and the Dead." 

The 6th album from the band formed by Leif Elding from Candlemass, their singer, gives them a more blues-based rock feel. It makes them less metal, but also creates a more Deep Purple feel, setting them apart from all the bands that sound like Sabbath. The production is very organic without being tribute band-level retro. Memorable vocal melodies and thoughts are put into the songwriting. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/01/avatarium-between-you-god-devil-and-dead.html

1-Alice Cooper -The Revenge of Alice Cooper." 

The first album with the original Alice Cooper band since "Muscle of Love".  Bob Ezrin is also producing it.  Does it perfectly capture the fire enough that it picks up where they left off on "Muscle of Love"? Almost, it is pretty energetic for a band in their mid-70s who have not played together since the 70s.  not at the level of his most classic work, but way better than other rockers close to his age are doing, it's closer to "Muscle of Love" than it is "Love it to Death" s it's not what I expected, but still congruent with what these guys used to do. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/07/alice-cooper-revenge-of-alice-cooper.html

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L.A. Guns : "Leopard Skin'

 

If Tracii Guns and Phil Lewis are both in the band it's L.A. FUCKING Guns to me. The past few albums have held up their legacy, so here's to hoping this one does, and the first two songs find them staying true yet not stagnant. They have the sleazy vibes from their era, but more slathered in blue grooves. It's more rock n roll than metal.  Phil Lewis sounds great. Amazingly, he is 68 years old. Holy shit. That is four years older than Vince Neil, and he sounds better than Neil has since "Dr. Feelgood". For a song like "Hit and Run," they are going into a more Doors-like sonic place, but it makes sense as a more mature step for the band that works even though it's removed from their hair metal past. It is jammed out a little more than you might want for them, but it still works.  

What makes an L.A. Guns album worthwhile in 2025, you ask? Much like other bands, they are judged by their songs. Do they hold up against the quality of work we have come to expect from this band? "Don't Ginme Away" has a more Rolling Stones like shuffle to it, but it is one of the colors they have been employing since "Cocked and Loaded". Perhaps it's not Lewis's most inspired vocal we have heard on this album, but it's in line with what they do, and he is not trying to be someone else. There are some great rock n roll guitar tones on this album. I prefer when they are ripping and tearing it in a more metallic direction, but at 68, he's not as angry.  Guns is an underrated guitarist as there is a Hendrix-like quality to his playing on this song. 

"I'm Your Candy Man" has more of an Aerosmith-like groove to it. The blues inflects get thicker on "Runaway Train," which might take things in a more Led Zeppelin direction, and reaches the bounds of how far they should try to take this sort of thing. Throughout working my way through this album, I have also taken my time and gone back to listen to some of the older stuff, especially giving "Cocked and Loaded" a closer listen and this not far removed that era, as a song like "Rip and Tear' is more rock n roll than metal, when you listen to it today. "Follow the Money" has a groove that at times brings Aerosmith to mind, at other times Alice Cooper. I was not expecting "The Masquerade" to be the album's ballad. "If You Wanna' closes the album with a blues-flavored rock that shows you how they were doing this sort of thing before Buckcherry. I will give this album a 9.5, it works for what they do and upholds the band's already impressive legacy when it comes to this kind of leather-clad rock n roll. 

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the Top 10 Rock Albums of 2023

Rock music continues to be one of the last vestiges of picking up instruments and playing songs the artist has written.  With metal having a more loyal market, it feels like less straight-up rock music is coming out, but then again it's not something I always look for. There is a very specific feel of moodiness, melody, and underlying mental health issues I seek out from rock music, and these albums touch on varied corners of that sound.  After I sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of the year. 2023. The very fact these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all, we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Perhaps you can find your next favorite on this list; and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these guys. Anyway here are the top 10 Rock albums of 2023.

