2020 Metal & Hard Rock Albums

Browse 43 metal and hard rock albums released in 2020, with detailed artist pages, track lists, Spotify players and English liner notes.

2020 Albums

ARTISTRAVEN
/ NWOBHM, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal

The fourteenth album, and the first studio record with Mike Heller. Gallagher pitched it as the album Raven would have made straight after 1982's Wiped Out.

/ Nu Metal, Alternative Metal, Modern Metal

The third album, named after the genre tag the band invented for itself. A European tour ended about a week after its release when the pandemic closed everything down, and "Dark Side" came out of that.

ARTISTBABYMETAL
/ Alternative Metal, Power Metal, Metalcore

BABYMETAL’s first best-of collection, tracing ten years of transformation from early shock to global-scale metal spectacle.

ARTISTHAGANE
/ Power Metal, Speed Metal, Heavy Metal

HAGANE’s debut EP, condensing clear melody, speed and technical guitar work into a concise first statement.

ARTISTAC/DC
/ Hard Rock, Blues Rock

With Brian Johnson, Phil Rudd and Cliff Williams back in the fold, Power Up returns AC/DC to its essential language: thick rhythm guitar, forward-driving beat and a

ARTISTALDIOUS
/ Melodic Metal, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock

Evoke 2010-2020 is best heard not simply as a covers-related entry, but as a record that shows how ALDIOUS translates outside material into its own

ARTISTALDIOUS
/ Melodic Metal, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock

Evoke II 2010-2020 is best heard not simply as a covers-related entry, but as a record that shows how ALDIOUS translates outside material into its own

ARTISTAMARANTHE
/ Modern Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Power Metal

Manifest pushes Amaranthe’s defining three-vocal approach into bolder electronic detail and metal momentum.

/ Thrash Metal, Speed Metal

Ballistic, Sadistic condenses the speed, odd turns and black humor associated with Jeff Waters’ Annihilator.

/ Cello Metal, Symphonic Metal

Cell-0 places the sound of the cello itself at the center, with Apocalyptica working without a featured vocalist.

ARTISTBLINDMAN
/ Hard Rock, Blues Rock, Heavy Metal

Released for the band’s twenty-fifth anniversary, Expansion reinforces BLINDMAN’s identity as a melodic and emotional hard-rock band with a stronger sense of ensemble.

ARTISTBON JOVI
ALBUM2020 CD
/ Hard Rock, Melodic Rock

As its title suggests, Bon Jovi’s fifteenth album is closely tied to the atmosphere of 2020.

/ Melodic Death Metal, Death Metal

Moment gathers Dark Tranquillity’s core language—sharp guitars, cold keyboards and an introspective lyrical atmosphere—into a fluid melodic-death-metal record.

/ Hard Rock, Classic Rock

Continuing its collaboration with producer Bob Ezrin, Deep Purple’s twenty-first album balances hard-rock weight with a relaxed sense of play.

/ Alternative Rock, Hard Rock, Progressive Rock

Alter Echo develops Dizzy Mizz Lizzy’s alternative-rock edge into more detailed, narrative-minded structures.

ARTISTDYNAZTY
/ Melodic Metal, Power Metal

The Dark Delight sharpens Dynazty’s modern melodic-metal momentum into a harder and more dramatic form.

/ Progressive Metal, Heavy Metal

Fates Warning’s thirteenth album uses progressive-metal complexity not as a display case, but as a way to trace time and shifting emotion.

ARTISTFIREWIND
/ Power Metal, Heavy Metal

On its self-titled ninth album, Firewind organize the elements that make the band immediately recognizable.

ALBUMF8 CD
/ Groove Metal, Alternative Metal

F8 builds on Five Finger Death Punch’s huge riffs and modern-metal groove while placing emotions beyond anger at the front.

ARTISTFM
/ AOR, Melodic Rock

FM’s twelfth album refines the space between AOR and hard rock around Steve Overland’s smooth, powerful voice.

ARTISTGOTTHARD
ALBUM#13 CD
/ Hard Rock, Melodic Rock

#13 by GOTTHARD: track list, Spotify player, music videos and English liner notes on METAL BOOST.

ARTISTH.E.A.T
/ Melodic Rock, Hard Rock

H.E.A.T II revives the energy of eighties arena rock with modern punch and speed.

/ Melodic Rock, Hard Rock

Change the World brings together Harem Scarem’s strengths—smart chord movement, muscular guitar and unforgettable choruses—with a high level of finish.

/ Power Metal, Heavy Metal

Skycrest drives Iron Savior’s long-running space-age imagery and straightforward power metal with renewed heat.

/ Groove Metal, Metalcore

By choosing a self-title for its tenth album, Lamb of God reasserts the band’s core.

ARTISTLOVEBITES
/ Power Metal, Heavy Metal

Electric Pentagram shows Lovebites’ unity as a five-piece through both speed and drama.

/ Instrumental Rock, Heavy Metal

Tokyo Jukebox 3 is best heard not simply as a covers-related entry, but as a record that shows how MARTY FRIEDMAN translates outside material into its

/ Power Metal, Heavy Metal

Metal Division does exactly what its title promises: it puts fundamental heavy-metal elements directly in front of the listener.

ARTISTNIGHTWISH
/ Symphonic Metal, Power Metal

Nightwish’s ninth album tells a large story through two perspectives: “Human.” and “Nature.” The first half connects Floor Jansen’s expressive singing, Marko Hietala

/ Heavy Metal, Hard Rock

Ordinary Man, Ozzy Osbourne’s first studio album in nearly a decade, places his enduring defiance beside direct thoughts about age and mortality.

/ Melodic Rock, AOR

Perfect Plan’s second album polishes the appeal of Scandinavian melodic rock in a very direct way.

/ Hard Rock, Modern Metal

Cowboy Man is Peyton Parrish’s debut, mixing country earthiness, post-grunge directness and metal weight into one songwriting world.

/ Power Metal, Heavy Metal

Metal Commando lives up to its title by committing fully to traditional heavy metal’s forward drive.

ARTISTRAGE
/ Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, Thrash Metal

Wings of Rage connects the forward drive of German metal with Rage’s particular sense of melancholy.

ALBUMRise CD
/ Melodic Rock, Hard Rock

Rise brings together the personalities of Deen Castronovo, Doug Aldrich and Jack Blades with no wasted motion in service of melodic rock.

/ Progressive Metal, Melodic Metal

Royal Hunt’s Dystopia is a concept work that uses detailed keyboard arrangements, thick guitar and several guest vocalists to dramatize an oppressive future vision.

ARTISTTESTAMENT
/ Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal

Testament’s thirteenth album retains thrash metal’s cutting edge while adding the weight and ease of a long career.

/ Melodic Death Metal, Death Metal

Verminous pours the speed of melodic death metal into a dense world that suggests horror and fantasy literature.

/ Melodic Rock, Hard Rock

Tokyo Motor Fist’s second album centers on Ted Poley’s immediately likable voice and Steve Brown’s bright guitar, presenting eighties-style melodic hard rock in a mo

ARTISTTRIVIUM
/ Metalcore, Thrash Metal

Trivium’s ninth album tightly connects thrash sharpness, metalcore aggression and progressive movement, even within compact songs.

ARTISTU.D.O.
/ Heavy Metal, Speed Metal

We Are One is an unusual collaboration between U.D.O. and the German Armed Forces Concert Band, directly combining heavy-metal riffs with full wind-band arrangements.

ALBUM2020 CD
/ Hard Rock, Melodic Rock

2020 is Adrian Vandenberg’s first Vandenberg studio album in roughly thirty-five years.