(written by Islander)
As of today we are entering the final month of 2025, and that begins the final countdown to the end of the year. In the world of metal, this month we’ll also start seeing more and more lists of the year’s best releases.
Back in 2009, when this site was just a few days old, I wrote a post about year-end lists and why people bother with them. The best reason still seems to be this: Reading someone else’s list of the albums they thought were best is a good way to discover music you missed and might like.
We don’t do an “official” NCS year-end list of best albums. However, we publish the picks of each of our regular staff writers as well as a group of invited guests, in addition to lists that we re-post from a few print zines and “big platform” online sites.
Every year we also invite our readers to share their lists and we’re doing that again right here, right now.
If you’ve been pondering what you’ve heard this year and have made your own list of the albums, EPs, or splits released in 2025 that you think are the best of what you’ve heard, we invite you to share it with everyone in the Comments section to this post. And if you haven’t made a list yet but want to, there’s still plenty of time (read below).
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We don’t have any hard-and-fast rules about year-end lists. Your list doesn’t have to be a specific number — it doesn’t have to be a “Top 10” or “Top 20” list, it could be a Top 2 list or a Top 15, or any other number.
And it doesn’t have to be a cross-genre list, i.e., the best of all metal you’ve heard this year. It could be the best death metal, or the best black metal, or the best grind, or the best crust or doom or prog or thrash metal, and on and on — pretty much whatever you want to do and feel comfortable doing, as long as it fits your definition of metal.
Don’t be shy, and don’t worry about being judged — if you haven’t figured it out already, it ain’t our style nor is it usually the style of our commenters to ridicule what someone else thinks is great metal.
And if you don’t have a list ready yet, no sweat, because you can come back to this post whenever you like and add your list later — or comment on the lists others have posted. I’ll put a link to this post at the top right side of every page so people can find it quickly — look for the link to 2025 NCS READERS’ YEAR-END LISTS. That will make the comments to this post a collection point for “Best of” readers’ lists. And that link will stay on our page from now through this time in 2026.
Over the past year we’ve had 75 comments on this invitation in December 2024. That’s down from 86 the year before, but it still says something about how interested people are in seeing each other’s lists and reacting to them. So start thinking and start commenting — please, and thank you.
~ islander
P.S. We use a spam filter that applies to Comments. For reasons I don’t comprehend, it sometimes seems to randomly hold comments for approval and won’t let them appear until I approve them. If yours doesn’t immediately appear, don’t worry. I do check the “moderation” list several times a day and will free them from bondage as soon as possible.
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All Death Metal, Top 40, in alphabetical order.
Ancient Death – Ego Dissolution (Profound Lore)
Anthrodynia – Unspeakable Horrors Emanating From Within (Nameless Grave)
Ataudes – Tempus Edax Rerum (Memento Mori)
Binah – Onkos (Osmose)
Blight Lodge – Everlasting Blight Festering Upon The Land (Unsigned)
Blood Monolith – The Calling Of Fire (Profound Lore)
Castrator – Coronation Of The Grotesque (Dark Descent)
Continuum of Xul – Voratore (Lavadome)
Corpus Offal – Corpus Offal (20 Buck Spin)
Dead And Dripping – Nefarious Scintillations (Transcending Obscurity)
Decrepisy – Deific Mourning (Carbonized)
Degraved – Spectral Realm Of Ruin (Dark Descent)
Decryptal – Simulacre (Me Saco Un Ojo)
