the Top 10 Black Metal Albums of 2025 ... so far

This was set in motion two years ago when too many journalists tried to erroneously hail hot garbage as the best black metal album of the year. This compelled me to set things straight, as such a claim is disrespectful to the genre; therefore,
I decided to uphold this mid-year tradition. Just sounding good from a production standpoint is not going to make the cut, since studio magic alone is not what black metal is about. Though I am not looking for something to sound like trash in the name of being cvlt either. I am also not paying homage to bands that are just press darlings for whatever social reason of the day might be. After all, Blackbraid continues to show what he got right about Native representation is being an alcoholic. I want bands who are effective at creating darkness, so with that said, here are the top 10 Black Metal Albums of 2025 ...so far.

10- Ritualmord- "This is Not Lifelover" 

Lifelover's remains turned to Hypothermia and Kall. This comes from the guitarist who formed Hypothermia. This was where the songs that were too experimental for that project as they continued to evolve as musicians. This is the first full-length of the project following three EPS. The mood is similar to what they have done before, even if they are not using the typical sonic building blocks of black metal to get there.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/01/ritualmord-this-is-not-lifelover.html

9- Void of Hope- "Proof of Existence" 

Finland's black metal scene is expanding beyond the raw black metal bands like Horna. It is also cool that depressive black metal is making more of a comeback. It's dark and more emotive than the normal blasting black metal that wants to sound like Darkthrone when even Darkthrone doesn't sound like the band they are trying to imitate anymore. The vocals have a nasty howl. The music carries a very deliberate throb.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/black-metal-history-month-void-of-hope.html

8-Karg- "Maroduer" 

The band's 9th album finds attitude propelling the aggressive tendencies, and even in how the atmosphere is approached. The vocals are not screamed but shouted in a forceful yet pained manner. More melodic and angular than what I expect from any metal coming out of Germany

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/black-metal-history-month-karg-maroduer.html

7-Grima- "Nightshade" 

The theme of this album is to honor Taiga, the spirit of the Siberian forest. If these guys are from Siberia, I can only wonder what it's like getting to band practice, as it's pretty harsh there. This is their 6th album, so they have been doing this a while, and it's apparent in how things flow in their playing.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/black-metal-history-month-grima.html

6-Abigail Williams - "A Void Within Existence"

 Abigail Williams is one of the rare American Black Metal bands that has stood the test of time as a legitimate representation of its genre, with a sonic darkness on par with their European counterparts. This album effectively captures the darkness that this project embodies. The atmosphere brought by the guitar hits the sweet spot of making things sonically heavier.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/abigail-williams-void-within-existence.html

5-Morast- "Fentanyl"

This is what black metal should be. Darkness and misery forged into music. It carries a dreadful throb, that is not what you might think of as depressive black metal, but they succeeded in capturing the despair of junkie in a manner so real we have not heard it since mid-2000s Nachtmystium. I did not know fentanyl was big in Germany, but it's spread worldwide now, as I am sure the trailer parks of Europe in the Eastern Block are spreading it like roaches. 

 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/black-metal-history-month-morast.html

4-Void of Hope- "Proof of Existence" 

Finland's black metal scene is expanding beyond the raw black metal bands like Horna. It is also cool that depressive black metal is making more of a comeback. It's dark and more emotive than the normal blasting black metal that wants to sound like Darkthrone when even Darkthrone doesn't sound like the band they are trying to imitate anymore. The vocals have a nasty howl. The music carries a very deliberate throb.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/black-metal-history-month-void-of-hope.html

3-Deafheaven- "Lonely People With Power" 

The band continues to balance out the varied elements of their discography, right down to the deliberate chug that the song transitions into. Having made their way onto the rock festival circuit, you had to wonder how much playing with big mainstream bands would influence them. Truth be told, when I saw them at Rockville, there was little compromise on their part to win anybody over. 6 albums into their career, I think it is safe to say if they were going to sell out, they would have by now.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/03/deafheaven-lonely-people-with-power.html

