So what is alt-metal? Originally growing out of the alt-rock boom of the late 80s, the definition of the genre has evolved a hell of a late over the past 30 years, perhaps now best summed up as "metal that draws heavy influence from outside rock/blues", meaning it can cover anything from the reggae-metal of Skindred to Primus's funk metal and pretty much all of nu metal.
While that makes it something of a nebulous realm to define, it does mean it basically covers some of the most boundary pushing bands in the heavy world in 2025. That in mind, we've cast a gaze at some of the most exciting and brilliant albums to emerge under the alt-metal banner in the past 12 months, which you can read about below. Enjoy!
