The Top 10 Progressive Albums of 2025

When it comes to prog, few bands actually progress. Most that claim to be a part of this genre just wank around with an overabundance of guitar solos that the songs are merely bookends for, rather than serving songs that go somewhere.  The bands that made this year's top 10 list are taking you places with their songs. There are some guitar solos here and there, but shredding is not the emphasis, nor is using odd time signatures for the sake of just doing so. Some of these bands are more metallic, and a few albums even flirt with pop at times. These are not the coolest prog albums, but the best, fuck what other blogs say,  

After sorting through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of 2025. The fact that these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album; there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all, we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. You might find your next favorite on this list, and I have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these guys. Anyway here are the top 10 Progressive albums of 2025

10-Korean Cars-"#1"

This band proves that black metal is not Norway's only musical export.  Kinda melodic math rock, but their guitarist proves they have chops. The production is rough around the edges, as it carries a boom. The drummer works for what they are doing, and it all falls into place, no complaints, even though instrumental music is normally not my thing. When vocals do surface, sitting back in the mix with a plaintive croon with the nuanced picking of the guitars carrying most of the slack. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/korean-cars-1.html

 

9-ii - "Apostles of Flesh." 

Prnounced Two Eyes, they are a very interesting ensemble. I have heard them referred to as being industrial, but Gothic chamber pop is a better description of one spectrum of their sound, though they branch out of that and wander off into prog rock that has more in common with A Perfect Circle. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/gothtober-ii-apostles-of-flesh.html

8-Heretoir- ""Solastalgia" 

They have fine-tuned their songwriting to make their sound bigger and make what they do more accessible to the wider metal audience than just being a shoegazing black metal band. This is not to say they do not indulge in sonic spectacles that swept you away, as they do, and it is what gives them the edge over their more nu-metal minded peers/. A more delicate electronic touch glazes over into the dynamic ebb and flow in this song. So much so that fans of modern progressive metal can find a great deal to appreciate on this album. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/09/heretoir-solastalgia.html

 

7-Igorrr- 'Amen" 

One of the most appealing things about this project is the ability to blend harsh electronic elements with organic instrumentation and find its unique groove. Mastermind Gautier Serre is experimenting on a broader scale with this album. Classical elements contrast massive metallic chug, as death metal is the primary mode of attack when things go in a more metal direction. Operatic vocals still soar to contrast the guttural vocals, but this feels like more streamlined effort. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/08/igorrr-amen.html

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6-Imperial Triumphant- "Goldstar"

These guys won me over live. In the studio, they have once again orchestrated chaos, which can not always be heard as the catchiest songwriting. At times, there is a more metal feel as they ride a taunt clockwork chug. The vocals are snarls, but articulated enough that the lyrics come across. It makes me think of a death metal band covering early Pink Floyd

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/03/imperial-triumphant-goldstar.html

5-Messa -"the Spin." 

The guitar work on this album sets them on this progressive rock path. Add in elements like trumpet solos, and it takes on a more jammy jazz flair. I'm fine with them transitioning into a prog band. If you are going to make guitar solos the centerpiece, then unveiling your Led Zeppelin influence in a more metallic manner with great grooves is the way to do it.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/03/messa-spin.html

  4-Bask-" the Turning."

 The country elements that graced their 2019 album have been dialed back for a heavier sound, though sticking to the honest plea of country-inflected vocals even amid guitars crunching around them. There is more boogie in the shuffle oat times with  layers of vocals harmonizing to give things a more jammy prog feel. It almost feels more like Porcupine Tree.  This juxtaposition works well to create dynamic songwriting that takes a few listens to absorb everything going on. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/06/bask-turning.html

3-Gaahls Wyrd- "Braiding the Stories." 

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. He proves the emotive value of darkness is just as heavy as metal. With a range of sonic colors from strummed guitars to the more metallic tones, you might expect. When the guitar solos emerge, they are typically the album's most metal elemen,t and even then they provide a thematic melodic overlay. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/03/gaahls-wyrd-braiding-stories.html

2-Katatonia -"Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State." 

Here we are, three albums in, without Anders. Jonas continues to steer the ship into darker progressive waters of melancholy. There is a formula in place, and the new guitarists navigate it well, unafraid to bust out guitar solos wherever. His lyrics remain just as sharp as the earlier work on this one. "L.  Jonas's voice is fragile and honest, or at least maintains a consistent persona, as nuance is king and the key to their songwriting. 

