Here’s our picks for the best albums of 2024 in the metal and hard rock category.
Each album has a link below it for you to listen and check them out for yourself.
01. Judas Priest – Invincible Shield
The mighty Judas Priest returns to show everyone how it’s done! This album will remind listeners what makes Judas Priest one of the greatest bands in heavy metal history.
02. Sebastian Bach – Child Within The Man
The Sebastian Bach vs Skid Row fanbase is about as divided as the United States is, but you’re not likely to find an album that will remind you of Skid Row’s glory days more than this Sebastian Bach solo will.
03. The End Machine – The Quantum Phase
This one is an under-the-radar album that needs to be heard. The band comprised of Ex-Dokken members George Lynch and Jeff Pilson, drummer Steve Brown (brother of former Dokken drummer Mick Brown), and singer Girish Pradhan simply bring down this house with this classic 80’s style heavy metal album.
04. Saxon – Hell, Fire And Damnation
Unfortunately Saxon has never gotten the respect they deserved, the band has been going strong for years and was one of the great bands to emerge from the NWOBHM scene. This album is incredibly good and one of the best of their career. If classic heavy metal is your thing, you need to hear this one.
05. Bruce Dickinson – The Mandrake Project
Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson returns with a new solo album that has some real punch to it. A solid album from beginning to end.
06. Babylon A.D. – Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day
80s rockers Babylon A.D. return with one of the best albums of their career. These songs sound like the band’s original signature style and will take you back to a time when rock music was fun and in your face at the same time.
07. Category 7 – Category 7
This supergroup delivered their first album in convincing fashion. This album is a true banger with band members from Anthrax, Armored Saint, Overkill, Exodus, Machine Head, and Adrenaline Mob, how could it not be great. a solid first outing from a band of true metal veterans.
08. Kerry King – From Hell I Rise
Slayer guitarist Kerry King comes out swinging on his first solo outing. Don’t expect it to be a straight up clone of Slayer, because it isn’t, but it’s pretty damn good metal from a legend of the scene.
09. Riot V – Mean Streets
Riot V returns with a brilliant album that is so underrated it’s criminal. Check this out for classic metal that doesn’t comprise to current trends.
10. Mick Mars – The Other Side of Mars
Motley Crue’s Mick Mars releases his first-ever solo album. Many were surprised that it doesn’t sound like classic Crue, but if you like modern hard rock it’s interesting to hear Mick’s take on it.
11. Ministry – Hopiumforthemasses
Al Jourgensen returns with a new album of anarchy. A lot of the lyrical content will not go over well with those of a certain political party, but musically it’s in your face, under your skin, and up your ass the entire album.
12. Accept – Humanoid
Accept was all but written off after they parted ways with original singer Udo Dirkschneider, but current singer Mark Tornillo and guitarist Wolf Hoffman have been carrying the torch in their own way and this album is a solid entry in the band’s catalog.
13. Mr. Big – Ten
Mr. Big returns with what is believed to be their final studio album. It’s a little more harder rocking than some of their albums and that’s perfect as far as I’m concerned. The band prove they still have the chops. This is the classic lineup of Mr. Big, Eric Martin, Paul Gilbert, and Billy Sheehan minus drummer Pat Torpey (R.I.P.).
14. Deep Purple – =1
Deep Purple seemingly came out of nowhere to deliver one of their best albums in many years. The band isn’t afraid to let their rock banner fly after all of these years and it’s an interesting and refreshing album by a band with an incredible and long legacy.
15. Ace Frehley – 10,000 Volts
The Spaceman, former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley returns with a new studio album of originals that hit a little harder this time out. Overall, the songs are pretty damn catchy and land somewhere between Ace’s previous band Frehley’s Comet, and KISS.
Bobby Caughron is a music journalist and Editor-In-Chief for XS ROCK. He began a life-long fan of hard rock and metal music after hearing KISS as a kid. He is still an avid fan of the 80s metal scene and continues to discover and write about new music in all rock genres today.
Bobby Caughron 
