Top 10 Hard Rock Albums of 2025

Hard Rock is defined here as being more aggressive than rock n roll, but not dark or mean enough to be considered by Metal, by anyone who knows anything about metal.  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 20 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 Hard Rock albums of 2025.

10-Soul Blind -"Red Sky Mourning." 

The band's sophomore release finds them leaning into the grunge side of things, with a powerful stomp that reflects the Alice In Chains side of the Seattle equation. They sometimes employ a taunt Helmet-like punch to balance out the more s drugged out and depressed moods.  I appreciate the balls that the guitar is slinging at the groove-centered stomp that drives these songs.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/soul-blind-red-sky-mourning.html

9-Silly Goose-"Keys to the City." 

 What I've heard from these guys in the past has been fun. They are fine-tuning their take on nu-metal. They are more deliberate with a more Linkin Park-like formula kicking in on the chorus, while they rap like Limp Bizkit on the verses. The sung parts do show he has been working on his vocal range. This time around, they built up the songs into a more metalcore-like breakdown. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/silly-goose-keys-to-city.html

8-SCOWL- "We Are All Angels." 

This album hooked me in as they have grown away from being a punk or hardcore band and making catchy 90's alternative music for 2025. F Kat Moss only uses a harsher, hardcore-flavored snarl as a point of accentuation. Her main style of delivery is a slacker croon that has more in common with Veruca Salt. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/scowl-are-we-all-angels.html

7-Chevelle-"Bright as Blasphemy." 

Of all the bands that wanted to be Tool in the late 90s, Chevelle did it with the most emotion. They did it so hard that eventually they found their own sound. Pete Loeffler has denied that they are a metal band, but they punch with a dynamic intensity. The mix is very in-your-face, so I can understand how they might be mistaken for a metal band.  When we are comparing the hooky style of songwriting that is the band's standard, that includes songs like 'The Red" that set the bar for them. This is a reasonable expectation to have, and they live up to it here. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/08/chevelle-bright-as-blasphemy.html

 

6-VOWWS-"I'll Fill Your House With an Army."

 This band has gained a bit of a buzz as they ride a 90s-inspired sound that, at one point, leaned into darkwave and post-punk. They have gained more of an edge, feeling closer to the nu-metal revival. Munky from Korn showing up on the album only gives more evidence in this regard. The album was co-produced by Billy Howerdel of A Perfect Circle. His contributions draw a fair comparison of where this album is heading sonically.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/vowws-ill-fill-your-house-with-army.html

 

5- Love is Noise-"To Live a Different Way." 

Produced like a shoegaze album, but it has Myspace emo vibes at its beating heart. This is most evident in the vocals. The vocals are almost pop-punk with nu-metal vocal accents popping in to give them more edge.  Cameron Humpry is the creative engine of this project, and he seems to have a knack for blending all the right elements at the right time. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/06/love-is-noise-to-live-different-way.html

4-Deftones-"private music" 

Five years is the longest gap between Detones' albums, and here we are, after the band sorted through some shit and wrote new music.  Everyone was stoked to hear big loud guitars again, but let's be real, and clarify the fact that the chug of guitar here is different than the chug of guitar from "Around the Fur". It's understandable since it's been 30 years since "Adrenaline" came out, even Iron Maiden became a different band 30 years into their career. What has worked in this band's favor is that their fan base grew with them, which kept these guys relevant over the years, instead of getting lumped in with the other nu-metal bands.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/08/deftones-private-music.html

 

       

3-Superheaven- "S/T" 

The third album by this band, which built a buzz with their first two albums. They have a 90s sound that occupies the middle road between grunge and shoegaze, recalling "Gish" era Smashing Pumpkins, but with a less androgynous vocal approach. In fact, the vocals owe a bit more to Helmet in how they occupy space. This space is created by the grooves of their drummer. They do not allow the atmosphere to bog them down as the songs retain their smooth momentum.

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

 

2-Bush - "I Beat Loneliness." 