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https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/katatonia-nightmares-as-extensions-of.html

 

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1-Callous Daoboys - "I Don't Want to See You In Heaven."

 

You are thrown into their bizarre progressive take on metalcore. While the screamed vocals are more dominant, Carson Pace's voice continues to grow. His poppy-sung vocals carry the need hooks to contrast the chaos. If there is any justice in the universe, these guys should be at least as big as Knocked Loose, just on the merits of songwriting.

  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/the-callous-daoboy-i-dont-want-to-see.html

pst617

The Top 10 Albums of 1975

If you aren't hip to the fact that Reza Mills from Clean Sheets and Sleeping Shaman has been breaking down the decades with me to uncover our top 5 songs in the pivotal anniversaries for these years, then you uare missing out, and you should check out our insights here...

 

Here I am taking my top 5 choices and expanding them into the top 10 albums of 1975, and also ranking them in order of their impact and staying power, so here are my top 10 albums of 1975. Make sure to check out the episode above if you want a more in-depth look at the top 5 here. 

10-Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow- "S/t"

Some of Dio and Blackmore's best work. 

 

9-Aerosmith-"Toys in the Attic" 

The radio hit might have worn out this one , but the deeper tracks are gold. 

8-Fleetwood Mac- "s/t'

 Lyndsey Buckingham steals the show on this classic.

 

8-the Grateful Dead -"Blues For Allah."

Not a Dead head but developed a deep enough appreciation for these guys, and this is my favorite album from Jerry and the Boys, as it is like free-form prog. 

 

7-Roxy Music- "Siren."

The pulse of this album proves that not only was love a drug, but also drugs were drugs. 

 

6-Elton John-"Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy."

John's most epic songwriting is dramatic and passionate, while almost going prog.

 

5-Pink Floyd- "Wish You Were Here'

Not Sure how I overlooked this one in the top 5 originally, though it's neck and neck with John's stellar songwriting, but the pristine guitar tone edges the Rocket Man out.

   

4-Alice Cooper - "Welcome to My Nightmare." 

Cooper's creepy cabaret beats out David Gilmore's pristine guitar tones

 

 3-Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti

If you ever doubted Jimmy Page, this is the album to set things straight as the scope of his guitar mastery is broader than you think.

 

2-Black Sabbath "Sabotage"

I regard this album as Sabbath's best work, as it hits with power while bringing the trippy experimentation that had begun to dabble in

1-David Bowie -"Young Americans." 

Bowie recreates soul music in his own image and brings more sensual grooves to the party with his best vocal performances yet. 

pst616

the Top 10 Mainstream Metal Albums of 2025

Mainstream Metal is defined here as the middle of the road that does not lean too far in the direction of other genres sludge or black metal, which have their own lists. This year, I gave Thrash its own list, which has thinned the pack down to the more arena-packing strains of nu-metal and metal-core.   These are not the coolest albums, but the best, fuck what other blogs say. After I sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of 2025.

 The very fact that these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all, we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day, what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, and you look forward to listening to it again. Perhaps you can find your next favorite on this list, and I have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these guys. Anyway, here are the top 10 Mainstream Metal albums of 2025.

10-Slaughter to Prevail- "Grizzly."

This is the third album from the Russian band, who ironically fled to Orlando, due to the war, in which they seem to not support slaughtering to prevail. They find themselves sonically somewhere between metalcore and nu-metal with the sample-heavy production on this album. When they kick into a more nu-metal direction, they tap into a catchy Slipknot bounce

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/07/slaughter-to-prevail-grizzly.html

          

9-Dead Rabbits -"Redefined" 

This is a side project of Escape the Fate vocalist Craig Mabbitt. It leans into the twisted side of metal-core-influenced pop that bands like Pierce the Veil and Bad Omens dominate. You can throw Falling in Reverse in the pile of artists who share a similar style as the big-sounding glitch-driven pop rock, that is more aggressive in attitude than what the guitars are doing. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/dead-rabbits-redefined.html

 

8-Bleed -"s/t" 

This Texas band takes you back to the '90s in a weird, unexpected manner.  By unexpected, this does not mean I have not already seen the writing on the wall when it comes to nu-metal making a comeback. These guys just go about it differently. The flourishes of DJs spun, scratched ambiance at the edges of their throb point this band's sound in the direction of nu-metal. There is some darker tension to the grooves that the vocals coo over. The drummer is really slapping his kit as needed, and the electronic elements ebb and flow into their sound pretty seamlessly. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/bleed-st.html

