2025 – A YEAR IN REVIEW(S): THE GREAT

(Andy Synn continues his ongoing round-up of the year with his selections for the top tier albums)

Like I said yesterday (you have read yesterday’s wide-ranging round-up of all the “Good” albums, right?) 2025 may have been a little lacking when it comes to the big names and famous faces – lots of them put in good work, don’t get me wrong, there just weren’t as many supreme stand-outs among the “old guard” as we might have hoped – but the younger and/or newer and/or more underground bands continued to absolutely kill it this year (with the “debut albums” section once again being far bigger than even I had predicted).

That being said, it was also a year of unexpectedly awesome come-back albums too, with some of the smaller gaps of this nature ranging between 7 and 9 years, and some of the larger being as long as 13 or even 30+ years, thus demonstrating that – as much as it’s awesome to see so many new bands kicking off their careers in style and helping to keep the scene alive – you never truly know when a band is going to do their best work.

Once again, I need to stress that this list of “Great” albums is in no way comprehensive – I’m sure there’s lots of albums that should be here that I simply wasn’t able to give the time and attention that they deserved – and, as “objective” as I’ve tried to be (these albums aren’t necessarily my favourites of the year, though quite a few definitely are) it’s probably worth pointing out that of course my personal tastes, values, and preferences are going to influence what gets included… so please don’t fly off the handle if an album you think is a “masterpiece” (though, personally, I try not to use that word) isn’t included here (and check the “Good” list to see if it’s there).

PS – if you’re going to comment (and I hope that you do, if only to highlight some bands/albums that you’ve discovered today or yesterday that you really like, as it’s always good to hear that these articles are proving useful) please note that I probably won’t be able to respond straight away, as I’m currently in Switzerland (which is particularly apropos considering the surprising number of Swiss bands in this list) enjoying a much needed end-of-year/post-wedding break, and I’ll try and get back to you if/when I get a chance!

BIGGER AND BETTER THAN EVER

First off… how good is that new Coroner album? No, let me scratch that, how great is Dissonance Theory? Who would have thought that some 32(!)  years after their last album the band would return with some of the absolute best work of their career?

And, speaking of “comeback” albums, while Whitechapel didn’t break up at any point, the last time I actually loved anything they did was way back in 2012, so I’m counting Hymns In Dissonance as a “comeback” of sorts… especially considering it’s arguably the heaviest, most sonically brutalising thing they’ve ever done.

Speaking of heavy… Cryptopsy continued their recent hot streak with their latest slab of insationable audio violence (again, arguably the nastiest thing of the group’s post-millenial era) while The Acacia Strain somehow found a way to get even darker, doomier, grimmer, and grindier all at once on You Are Safe From God Here.

Oh, and Private Music… ’nuff said.

The Acacia Strain – You Are Safe From God Here
Coroner – Dissonance Theory
Cryptopsy – An Insatiable Violence
Deftones – Private Music
Whitechapel – Hymns in Dissonance

BOLD NEW BEGINNINGS

One thing that all these bands had in common this year was that they all left me with a feeling of “I need to hear more from them as soon as possible.”

Of course, things being what they are, we’ll probably have to wait at least a little while to hear more of the esoteric blackened experimentalism of Arrows (whose members will be making another appearance further down this list), the mesmerising Prog-Black of Bianca (or their even more blistering side-hustle in Patristic, or the blazing brilliance of Martröð and Serpentes.

They say that waiting only makes the heart grow fonder, however, and the truth is I’m more than willing to wait as long as necessary for more releases like the mind-blowingly technical eponymous album from Avant-Death supergroup Changeling , Hexrot‘s wilfully unpredictable Formless Ruin of Oblivion, or the genre-defying eclectic extremity of Uulliata Digir‘s stunning self-title debut.

That being said, I wouldn’t be too surprised if we don’t have to wait quite as long to hear back from the likes of Thrash-core hellions Doomsday, ascetic Black Metal antagonists Downward, riff-obsessed Death Metal duo Daughter Chaos, or underground Prog-Death prodigies Subterranean Lava Dragon, as I’m pretty sure they’re all already hard at work on their highly-anticipated (by me, at least) second albums!

Arrows – Yearning Arrows, Cloven Suns
Bianca – Bianca
Changeling – Changeling
Daughter Chaos – Noble Rot
Doomsday – Never Known Peace
Downward – To Lurk As Fever
Haeresis – Si Vis Pacem Para Bellvm
Hexrot – Formless Ruin of Oblivion
Martröð – Draumsýnir Eldsins
Patristic – Catechesis
Primal Scourge – End of Eden
Serpentes – Desert Psalms
Subterranean Lava Dragon – The Great Architect
Uulliata Digir – Uulliata Digir

THE BEST (OF THE BEST) OF BRITISH

Some years my attempts to champion the “Best of British” feel like a thankless, sisyphean task… others however, like this year, not so much.

