Hard Rock, Prog Rock, AOR & Glam Metal
Thirty years ago the styles and sub-genres clearly exemplified by the following fifty titles were an integral part of the music mainstream. The assault against proper Rock music intensified in the coming years. Many so-called music experts deemed rock and roll to be dead and buried. Failed efforts to replace it with, for the lack of a better word, garbage, were many. Surviving the dim years of the 1990s and crawling into the new millennium; wounds were licked, guitars tuned, and with new tires fitted on the old van, Rock took the show on the road once more! Legacy acts and an increasing amount of new talent (A/N: 17 out of the 50 titles are debut efforts!) with the unconditional support from fans, diehard and new alike, are here to remind the world: Rock ain't dead!
I'm just gonna drive along with
the windows down and the wind
in my hair and my middle finger in the air!
Because rock n' roll is here to
stay and if you don't like it, my
finger's gonna be pointed your way!
Slaughter
50
GRAND DESIGN
V
(Sweden)
Released on March 6, 2020
Studio album #5
Hard Rock, Glam Metal
49
STONEFACE
Bad Luck World
(Sweden)
Released on March 20, 2020
Studio album #2
Hard Rock
48
COMPASS
Our Time On Earth
(UK)
Released on April 24, 2020
Debut album
Progressive Rock
47
DEVIL'S BALLS
Stormy Weather
(Germany)
Released on March 22, 2020
Studio album #2
Hard Rock
46
STORM FORCE
Age of Fear
(Canada)
Released on January 24, 2020
Debut album
Melodic/Hard Rock
45
GOTTHARD
(Switzerland)
Released on March 13, 2020
Studio album #13
Hard Rock
44
CRYPTEX
Once Upon a Time
(Germany)
Released on May 8, 2020
Studio album #3
Progressive/Hard Rock
43
INTO THE OPEN
Destination Eternity
(Netherlands)
Released on March 20, 2020
Debut album
Progressive Rock, Neo-Prog
42
SPEED STROKE
Scene of the Crime
(Italy)
Released on November 6, 2020
Studio album #3
Glam Metal, Sleaze Rock
41
REB BEACH
A View from the Inside
(USA)
Released on November 6, 2020
(Solo) Studio album #3
Hard/Progressive Rock
40
DEVICIOUS
Phase Three
(Germany)
Released on May 8, 2020
Studio album #3
Melodic/Hard Rock
39
PINNACLE POINT
Symphony of Mind
(USA)
Released on July 17, 2020
Studio album #2
Melodic/Progressive Rock
38
LANDFALL
The Turning Point
(Brazil)
Released on September 4, 2020
Debut album
Melodic/Hard Rock
37
PRIDE OF LIONS
Lion Heart
(USA)
Released on October 9, 2020
Studio album #6
AOR, Melodic Rock
36
KHYMERA
Master of Illusions
(International)
Released on March 6, 2020
Studio album #5
AOR, Melodic Hard Rock
35
WILD SOULS
Queen of My Heart
(Greece)
Released on May 29, 2020
Studio album #3
Melodic Hard Rock
34
AUTUMN'S CHILD
Autumn's Child
(Sweden)
Released on January 31, 2020
Debut album
Melodic Hard Rock
33
TERAMAZE
I Wonder
(Australia)
Released on October 9, 2020
Studio album #7
Progressive Rock/Metal
32
CELLAR STONE
One Fine Day
(Greece)
Released on May 22, 2020
Debut album
Hard Rock
31
HARDBONE
No Frills
(Germany)
Released on may 8, 2020
Studio album #5
Hard Rock
30
STEELCITY
Mach II
(USA)
Released on March 20, 2020
Studio album #2
Melodic/Hard Rock
29
LIONHEART