Disembodiment – Spiral Crypts (Everlasting Spew)
Drawn And Quartered – Lord Of Two Horns (Nuclear Winter)
Escarnium – Inexorable Entropy (Everlasting Spew)
Filth – Time To Rot (Me Saco Un Ojo)
Glorious Depravity – Death Never Sleeps
Haxprocess – Beyond What Eyes Can See (Transcending Obscurity)
Hexrot – Formless Ruin Of Oblivion (Transcending Obscurity)
Innumerable Forms – Pain Effulgence (Profound Lore)
Malthusian – The Summoning Bell (Relapse)
Metaphobic – Deranged Excruciations (Everlasting Spew)
Morbific – Bloom Of The Abnormal Flesh (Me Saco Un Ojo)
Mortual – Altar Of Brutality (Nuclear Winter)
Occulsed – Antegnosis (Everlasting Spew)
Ossuary – Abhorrent Worship (Me Saco Un Ojo)
Phobocosm – Gateway (Dark Descent)
Plasmodulated – An Ocean Ov… Hell (Unsigned)
Putrescent – Darkness Embraced (Rotted Life)
Qrixkuor – The Womb Of The World (Invictus)
Ritual Ascension – Profanation of the Adamic Covenant (Sentient Ruin)
Ritual Mass – Cascading Misery (20 Buck Spin)
Terror Corpse – Ash Eclipses Flesh (Dark Descent)
Thorn – Nebulous Womb Of Eternity (Transcending Obscurity)
Toughness – Black Respite of Oblivion (Gods Ov War)
Undersave – Merged In Abstract Perdition (Transcending Obscurity)
Vacuous – In His Blood (Relapse)
Venomous Echoes – Dysmor (I, Voidhanger)
Weeping Sores – The Convalescence Agonies (I, Voidhanger)
Special acknowledgement to Ominous Circle and Omegavortex, who are clearly great but I haven’t had enough time with yet.
My list ended up being mostly death metal and traditional metal…in no order
Century- Sign of the Storm
Pissgrave- Malignant Worthlessness
Tubal Cain- Slime Abyss
Nite- Cult of the Serpent Sun
Corpus Offal- S/T
Decrepisy- Deific Mourning
Ancient Death- Ego Dissolution
Pagan Altar- Never Quite Dead
Caustic Wound- Grinding Mechanism of Torment
Venator- Psychodrome
Ossuary- Abhorrent Worship
Lipoma- No Cure for the Sick
Helm’s Deep – Chasing the Dragon
Plasmodulated- An Ocean ov Putrid, Stinky, Vile, Disgusting Hell
Hooded Menace- Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration
1914- Viribus Unitis
Decrepisy, Ancient Death, Ossuary and Plasmodulated are brilliant.
Preface this with a couple of caveats. Plenty I’m leaving off (like the new Coroner) as I just haven’t been focused on new releases this year, and there’s still several new releases pending this month that will surely be here when all is said and done (new Circle of Ouroborus is guaranteed if it comes out before Jan 1). All that aside, here’s where I stand currently in no particular order. Genre designations are loose, so don’t come at me bro.
A Shrine to Failure – Undone (Goth)
Abigail Williams – A Void Within Resistance (Black)
Amorphis – Borderlands (Melodic HM)
Auriferous Flame – The Duel (EP) (Black)
Blackbraid – III (Black)
Castle Rat – The Bestiary (Trad)
Caustic Wound – Grinding Mechanism of Torment (Grind)
Century – Sign of the Storm (Trad)
Corpus Offal – Corpus Offal (Death)
Cult of Fire – The One, Who is Made of Smoke (Black)
Dark Meditation – Where the Darkness Bleeds (EP) (Trad)
Echoes of Gloom – The Mind’s Eternal Storm (Black)
Fell Omen – Caelid Dog Summer (Black)
Interceptor – Metal Death (Blackened Speed)
Lamp of Murmur – The Dreaming Prince in Ecstasy (Black)
Lathe of Heaven – Aurora (Goth)
NITE – Cult of the Serpent Sun (Black)
One of Nine – Dawn of the Iron Shadow (Black)
Ossuary – Abhorrent Worship (Death)
Paradise Lost – Ascension (Melodic HM)
Perdition Temple – Malign Apothesis (Death)
Phrenelith – Ashen Womb (Death)
Skyforger – Teikas (Black)
Slough Feg -Traveller Supplement 1: The Ephemeral Glades (EP) (Trad)
Suffering Hour – Impelling Rebirth )Death)
Teitanblood – From the Visceral Abyss (Black/Death)
Terror Corpse – Ash Eclipses Flesh (Death)
Time Rift – In Flight (Trad)
Vauruva – Mar da Deriva (Black)
VOID – Forbidden Morals (Thrash)
Weald + Woe – Far From the Light of Heaven (Black)
Witchcraft – Idag (Doom)
The order matters less the further it goes, but the top 10 are pretty thoroughly loved.
