Death metal is even more important as the Doomsday Clock races, time speeds up with 2025 at its midpoint. 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 are really going to need to bring it to compete with the top five albums on this list. No matter the genre, darkness trumps speed when it comes to heavy, so these bands reflect that sentiment. These albums provide a fitting soundtrack to the demise of the US. I have included links to full reviews if you want to check these out, and with all that said, here are the top 10 Death Metal albums of 2025 so far.
10-Sadist-Something to Pierce"
While Tommy is the sole original member of this band, Trevor has been around since ''Crust" so he basically counts. While these guys are a band whose talents I have always appreciated, I can't say they are one of my favorite death metal bands of all time, though I am impressed by what is unfolding on their tenth album. There are still plenty of jazz-fusion undertones to the songwriting that find the band continuing to excel at a style they had mastered back in the '90s.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/03/sadist-something-to-pierce.html
9-Behemoth-"The Shit Ov God"
They are getting back to an older, more epic death metal sound with this album, so perhaps this course corrects with a payoff. I think they are better as a death metal band, and the larger-than-life sound does not work for black metal, as they are often not atmospheric enough. I appreciate the more melodic notions that haunt this album.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/behemoth-shit-ov-god.html
8-Fleshspoil- "the Beginning of the End"
This band features the former drummer of Arsis. This album has plenty of it in a dissonant mix that makes the discordance soothing to my ears. It's not just bludgeoning hammering, but intricate songwriting with a technical aspect that is also held in check. The mix reminds me more of an album that might have come out 20 years ago. Which is fine, as lots of quality metal came out then.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/01/fleshspoil-beginning-of-end.html
7-Ancient Death-"Ego Dissolution"
This is the debut album from this adventurous death metal band, featuring guitarist Jerry Witunsky is a more recent addition to Atheist. It's progressive, but perhaps not as technical and shreddy as Atheist. The songwriting is dynamic as they take you on a journey ripe with guitar melody without compromising the grit.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/03/ancient-death-ego-dissolution.html
6-Bludgeoned By Deformity -" Epoch Of Immorality"
Helmed by the lead gurgler of Sanguissuggabogg, this is one of the most brutal death metal slabs you are going to hear in some time, well, until his day job puts something out. Less gore, grind grooving than the Suggabogg, they do stomp down on things pretty hard. I went into this expecting to be hit by something more blasting and perhaps more technical than what Devin is normally associated with.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/bludgeoned-by-deformity-epoch-of.html
5-Ossuary- "Abhorrent Worship"
This is the debut full-length from this band featuring members of Jex Thoth. Funny enough, drummer Nick Johnson also plays drums for Zola Jesus. The overall sound is dark and gritty, with some sonic depth and a very stark atmosphere to this more Incantation-like school of death metal.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/06/death-is-june-ossuary-abhorrent-worship.html
4-Disembodiment- "Spiral Crypts"
In the depths of the more brutal and gore-grind leaning bowels of death metal, writhe this monster. The vocals are gurgled up from the sewers running down to hell. This is the band's first full-length. They are great at setting the mood. The mix is somewhat lo-fi, but the point gets across, and it gives these guys their charm. They are heavy as fuck but still care about writing songs.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/06/death-is-june-disembodiment-spiral.html
3-Floating- "Hesitating Lights"
An interesting blend of sounds. This Swedish death metal band incorporates post-punk into their songs. Less than 30 seconds in, they transition from a Siouxsie and the Banshees-like riff to incorporating a blast beat. The growled vocals are layered over the guitars, effectively splitting the difference between the two sounds.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/floating-hesitating-lights.html
2-Decrepisy - "Deific Mourning"
Crawling up from the cavernous depths where death metal plunges into a more depressive depth to meet in the melancholic tombs of doom, this Portland-based band oozes up with their follow-up to their 2021 debut. Featuring members of Negative Prayer, Vastum, and Coffin Rot, they manage to physically manifest an inner darkness into sonic form, using their instruments as the conduit through which it is expressed.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/decrepisy-deific-mourning.html
1-Vacuous - "In His Blood"
The sophomore album from the UK death metal band finds VACUOUS carving out their own sonic niche that sets them apart from the pack, while not leaning too heavily on their influences. The gritty drive is spacious and organic sonically, allowing room for a darker atmosphere to seep in as the album progresses.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/01/vacuous-in-his-blood.html
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