2-Hexvessel- "Nocturne" 

Seven albums into their legacy, this Finnish band continues to ebb and flow with both neo-folk and black metal in their veins. In some way, this picks up where "Polar Veil" left off; in other ways, it expands upon it, with more layered voices that sound like the hippie choir persona of their folk era, now haunting this album, and finds a more balanced blend of those melodic folk textures.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/hexvessel-nocturne.html

1-NITE- "the Cult of the Serpent Sun" 

The third album from this San Francisco metal band. They walk a line between black metal and traditional metal. I can hear where Tribulation might have occupied a similar sonic space at one time if they had not turned into a goth band. If you want a classic metal-sounding album that is just not reheating leftovers but is writhing with an inner darkness, this album is for you. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/01/nite-cult-of-serpent-sun.html

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Ritualmord : "This is Not Lifelover"

Lifelover's remains turned to Hypothermia and Kall. This comes from the guitarist who formed Hypothermia. This was where the songs that were too experimental for that project as they continued to evolve as musicians. This is the first full-length of the project following three EPS. The mood is similar to what they have done before, even if they are not using black metal to get there.  After an ambient intro piece, it gets into "Stonerpop" which is the first proper song working off a woozy ambiance. The vocals are spoken and grow increasingly agitated as the song progresses. This song is followed by another atmospheric interlude. 

"Spar" is the next actual song. Though it lingers in an experimental morass of sound. It's a kind of fog-enveloped post-rock when it manages to come together. They kept the depressive part of depressive black metal and dug so deeply that it almost accomplishes the same thing. "Tjara" is the first song that crosses over into metal, and it's more of a post-doom. Though tormented cries are uttered from it to stay on brand for these guys. Harrowing intensity is certainly a phrase you could use to describe this with. "Tid' is more of a swath of post-rock sound with samples over it. Due to the experimental nature of Lifelover for a long time, I assumed they were from France when they were from Sweden. 

"Andetag" is more tortured mumbling, crying out from the dense ambiance. This continues to be the formula, though a more metallic backbone begins to form in the song that follows it. Though it shimmers in more of a post-rock fashion. "Slutna ogon" has more of an industrial clang to it, though it's much heavier on the atmosphere rather than finding these guys trying to be Ministry.  'Se Mig" shimmers with an even more opaque ambiance. "Var vantan..." has more melody to the guitars. Most of the songs have a more minimalist approach than what you expect from a project that evolved out of a black metal band. The strum does become fuller once they slowly build the dynamics. The vocals go into more of the pained weeping Lifelover made famous.

 If you were to ask me if this is more of a post-rock album or a black metal album, I would have to say it has more in common with early Mogwai, than early Darkthrone, and the last song only further proves this point. I will give this album a 9, and see how it grows on me. They are great at what they do, but what they do also comes with the expectations they respectfully toy with this regard. I was going to wait to publish this in Black Metal History Month since it does not drop until March 8th , but since this is not black metal, I'll go ahead and put it out there. 

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Kall : "Brand"

I used to love Lifelover, so when I heard they were kind of back together in this band , it made me happy., This album is more of a blatant black metal direction compared to the first one. There is more of a gallop than blast beats, which is fine with me. There is a more of a modern Darkthrone feel to this than anything that depressive. Things get darker on the second song. More emotive. Perhaps not outright depressing, but tormented for sure. Sax is the odd unsung instrument. It is interesting how much of a prescence it has in black metal over the past few years. There is more of a rock n roll feel to the wonderfully written groove of "Eld" . It is both melodic and dynamic. Not the most black metal moment of the album in fact it is more indie rock like Hum than anything. That is except for the angry scowl of the vocals.