The band's 2022 "The Art of Survival" was the number 1 hard-rock album of the year, as it was pretty close to perfect, so the bar is high here. Who would think Gavin Rossdale would be bringing it this hard this late into his career? He is apparently modern rock's most underrated songwriter. It's more atmosphere than what they hit you with at the onset of the previous album.  It's a brooding as you would want him to be, but with a kick ass riff driving the song. It's the band's 10th album, so they clearly know what they are doing. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/07/bush-i-beat-loneliness.html

1-Freeze the Fall - "The Red Garden." 

Big radio rock that hits with an infectious bite. Their anthemic choruses are balanced by the brooding atmosphere that is dark enough to keep me interested, despite the more hopeful mood they build. This young Canadian trio is great songwriters who sometimes find their overall sound following a 90s formula, which proves highly effective as it puts in the number one spot, beating out veteran acts so the future clearlyu hols big things for them, if you have not heard this albym yet, do yourself a favor and give it a listen, as it took the top spot for a reason.   

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/freeze-fall-red-garden.html

pst625

The Top 10 Rock Albums of 2025

Rock music continues to be one of the last vestiges of picking up instruments and playing songs the artist has written.  With metal having a more loyal market, it feels like less straight-up rock music is coming out, but then again, it's not something I always look for. There is a very specific feel of moodiness, melody, and underlying mental health issues I seek out from rock music, and these albums touch on varied corners of that sound.  In fact, this year's list is more varied than last year's list. After I sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 20 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, and you look forward to listening to it again. You might find your next favorite on this list. I included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these guys. Anyway, here are the top 10 Rock albums of 2025.

10-Wet Leg-"moisturizer." 

This quirky power pop band from the Isle of Wight has an odd New Wave vibe to their take on indie rock. They shift slightly from song to song, with subtle hints of punk influences, with a little drive in its strummed shuffle. Their singer has a detached apathy to her voice that carries its own sex appeal.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/07/wet-leg-moisturizer.html

9-Buckcherry- "Roar Like Thunder."   

I have at least heard the bulk of Buckcherry's 10 albums leading up to this one, so I doubt there is going to be a great deal of surprise with album 11. They intend for this album to be fun and lift your spirits, and I am not sure if that is what I want from this band. I prefer them when they are wrestling with the fact that they love cocaine.  It has more of the Hollywood sleaze to it, taking you back to the 80s, which is where their sound originated. They have never been a metal band; they just play a sometimes explosive style of rock n roll. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/06/buckcherry-roar-like-thunder.html

8-Haunt- "Ignite"

Their 2022 album "Windows To Your Heart' was the last album I checked out by these guys. I was a devoted follower since, for all practical purposes, they are a revamped Beastmaker. But they have been moving in an increasingly slick A0R proto-metal direction. Things have not changed. Trevor Church continues to smooth into a sugary tenor that brings Ghost to mind, but his songwriting has an urgency Ghost lacks. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/08/haunt-ignite.html

7-Skunk Anasie-"The Painful Truth." 

One of my favorite bands from the 90s, who in America were always a best-kept British secret. In my mind, they will always have to measure up against their 1999 album 'Post Orgasmic Chill". Skin's vocals are still on point. They have mellowed into a shimmering pop pulse, with electronic elements becoming hard to decipher from where guitars are plugged into amps, but a the end of the day, they pull it off in a way that does not matter much to me how they got here.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/skunk-anansie-painful-truth.html

 

6-LA Guns -"Leopard Skin."

