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

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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

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The Top 10- Indie Rock / Shoe-Gaze Albums of 2025 ... so Far

As the Doomsday Clock races, time speeds up, as 2025 is at its midpoint. With the impending end of times comes the need to get high, and these bands are making substantial soundtracks for that. 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 will need to bring it to compete with the top five albums on this list. For the mid-year report card list, I'm combining shoegaze with its close cousin, indie rock.  So basically, they all are more surreal than post-punk, not punk, and left of center when it comes to rock n roll.  I have included links to full reviews if you want to check these out, and with all that said, here are the top 10 indie-rock / shoegaze albums of 2025 so far. 

10- Korean Cars -"#1" 

This band proves Norway is capable of exporting more music than metal. This band is are fantastic musicians weaving challenging but nuanced instrumentals that find most of the vocals are incidental, but creatively employed. If you like prog that flows and unfolds as it jams along, then these guys are worth a listen. 

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

9-Jaye Jayle-"After Alter"

 This project 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. What makes this album work so well is its vision and artistic direction, not an album that rocks out, but an album that lurks within.

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

 

8-Black Country New Road - 'Forever Howlong" 

The third album from these British indie folksters who flirt with rock music less and indulge in more woodwinds and jazz-tinged passages this time around. The vocals are what anchors them in indie rock, as the more folk notions lie in the poetic melodies that run the center course of their songs.  Most of it flows really well and seems like how things just progressed. There is a more Beatles-like tone to things on this album. It reminds me of the more quaint pastoral moments from the White Album. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/black-country-new-road-forever-howlong.html

7-Smut -"Tomorrow Comes Crashing" 

The  Cincinnati-sourced band plays a raw punk-influenced take on indie rock that pulls from the more emotional side of 90s alternative rock. Tay Roebuck has both sugar and spice to her voice, with a syrupy knack for melodies that spill over the attack of the well-layered and intentionally lo-fi guitars.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/smut-tomorrow-comes-crashing.html

 

6-Mogwai- "The Bad Fire" 

11 albums into their career, this Scottish band has a clear focus on their sonic journey. Showing they still have room to grow when it comes to their willingness to use vocals again.They give you what you want from them. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/01/mogwai-bad-fire.html

5-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. 

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

4-Swans - "Birthing" 

Listening to this album through headphones is recommended. This album is an event. Almost more of an art show than a rock album. Not their best work, but it remembers to employ similar moods that bring them closer to the more classic sounds of the Jarboe era.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/swans-birthing.html

3-Hotline TNT - "Raspberry Moon"  

Going in a more Stone Roses direction for this one. In doing so, this means more melody. The vocals got more love in the studio and are crooned with less apathy. On the other hand, this album jangles more and has less punk rock left in its veins. The atmosphere is thicker and often more melancholic. They are in many ways the same band, but attacking things from a different direction. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/06/hotline-tnt-raspberry-moon.html

 

2-Sharon Von Ettan & the Attachment Theory- " s/t" 

This album was spawned from Sharon walking into band practice and asking to just jam. The magic of spontaneity in this experience showed her that relinquishing creative control and being more collaborative was so freeing for her that it invited her band to become a part of the more organic writing process for this album

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/01/sharon-von-etten-attachment-theory-st.html

       

1-Superheaven - "s/t" 

The third album by this band has built 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. This album it gives you what you want from this sort of 90s shoegaze rock. 

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

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Korean Cars : "#1"

 

This band proves that black metal is not Norway's only musical export. The first song is instrumental. Kinda math rocky, but the guitarist proves they have chops. The playing is very melodic. 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. There are vocals on the second song, though they sit back in the mix. They are a plaintive croon that sits where it should in the song, with the nuanced picking of the guitars carrying most of the slack. 

"Cheese Me Macoroni' crosses over into being outright progressive. The creeping riff weaves itself around itself and opens the door for the guitar solo to blaze out of. To their credit 'Treeline Siren" is the longest song at just over six minutes. There is more of a Pink Floyd-like feel to it. "Midway into the song, when the vocals surface, their cadence gives weight to my Pink Floyd theory. "1979" kinda of tick like a clock, but not in the moments that make up a dull day manner. There is some groove to it, but once again, more progressive than post-rock. The chill vocals to this song glide in for a short visit. 

The last song cements them as a prog band. They are much closer to a mix of Joe Satriani and Pink Floyd than Explosions in the Sky or Russian Circles. The guitar playing is great. It's pretty intricate. Overall, this album is a fun listen that took a few spins to let sink in. I will give it a 9, as there is some great playing, most of the vocals are incidental, but creatively employed. If you like prog that flows and unfolds as it jams along, then these guys are worth a listen. 

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0FUhz4nMONUfqlnejTtc4S

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