The Top 10 Punk Albums of 2025

Punk has been in an interesting place. There is no shortage of people claiming to play it, and its sound evolved to a more rock vibe this year, but finding real punk driven by the desire to not conform was a harder aspiration, given the masses' willingness to conform.   These albums captured the true spirit of punk by doing their own thing. It was a competitive year for the genre, and tough choices had to be made.   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 Punk albums of 2025.

10- Militarie Gun-"God Save the Gun." 

When this album kicks in, they are more punk than I remember from the last time I checked them out. It sounds big and dumb, but is fun like some male cheerleaders gone wrong. The multi-tracked vocals are often uniform, making it clear that this is how West Coast punk is changing.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/12/militarie-gun-god-save-gun.html

9-Intercourse- "How I Fell In Love With the Void." 

These guys are on the heavier side of noise rock, but are also smart enough not to just rely on brute force by delving into introspection. The lyrics are hilarious. They are smart and angry.  The vocals howl with less malice the deeper into the album you go to help create tension on the verses. They are raging against the ragers here, and it is lots of fun. Almost like a stand-up set to music. Nobody can accuse them of taking themselves too seriously.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/08/intercourse-how-i-fell-in-love-with-void.html

8-PUP- "Who Will Look After the Dogs?" 

The band's 5th album finds them instantly kicking into the noisy brand of pop punk that owes more to Weezer and the Get-Up Kids than Blink-182. Their dense, rough-hewn guitar tone would have still been radio-ready in the '90s. The lyrics are just as clever as ever. They began experimenting with the layers of sound and were not attached to one mix for the entire album, as they let the bass slide up closer to the front and center , as the  Guitars jangle and shimmer in equal measure.. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/pup-who-will-look-after-dogs.html

7-Staticlone- "Better Living Through Static." 

 A ripping crust punk barrage. The vocals are a gruff Lemmy-like rasp that finds the rest of the band racing behind the vocal, but with a sense of songwriting smarts, as there are guitar melody lines that provide a hook, over the rumble of the bass. In many ways, this is like the crust version of Motorhead, due to not only George's vocal style but the rumble of the fuzzed-out bass-blowing speaker, as it provides the backbone. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/03/staticlone-better-living-through-static.html

 6-DAACHT-"Crying Houses." 

This German punk band is way more melodic than I expected going into this album, though this is balanced by a pretty dense wall of guitar banging at your ears in juxtaposition to the croon of the vocals, which almost brings to mind what you might expect from the late 70s. ,

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/07/daacht-crying-houses.html

5-Slug Boys - "Listen to Slug Boys"  

Norwegian punkers Slug Boys offer a rowdy rock n roll baked blend of punk rock, that is not unlike some other boys on Viagra. The boisterous beer-swilling attitude and garage rock sensibilities are a little heavier with a bigger, less tongue-in-cheek worldview. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/11/slug-boys-listen-to-slug-boys.html

4-Modern Life is War- "Life on the Moon" 

The band's first full-length in over a decade finds them deviating from what you might expect from punk in 2025. Though it might make sense if you were asking about the mid-70s. There is still plenty of aggression in the vocals, and the guitar carry.a frantic jangle rather than a hardcore chug.  It's organic chaos even in the more layered sounds that unfold, reminding me of the Stooges' "Funhouse" album. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/08/modern-life-is-war-life-on-moon.html

3-Home Front- "Watch it Die." 

These charming Canadian punkers are back. They play a melodic yet tense style of punk that flirts with post-punk, but even with the synths that crop up time to time, there is more of aggression driving the songs that keeps them with their dominant foot being planted in punk. Sometimes, the subtle ambiance created by the more experimental elements like synths does cast a shadow on the mood and darkens it a bit. If there are any doubter as to the merit of their punk status, just listen to sneet in the guitars and vocals.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/12/home-front-watch-it-die.html

2-Spiritual Cramp -"Rude." 