Weeping Sores – The Convalescence Agonies 5/30
Creatvre – Toujours Humain 8/1
Yellow Eyes – Confusion Gate 10/31
Messa – The Spin 4/11
Scimitar – Scimitarium I 2/28
Cave Sermon – Fragile Wings 4/16
夢遊病者 – РЛБ30011922 10/28
Nyredolk – Barndommens hjem 2/7
Havukruunu – Tvastland 2/28
Vacuous – In HIs Blood 2/28
Imperial Triumphant – Goldstar 3/21
Ancient Death – Ego Dissolution 4/18
Changeling – s/t 4/25
Phantom Spell – Heather & Hearth 7/18
Seven Sisters – Shadow of a Fallen Star Pt. 2 3/28
Wulkanaz – Luftuz 3/14
Rwake – The Return of Magick 3/14
StumpTail – Sonder Down Yonder 9/3
Arrows – Yearning Arrows, Cloven Suns 8/28
Haxprocess – Beyond What Eyes Can See 7/25
Teitanblood
Malefic Throne
Perdition Temple
Mortual
Devoured God
Chaos Inception
Imprecation
Beyond Mortal Dreams
Arrows
Arkhaaik
Omegavortex
Imperishable
Eternal Darkness
Hooded Menace
Pestifer
Horrendum Vermis
Ursula
Depravity
Summoning Hellgates
Malphas
Additional:
Exhumation Profana
1. Abigail Williams
2..Structure
3. Messa
4 . Unreqvited
5 . Pyschonaut
6 . Dormant Ordeal
7 . Deadguy
8 . Tomarum
9. Morast
10 Veilburner.
A roughly Top 20 list of the albums i’ve enjoyed the most, the top 5 is fairly accurate for me.
La Dispute – No One Was Driving The Car
Xiraleth – Stellar Worship
Yellow Eyes – Confusion Gate
Cave Sermon – Fragile Wings
Imperial Triumphant – Goldstar
Boneflower – Reveries
Zeegang – Van niets uit deze wereld
Phantom Spell – Heather & Hearth
Tómarúm – Beyond Obsidian Euphoria
Dessiderium – Keys To The Palace
Beannachd Leibh – Walking in His Works
Calyces – Fleshy Waves of Probability
Changeling – Changeling
Am I in Trouble? – Spectrum
Massa Nera – The Emptiness of All Things
Messa – The Spin
Pale – Our Hearts In Your Heaven
Floating – Hesitating Lights
Unreqvited – A Pathway to the Moon
Blood Abscission – I I
Here is my AOTY year list as of 12/1/2025. Might change a bit by year end. This is genre Agnostic
1. Zeicrydeus – La grande heresie (Black Metal)
2. Mckinley Dixon – Magic, Alive! (Hip Hop)
3. Psych-War – Psychotic Warmonger (D-beat / Crust)
4. Hedonist – Scapulimancy (Death Metal)
5. Nyredolk – Barndommens hjem (Black Metal / Punk)
6. Grenadier – Wolves of the Trench (Melodic Death Metal)
7. Siege Column – Sulphur Omega (War Metal)
8. Caustic Wound – Grinding mechanism of Torment (Deathgrind)
9. Subversive Rite – Apocalypse Zone (Hardcore Punk / Stenchcore)
10. Gabestok – Alle dor i fremtiden (Black / Heavy Metal)
11. Century – Sign of the Storm (Speed / Heavy Metal)
12. Kuroishi – Egocide of the Warmad (D-beat / Crust Punk)
13. Blood Monolith – The Calling of Fire (Deathgrind)
14. Warbringer – Wrath and Ruin (Thrash Metal)
15. Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out (Hip Hop)
16. Arkhaaik – Uihtis (Black / Doom Metal)
17. Catharsis – Hope Against Hope (Metalcore / Neocrust)
18. Ancient Death – Ego Dissolution (Death Metal)
19. Phantom Spell – Heather & Hearth (Progressive Rock / Metal)
20. Honningbarna – Soft Spot (Post Hardcore / Synth Punk)
21. Willi Carlisle – Winged Victory (Country / Singer Songwriter)
22. Brother Ali – Satisfied Soul (Hip Hop)
23. Saor – Amidst the Ruins (Atmospheric Black Metal)
24. Havukruunu – Tavastland (Pagan Black Metal)
25. Illiterates – Does Not Compute (Hardcore Punk)
I only rate the standouts and i have 5 albums i have listened on repeat and earned the best albums for me in 2025.
