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

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The Top 10 Pop Albums of 2025... so far

 That time of year again. 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. When it comes to pop what you are not going to see much of are big mainstream radio artists that are part of the music industry machine that spits bullshit out on an assembly line with two dozen producers and even more songwriters making a product for the sheep to consume. Only two artists on this list come from that machine, and both have risen above it, unlike the bulk of their peers. 

What I want from my pop is catchy songs that have actual instruments being played, rather than just empty calories being pumped into my ears. My people refer to this sort of thing as their guilty pleasures, and I do not use that term as anyone on this list is better than vapid shit kids on Tik Tok are dancing to. Hip Hop has pretty much been garbage this year; only two artists have managed to rise from that trash pile to form music with depth.  There are links to full reviews if you want to check these out, and with all that said, here are the top 10 pop albums of 2024 so far. 

10-Aesop Rock- "Black Hole Superette" 

The 10th album from New York's best rapper finds the rhymes flowing like malt liquor. Ten albums into your career, you are going to know how to write a song. He is quick to spit a collage of clever metaphors. You noticed we do not cover a great deal of hip-hop here. That's not because it's just not our thing; it's because the bar is held very high due to rappers like this. So, why accept inferior products being rolled off the assembly line of record labels looking to sedate people whose musical tastes reflect their low vibrational state? 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/aesop-rock-black-hole-superette.html

 

9-yeule- "Evangelic Girl is a Gun" 

This weird little singer from Singapore is a new find for me, though this is her fourth album. Asian post-pop is just not a sub-genre I have delved far enough into. It opens with an almost trip-hop sound that features some subtle guitar elements as it progresses. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/06/yeule-evangelic-girl-is-gun.html

8-Skunk Anansie-"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, and things have mellowed into a shimmering pop pulse, with electronic elements becoming hard to decipher from where guitars are plugged into amps, and the end result is a song so good it does not matter much to me how they got here.

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

 

7-Sleep Token - "Even in Arcadia" 

This has some slapping beats and hooks that would make Sam Smith jealous. This is the kind of music Justin Timberlake wishes he were making. Justin Bieber, rinse off the baby oil and get these guys to write your next album. At times I am not convince it is not Joji under the mask singing. Great moody pop music. 
 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/sleep-token.html

6-Bon Iver-"SABLE fABLE " 

This double album is really his EP "SABLE' last year, which was only three songs, and then the nine new songs, which are the kind of lush experimental pop songs that made his 4th album such a stellar creative success. His falsetto vocal work there magic, as there is also plenty of evidence that shows his time spent collaborating with Taylor Swift has influenced him. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/bon-iver-sable-fable.html

 

 

5-HAIM- "I quit" 

This album works best when the sisters are focused on their brand of cleverness to engage both the lyrics and the music. There is a more 90s pop rock at times that reminds me of Sheryl Crow, with some Zeppelin punches thrown in here and there. The indie rock jangle that runs through this album seeks to get their footing back into their indie roots, more than trying to follow Taylor Swift's footsteps.

 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/06/haim-i-quit.html

 

      

4-Turnstile - "Never Enough"

  

One of the year's most anticipated albums. Even Charli XCX was declaring it would be Turnstile summer at Coachella. They have a hooky chorus and often energetic takes on pop punk, which are not as explosive as their old, more hardcore direction. But the kids at Coachella don't know the difference. They ended up making a pop record that is fun, and their is nothing wrong with that.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/06/turnstile-never-enough.html

 

3-Pixel Grip -"Perceptide the Death of Reality" 

 This interesting electronic band circle my radar for a minute, their brand of  dark atmospheric pop simmers in introspection. The alluring vocals of Rita Lukea give everything a sex dripping sheen, as they jump into dark 90s techno for the second song. She grinds her hips into the dance floor. 
 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/pixel-grip-perceptide-death-of-reality.html

2-Wu-Tang Clan - "Black Samson the Bastard Swordsman" 