10-Vulture Industries- "Ghosts From the Past"

This Norwegian band strips away some of the darkness and most of the metal to reach a  middle road with their post-COVID comeback.  This allows them to create the space to establish melodies. There is a slight hint of the Northern European folk history of their homeland creeping into

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/05/vulture-industries-ghosts-from-past.html

 

9-Iggy Pop-"Every Loser"

At the ripe age of 75 Iggy Pop released his 20th album.  Duff Mckagan helps him out along with enlisting a who's who of rock royalty to collaborate with, featuring members of Jane's Addiction, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Pearl Jam. Pop described this album as geared to beat the shit out of the listener, but employs more of the cool and collected hints of his 80s new wave past. Which still works really well. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/01/iggy-pop-every-loser.html

8-Buckcherry-"VOL 10"

They kick things off with more of a down-home bluesy swagger that they take in more of a party direction that retains the anthemic charm of their previous hits. They have stripped things down to the bare basics, closer to what they did on the first album, with none of the radio aspirations that fueled some albums. Lets fact it those aspirations worked pretty well as there were a couple of songs that did gain a great deal of radio play. Thus making me respect their self-awareness when it comes to where they stand in the bigger picture of the music industry. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/05/buckcherry-vol10.html

7- Twin Temple -"God is Dead"

This Duo from California returns with their "Satanic" doo-wop. The band claimed their debut album dropped back in 2019 was recorded in a day and a half, live with only two or three takes. If that is the case then this album only took half a day. There is a rawer sound to what unfolds here, though more orchestration, and arrangements that recall Phil Spector's "wall of sound". They are true to the era they are paying homage to, The way they nailed the sound this time with the lo-fi production that still allows the vocals to stand out, takes the sting out of the lyrics, as this could fit on a Sirrus radio oldies station and almost go unnoticed. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/10/gothtober-twin-temple-god-is-dead.html

6-Alice Cooper-"Road"

The 29th album from this legend finds the Coop keeping it real and recording this one live in the studio with his touring band. Done with minimal overdubs, Alice sounds great and the opening track  "I'm Alice" makes it clear at 75, his voice remains where he needs it to be. The songs wink heavily at his classic sound from the 70s, sometimes almost recycling the riffs.  Often lyrically self-indulgent abragging about how great his band is live.  If this was done by anyone else it would not work as well. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/08/alice-cooper-road.html

 

5-Tigercub- "The Perfume of Decay"

This trio from England plays a glammed-out style of rock that feels like a darker, more androgynous take on what Muse does. This is displayed on the title track opens the album. A trickle of angle guitar cascades of the groove, as the vocals coo over it all. They work more of tense groove rather than feeling the need to glitter-bomb everything with grandiose choruses. The choruses are highly melodic and hooky enough to draw you in. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/06/tigercub-perfume-of-decay.html

4-LA Guns -"Black Diamonds"

As long as both Phil Lewis and Tracii Guns are on board then I am fine with LA Guns. This album finds them continuing to kick ass while their arena-packing peers are fat floundering fools. If these guys can still do it with dignity then we should be expecting the same from the Motley Crues of the world. They open this album with a more Zeppelin-like groove. At 66 Phil Lewis sounds incredible. They stay true to the era they are from, while not sounding dated. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/04/la-guns-black-diamonds.html

3-The Menzingers-"Some of it Was True"

They set the bar really high for themselves on "Hello Exile", its country leanings carried a convincing twang. This time the slick production has toned down some of the edges with these punk bar anthems. Lyrically it retains the charm of albums past.  They reach a new level of songwriting with tons of conviction poured into the voice of Greg Barnett, which has both the quiver of nervous vibrato and the more punk snarl to punch out the songs' accents.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/09/the-menzingers-some-of-it-was-true.html

2-Rolling Stones -"Hackney Diamonds"

This is the Stones's 26th album. They are arguably the greatest rock band ever.  However, this legacy gets threatened with every album they decide to drag their career out with. Keith is having to adapt his playing around his arthritis. Richards is 79, and Jagger is 80. Supplemented by producer Andrew Watt, who helped write three songs. The Jagger / Richards songwriting machine keeps rolling. Don Was who makes more sense for the band than the pop producer Watt, who has also worked with Iggy Pop and Ozzy. Jagger sounds more youthful than any other 80-year-old could ever dream. I guess that deal with the Devil he made worked out wonderfully. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-rolling-stones-hackney-diamonds.html

1-Queens of the Stoneage - "In New Times Roman..."