If Tracii Guns and Phil Lewis are both in the band it's L.A. FUCKING Guns to me. The past few albums have held up their legacy, so here's to hoping this one does, and the first two songs find them staying true yet not stagnant. They have the sleazy vibes from their era, but more slathered in blue grooves. It's more rock n roll than metal.  Phil Lewis sounds great. Amazingly, he is 68 years old. Holy shit. That is four years older than Vince Neil, and he sounds better than Neil has since "Dr. Feelgood". 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/la-guns-leopard-skin.html

5-Hellacopters-"Overdriver"

This album feels more like lost classics from 70s rock radio. The singer places his voice in all the right places to compensate for his limitations, which is a skill in and of itself, as the melodies work really well, and everyone in this band is serving the song with zero overplaying. Granted, if you mainly listen to punk, all of this might seem like overkill to your ears, but it works for what is going on here, regardless. I can hear less dramatic traces of Meatloaf, but aside from a little ELO, I do not hear them heavily tipping their hat to their influences. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/the-hellacopters-overdriver.html

4-Chokecherry-"Ripe Fruit Rots and Falls." 

 I was a big fan of the band's 2024 EP "Messy Star." They are back with a marginally more shoegazing effort that is still rooted firmly in the sounds of the '90s. The jangling grunge drive provides the backbone. There is more punk energy, but the smooth croon of her vocals balances this out. Even when they amble along, with a dreamy slacker attitude, they are still rocking out with more intention than their peers. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/12/chokecherry-ripe-fruit-rots-and-falls.html

 

3-Jaye Jayle- "After Alter" 

Jaye Jayle went from being Evan Patterson’s solo project that explored sounds outside of what he did in Young Widows, and has now become a full-fledged band. Some of the arrangements are more minimalist, though it's not underproduced as they captured some interesting drum sounds, and the overall mix leans into the ambiance by giving all the instrumentation a great deal of open space, even when things begin to come together dynamically. If Josh Homme wrote songs for Queens of the Stone Age with no radio aspirations, the result might be similar. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/01/jaye-jayle-after-alter.html

  2-AVATARIUM-"Between You, God, the Devil and the Dead." 

The 6th album from the band formed by Leif Elding from Candlemass, their singer, gives them a more blues-based rock feel. It makes them less metal, but also creates a more Deep Purple feel, setting them apart from all the bands that sound like Sabbath. The production is very organic without being tribute band-level retro. Memorable vocal melodies and thoughts are put into the songwriting. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/01/avatarium-between-you-god-devil-and-dead.html

1-Alice Cooper -The Revenge of Alice Cooper." 

The first album with the original Alice Cooper band since "Muscle of Love".  Bob Ezrin is also producing it.  Does it perfectly capture the fire enough that it picks up where they left off on "Muscle of Love"? Almost, it is pretty energetic for a band in their mid-70s who have not played together since the 70s.  not at the level of his most classic work, but way better than other rockers close to his age are doing, it's closer to "Muscle of Love" than it is "Love it to Death" s it's not what I expected, but still congruent with what these guys used to do. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/07/alice-cooper-revenge-of-alice-cooper.html

Thanks for reading. Please "like" and share on social media to give music a voice 

https://www.facebook.com/abysmalhymns

Check out our Podcast here ... https://www.youtube.com/@abysmalhymns666

pst624

the Top 10 Extreme Metal Albums of 2025

 

Extreme metal encompasses many sub-genres, all of which shun mainstream aspirations with their commitment to intensity, but that is not to say that these albums are the heaviest ever, as all of the albums listed in our Top 10 Extreme Metal Albums of 2025 list are very song-oriented, some even have melody. Perhaps this year, even more so than in the past. The bands here did not fit neatly into other genre lists because they blended other harsh genres, such as black metal or hardcore, into these warped versions of grindcore or screamo.  They are all very dark and lash out with their own forms of sonic fury, but they are the albums that proved best at it.  

After I sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 20 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 Extreme Metal albums of 2025

10-Crossed -"Realismo Ausente." 

