The 51 Best Rock + Metal Songs of 2025 - LOUDWIRE

 

Here are the 51 best rock and metal songs of 2025!

We know you all have a long, long list of your favorites from this year, whether it's in a playlist curated by our streaming overlords and ones you've compiled for yourselves. And we're certain there's much, much more than just 51 songs from 2025 on those playlists, meaning both triumph and terror lie ahead as you rejoice in what rock and metal tracks made the cut and shake your fists about some heartbreaking omissions.

Don't worry — we undergo the same exact process as the Loudwire team sifts through this year's biggest and best songs as well as some under-the-radar gems you may have slept on or never even heard of before!

It's all part of the fun with any year-end list and, trust us, some hard-fought battles over some of the castaways were had.

READ MORE: The 51 Best Rock + Metal Albums of 2025

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And as far as the 2026 Grammy Awards nominees for rock and metal are concerned, we've got a few things in common!

With loads of subgenres to cover, this crop of 51 songs represents another banner year for heavy music — exciting up-and-comers, tomorrow's headliners and time-honored veterans are all crushing it.

Enough with the anticipation! Are you ready? Here they are, this year's best rock and metal songs!

The 51 Best Rock + Metal Songs of 2025

In a year with thousands of new songs, we've narrowed it down to rock and metal's 51 best.

See how many of your favorite sogs from this year made the list!

Contributions by Chuck Armstrong (CA), Jordan Blum (JB), Rob Carroll (RC), Chad Childers (CC), Joe DiVita (JD), John Hill (JH) and Lauryn Schaffner (LS).

Gallery Credit: Loudwire Staff

dream theater parasomnia cover

Inside Out Music

Dream Theater, “Midnight Messiah”

Release Date: Jan. 22

The third and final taste of Dream Theater’s comeback album with Mike Portnoy, “Midnight Messiah” is a well-placed midpoint track that perfectly balances the flow of Parasomnia. 

It might sound a bit crazy to brand an eight-minute song as one that affords the listener some breathing room on this 71-minute journey, but its hooky groove riff and hard-charging chorus tempers the overtly metal proginess with easily digestible rock ‘n’ roll.

Just slightly over mid-tempo, “Midnight Messiah” is reliant on tension as a funereal atmosphere tries to claw back the forward momentum, which makes the chorus such a delightful payoff. 

—JD

papa roach single art

Noize Records / ADA Warner Music

Papa Roach, "Even If It Kills Me"

Release Date: Jan. 22

After 25 years, Papa Roach have proven they can still turn pain into power with the track “Even If It Kills Me.” It’s the sound of a veteran act rediscovering their youthful angst and rebellion combined with the wisdom and maturity they found throughout adulthood. 

Jacoby Shaddix’s vocals are as commanding as ever, delivering the grit and urgency of someone who’s been to Hell and back and is still standing tall. Raw emotional honesty and sheer adrenaline are what have always made Papa Roach connect so strongly with their fans and they continue to do so today.

—LS

shinedown single art

Atlantic

Shinedown, "Dance Kid Dance"

Release Date: Jan. 24

The restraints are off! Shinedown went hard on their early 2025 hit single “Dance, Kid, Dance.” A combination of a warning siren-esque guitar lick and the relentless pounding beat from Barry Kerch perk your ears up from the beginning.

The song itself is an exercise in social commentary that serves as a generational concern for an era in which our addiction to technology has muddled our social skills, but pills seem to pop us out of our doldrums.

Citing a desire to break free from the conceptual/thematic nature of recent records, Shinedown hit us with one of the hardest rocking songs you’ll find in the their catalog.

—CC

sleep theory static

Epitaph

Sleep Theory, "Static"

Release Date: Feb. 5

The year saw Sleep Theory continuing to check off milestone moments including their first-ever chart-topping singles in “Stuck in My Head” and “Static.” Though fans responded to both, our choice here is the pure adrenaline buzz provided by “Static.” 

Opening with a primal scream and filled with electro-driving beats and robotic vocals, this song just pulses with energy. And toward the end, you’ll hear one of the longest-held screams in a popular song this year.

“Static” captured the attention of heavy music lovers and is a definite standout from the Afterglow album.