7-Living Dead Girl-"Con$piracy" 

 Molly and company continue to perfect their ability to blend metalcore-edged riffs against bright pop-punk choruses to make almost every song on the album. Her screamed vocals dominate the verses as her more sugary pop voice comes to take the sting away on the chorus. Their down-tuned guitars contrast with the synth ambiance. Not one to repeat hooks, Molly creates a distinct difference in the choruses as they display more songwriting chops as a whole. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/09/living-dead-girl-conpiracy.html

 

6-Novelists- "CODA" 

The addition of vocalist Camille Contreras has elevated the band's profile, placing them in a higher tier of metalcore alongside artists like Spiritbox and Jinjer. Things get quirkier and help distance themselves from Spiritbox with a more frantic electronic chaos unfolding. It borders nu-metal and djent. Using the metal-core formula to build into screaming.  Predictable, but with shiny new pieces making the sounds for the puzzle. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/09/novelists-coda.html

 

5-ten56- "IO"

The sophomore full-length from ten56 finds them picking up where they left off.  They are still at the intersection where metal-core sprang from nu-metal in the days of Myspace. What I like about these guys is the dark undertones to their sound that hit no matter if they are bringing a more hammering stomp or going into the more Ghostemane-like rap dirges. There are interesting sounds wrapped around both modes of sonic attack. At times, sung vocals pop in, though they are bookended by experimental touches, and all of it is angry and in your face. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/07/ten56-io.html

4-Scars on Broadway- "Addicted to Violence." 

There is an almost punk feel at times, but it's punk in the same way that System of a Down was influenced by punk, which was most notably the influence of the Dead Kennedys. The grooves work well and lever lyrics that help seal the deal. It feels like he makes more social commentary than political statements like Serj. Most of these songs  would not be out of place on a System of a Down album, showing how much of the weight he was pulling when it came to songwriting in the band. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/07/daron-malakian-and-scars-on-broadway.html

3-Dying Wish- "Flesh Stays Together." 

This is the third album from Portland's metalcore mavericks, Dying Wish, is more melodic than expected. The buzz that this was a darker album caught my ear, and I like what they are doing. They are more on the hard-core side of the metal-core equation, even with the way Emma Boster employs sung vocals. It is done in a less formulaic manner than what Killswitch Engage is known for. There is also more emphasis on dishing out beatdowns during the breakdowns. It albumst made the hard-core lsit instread but the anthemic feel finds it here. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/09/dying-wish-flesh-stays-together.html

 

2-Soulfly-"Chama" 

There is a darker apocalyptic drive to this album, which I am also here for., along with a more industrial pound that is a mix of 'Roots' era Sepultura, though maybe less Korn in the grooves and more Code Orange. Defiant in-your-face bangers that include some melody and atmosphere that catches me by surprise, as  Gabriel Franco from Unto Others lends his voice in places, along with  Todd Jones from Nail, but at the end of the day, it is Ma who proves he was always hte most crucial songwriter in Sepultura. l

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/soulfly-chama.html

1--Spiritbox- "Tsunami Sea." 

It's the band's pop lean that helps separate them from their peers, as Courtney is better at vocal hooks than the singer for Jinger or Infected Rain, who work in similar sonic circles. She has continued to grow as a singer to further distance herself from her peers. Even with the pop hooks in play, the dynamics pack a heavy enough punch to have the metallic impact to take the top spot here. Their drummer has really stepped up on this album as he fills the spaces with interesting playing that they build off of. At the end of the day, it's the top-tier songwriting that wins out and places them at the top of not just a metal album but the overall musical landscape. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/03/spiritbox-tsunami-sea.html

pst615

The Top 10 Punk Albums of 2025

Punk has been in an interesting place. There is no shortage of people claiming to play it, and its sound evolved to a more rock vibe this year, but finding real punk driven by the desire to not conform was a harder aspiration, given the masses' willingness to conform.   These albums captured the true spirit of punk by doing their own thing. It was a competitive year for the genre, and tough choices had to be made.   After I sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of  2025.The very fact that these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album; there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all, we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day, what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, and you look forward to listening to it again. Perhaps you can find your next favorite on this list, and I have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these guys. Anyway, here are the top 10 Punk albums of 2025.

10- Militarie Gun-"God Save the Gun." 