The tense syncopation creates a bleak vibe when combined with the screamed vocals are undecipherable, making the fact that they are from Spain a moot point. They blast at you with the menace of feral punk, while displaying their ability to let chords ring out and create a more nuanced atmosphere. They established a more GISM-like mood to their brand of chaotic hardcore. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/12/crossed-realismo-ausente.html

 

9-Küntsquäd -"Satans Cock" 

This Australian death metal band has a raw, unhinged style that takes the sonic intensity of crust and combines it with a more taunt death metal chug that does not try to trample you. The pitch-shifted vocals of Paula are a bestial texture, though the song titles take things to extremes with "Gential Dismemberment Bot." The lyrics are incomprehensible, with the overall songwriting managing to compensate for the vocals just being a static frequency.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/06/death-is-june-kuntsquad-satans-cock.html

-

8-Noctambulist - " Noctambulist: "Noctambulist II: De Droom"

This band's last album was the number-one Black Metal album of 2021.  This means expectations are high, and they are proving here that there are more than enough weapons in their arsenal to meet these expectations headfirst. Not shying from taking apart the conventions of black metal to reshape them to their own liking, with a brighter, more organic guitar tone.  At times, even carrying an indie rock jangle almost feels more like screamo than black metal. This still works for me as I appreciate their ability to jerk themselves away from conventions. 

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

 

7-Shock Narcotic -" My Flesh is Afraid, But I am Not." 

Grindcore has now been brought to arenas thanks to Pantera picking bands like King Parrot and these guys on the road with them. They cram a great deal of riffage into two minutes, sometimes allowing for more chaos than other moments. At times, there is a groove; at others, things carry more of a death metal aggression.  This is going to be on the heavier and more confrontational end of your average metal head's tastes. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/07/shock-narcotic-my-flesh-is-afraid-but-i.html

 

6-PISSGRAVE-"Malignant Worthlessness." 

These guys have to be the most extreme band on Profound Lore. This completes a trilogy they started back in 2015, 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.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/12/pissgrave-malignant-worthlessness.html

5-Drugs of Faith-"Asymmetrical." 

When it comes to grindcore, the genre splits off into two directions: one that is more punk and one that is more metal, these guys are on the punk end of the equation.  The band has been around for over 20 years and features former members of Agoraphobic Nosebleed and  Enemy Soil. Their first release in 6 years finds them in a more rock-oriented songwriting mode. it could have come from a crusty punk band out of the '80s. The vocals are shouted with articulation that gets the lyrics across and in your face. The guitar tones are pretty plug-in and crank it up, with none of the low-end metal gain. This keeps even the more aggressive moments rooted in punk.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/01/drugs-of-faith-asymmetrical.html

4-Low Before the Breeze- "A Hole Beneath The Home We Shared."

 This band from Atlanta is going in an experimental grindcore direction that finds the chaos tempered with atmosphere. That does not mean it's an easy listen, as it took me going back and giving it a second or third pass through before some of the songs clicked with me. At times possessed by spastic madness, as feed back squeals out over a collage of sampled sonics. It's very dissonant and moody, though more introspective in an odd way than dark. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/low-before-breeze-hole-beneath-home-we.html

3-Full of Hell-"Broken Sword, Rotten Shield."

This EP is a memorial of sorts that explores loss through the lens of a fantasy metaphor to obscure the processing of their feeling regarding a dog's death. At times, it might be seen as one of their most refined and perhaps accessible songs yet. That said, even when they play nice, they are heavier than. There is a more metal approach that delves into little of their more grindcore spasms, and at other times they carry a hardcore stomp to the riffs.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/full-of-hell-broken-sword-rotten-shield.html

2-Bludgeoned By Deformity-" Epoch Of Immorality."

Helmed by the lead gurgler of Sanguissugabogg, 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, well, you know who, but it's on the more pleasing end of extreme brutal death metal. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/bludgeoned-by-deformity-epoch-of.html

1-Internal Bleeding- "Settle All Scores." 

