2025, what an incredible year for music. I want to thank our readers and the Metal Insider team for another year of metal. We sacrifice what we can to support metal and the scene. It’s what we live for. So, thank you for being part of the adventure. While it was depressing to lose several legends (still mourning Ozzy), we’ve also seen a rise in new music. Let’s face it: we’re living in a time where the science-fiction films we grew up with over the last several decades are becoming reality, especially with the growth of AI. And yes, while AI has its strengths, it also comes with unsettling weaknesses, including the idea of AI creating music instead of actual bands.
I had a tough time narrowing this list down. Some albums by artists who lived comfortably in my Top 10 in years past ended up as honorable mentions. It wasn’t easy. According to Metal Insider’s New & Noteworthy column, there were well over 2,500 metal releases this year, ranging from top sellers like Sleep Token, Deftones, and Ghost to independent, nearly unheard-of artists. That’s over 2,000 real humans playing real instruments and creating real music. Whether you think it’s horrific or glorious, it’s still people crafting something authentic, and we should be grateful for that and hope it stays that way.
As for my Best Of list: I don’t pick albums for clickbait or attention-grabbing. This list is simple: I listened to the record, I genuinely enjoyed it, and here it is. It’s honest, not based on drama, not engineered for engagement, just what sounded good. And trust me, it’s a lot of work.
I did my best to narrow it down. Some will ask why it isn’t only ten albums; others will wonder why it’s not 150. These lists are difficult, and I recognize metal as a whole to the best of my ability. This year, I leaned heavily on the black, death, thrash, power, doom, and symphonic metal subgenres. My taste grows darker, sludgier, or even cheesier every year, and I love it. If none of that is for you, that’s okay; that’s what makes metal so diverse. It’s beautiful. And at Metal Insider, we have a team of writers and photographers with different tastes.
With all that said, here’s my list. Hope you enjoy it.
Best Albums:
43) Eternal White Trees, Prelude of Loss (My Kingdom Music)
Starting with something more under-the-radar, Italian gothic-doom trio Eternal White Trees unveil a compelling second album with Prelude of Loss. Its melancholic tone and dark, suffocating atmosphere dive deep into the stages of grief and despair, an unexpectedly powerful and beautifully bleak surprise in its musical execution.
Key Track(s): “Pale Sun Sad Moon,” “Into The Abyss of Night”
42) Matalobos, Phantasmagoria: Hexed Lands (Concreto)
2025 began at 70000tons, where I was introduced to, and immediately impressed by, Mexican melodic doom/death metal outfit Matalobos. When I later learned they had a new album, I knew I had to hear it. Much like their live performance, Phantasmagoria: Hexed Lands unfolds in rich layers, blending elements of Mexican culture with death-metal weight, catchy hooks, and slow, sludging atmospheres. They absolutely deserve a spot on this list.
Key Track(s): “The Mortal Music,” “Hatred of Kin”
41) Thy Kingdom Will Burn, The Loss And Redemption (Scarlet)
Finland’s melodic death metal outfit Thy Kingdom Will Burn delivered one of the year’s pleasant surprises with their third album, The Loss and Redemption, their third full-length in just four years. Maybe I’m still grieving the loss of At the Gates’ Tomas Lindberg, or maybe there really are brief echoes of that influence here. Regardless, the album stands firmly on its own, weaving loneliness, hopelessness, and isolation through a mix of catchy, dark, and angrily charged melodies.
Key Track(s): “Forever In Dark,” “Suffering Sky”
40) Allegaeon, The Ossuary Lens (Metal Blade)
Colorado’s Allegaeon continue to refine their technical spin on melodeath, which is showcased on their latest album, The Ossuary Lens. While feedback has been mixed, some calling it excellent, others finding it just okay, the band has clearly defined their sound without falling into repetition. The new record is filled with chaotic breakdowns, blast beats and guttural screams that will make you lose your mind.
