And stayed tuned for more reviews from 2025s bumper crop of killer metal , which we are still enjoying and covering, as well as shiny new 2026 albums!

 

ERIK T

I did my list a little differently this year, as ranking 25-40 albums individually just got tedious and changed with my mood. So I went with my clear-cut album of the year, then a genre breakdown, as there were so many good albums that I just could not rank by number outside my top 3 to 5.

Symphonic/Blackened deathcore was my jam in 2025, without question. I know, fucking poser, right? The genre seriously exploded, with not just the releases listed below, but other killer albums and EPs from the likes of (* takes deep breath)…Hate Within, Kneel Before the Death, XII Thorns, Sielkanker, Immortal Disfigurement, Decayer, Grimnis, Inhuman Architects, When Plagues Collide, Sold Soul, Disembodied Tyrant, Face Yourself, Lightbearer, Spire of Lazarus, Sunscourge, Drown in Sulphur, Vile Sycophant, and Whispers of Oblivion (*exhales).

And of course it was all spearheaded by…

Overall Album of the Year :

Lorna Shore – I Feel the Everblack Festering Within Me (Century Media Records). No surprise, right? After the bar setting Pain Remains, how would they follow it up? Would they go more commercial? Would they sell out? Fuck no, they somehow got even more emotional and personal, yet still heavy as hell. An improved mix, let everything breathe a little more, and even more epic keyboards from guitarist Andrew O’Connor, made songs like “In Darkness”, “Glenwood”, and my favorite song of the year, “Forevermore”, sonic gut punches that I played over and over again, as I did with the Pain Remains trilogy in 2022.

The Best of the Rest by Genre:

Deathcore:

Shadow of Intent – Imperium Delerium (Self-Released). Album number 5 from one of the symphonic deathcore’s elder statesmen would have been my album of the year any other year.

Sin Deliverance – Universe of Nightmares (Lacerated Enemy). One of my most anticipated releases after a 4-year wait. These Russians delivered a more intense, blacker album of Symphonic Deathcore.

Whitechapel – Hymns of Dissonance (Metal Blade). The year’s best return to form as they went back into far more brutal, straight-up deathcore of their early years.

Despised Icon – Shadow Work (Nuclear Blast). A model of grinding deathcore/hardcore consistency, even adding a slight black metal flair.

Ov Ruin – Eternal Lament (Self-Released). The fourth best symphonic deathcore album of the year, but the best orchestration of the year from Harry Tadayon (Hate Within, ex Immortal Disfigurement)

Denying God – Falling of the Pale Mist. (Self-Released). A Slovakian duo delivering absolutely top-notch symphonic deathcore. If you like the genre, you need to hear this.

Netherwalker – Odyssey of Respair (Self-Released). The new darlings of Symphonic deathcore added video game lore and fantasy nerdery to some absolutely bludgeoning symphonic deathcore. Now, if we could get some merch?

Death Metal:

Cryptopsy – An Insatiable Violence ( Season of Mist). Arguably the most pummelling,  Whisper Supremacy-sounding of their recent releases, despite the complaints that they are ‘deathcore’ now. I don’t hear it.

Sanguisugabogg – Hideous Aftermath (Century Media). A heftier, improved follow-up to the debut. I think we are witnessing this generation’s Suffocation.

Dormant Ordeal – Tooth and Nail (Willowtip). Willowtip’s best release of 2025 and one of the best Polish death metal albums of the last few years.

Impureza – Alcázares (Season of Mist).Third brilliant album of silky smooth, Flamenco/Spanish spoken tech death, but from France.

Ominous Ruin – Requiem (Willowtip). No nonsense, brutal tech death, and one of the most ferocious female frontwoman performances of the year from Crystal Rose.

Ade –  Supplicium (Time To Kill Records). These Romanic death metal centurions keep getting better and better.

Deliquesce – Saviour/Enslaver (Lacerated Enemy).A skronky, brutal tech death, ‘Suffocation on LSD’ of an album. 

Open Kasket – Trials of Failure (Self-Released). A sheer hardcore-tinged death metal beatdown that made the likes of Gatecreeper, etc, look soft.

Progressive/Technical/Melodic Death Metal:

Brain Blast – Colussus Suprema (Rebel Pyro Musick). An obscure, late-year gem that is the Colombian love child of early Obscura’s twangy tech death and the orchestral bombast of Fleshgod Apocalypse. One of my top 5 albums of the year.

The Project Hate – Undivine Dethroning (Mouth of Belial/Self Released). Like a fine wine, Lord K and co. just keep better better…..and more melodic?

Allegaeon – The Ossuary Lense (Metal Blade). These guys are so locked into their progressive, technical melodic death metal sound, it’s scary.

