the Top 10 Mainstream Metal Albums of 2025

Mainstream Metal is defined here as the middle of the road that does not lean too far in the direction of other genres sludge or black metal, which have their own lists. This year, I gave Thrash its own list, which has thinned the pack down to the more arena-packing strains of nu-metal and metal-core.   These are not the coolest albums, but the best, fuck what other blogs say. 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 Mainstream Metal albums of 2025.

10-Slaughter to Prevail- "Grizzly."

This is the third album from the Russian band, who ironically fled to Orlando, due to the war, in which they seem to not support slaughtering to prevail. They find themselves sonically somewhere between metalcore and nu-metal with the sample-heavy production on this album. When they kick into a more nu-metal direction, they tap into a catchy Slipknot bounce

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/07/slaughter-to-prevail-grizzly.html

          

9-Dead Rabbits -"Redefined" 

This is a side project of Escape the Fate vocalist Craig Mabbitt. It leans into the twisted side of metal-core-influenced pop that bands like Pierce the Veil and Bad Omens dominate. You can throw Falling in Reverse in the pile of artists who share a similar style as the big-sounding glitch-driven pop rock, that is more aggressive in attitude than what the guitars are doing. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/dead-rabbits-redefined.html

 

8-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. The drummer is really slapping his kit as needed, and the electronic elements ebb and flow into their sound pretty seamlessly. 

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

7-Living Dead Girl-"Con$piracy" 

 Molly and company continue to perfect their ability to blend metalcore-edged riffs against bright pop-punk choruses to make almost every song on the album. Her screamed vocals dominate the verses as her more sugary pop voice comes to take the sting away on the chorus. Their down-tuned guitars contrast with the synth ambiance. Not one to repeat hooks, Molly creates a distinct difference in the choruses as they display more songwriting chops as a whole. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/09/living-dead-girl-conpiracy.html

 

6-Novelists- "CODA" 

The addition of vocalist Camille Contreras has elevated the band's profile, placing them in a higher tier of metalcore alongside artists like Spiritbox and Jinjer. Things get quirkier and help distance themselves from Spiritbox with a more frantic electronic chaos unfolding. It borders nu-metal and djent. Using the metal-core formula to build into screaming.  Predictable, but with shiny new pieces making the sounds for the puzzle. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/09/novelists-coda.html

 

5-ten56- "IO"

The sophomore full-length from ten56 finds them picking up where they left off.  They are still at the intersection where metal-core sprang from nu-metal in the days of Myspace. What I like about these guys is the dark undertones to their sound that hit no matter if they are bringing a more hammering stomp or going into the more Ghostemane-like rap dirges. There are interesting sounds wrapped around both modes of sonic attack. At times, sung vocals pop in, though they are bookended by experimental touches, and all of it is angry and in your face. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/07/ten56-io.html

4-Scars on Broadway- "Addicted to Violence." 

There is an almost punk feel at times, but it's punk in the same way that System of a Down was influenced by punk, which was most notably the influence of the Dead Kennedys. The grooves work well and lever lyrics that help seal the deal. It feels like he makes more social commentary than political statements like Serj. Most of these songs  would not be out of place on a System of a Down album, showing how much of the weight he was pulling when it came to songwriting in the band. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/07/daron-malakian-and-scars-on-broadway.html

3-Dying Wish- "Flesh Stays Together." 

This is the third album from Portland's metalcore mavericks, Dying Wish, is more melodic than expected. The buzz that this was a darker album caught my ear, and I like what they are doing. They are more on the hard-core side of the metal-core equation, even with the way Emma Boster employs sung vocals. It is done in a less formulaic manner than what Killswitch Engage is known for. There is also more emphasis on dishing out beatdowns during the breakdowns. It albumst made the hard-core lsit instread but the anthemic feel finds it here. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/09/dying-wish-flesh-stays-together.html

 

2-Soulfly-"Chama" 

There is a darker apocalyptic drive to this album, which I am also here for., along with a more industrial pound that is a mix of 'Roots' era Sepultura, though maybe less Korn in the grooves and more Code Orange. Defiant in-your-face bangers that include some melody and atmosphere that catches me by surprise, as  Gabriel Franco from Unto Others lends his voice in places, along with  Todd Jones from Nail, but at the end of the day, it is Ma who proves he was always hte most crucial songwriter in Sepultura. l

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/soulfly-chama.html

1--Spiritbox- "Tsunami Sea." 