For this band to have been around since the 90s, y are inspired and were ahead of their time.  Kids now call this Slam, but it's really just hardcore-influenced death metal. Iit's fair to say these guys are also big fans of Cannibal Corpse. After all, Cannibal Corpse, formed in Buffalo, three years before these guys. This is the first album to feature Sacrafical Slaughter vocalist Steve Worley, who sports a very commanding grunt and gurgle. His lyrics are growled in such a manner that, despite their brutality, you can still make them out. They shift into more traditonal metal riffs that provide enough dynamics to make most metal heads happy. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/09/internal-bleeding-settle-all-scores.html

Thanks for reading. Please "like" and share on social media to give music a voice 

https://www.facebook.com/abysmalhymns

Check out our Podcast here ... https://www.youtube.com/@abysmalhymns666

pst623

Barren Path : "Grieving"

 Japanese grindcore bands are normally pretty decent, so let's give these guys a shot. Gurgled vocals bubble under the more screamed vocals that are higher in the mix as the thrash-like riffs at thrown together with a jagged compact arrangement that sounds like they were written during a car crash. Most of the songs clock in around a minute long, so not much time to establish hooks. The songs have a uniform attack and begin to run together in their outburst at times. 

Time is not always what they need, as "Insufferable Weight" finds the vocal might have more purpose in the verse, but they do not expand on the dynamics even when closing in on the two-minute mark. "Relinquish"   is a spastic punishment with no breathing room. This is carried over into "Unreliable Narrator" with more of a death metal feel. "Lunar Tear" also dips into gore-grind slightly, lyrically, who knows, as you can't understand any of the vocals.

These vocals, as just a human layer adding to the fray element, also cause the uniformity of their sound to increase. The last two songs you can not tell apart. At this point, the fact that they were once Gridlink is not helping them as songwriters, and I am surprised they are on Willowtip. I will give this a 7, as it does not fail the genre but does not add to it either. 

pst622

Crossed : "Realismo Ausente"

 I like the tense syncopation that this band opens their bleak new album. The screamed vocals are undecipherable, making the fact that they are from Spain a moot point. It does, however, affect their ability to play black metal, which is more of a feral punk when presented here, with the strongest elements being their ability to let chords ring out and create a more nuanced atmosphere. By the third song, they have established a more GISM-like mood to their brand of chaotic hardcore. 

"Monotonia..." fights the urge to go into the night screaming and find a more focused plan of attack through songwriting. They do kick up a great deal of sonic fury in the process. At times, it also reminds me of Converge, but they lack the big riffs and darker melodic experimentations, and instead opt for noise. "Sentirse Solo" has a more frantic punk snarl and locks back into the cooler battery of syncopation while having a burly bass in the backdrop. 

"Cruz Vertical" has the first memorable riff, which is joined by a gang vocal that sits in the background. They do make an effort to vary their attack so it is not jsut your ears being pumelled, though the vocals are typical jsut hte same relentless scream. The songs are kept in the grindcore radius of two minutes. The last song they sprawl out into four minutes. It's sonically violent but not the most memorable. However, this album, aside from the vocals, does make an effort to not only be intense but to write actual songs, so I will give it a 9.

pst621

The Top 10 Folk Albums of 2025

There is less country music on this list than in past years, though the influence lingers in many of these albums. 2025 finds neo-folk or the traditonal pagan music of northern Europe playing a much larger role, though not splitting the top ten down the middle, though all the albums are darker and more melancholy. These albums do not really give a damn about the Nashville status quo, even when it comes to the artists in the more commercial spotlight. 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 20 albums of 2025 list. 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. I've included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these guys. Anyway, here are the top 10 folk albums of 2025

10-Greet - "I Know How to Die." 

The heart of the album si often the mournful-sounding folk chant of the vocals. There are also elements of country/ gospel music in the mix. It almost sounds like bagpipes. The vocal melody feels earnest enough to make this work amid the pulse that rings out. Matthew Broadley is weaving this all together. There is a more Appalachian feel that touches on the early Irish roots of things like bluegrass. Often droning, this abum feels like the soundtrack to an A24 movie.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/gothtober-greet-i-know-how-to-die.html

9-Marissa Nadler -"New Radiations." 

