The 50 best rock albums of the 2010s (this list is good)

Louder Sound ^ | December 18, 2019 | Staff

[DoodleBob]

Somewhere around the middle of the decade, Gene Simmons famously declared to all who would listen that "rock'n'roll is finally dead". Pointing the finger at file-sharing for what he called the "murder" of the genre, he railed against modern technology and what he perceived as the decade's lack of talent, decrying the absence of a "next Bob Dylan" in modern music's landscape.

But pay no attention to uncle Gene. Firstly, he's been saying this sort of thing since 1993, and we all know how the 90s panned out in terms of rock's legacy. Just because Kiss failed to make a great record this decade doesn't mean everyone else did. Secondly, a quick scan of the albums below will show you that rock music's been plenty busy over the last 10 years.

Rock'n'roll mainstays AC/DC released Rock Or Bust, an album we felt "placed its faith at the feet of rock‘n’roll, both as a restorative force and also as a vaccine against all ills" when it was released in 2014. Fellow veterans ZZ Top and Rush joined them in releasing stone-cold belters at various points throughout the decade.

But – as we've discussed in depth elsewhere – there's been plenty of new blood making their mark on the decade, too. The Struts cemented their profile with two swaggering albums – 2014's Everybody Wants and 2018's Young & Dangerous – their success helped in no small part by the impossible charisma of vocalist Luke Spiller. Who says we don't have any rock stars anymore? Idles, Fantastic Negrito and Royal Blood all furnished us with future classics.

...

So, here we present the best 50 rock albums of the decade – as voted for by you.

[DoodleBob]

For the lazy amongst us, and without editorial commentary (though #9 is a head-scratcher)

10. Judas Priest - Firepower (2018)
9. Kate Bush - 50 Words For Snow (2011)
8. Idles - Joy As An Act of Resistance (2018)
7. Steven Wilson - Hand. Cannot. Erase (2015)
6. Queens Of The Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork (2013)
5. David Bowie - Blackstar (2013)
4. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light (2011)
3. Iron Maiden - The Book Of Souls (2015)
2. Tool - Fear Inoculum (2019)
1. Rush - Clockwork Angels (2012)

[ifinnegan]

Can’t imagine wanting to hear one note of any of that.

[VeniVidiVici]

I didn’t know Rock and Roll had been done after the 80’s.

[Jim W N]

Hey, where’s the Rolling Uglies on that list? Didn’t they do something this decade?

[circlecity]

"I didn’t know Rock and Roll had been done after the 80’s."

roger that. It was on life support in the 90's and died thereafter.

[circlecity]

"Hey, where’s the Rolling Uglies on that list? Didn’t they do something this decade?"

Stones haven't done anything impressive since Brian Jones died.

[bobby.223]

Dittos to that! Kids these days huh!?

[Zuriel]

Ditto

[EQAndyBuzz]

They did a blues album.

[DoodleBob]

Oh cmon...Judas Priest, Steven Wilson, and Bowie always turn in great material. While I love Rush, Iron Maiden’s Book Of Souls was perhaps THE story of the decade; with everyone cranking out shorter albums, Maiden goes long.

[EQAndyBuzz]

“ Stones haven’t done anything impressive since Brian Jones died. ”

I would say Sticky Fingers was a good album.

[DoodleBob]

Stones haven't done anything impressive since Brian Jones died.

I disagree. Bitter Sweet Symphony was great.

[Fungi]

Heard of a few of them, don’t want to hear any of them.

[chris37]

Two of my favorite selections from two of the above bands:

1. Culling Voices by Tool

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rj3IbZV_YQM

2. Little Sister Queens of the Stone Age

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGRqnNEOpe0

Oh and who the Hell is Kate Bush!?

[Jim W N]

Well you’ve just poo-pooed most of their stuff. No they did some pretty good stuff after Jones was gone. However, after their bass player, Bill Wyman, left I don’t know what they did.

[Bell Bouy II]

Good point never mind try to find them from this post.

[circlecity]

"No they did some pretty good stuff after Jones was gone."

Sorry, but after Brian Jones they were just a by-the-numbers tinker toy pop rock band, rewriting the same songs over and over.

[LongWayHome]

Overlooked: Bob Seger 2014 “Ride Out”. The best thing he’s done since the 70s.

[Jim W N]

They were Rhythm and Blues and stuck with that shtick and were pretty good for a long time. Sorry you don’t like ‘em - to each his own...

[circlecity]

I loved them while they were still original and creative. Like many other bands they got stale, especially after losing their creative force.