In fact, if anything, I almost had too many Great British Bands to recommend this year, which meant the cut-off between the “Great” and the “Good” felt even harsher than usual.

Suffice it to say, however, that the albums which made the cut – from colossal career highs from the likes of Trivax, Ba’al, and Abduction (who I may be a little biased towards, it’s true, but that in no way makes their presence here any less deserved) to disarmingly brilliant debuts from new names like Cwfen, Knives, and Dimscua – did so because they truly earned it.

And while I may have been a little late to the party when it comes to acknowledging the brilliance of bands like King Witch (who really should be appearing on more “Best of 2025” lists), Qrixkuor (whose second album, The Womb of the World, I’ll be giving a full and proper write-up pretty soon) and Monolith (making their second consecutive appearance on my “Great” list with the hearts-on-our-sleeves, blood-on-our-hands Hardcore of The Price of Their Heaven) I can at least say I was ahead of the curve with both Tiberius and Trudger (who are both also in the running for my “Personal Top Ten” list as of this moment).

Abduction – Existentialismus
Ba’al – The Fine Line Between Heaven and Here
Cwfen – Sorrows
Dimscua – Dust Eater
King Witch – III
Knives – Glitter
Monolith – The Price of Their Heaven
Qrixkuor – The Womb of the World
Tiberius – Singing for Company
Trivax – The Great Satan
Trudger – Void Quest

ONLY DEATH (METAL) IS REAL

If only death (metal) is real, then the bands featured here are without question the realest of the real, all of them adding a little something (from Ashen‘s unfaltering focus on killer hooks and sinister atmospherics to Jade‘s unashamed embrace of gloriously majestic melody and outlandishly epic intensity) or a lot of something (see Floating‘s unique brand of Progressive Post-Death-Punk or the genre-defying stylistic churn of Weeping Sores) to the Death Metal formula while still, in their own way(s), staying true to its roots.

I’m not saying that these bands are reinventing the wheel (though some of them are definitely riding on the roof of the car) but when groups like Phrenelith and Rothádas are turning the balance of deathly aggression and doomy oppression into a deviously dynamic (and devastatingly heavy) game of give and take that constantly keeps you guessing, and the likes of Inoculation and Storm Death are incorporating more and more embellishments of angular technicality and subtly proggy brutality into their sound, it only reaffirms the fact that Death Metal is far from a dead artform.

Ashen – Leave the Flesh Behind
Floating – Hesitating Lights
Inoculation – Actuality
Jade – Mysteries of a Flowery Dream
Phrenelith – Ashen Womb
Rothádas – Töviskert… A Kísértés Örök Érzete… Lidércharang
Storm Death – Chaos Will Reign!
Weeping Sores – The Convalescence Agonies

SHREDDED FLESH, EXPANDED MINDS

Look, the name may be different, but Retromorphosis are basically Spawn of Possession in all the ways that matter… and the only ways that matter are the band’s ability to whip up an absolute riff-storm that ends with a triumphant mic-drop and an unspoken statement of “follow that, motherfuckers.”

And while the appearance of Rivers of Nihil on this list was all but guaranteed (this is one of those occasions where the general concensus on an album’s awesomeness turns out to actually be true) I must say that even I was surprised when I put Xenotaph by Fallujah on this list (after all, I’ve never been shy about the fact that what I like from the band is often not what their general fanbase likes)… but, lo and behold, by pushing the big button marked “prog” (something they share, in a way, with their Swedish cousins in An Abstract Illusion, who have previously taken a slot on my “Critical Top Ten”, but probably won’t quite make it this year) they’ve gone and moved their sound into a new era, which just so happens to appeal directly to me on multiple levels.

Also, go listen to Tooth and Nail… we’ve been championing Dormant Ordeal for a lot of years now, so I can say, with complete confidence, that this is one of the band’s best works (right up there with We Had It Coming).

An Abstract Illusion – The Sleeping City
Dormant Ordeal – Tooth and Nail
Fallujah – Xenotaph
Retromorphosis – Psalmus Mortis
Rivers of Nihil – Rivers of Nihil

DEADLY DISSONANCE, BLACKENED BRUTALITY

If your tastes in Death Metal run towards the more “Blackened” or “Brutal” varieties – or even some combination of the two, then you should settle in for a hellishly harsh ‘n’ heavy ride here, especially with the likes of Defacement and Phobocosm putting out some of their best (and darkest) work yet this year.

Speaking of bands putting out their best work… the long-gestating second album from The Ominous Circle (which I’ll be writing more about very soon) proved to be more than worth the ~8 year wait, while Relics of Humanity proved that you really can teach an already brutal band some new tricks, as their decision to slow things down and let their sound coagulate into something even more dense and doom-laden helped Absolute Dismal Domain become arguably their heaviest album ever.

