It has been two years since I sat here before you at the halfway mark of the year to recount what’s already been accomplished. I did not make the decision lightly in 2024 to ignore this tradition of mine, but it was due to my mental health decline at the time and trying to prioritize many other things in my life, it was a decision I stuck by in silence. Now, despite some difficulties in my personal life, I feel like I’ve returned back home in a way as I now present you with the Head-Banger Reviews Top Albums of 2025 So Far, and I am thrilled with what’s already happened and all that is still to come!
Already, this has been an extremely bountiful year for all genres with plenty rising from the background to really show us what they’re made of with the likes of folk metal, in particular, given extreme justice by several acts this year with the highly anticipated potential returns of both Downfall of Nur and Whispered offering even further glory for the sound that just isn’t given enough time in the spotlight. From old school proto-metal to amorphous works that are downright experimental to straightforward works that are nigh on deadly in their proficiency, we have been spoiled yet again despite what some people may disagree with across the underground.
As is the case every year here, these albums are only those that I have reviewed before the halfway mark of 2025 (2nd of July). I already have plenty of other works reviewed and ready to be released on their scheduled day with the likes of Imperialist giving me the first real taste of excellence that these six months have still to put before me, and I cannot wait to lap it all up.
Once again, as is the case every year, none of these albums are ranked in any particular order. Jotted down in a Google Doc and then copy-pasted in the same order, this list is more of a brief recollection rather than anything formal of any sort.
Even now, though, I find myself not including everything that I need to keep in mind. Plenty works that aren’t here are more than worthy of revisitation in my spare time, but in no way does that mean they’re any less worthy of your time in any form. I encourage you to check out these creations as well, for who knows? Maybe you’ll find something you can immediately connect with. Each band and release will be linked with the respective Bandcamp page for your easy access.
Bloodbark – Sacred Sound of Solitude / Ritual Ascension – Profanation of the Adamic Covenant / Lik – Necro / Rothadas – Töviskert… a kísértés örök érzete… lidércharang / Jesse Stilettö – Jesse Stilettö / Mizmor & Hell – Alluvion / Ninkharsag – The Black Swords of Winter / Neptunian Maximalism – Le Sacre Du Soleil Invaincu / Goya – In the Dawn of November / Lazer Throne – Tomb of the Lunar Oracle
Please, as is the same every day of every month of every year, do what you can to support the acts that you love. The underground still has so much more to offer so long as we sustain it. I still wish I could cover everything that comes before me, but I am just one man in an ocean of opportunity. Without so much of the passion and hard work that goes into these sprawling scenes, we would have nothing.
IF YOU WANT TO LISTEN TO THESE FINE ALBUMS THEN (please) JUST CLOCK ON THE BAND NAME AND ALBUM TITLE TO BE TAKEN TO EITHER BANDCAMP OR YOUTUBE!
“Saor has never needed anybody to point out its splendor, yet it’s with all that’s to be found in “Amidst the Ruins” that one’s knees cannot help but buckle and then fail before such awesome power, talent, and wonder.” (read full review here)
“Pound for pound in every given moment, “In Flight” is the work of heavy metal that is sure to define what the genre can still become in 2025.” (read full review here)
“A powerful blend of death-doom that is never once afraid to delve into other styles to bring some real flair and grandeur into the mix, everything that is “Antipole” tackles duality in its many forms with it being reflected gorgeously in the music itself.” (read full review here)
” A monolith of bleak reality whose shadow is deep and haunting, “A Foreseen Loss” is the experience black-doom metal has been sorely needing with the soul of the record itself something that we can become lost in for then maybe the pain of our reality can feel ever so slightly distant.” (read full review here)
“Immersive and downright all-encompassing for all that’s dared to be brought to the table, “Incendiary Sanctum” stands as a monolith; tall, imposing, laden with depth and splendor.” (read full review here)
“A transcendent journey through space that is overflowing with colors and spectacle driven by deep grooves and wells of splendor that are constantly bursting forth upon the listener such that they have no choice but to be washed over by the euphoric waters…” (read full review here)
“… a surprisingly fluid work that taps into the worlds of jazz, electronica, and so much more to take this far beyond the work of only extreme metal, Sleep Paralysis is a horrifically organic experience that draws from the deepest recesses of the human psyche…” (read full review here)
“…the kind of record that never settles in one place as the full breadth of Havukruunu’s repertoire is given the full respect that it deserves to make this work something that shines brightly even in a discography that is nigh on captivating from top to bottom.” (read full review here)
“A delicate and nuanced balance of power that doesn’t hold back in the slightest in delivering a compelling diversity of speed that allow for the album to not just tap into a side of death-doom that many fail to attain, it becomes clear immensely quick that Wurmian knew what it was doing from its earliest moments.” (read full review here)
“…carefully curated to ensure that the sky is blackened and there is no hope of survival for those who are not able to make it to the end of this record. Never once does Hexekration Rites even give you the false hope of making it through unscathed…” (read full review here)
“…very essence of this new work feels certifiably darker and nastier, yet it leans even harder into some of the more progressive elements of its predecessor with a symphonic presence driven by a haunting violin…” (read full review here)
” A supremely heavy performance that follows the story of an intergalactic bounty hunter riding amongst the stars to remove the filth that finds its way into every crevice of the universe…” (read full review here)
“Between its riffs, intelligent instrumentation from an incredibly flavorful menagerie of guests, and raw passion that coats every minute of the record, “The Convalescence Agonies” is catharsis of the highest order.” (read full review here)
“…“Otherlike Darknesses” writhes within its own sonic territory with loads of intensity, beauty, majesty, and terror to be found within each track. Everything crashing together in one bombastic performance that yields an overwhelming display of color and power…” (read full review here)
“A constant barrage that overwhelms the senses and doesn’t leave so much as a moment to fully recover before this greatly distorted combination of death metal, grind, and jazz pummels you into dust with all of its progressive and technical notions leaving no room for error…” (read full review here)
” A horrific display of evocative insanity fueled by the deepest trenches of sorrow that leaves nothing to the imagination as the wailing of the soul is left to shape the work into something that’s as unrelenting as it is captivating to become lost within, it’s a real pleasure to witness Hell at the helm once again…” (read full review here)
“Steeped in as many folk notions as well as progressive leanings, this is a record that twists black metal into a singularly exquisite form that feels steeped in the tradition of its Brazilian origin yet constantly yearning to break free to find something more…” (read full review here)
“…tremendous intensity, nuance, and a sense of aural color that black metal doesn’t receive often enough, “Rift in Reality” is a beast all of its own.” (read full review here)
“…a captivatingly wild display of prowess that stretches across many corners of extreme metal from death to thrash to black metal while making more than enough time for some electronic experimentation. As haunting in its expansive nature as it is destructively awe-inspiring in its intensity…” (read full review here)
Head-Banger Reviews 