November is Doom- The Top 10 Sludge Albums of 2025

The world might not have come to an end this year, but the Doomsday Clock keeps ticking closer to that fateful day, as Sludge should. After I sort through the top 10 albums in each genre, 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; there is something that 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 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 Sludge albums of 2025

10-Faetooth- "Labyrinthine" 

This Los Angeles-based band plays a darkly melodic and sludge-influenced brand of gloomy hard rock. More metallic in their intentions than Chelsea Wolfe, but they employ an ethereal, melancholic sound with many layers. I like the melancoly pciture it paints. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/11/november-is-doom-faetooth-labyrinthine.html

 

9-In the Company of Serpents-'A Crack in Everything.' 

The Denver band is always very organic, and this album holds a similar warmth, perhaps a more jammed-out feel when it comes to the songwriting. Great guitar playing embodies these songs, so if you are into guitars, this album is for you. The vocals are a throaty bellow that rides the groove, but are more of an obligatory standard; when the vocals employ more purpose, they take on more of a Tom Waits feel. More aggressive than stoner rock putting them here, 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/07/in-company-of-serpents-crack-in.html
 

 

8-Negative 13-"Recover What You Can." 

A demonstration of what happens when punks try to play Doom. There is some rock n roll syncopation in play at times, a crust punk ambiance that haunts the songs. Sonically interesting in a manner not unlike, say, Amebix. The vocals are a gruff bark but still hold purpose and do not diminish the songwriting. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/01/negative-13-recover-what-you-can.html

7-False Gods- "Lost in Darkness and Distance." 

Both of their previous albums impressed us here, as this band continues to blend hardcore with sludge in an emotionally visceral manner. However, the hard-core side of the equation is not as prevalent as the band's more metal leanings this time around. The songwriting has continued to mature, the opener tracker is higher energy with a darker tension running through it that brings earlier Neurosis to mind, but it is catchier than bombastic in how it hits.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/false-gods-lost-in-darkness-and-distance.html

 

 

6-Fister- "Graceless" 

One of my favorite extreme sludge bands is back. They focus on crushing violence this time around with the mammoth crunch that opens this album. The vocals hacked up from the pits of their charred lungs with convincing aggression. The lumber of the riff trudging with weighty chugs is impressive by anyone's standards. They expand their atmospheric side and overall dynamic range on this album. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/09/fister-graceless.html

 

5-Katla- "Scandinavian Pain." 

The grit and the grime of this band have more in common with sludge than doom. There is a hint of black metal, but they are of the same venomous ilk as, say, Fistula. Not expecting this sort of thing to crawl out of Denmark, but here we are. Their overdriven lumber is a great deal of fun. They have a nasty attitude, which is where a lot of their charm comes from

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/03/katla-scandinavian-pain.html

 

4-Mares of Thrace- "Loss" 

The fourth album from this Canadian band. They play a fairly caustic version of sludge that snarls with a more brooding, angular desperation than Eyehategod. They are more introspective and not as entrenched in punk, as there are moody melodic sections. The theme of this album is the stages of grief.  An intense yet thoughtful album. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/mares-of-thrace-loss.html
 

 

  

3-CROP- "SSRI" 

This Kentucky band is on the heavier side of grunge that intersects with sludge. The vocals are the kind of pained screaming Kurt Cobain threw himself into on "Bleach".There are more melodic sections even on the jarring opening track; they are just delivered in a more sludged-out noise rock fashion. They did an excellent job of setting their misery to music. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/08/crop-ssri.html

2-Kazea- "I, Ancestral." 

This unique trio from Sweden quickly held my The vocals are somewhat Pink Floyd-like in their breathy execution, and the album ranges from a more.  experimental, neo-folk strum to the stomp you expect from sludge,

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/03/kazea-i-ancestral.html

 

1-Rwake -"The Return of the Magik." 

The Arkansas-based band is back after 13 years. A more melodic expanse of sound brings elements of Southern rock to the forefront of the opening track as guitar solos cascade around it. Brittany Fugate's scathing vocals provide a counterpoint to the lower, ominous vocal tones of Chris Terry. They bring a menacing thunder with metallic riffing, as well as contrast it with really tasteful guitar work. They ripped the hardest when it came to sludge this year. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/rwake-return-of-magik.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

pst586

The Top 10 Doom / Sludge Albums of 2025... so far

Since I have split up the larger metal list into sub-genres, sludge and doom are getting lumped together, as let's face it, with many of these albums it is hard to fnds the line between the two.  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 Doom / Sludge albums of 2025 so far. 

10-False Gods-"Lost in Darkness and Distance" 

 Both of their previous albums impressed us here as this band continues to blend hardcore with sludge in an emotionally visceral manner. However, the hard-core side of the equation is not as prevalent as the band's more metal leanings this time around. The songwriting has continued to mature, often  higher energy with a darker tension running through it that brings earlier Neurosis to mind

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/false-gods-lost-in-darkness-and-distance.html

9-Patriarchs in Black - "Home" 

This is a project featuring two music legends, Johnny Kelly of Type O Negative fame, and guitarist Dan Lorenzo, who played in the groundbreaking Non-Fiction.  A cast of rotating bass players and vocalist lends the songs their own touches, while most bring the classic doom feel with them, offering surprises that invoke the best metal memories of the 90s. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/06/patriarchs-in-black-home.html

8-Mares of Thrace-"Loss" 

The fourth album from this Canadian band. They play a fairly caustic version of sludge that snarls with a more brooding, angular desperation than Eyehategod, but more introspective and not as entrenched in punk, as there are moody melodic sections. The theme of this album is the stages of grief. "The First Stage, Shock" is more deliberate and shows some deliberate plays that hold elements of noise rock, even in how things ring out with dissonant melancholy. The drumming on this album is very solid. I also enjoy the fact that they employ different vocal colors from singing to a snarl.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/mares-of-thrace-loss.html