 Her 10th album finds Nadler stripping things down to a more minimalist yet cinematic feel. It feels spacious, yep, with an intimate yearning. Her vocals are produced in a similar reverb-heavy manner, but the layered harmonies feel more pronounced. It feels more like her earlier work than the past couple of albums in the overall sound. The kind f haunting ballads you want for Hot Ghost Summer. At times, the guitar takes things in a more folk direction with the pining twang of country ambiance coloring things with a longing ambiance.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/07/marisa-nadler-new-radiations.html

8-Jason Isbell- "Foxes in the Snow"

This might be his 10th album, but it's his first solo acoustic album. This brings a more stripped-down take on what he does without the 400 Unit or an accompaniment that shows his rock influence. Instead, what we are getting is his voice and guitar. There is minimal production; it just sounds like this cut in one take with a mic in a room. This is a novel concept in a world of auto-tune and dozens of producers/songwriters on just one song. Lyrically, there is the kind of depth you expect from him. The kind of solemn reflection that haunts "Southeastern" can be felt here. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/03/jason-isbell-foxes-in-snow.html

7-Bloodyhammers -"The Acoustic Halloween Special." 

They released this collection of brooding ballads for Halloween that dips into dark country. I prefer their more driving metal output; this works for what it is. It makes sense they would need to take a breather for the sake of their creative juices and make this album to explore this side of the melodic spectrum. It works for what they do and is better than most murder ballad crooned this year. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/11/november-is-doom-bloody-hammers.html

 

6-Chimehours -"Underneath the Earth." 

This British project blends a tense urgency with ethereeal melodies and a folky organic feel. The singer has a Björk feel to her emotive singing style. Her fragile folkish vocal haunts things like a higher-pitched Lana Del Rey at times. The darker elements are subtle, an eerie layer in the background. Some songs are more dynamic than others. The folk strum of guitars  draped in a fairytale ambiance

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/gothtober-chimehours-underneath-earth.html

 

6-Sowulo-"NIHT"

This Norwegian project respects ye olde days, while writing actual songs that go somewhere. Yes, there is a very ritualistic feel to what they do, but it has verses and choruses you remember. Also, a dark tension broods under some of the passages, so it is not surprising these artists are often metal adjacent in their fan base. They are named after an old Germanic name for the sun, which reflects some of the elder pagan ideology behind the concepts of this album.  

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/06/sowulo-niht.html

5-Allie -X- "Happiness is Goiung to Get You." 

There is a more nuanced style of pop songwriting that leans in a somewhat Lana Del Rey direction this time, with a 1950s California vibe. These more organic vibes increase as the album progresses into this folk direction, which might not be what you would expect considering her past releases. It's moody but not as dark as the last album. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/11/allie-x-happiness-is-going-to-get-you.html

 

4-Florence + the Machine-"Everybody Scream." 

A very brooding album with the centerpiece being the trembling vibrato of her rich alto is a key selling point, and she is capable of creating memorable hooks with it,t even though she wanders in a pondering circle much like Natalie Merchant at times. I can also hear the influence of the Cowboy Junkies lurking in the more organic moments, which grew on me with repeat listens. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/11/florence-machine-everybody-scream.html

\

3-Wardruna- "Birna" 

Six albums into their career, Norway's primal folk bards are still bringing an increasingly cinematic conjuring of otherworldly eons past. It is weird how they are the biggest band making this kind of music. Also, even stranger is how they can headline festivals. It is very much a wintery sound as should be expected from the region where the music is being made. It feels like they are getting ready to be hit by the worst storm in over a hundred years and are invoking the ghosts of their ancestors

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/12/wardruna-birna.html

2-Noah Cyrus- "I Want My Loved Ones to Go With Me." 

Yep, this is Miley's sister. Regular readers here will know I am a fan of Miley, whom I talked about her before, saying she's never wanted her help or wanted to do anything similar to what Miley does, and you can hear that on this album. However, there is less of an indie feel on this one, with a more produced sound; however, she is not making pop country either. She has a good voice, but isn't a powerhouse like her sister. It is more melancholy and atmospheric than what Miley does. What they do have in common is that country music is just in their DNA. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/07/noah-cyrus-i-want-my-loved-ones-to-go.html

1-Lord Huron- "The Cosmic Selector Vol 1." 