 Lyrically catchy, with enough of a punk attitude to keep it legit, they are as playful as Vigara Boys, but more melodic with a more new wave-like sheen to the melodies, and throw in a duet with Sharon Von Etten. Despite the album's best efforts to keep me from pinning it down to a specific genre, it leans closest to the punk roots. This does not mean they do not frequently jangle their way into a more 90s feel, more often than not split the difference on given the fact that the croon of his vocals this time around flirts with the more arena rocking sounds of "indie" like the Killers. But this still proves effective. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/spiritual-cramp-rude.html

1-Viagra Boys - "viagr aboys" 

The Swedish punk band wastes no time making this work them up into more of a frenzy despite the more melodic elements in the chaos that touch on a similar avant-garde pop style as Xiu Xiu.  They keep their hooky sarcasm cracking off lyrical observations in sharp humor that fuels the disco beats and punk sneer alike.   The topics that are subject to their lyrical scorn veer from the news to health care, with some country twang, and recalling some of the alt-rock classics of the '90s. Above all, it's all a non-conforming attitude that keeps this old school punk rock with the emphasis on rock. 

tps://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/viagra-boys-viagr-aboys.html

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October's Top 10 Albums

It's time for October's top 10 albums. Staying abreast of the month's highlights may help casual readers catch up on what they missed and explore these artists. I am not writing brief summaries of them; I am simply linking to the reviews. Inclusion here does not mean that these albums have been released this month, but it is a list of new or upcoming albums I have enjoyed the most. I have albums in my inbox that are not coming out til 2026, so I am normally way ahead of the curve in this regard. They are ranked in order of what I have listened to the most. This month it ranges from big pop bangers to various shades of electronic goth darkness. Obviously, with Halloween upon us this only makes more sense after al,l I dedicate the entire month to covering goth, but perhaps you will find your new favorite among them. Here are the Top 10 albums of  October. 

10-Testament - " Para Bellum" 

Thrash 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/testament-para-bellum.html

9-male// gaze - "Too Late Now" 

Shoe-gaze 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/malegaze-too-late-now.html

8-Biohazard- "Divided We Fall" 

Hard-core 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/biohazard-divided-we-fall.html

7-the Tear Garden - "Astral Elevator" 

Industrial 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/gothtober-tear-garden-astral-elevator.html

 6-Perturbator-"Age Of Aquarius" 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/gothtober-perturbator-age-of-aquarius.html

5-Black Cross Hotel - "Songs For Switches" 

Industrial Rock

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/gothtober-black-cross-hotel-songs-for.html

4-Spiritual Cramp-"Rude"

post-punk 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/spiritual-cramp-rude.html

3-Cold In Berlin -"Wounds" 

Doom

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/gothtober-cold-in-berlin-wounds.html

2-Patriarchy - "Manual For Dying" 

Electronic

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/gothtober-patriarchy-manual-for-dying.html

1-Taylor Swift - "The Life of a Showgirl" 

Pop

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/taylor-swift-life-of-showgirl.html

pst528

Gothtober- the Top 10 Post-Punk Albums of 2025

 

 It's that time of year again. It may seem early to begin sorting through the year's best post-punk albums, but record labels have already sent me most of what this year has to offer. After sorting through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of the year. In 2025, it was marginally better than the previous year, though given the current climate of the world, we are progressing on a downward spiral, making dark music more important as a soundtrack for this.   As far as 2025goes for post-punk, there were strong albums, especially those in the top 5, though the influx of new material from the genre is beginning to slow.  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. You might find your next favorite album on this list, and I have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these albums. Anyway, here are the top 10 post-punk albums of 2025.

10-FACS-"Wish Defense" 

The post-punkers from Chicago are leaning into the darker times of today, which thankfully bring with them more shadow and tension this time around.. The guitar rings out with a trembling melody, setting the stage for the brooding monotone of the vocals. Less punk and more thoughtful than Joy Division.  In the collision of noise and atmosphere, you can hear how this was one of the albums Steve Albini worked on.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/gothtober-facs-wish-defense.html

-

9-Lathe of Heaven- "Aurora" 

This Brooklyn-based second album is rather unique in the sounds it combines, as it balances an airy, ringing, atmospheric guitar tone with driving post-punk drumming, and an emotive new wave croon flows over it. They are not one-trick ponies, as they sometimes find a Smiths-like flow to it. The touch on what Vision Video once did in their more inspired earlier work, and give it a more poetic grace. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/gothtober-lathe-of-heaven-aurora.html

 

