BEST REISSUES OF 2025

Abigor - Demos 1993-1994
Aphex Twin - Ambient Works Vol 2 Expanded
Ánimas Defunctorum - Necrópolis Nebulosa & Ars Funeraria
Con-Dom - Colour of a Man's Skin
Enthral - Prophecies of the Dying
Gehenna - First Spell & Second Spell
Helheim - Av norrøn ætt & Jormundgand
Horror of Horrors - Rust Flesh Dust
Nordheim - Nordheim
Polygon Window - Surfing On Sine Waves Expanded
Pyaemia - Cerebral Cereal
Thus Defiled - Through the Impure Veil of Dawn
Thus Defiled - Wings of the Nightstorm
V/A - Drowned Productions 7" collection

BIGGEST DISAPPOINT-MENTS OF 2025

Penitent - Melancholia Redux

I don't know where to start... Penitent's Melancholia from 1996 is one of my favorite neo-classical albums, something of a gold standard for me, so the idea of re-recording it to begin with does not make sense to my mind - unless some substantial alteration to the songs themselves turning it into something new was the idea.  But even then - why?  Karsten  Hamre provides no answer with this as he has decided on this new album to record these songs again in the exact same structure but with an ultra-clean, modern production that eliminates atmosphere and, worst of all, instead of the grim poetry recital that in part made Melancholia so unique, he enlisted some guy who literally sounds like a Google AI chat program talking over the music, completely sans emotion and as if he is sitting in a different room and has no idea there is any music playing.  It's one of the worst musical decisions I have heard in years.  My guess is that Hamre was never satisfied with the vocals and that's why he decided to do this.  Here's hoping he doesn't move forward with the rest of his plan to re-record and destroy the other earlier recordings.  The biggest disappointment of 2025.

Funeral - The Funereal EP

Gospel of Bones, the album released before this EP, was low on my list of 2024, but nevertheless I'm always curious to hear what Eek and company are doing.  For whatever reason, this recording was released only digitally, whereas everything they've recorded before was released physically.  Already a danger sign as I tend to not to take digital stuff seriously.  As it stands they have yet another vocalist on this one, Jón Aldará of Faroese band, Hamferð, who is alright with his harsh voice, but grating on the clean.  Objectively this follows in lockstep to the predecessor but it is lacking something... the quieter parts are more to my liking than the heavier ones, while they heavy riffs sound very generic to my ears.  My guess is that they were not fully satisfied enough to properly release this 3-part song either, so they kept it online only, in the junkyard of the internet.  The concluding acoustic piece is lame.  Just a very average release, overall.

Sickle of Dust - Across the Vultures Trail

While there is nothing particularly wrong with Across the Vulture's Trail, Ash has become so predictable with this band that it feels like there is no reason to hear anything else after the first few albums (which I very much liked).  The first albums still had a harsh tremolo guitar as the kind of guiding force of the songs, whereas now the synths are the most in the foreground, working an epic drama like atmosphere but the key point is that it's no different to the last few releases.  Perhaps I've simply become tired of this approach and it doesn't give me anything anymore.  Even the neo-folk injection into The Black Stone's Inn which should in principle feel exciting since it hearkens back to Neutral, Ash's original folk band, produces no emotional reaction.  Just dull, dull, dull, sad to say.  A very forgettable album.

Shades of Deep Water - The Years On Borrowed Time

Juho Huuskola has the right idea with his doom/death sound and hit something very strong with Cold Heart, the predecessor to this album, but here he loses focus, in my opinion, hammering on tired chords and cliches that I frankly was not expecting after the powerful Cold Heart album.  The songs are longer, and far less engaging.  In fact, they are not engaging at all.  The cover art is excellent,  leading to expectations of something grandiose and epic, but it never comes, which is a damn shame.

Master's Hammer - Maldorör Disco

I understand Master's Hammer had a few decent albums recorded after Jilemnický Okultista, but Maldorör Disco is going back to the Šlágry days, with a scattershot cheap attempt at mixing up electronica with metal with absolutely none of the beautiful and melancholic atmosphere of the past.  This is the manifestation of a band that has completely lost interest in metal, that still wants to be a metal band, for whatever reason. I love electronic music and give them kudos for doing their own thing outside of the trends, which is rare these days, but the extrovert and conscious silliness of Maldorör just doesn't work for me at all.  They have a track here called "Take it or Leave It".  I'll leave it.