Legendary New York rap collective dropped this album for a more limited vinyl release for Record Store Day, and now it's receiving a wider release. This is the first full-length release since the 2017 compilation "The Saga Continues," which was released as simply Wu-Tang due to the absence of U-God. It's also the first album since 2015's "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin" to feature all 9 living members of the group. This album is a collaboration with producer Mathematics, who effectively captures the feel of the group's classic work. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/06/wu-tang-clan-black-samson-bastard.html

1-Miley Cyrus - "Something Beautiful" 

Miley's 9th album is pretty ambitious. It's framed with preludes and interludes to create a more immersive experience than your average pop. Its ambition is what makes it take the top spot, as she has the production value and execution to back it up. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/miley-cyrus-something-beautiful.html

Thanks for reading, please "like" and share on social media to give music a voice 

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

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SKUNK ANANSIE : "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. I think 'This is Not Your Life" proves this point better than the opening track. Then by the time we get to 'Shame," things have mellowed into a shimmering pop pulse, with electronic elements becoming hard to decipher from where guitars are plugged into amps, and the end result is a song so good it does not matter much to me how they got here. However, if you need this band to still be the precursor to nu-metal, things have changed.  

"Lost and Found' could have been plucked from a musical. Her voice waltzes over a piano line that moves more with a simple pop beat beneath it. They gain more momentum when the guitars tease a chorus. I listened to "Cheers" three times before the more simplistic rock approach clicked with me so that I paid more attention to it. The pace gets more energetic, but nothing is really hard rocking here. 'Shoulda Been You' has a dub-tinged feel to its reggae-inspired time signature on the verses before it brings a more proto-punk feel to the chorus. There is a pop feel to the dramatic 'Animal," which could just as easily be a Lady Gaga song, but it feels pretty effective here. 

There is a 90s feel to the guitar riff that gets "Fell in Love". Skin's vocals floating around it, as the chorus finds things getting weird in an almost David Bowie-like manner. The electro pop of "My Greatest Moment" creates an interesting atmosphere that is not going to be found on the radio in America since it's not garbage.  "Meltdown" is an odd choice to close the album with, as it's more of a ballad. I'll give this album a 9.5, as Skin has gathered the guys and made an impressive pop album which is not what I would expect from this band, but is still reasonably true to who they are. 

pst187

The Top 200 Greatest Rock Singers - 30 to 21

Now we are in the top 30 and  harder choices are having to be made. I am having to be more honest with myself; in what we are doing here which is focusing not only on technical vocal ability, in terms of range and power, as well as their dynamics, phrasing and the overall character of their voice. Can they emote from different places? How well does their voice hold up live? . How they control a crowd or their entertainment value as performers is also not a factor; there are some great front men who are also sub-par singers. There are also not going to be any Bob Dylan like singers, who are better songwriters than vocalists.

Pop singers, are far and few between, with; a few country or jazz singers who crossover just enough to qualify for this list, while having a significant influence on rock music. Don't expect rappers on this list or metal vocalists who just scream or growl, but never actually sing. I am keen on singers who are derivative of other singers. The bulk of these do their own thing, the few paying tribute to other artists made enough of an impact with their music. Having a unique vocal quality is going to be one of the most important factors often trumping technical ability. If they sound too much like Steve Perry from Journey after listening to their vocal coach rather than developing their own style, it is also not going to fly. Some of these might have been ignored by mainstream music media, but by the time we get to the top 10, I am sure it will all make sense, so here are the Top 200 greatest rock singers.

30-Chino Moreno

From hushed cooing to full on hard core like screaming, his voice has grown over the years which kept his band from being lost in the mire of nu metal an evolving into their own thing.

 

 29-Maynard James Keenan

The Tool singer who has branched out into projects like A Perfect Circle and Puscifer, has come a long way since he was raging with more of a metal band on the Opiate ep, though even then we heard his potential. He might not try as hard these days, but laid the ground  work well.