8-Isolated Youth - "Miserere Mei" 

Stumbled across this band from Sweden, who offer an interesting take on the darker side of 90s alternative rock. There is some post-punk influence, but bands like Ours and Placebo seem just as crucial to these guys' DNA. The vocals go down a more sullen self-loathing, but still in the warbling tenor that introduced their sound from the start. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/07/isolated-youth-miserere-mei.html

 

7-Nyx Division -"Midnight Lights" 

I really liked their 2022 album "Dark Star," is made the year's Top 10 Post-punk albums, and this one is heading in the right direction as they grow as a band, allowing room for the atmosphere to set the mood. This album stands shoulder to shoulder with their last in terms of songwriting quality, though this one has more fiery energy to it.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/09/nyx-division-midnight-lights.html

 

 6-Bambara-"Birthmarks" 

 In the past five years, Bambara have improved a great deal since I last listened to them. They have leaned into their darker side, and their singer is more comfortable in his own skin. If this were the '90s, this album would be a huge hit. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/gothtober-bambara-birthmarks.html

5-Spiritual Cramp-"Rude"

This album is lyrically catchy, with enough of a punk attitude to keep it legit, though it is hooky as hell. They are as playful as Vigara Boys, but with a more new wave-like sheen to the melodies. It might not be as explosive as their last album, but the songwriting has matured. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/spiritual-cramp-rude.html

4-Imaginary People- 'Alibi" 

Here's another band to file under the...there is some really weird post-punk adjacent music coming out lately. The delicate, anxious nature of Dylan Von Wagner's vocals. The songwriting does not hold the typical tension of post-punk, blending elements of indie rock into the more expansive sound created here. it's a pretty interesting and impactful listen, very honest in its aspirations and fueled by an original sonic vision. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/07/imaginary-people-alibi.html

 

3-Crippling Alcoholism-"Camgirl" 

 I became obsessed with this band's album 'With Love From a Padded Room" to the point that it not only was the number one post-punk album of 2024, but also took fourth place in the overall best of list, behind my favorite artists the Cure, Glassing, and Taylor Swift, putting them in the top tier of songwriters. This means expectations are high. Rather than conform to expectations on their new album, the band has taken a left turn. It still sounds like them, but rather than the smoky blues noir that set the tone of the last album, there are more synths at the forefront. This is not blindsiding you as they did similar on songs like "Lipstick With No Lips" on the last album; it just takes things a step further in that direction.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/08/crippling-alcoholism-camgirl.html

   

2-the Discussion-"All the Pretty Flowers" 

This band is  Laura from Kylesa making a post-punk album. It is very moody with a hazy atmosphere over the tense bass lines that prowl the shadowy landscapes she has created here. It's great songwriting and covers a wide breadth of the shadows.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/07/the-discussion-all-pretty-flowers.html

1-Scorpion Milk- "Slime of the Times

 Mat Mcnerney from Beastmilk is taking things in a more apocalyptic direction with this album. Joining him is the drummer from the Viagra Boys and Nate Newton from Converge on bass. The elements that differed from what I expected, due to the rough punk edges, grew on me, and it became an album I could just keep playing all afternoon. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/08/scorpion-milk-slime-of-times.html

pst525

Spiritual Cramp : "Rude"

The second album from Spiritual Cramp finds them doing the most punk thing possibly and making fun of anarchy on the opening track which is more of an intro piece, before they get serious with "Go Back Home" which carries more of a Ramones like feel. Different than what they did last time, and it has to be an obvious tribute to the Ramones, given the backing vocals on this. This leaves "At My Funeral" as the first banger that shows you who this band really is. Lyrically catchy, with enough of a punk attitude to keep it legit, though it is hooky as hell. 

They are as playful as Vigara Boys, but more melodic with a more new wave-like sheen to the melody of "Automatic". "You've Got My Number" is a duet with Sharon Von Etten. It works off a more post-punk mood. Her vocals work well as a counterpoint." I Hate the Way"  is more punk, despite the album's best efforts for me to pin it down to a genre, which is why it seems to lean. "Violence in the Supermarket" has more of a dub feel.  The groove works well. They jangle their way into a more '90s feel with "True Love". They split the difference on "Crazy," and his croon takes them closer to the more arena-rocking sounds of "indie" like the Killers. But this still proves effective. 