It's the band's pop lean that helps separate them from their peers, as Courtney is better at vocal hooks than the singer for Jinger or Infected Rain, who work in similar sonic circles. She has continued to grow as a singer to further distance herself from her peers. Even with the pop hooks in play, the dynamics pack a heavy enough punch to have the metallic impact to take the top spot here. Their drummer has really stepped up on this album as he fills the spaces with interesting playing that they build off of. At the end of the day, it's the top-tier songwriting that wins out and places them at the top of not just a metal album but the overall musical landscape. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/03/spiritbox-tsunami-sea.html

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pst615

Daron Malakian and Scars On Broadway : "Addicted to Violence"

There is an almost punk feel to the lead single that opens the album. But it's punk in the same way that System of a Down was influenced by punk, which was most notably the influence of the Dead Kennedys. The groove of  "Satan Hussein" works better for me and has clever lyrics that help seal the deal. It feels like he makes more social commentary than political statements like Serj. "Done Me Wrong" finds a gallop that would not be out of place on a System of a Down album, showing how much of the weight he was pulling when it came to songwriting in the band. 

"Shame Game" is darker and more melodic, which is a sonic shade I prefer to hear from him. His voice continues to sound strong on this album. "Destroy the Power" sounds like it could be a solo Ozzy song, until the manic vocals come in. "Your Lives Burn" is crazier with its weird punk energy, though he throws his voice around in the quirkiest manner yet. I prefer what he does with the vocals to "Imposter" that works of a more refined harmony. The melodies are hookier, and it is one of the album's better songs. 

"You Destroy You" feels like an Italian ballad with this strummed sway. "Watch That Girl" is darker before it gains momentum. It feels more like New Model Army when it approaches the chorus. Perhaps it needs to grow on me. There is also a slight touch of the Misfits in there as well. The title track that closes the album is not what I was expecting, but I like it. His voice sounds great in his lower mid register there. I will give this album a 9.5 and see how it grows on me. If you like System of a Down, this is the next best thing. While it's hard for them to touch the first Scars on Broadway album, there are strong songs here that are worth a listen. 

Thanks for reading, check out the video below and  please "like" and share on social media to give music a voice 

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-Seven Hours After Violet : "s/t"

If you are going to start up a nu-metal, then it pays to be the bass player from System of Down. He is not going to let you forget where he came from. Some of this lies on the shoulders of Taylor Barber from Left to Suffer. I have reviewed two Left to Suffer albums and still did not know he could sing like this. You can tell they are influenced by nu-metal, and he was a wise choice as the heavier moments bridge a gap between the metal-core of today and the 90s nu-metal. The opening track has a more Slipknot feel, though electronic ambiance haunts it. "Alive" sounds like "Jet Pilot" from "Toxicity". The chorus hook works really well. 

"Sunrise" finds a balance of pop hooks, and down-tuned guitars slamming into you. The vocals are almost delicate enough to appeal to the sensitive souls who are fans of pop acts like Sleep Token,. but the song is more firmly rooted in metal. There is a more fun-loving 90s feel to  "Go!". It's a little too upbeat for my personal tastes, as I prefer music to be angrier or more depressed. But it's well done for what it is. "Float" does not try to be a nu-metal ballad in the vein of "Ariels" but does a more metal-core version of its own thing. Poppier than Killswitch Engage, but not passing out like Sleep Token either. The chorus is strong for this sort of thing.  "Glink" splits the difference and leans more in the direction of commercial metal core, but works well. 

They even get pretty brutal for "Cry" while balancing it out with a nice vocal hook. This perfect balance found in the songwriting is what elevates them above the bulk of the bands on either side of the equation in this regard. "Abandon" is not filler, but it feels like it focuses on the lowest common denominator. "Radiance" finds the sung vocals leading into the song. It builds into an arena-ready chorus that is ready to soar to the radio or wherever mainstream rock is played these days. It feels like they are nailing what Sleep Token was trying to do, but still bringing some balls to things.  "Gloom" continues along a similar path, but is marginally darker.

"Feel" works within the formula they have established with enough nuance to keep it interesting. This album impressed me more than expected, and a great deal of the praise should go to Taylor Barber, who let's face it was going up again Serj when it comes to the expectations of System of a Down fans, they rose the occasion and I will give this album a 9.5 

10.7

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The Top 40 Nu-Metal Albums - 10 -1

 

We have reached the top 10 of  our  Top 40 Nu-Metal albums,  harder choices were made as the sense of nostalgia carried for certain albums from this era was shed. These are the forty albums from the genre that have best stood the test of time. We have not leaned too  heavily on  any one band, These are not the album with singles that got the most plays from Carson Daily or sold the most units back in the day when bands sold albums, but the ones with the best songs. Popularity means nothing, as sheep will just follow the leader. I am also not just limiting it to the mid to late 90s. There are plenty of nu-metal albums released recently that got right what bands before them did not catch onto, as well as a few that preceded the label of nu-metal. 