1. ARROWS – Yearning arrows:Cloven suns
2. Arkhaaik – Uihtis
3. Old magic – The escapist
4. Oromet – The sinking isle
5. Kauan – Wayhome
Here’s my top as of right now, though it is likely to change as I start looking into everyone’s lists this season:
Cave Sermon – Fragile Wings (Progressive…Sludge?)
Agriculture – The Spiritual Sound (Progressive Black)
An Abstract Illusion- The Sleeping City (Progressive Blackened Death)
Ethel Cain – Perverts (Dark Ambient)
JID – God Does Like Ugly (Hip Hop)
Deafheaven – Lonely People With Power (Blackgaze)
Black Country, New Road. – Forever Howlong (Post Rock)
Unprocessed – Angel (Progressive Metalcore)
Qrixhuor – Womb of the World (Symphonic Death)
Laufey – A Matter Of Time (Jazz Pop)
Havukruunu – Tavastland (Pagan Black)
Imperial Triumphant – Goldstar (Progressive Black)
Sanguisugabogg- Hideous Aftermath (Brutal Death)
The Callous Daoboys – I Don’t Want To See You In Heaven (Mathcore)
1. Sarkom – Exceed into Chaos
2. Abduction – Existentialismus
3. Pyre – Where Obscurity Sways
4. Crippling Alcoholism – Camgirl
5. Labyrinthine Heirs – S/T
6. Valdrin – Apex Violator
7. Kryptan – Violence, Our Power
8. Patristic – Catechesis
9. Imha Tarikat – Confessing Darkness
10. Phrenelith – Ashen Womb
11. Hedonist – Scapulimancy
Here’s my AOTY list:
1. Blut Aus Nord – “Ethereal Horizons”
2. Crypt Sermon – “Saturnian Appendices”
3. Malefic Throne – “The Conquering Darkness”
4. Phobocosm – “Gateway”
5. 1914 – “Viribus Unitis”
6. Qrixkuor – “The womb of the World”
7. Glorious Depravity – “Death never Sleeps”
8. Coroner – “Dissonance Theory”
9. Evoken – “Mendacium”
10. Testament – “Para Bellum”
11. Hooded Menace – “Lachrymose monuments of Obscuration”
12. Mors Principium Est – “Darkness Invisible”
13. Antiversum – “De Nemesis Omnes Et Omnia”
14. Paradise Lost – “Ascension”
15. Demiurgon – “Miasmatic deathless Chamber”
16. Proscription – “Desolate Divine”
17. Deftones – “Private Music”
18. Blackbraid – “Blackbraid III”
19. Malthusian – “The summoning Bell”
20. Mortual – “Altar of Brutality”
21. Noise Trail Immersion – “Tutta la morte in un solo Ounto”
22. Thanatorean – “Ekstasis In subterranean Currents”
23. Drawn And Quartered – “Lord of two Horns”
24. King Witch – “III”
25. Lord Belial – “Unholy Trinity”
26. Byzantine – “Harbringers”
27. Gaahls Wyrd – “Braiding the Stories”
28. Vildhjarta – “+ där skogen sjunger under evighetens granar +”
29. Escarnium – “Inexorable Entropy”