Kardashev – Alunea (Metal Blade). Another top 5 release for me, in part due to Mark Garrett’s absolutely stellar array of vocals.

Changeling – Changeling (Season of Mist). What Obscura should have sounded like in 2025. Additional orchestration made it even better.

Aephanemer – Utopie (Napalm Records). Such a gorgeous album and some of my favorite keyboards of the year (along with Eldercall’s Closure) from this now elite French, melodic death metal act. So a bonus instrumental CD was just a lagniappe.

Black Metal:

A Flock Named Murder – Incendiary Sanctum (Hypaethral Records). My second favorite album of the year overall. I love, love, love this album of perfectly introspective, atmospheric black metal.

Havukruunu – Tavastland (Svart Records). Another top 5 album of the year from this expertly crafted Bathory/Moonsorrow worshiping Black metal act.

Scour – Gold (Nuclear Blast Records). Who would have thought Phil from Pantera, and some current and former dudes from Misery Index, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, and Pig Destroyer would have delivered one of the year’s very best and most vicious black metal albums?

Labyrinthus Stellarum – Rift In Reality (Northern Silence). A weird, trippy, ambient, at times even metalcore-ish take on atmospheric black metal from these ambitious Ukrainians. 

Argesk – Moonlight Pyromancy (Matriarch Records). The new Hecate Enthroned album might now even sound as much like this fast-rising UK symphonic Black metal act, which features a Hecate Enthroned member.

Saor – Amidst the Ruins (Season of Mist). These Scots have perfected their soaring, epic, Braveheart meets black metal style.

Best EPs of the year:

Synestia – Premonitions (Self-Released). Adding Ryan Vail from Larcenia Roe elevated this top-notch Symphonic deathcore act into truly devastating, elite levels. I’m pumped for a full-length with this lineup. The next Lorna Shore?

Crown Magnetar – Punishment (Unique Leader). Along with Whitechapel’s album, the most brutal, straight-up deathcore of the year.

Burial Gift – MMXXV (Eihwaz Recordings). A gorgeous late-year discovery from these elegant Louisiana-ians.

To Obey A Tyrant  – Frigorie Inferi (Seek and Strike). These guys could surpass A Night In The Abyss as the UKs best symphonic deathcore act (though Vile Sycophant could easily join the conversation) if they build on this killer EP to continue their rise.

Blinded By Hate  – Desolación de la Existencia (Self-Released). Just like Eden Adversary or Enemies Everywhere in 2024, these Mexican guys (after being a pretty forgetful metalcore/deathcore band on their debut album) said, ‘fuck it, let’s sound like Lorna Shore’s Immortal‘ and just be really, really good at it.

Biggest Surprises:

Soulfly – Chama (Nuclear Blast). I hadn’t listened to Soulfly in years, but Chama was a damn good time, especially with some sneaky Swedish death metal tones here and there.

Deafheaven – Lonely People With Power (Roadrunner). I had written these guys off and fully expected the new album to just be a Depeche Mode/darkwave pop record. It was not, and while not quite a Sunbather return to form, it was close.

Bleeding Through – Nine (Sharptone Records). It’s been 23 years since I first heard Portrait of a Goddess and discovered orchestration in metalcore/deathcore. You can blame these guys for me being a poser. I have not been impressed with much since The Truth, but Christ, did Nine surprise me with a vicious return to form.

Folk Metal was good in 2025: Albums from Dalriada,  Mandragora Titania, Trold (two albums, a regular and a live one), and Svartsot’s swansong all hit the mark, in a genre I had all but forgotten.

Best Artwork:

Clamfight – Clamfight (Self-Released). Dehumanizing Reign – Dawn of a Malefic Dominion (FDA Records).

Biggest Disappointments:

Vildhjarta – Där skogen sjunger under evighetens granar . (Century Media).  With no original members left, it was clear something was amiss here. Nearly an hour of the same boring riff and pace. A real shame, as these guys have made my year list before, just not on the ‘disappointments’ part.

Everything in streaming /digital only: A lot of the releases and bands above had no physical releases, just Bandcamp/Spotify etc. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Guilty Pleasure:

Mausoleum Gate – Space, Rituals and Magick (Cruz Del Sur). Absolutely outside of my normal listening wheelhouse, but this wispy, The Doors-influenced take of psychedelic, dreamy heavy metal was a perfect complement to a gummy and headphones.

Briar Creed – Bitter Moth (Self-Released).  An alluring mix of country, grunge, and metal with a touch of orchestration, plus the guy is an Opeth fan. Perfect fire pit music for you and your normal friends.