This album has a weird vibe that takes multiple listens to wrap your ears around. At casual listen all the key elements are in place, though perhaps due to the almost too pristine production.  Homme's vocals are in his normal cadence, but the highly compressed guitars have odd effects on them.  Though not a huge departure for the band, it perhaps does not rely on grooves as heavily as "Villains". The tripped-out jams are entertaining. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/06/queens-of-stone-age-in-new-times-roman.html

The Top 10 Rock Albums of 2023 so far

As the Doomsday Clock races, time speeds up, finding  2023 already at it's midpoint. These  lists serve as a decent snap shot of where the year is heading in terms of music. I have already received  promos for albums dropping as far out as August in my in-box, so they are really going to need to bring it in order to compete with the top five albums on this list. Rock is being defined here as  basically anything that is not metal, pop, or goth. It might be a little darker or heavier than what you listen to , so we are going by my definition since yours's can't be trusted. 

"But wait that is M....,"

Shut up... in 2023 if you are not bringing it at least as hard as Pantera , it's not metal .We are in a darker and heavier world so the soundtrack even when it is only rock n roll, should still fit the times.  I have included links to full review if you want to check these out and with all that said here are the top 10 Rock albums of 2023 so far. 

10- LA Guns - "Black Diamonds" 

 As long as both Phil Lewis and Tracii Guns are on board then I am fine with LA Guns. This album finds them  continuing to kick ass while their arena packing peers are fat floundering fools. If these guys can still do it with dignity then we should be expecting the same from the Motley Crues of the world. They open this album with a more Zeppelin like groove. At 66 Phil Lewis sounds incredible. They stay true to the era they are from, while not sounding dated .

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/04/la-guns-black-diamonds.html

9-Riverside -"ID. Entity" 

This album is very impressive and not too prog for its own good. These guys remember that they  are songwriters first and foremost. They are also songwriters with something to say that goes a long way with me. More speculation than shredding is a lesson todays prog bands could learn from. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/01/riverside-id-entity.html

 8-Tigercub- "the Perfume of Decay" 

This trio from England plays a glammed out style of rock that feels like a darker , more androgynous take on what Muse does. This is displayed on the title track opens the album. A trickle of angle guitar cascades of the groove, as the vocals coo over it all. They work more of tense groove rather than feeling the need to glitter bomb everything with grandiose choruses

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/06/tigercub-perfume-of-decay.html

 

7-Narrowhead- "Moments of Clarity"

Now  this band coats their songs with the glaze of shoegaze . The vocals are more introspective. The title track has a harder syncopated jangle, as they remind you, they did not leave their distortion pedals at home. The vocal lines pack a hookier punch hookier, as their song writing has been sharpened this time around. They use a similar formula, but with more dynamic ebb and flow 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/03/narrow-head-moments-of-clarity.html

  6- Queens of the Stone Age - "In New Times Roman..." 

The band does what they to well, though upon a  casual listen all the key elements are in place , though  perhaps due to the almost too pristine production, they sit weird together. Homme's vocals are in his normal cadence, but the highly compressed guitars have odd effects on them.  Though not a huge departure for the band, it perhaps does not rely on grooves as heavily as "Villains" .  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/06/queens-of-stone-age-in-new-times-roman.html

  5-healthyliving- "Songs of Abundance, Psalms of Grief"

Bringing together musicians from Scotland , Germany and Spain, this trio kicks up an impressive melancholic brand of driving rock that borders on metal. This keen sense of dynamics is what I listen for in music from all genres. The stark alto of Amaya is expressive. While  she is not a Siouxsie clone, you can hear traces of that influence. She proves to be a powerful singer capable of belting it out as needed.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/03/healthyliving-songs-of-abundance-psalms.html

4-Deathvalley Girls- "Islands in the Sky" 

This album is darker than their previous once ,as the band firmly adheres to creating astounding layers of sounds, but still serving the songs with them. They combine the 60s pop ballad feel with their more psychedelic pondering  creates something closer to Siouxsie and the Banshees than you might expect. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/03/death-valley-girls-islands-in-sky.html

   

3-Royal Thunder- "Rebuilding the Table" 

It's been seven years since their last album and the band went through some personal shit before returning reconfigured with drummer Adam Diprima back in the fold.  They can not be accused of doing more of the same and the lengthy break brought a fresh coat of sonic musing to the table. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/05/royal-thunder-rebuilding-mountain.html
 

 

2- Metallica- "72 Seasons" 

Sure there is  is some recycling and clock punching, to keep it from being perfect, but if you are a Metallica fan and wish the "Black Album' was more metal and power ballad free then this album is for you. It's fun which has earned it repeat listens . 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/04/metallica-72-seasons.html

