As the Doomsday Clock races, time speeds up, as 2025 is at its midpoint. With the impending end of times comes a celebration of darkness, and these bands are making substantial soundtracks for that. These lists serve as a decent snapshot of where the year is heading in terms of music. I have already received promos for albums dropping as far out as August in my inbox, so they will need to bring it to compete with the top five albums on this list. For the mid-year report card list, I'm combining goth with its close cousin, industrial. I have included links to full reviews if you want to check these out, and with all that said, here are the top 10 Goth / Industrial albums of 2025 so far.
10-Palindrones-Chapter 2 the Slender Blade"
This British dark wave duo moves in interesting directions. We caught up with them on our podcast. Check that interview out here...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6D9B509gzA&t=832s
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/03/palindrones-chapter-2-slender-blade.html
9-Sowulo -"NIHT"
Neo-folk has always been a sub-genre of goth more than folk; this Nordic project balances the more primal nature with a grandiose atmosphere that captures a darker mood than most, and earns them their spot on this list.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/06/sowulo-niht.html
I am glad to hear Gaahl continuing to explore his singing voice. The vocals are well layered, with more of his upper register present while the baritone croon holds center stage, which is on brand for him. It is not surprising that Gaahl and I are of a similar musical mindset, for here he proves that the emotive value of darkness is just as heavy as metal.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/03/gaahls-wyrd-braiding-stories.html
7- Bootblacks- "Paradise"
This Brooklyn-based band, BOOTBLACKS, is dancing in a more dark wave direction with their new album, with songs driven by synth pulses. The reverb-slathered guitar sits back in the mix, content haunting the backdrop.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/bootblacks-paradise.html
6-Corlyx-"Purple Pain"
This album showcases their strength of embracing both the past of traditional dark wave and still not shying away from paying tribute to this era, with new sounds, like vibrant synth-wave keyboard lines, and pop-inflected hooks.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/corlyx-purple-pain.html
5-The Cure- "Mixes of a Lost World"
In case you forgot this was coming out, Robert Smith is not the control freak he once was, as he is allowing 24 artists to remix the band's 2024 masterpiece.It shows how much reach the Cure's influence has on music as a whole.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/06/the-cure-mixes-of-lost-world.html
4-Ministry- "the Squirrelly Years Revisited"
The joke about back when Ministry sounded like Depeche Mode wore thin on Uncle Al, after polishing off the early songs for live sets, even before releasing their last album, he re-recorded the songs from the "Twitch" and "With Sympathy" era. The vocals are more in line with how Al sings now. Sometimes the guitars are providing more heft, with the more new wave leaning dance beats driving the hot rod that Jesus built. In some cases, this works just well enough.
3-Peter Murphy- "Silver Shade"
At 67, Murphy looks older than he sounds. The new wave bounce on these songs would not have been out of place on his 89 classic "Deep". Not as dark as Bauhaus, it is true to the era. He keeps the '80s pulse going paying a great deal of service to his fan base, which is wise. His pipes stay fluid even when going up into the wavering vibrato of his upper register.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/peter-murphy-silver-shade.html
2-Youth Code -"Yours, With Malice"
On previous releases, they felt more like a militant version of Skinny Puppy, so this might be more neon lit, and not as dark as, say, 'A Place to Stand'. They employ more dynamics at times as Sara retains her signature scowling. It does not sound dated and moves industrial music forward, rather than solely focusing on the past eras.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/youth-code-yours-with-malice.html
1-Shedfrombody- "Whisper and Wane"
This project from Finland marks another entry to the hallowed halls of ethereal hot girl music. It's almost like ASMR set to brooding post-rock. The vocals are hypnotically layered, and the songs have a subtle slither to them, but despite the somewhat hopeful cadence of the vocals, this album is dark like a brooding thunderstorm, and less dressed up for Halloween, though still dark enough to earn it's place at the top here.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/01/shedfromthebody-whisper-and-wane.html
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