31 Essential Rock + Metal Albums Turning 20 in 2025

What were the essential rock and metal albums of 2005 that are now turning 20 in 2025?

Has it really been 20 years already? What was going on in 2005? Let’s take a look:

Blink-182 were going through their first “hiatus,” Pink Floyd reunited at Live 8 for the final performance of their most popular lineup and Guitar Hero was the big gaming craze.

The second Star Wars trilogy was dominating the box office with the final installment of Revenge of the Sith. Million Dollar Baby was cleaning up at the Oscars and American Idol and CSI were ruling TV. People were also buzzing about the Brad Pitt–Jennifer Aniston split and Tom Cruise‘s couch jumping antics on Oprah.

And yes, it was the year that YouTube launched.

As for what was happening in rock and metal music, 2005 was a big year for new bands. Fall Out Boy and Panic! at the Disco were bringing emo to the masses. The Jared Leto-led Thirty Seconds to Mars had us all singing along to “The Kill” and Avenged Sevenfold were breaking out of the metalcore scene to assert the future dominance in the heavy music world.

System of a Down were giving us their two final entries before going on a prolonged hiatus. Nine Inch Nails were returning after a lengthy layoff. The White Stripes won a Grammy and Disturbed and Nickelback were giving us two of the biggest albums of the year.

Meanwhile, in metal, acts such as The Black Dahlia Murder, Children of Bodom, Job for a Cowboy and DragonForce were bringing us influential new albums that helped expand their subgenres.

So let’s take it back to 2005 and revisit what then new rock and metal albums would become essential listening over the last 20 years.