When this album kicks in, they are more punk than I remember from the last time I checked them out. It sounds big and dumb, but is fun like some male cheerleaders gone wrong. The multi-tracked vocals are often uniform, making it clear that this is how West Coast punk is changing.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/12/militarie-gun-god-save-gun.html

9-Intercourse- "How I Fell In Love With the Void." 

These guys are on the heavier side of noise rock, but are also smart enough not to just rely on brute force by delving into introspection. The lyrics are hilarious. They are smart and angry.  The vocals howl with less malice the deeper into the album you go to help create tension on the verses. They are raging against the ragers here, and it is lots of fun. Almost like a stand-up set to music. Nobody can accuse them of taking themselves too seriously.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/08/intercourse-how-i-fell-in-love-with-void.html

8-PUP- "Who Will Look After the Dogs?" 

The band's 5th album finds them instantly kicking into the noisy brand of pop punk that owes more to Weezer and the Get-Up Kids than Blink-182. Their dense, rough-hewn guitar tone would have still been radio-ready in the '90s. The lyrics are just as clever as ever. They began experimenting with the layers of sound and were not attached to one mix for the entire album, as they let the bass slide up closer to the front and center , as the  Guitars jangle and shimmer in equal measure.. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/pup-who-will-look-after-dogs.html

7-Staticlone- "Better Living Through Static." 

 A ripping crust punk barrage. The vocals are a gruff Lemmy-like rasp that finds the rest of the band racing behind the vocal, but with a sense of songwriting smarts, as there are guitar melody lines that provide a hook, over the rumble of the bass. In many ways, this is like the crust version of Motorhead, due to not only George's vocal style but the rumble of the fuzzed-out bass-blowing speaker, as it provides the backbone. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/03/staticlone-better-living-through-static.html

 6-DAACHT-"Crying Houses." 

This German punk band is way more melodic than I expected going into this album, though this is balanced by a pretty dense wall of guitar banging at your ears in juxtaposition to the croon of the vocals, which almost brings to mind what you might expect from the late 70s. ,

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/07/daacht-crying-houses.html

5-Slug Boys - "Listen to Slug Boys"  

Norwegian punkers Slug Boys offer a rowdy rock n roll baked blend of punk rock, that is not unlike some other boys on Viagra. The boisterous beer-swilling attitude and garage rock sensibilities are a little heavier with a bigger, less tongue-in-cheek worldview. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/11/slug-boys-listen-to-slug-boys.html

4-Modern Life is War- "Life on the Moon" 

The band's first full-length in over a decade finds them deviating from what you might expect from punk in 2025. Though it might make sense if you were asking about the mid-70s. There is still plenty of aggression in the vocals, and the guitar carry.a frantic jangle rather than a hardcore chug.  It's organic chaos even in the more layered sounds that unfold, reminding me of the Stooges' "Funhouse" album. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/08/modern-life-is-war-life-on-moon.html

3-Home Front- "Watch it Die." 

These charming Canadian punkers are back. They play a melodic yet tense style of punk that flirts with post-punk, but even with the synths that crop up time to time, there is more of aggression driving the songs that keeps them with their dominant foot being planted in punk. Sometimes, the subtle ambiance created by the more experimental elements like synths does cast a shadow on the mood and darkens it a bit. If there are any doubter as to the merit of their punk status, just listen to sneet in the guitars and vocals.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/12/home-front-watch-it-die.html

2-Spiritual Cramp -"Rude." 

 Lyrically catchy, with enough of a punk attitude to keep it legit, they are as playful as Vigara Boys, but more melodic with a more new wave-like sheen to the melodies, and throw in a duet with Sharon Von Etten. Despite the album's best efforts to keep me from pinning it down to a specific genre, it leans closest to the punk roots. This does not mean they do not frequently jangle their way into a more 90s feel, more often than not split the difference on given the fact that the croon of his vocals this time around flirts with the more arena rocking sounds of "indie" like the Killers. But this still proves effective. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/spiritual-cramp-rude.html

1-Viagra Boys - "viagr aboys" 

The Swedish punk band wastes no time making this work them up into more of a frenzy despite the more melodic elements in the chaos that touch on a similar avant-garde pop style as Xiu Xiu.  They keep their hooky sarcasm cracking off lyrical observations in sharp humor that fuels the disco beats and punk sneer alike.   The topics that are subject to their lyrical scorn veer from the news to health care, with some country twang, and recalling some of the alt-rock classics of the '90s. Above all, it's all a non-conforming attitude that keeps this old school punk rock with the emphasis on rock. 