Key Track(s): “Chaos Theory,” “Dies Irae”
39) Igorrr, Amen (Metal Blade)
If Beethoven were resurrected and brought 90s industrial metal with him, reconstructed it with the Ninth Symphony, somehow that’s what Igorrr’s latest experimental creation, Amen sounds like. None of it makes any sense at all, but it works, and there’s nothing else like it.
Key Track(s): “Daemoni,” “Limbo”
38) Lord Agheros, Anhedonia (My Kingdom)
Italian atmospheric black metal project Lord Agheros, entirely crafted by Gerassimos Evangelou, has dove into something avant-garde, experimental, and genuinely fresh with his latest release, Anhedonia. The record weaves classical and modern elements into a uniquely beautiful collection.
Key Track(s): “Sorrow’s Shroud,” “Soul’s Descent into the Void”
37) Abigail Williams, A Void Within Existence (Agonia)
Heavily leaning into atmospheric black metal, Abigail Williams’ first album in six years, A Void Within Existence, plays like a lost poem of madness, turmoil, and isolation. There’s a lot packed into its nearly forty-six-minute runtime, and it will leave you feeling something.
Key Track(s): “Embrace the Chasm,” “No Less Than Death”
36) An Abstract Illusion, The Sleeping City (Willowtip)
Music flows, and somehow, An Abstract Illusion’s The Sleeping City became an instant top contender for me, thanks to Emily’s review (thank you, Emily). Harsh beats, brutal screams, soaring melodies, a mix of progressive death with a few blast beats, it’s a full musical exploration. What isn’t there to enjoy?
Key Track(s): “Frost Flower,” “The Sleeping City”
35) 1914, Viribus Unitis (Napalm)
Ukrainian blackened death/doom outfit 1914 bring history, chaos, disarray, and the fight to survive wrapped up in just under one hour with their latest offering, Viribus Unitis, Latin for “With United Forces.” Musically, the group puts a new spin on extreme music, adding dark historical undertones while experimenting with atmospheric breaks between the blistering beats.
Key Track(s): “1914 (The Siege of Przemyśl),” “1917 (The Isonzo Front)”
34) Katatonia, Nightmares As Extensions Of The Waking State (Napalm)
As the lights dim on Sweden’s Katatonia, the music on Nightmares As Extensions of the Waking State follows with a softer, more understated presence. While the band has been steadily moving toward a rock-progressive palette, seen beautifully on Sky Void of Stars (2023) and City Burials (2020), this new chapter doesn’t quite capture the same soulful energy or poetic spark of their recent evolution. Whether they’re leaning into something intentionally restrained or simply settling into a comfortable creative space, the record feels more standardized, offering fewer moments that feel genuinely new. Overall, feedback has reflected this divide: some find beauty in the album’s subtlety, while others struggle to connect with it. It’s admittedly disappointing not to see Katatonia break into the top tier of this year’s releases, but the album isn’t without strengths. There’s a serene, almost jazz-tinged atmosphere woven throughout, relaxing, transcendent, and blissful in its own right. It’s the kind of record you can let wash over you as you move through your day, knowing a Katatonia album will never truly steer you wrong. Still, there’s hope that the next chapter sees them push themselves a bit further, tapping back into the intensity and innovation we know they’re capable of.
Key Track(s): “Thrice,” ”Wind of No Change”
33) Helloween, Giants And Monsters (Reigning Phoenix)
While it may not be their best record, Helloween continue to push boundaries with the ultimate reunion, having both Michael Kiske and Andi Deris behind the microphone. Both are legends who have a significant impact on the band, and it’s not exactly common for a former singer to return and remain alongside the current one. It was showcased beautifully on their 2021 self-titled record and continues on 2025’s Giants & Monsters. While I expected a bit more power-driven medleys from this album, it does turn the volume down a few notches without losing too much quality, and it still stands as one of the stronger releases of 2025, with some enjoyable tracks.
Key Track(s): “Into The Sun,” “Universe (Gravity For Hearts)”
