Albums of the year 2025

[Thorn]

39. Testament - Para Bellum
Atrocious ballad aside this wasn't bad at all though I'm not big on them bringing in all that Dragonlord style, keep it thrash guys.

38.Helloween - Giants and Monsters
Takes a while for this to get going but from 'Tokyo' on it does the job.

37. Phrenelith - Ashen Womb
Cavernous Death Metal can get tiresome but this focussed on good song writing rather than suffocating with atmospherics.

36. Rage - A New World Rising
Uplifting Heavy Metal from Peavy and Co, a rare case of some positive vibes this year.

35.Grave Infestation - Carnage Gathers
From Canada but this is Death Metal from the bowels of hell, many spins of this in 2025.

34. Sodom - The Arsonist
Yet another Kantor artwork this year (am I the only one fed up with them?) the album itself sags in places under it's own weight but I went back for more often enough.

33.Imperishable - Swallowing The World
The first track is blatant Dismember plagiarism but over all a satisfying melodic SweDeath affair.

32.Beholder - In The Temple Of The Tyrant
Epic Trad Doom debut featuring the vocalist from Judicator, quality stuff.

31.Helstar - The Devil's Masquerade
Good to have the Texan prog-power veterans back this year with a set of tracks that would probably appeal to fans of Nevermore.

30. Ancient Death - Ego Dissolution
Not really the Obituary worship the cover would suggest, there's chuggy Death here no doubt but these boys have more strings to their bow here on their Profound Lore debut.

[Eoin McLove]

"Scimitarium I" is coming up hot on the rails.
For fans of Negative Plane, early Tribulation....

What's this?

[Anvil]

Didn't realise Helstar had a new release this year.  Must check it out. 

[Thorn]

Yeah, definitely worth a listen, Rivera forging on strong still at 65.
May as well unload some more..

29.Dream Theater - Parasomnia
A very early highlight of the year, thought they hit a bit of form here and kept the wankery in check.

28.Benediction - Ravage Of Empires
A career best from these boys I'd say.

27. Species - Changelings
Polish tech thrash mavericks did sooo much right here..then spoofed the band photos.

26. Obscura - A Sonication
I saw a lot of complaints about the production on this but it didn't bother me, enjoyed it .

25. Grave Digger - Bone Collector
Perennial strangers to year end lists yet the Germans got in my good books with this catchy cache of bangers way back in January.

24. Paradox - Mysterium
Basically just Charly left now but I found this a good sister album to the Helstar this year.

23. Phantom - Tyrants Of Death
Serious turntable time for these young Mexican muthas this year, speed/thrash goodness, studs and leather abound.

22. Paradise Lost - Ascension
Sticking to a tried and tested formula and that's fine by me. As long as they're out there. Doing their thing. For all us sinners.

21. Pissgrave - Malignant Worthlessness
Gave myself a regular sandblasting with this thing throughout the year. Absolute animalistic catharsis.

20. Imperialist - Prime
First time I picked up something by these modern BM cosmonauts, really liking their scathing attack and earworm tracks.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

I think overall album of the year for me is Vultures Vengeance - Dust Age. Their earlier stuff was good but this is another level altogether. Like a mix of Cirith Ungol, Crimson Glory, Adramelch and Twisted Tower Dire. The best heavy metal album I've heard in years.

Listening to this here now for the first time. Seriously great gear    I'd def add Blind Guardian to your list of mix ingredients: vocalist is a dead ringer for Hansi Kürsch, with moments of yer man from RAM in there too.

[Ollie]

"Scimitarium I" is coming up hot on the rails.
For fans of Negative Plane, early Tribulation....

What's this?

"Scimitarium I" is coming up hot on the rails.
For fans of Negative Plane, early Tribulation....

What's this?

Band is called Scimitar from Denmark. Female vox, mixes BM with classic metal and occult rock. I found the song writing very good

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Must check that out. On "paper" it sounds like Occultation, who are class.

[Thorn]

Xmas Eve, sure what would ye be at..

19. Hooded Menace - Lachyrmose Monuments Of Obscuration
Sounding a lot less menacing these days, in fact these Death Doom merchants are rocking out all over this thing. Is that even allowed???!

18. Burning Witches - Inquisition
Guilty of pleasuring myself to these witch's latest batch of barnstormers.

17. Hesperia - Fra Li Monti Sibillini
Italian Pagan Black Metal with myriad atmospheric interludes, at over 76 minutes long the sheer amount of work that must have went into this, for one man, is astonishing.

16. Evoken - Medacium
Another beautiful work from Evoken, though a few jarring faster parts that took you out of the melancholia ecstatica momentarily.

15.Void - Forbidden Morals
Haunted Louisiana Thrash? Who knew? Great effort.

14. Coroner - Dissonance Theory
Yup, a bit lower than most people would have it seemingly, very good of course, hmm..I dunno, too much modern sounding bombast and dynamics to smash into my top ten.

13.Innumerable Forms - Pain Effulgence
I've been drawing a direct line for months now between the new records from Paradise Lost < Hooded Menace < Innumerable Forms, it's almost like three stages of the same band, these boys being at the roots of the sound where the former once were.

12. Qrixkuor - The Womb Of The World
Not fully settled with this yet , not fully certain they haven't overdone the bells and whistles on it but certainly will be giving it plenty more listens in the coming months.

11. Blut Aus Nord - Ethereal Horizons
This is stunning, no doubt, mutifaceted, challenging as ever and totally absorbing. When push comes to shove though I prefer spiteful riffs to ethereal horizons.

[Thorn]

And my favourite ten for the year..

10. Sanhedrin - Heat Lightning
Straight up, in your face Hard Rock/Heavy Metal with a gem of a vocalist in Erica Stoltz, I've near wore out the grooves on this thing this year.