             

 28- Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

 Not only the greatest of his kind but he brought his traditions into a modern setting by working with western producers. His voice is a spiritual experience.  

            

27-Skin 

 The front woman for Skunk Anansie knows no bounds when it comes to what she does with her voice. It is a shame they never broke bigger in the States as their are singers who have tired to do what she does and got more credit for not even covering half the ground she does vocally. 

               

26 Cedric Bixler

How often would a band like Mars Volta find themselves putting out songs that are even better than what they were doing 20 years ago. Cedric is the reason for this. Not as aggressive as he was during At the Drive In, he has taken his androgynous voice to new highs.  

           

 25--George Michael

 After he shattered the world with the Faith album , he followed it up with an album that solidified him as the best make POP singer of his era. He should have been the one to replace Freddie. 

        

  24- Chris Isaak 

His smooth style of melancholy rock a billy crooning with a mellow western feel , would not hit like it does without his mastery of his falsetto yodels. His low end notes are gutsy and he has tons of power, making him even better live than in the studio.

 

23-Chris Cornell 

 The Soundgarden singer continued to make an impression on people with his solo career before he died. He had a Robert Plant like wail to his voice that made him stand out among his peers who were just baritones.

   

22-King  Diamond 

You might be surprised the King is not in the top 10 , he would if this was just metal singers. He does have the best metal yodel, but metal yodels alone does not the best make, that is even including his death metal demon snarls and doomsayer moans .King Diamond is great at the songs he wrote , but can you imagine him covering some one else in his style? 

  

21-Peter Steele 

How did Peter Steele beat out King Diamond. It was a tough, but, given his band's penchant for covering a song and making it better and his resonate baritone that finds him being able to gracefully navigate a wider range of melodic territory , unless we were ranking by voices most likely to summon Satan then King wins hands down.

 

Skunk Anansie : "Anarchytecture"

If you aren't familiar with this band, you are more than likely American or born after 1990. In the States, the brushes with mainstream came from Skin lending her voice to a Deftones song and Kevin Bacon singing along to them in the car in the movie "Hollow Man".The opener is smooth electro rock with a cool vocal hook that made me forget the harder rock elements of "Post Orgasmic Chill" are still intact, and this is perhaps more along the lines of the Gathering's current state of the union. Electronica has always been an influence; they have just made more of a transition. The guitar that is present is hardly overdriven until the second verse of "Victim". It all is riding on Skin's voice, which is a good place to hedge your bets from. She isn't flexing her pipes in the quite as dramatic a manner as she once did , but she still has the goods.

The pop rock of "Beauty is Your Curse" might be better than most of the new rock music that surfaces on the radio. "Death to the Lovers" is an effective pop ballad that is sugar free and well done. The next song that really grabs me like their earlier work is "In the Back Room" that plays of a disco like tension similar to "Edge of Seventeen". The thick bass line to "Bullets" gives the song a more Nine Inch Nails like thump. There is a more punk strut to "That Sinking Feeling" that finds her voice going up from her more sultry mid range into her upper register. The riff reminds me of something Hole might have done, Skin's voice give it much more bite than the likes of Courtney Love could every muster.

Things drop back down into a more introspective and minimalist electro with her capable voice bared until the chorus, when it builds up into something more akin to A Perfect Circle. The bass joins her on the second verse, and they add sonic layers from there. The beat gets harder for the more 90s alternative styled interlude "Suckers!" that finds them with a more fuzzed out stoner rock guitar tone. They stay in this harder rock mode for "We Are the Flames," which seethes with a slow build. The way into goes into the chorus seems like they have been taking notes from Muse. They close the album with the more ballad-like "I'll Let You Down". While her voice sounds great here, I'm waiting for the song as a whole to congeal into something tangible. I'll give this one a 9.5 and see how songs like this last one grow on me, no question this is more of a return to form for them, even if they have mellowed with age.