"Fukta din  Aska"  or "Moisten your ashes" has a great deal of metallic kick going into it then allows it's self to drift off into a dark place. I would be all about it except for the fact the song is over 17 minutes which is excessive. What goes down is sprawling and beautiful. Not something you can listen to on the way to the store. Is there fat that could be trimmed from this song? Yes. The sax solo is cool , but some of this could have been edited down and then they could jam out as they see fit on stage. They go full on blast beat by the end, though it does not end up sounding like everything else. For all my criticism of blast beats they can be effective when used sparingly. There is a whole jammy section that while it has impressive guitar playing and is pulled together nicely, is more than I am going to listen to on a regular basis. The song after this one is almost 13 minutes and leads in with another jammy section. Once again great guitar playing that makes it more forgivable. Almost five minutes in before the vocals commit to anything more than a sparse scream. The musical scope of what they are kicking up sonically impresses me. It explodes with more of a rock n roll drive.

The drop things back into a darker creeping groove for the last song "Fall" . It's eight and a half minutes long ,which at this point in the album doesn't seem like very long. At the two minute mark it kicks in with the distortion. The sax comes in over a big sludgey riff that they jam out on . I will round this down to a 9.5 ,because it is not a perfect album due to some of the jammy bloat. It might not be perfect, but is it still pretty fucking awesome with the massive sounds they bring to the table here and the places this album takes you are pretty epic as well. Out on Prophecy.

Black Metal History Month -the Top 50 Black Metal Albums of All Time-40 to 31

Here we go further into the countdown of the top 50 black metal albums of all time. Before I sat down at my computer I confessed to someone that I do not know why I continue to subjecting myself to the work that goes into making these lists. You my faithful reader seem to like them as the numbers don't lie so in honor of Black Metal History month I will press on. Obviously when ranking these I am looking for what I have listened to the most. Many of these I owned long before I had a Last Fm page to help track what I listened to and going with my gut. Best is not the fastest. Best is not even the most satanic though that gets these bands more points than just relying on speed. What has stood the test of time and I continue to return to are the most important qualifications. So here we go...

40-Inquisition- "Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm"

My rule is when in doubt go with the album that got you into the band in the first place.Aside from the weird production choices on this album this rule stands pretty solid with these guys. It also is yet another black metal album from 2010. This album they kept the SATAN up front, they come across as an evil version of Immortal. Granted with the production on this album they are not as big and thundering as Immortal or as big and thundering as the albums that follow, but there is just something about these songs that earns it this spot.


 





 

39-Wolves in the Throne Room - "Black Cascade" 


 Here is another one where I have to go with my gut. The more organic guitar sound of this album, elevates it above the others. These guys have been known to get distracted by the atmosphere and wander away from their camp fire. There is atmosphere to this album and I think it occurs in the most natural way possible.

38-Ulver-Nattens Madrigal -


 Ulver might not be a black metal band now, but they once were. I prefer their mid-period where the two sides of the band were balanced, they also have many albums from this era where half the album is instrumental so picking what is best can be tricky, so with these guys there are a couple of album's I might have listened to more, but this is the black metal album I have listened to the most. For black metal the guitar solos on this one prove solos can work on a black metal album.

 37- Blut Aus Nord- "the Work Which Transforms God"

 These guys are similar to Ulver in the fact that they might have album's I am listened to more, but those album's are not black metal. So the rule is just because a band starts off as black metal doesn't grandfather later albums in by default. I think as far as their black metal albums goes this one is the best because it is so dark it borders on being depressive suicidal black metal. Their tendencies towards atmospheric experimentation are still firmly intact for this 2003 album and they set the bar for French black to follow them.


 

36- Hail Spirit Noir-" Oi magoi" 

 This Greek band takes a progressive approach to bringing their brand of darkness. The execution is flawless and they refuse to play by the rules.They do have the occasional blast beat, but sound like they are just as influenced by Deep Purple as they are Darkthrone. There are sections where it feels like they are wandering off into a jam, which is something you never hear in black metal.For a genre that is all about freedom and being a non-conformist, black metal all too often adhere to closely to playing in the confinements of being true rather than taking risks and this album celebrates the risks they take.