Imperial Domain - Portentum

Not really a disappointment as much as a note to avoid in the future, since Imperial Domain has never been a big deal for me.  They nevertheless were at least a reliable band at one time for melodic death metal.  I don't know so much after Portentum.  They are now aiming for a late At The Gates/In Flames direction, very commercial and over-produced.  I had to check who the vocalist is since he sounds different here, but it's still the guy from the last album, just singing in what is a more obnoxious and loud way.  Tobias Heideman is 100x better than this guy, R.I.P., and although the execution and songwriting is of course strong, I just don't feel it anymore, they lost me...

2025 WORTHY MENTIONS

Veneficium - Grand Black Maestrom Mysticism

17 years following De Occulta Philosophia, Veneficium have decided to return on bandcamp with a collection of 3 new tracks.  The music retains its complex mixture of symphonic classical music and raw black metal with a really thick, almost wall-of-noise sound that hides a level of detail that is revealed more and more on each listen.  While I don't think this release is as powerful as the album, it was a really pleasant surprise to see this return.  I would have liked a more imaginative and diverse recording, especially given the number of years since their last activity and the number of bands that have appeared that have tried to go into this direction (and usually fail in the process) but nevertheless Grand Black Maestrom Mysticism is an interesting album that deserves a physical release.

Jeff Pearce - Night Thoughts

Like many other artists, Jeff Pearce is spending a lot of his time on bandcamp these days and releasing everything he does digitally, leaving dry any mysticism his earlier releases possessed, at least for myself.  Night Thoughts is a collection of two digital EPs as well as a reworking of an older track.  The material is strong and dreamy and if this were my first exposure to Jeff Pearce, I may say I would be highly impressed. For a long time listener it offers no surprises whatsoever, but it's still a strong collection of music indeed most appropriate to hear in the night time hours (or maybe during a peaceful early morning if that is more your thing).

Evoken - Mendacium

The truth of the matter is that Mendacium wasn't a big deal for me as Evoken's music hasn't appealed to me since the Quietus album from 2001, but I have to give them credit for where credit it is due.  Even if I haven't felt anything from Evoken for years, they have been consistent and know how to record a heavy record.  They haven't backed down since the beginning and have been refining themselves for over 3 decades.  This album does not feel much different from the last, maybe it has some improvement.  Not my thing but a good band.

Aldaaron - Par-delà les cimes

Placing this here only because there is something off with this Aldaaron album leaving it nowhere near as impressive as earlier releases.  I still believe Ordalie is the superior band of the same members.  What bothers me most is the stiff and mechanical drum programming and the very bright, clear and modern production quality... or it could be that and the music leaves something desired.  Probably both.  Still, better than many other BM  bands in 2025, to be sure.

Ulver - Neverland

Ulver hasn't recorded anything good since Nattens Madrigal but due to nostalgia I still keep my eye on them.  I liked a little bit of Perdition City but there are literally hundreds of better electronics bands and frankly it astounds me that they get so much attention as they do.  All why this album, Neverland, accidentally turned my focus with real quality electronica.  If all of the tracks were like the concluding song, Fire In The End, this may very well have made it to my top 20.

Theoden's Reign - Citadel of the Stars

Best Summoning clone of this year, better than anything on the Northern Silence label, though I haven't been keeping too close track.  Heralder's music has an isolationist, low-budget atmosphere that very much appeals to me and is disconnected from everything modern.  In that sense, he may have surpassed even Summoning.  But unfortunately the compositions are not there yet in terms of strength and memorability.  Sometimes he veers into a bit of an upbeat mood, with one song reminding me of Russian folk music.