tps://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/viagra-boys-viagr-aboys.html

pst 614

PISSGRAVE : "Malignant Worthlessness"

 These guys have to be the most extreme band on Profound Lore. This completes a trilogy they started back in 2-15, but the lyrics are snarled in such a way that they are like cutting your years with broken glass, so there is no way to make them out, just a fine layer of hatred draped over the intense thrashing blast. There is more songwriting employed here than in the one-minute spasm of screaming grind-core dishes out, though that would be the genre most fitting unless you want to call this grind thrash. It is hard to believe that there is more nuance on the opening track than what happens on "Three Degrees of Darkness". 

The solos are certainly Slayer-influenced, and they are more metal guys than they are punk, which further distances them from your typical grindcore band. The title track is more like vicious death metal, but with more feral vocals that are more pained than the typical death metal gutturals. Riff-wise wise they have certainly heard a few Cannibal Corpse albums. There is an even more frenzied attack on your ears on "Heaping Pile of Electrified Gore".  They are more deliberate with "Dissident Amputator."  The vocals hold a little more purpose, but not by much. It feels more malicious and darker in its intentions. 

This album is produced like a great deal of early death metal. "Interment Orgy" is violent but almost too much so that it sacrifices the nuance it did possess. They continue down a beserk, lacerating path after this one, but rein it in enough so that the thrashing riffs come through to keep the song. together."Lamentation of Weeping Wounds" slows down the needed fraction for it to find its hook. The vocals are spewed in a manner that sounds like Gullom being disemboweled. The last song reminds me of the first Deicide album. This is heavy as fuck, but since it's rooted in metal still remembers to cram it into an actual song 90 percent of the time, which is why this album is getting a 9. If death metal no longer seems heavy give this album a spin. 

pst613

The Top 10 Industrial Albums of 2025

Nothing is a more fitting soundtrack to watching the world unravel into a dystopian nightmare than Industrial? You would think fans of the genre would be celebrating this, but from what I have seen online, they are crying under the covers like the rest of the sheeple. If you are someone who believes that leaning into the end should be celebrated since it is a natural destination in the cycle, then you might appreciate the mood these albums created as much as I did.  After I sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of 2025. The very fact that these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album; there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all, we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day, what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, and you look forward to listening to it again. Perhaps you can find your next favorite on this list, and I have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these guys. Anyway, here are the top 10 Industrial albums of 2025.

10-King Yosef- "Spire of Fear." 

This project has always leaned in the direction of the abrasive end of industrial. This album pushed that even further with its increasingly confrontational aggression. Sonically harrowing would be one way to describe what is going down here. The mechanical stomp of industrial music is captured here,  but with a very reverb-drenched mix that sets the vocals at the end of a dark tunnel

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/08/king-yosef-spire-of-fear.html

 

       

 9-Dark Sky Burial - 'Sacred Neurotic" 

It is interesting when metal heads take things in a different direction; most tend to go in a darker goth, post-punk, or industrial vein, and Shane Embry's project leans into the latter.  Though being from Napalm Death, you might expect things to go head in a Godflesh direction. That is not the case. There is a melodic edge, and thanks to his collaborator  Carl Stokes, there is a trippy element to the sound that brings to mind projects like Tear Garden, Psychic TV, and Legendary Pink Dots with a break beat that often builds into a more aggressive industrial-strength vocal. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/12/dark-sky-burial-sacred-neurotic.html

 

8-Linx- "Annihilation" 

This industrial rock duo hails from Canada, a country that has been exporting some pretty decent music lately. Vocalist Zee Jaber, uses her voice in a more rock manner, rather than a blunt instrument like so many industrial bands do. Though a couple of songs into things, she employs a harsher metal snarl. The songs might work off the '90s formula of '90s build-up on the chorus, but the flow well from electronic pulses to more of a Fear Factory feel. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/08/linx-annihilation.html

 

7-Ministry -" The Squirrelly Years Revisted"

 The joke about back when Ministry sounded like Depeche Mode wore thin on Uncle Al, as he had begun to polish off the early songs for live sets even before releasing their last album. This is a re-recording of 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, but on a song like "Here We Go," things are pretty much like they were back in the day, with the more new wave-leaning dance beats driving the hot rod that Jesus built. In some cases, this works just well enough. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/ministry-squirrelly-years-revisted.html

 

6-Black Cross Motel - "Songs For Switches." 

