It's a brand new decade and 2020, aside from current events, has thoroughly killed it as far as new metal albums go. Never before has metal been so complete, spanning 50 years of artistry while newer acts look toward the future, which seems to be headed down a path devoid of genre barriers as evidenced by our list of 2020's Best Metal Albums (So Far).

Ozzy Osbourne represents the eldest side of metal's history as one of the longest-enduring artists of all time. But even the Prince of Darkness isn't just reveling in the past as he linked up with Post Malone producer Andrew Watt for his Ordinary Man album. It has touchstones of his storied past, but largely feels very in the moment and cognizant of current trends. If that's not a resounding endorsement of modern affairs, we give up.

On the theme of tearing down the genre walls that divided music fans of all sorts for far too long are records from Poppy, Code Orange and Igorrr in particular, who embrace ideas far outside of metal's traditional scope. It's a continued exercise in experimentation as, over half a century later, there's still more to learn about metal's malleable state.

Of course, there's still artists playing to their usual strengths with exciting releases from Testament, Body Count, My Dying Bride and plenty of others.

We'll keep updating this list as the year rolls on, so take a look below and see the 2020's Best Metal Albums (So Far).

2020's Best Metal Albums (So Far)