Tenebrae In Perpetuum - Vacuum Coeli

Anorexia Nervosa was a truly bizarre album... it was not really anything to enjoy, just something to observe and to take notes on with its psychopathic, monotonal  speed and electronic plinking and plunking sounds.  After that album, I didn't care about where Tenebrae In Perpetuum would go next and if they would ever reappear, but reappear they have 6 years on.  In just about all respects, Vacuum Coeli is superior to Anorexia, though it's hardly comparable to the band's first three works, especially the debut which remains my favorite TIP album.  Atratus's vocals are maybe the harshest in all of black metal today, and the drumming is truly a mark of endurance, an absolutely violent work of black metal, but aside from one or two songs that have interesting twists to them, the magic of the past is just not quite there.  I miss the Beatrik days.  Nevertheless, a remarkable return.

Bergthron - Neu Asen Land

Being a big fan of Bergthron for so long, on the sheer level of excitement, having released nothing for 15 years, a new album by Bergthron must take its place for me at the top of my list.  Like Expedition Autarktis we have about half an hour of new material, a short, no nonsense album in which every note feels thought-through and meaningful.  The song structure follows the same pattern as Expedition, more or less, but includes a progressive vibe beyond anything Bergthron have done before with more clean guitar work and more inventive melody.   With this album, it no longer makes sense to even call this black or even pagan metal; to my ears this is Bergthron metal, the apotheosis of what any creative band should be that aims for their own thing and originality.  Maybe it's not the most outstanding recording that came out this year, but given how surprising it is and how extraordinary and alive and powerful this band still sounds after 30 years of existence, it rightfully deserves its place at the top of the mountain.

Von Waeldten - Ins Licht

It was very hard to measure this and Thurnin as the best neo-folk albums of 2025 but in the end I decided that Von Waeldten deserves a higher spot on the list.  Ins Licht is a very moody, somber and highly emotional record that feels out of time completely, as if it was recorded with no knowledge of what has been going on in the music world for the past twenty years or so, harking back to the very beginning years of the neofolk explosion at the start of the century.  The closest relations to this album may be Forseti and Orplid, especially Orplid's acoustic songs.  Pascal Beckers has quietly released one of the best albums of 2025 that few people will hear, which is a damn shame.  House of Inkantation seems to have very little worldwide distribution or promotion and deserves everyone's attention who enjoys acoustic music, like a reborn Prophecy Records, keep your eye on this musician and label.

Thurnin - Harmr

This was a very unexpected entry into my list because the two previous Thurnin albums were not to my taste at all.  Technicality aside, the stuff was just too flowery and upbeat to align with the Hermit's grim predilections, almost like pop-folk without the pop vocals, but Harmr is very different.  This album is meant to convey darker reflections and thoughts, the word Harmr itself meaning something like "Grief" or "Sorrow" per the booklet, resulting in, for the first time in me, evocative, moving feelings pulled from Jurre Timmer's compositions.  Every song is great and in many ways, this was, along with Von Waeldten, the best neo-folk album I heard all year, though admittedly I did not hear many of this style.  True elaborate, beautiful webs of melodic sound from mainly just one lone guitar and never a dull moment.

Argus Megere - Cerburea Apusului

Of all of Fulmineos's projects, the best must be Argus Megere who haven't disappointed me once in all of the years I've been following its work.  Consisting of ex-members of Negura Bunget, Argus Megere is (I know the facts are different) the superior successor project, spinning off from the band's work in the 2000s, before the mediocre albums like Tău (R.I.P. Negru) that followed, in a way aiming for the same epic atmospheres of those awesome releases.  Think of it as a bridge between the old Negura Bunget (which I absolutely love) and the Negura from the 00s, but with a unique touch.  What's awesome about this record is that there are no cliches to be found, none that I found anyway, the atmospheres are unique and you are left guessing at what will happen next in each song, like the epic Larba-fiarelor that runs for 17 minutes (!).  Yeah, this is not for people with low attention spans, but the complexity of the music keeps things engaging in any case.  Just a masterful album from start to finish.