1-Spotlights - "Alchemy for the Dead" 

 This trio's sound has continued to evolve, as it not places them some where between the shoe gazing side of post-hardcore and sludge. This album  gets better with each listen, and the shadows of it's mood seep into your head.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/03/spotlights-alchemy-for-dead.html

LA Guns : "Black Diamonds"

 As long as both Phil Lewis and Tracii Guns are on board then I am fine with LA Guns. This album finds them  continuing to kick ass while their arena-packing peers are fat floundering fools. If these guys can still do it with dignity then we should be expecting the same from the Motley Crues of the world. They open this album with a more Zeppelin like groove. At 66 Phil Lewis sounds incredible. They stay true to the era they are from, while not sounding dated . There is a more Cult-like feel to the guitar of "Diamonds".  The song itself is more of a ballad. It builds up in classic power ballad fashion. They pull this off more organically rather than sounding like the were trying to replicate their 80s glory days. 

The one thing I miss from their 80s sound is the more metal-based guitar sound. This album finds them landing in a more rock n roll direction that finds Alice Cooper and the Rolling Stones both sharing the most common sonic ground with songs like "Babylon". Some cool guitar harmonies are kicked up around the boozy swagger they dance with. They return to the more blues-based feel that recalls Zeppelin again on " Shame". Lewis proves he can still get up there. He was never a operatic belter, but the sleazy slither of his voice, is gritty and piercing. He might not scream with the same abandon but can capture the same effect. There is more of a metal feel to "Shattered Glass" which is also very melodic and written in a manner that balances out all the dynamics of the band. 

"Gonna Lose" has a "Ramble On" like dynamic in place. Lewis's voice sounds great on it. Guns is very restrained and not ripping a ton of solos on this album. "Got it Wrong" finds a more upbeat boogie going down. Their drummer is pretty impressive as he bangs the skins around the more garage rock flavor of the guitars. "Lowlife" finds them embracing an early punk energy that recalls  AC/DC. It does not pack the same punch as "Rip & Tear" but works for what it is. It also gives Tracii the chance to let loose. "Crying" has an almost Beatles-like feel to its riff. Not as intense energy-wise as what you might expect from these guys. But the trippy elements manage to work. It is also some of Guns' most innovative playing. "Like a Drug" once again finds the band able to blend all the elements fans might want from them into one song. I will give this album a 9.5, it's a shame they are not being given more recognition for being the one "hair metal" era band that is still proving themselves to be as vital and capable as anyone in the game today.

The Top 40 Hair Metal Albums of All Time - 10-1

This might not be  genre most of you associate with me. It is one  I grew up with.Many of these albums I still hold dear today . When the 80s were ranging I was not listening to the Cure, I did not get my interest peaked in them til 1990. I listened to music heavier and darker than this in the 80s for sure, but this was the sound of chasing girls at the mall and smoking pot in my cousins car.  I choose 40 since many of these acts represent a time when this kind of music cracked the top 40 . It was a time when MTV began to dominate so image became every thing. Many of these band would put out album that were not metal at all, nor would I consider them metal bands. Granted most are on the low end of the heavy scale, with a few evolvoing into something heavier. I will make a Top 40 Glam Rock albums of all time to clearly contrast the difference, glam rock being more in the vein of Bowie and T-REX. Yes, some of these artists also crossed over into glam , but hair metal has a more cock rocking flair to it and is less androgynous.

These albums are  more about doing cocaine and getting pussy, devoid of any political correctness, none of this would fly in 2020. It would get a hastag for sure. Any this list should speak for itself, in some cases it might not be the most popular album or the album that broke the band through , but the album I feel has the best songs when it comes to hair metal. Remember that as some of these bands have better heavy metal albums, but we are talking about the best to tease your hair up and get a blow job to. So here are the top 10 hair metal albums of all time.


10-Ozzy Osbourne - "No Rest For the Wicked" 1988 

 He was headed in the hair metal direction on "Bark at the Moon" , but fully commits on this album . "Tattooed Dancer" being the most cock rocked out moment. But it's Ozzy and Zakk played with so much fire on this album that it overshadows this.


 


9-Cinderella -" Night Songs" 1986


 This album came out at the same time as "Look What the Cat Dragged in" and proved to be the better of the two albums. They did everything Poison did with more balls and darker.