35- Lifelover-"Sjukdom"

 The band broke up after this album was released due to the overdose of their guitarist. They were not always black metal in the strictest sense by the time this album rolled around. I think the mood and the other influences brought to the table expanded what black metal could be. Like most of the depressive black metal, the emphasis is on an emotional heaviness. Sometimes this translates over into a metallic heaviness. Not burdened by an overabundance of blast beats, they sometimes veer into a more black n roll realm. I think this is a fitting picture of their full realized musical vision.

 


34-Twilight- "Monument to Time End"

 This supergroup made an astounding album of forward thinking black metal, when they tried to mess with the formula and bring Thurston Moore from Sonic Youth into the fold, things went sour. But this album is a monument before that time ended. The guitars on here bring a indie rock sensibility and layers of melody. It is an album that is as heavy sonically as it is metal.

 

33 Arckanum-"Helvítismyrkr" 


 One of the amazing things about this album is it was created by one person. While this is less uncommon in black metal due to the misanthropic nature of the artists who play it, this album feels very organic like it is four guys jamming in a room. The drums are just as well played as the guitar parts to there is not the uneven feel of programmed drums that sound too thin for black metal. This doesn't follow the blue print of most Swedish black metal and owes little to Dissection.

32 - Moonsorrow-"Varjoina_kuljemme_kuolleiden_maassa" .

This 2011 album is so epic even the band themselves could not touch it when they tried to follow it up five years later. While it could also be on the top 50 pagan or viking metal albums list...if I ever get around to doing it or am even able to think of 50 albums worth a damn from those sub-genres. This album is dark enough to earn it's place here. Epic has become an overused term when it comes to metal, but if I had to pick one album on this list to use it for it describes the cinematic quality of what is going on here. Often the vocals are the most black metal element on the battle field, but I think this incredible album pushes the boundaries of what black metal can be. The folk elements are very well done and add to the over all sound rather than being a Middle Earthen distraction.


 

31-Marduk- "Plague Angel"

When mentioning bands from the second wave of black metal these guys are in the big 4 along side Darkthrone, Mayhem, Emperor and Burzum. Sure they might have albums that are more cvlt, but the songs are what matter and here they come off of some of the more spastic bursts of aggression to throb with a darkness that carries a more convincing feeling.A little more of an intimate feel to this album than what would happen on "Wormwood" and everything that follows.


 

Black Metal History Month: Looking Back in Anger -Lifelover: "Sjukdom"

These guys are legends in this genre. I haven't listened to this album in a minute , but wore it out when i first discovered these guys. When it comes to the emotional element of this music that might not be as mean or heavy, but they are perhaps the most expressive. 'Led By Misfortune" finds them locked into a heavier chug, with the drums playing a more punk like role. Vocally there is a harsher tone to the anguish. The riffs sound more like Life of Agony than black metal to me on this one. There is a slower almost ballad like mood to "Expandera" , as the piano tinkles over the mid tempo double kick and the vocals have a more somber spoken quality. They are not afraid to experiment with the guitar tone sometimes going for a more indie rock clean tone.

They effectively convey a psychotic break trhoug there music on " Homicidal Tendencies" before locking into an empowered chug. There is more of a weird punk thing going on with "Resignation" which takes me back to the 90s when metal bands where blending weird rock elements in an attempt to find their place in the changing climate.  "Doften Av Tomhet" finds them indulging in more of the spoken musings. Towards the song's midway point they find themselves locked into a very Celts Frost flavored riff.  Then there are songs like "Totus Anctus" that finds the band hitting both their heaviest moments and their most atmospheric. If it wasn't for the gargled vocals and the kick of the double bass, they would hit a more straight up rock tone on "Horans Hora". The vocals reach an almost death metal gurgle on this one. They have a knack for darkening even those moments up.

