The Pretty Reckless release their fourth studio album, Death by Rock and Roll in 2021. The album was completed in 2020, but frontwoman Taylor Momsen wished to delay the album until they could tour in support of the album and perform the new material live.[13] The album topped the BillboardTop Album Sales chart, making it the best album of the week in terms of pure sales.[12]
While rock music trails other genre in the realm of music streaming, which is factored into the Billboard 200 chart, it performs well in pure albums sales. In a single week, rock bands take the top three best selling albums in the US:[17]
Chevelle releases their ninth studio album, Niratias. It is the number one selling album of the week in the US, selling 24,000 copies. Additionally, this places them at number 9 on the Billboard 200 chart that includes music streaming figures.[18][17]
A Day to Remember releases their seventh studio album You're Welcome. The album places third, selling 16,000 copies.[17] The release had previously been intended to be released in 2020 before being delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The band, previously dabbling in pop punk and screamo genre, took more of a pop rock approach with the album.[19][20]
Rob Zombie releases his seventh studio album, The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy. It debuts at number nine on the Billboard 200 chart, moving 28,000 copies. It is the seventh album of his to hit the top 10, making him seven out of seven. Additionally, the album tops the Billboard US pure Albums Sales chart.[21]
Serj Tankian, Armenian frontman of System of a Down, releases an EP of material that he had originally written for a hypothetical album for the band. The album, which would have been the first in over 15 years fir the band, was cancelled, as the band was unable to agree how to proceed with recording new material, so Tankian instead decided to release his proposed songs as solo material. The EP is titled Elasticity, an allusion to the band's album Toxicity.[22][23][24]
Evanescence released their fourth studio album, The Bitter Truth, their first since 2011. Frontwoman Amy Lee describes it as "heavy and dark" and similar to the sound of their second album, The Open Door. While initially aiming for a 2020 release, it was pushed back into 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The album charts in the top ten of eight separate national charts, and debuts just outside of it at number eleven in the US.[25][26][27]
Greta Van Fleet releases their second full-length album, The Battle at Garden's Gate. Lead singer Josh Kiszka describes it as "the next step...in the evolution in the sound of the band", an allusion to the fact that the band's sounds is often considered extremely similar to Led Zeppelin.[29][30] The album debuts at number 7 on the Billboard 200, moving 43,000 album equivalent units. It also tops the Billboard Rock Albums chart, Hard Rock Albums chart, and nine of the twelve songs chart on the Hard Rock Songs chart.[31]
The Offspring released their tenth studio album, Let the Bad Times Roll, their first since 2012. Guitarist "Noodles" explained that the process had been slow due to trying to change their sound, only to return to their normal punk rock sound.[32] The album was "basically complete" by June 2020, but its release was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[33][34][35]
Notable future releases
Weezer is scheduled to release their fifteenth studio album, Van Weezer. Band frontmanRivers Cuomo stated that, after releasing a relatively guitar-light album in 2019 - Weezer (Black Album), that the band would return to a guitar-heavy album in 2020, with heavy emphasis on guitar riffs and guitar solos. The album was inspired by enthusiastic fans response to these aspects of their live shows in recent years. The first single, "The End of the Game", contains over 100 guitar overdubs.[36] With a big emphasis of the album being based around live performances and touring of the material, the COVID-19 pandemic caused the band to delay the album to May 2021.[37]
In 2019, Swedish band Ghost announced their intention to release their fifth studio album in early 2021. Unlike many bands who announced plans this early, this was not a delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but rather due to frontman Papa Emeritus's desire to not complete with people's attention against the 2020 US Presidential Election season.[38]
Fozzy was originally scheduled to release their fourth studio album in 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic delayed plans into 2021. The delay also required the band to rename the album, as it has been scheduled to be titled 2020, which frontman Chris Jericho felt no longer made sense with the new release year.[39]
Slipknot members plan on releasing the experimental and oft-discussed Look Outside Your Window album in 2021. The album, recorded as a side-effort during the 2008 All Hope is Gone album sessions, is described as far more melodic and rock-oriented than usual Slipknot material, and more artistic in the vein of Radiohead's sound. The band aims to release it during the We Are Not Your Kind touring cycle, which was delayed into 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[40][41][42]
Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails announced his intentions to record and release collaborative new music in 2020.[45] However, the COVID-19 pandemic complicated those plans, causing Reznor to instead release two more iterations of his instrumental Ghost releases, Ghosts V: Together and Ghosts VI: Locusts, cancel a major tour in 2020, and alter plans for new music and touring for 2021.[46][47]
The Killers plan on releasing their seventh album in mid-2021, despite releasing their prior album, Imploding the Mirage as recently as August 2020.[49]
Godsmack was initially preparing two separate music releases for 2021; an acoustic EP and a full-length rock record.[50] The band later revised their plans, pushing the new album off to 2022.[51]
Garbage is scheduled to release their seventh studio album in 2021. The album was not delayed by Coronavirus, but rather, it is recording was used as therapy for front woman Shirley Manson, who was suffering from depression due to the Coronavirus shutdowns.[52]
Mastadon is scheduled to release their eighth studio album in 2021.[53]
Daughtry is scheduled to release their sixth studio album, Nothing Lasts Forever, in 2021. After moving in more country and pop music directions in recent years, frontman Chris Daughtry states that the album will move back into the band's rock roots.[54][55]
Blink-182 is scheduled to release an EP of new music. Originally intending to release a deluxe edition of their 2019 album Nine with bonus tracks, frontman Mark Hoppus decided to release the material as a stand-alone EP instead, stating that the new material didn't sound or feel related enough to their Nine album.[59]
Bad Wolves is scheduled to release their third studio album in 2021. It will be the first without lead singer Tommy Vext, who left in January of the same year. Vext insists he was forced out of the band by his label and bandmates over his controversial political and social views.[60]
Janes Addiction has announced their attention to release their first new material in a decade.[61]
Shinedown is planning on releasing their seventh studio album in late 2021.[62]