Aryan Art - За Любов и Светлина

I could not even anticipate the release of a new Aryan Art; it was released the day of news breaking!  Like Rotting Christ, Aryan Art is properly shielded via name alone from mainstream interference.  This is true underground music.  Now before someone thinks otherwise, beyond the name (which in talking to Alexander I confirm has no Nazi connotation) there is nothing political about this release.  What we have here is a recording that truly stands outside of any trend and wave... just absolutely beautiful harmonic, melodious black metal with a strong folkloric flavor and, thank you very much, no "post-black metal" or (let's call it what it is) alt-pop influence that I can hear.  The only drawback to За Любов и Светлина is that it's only 20 minutes... but what 20 minutes.  I can't recommend this enough and I'm looking forward to the coming 3-CD set.

Blestema - Necro Therion

Even reduced to just one person, the other two band members leaving sometime after the Epitafio single, Blestema continue to produce the best pure and straightforward black metal in the world today, bar none.  The quality of the compositions is topnotch, the vocal attack excellent and the atmosphere as intense as ever, with Necro Therion moving a little bit into the old Dark Funeral or Swedish direction broadly, but with the always unique Blestema touch.  All tracks on this are the quality I come to expect from Lifeless.  The most underrated black metal band in the world.  For the purists tired of so much of the garbage coming from Western countries and especially the "atmospheric" and "post" black metal trends, here is the antidote.

Paganland - Unwavering Faith in the Strength of the Ukrainian Spirit and Weaponry

As opposed to Aryan Art which distanced itself from Nazism, Paganland (from Ukraine, ironically, given current events and perceptions) seems to go, at least on the surface, in the total opposite direction, but I can't say for sure what is going on.  We have a track dedicated to Otto Wachter who created Division Galizien, an Ukrainian army to fight the Red Army, but who also participated, whoops, in the extermination of Jews, Roma and other "inferior races" in Europe during the Holocaust.  It's fairly obvious he is being celebrated here.  In any case, despite these idiotic politics which I am completely against, Paganland, frankly, destroys most other bands with their music and I was really looking forward to the follow-up to Galizier for a long while.  I'd even go so far as to say that Paganland are one of the strongest black metal bands in existence today, and this album keeps up that continuity.  Unwavering Faith... is pure class, black metal of near perfection, easily the best BM from Ukraine. (For more of my thoughts on Ukraine metal check my article here.)

Eternal Darkness - Eternal Darkness

The heaviest doom/death album put out this year, bar none!  In fact, maybe not just this year, but in the last few years.  Absolutely heavy, ugly death that sounds like it was recorded on a dirty cassette tape rescued from a deep earth mining operation, with monstrous bass hovering over every song like a black cloud wrapping you in a thick cocoon.  This is how it is done - absolutely anti-modern!  Production was reportedly the work of a Crypt of Kerberos member.  No major studio touched this, that's for sure, thank the Elder Gods!  Someone gets how death metal should sound!  This is the first album of the band released 35 years after forming, and they split up right afterward.  More listens pending but first listen catapulted this album to the top list.

Clouds - Desprins

A band that was unknown to me before this year, Clouds is the project of Daniel Neagoe of bands like Mourners and about two dozen other bands.  Typically facts like this mean avoidance is necessary, but actually I only found out about this after hearing the album.  Desprins is just absolutely tasteful, mid-paced doom with a beautiful harmonic sound, a lot of synthesizers and a good mix of growls and clean vocals.  Both are actually quite to my taste, the death growls having a warm, soothing sound, oddly enough, as much as the rest of this release.  It's odd to consider a doom/death album as relaxing but Desprins has that quality... it is not heavy but has a kind of airy, ambient quality to it, with a bit of a folkloric touch.  But the vocals are I think what really add the final flourish.  A great doom/death album.

Nechochwen - Spelewithiipi

Back when I interviewed Nechochwen in 2010 or so, I seem to remember him saying how he'd like to record another acoustic album like he did with Algonkian Mythos.  I still find that album quite unique and memorable and was very pleased to find out that he finally put his words to action.  Spelewithiipi is a short but beautiful compliment to the debut and is, in my view, far superior to the last two metal-centered albums.  It's obvious that a lot of care and love was put into these compositions that all exude the unique Nechochwen touch.  It's safe to say that no other band I know sounds like them, a rare feat for anything coming from the US these days.  I didn't think I'd have a single US band in this list but there you have it, along with David Galas's unexpected debut below. 

