2025 Hard Rock + Metal Album Release

Since it was established in the early 1970s, Heavy metal has long stood out as one of the most popularized alternative cultures in contemporary music. Throughout the genre’s existence there has been a countless number of sub-genres created under the heavy metal umbrella, and today that number has only continued to grow with the innovation and experimentation from modern metal bands. Provided the overarching metal genre is so vast and everchaging, it’s always been a difficult task to pinpoint what the genre’s most iconic and greatest bands are. However, there are certainly a handful of acts that nearly all metal fans can agree upon that have shaped the genre into what it is today. Many of these band have either pioneered entire sub-genres on their own, or they’ve gone as far as to establish the sonic and musical tropes used throughout the vast majority of the metal genre.

Top Metal Bands

This list of iconic metal bands was created with the entire history of the heavy metal genre in mind, which began when Black Sabbath released their debut studio album in 1970. While it’s impossible to include all metal sub-genres in this type of list, the sub-genres that are most prominent and influential across metal today were considered with priority. As far as bands go, with the exception of a couple acts that blur the lines between rock and metal, every band on this list is unquestionably a metal band first and foremost, regardless of whether they appeal to other neighboring genres of metal music (i.e. hardcore, punk, rock). Furthermore, every act on this list has released one or more landmark albums throughout their career.

Since it was established in the early 1970s, Heavy metal has long stood out as one of the most popularized alternative cultures in contemporary music. Throughout the genre’s existence there has been a countless number of sub-genres created under the heavy metal umbrella, and today that number has only continued to grow with the innovation and experimentation from modern metal bands. Provided the overarching metal genre is so vast and everchaging, it’s always been a difficult task to pinpoint what the genre’s most iconic and greatest bands are. However, there are certainly a handful of acts that nearly all metal fans can agree upon that have shaped the genre into what it is today. Many of these band have either pioneered entire sub-genres on their own, or they’ve gone as far as to establish the sonic and musical tropes used throughout the vast majority of the metal genre.

Top Metal Bands

This list of iconic metal bands was created with the entire history of the heavy metal genre in mind, which began when Black Sabbath released their debut studio album in 1970. While it’s impossible to include all metal sub-genres in this type of list, the sub-genres that are most prominent and influential across metal today were considered with priority. As far as bands go, with the exception of a couple acts that blur the lines between rock and metal, every band on this list is unquestionably a metal band first and foremost, regardless of whether they appeal to other neighboring genres of metal music (i.e. hardcore, punk, rock). Furthermore, every act on this list has released one or more landmark albums throughout their career.

Here is your 2025 hard rock + metal album release calendar and all of this week’s newest albums!

Each week is loaded with new rock and metal releases and keeping track of it all can be pretty difficult. Bookmark this page because we’ll be updating this all year and you can check back each Friday to see what’s out that day and go check it all out!
Some of the year’s most anticipated album will drop early in 2025 and it’s already looking to be another incredible year for heavy music, no matter you’re into.

Since it was established in the early 1970s, Heavy metal has long stood out as one of the most popularized alternative cultures in contemporary music. Throughout the genre’s existence there has been a countless number of sub-genres created under the heavy metal umbrella, and today that number has only continued to grow with the innovation and experimentation from modern metal bands. Provided the overarching metal genre is so vast and everchaging, it’s always been a difficult task to pinpoint what the genre’s most iconic and greatest bands are. However, there are certainly a handful of acts that nearly all metal fans can agree upon that have shaped the genre into what it is today. Many of these band have either pioneered entire sub-genres on their own, or they’ve gone as far as to establish the sonic and musical tropes used throughout the vast majority of the metal genre.

Top Metal Bands

This list of iconic metal bands was created with the entire history of the heavy metal genre in mind, which began when Black Sabbath released their debut studio album in 1970. While it’s impossible to include all metal sub-genres in this type of list, the sub-genres that are most prominent and influential across metal today were considered with priority. As far as bands go, with the exception of a couple acts that blur the lines between rock and metal, every band on this list is unquestionably a metal band first and foremost, regardless of whether they appeal to other neighboring genres of metal music (i.e. hardcore, punk, rock). Furthermore, every act on this list has released one or more landmark albums throughout their career.