The 25 Best Rock + Metal Albums of 2023

In a year with thousands of new albums, these are the 25 best rock and metal albums of 2023.

What is perhaps the most encouraging about the year of new releases is that relative newcomers are emerging as fan-favorites, securing a future for heavy music that looks considerably more promising than it did just a few years ago.

Make no mistake though — the veteran artists are still out there delivering at a high level onstage and in the studio, meaning there is a healthy rock and metal scene at all levels, top to bottom. And the ever-widening scope of what is branded as rock or metal has helped lure new fans, serving as another gateway to this music we all love.

READ MORE: The 40 Most Played Songs on Rock Radio in 2023

The year started off with a bang — HIM frontman Ville Valo returned with his enchanting solo debut, In Flames restored a bit of their classic form, Godsmack dished out what might be their last album ever and Paramore gave us their first new record in six years.

We all know Metallica, Avenged Sevenfold and Foo Fighters dominated the spring and things continued to heat up all the way through the end of the year with some other seriously big-time releases.

See the 25 albums that are the best of the best from this year directly below!