"Young Offenders" has a more upbeat skip in its step. "New Religion" feels more original. It's a little more sullen. The last song, "People Don't Change," is introspective lyrically. It jangles on a similar path to what we have heard from this on this album. Overall, it's more polished from a songwriting perspective and perhaps less explosive than their last album, but it's a fun listen that hooks you in, rivalling the Viagra Boys. I will give this a 9.5 and see how it sits with me. 

pst522

Fentanyl : "s/t"

 Imagine the jangle of punk executed by a grindcore band. This is the sonic attack of this band that features members of Spiritual Cramp, SPY, and World Peace. I imagine what happened here is they wanted to be able to cut loose like back when they were teenagers and freed from the expectation that comes when they have to play the actual songs of their other bands. The results are a mixed bag, as there is not a lot of songwriting that happens in under a minute. The second song "Blind" is better than the burst of an opening song. Though in hindsight the first song is better than the spastic "Ever Ending" which crosses the minute mark by five seconds giving them more time to tighten things. 

At over a minute and a half, there is plenty of time to develop "Further". The driving bass line makes up for a great deal and gives the song the backbone it needs. The bright clean guitar tones are not that heavy it makes things sound like sloppy chaos, but then again I listen to more music with pristine guitar tones.  "Avoidant" makes me think, that even though these guys are in bigger bands they must not be the principal songwriters for said bands."Hyper Focus" finds it starts to wear a little thin on me as the novelty of what they are trying to do, fails to accomplish the end goal of writing good songs no matter what kind of punk or hard-core you are trying to create. 

"Stress Starve' finds it becoming more of a rowdy clamor. I can hear where the raw bones of a song could be if this had been given the time to iron out. Detached" has a little more effort put into the songwriting. By the time I get to "Real Me" everything is beginning to sound the same. The vocals are delivered in an inarticulated brash scream, that is just as raw as the music being made. At almost two minutes "Spiral" is the most time they allot themselves to creating an actual song. They do much better as they ride a deliberate bass line and there is an ebb and flow of dynamics. They can write songs they are just choosing not to. 

"It Gazes Back" is another minute of chaos rushed, though the bass remains present to guide the way off this cliff. "Silver Hour" finds a uniform feeling spreading across the scope of their riffs. It speeds up into more of the crashing chords. I will give this album a 6.5, it has its moments, before you say I just don't get the joke, my expectations for the music of any genre are the same, write songs worth listening to again, and that will stand the test of time. This is just indulging a youthful feeling to expulse this energy. But maybe that is what you want from punk.Dropping September 13th on Convulse Records.

pst391

the Top 10 Punk Albums of 2023

Punk has been in an interesting place. There is no shortage of people claiming to play it, but to find real punk driven by the desire to not conform is a harder aspiration, given the masses' willingness to conform.   These albums captured the true spirt of punk, by doing their own thing.   After I sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of the year. 2023. 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. Perhaps you can find your next favorite on this list; and 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 Punk albums of 2023.

10- Truth Cult - 'Walk the Wheel"

This Baltimore-based band reaches back to a time when punk had something to say. The Minor Threat / Fugazi influence is more than apparent.  There is also a kind of rock n roll recklessness that drives things. If you like the more underground side of  90s-tinged punk rock this album is for you.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/01/truth-cult-walk-wheel.html

 

9-Scowl -  Psychic Dance Routine " 

This Baltimore band is pretty impressive. They go from a metallic rasped take on hardcore, to a sultry grunge of 90s alt-rock. The palm-muted tensions give the vocals of Kat Moss room to breathe. They should have the queen's share of the spotlight since her voice that elevates what the band is doing over the hundreds of bands playing 90s-influenced punk rock these days. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/09/scowl-psychic-dance-routine.html

 

8-Institute - "Ragdoll Dance" 

Not sure what these guys are trying to do, but it sounds like they intend to take things back to the crossroads where punk, met rock n roll. While this is not as dark as what I have heard from them on previous albums, the guitar playing wanders around the neck in a more mathy fashion rather than just banging out the chords like most punk bands do. You can't fault this band for their commitment to growth. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/10/institute-ragdoll-dance.html