"Bitterlijuv Kakofoni" takes a trippy turn, bordering on goth.  The guitar tone is very Marilyn Manson. They get much heavier on the less introspective "Becksvart Frustration". Riff wise like the other songs its pretty straight forward. Vocally it is a lower growl that casts more of a shadow on the song. They drop into a lower more death metal key that makes it much heavier. Nedvaknande" is more rock n roll until they slow the riff down and pound into. Another song with a spoken narrative than an attempt to sing. "Instrumental Asylum" is the only real fast forward classic on here, as it just doesn't do anything interesting enough to justify being an instrumental and begs for some real singing over it.

They drop down to the strum of "Utdrag" that has almost lounge lizard jazz drumming under it.  The album closes with the heaviest song 'Karma" , but  at first it doesn't really black metal as it carries more of a nu-metal stomp, until the blast beat shows up for a second.I'll round this one up to a 10. Years later it was interesting to listen to with a set of fresh ears and discover this album is not as black metal as everyone made it out to be when it came out. Still there is no denying the mood it creates and is regarded as one of the best depressive black metal albums. It is a very dynamic album and shows that sometimes less is in fact more .

Hypothermia : "Svartkonst'

Just because I am  taking my meds  doesn't mean I won't get  excited for good dsbm, there are a tons of shitty dsbm project popping up all over Europe so for quality not quantity much like funereal doom I'm twiddling by thumbs waiting around for it, so good thing this album popped up in the in-box it features guys from the Kall / Life Lover camp. One thing happens here and it turns out this album is heavily instrumental which is fine the music is dreary and dynamic , but the real anguish comes in the vocals. It's not until the more powerful build of the second song that the first two songs really set them selves apart, that and the first song had a much more tentative beginning and the second song falls out of the first. This album is well produced . It's gets a dense dark sonic sound. The instrumentation is not about dazzling fast or technical playing but what emits a feeling.

By the end of the second song I am beginning to wonder how long are they going to keep my attention without vocals. Kall went on some very extended instrumental sections that droned on. In black metal the vocals tend to become a caustic white noise that give the buzz of guitar a human or inhuman element. Here the pace is slow. "Efterglod" does find a tremolo picked guitar holding down a static pattern to create a noisy filter of the slow core drag. There is some ebb and flow , but this doesn't grip me as much as Kall or Lifelover. The guitar tones are great, very understated and I appreciate the disjointed honesty in the playing. The sax Kall used does come back to haunt the back ground of "Regnvals".  This is done with a much subtler touch. This song seethes into a more dynamic build that fakes you out like good jazz.... or Swans. The closing song "Vy" feels like an extension of the previous song and in some ways it is like classical music as this feels like it has been more movements less songs. The build has a little more bite to it than they have displayed so far on this record.They drone on the same feel for a while after the heavier section. I think vocals would have been wise, but this is still better than most dsbm coming out these days even if it's really post-rock influenced. I enjoyed it but the lack of vocals doesn't make me need it. I'll give it a 7. This one is not coming out until may 15th on Agonia Records .

Top 15 Metal Albums of 2014

Here are the top 10 metal albums. None of these are black metal, even thought some of these bands might have once leaned that way. Of course partial to doom, but death metal fared pretty well this year with some old favorites coming back to kick ass.





10-Wormwood- s/t

These sludge merchants were crushing enough to keep the album in rotation.

http://patacrecords.bandcamp.com/album/wormwood

9-Triptykon-"Melana Chasmata"

It's Tom Warrior so it has to be good right ? Well remember "Cold Lake" ? Tom redeemed that slip into hair metal with this dazzling display of despair.


8-Nightfell-"The Living Ever Mourn"

This album came out of nowhere and possessed  a ton of staying power. Not really doom or black metal, just solid straight up metal, with excellent execution.



7- Godflesh -"World Only Lit By Fire"

Once upon a time these guys might have been on the goth/industrial list, but this comeback album is metal with little doubts. Justin is back in fine form after the uncertain ep.

