The 2021 edition of our Annual Report continues with our list of the Top 30 Metal & Hard Rock Songs of 2021. As the year winds down, stay tuned for more awards, lists, and articles about the best music, film, and TV of 2021. You can find it all in one place here.
Another heavy year deserves another heavy soundtrack of standout songs. While we still find ourselves in the midst of a pandemic, our favorite acts continue to churn out tunes that stir inspiration, hope, anger, rage, sadness, and all the emotions that go with the uncertain world in which we live.
Music serves as an escape we need during difficult times, briefly diverting our attention from the daily grind or reminding us that there is still beauty in the world, no matter the circumstances. In 2021, we were once again blessed with a wide array of stellar music from metal and hard rock acts that did just that.
The iconic Iron Maiden showed no signs of slowing down, while fellow legends Guns N’ Roses finally released a couple of “new” songs. A number of acts — like Slipknot, Halestorm, Ghost, and Zeal & Ardor — didn’t release new full-lengths this year, but offered us a wonderful taste of what’s to come by unleashing singles in advance of their 2022 albums.
Meanwhile, young guns like Turnstile, Wolfgang Van Halen’s Mammoth WVH, and others proved that the future of heavy music is bright.
Revisit the best tracks that 2021 had to offer in our list of the Top 30 Metal & Hard Rock Songs below.
–Spencer Kaufman
Managing Editor, Heavy Consequence
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