Of course, both Teitanblood and Unbirth also know a little bit about being heavy – From the Visceral Abyss is exactly as visceral, and as abyssal, as its name implies, while Asomotous Besmirchment is packed to the gills with the sort of ugly, brutish grooves that deserve to be described as “abusive” – as do grim Germanic blast-masters Omegavortex (whose new album we were very pleased to be able to premiere this year), and monstrous French foursome Skaphos, but when it comes to suffocating, soul-crushing darkness I have to tip my hat to Fentanyl by Morast for being one of the year’s most (un)pleasant surprises.

Defacement – Doomed
Morast – Fentanyl
Omegavortex – Diabolical Messiah of the New World Order
The Ominous Circle – Cloven Tongues of Fire
Phobocosm – Gateway
Relics of Humanity – Absolute Dismal Domain
Skaphos – Cult of Uzura
Teitanblood – From the Visceral Abyss
Unbirth – Asomotous Besmirchment

BLACKEST OF THE BLACK

Don’t let anyone tell you that the Black Metal scene isn’t in rude health (it only looks that way due to how pale they are, I promise), as 2025 saw the release of brand new career highs from the likes of Membaris (Black Plasma Armour is an absolute revelation, and deserves to raise the band’s far-too-low profile massively), Luctus (whose new album elevates their sound to an even more powerful, and progressive, level), Abigail Williams (who are currently on a major roll and just seem to keep getting better and better), and Terzij de Horde (Our Breath Is Not Ours Alone is indeed, pun intended, a breathtaking piece of work).

Add to this the punishing, riff-happy, groove-heavy assault delivered by the likes Hvrt, Tombs and Crust, the grandiose atmospherics of Cult of Fire, Nexion, and The Great Old Ones (the latter producing arguably their best, and most consistently engaging, album since Tekeli-li in my opinion) and the merciless melodic majesty of the likes of ANZV and No Hand Path, and it’s clear that Black Metal has never been healthier (or, in the case of Thanatoeran, more grimly infectious).

Abigail Williams – A Void Within Existence
ANZV – Kur
Crust – Where Light Fears to Descend
Cult of Fire – The One, Who Is Made of Smoke
The Great Old Ones – Kadath
Grima – Nightside
Hvrt – Cancerbloom
Luctus – Tamsošviesa
Membaris – Black Plasma Armour
Nexion – Sundrung
No Hand Path – Μυστικισμός της Ενηλικίωσης
Terzij de Horde – Our Breath Is Not Ours Alone
Thanatorean – Ekstasis of Subterranean Currents
Tombs – Feral Darkness

BEYOND THE BLACK RAINBOW

Successfully proving that “Black” Metal actual comes in a wide variety of shades (and shapes) – from the convulsive chaos of Noise Trail Immersion to the keening catharsis of Saeva to the Avant-Garde intensity of Kamra to the immersive introspection of Sunken – 2025 was an absolute feast for the senses (and the open-minded)

And although many/most of the artists featured here – Gorycz and their sludgy, Black-Jazz sturm und drang, Genune and their soaring, Post Black Metal poignancy, Yellow Eyes and their synaesthetic, scintillating atmospheric, sonic textures – have probably pushed the boundaries of “Black Metal” too far for the “purists”, the great thing about all these bands (and I can’t forget to mention Grey Aura and their iconoclastic aversion to the orthodox and mundane, or Zmarlym and their antagonistic, abrasive rejection of conformity) is that even if they’ve drifted from the sound of Black Metal they’re still staying true to its spirit… by doing what they will (regardless of the “laws” of others).

Der Weg Einer Freiheit – Innern
Genune – Infinite Presence
Gorycz – Zasypia
Grey Aura – Zwart Vierkant: Slotstuk
Kamra – Unending Confluence
Noise Trail Immersion – Tutta la morte in un solo punto
Saeva – I Hope You’ve Healed From All You Wouldn’t Say
Sedna – Sila Nuna
Sunken – Lykke
Yellow Eyes – Confusion
Zmarlym – Wielkie Zanikanie

YOUR DOOM AWAITS YOU

I must admit, the year in Doom got away from me this year, so this particular section is relatively sparse (check out yesterday’s article for a much longer list of recommendations).

That, however, just makes the album’s highlighted here – including the unique, and hypnotic, “Blackened Doom” hybrid of Uihtis by Arhaaik, the absolutely titanic (not to mention disturbingly discordant) Otherlike Darkness by Felgrave, and Oromet‘s utterly majestic, all-encompassing magnum opus, The Sinking Isle – stand out even more.

