It's that time of the year when everyone is reflecting on the best music of the past 12 months. Def Leppard recently topped Classic Rock magazine's list of the Best Rock Albums of 2022 with Diamond Star Halos, and during an interview accepting the honor, singer Joe Elliott revealed his choice for the Best Rock Album of the Year as well, and it's one you might not see coming.

Fielding the question, Elliott first rattled off several personal favorites from the past year. "There’s a few. Eddie Vedder’s Earthling, The White Lies [As I Try Not To Fall Apart], the Von Hertzen Brothers [Red Alert in the Blue Forest]… and – shock, horror! – I like the Jethro Tull album [The Zealot Gene]," revealed the singer.

He then added, "But the one that rocks harder than anything else I’ve heard this year is Demi Lovato’s album Holy Fvck. The riffs are fantastic and her singing is off the fucking charts!"

Lovato, who had previously found some success in the pop world, explored her musical interests further by releasing a record that primarily featured pop-punk, glam and hard rock jams. Dead Sara, Yungblud and Royal & the Serpent all had guest turns on the disc, and when it came time to tour in support of the music, Lovato added Alice Cooper guitar-slinger Nita Strauss to her live lineup to showcase the heavier riffage on the record.

The album featured the singles "Skin of My Teeth," "Substance" and "29." The album debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart.

After making the promotional rounds, there are no current Demi Lovato tour dates. However, you can catch Joe Elliott and Def Leppard back out on the road in 2023 as Def Leppard keeps the momentum going with Motley Crue taking their co-headline run to Mexico, South America and Europe next year before returning stateside. Get tickets here.

Demi Lovato, "Skin of My Teeth"

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