This band's 2022 album made it to the number spot on the year's Top 10 Goth Albums list. This time around, they kick things off with a more guitar-forward approach and a more aggressive industrial energy behind some straight-up metal riffs. Once again, the guitarist from Stabbing Westward is teaming up with members of the Atlas Moth to bring this weird and wonderful sound to life. Synths help set the tone for the darker undertones, which find a creepy ambiance settling over the march of discontent. They have captured a sound that could have come from the post-Manson goth rock golden years. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/gothtober-black-cross-hotel-songs-for.html

 5- Youth Code - "Yours With Malice." 

It brings newly refined sounds that are topped off with a vengeful hook. Sara Taylor's angry snarl is chanted like an apocalyptic cheerleader, in a similar style and cadence as the previous song. This, along with the fact that the bouncing synth sounds are not far removed from what they already hit you with, creates an almost "Pretty Hate Machine" feel.>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 this time around. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/youth-code-yours-with-malice.html

 4- the Young Gods - "Appear Disappear." 

This Swiss band influenced everyone from David Bowie in his industrial days to Faith No More. Since 1987, their sound has been at the very least industrial adjacent, and they have always been ahead of their time. So if you hear a song and think it sounds like Nine Inch Nails, the truth is Nine Inch Nails sounds like them. Perhaps this album is not as cinematic as some of their mid-period work it does not sound like they are stuck in the 90s or wrestling for relevancy. Franz Treichler might not be bellowing it out like he once did, but his voice has held up well. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/09/the-young-gods-appear-disappear.html

3-Street Sects  "Dry Drunk." 

The first new album from the industrial duo in 7 years finds them snarling back with a renewed chaotic aggression. It chronicles the stint of sobriety Leo Ashline has as well as the relapse that followed. Ben Chisholm from Chelsea Wolfe's band produced this. They pick up where they left off, with a bad attitude that sounds like Virgin Prunes jamming with Full of Hell. It takes a few listens to really sink in, but it has equal doses of fragmented groove and glitched-out noise.  It all ends up coming together. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/08/street-sects-dry-drunk.html

2-HEALTH- "CONFLICT DLC." 

Given how much I like these guys, it might be a surprise they did not take the number one spot, but the project that did evolve more into something different, where this band just streamlined and created a hookier, more accessible version of what they were already doing, maybe adding a vvitch house beat here and there, even then it was a close call, and give that this album is just now dropping vs an album I have had more time to spend with they landed here. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/11/health-conflict-dlc.html

1-Author & Punisher - "Nocturnal Birding' 

This is the first album that finds guitarist Doug Sabolick joining as a bandmate, which contributes to the more rock feel to things. Every song has a bird theme. There is a more overt industrial crunch to the amazing stomp this album carries n."s. Megan from Couch Slut, lends her voice to the ruckus erupting, with more detailed layers of melody luring you into one of the year's best industrial songs. The addition of guitar offers a big step forward, even if it moves them marginally closer to the conventions of industrial rock. The genre itself allows and fosters experimentation that creates almost an anything-goes attitude. This song and the previous song have been the noisiest so far, with this texture being most effective here.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/09/author-punisher-nocturnal-birding.html

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The Top 10 Hardcore Albums of 2025

Much like punk, hard-core finds itself in an interesting place in this angry world. There is no shortage of people claiming to play it, but to find real hard-core that is not afraid to point the finger at all sides while refusing to conform is a harder aspiration, given the masses' willingness to conform.   These albums captured the true spirit of hardcore by doing their own thing and bringing the anger.  After I sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of  2025. The very fact that these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album; there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all, we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day, what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, and you look forward to listening to it again. Perhaps you can find your next favorite on this list, and I have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these guys. Anyway, here are the top 10 Hardcore albums of 2025

10- Agnostic Front - "Echoes In Eternity." 

As long as Roger and Vinnie are in the band, it's Agnostic Front to me. The first thing I noticed was a bigger guitar sound, as they launch into a rapid-fire attack with anthemic hardcore gang vocals on the chorus, as expected, along with some more melodic nuances. Though the overall rousing aggression of the album delivers more of what you expect from these guys.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/agnostic-front-echoes-in-eternity.html

9-Pupil Slicer-"Fleshwork."