Dragonborn - The Riddle of Steel Beyond Ultima Thule

The best new band with no physical or digital release in 2025!  This discovery was made via my friend Cem who is the vocalist and who is also a big fan of Bal-Sagoth - whose Jonny Maudling of Bal-Sagoth himself just happens to contribute keyboards.  I can say in full candor that this sounds superior to the latter band's last few releases, like an unreleased Bal-Sagoth album from the 90s, maybe better.  Very genuine, powerful, no-nonsense metal with ample synthesizer, impeccably executed and recorded with a warm and wide production; a lot of care was obviously put into the output.  The band has been looking for a label all throughout the year and seem to have failed, not satisfied with enlisting with anything less than a big label with international distribution.  They deserve it far more than just about any trendy horseshit bands on Nuclear Blast or Napalm today, and yet those same labels want to have nothing to do with them.  The perfect illustration of much of the problem of music in 2025.

Agencement/Merzbow - Rilievo

Shimada Hideaki and Masami Akita are, in my view, the kings of the Japanese experimental music scene and so this collaboration is by default a must-listen.  As it so happens, it's a stimulating listen that actually rewards each time with new details discovered.  It's not so much harsh as much as it is atmospheric and ambient (reminder to check out the Merzbient albums sometime), with both artists invested in creating unique atmospheres.  I would argue that this is on par with the Masami Akitsa solo albums, like "The Prosperity of Vice, The Misfortune of Virtue".  This is another release out of time, though the unfathomable trend of generating AI covers continues.  A great and fresh listen in the tidal wave of banality and cowardice that is the majority of music today.

David Galas - The Nihilist

David Galas from Lycia has been recording solo albums for many, many years but this is my first exposure to his work.  I suppose I never cared enough to dig deeper into Lycia's background, but better late than never.  On The Nihilist Galas does both gothic rock and dark wave across 15 very diverse tracks, some far better than others.  For whatever reason, he put the goth rock tracks at the front of the album.  These are the worst tracks and if this was representative of the entire album, I wouldn't be writing about it here.  There are some great songs scattered here but especially The Color of Gray and Pillar of Sorrow are awesome, maybe better than Lycia!  For that reason, since Lycia is asleep again, this must go into my top list.  An imperfect but very worthwhile album.

Ornamentos del Miedo - Vacio como el Tronco de un Arbol Muerto

Looking back on my other reviews I've been featuring Ornamentos del Miedo in every top of the year list, and that's because of the twin factors of supreme quality and very high productivity of Ángel Chicote's music.  He is on a run since he started in 2017 and this is not to speak of his other bands.  Vacío como el tronco de un árbol muerto (Empty Like the Trunk of a Tree) is already the 6th album of the band in almost as many years (I wish other key funeral doom bands were as prolific) and is rife with epic atmospheres... the only issue is, you hear one album of Ornamentos and it feels like you have heard them all.  His music is very, very similar... and truth be told, I'm starting to wear thin of it.  However, it is also just so damn good that it's impossible not to add it to any top 10.  I almost wish he would try something new due to this sameness, but I suppose that's where his other projects like Disolucion en la Nada come into the picture.  You can start anywhere in his discography and you cannot fail, like looking at a diamond from multiple angles, you have the same effect, no luster is lost.

Structure - Heritage

It's easy to miss this band as the name, the logo, the art, everything about Structure is very understated and minimalist.  I only discovered it by accident in connection to Pim from Officium Triste who does vocals on this album.  Pim usually does no wrong!  What we have with Structure is very heavy, deep funeral doom with a massive percussion sound and great songwriting.  The structure of Structure is not particularly complex, and is often mid-paced.  Songs are melancholic and bring to mind Officium Triste, but with a heavier sound.  A terrific piece of heavy music that should not be ignored by doom fans.