 







8-Ratt -"Dancing Undercover" 1986

 Yeah, "Out of the Cellar" put them on the map. This album has higher energy and builds off what they are best at. It was actually a tougher call between this and "Invasion of Your Privacy".


 







7-LA Guns- "Cocked and Loaded" 1989


 More punch than sex action. These guys always felt more believable than many of the other bands trying to be tough bikers while looking like women. "Rip & Tear" is a fucking mean song too.


 







6-Lizzy Borden- "Visual Lies" 1987



 One of the most under rated bands from this era. He has a great voice and adds a darkside to his getting pussy songs.


 






5 -Skid Row- "Slave to the Grind" - 1991



 They avoid the sophomore slump by getting heavier. There is more to these song than just the big hooky choruses that ruled the first album and put more emphasis on metal than hair.



 






 4- Kiss - "Animalize" - 1984


 Hair metal for Kiss was ... well they are pretty much the godfathers of it as most bands on this list would not exsist without them. This album pretty much speaks for it self the best of their Desmond Child era albums.


 





3-Queensyrche- "Operation Mindcrime" 1988


 Ok, it's somewhat proggy hair metal. Most bands of their kind were not as ambitious and this albums is a piure masterpiece and could have been number one if not fur the next three albums.


 




2-Guns N Roses- Appetite For Destruction"1987


This album is number tow because I do not like "Paradise City' and the number one album I like
every song. But this is still a classic.

.




1-Motley Crue- "Shout at the Devil" 1983

Flawless front to back. They were still standing their ground as a heavy metal band and had an aire of danger to them.




 

the Top 10 Hard Rock Albums of the Decade

The decade began before this blog was started , I can not just rely on sorting through previous reviews. I am just embedding video clips to support the reasoning for these albums to be listed as such, since I already did a best of the year list for each sub-genre. Hard rock was created by splitting mainstream metal and rock off into more specialized categories. So these bands rock harder than rock n roll, but not hard enough to be metal This might not be the most hipster of the lists that say Vice puts out, what matters is the fact; these are the albums I listened to the most .&Any ways here are the Top 10 Hard Rock  albums of the decade.




10- O'Brother-- "Garden Window" 2011




 






9-Junius- "Days of the Fallen Sun" 2014 




 






8-LA Guns-" the Missing Peace" 2017










7-New Years Day- "Unbreakable"  2019 













6-Tomahawk- "Oddfellows" 2013






 




5-Kvelertak -"Meir"- 2013




 






4- Alice In Chains - "Rainer Fog 2018 "












3- Hopesfall - "Arbiter" 2018




 







2-Mindless Self Indulgence- How I Learned to Shut Up " 2012




 






1-Royal Thunder- 'Crooked Doors "- 2015 




 

LA Guns : "the Devil You Know"

12 albums later the band survived the 90s so they are not going to be giving up any time soon. I think the fact that they had more of a metal edge than their peers all along helps with this.  The opener sounds like they are clocking in on their heavier , where "Stay Away", does a better job of that . The vocals are way up front in the mix , while Phil sounds great for his age, I could use more guitar. The bass is lost and the drums patter in the background. It is clear these guys are aware it's 2019 and the world has moved past hair metal and now needs something heavier. They stay true to who they are and deliver this on the title track.It's not that they are trying to be Five Finger Death Punch in an attempt to do this. It still sounds like LA Guns.  Their is more of a Guns and Roses feel to "Needle to the Bone". I could also hear this song on the first Motley Crue album, though it's less metal and has more of a bluesy sleaze.

There is more of the metallic great that the title track had on "Going High" . There is more of a rock swagger to "Gone Honey".  Warmer and more organic, it's certainly not the most interesting song they have written , in fact it sounds like warmed over Cult with Lewis singing. The more uptempo "Don't Need to Win" is pretty much color by numbers middle of the road rock not unlike the previous song, though Lewis' voice carried more of a sharp barb to it making it very AC/DC. Despite the fact that it's a good song, "Down That Hole " reminds me of Stone Temple Pilots more middle of the road moments. The best song on every level is " Another Season In Hell". The guitar playing is great. Phil sounds at his peak. There is a ton of emotion and sonic layers. It's also one of the album's darker moments which I am sure sways me to some extent. I like the intensity the guitars are strummed with on the chorus. I suppose in some ways this is a power ballad.

