UNDERGROUND METAL FOR THE TRVE CURMUDGEON (BEST OF 2025 EDITION)

(This marks the 12th time in our history when our ornery old friend SurgicalBrute has weighed in with a year-end list of favorite albums and/or EPs. As expected, his list (in alphabetical order) adds many names that haven’t appeared before in our 2025 Listmania series, and this year there’s a lot of variety on offer, though the prose is just as curmudgeonly as ever.)

It’s been about three years since I last did one of these lists for No Clean Singing. Since then, hardcore kids have taken over old school death metal, black metal has become a meme on TikTok, slam metal continues to exist, and for some reason there are still people convinced Deafheaven is a black metal band.

What the hell, people!? I step away for five minutes, and all hell breaks loose!

Fortunately, if there’s one thing you can count on in these hard times, it’s that no matter how bleak the metal landscape may look… my taste will always be better than everyone else’s. That means, for pretty much all of you, this is going to be the best list you read all damn year… you’re welcome. Enough of this, though. I can tell you how amazing I am any other day of the year. Right now, we’ve got music to check out. So, here’s my top 30 of 2025.

 

Ambush – Evil in All Dimensions (Heavy)

Ambush is now four full-lengths into their career and hasn’t missed yet. If you’re unfamiliar with them at all, this is a great album to start. If you already know about them, why the hell are you still reading this?

 

Ancient Death – Ego Dissolution (Death)

Arguably, the best death metal album of the year. This is what Blood Incantation could have sounded like if they hadn’t disappeared up their own hipsterdom.

 

Animalize – Verminateur (Heavy)

Sometimes you just need a little glam mixed in with your heavy metal.

 

Black Witchcraft – Stare into the Blackest Depths of Hell (Black)

Debut full-length by these Polish devil worshippers. If you’re looking for something to finally scratch that Katharsis itch.

 

Cénotaphe – Chimères (Black)

Everything you want in a French black metal release, this has been my number one black metal album since it dropped six months ago.

 

Clairvoyance – Chasm of Immurement (Death)

Riff-heavy, primitive death metal with a nasty production and chugging, doom riffs. If there was one death metal album made just for me this year, it’s this one. If the opening track doesn’t make the most infectious songs list, I quit.

 

Corrupter – Gloria in Profundis (Black/Death)

Goddamn, the vocals alone are reason enough to include this release. Totally monstrous slab of cavernous blackened death.

 

Diabolizer – Murderous Revelations (Death)

How Diabolizer has now managed to put out two full-lengths with barely anyone noticing I’ll never know.

 

Desolate Throne – Howls of Blood (Black) (demo)

Released all the way at the beginning of the year, the fact that it still made my list should tell you how good it is. Looking forward to more from this project

 

Doomsday – Never Known Peace (Crossover Thrash)

The album most likely to cause you to break into a one-man mosh pit while driving your car.

 

Eternal Darkness – Eternal Darkness (Death/Doom)

What is it with this year and bands coming back after long breaks… in this case a REALLY long break… and absolutely crushing it on their albums? Eternal Darkness was an old ’90s Swedish death/doom band that never got past the demo stage before breaking up. This time they managed to release one full-length… before proceeding to break up again.

 

Flagelo – Insaciable (Black/Death) (EP)

Blackened death from Colombia, they’re hardly doing anything revolutionary here, but they hit all the right notes, and as an EP it doesn’t outstay its welcome.

 

Forbidden Temple – In the Rotting Grave (Black)

Yes, the cover is absolutely ridiculous, but it’s as much a part of the old school charm as the music itself. This one is a throwback to the early ’90s black metal scene, through and through.

 

Grole – Come Here at Your Peril (Raw Black)

The solo project of the drummer for Spectral Wound, his debut album, With a Pike Upon My Shoulder, was an overlooked gem. I’m doing you all a favor and cluing you in so that doesn’t happen again.

 

Hellslaught – Violent Iconoclasm (Black/Thrash)

These guys used to be called Kommand, but I guess the world needed yet another Bolt Thrower clone, so now they’re called Hellslaught. The name change brought a slight shift in musical direction, moving from a brutal blackened death/thrash style to more of a blackened thrash/speed style. Still damn vicious though.

 

Howling Giant – Crucible & Ruin (Stoner)

When you’re in the mood for something on the mellow side. To those of you who remember my lists from times past and are wondering how a stoner band got on here. Let me just say, back off… I’m expanding my horizons!

 

Ichors Glaive – Jörmungandr (Black) (demo)

If you don’t have at least one Alex Poole project on your year-end list, you’re doing it wrong.

 

Kal-El – Astral Voyager Vol. 1 (Stoner/Rock)

The second of two stoner picks this year. Like every great stoner release this one is all about the riffs.

 

Kiira – Syvyyden Yllä (Black)

As always, Finnish black metal doesn’t miss. Cold, rhythmic atmosphere… if youre freezing your ass off on the east coast right now like I am, you’ll understand why this made the cut.

 

Letalis – Verdadero poder (Heavy/Speed)

Chile is physically incapable of producing bad metal. I’ll die on this hill.

 

Mortual – Altar of Brutality (Death)

Old school Floridian death metal via Costa Rica. Not quite as impressive as their 2023 EP, which you damn well better own. This is still a top-tier death metal release.

 

Necromaniac – Sciomancy, Malediction & Rites Abominable (Black/Death/Thrash)

Blackened death/thrash by members of Macabre Omen and Nightbringer. The real question is why isn’t this on everyone’s year-end list?

 

Palantyr – The Ascent & the Hunger (Heavy/Speed) (EP)

Thirty-two-minute banger of punchy riffs and raw heavy metal, to anyone who enjoys bands like Smoulder and Sölicitör… feel free to thank me in the comments.

 

Pest – Eternal Nightmares (Black)

Pretty much thought Pest was done after Buried, so this was a nice surprise for 2025… especially when the album was this damn good. No Clean Singing covered this release earlier this year… and hey, if you can’t trust Islander, who can you trust?

 

Poisoner – Nyght Metal (Black/Thrash)

There’s been a noticeable lack of memorable blackened thrash the last couple of years, but this last-minute discovery immediately went on the list after only one listen.

 

Remains of Ash – Demo II (Black) (Demo)

Melodic with raw production, this is pretty much the most Finnish sounding black metal release of the year… that’s a good thing, despite what you may hear on the internet. His other releases this year won’t disappoint either.

 

Siege Column – Sulphur Omega (Death)

Arguably the other best death metal album of the year. If you don’t like the more progressive elements in Ancient Death, this may be more your speed. Also, if you don’t like Ancient Death, you need to leave.

 

Teitanblood – From the Visceral Abyss (Black/Death)

If you need me to tell you about Teitanblood, you’ve got way bigger problems than I’m equipped to deal with at this time.

 

Venator – Psychodrome (Heavy/Speed)

If you listen to one traditional metal album this year, it needs to be this one.

 

Violator – Unholy Retribution (Thrash)

Brutal thrash from Brazil. It’s been twelve years since their last full length… this was either going to be absolutely amazing or make me hate thrash forever.