Loren Nerell - Aquaticus

This is not a new release but a mix of older recordings.  Since it's a new mix, it should be considered a new release.  It should also have been released properly on a physical format but the recording was 95 minutes, so if not some double-album then a DVD-release would probably serve best (and DVD-format releases are awful for music-only in my humble opinion).  Anyway, all that aside, Nerell's work transcends banality like few others with its alien and disconnected sound - this is true isolationist, deep space ambient.  On Aquaticus it feels like you are traveling underwater on an alien world, and it keeps moving and shifting, taking you no place closer to home.... though for me it does feel like home.  As time has proven, Nerell can do no wrong.

Enterre Vivant - Akuzai

This is truly a unique album, coming from the singer Erroiak of Lethifere and Aeterna Tenebrae, interviewed in Convivial Hermit #10.  I could best characterize it as avantgarde black metal, where avantgarde usually means some kind of garbage but, that's not the case here at all.  The way the Japanese recordings and melodies are injected here is something I don't remember hearing before, with some great, catchy ideas on offer.  This is a band that truly walks alone... but there are some weaknesses, like some of the synthetic keyboards feeling a little weak.  At moments I felt some old Summoning vibe, but with a wirey Asian influence.  The mood is very melancholic.  This was far from the best black metal of the year but it was absolutely one of the most unique I had heard.

Last Retch - Abject Cruelty

I don't listen to much death metal but when I do, bands like Last Retch are the ones that I gravitate toward: primitive, old school groove but with a certain catchiness and orthodoxy.  Like In Pain from Sweden which made it into one of my earlier lists, Last Retch is not going to win any awards for originality and I don't think it is possible to tell them apart among many other bands, but they write very good, I dare say memorable death metal songs.   The production is synthetic and super-processed with a totally bloated sound, it's not raw at all in any conventional sense, but somehow... it works.  This was the best old school death metal I heard in 2025 (which is not saying much).

Korp - And Darker It Shall Become

This band has been around for 30 years and I will daresay, given their many recordings, have finally hit the nail into the skull of christ with this album.  It's been 24 years since Thorns of Centuries Unfold which I barely remember.  I have heard their earlier albums but that's always been their curse: no memorability.  Maybe it's because 2025 was such a shit year for metal but this album changes the game... these tracks are powerful and totally underground in flavor, a lot of great tremolo riffs with a bit of groove, for sure, but no rock n' roll or sellout ideas, and the vocalist, Erik Hillströms, sounds as good as ever.  A very good comeback!

Vulthum - The Tyrant Tale

There was a lot of anticipation for the second Vulthum album for me since I enjoyed the first so much.  Initially it was promoted as a mini-album, then it evolved into an album.  I can see what they did: they buffered the four tracks they recorded with a lot of intros and instrumentals that don't really contribute much.  In effect, they extended this to a full-length, maybe a decision made by the label to sell more copies, I don't know.  The music is still classic black metal the early Darkthrone way, but in retrospect, listening to this a number of times, there is something half-baked about The Tyrant Tale.  What we really need is a new Mythological Cold Towers, where all these guys are coming from.  It's been too long.

CONTENDERS FOR TOP 2025 STILL TO EVALUATE:

Lull - Tide

For some reason Mick Harris decided to release this on a label with no distribution network worldwide and with apparently no interest in even streaming its music on any available platform.  God Records not only have no network but are also ridiculous price gougers selling the CD and vinyl on their makeshift site for 29 euros and 50 euros respectively!  The CD is probably a flimsy one panel digipak, too.  It's like it was deliberately released so that as few people as possible could hear it, but I'm sure it will be at the top of my list someplace when I do since Lull is my favorite dark ambient band.

Diathra - Our Death Scenario

First album in 11 years and a nice comeback.  I have a soft spot for some European romantic gothic metal, I admit, and Diathra always produces quality.  Probably they will never return to the Wistful Autumn Dance days with the brutal guitars - an excellent album.  I am still listening to this.

Coroner - Dissonance Theory

I'm not crazy about thrash but Coroner is somehow an exception and the new song they released is very good.  This is one I still near to hear.

Blut Aus Nord - Ethereal Horizons

The last Blut Aus Nord I found completely boring, as Vindsval's material is very inconsistent, and the new track they published is completely dull, but it's still something I would like to hear sometime.  Not a priority but it's on my list.