Top 10 Albums of 2015

The Top Albums of 2015 found some classic-rock legends pushing their craft into audacious new areas, some returning with new perspective to earlier sounds and others simply confirming their towering legends. Click through the above gallery to find out how they all ranked.

Artists like Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top fame, Pink Floyd alum David Gilmour, Iron Maiden and Bob Dylan gave us much to consider as they tried out new sounds and new methods to crafting their music.

With Gibbons, that meant stirring in a sizzling helping of Cuban rhythms. Gilmour could be found dabbling with a lilting, French-feeling waltz. Iron Maiden, Don Henley and Bob Dylan went just as far, though in their own individual fashions. You had Maiden utterly blowing up their creative approach; Henley making a bold move back to his country roots; and Dylan (surprise!) completely confounding purists.

With Neil Young, there was yet another mercurial shift – this time from the orchestral setting of Storytone back to more familiar protest music. The update involved the target of his ire. Meanwhile, Keith Richards, Motorhead, Alice Cooper's Hollywood Vampires and Def Leppard made records that reminded you just what you'd always loved about them in the first place.

Which one topped our list? The Ultimate Classic Rock staff voted on their favorites from the past 12 months, then crunched the numbers to come up with the Top 10 Albums of 2015. Join us as we count them down in the above gallery.

Check Out Rock's Most Criminally Underrated Albums