This British band is back with a catchier, more hardcore-leaning take on the grind-core styled metal core they hit you with on their last album. The sounds are more layered into the stomping fray on this, but still hammer at you with more aggression. There are some marginally more melodic moments that their spastic excursion leads them across. When they slow down to a more deliberate pace, it takes on a sludge-ridden weight, as the vocals are screamed with convincing anger.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/12/pupil-slicer-fleshwork.html

8-SPACED-"No Escape." 

Last year's "All We Ever Get" only earned an 8 because it leaned too heavily into a Turnstile-inspired sound. They have come into their own on this EP. Couple that with the fact that Turnstile is more of a pop band than a hardcore band now, and it leaves a void that must be filled, which finds SPACED stepping up their game to claim the empty throne. The songwriting is hookier, though the chorus tends to follow a similar formula that proves effective for the first three songs, all of which are under three minutes, making this perfect for the ADHD TikTok generation

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/09/spaced-no-escape.html

7-Butcher Bird-"Drought/ Deluge." 

This hardcore band from London has a metallic groove to their feedback-squealing attack. The vocals are the most straightforward thing about the overall sound, as they are delivered with the kind of angry shout you expect from hardcore. They throw some breakdowns at you, but they come from less expected places, so they work. Despite the jerking whiplash of the mathy riffs, they are more straightforward in a more rock n roll manner than, say, Full of Hell. They are willing to give into the atmosphere, with unwieldy sections of choruses colliding at you in a manner that reminds me more of Rollins Band than Black Flag.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/butcherbird-drought-deluge.html

 

6-Death Goals- "Survival is an Act of Defiance." 

This British hardcore band is confrontational, sometimes leaning in an almost spastic noise rock direction, with the clanging dissonance that the guitars attack you with.  The vocals are screamed with conviction, sometimes throat breaking into more of a growl, though the metal influences are minimal. I would say this is aggressive without the testosterone of hardcore, yet it's explosive with hardcore energy.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/09/death-goals-survival-is-act-of-defiance.html

 

5- Idle Heirs-"Life is Violence." 

 Sean Ingram of Coalesce has not made any music for at least a decade, so fans of Coalesce should be thankful to have this, as it touches on many of the same sonic aspects of that band. Perhaps more melodic and less jarring, we hear more of Ingram's singing voice here. Josh Barber, who is partnering with Ingram here, understands where he is coming from musically, so it works. Things get more ominous , though they maintain dynamics with pulsing grooves that hold a tension you can bob your head to. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/03/idle-heirs-life-is-violence.html

  

4-Ingrown- "Idaho" 

Off the bat, what I like about this band is how they pack a great deal of riffage into the minute and forty seconds. They have in-your-face pummelling sections that are rapid-fire but give you something to sink your teeth into and headbang a bit. These guys to not just make music that is heavy as fuck, but to keep you engaged in the songs where most bands are just going to pound you in the head with a dense sound rather than write catchy songs

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/01/ingrown-idaho.html

 

3-Biohazard- "Divided We Fall." 

I was surprised by how what they do works in 2025, even with the occasional rapped verse. They were some of the forerunners of the kind of gang, vocal jump up and down, get stupid in the pit kind of break downs. They temper the grooves with the hardcore tempos that stay in your face. It is true to who they were in the 90s, but produced in a way that makes it relevant. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/biohazard-divided-we-fall.html

 

       

2-Lowheaven-"Ritual Decay"

The debut from this Canadian band hits you with an explosion of screamo intensity against a stark, apocalyptic mood that bears more resemblance to Neurosis. Lighter-sung vocals provide a counterpoint that brings Glassjaw to mind, as they hover over the crushing, sludge-drenched stomp. This is broken up by moments of atmosphere before building to a scathing climax of intense sonics. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/07/lowheaven-ritual-decay.html

1-Deadguy-"Near-Death Travel Services." 

30 years after Victory Records hardcore band Deadguy cemented their legendary status with their album "Fixation on Coworker ". The band is not just back to reaffirm their relevance; this album has the benefit of 2025 production value, so it sounds far better than the more metallic guitar sound they debuted with. This makes for an album that is heavier with the guitars, creating a more organic wall of sound. They hit you with a more fully realized onslaught. The vocals did retain their command, which has always been similar to Henry Rollins in their confrontational tone. Coming back stronger is what hardcore is about, and this album is the epitome. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/06/deadguy-near-death-travel-services.html

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