The Top 10 Black Metal Albums of 2025

It is not surprising that Black Metal's popularity continues to wane in the hipster metal scene. It's now called problematic by poseurs who were only into it for superficial reasons in the first place, as the genre has always represented misanthropic hate and nihilistic disdain for the world. These albums captured what black metal should be with very little compromise. Black metal is a sub-genre of metal that is for the true outsiders. Here are the bands that captured it best. 

 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 Black Metal albums of 2025

10-Cult Burial- "Collapse of Pattern, Reverence of Dust."

It seems all too often blackened death metal bands add the wrong parts of the two genres. These guys seem to get the atmosphere and aggression combo before going into a more winding technical riff for the second song. The vocals are produced to give the growls the biggest roar for your buck. When they chug along at a very deliberate pace, it gives the vocals more purpose. The use of a present bass in the mix is effective and creates a darker backbone for the songs

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/08/cult-burial-collapse-of-pattern.html

 

9-Karg-"Maroduer" 

This is the band's 9th album, and Black metal seems to be at the core of their DNA, as it's the 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, with some turns into a more in-your-face black metal approach, 

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

8-Deafheaven- "Lonely People With Power." 

On this album, they have balanced out the varied elements of their discography, right down to the deliberate chug 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

          

7-This Gift is a Curse-"Heir." 

This Swedish band plays a confrontational style of black metal that carries hard-core roots in its aggression. They do not just blast at you, but bring various influences. At times, layering things with like spoken female vocals before their more hard-core side of the band surfaces, and sparse places where they blast along in the vein of most black metal bands these days. It's the darker creep of the riffs that makes them stand out from the pack.  

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/01/this-gift-is-curse-heir.html

6-Shining-"Divided You Stand &United You'll Fall." 

Sweden's Shining should need little introduction here to regular readers, as they are one of the biggest bands from the depressive black metal sub-genre.  They have evolved past the weeping drama they once invoked. A gritty mix of covers and originals that finds them spreading their hatred in the best way possible.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/07/shining-divided-you-stand-united-youll.html

 

5-1914-"Viribus Unitis."

This Ukrainian band is branded as blackened Death-doom. It is the band's fourth, the second since their country was invaded by Russia. That conflict is the inspiration for this album. They go from black metal to a more deliberate crunch to back on a blackened path until the more melodic doom elements also begin to creep in. They color the songs with chanted vocals and wisely placed blast beasts to craft actual songs that are effective rather than an angry burst of sound. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/11/1914-viribus-unitis.html

 

4-Grima - "Nightside" 

This Russian band brings a more overt aggression than I remember from their last album.  There is almost a more Dissection-like layering to the guitar here. The vocals are more anguished, with the black metal shriek doubled by a lower death metal growl.  The production is great; it's a stellar mix with nothing buried. For some black metal purists, this might be too much of a sell-out, although we should be well past that point of contention by now.

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

3-Abigail Williams- "A Void Within Existence." 

One of the rare American Black Metal bands that has stood the test of time as a legitimate representation of what their genre is, with the same level of sonic darkness as their European counterparts. There is a bigger sound that pushes them more in the direction of a band like Behemoth.  The guitar work begins to dazzle over the commanding march. They find the perfect blend of bleak melody with enough black metal bombast to keep the dynamics balanced.

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

2-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 a 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 Bloc are spreading it like roaches.

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

1-Blut Aus Nord - "Ethereal Horizons." 

The French Black Metal band's 16th album shows Blut Aus Nord never makes the same album twice, and they are embracing every side of the genre here while cloaking them all in their signature atmosphere. It is like listening to a smoke machine envelop a band rather than just seeing it on stage. Atmospheric black metal is being pushed in new directions, while the pained moaning of the clean vocals cuts through the thickness of sound, bringing' Mercyful Fate's earliest incarnations of black metal to mind. There is the needed cauldron of blast beats and tremolo-picked guitars needed to identify their blackened intent, but not sounding like everyone else in the process

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/blut-aus-nord-ethereal-horizons.html

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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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Black Metal History Month- Grima : "Nightside"

 

This Russian band's 2021 album "Rotten Garden" ended up in the top 10 Black Metal albums for that year, so expectations are high for them to either meet or exceed their previous success. The first song feels like there is more overt aggression coming from them than I remember from their last album.  There is almost a more Dissection-like layering to the guitar here. The vocals are more anguished with the black metal shriek doubled by a lower death metal growl.  The production is great, it's a stellar mix with nothing buried. For some black metal purists, this might be too much of a sell-out, despite the fact we should be well past that point of contention by now.  But we should thin the herd now because if that is too produced then the atmosphere that seeps into the second song will be a deal breaker for cvltists as well. 