The album ends on a playful almost punk note with "Boom". Punk has always been an influence on the dirtier side of glam rock. It's not the best song on the album. The way the gang vocals chime in might be a little too heavy handed, however over all the song works with what these guys do. I'll give this album an 8.5, it's pretty fun and easy to listen to. I liked "the Missing Peace" a little better , but this works as well and proves these guys are holding up better...musically than the bulk of their peers from these time. Yeah some of the guys in Skid Row or Motley Crue might look better, but these guys might have made their heaviest album yet, which is more than you can say for those bands.

The Top 10 Mainstream Metal Albums of 2017

Mainstream is not to imply that these bands sold out, in most cases, but rather they fall some where in the middle of the road. Genres that are not extreme enough to get their own list. So things like the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Hair Metal, Power Metal, Pagan Metal all fall within this . Most of the albums were ranked due in accordance to how much I actually listened to them. In order to obtain this I referred to my Last Fm page after synching it to my iPod over the course of the year. This year I added a brief blip to help explain what factored into the ranking that might have inspired me to listen to one band more than another.

10-Beastmaker - "Inside the Skull"

On their first album it didn't feel like there was a much Sabbath worship as what goes down here. The slight Dax Riggs inflection in the vocals is now more of a Ozzy like whine. Not in the same tenor register as Ozzy, but the phrasing is similar . This time around there is more weight in the Sabbath like punch they are packing.Seems like the guitar solos have been dialed up on this album as the band gets more adventurous. I did not like this one as much as their previous album, but it is certainly good enough to make this list.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/05/beastmaker-inside-skull.html

9-Hanging Garden - "I Am Become"


Goth metal is a term that makes you think of either Type O Negative or something like Theater of Tragedy. There are a few shades lighter and darker than are romantic or elegant enough to warrant that title. This gloomy band from Helsinki has returned to create some sounds that come closer to the Theater of Tragedy side of the coin. Finland seems to be the breeding ground for goth inflected metal. So these guys might be named after a Cure song , but they are less flowery than most. I suppose an ex-death metal band who now mainly works with melody like November's Doom might be a good reference point, as they do lapse back into the death metal vocals, though are more often more melodic than not when doing so. These guys offered up more solid songs than the almost disappointing Beastmaker album.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/10/gothtober-hanging-garden-i-am-become.html

8-Steel Panther- "Lower the Bar" 


These guys are more of a parody, but in the process make some good music by mistake. It opens with a some what subtle ode to anal sex. There have more similarities of Bon Jovi  and Van Halen's more metal moments than anyone else. While they are a parody of the big hair school of metal I listened to in adolescent they are still clever song writers. The lyrics to "Anything Goes" are funny, but I am not sure this is the same level of songwriting that they show on the first song. They were fun and clever enough to beat out Hanging Garden's more morose approach when it comes to song writing and I typical go for more morose.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/03/steel-panther-lower-bar.html

7-Corrosion of Conformity- No Cross No Crown


Pepper Keenan is not the original vocalist, but sang on their first full blown metal album "Blind" . It Open with a bigger sound than they had on "Blind" which lets be fair, has to be the album we weight this against. They do have more of a Metallica sound now. "Cast the First Stone" brings this to a more aggressive rock place, with blues tinged guitar solos.this album exceeded my expectations. It might not be  "Blind" , but it is still  pretty solid.and has enough soul to it's grooves to beat out Steel Panther.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/12/corrosion-of-conformity-no-cross-no.html

6-Dool -There Then


This  album that carries the torch of the Devil's Blood in a much different way than expected, It features the former drummer and bassist from the Devils Blood, so why no buzz? Not really trying to replicate the sound of the Devils Blood. The ten minute opener is certainly less retro. It also feels a little darker and their singer has more of a modern rock radio friendly voice. The guitars don't sound like they are running through Orange Amps.Of all the albums on the list this might be the least heavy , but it makes up for it in dynamic songwriting which is why it beats out

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/12/catching-up-with-2017-dool-here-now.html

5-L.A. Guns- the Missing Peace"

 In the early metal years, LA Guns was one of the few hair metal bands that was actually metal instead of pop with guitars. Their first two albums are awesome, and they have been hit or miss from there. This album surprised me with the fact that they sound better than Guns N Roses these days. Phil Lewis' voice sounds terrific.The opening track is more aggressive than expected. This renewed fire to their sound is why they beat out Dool.