The Reality of Miracles
(UK)
Released on July 31, 2020
Studio album #3
Melodic Hard Rock
28
DREAMS OF AVALON
Beyond the Dream
(Sweden)
Released on August 28, 2020
Debut album
Melodic Hard Rock
27
TOKYO MOTOR FIST
Lions
(USA)
Released on July 10, 2020
Studio album #2
Melodic Hard Rock
26
COLLATERAL
Collateral
(UK)
Released on February 21, 2020
Debut album
Melodic Hard Rock
25
GATHERING OF KINGS
Discovery
(Sweden)
Released on May 15, 2020
Studio album #2
Melodic Hard Rock, AOR
24
BRITISH LION
The Burning
(UK)
Released on January 17, 2020
Studio album #2
Hard Rock
23
ARKADO
Never Say Never
(Sweden)
Released on March 27, 2020
Debut album
AOR
22
HAREM SCAREM
Change the World
(Canada)
Released on March 6, 2020
Studio album #15
AOR, Melodic Hard Rock
21
MAD MAX
Stormchild Rising
(Germany)
Released on August 21, 2020
Studio album #13
Hard Rock
20
SHAKRA
Mad World
(Switzerland)
Released on February 28, 2020
Studio album #12
Hard Rock
19
BLACK SWAN
Shake the World
(USA)
Released on February 14, 2020
Debut album
Hard Rock
18
LOVE AND WAR
Edge of the World
(USA)
Released on February 3, 2020
Studio album #2
Melodic/Hard Rock
17
CATALANO
Nightfighter
(Australia)
Released on February 29, 2020
Studio album #2
Glam Metal, Sleaze Rock
16
STARDUST
Highway to Heartbreak
(Hungary)
Released on October 9, 2020
Debut album
AOR, Melodic Hard Rock
15
MOON REVERIE
Moon Reverie
(Italy)
Released on January 31, 2020
Debut album
Neo-classical Hard Rock
14
PERFECT PLAN
Time for a Miracle
(Sweden)
Released on September 4, 2020
Studio album #2
Melodic Hard Rock/AOR
13
ARRIVAL
Light from a Dying Star
(UK)
Released on February 3, 2020
Debut album
AOR, Melodic/Progressive Rock
12
MAGICK TOUCH
Heads Have Got to Rock'N'Roll
(Norway)
Released on June 26, 2020
Studio album #3
Hard Rock, Heavy Metal
11
VEGA
Grit Your Teeth
(UK)
Released on June 12, 2020
Studio album #6
Hard Rock
10
FIERCE HEART
War for the World
(USA)
Released on September 25, 2020
Studio album #2
Melodic/Hard Rock
9
ONE DESIRE
Midnight Empire
(Finland)
Released on May 22, 2020
Studio album #2
Melodic Hard Rock
8
VANDENBERG
2020
(Netherlands/USA)
Released on May 29, 2020
Studio album #4
Hard Rock
7
CONFESS
Burn 'Em All
(Sweden)
Released on August 7, 2020
Studio album #3
Glam Metal, Sleaze Rock
6
ARCTIC RAIN
The One
(Sweden)
Released on August 7, 2020
Debut album
Melodic Hard Rock
5
PASSION
Passion
(UK)
Released on January 24, 2020
Debut album
Melodic Hard Rock, Glam Metal
4
BONFIRE
Fistful of Fire
(Germany)
Released on April 3, 2020
Studio album #17
Hard Rock
3
THUNDERMOTHER
Heat Wave
(Sweden)
Released on July 31, 2020
Studio album #4
Hard Rock
2
EVERYDAY HEROES
A Tale of Sin & Sorrow
(UK)
Released on June 5, 2020
Debut album
Hard Rock, Heavy Rock
1
PRÖWESS
BLACKTOP THERAPY
(USA)
Released on January 4, 2020
Debut album
Hard Rock, Sleaze Rock
North Carolina's rockers full-length studio debut, Blacktop Therapy, oozes with genuine rock elements from the late 1970s and early 1980s. Packed with guitar bite, loaded with strong hooks and memorable choruses, it isn't a retro album; it's a classic! Rock Album of the Year!
© 2020 by Emil Chiru