30. Skaphos – “Cult of Uzura”
31. Labyrinthus Stellarum – “Rift In Reality”
32. Hate – “Bellum Regiis”
33. Acherontas – “Nekya – The necromantic Patterns”
34. Serpentes – “Desert Psalms”
35. Blood Abscission – “II”
36. Teitanblood – “From the visceral Abyss”
37. Crawling Chaos – “Wyrd”
38. Rothadas – “Töviskert… a kísértés örök érzete… lidércharang”
39. Nite – “Cult of the serpent Sun”
40. Havukruunu – “Tavastaland”
41. Continuum Of Xul – “Voaratore”
42. Chaos Inception – “Chaos Evangel”
43. Barshasketh – “Antinomian Ascetism”
44. Perdition Temple – “Malign Apotheosis”
*21) Noise Trail Immersion – “Tutta la morte in un solo Punto”
41) Continnum of Xul – “Voratore”
My top 25 of the year:
1. The Great Old Ones – Kadath
2. Helheim – Hrabnar/Ad Vesa
3. Drudkh – Shadow Play
4. Der Weg Einer Freiheit – Innern
5. Barshesketh – Antimonian Asceticism
6. Abigail Williams – A Void Within Existence
7. Pyre – Where Obscurity Sways
8. Cradle Of Filth – The Screaming Of The Valkyries
9. Harakiri For The Sky – Scorched Earth
10. Aphonic Threnody – A Silence Too Old
11. Tombs – Feral Darkness
12. Wode – Uncrossing The Keys
13. Orm – Guld
14. Felgrave – Otherlike Darknesses
15. Black Talon – Scenes Of Agony
16. Grave Digger – Bone Collector
17. Shagor – Lyksalver
18. Shepherds of Cassini – In Thrall To Heresy
19. Hibernaut – Obsidian Eye
20. Aganoor – Doomerism
21. Saor – Amidst The Ruins
22. Heads For The Dead – Never Ending Night Of Terror
23. Coroner – Dissonance Theory
24. Acidsloth – Acidsloth
25. Baku – Soma
The best time of the year at NCS I bet. I am sitting out of this one, for I’ve done very less active listening to this year’s releases. Nonetheless I’ll be ever the more on the lookout for the regular staff and contributors’ lists. Also SurgicalBrute! Are you still around???? can you hear me???? Andy’s, DGR’s, Cifers, Professor Grover and Gonzo, all the regular suspects! Austin and Neil’s I hope too. All the new writers as well! I’ll be waitin….
Thank you man. We’ll get the staff lists kicked off next week with Andy’s lists and go from there. I have several others in hand already.
Im actually considering it…would have to see if Islander would still be down too, since Im even more cvrmudgeony than before.
(and if this comment appears twice, blame Islanders weird spam filter…I swear that thing hates me)
I’ve been trying to do this quarter by quarter this year, but Q4 has been slipping away from me.