9. Warfield - With The Old Breed
If you're gonna have a young band doing nostalgic thrash they may as well be German and these boys nailed it.

8. Malthusian - The Summoning Bell
Encapsulating all the weight of the sodden Irish soil on this desolate, devastating opus. One of two outstanding, devastating drumming performances for me this year as well.

7.Sacrifice - Volume VI
Canadian thrash overlords return with over a decade and a half of pent up aggression and lay down the law good and proper.

6. Mortual - Altar Of Brutality
Punishing OSDM from Costa Rica, this is as pure a distillation of the likes of Morbid Angel, Monstrosity and Autopsy as you're likely to hear. Killer stuff.

5.Necromaniac - Sciomancy, Malediction and Rites Abominable
London based hellhounds finally deliver on their promise with a beast of occult inspired Black/Death/ Thrash, this honestly reminded me of the first time I heard Mayhem.

4. Runemagick - Cycle Of The Dying Sun
All the work of Rudolfsson alone this time and what a work it is, lurching, mountainous Doom Death riffs engulf you from the start and even the bonus tracks on the CD don't make this overstay it's welcome. Quality from an old hand.


For the Top Three I've gone with one from my three favourite styles.

 Best Thrash..
3. Deathammer - Crimson Dawn
This is an utterly savage, bloodthirsty mauling of an album from these pair of maniacs, the rawness of delivery akin to early Bathory , drop the needle on this and after a brief calm before the storm, prepare to have your throat torn out.

 Best Death..
2. Teitanblood - From The Visceral Abyss
This took a while but once it clicked it was always going to top my domain of Death this year, more riffy and not as buried in the murk than before, this was a maelstrom I went back to again and again. This was the other devastating drum performance too.

 Best Hard Rock/ Heavy Metal..
1. Tokyo Blade - Time Is the Fire
Fourteen tracks across an hour and fifteen minutes, I did not expect to have spun this so much this year but in truth there's not a single song amongst this classy collection that I'd leave out here such is the quality and variety on offer. If I had to pick one maybe it'd be the Lizzyesque 'Soldier On'.
A real rocker of a an album that brought me back decades. Victory for the old guard!

[Anvil]

I've only heard 9 of your 50, Mr Thorn.  Plenty of stuff I need to give a listen to, especially that Tokyo Blade.   

[Thorn]

Well you have good times ahead so! Me, I'm looking forward to listening to anything not 2025 for the next month. 

[Blizzard Beast]

And my favourite ten for the year..

10. Sanhedrin - Heat Lightning
Straight up, in your face Hard Rock/Heavy Metal with a gem of a vocalist in Erica Stoltz, I've near wore out the grooves on this thing this year.

9. Warfield - With The Old Breed
If you're gonna have a young band doing nostalgic thrash they may as well be German and these boys nailed it.

8. Malthusian - The Summoning Bell
Encapsulating all the weight of the sodden Irish soil on this desolate, devastating opus. One of two outstanding, devastating drumming performances for me this year as well.

7.Sacrifice - Volume VI
Canadian thrash overlords return with over a decade and a half of pent up aggression and lay down the law good and proper.

6. Mortual - Altar Of Brutality
Punishing OSDM from Costa Rica, this is as pure a distillation of the likes of Morbid Angel, Monstrosity and Autopsy as you're likely to hear. Killer stuff.

5.Necromaniac - Sciomancy, Malediction and Rites Abominable
London based hellhounds finally deliver on their promise with a beast of occult inspired Black/Death/ Thrash, this honestly reminded me of the first time I heard Mayhem.

4. Runemagick - Cycle Of The Dying Sun
All the work of Rudolfsson alone this time and what a work it is, lurching, mountainous Doom Death riffs engulf you from the start and even the bonus tracks on the CD don't make this overstay it's welcome. Quality from an old hand.


For the Top Three I've gone with one from my three favourite styles.

 Best Thrash..
3. Deathammer - Crimson Dawn
This is an utterly savage, bloodthirsty mauling of an album from these pair of maniacs, the rawness of delivery akin to early Bathory , drop the needle on this and after a brief calm before the storm, prepare to have your throat torn out.

 Best Death..
2. Teitanblood - From The Visceral Abyss
This took a while but once it clicked it was always going to top my domain of Death this year, more riffy and not as buried in the murk than before, this was a maelstrom I went back to again and again. This was the other devastating drum performance too.

 Best Hard Rock/ Heavy Metal..
1. Tokyo Blade - Time Is the Fire
Fourteen tracks across an hour and fifteen minutes, I did not expect to have spun this so much this year but in truth there's not a single song amongst this classy collection that I'd leave out here such is the quality and variety on offer. If I had to pick one maybe it'd be the Lizzyesque 'Soldier On'.
A real rocker of a an album that brought me back decades. Victory for the old guard!

Nice work mr T,Mortual sounds interesting will defo check them out.
Hooded menace has its moments.Reminds me of Amorphis in parts.
Surprised no yellow eyes or Arkhaaik got a  mention as they released good solid albums this year.

[Thorn]

Had to check the Archives for both those my man, weren't even on my radar, you're deeper down in the caverns than I am!

[Blizzard Beast]

Had to check the Archives for both those my man, weren't even on my radar, you're deeper down in the caverns than I am!

I just cherry pick albums from people's lists if the same album keeps cropping up or the artwork is catching.Im sure there's some decent ones in your own lists I missed 

[Trev]

Cryptosis - Celestial Death

Liked their last few, but hadn't even realised they had a new one out this year until the missus got me a copy for Christmas. Great stuff, some more black metal style riffs, added synths, but still very much still the sci-fi thrash mould