7-dust- "et cetera, etc"

This band from Australia released this one back in March and it kicks out the jams with jangly punk energy that still focuses on songwriting. There are enough tense and melodic moments 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/09/dust-et-cetera-etc.html

 

6-Home front-"Games of Power" 

This Canadian band puts the emphasis on punk while keeping things bleakly tense. More electronic elements creep into their racing pace while the vocals form a chanted hook. What is becoming clear about this impressive debut album is rather than picking one band to pay homage to, these guys are clearly inspired by the 80s. however, they pulled from a mix tape of the decade's more thoughtful punk moments.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/09/home-front-games-of-power.html

 5-James and the Cold Gun-"S/t" 

 This band could almost keep things going off the raw power of their energy alone.  When they lean into the moody nuance things have a wider range of sonic color to draw from. The album is really well produced, there is a huge drum sound, while the guitars are a little garage rock at times, as they clang out as if just plugged in at the rehearsal studio. They care about songwriting and have written some damn catchy ones that straight-up rock the fuck out.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/08/james-and-cold-gun-st.html

  4-1476 -"In Exile" 

The guys might get blasty at the peak of their dynamic outbursts, but retain a rambling Cult of Youth rowdiness. There are a great deal of sonic textures and vocal colors to this. At times it draws from metal at the more powerful end of their aggressive outbursts, as they blend an array of genres, though at their core it feels like these guys are punk band. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/10/gothtober-1476-in-exile.html

3-Final Gasp- "Mourning Moon" 

This Boston band, falls back into the late 80s when bands like TSOL and Die Kruzen took a darker turn in a more shadow-drenched direction. They are more aggressive than most bands going in this direction and take me iack to a place in music that I hold close to my black heart. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/09/final-gasp-mourning-moon.html

2-Spiritual Cramp- ''s/t" 

 The San Francisco band is a highly energetic punk band that leans more toward the Mod side of things. This is not a raw-sounding punk album, but one where they clearly spent some time in the studio to get things dialed in. The songs are assembled in a catchy enough fashion. They tend to make fun of society as punk should. They breathe new life into old sounds.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/10/spiritual-cramp-st.html

1-Rid of Me -"Access to the Lonely" 

Having added a second guitarist for this album and you can hear how it adds in the denser sonic layers. The new sound of this album " is heavier and punches with a more sludge-ridden sound. Dissonant guitar passages cut through, along with more guitars on this album, to add a more firey rock n roll attack. She really proves herself as a singer on this album, still maintaining punk integrity. There a many dynamic vocal colors being introduced. They show you punk can be so much more than what we take for at face value. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/11/rid-of-me-access-to-lonely.html

Spiritual Cramp : "S/t"

 As a Christian Death fan I was hung up on the fact these guys are not a death rock, so I never gave them much of a chance. The San Francisco band is a highly energetic punk band that leans more toward the Mod side of things. This is not a raw-sounding punk album, but one where they clearly spent some time in the studio to get things dialed in. The songs are assembled in a catchy enough fashion. They tend to make fun of society, which I can appreciate. They might have come out of the hard-core scene, but they are no longer a hard-core band, when they are writing songs like "Talkin on the Internet" does it really matter? It is just good music. 

"Herbert's On Holiday" is more laid back, in it's new wave-tinged shuffle. The vocals are more crooned than the previous song. There is a ska influenced bounce to "City on Fire". It is moments like these where you have to consider the Clash punk, in order to consider what these guys are doing as punk. I think the attitude the chorus exudes crosses the line into punk. "Better Off This Way" is clearly punk with it's more commanding strut.  "Clashing at the Party" is upbeat in a way that finds the groove having more a new wave feel. 

"Catch a Hot 1" is a smooth dancey reggae-influenced punk grooving machine. The staccato guitar riff works well, and there are some great guitar tones dialed in on this hot one.  "Can I Barrow Your Lighter" works as a song but I feel they have already raised the bar higher for themselves with the first eight songs so it feels more like filler. "Addict" finds the band locked in a more garage rock ramble that is convincing, especially when it comes to the croon of the vocals. I will give this one a 9.5 , it was very enjoyable, these guys are giving a new spin to old sounds, which equates to one of the best punk albums this year.