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 awhile, and it's apparent in how things flow in their playing. "Skull Gatherers" finds things growing darker and colder with the more melodic elements bleeding into the song's attack in a very effective manner. The vocals fall against the guitars more purposefully than you average black metal bands that find the vocals as an obligatory scream that is more of a layer of human hatred expelled than the nuance occurring here. 

"Impending Death Premonition" is more straightforward black metal, with sung vocals chiming in at the end to help break things up sonically. There is a marginally darker touch to the more deliberate throb of the title track that follows which holds more emotional weight. It was "Where We Are Lost' that my attention got lost and I had to go back to give another listen to decipher for the purpose of this review. This one makes me think of what Cradle of Filth might sound like without all the symphonic cheesiness. A dark melodic throb broken up with accents with great purpose. "Curse of the Void" finds a melodic ambiance setting the stage for another dose of very deliberate black metal, which I will take any day over being blast-beaten numb. Even the sung vocals work well here. There is more of a pagan metal feel which works considering the subject matter. They do employ varied folk instruments throughout the album which factor in prominently here. 

The last song "Mist and Fog" is one of the moodier more melodic moments, I would not say this is accessible to non-black metal listeners but it points them in that direction. Six albums in I do not hear them making any drastic changes as far as that goes, but each album feels like the next step intended. The dynamics of 'Mist and Fog" display this. The folk instruments step forward in the mix, making this song more of a summary of where they are heading. I'll give this album a 9.5, it's another step forward for the band and a stunning listen. Drops of Napalm Records. 

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The Top 10 Black Metal Albums of 2021

In today's world we need the hateful nature of black metal more than ever. Here is the best of the current crop. As with years past I sort through the genre lists before making the overall top ten of the year list. I know many of you are ready for 2021 to be over with. Hate to break it to you but nothing is getting better next year. The very fact 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 can bitch and complain about your favorite band not being on the list.  I listen to five new albums a day so yes, I heard your favorite album and was not impressed. No, I do not care what you think about it. I do hope you can find your next favorite on this list and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out audio on these guys. Anyways here are the top 10 Black Metal albums of 2021

10-Vried- "Wild North West" 

Their sound continued to evolve into the hookier almost rock-oriented sound they have now. Even clean singing crops up on the first song. Yes, there are blast beats and tremolo picked guitars so this is still very much black metal. It is my favorite kind of black metal as it is the kind that cares about song writing

Abysmal Hymns: Vried : " Wild North West"

9-Grima - " Rotten Garden"

 This German duo does atmospheric black metal right with a big powerful sound.  They are not shoe gazing but capture a similar sonic shimmer. The vocals are well layered with both low growls and higher more blackened shrieks. They do not live on blast beasts alone.

Abysmal Hymns: Black Metal History Month - Grima : "Rotten Garden"

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8-Ancient Wisdom - " a Celebration in Honor of Death" 

I see the words blackened doom on everything except when the band is actually playing a doom black metal hybrid like this project from Sweden is. Much like Burzum, this one-man band is helmed by Vargher from Naglfar The keyboards and atmosphere work really well here and this is a great example of you can have both a sound dialed in and still; care about writing a song. Yes, this kind of carries a drone to it and is more akin to a soundtrack track than pop hit, but that is ok

Abysmal Hymns: Ancient Wisdom : "A Celebration In Honor Of Death

 7-Sertraline : "The street light was all we needed"

This highly atmospheric band from New York has combined a bunch of EPS and is presenting them in this format. I am counting this as a 2021 album because these were all unknown until this point. They have plenty of grit and darkness set against the more sweeping sonics. The vocals are a lower snarl. They are dedicated to making very dynamic music and not the kind of black metal that settles for blast beats alone

Abysmal Hymns: Black Metal History Month -Sertraline : "The street light was all we needed"

 6-the Ruins of Beverast - "the Thule Grimoires" 

 In 2021 if you are going to do black metal then this is the way to do it. You can tell it is in fact black metal, but it is not so tied down to conforming to a certain time period that it is stagnant. In fact it is full of dark new sounds that really add to the songs