This is the 5th album from this melancholy folk rock band, which employs a reflective atmosphere in its sound that feels honest in its soul-baring introspection. They're playing a more modern take on Americana, as the vocals gain more confidence in their narrative, thanks to the shuffling groove provided by the drums that keep them moving as country influences slide in . Pull out the bong for this album. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/07/lord-huron-cosmic-selector-vol-1.html

Thanks for reading. Please "like" and share on social media to give music a voice 

https://www.facebook.com/abysmalhymns

Check out our Podcast here ... https://www.youtube.com/@abysmalhymns666

pst620

The Top 10 Albums of 1985

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

 

Here I am taking my top 5 choices and expanding them into the top 10 albums of 1985, and also ranking them in order of their impact and staying power, so here are my top 10 albums of 1985. Be sure to check out the episode above for a more in-depth look at the top 5 here. 

10-Megadeth- "Killing is my Business and Business is Good."

The debut of Mustaine's post-Metallica project feels like he picked up where "Kill'em All " left off.

 

9-Anthrax -' Spreading the Disease" 

They were beginning to hit their stride when it came to blending thrash with hooky classic metal songwriting

   

8-Ratt- "Invasion of Your Privacy."

One of the most endearing albums from the hair metal era, which stands the test of time. 

7-Sting -" Dream of the Blue Turtles." 

His solo debut is wonderfully bleak in its lyrical outlet and jazz overlay. 

> 

6-Slayer - "Hell Awaits"

Their most underrated album, considering that it opened the doors for a darker, heavier style of music to be born. 

 

5-Dio-"Sacred Heart."

He peaked in the 80s with this magical album, setting himself apart from metal trends.

4-the Cure "Head On the Door." 

Not their darkest album, but Smith's songwriting continued t o explore new colors of sound. 

3-Tom Waits - "Rain Dogs." 

Not sure he even knew the 80s were even going on a this album sounds like it came from a dive bar at the edge of time. 

2-Kate Bush-"Hounds of Love"

She did new wave on her terms and retained all the ethereal magic that she was known for.  

 

1-The Smiths -"Meat is Murder."

Lyrically brilliant and perfectly written, this iconic album still stands alone. 

Thanks for reading. Please "like" and share on social media to give music a voice 

https://www.facebook.com/abysmalhymns

Check out our Podcast here ... https://www.youtube.com/@abysmalhymns666

pst619

chokecherry : "Ripe Fruit Rots and Falls"

 I was a big fan of the band's 2024 EP "Messy Star." They are back with a marginally more shoegazing effort that is still rooted firmly in the sounds of the '90s. The jangling grunge drive provides the backbone. There is more punk energy in the second song. But the smooth croon of her vocals balances this out."Pretty Things" ambles along; it has more of a dreamy slacker attitude, perhaps not as intentional as the first two songs. 

"Secrets' finds them flirty with the woozy shoegaze tones in places, though the song flows around the melody really well, rather than hypnotizing you. The punchier chorus refrain grounded the song. This album is really well produced with some shimmering guitar tones. The vocals never get lost in the sound they are cranking out, no matter how dreamy things get. While all of this works well, it's when they commit to the power chords of "You Love it When," which finds them making their strongest song.

There is also more of an organic alternative rock feel to "Oblivion". Though the chorus is more subtle than the previous song.  "February" has more gas in the tank as the guitar carries more attack. The title track closes the album with a little more introspection. Overall, this album is great as it rocks out with all the passion of the 90s while employing effective atmospher.e I will give it a 9.5 out on Fearless Records/

pst618

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 20 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

, 

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. 

. 

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

 

-

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

Thanks for reading. Please "like" and share on social media to give music a voice 

https://www.facebook.com/abysmalhymns

Check out our Podcast here ... https://www.youtube.com/@abysmalhymns666

pst617