 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/10/la-guns-missing-peace.html

4-Enslaved- "M"

These guys used to be one of my favorite metal bands then they drifted too far out into Opeth territory and lost some of their bite. This doesn't change the fact they are great musicians and slayed it when I saw them live. They meander into the opener, with granted cool guitar tones , but it goes to show some off the fat could have been trimmed off it. Clean vocals are the first two show. Though the scowling growl does chime in to remind you they are metal. This album is great because it finds them forgetting about the Opeth aspirations and moving back into the kind of epic heaviness that beats out C.O.C.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/10/enslaved-e.html

3- Myrkur -"Mareridt"


t first blast beat you might expect this just to be same kind of black metal that we heard on her debut full length, this is not the case. There is an even greater blending of folk and ambiance in the songs ebb and flow. There is a darker tone to "the Serpent" that builds tension , with her singing with a more sultry manner that holds a sexuality not explored in her previous work. Production wise the vocals are going through a distorted filter, but this more spacious, without feeling pretentious and overblown, however not the kind of lo-fi affair fans of black metal might prefer. This is not always black metal. Get ready for this,  sometimes this album is not metal at all.It is heavy enough to be on this list and while it is not as heavy as the new Enslaved it does have a wider range which is why I got more play time out of it and it beat out Enslaved.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/09/myrkur-mareridt.html

2-Spirit Adrift- "Curse of Conception"

 When this album started in reminded me more of In Solitude, than the band's previous work as there seemed to be more of a longing in the wail of the vocals. Typical this album gallops along at much more of an uptempo charge than doom to lead them more in the direction of NWOBHM bands. The twin guitar harmonies further enforce this.The guitar tones are incredibly produced and make this sound like it is a lost classic from the 80s which vaults them over Myrkur.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/09/spirit-adrift-curse-of-conception.html

1-Gwar - "Blood of Gods" 

 The elephant in the room becomes their strength. Blothar the new singer, is the old Beefcake the Mighty taking on a new mantel. So they promoted from within. I can deal with this better than if it was some new guy they just brought in.The new sound took getting used to even though, he did handle the vocals on the song "Nice Place to Park". So his voice is not totally alien. He has a more Blackie Lawless like metal quality. This album needed a few listens before I could connect the changes.  It with a much more straight ahead metal feel in the vein of mid 80s thrash. Each listen connected the dot a little more until it raised it sword in victory over bands like Spirit Adrift.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/09/gwar-blood-of-gods.html

LA Guns : "The Missing Peace"

In the early metal years, LA Guns was one of the few hair metal bands that was actually metal instead of pop with guitars. Their first two albums are awesome, and they have been hit or miss from there. So checking back in with these guys finds me surprised that they sound better than Guns N Roses these days. Phil Lewis' voice sounds terrific.The opening track is more aggressive than expected. There is more of a rock n roll swagger to "Speed" as the metal edge of the first song is dialed back.It returns right after this song with "A Drop of Bleach". The riff has a snaking groove to it's palm muted sinew. 

There is a darker mood to somber sex action of "Sticky Fingers" . They remain firmly planted on the metal side of the fence. I don't remember them using this many synths before , but the song is metal enough for me to pass too harsh of a judgement upon this. Then comes the power ballad with "Christine". As far as power ballads go this musing of a hungover morning after seems genuine enough. The vocal melody on the verse has an Areosmith quality to it. Then it's back to dirty Hollywood strip rock n roll for "Baby Gotta Fever". This sounds like it could have come from "Cocked and Loaded".   With the title "Kill it Or Die" I did not picture something so bluesy. It was a decent groove and is true to who they are.

The metal comes back when they kick into the almost Judas Priest like riff to "Don't Bring a Knife to a Gun Fight" . How drunk was Lewis to come up with the title "The Flood's Fault of the Rain"? It feels like "House of the Rising Sun" , but there is enough of their thumb prints on it to make me forget that fact."The Devil Made Me Do it " song does has a great deal of drive it and even manages to retain their sleazy signature. The third act of the album does seem to have more power ballads on it. If they weren't so well written I might have more of a problem with it. I really like the riff that bridges them into the more distorted power chord section. I'll give this one a 9 despite the abundance of power ballads as the heavier moments compensate.