This is what I’ve got so far this year, in no particular order:
Catacombes – Les Âmes Oubliées
Grima – Nightside
Mutagenic Host – The Diseased Machine
Grave Infestation – Carnage Gathers
Morast – Fentanyl
This Gift is a Curse – Heir
Ninkharsag – The Black Swords of Winter
Sepulchral Curse – Crimson Moon Evocations
Rhûn – Burial Pact
Pothamus – Abur
Voodus – Emanating Sparks
Ghül – Rhîw
Aldaaron – Par-delà les cimes
Mortuaire – Monde Vide
Robust – Self-titled
Blood Abscission – I I
Kiira – Syvyyden Yllä
Uulliata Digir – Self-titled
Neptunian Maximalism – Le Sacre du Sol Invaincu
Cave Sermon – Fragile Wings
Verhinderer – Heimatblick
Seas of Cosmic Filth – VI – XI
KVR – The Black Flame
Medico Peste – Aesthetic of Hunger
Drudensang – Geysterzvvang
Pelican – Flickering Resonance
Swans – Birthing
Returning – Numinous
Patristic – Catechesis
Mania/Natürgeist – Split
Cénotaphe – Chimères
NIHILVM – Ancient Cosmic Emanation
Conan – Violence Dimension
Arkhaaik – Uihtis
Pralaya – Beyond the Tattered Curtain of Unspeakable Madness
Arrows – Yearning Arrows; Cloven Suns
Haeksenhamer – Poisonous Heathenism +Rabid:antikosmik:madness+
Deathhammer – Crimson Dawn
Hedonist – Scapulimancy
Worm Altar – Promo 2025
Acceptance – Crucifixion of Orchids
Tar Pit – Scrying the Angel Gate
Ashtoreth & Penumbral Aethyr – Naiad
Faetooth – Labyrinthine
Hadopelagyal – Haematophoryktos
Last Retch – Abject Cruelty
Deathwinds – …Towards Doom…
Illusive Key – Consume Us
Fordæðuskapr – Hræflóð markar fjalla
Malakhim – And In Our Hearts the Devil Sings
Castle Rat – The Bestiary
Angrrsth – Zludnia
Nimbifer – Vom Gipfel
Phobocosm – Gateway
Puritan Bone – Ecstasy on the Frontier of Blood
Slaughterday – Terrified
Gnarl – The Old Rutted Track
And I’ve not listened to them yet, but the Blut Aus Nord and Darvaza albums are 100% going to be in my top 5.
Oromet – The Sinking Isle
Dormant Ordeal – Tooth and Nail
Hedonist – Scapulimancy
Deafheaven – Lonely People With Power
SCARAB – Burn After Listening
Tribal Gaze – Inveighing Brilliance
Havukruunu – Tavastland
Yellow Eyes – Confusion Gate
Haggus – Destination Extinction
Tómarúm – Beyond Obsidian Euphoria
my top whatevs are all mostly recommended from here. There are still some other 2025 albums i need to listen to, like Agriculture’s The Spiritual Sound. but these have been in heavy rotation for most of the year, especially the ones i discovered in early 2025. Man can’t believe another year has passed in the world of metal.
Chumpychump’s top whatev’s in Metal, 2025. In no particular order:
Untamed Revulsion by Tentacult (Death, mostly, maybe a lil doom? Nasty AF)
Guides for the Misguided by -16- (pure sludge. might be favorite album of 2025 due to how surprising and addicting it was from the get go)
Flickering Resonance by Pelican (also another surprise hit, very happy sounding prog metal)
Amen by Igorrr (it’s at least as good as Spirituality and Distortion. could have used more accordion and harpsichord, but it is possibly his most straightforwardly metal album. Still full of surprises only Igorrr can present, however!)
Mt. Oolith EP by Cob (Buckethead’s lil apprentice or whatever, but she can sling string, very Devin T vibes from her playing.).
Ancient Monuments and Modern Sadness by Starer (just excellent songwriting, playing, and singing from one man, who makes an excellent flavor of symphonic metal.)
oh and how could i forget BAAL’s excellent The Fine Line Between Heaven and Here
Top 15 for me, in rough order.
Arrows – Yearning Arrows; Cloven Suns
Patristic – Catechesis
Arkhaaik – Uihtis
Yellow Eyes – Confusion Gate
Between the Buried and Me – The Blue Nowhere
Havukruunu – Tavastland
Dormant Ordeal – Tooth and Nail
Jade – Mysteries of a Flowery Dream
Walg – V
Tómarúm – Beyond Obsidian Euphoria
Psychonaut – World Maker
Imperial Triumphant – Goldstar
Maud the Moth – The Distaff
Nexion – Sundrung
Blut Aus Nord – Ethereal Horizons