—CC

Spiritbox, Tsunami Sea

Pale Chord / Rise

Spiritbox, "No Loss, No Love"

Release Date: Feb. 7

Spiritbox songs are like a box of chocolates — you never know if the intro is going to flow into an ethereal haze of atmospheric textures or a volcanic eruption of screams and blistering riffs. “No Loss, No Love” is the latter and the first few seconds give you absolutely no warning before you’re swept up by the magma.

The whole track isn’t brute force, though. It oscillates between crushing heaviness and eerie stillness, where Courtney LaPlante delivers spoken word verses in a robotic tone. It’s a rollercoaster of energy, leaving listeners on the edge of their seats and unsure what to anticipate next.

That unpredictability is what makes Spiritbox so compelling — they never take the obvious path.

—LS

billy morrison featuring ozzy osbourne gods of rock n roll

TLG / ZOID

Billy Morrison Featuring Ozzy Osbourne, "Gods of Rock N Roll"

Release Date: Feb. 14

The Morrison Project was one of 2024’s great underrated rock records, but Billy Morrison wasn’t quite done with the original release. Holding back what would become one of Ozzy Osbourne’s last great singles, “Gods of Rock N Roll” went on to be the centerpiece of the deluxe edition release of The Morrison Project en route to becoming a Top 10 hit.

Ozzy’s melodic voice carries this life-affirming love song while Fred Coury’s beautiful orchestration presented through a 57-piece backing orchestra makes the song a spectacular listen. Add in a Steve Stevens guitar solo and you’ve got a bonafide standout track.

—CC

disturbed i will not break

Mother Culture Records

Disturbed, "I Will Not Break"

Release Date: Feb. 21

Disturbed did not release a new album in 2025, but they did make their mark with the current non-album single “I Will Not Break.” The chart-topping song is a fine addition to the band’s catalog, embodying the defiant spirit and uplifting messaging that frequently permeates Disturbed's songs. 

A driving, gritty guitar riff sets the tone, while David Draiman’s animalistic screeches and rhythmic vocals have us raising our fists to the air and rocking right along. Disturbed know how to write the hits and they’ve got another banger on their hands.

—CC

architects everything ends

Epitaph

Architects, "Everything Ends"

Release Date: Feb. 24

Architects have been one of metalcore’s top bands for over a decade, but they finally reached a career milestone with their first-ever No. 1 song on the Active Rock chart in “Everything Ends” in 2025.

The catchy rocker actually delivers a darker message against its bouncy backdrop as singer Sam Carter belts, “I could be the last one killing the pain / Changing like the seasons but wishing for rain / Don’t stand me up to reason all over again / Cause I’m dying here but everything ends / Everything ends.” The song had the biggest chart success, but is just one of several standouts on The Sky, The Earth & All Between album.

—CC

volbeat by a monsters hand

Vertigo

Volbeat, "By a Monster's Hand"

Release Date: March 6

Even by Volbeat standards, the chugging guitar riffs and powerful drum stomp feel like they hit a bit harder than usual on “By a Monster’s Hand.”

That’s probably by design as the group conjures a more sinister, darker tone on the track to fit the nature of the subject material.

That said, listeners will also gravitate to the mid-song pace shift which sees the band jamming at a more feverish pitch. This chart-topping single just adds to what is a continually impressive Volbeat catalog. 

—CC

dorothy the way album cover

Roc Nation

Dorothy, "The Way"

Release Date: March 14

If there’s one song that perfectly captures the dangerous outlaw attitude heard throughout Dorothy’s fourth studio album The Way, it’s “Bones.” Its haunting atmosphere conjures visuals of dust and tumbleweeds blowing around an isolated desert landscape while Dorothy’s vocals pull you in like a cowboy's lasso.

The track balances searing guitar riffs with a slow-burning, ominous groove reminiscent of a showdown at sunset. The lyrics are raw, resilient and fearless. Overall, it’s like a storm of grit, glam and rock ’n’ roll swagger.

—LS

Read More: The 51 Best Rock + Metal Songs of 2025 | https://loudwire.com/best-rock-metal-songs-2025/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

Complete List here ---> https://loudwire.com/best-rock-metal-songs-2025/