Top 30 Rock Albums of 2022

There was a steady stream of new music released over the past 12 months: pleasant surprises, anticipated projects and brand-new sounds.

For some, it was a long time coming: Tears for Fears released their first studio LP in 18 years, Eddie Vedder unveiled his first solo record in over a decade and Jethro Tull put out their first studio album since 2003. Others have been working feverishly: Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jack White each released two albums this year, while the Black Keys, Ozzy Osbourne and Neil Young (once again working with longtime backing band Crazy Horse) quickly followed up their previous records.

Some artists explored different soundscapes: Wilco embraced their early days with an album of country songs, while Dave Grohl tried his hand at heavy metal, releasing an album just a few hours before his Foo Fighters bandmate Taylor Hawkins was found dead in his hotel room.

But new artists arrived on the scene, too, but their names are familiar: The Smile - a trio featuring Radiohead‘s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood with Sons of Kemet’s Tom Skinner – released their debut album, and Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett put out his first record, and EP titled Portals.

Plus, there were releases by some of classic rock’s biggest names – Def Leppard, Sammy Hagar, John Mellencamp and Slash, among them – doing what they do best.

All of these and more can be found in the below list of the Top 30 Rock Albums of 2022.