There’s also Messa‘s captivating new album, The Spin, which has become a critics’ favourite across a wide swathe of the Metal-net (and beyond) to the point where it’s worth asking the question of whether the band are going to be making back-to-back appearances on my “Critical Top Ten”  after Close (which, to be quite honest, is actually the superior album, though not by all that much) took a slot on my list in 2022.

Well, let’s just say that… spoiler alert… they might not be making an appearance this year, if Wolvennest‘s phenomenal new double-album, Procession, has anything to say about it.

Arkhaaik – Uihtis
Felgrave – Otherlike Darknesses
Messa – The Spin
Oromet – The Sinking Isle
Wolvennest – Procession

THE LOWEST OF THE LOW, THE SLOWEST OF THE SLOW, THE BEST OF THE BEST

If Post-Metal and Sludge are two sides of the same coin (I’ve joked before, after all, about Post-Metal being “Hardcore with existential angst” whereas Sludge is “Hardcore with a drinking problem”) then 2025’s outstanding array of releases proved how much value both those sides continue to have.

Whether that’s bands like Dying Sun and Primitive Man expanding and exploring their ambient/atmospheric sides even more – while still producing the heaviest, perhaps even most definitive, works of their careers – Sum of R and Ashbreather getting all sorts of weird (all hail the Bean Pipe!) or Zatokrev and Secret Cutter coming back from extended hiatus with what is arguably (or possibly even inarguably) their best work yet, the Post-/Sludge side of the spectrum put in a truly excellent showing this year.

And, of course, that’s without even mentioning the devastatingly dynamic climax and collapse of Abraham‘s career-best Idsungwussa, the raw, raging intensity of Carrion by Aortes, or the utterly gargantuan, gravity-distorting guitars of Azell (which, at this point, is all but guaranteed a slot on my “Personal Top Ten” list).

Abraham – Idsungwussa
Aortes – Carrion
Ashbreather – La Grande Bouffe
Azell – Astralis
Dying Sun – Wrought
Primitive Man – Observance
Secret Cutter – ///
Sum of R – Spectral
Zatokrev – …Bring Mirrors to the Surface

HARDCORE

That this was a good year for the hardest of the hard, and the ‘corest of the ‘core, is pretty undeniable… but for some bands it wasn’t just a good year, it was a great one.

From Scare‘s gritty gloom-punk to Massa Nera‘s abrasive art-core,… from Caustic Wound‘s tormented, mechanised grind to Excide‘s inventive, unrepentantly infectious, hybrid-Hardcore… from the cosmic-level filth of Dephosphorus to the street tier ground ‘n’ pound of Peace of Mind, 2025 continued to demonstrate just how vibrant and versatile this particular corner of the Metal/Punk spectrum continues to be.

And whether it was young guns like Bore, seasoned pros like Deadguy (making a truly triumphant return 30 goddamn years after releasing their first, and only, album!), or up-and-coming cross-over success stories like Dying Wish, 2025 firmly proved that the future of the scene, whatever the future may look like, is in good hands.

Bore – Feral
Caustic Wound – Grinding Mechanism of Torment
Deadguy – Near-Death Travel Services
Dephosphorus – Planetoktonos
Dying Wish – Flesh Stays Together
Excide – Bastard Hymns
Massa Nera – The Emptiness of All Things
Peace of Mind – Blood Is The Price
Scare – In the end, was it worth it?

OUTSTANDING ODDITIES

Last, but by no means least, we’ve got a collection of albums which – due to their unique make-up – simply didn’t quite fit anywhere else… so, I thought, why not make an entire section just dedicated to these outstanding oddities?

From the glimmering Post-Punk, Post-Black, post-genre “voidgaze” of Ainsoph and the Prog-Rock meets Synth-Pop “Dream Thrash” of Astronoid to the pulse-raising Nu-Screamo-Punk-Metal of UK audio anarchists Calva Louise (who I only bumped down here from the “Best of British” section as an excuse to talk about their attention-grabbing, convention-grabbing new album Edge of the Abyss) and the expectation-defying epitaph from electro-ambient Sludge-core iconoclasts Eryn Non Dae., 2025 certainly didn’t lack for weird and wonderful stylistic hybrids by any means.

And that’s without mentioning Platon Karataev‘s seemingly effortless blending of the organic and the synthetic, the atmospheric and the cinematic, on Napkötöző, the uncannily catchy new Sludge-Grunge crowd-pleased from Calyces, or Point Mort‘s resolutely undefinable (yet absolutely unforgettable) debut album, Le Point de Non-Retour!

Ainsoph – Affection & Vengeance
Astronoid – Stargod
Calva Louise – Edge of the Abyss
Calyces – Fleshy Waves of Probability
Eryn Non Dae – Disunited States of Anima
Platon Karataev – Napkötöző
Point Mort – Le Point de Non-Retour