Abysmal Hymns: the Ruins of Beverast : " the Thule Grimoires"

 

5-the Flight of Sleipnir- "Eventide" 

Their 7th album finds them very confident in what they do. They have a knack for slowing things down while the vocals stay very caustic. It gives this a cold sound that black metal, needs which is why I tend to listen to it more in fall and winter. There is a great deal of very nuanced playing on this album. Some of the guitar work really goes above and beyond. Some black metal tends to take on an almost punk feel in the way the guitar is handled, so they are really bringing playing that stands up against any metal band to the table 

Abysmal Hymns: THE FLIGHT OF SLEIPNIR : " Eventide"

4-Wolves in the throne room- "Primordial Arcana"  

Their new album is beautifully true to who they are and have been as a band with black metal as the core of epic atmosphere and sweeping guitars. The vocals are scowled much in the same manner they were when I first heard them, for a band that has taken us many other places over the years I respect that. I am open for them to do whatever, that is within reason and stays true to the core of their nature worshipping mountain selves. They once again deliver.

Abysmal Hymns: Wolves in the Throne Room : "Primordial Arcana"

 

3-Plaguewielder - "Covenant Death" 

This album really grew on me. They have grown as both a band and songwriters now finding themselves in a realm of sonic darkness not unlike the place that Tombs invokes.  The rage and metallic battering ram they hit you with is not dulled by the creepy atmosphere the album is coated it. 

Abysmal Hymns: Plaguewielder : " Covenant Death"

2-Peste Noire- "Le retour de pastoureaux" 

This gang of French maniacs continues to spit in the face of expectations. At times abandoning black metal to be more progressive, but in a very crude and confrontational manner. They have punk attitude Now they have more of a punk thing going on but bring you back to the more refined anger of metal when you think they are going to bring in acoustic guitars and forget who they are. Creatively ambitious this was almost my number one pick, but their crude primal organic leanings might be emotive, but not a massive of a sound as the band who took the number one spot.  

Abysmal Hymns: Peste Noire : " Le retour des pastoureaux"

 

1- Noctambulist - " Eiegieen" 

This band from the Netherlands caught me by surprise hey can summon a scathing buzz of black metal, but are not limited to just that proving themselves more than capable of expanding the sonic horizons. They could fall into the black gaze sub-genre but are darker than most with more aggression in their song writing, they know when to let things simmer and when to roar back to life. This atmosphere contributes to the sparkling melodies that are layered in here. The album sounds great and is recorded in a manner that makes the most of their vision which is why they beat out Peste Noir for the top spot.

Abysmal Hymns: Black Metal History Month -Noctambulist -"Eiegieen"

Black Metal History Month - Grima : "Rotten Garden"

 This German duo does atmospheric black metal right. They have a big powerful sound. The synths are there , but another layer not one that they need to break up the song awkwardly top show you. They are not shoe gazing but capture a similar sonic shimmer. The vocals are well layered with both low growls and higher more blackened shrieks. They do not live on blast beasts alone. Granted their sound is so over powering on the second song it distracted me from what was going on with the song and I began to feel caught up in the drone and drifting a little/ By "At the Foot of the Red Mountains" I am going to need a little more dynamically than full speed ahead and they do provide such break downs with a more Germanic folk influence, they are not trying to be Vikings, and true to their roots. When they default back into the speed, it feels like it could be any band.

The dynamic shift I needed comes in the form of the tittle track. Leading into this there is an interlude that sets the stage, though it falls into that more minimalist school of atmosphere I was eluding to earlier.  They also fall into a more typical blasting as it begins to build. There is a majestic almost Dimmu Borgir like tone to their sound at times, though they never fall into anything symphonic. That majesty carries over into "Gorm" . I often talk about the merits of melody and dynamic, but I am real fine with vocals sounding this hateful I mean they go in an almost Gorgoroth direction here . Gorgoroth is one of my favorite black metal bands so I am 100 percent fine with this song , in fact it might be the album's best. The guitar solo on this song is not a bunch of shred and I appreciate that as well. 

There is a little more of a sweeping post black metal feel to the last song "Devotion to Lord" , the vocals do drop down into that more commanding death metal growl. A pretty easy listen that flows well in the scope of what they do on this album. I will give this album a 9, it is one of the better black metal releases I have reviewed this month. They care about the songs and it is evil enough and still very eaqsy on the ears of most metal fans and not a great deal of harshness for the sake of harshness.