6-Incantation- "Dirges of Elysium"

Often imitated, these guys almost had the best death metal album of the year. Brutal as hell, but still song oriented.


5- Agalloch-"the Serpent and the Sphere"

One of my favorite black metal bands that is no longer black metal, but sill had an impressive showing with an album that got a ton of play this year. Even without the clean vocals this album holds up against there classic material.

4- Kall -s/t

Lifelover is back, but not as black.This has a more droning black n roll feel. It just falls shy of being black metal, but an excellent melancholy affair .




3-Emptiness -"Nothing But the Whole"

A stunningly desperate soundtrack. This album oozes both atmosphere and emotion defying sub genres.




2-Pallbearer-"Foundations of Burden"

This one is the rare album that lives up to the hype. The haunting  melodies stick with you and riffs challenge you not to bang your head. They are no longer funereal doom, but are great classic metal.

1- Mortuary Drape -"Spiritual Independence"

Everything in this album is placed perfectly. This is classic death metal. I can not get enough of this album. Creepy, heavy, melodic, everything I want from music.

Kall: s/t

There are times when I wonder what happened to depressive suicidal black metal, forgetting there are tons of basement bands all over the world releasing it, then I wonder about what happened to good depressive black metal, like where the hell is that Totalselfhatred album that was coming out this year? Then luckily before any end of the year lists were started I stumbled upon the new project from the surviving members of Life Lover. They also grabbed the bassist from the Shining. So you know things are about to get depressing as fuck. So grab your pills and razor blade.

After a hesitant intro piece the launches into the beautiful clanging of "Mycelium veins". This isn't blast beat black metal by any means. It slowly swells in intensity before bringing it back down for the desperate cry typical of the mental breakdowns dsdm singers like to emulate. Here it just happens to be be convincingly and more conviction than the combined tears of these imitators haunting their parents basements can muster. Then comes the incredible thirteen minute journey of "Forsok till Forstorelse"  or "attempted destruction". The start at doomy rock pace before their medication wears off and they are back weeping in the sewers of despair.  While wallowing in this they bring in a sax. There is a jazz like delicacy here that some how doesn't brighten the mood at all. Instead it becomes the perfect soundtrack to laying in a blood stained bath tub contemplating the futility of your existence. When the heavy build comes because you know it will it's done in a more of a thundering rock manner.

"en Ljusare Morgondag" or " a brighter tomorrow" is ironically titled in the darkness that descends upon this song. It has the raw punch of old Shining. The vocals range tortured gurgles more characteristic of dbsm to a baritone moan that comes closer to a croon. These guys have always know how to rock out a droning riff back from the Life Lover days and employ a similar attack here, making them the Velvet Underground of black n roll.  The cleaner Cure-ish passages are more defined than back when this thing was delved into in Life Lover. The production is cleaner than most Life Lover as well, though still retaining a very live feel when the distorted guitar comes in.

There is almost a grunged out indie rock feel to "Descending ascension". It hangs onto this groove until they have another  collective low swing, that's allowed a release through a more sonic rock build. They capture a powerful cathartic emotional moment in this song that  is not contrived in it's self deprecation. The songs on this album have a seemless organic flow. None of the changes seem forced, which is impressive considering the dramatic transitions some of the songs. A good example lies in how from out of a delicate interlude comes "Varelsen" or creature. This lingers in it's down trodden lumber with spoken word vocals narrating the first  half of the song. With sax in tow they stomp into the pound of sludged out hard rock.

"Far Val" closes out this album. At this point I have resigned myself to the fact I am going to be cranking this all afternoon. I really couldn't have chosen a better time to listen to this as I just awoke from a feverish nap sleeping off a migraine, so it's a surreal introduction back into metal. Which if you can imagine sitting at a computer and listening to metal all day with a migraine, makes you only want to listen to Alcest. This song takes you out on a similar cloud of shoe gazing transcendence. This is a perfect album, didn't even have to keep score it's a ten.