 

7-Katla -"Scandinavian Pain" 

The grit and the grime of this band have more in common with sludge than doom. There is a hint of black metal, but they are of the same venomous ilk as, say, Fistula. Not expecting this sort of thing to crawl out of Denmark, but here we are. Their overdriven lumber is a great deal of fun. They have a nasty attitude, which is where a lot of their charm comes from.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/03/katla-scandinavian-pain.html

6-Hollow Leg - "Dust & Echoes" 

This band is made up of former Bloodlet members, with the exception being guitarist Brent Lynch. Scott's vocals are what have changed the most, as he sings more the the guttural hardcore bark that commanded their old band. It's still pretty gruff, but capable of at least holding a Clutch-level melody at times. The riffs are less pounding and have some rock swagger to them.  Things are not at a boogie shuffle, but sometimes heading in that direction, but with more overt metal chugs to get them there. My best guess is they started smoking a ton of weed, as that is what I imagine might take a hardcore band in this direction. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/06/hollow-leg-dust-echoes.html

5-Kazea- "I Ancestral" 

This unique trio from Sweden quickly held my attention. The vocals are somewhat Pink Floyd-like in their breathy execution. They go from an experimental, neo-folk to a more sludge-influenced stomp. They employ an underlying melancholy that feels like they are speculating over in a manner that is detached from the darkness of their souls, causing it to cast an even more curious shadow over the sound. This gives it more in common with post-punk than post-rock. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/03/kazea-i-ancestral.html

 

4 - Years of the Cobra- "s/t" 

The first obvious thing about this duo's 3 albums is that Amy's voice has come a long way. Her performance this time around is more nuanced. They lumber into a darker depth of doom than I recall from their first two albums. It seems that her time in the Doom Slayer tribute Slower allowed her to hone her pipes further, as she creates a witchier vibe at times here. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/year-of-cobra-st.html

3- Rwake - "The Return of Magik" 

Perhaps the collapse of society is going to find sludge returning as the dominant force in metal. This Arkansas-based band is back after 13 years. A more melodic expanse of sound brings elements of Southern rock to the forefront of the opening track as guitar solos cascade around it. Brittany Fugate's scathing vocals provide a counterpoint to the lower, ominous vocal tones of Chris Terry.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/rwake-return-of-magik.html

 

2-(16) -"Guides For the Misguided" 

 This band's past two albums were in the Top 5 of the Top 10 Metal albums for 2022 and 2020. They continue to deliver with their 10th full-length. This album came about during the mixing of the previous album, so it picks up where they left off with an aggressive sludge attack. Though grunge-tinged melody prevades as the album progresses. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/01/16-guides-for-misguided.html

1-Hangman's Chair - "Saddiction" 

From the very start, this album opens with a sonic pounding, counterbalanced by the trademark passion of the vocals. Things ebb down into a more depressive introspection as the rollercoaster of the album's dynamic sets in motion. Some interesting production choices in this often reverb-heavy recording are best appreciated when played loudly through headphones, allowing the album to take effect with maximum impact

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/hangmans-chair-saddiction.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 below 

https://www.youtube.com/@abysmalhymns666

pst300

Mares of Thrace : "Loss"

The fourth album from this Canadian band. Oddly, the first time we have covered them here, they play a fairly caustic version of sludge, that snarls with a more brooding, angular desperation than Eyehategod. They are more introspective and not as entrenched in punk, as there are moody melodic sections. The theme of this album is the stages of grief. "The First Stage, Shock" is more deliberate and shows some deliberate plays that hold elements of noise rock, even in how things ring out with dissonant melancholy. The drumming on this album is very solid. I also enjoy the fact that they employ different vocal colors from singing to a snarl.  

There is a raw emotional current driving the core of these songs. They give more weight to the vocal delivery, and the chaops beings brought to a boil on a song like "Denial". The guitar tones on this album are very organic and not the normal overfuzzed wall of density, which allows odd notes to ring out more and give what they are doing here more personality rather than a barrage of sound. As expected, "Anger" is heavier with a lingering stomp of hardcore haunting it. It digs into its chug like early Mastodon. "Disenfranchised Grief" finds the band pounding out a riff with a piano melody where the vocals would sit. 

Things grow more melodic for the bargaining stage of grief, until they throw themselves into a grindcore-like blast before winding back around for a crusty sludge pulsing.  I like that they really put thought into the songwriting, as twists and turns show their commitment to the nuance of the story they are telling. "Complicated Grief" is a more rock approach to the songwriting, though with the weight of their burly sound behind them. Her purposeful expulsion of each word leaves the lyrics at the forefront. They pull some pretty powerful riffs out, but are not content with resting on their laurels to relying on them. 

The raw grim reality of the songs creates a mood not unlike last years Couch Slut album. Going into the stage of depression, I expect things to become darker and more introspective, since I am normally a depressed person, and this is where I am most of the time. They tend to steer things toward the doomier side of the genre with this one. The odd verses create space for the vocals to emote from a more tortured place. Rather than going where you assume the chorus is going to be, they jam out a guitar melody. The song is over nine minutes, so they have plenty of time to play with. The drummer is great at creating negative space in music to later change the time signature.  This kind of collision of angular sound makes me think of Forget Cassettes. They continue to converge into metallic chugs that keep your head moving. 

"Acceptance' feels more like an outro than a free-standing song with its own two legs. It does wrap things up nicely, and there is not much to say about acceptance, though it is what people have the hardest time with, so perhaps this is why it is such an abbreviated contemplation. I will give this album a 9.5, putting it shoulder to shoulder with the best sludge album of the year so far.Out on Art of Fact Records.  

pst233