 Don’t be quick to break out the cardboard just yet, as album that relied solely on rapping are in the minority, as they all ended up sounding like what the Beastie Boys did on “Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun”, and if your entire career can not exceed the dynamic range of a single Beastie Boys album, then chances are you are not the best of any genre. I also am standing fast by the metal part, this meant excluding a few great albums by bands who were more post-hardcore or even just intense rock albums that were not metal. Don’t expect to see the Beastie Boys on here either, if you can’t understand they don’t belong on a metal list, then it’s time to drown yourself in the next convenient body of water you can find. With that let’s dig into our Top 40 nu-metal albums.

10--Mudvayne- "LD 50" 

These mutants took everything that worked with nu-metal and infused it with actual metal, then dropped a bunch of acid and the result was this. The first time I heard this band was right when this album came out and they were opening up for Kittie. They blew Kittie off the stage, total annihilation so rather than put Kittie on this list it makes more sense to put the band who destroyed them.

   

9-Glassjaw- "Everything You Wanted to Know About Silence"  2000

This band fell closer to post -hardcore and had enough hooky emotional catharsis to cross over into nu-metal. The often spastic songs are sharpened by witty lyrics that might have gotten the band cancelled if they came out even five or six years ago. 

8- Slipknot -"All Hope is Gone" 2008 

You might be surprised these guys are not higher on the list, as well as surprised that it is not the album from this band that made it here, we can safely assume you thought it was going to be one of the first two albums here. I coming to my conclusion which album it should be I went back and reviewed all their earlier albums, and by clicking around you can find those reviews that will tell you why this is the album that belongs here, and it comes down to best songwriting.

   

7- Code Orange- "Underneath" 

 These guys did not come out and say they wanted to bring nu-metal back when they wrote this album. Instead they took industrial influence and wrote dark grooving heavy music which belongs in the same sonic zip-code as nu-metal but without any preconceived notions aside from catharsis which is what makes the album so great as well as belonging on this list.

   

6-Static X- "Wisconsin Death Trip" 1999

This album was original ranked lower on this list in earlier drafts, but when taking a hard look at what albums I find myself returning to consistently over the years this is one of them thanks to songs like "I'm With Stupid" and "Love Dump". It is just infectious writing which is why they are still dragging the remains of this band about on the road long after Wayne Static's death, because the music lives on. 

 

 5-Marilyn Manson - "the Golden Age of Grotesque" 2003

You might wonder why "Anti-Christ Superstar" is not the album on this list. To tell the truth it really did not do much for me, if felt like he leaned to heavily on Trent Reznor. This one has more explosive dynamics and thicker grooves, with lyrics that feel like the show who he is as a person rather than a role he is playing, I can respect that as I want my rock stars to be like post - apocalyptic pirates with nothing but pain and hedonism to give. 

 

4-System of a Down-"Toxicity" 2001

Yeah, I know "Sugar" is not on this album. Moving on, One of the few bands who transcended the confines of the genre to become something more lasting than trend involving big pants and eye liner. This album set that in motion, with grooves that stand shoulder to shoulder with any other metal album, no matter the sub-genre. 

   

3-Korn- "S/T"  1994

The album that set most of this in motion. They took the angst of grunge and gave it Freudian issues. When this album came out the low tuned thump of the guitar felt like if Primus was as angry as a hard core band, but with severe depression that was causing them to lash out like this. At the end of the day when you listen to the songs they hold up, and take me back to when this album came out which was a darker place as well. 

 

 2- deftones - "Around the Fur"1997

 This is the album where Chino really found his voice, that would go on to propel the rest of their career. "Adrenaline" played it closer to what Korn did and this album abandons the hip-hop influence, so that factors in when it comes to making it stand the test of time and sound less dated than their debut.

   

1- Faith No More -"Angel Dust" 1992  

If you posed the question of what is the best nu-metal album to any of the bands on this list, after the finished explaining that they were not nu-metal they would tell you it was "Angel Dust" , though this album came out before the label of nu-metal was a thing. It very clear where bands like Deftones , Slipknot, System of a Down and Korn all pulled inspiration from this if it is not clear by the second song "Caffeine" then you don't want to hear it .

the Weekly Playlist Vol 5 : Nu-Metal edition

Breaking away from the trend of artist specific playlists I had going there for a couple of weeks to switch gears into a sub-genre specific playlist. I was going to stick to the artist theme and then make this a top ten list, but this makes more sense since we have a bunch of top ten lists as it as and the end of the year will be here before we know it. While I was no longer teenager when the nu-metal subgenre exploded in the late 90s, I appreciated the first wave of albums that came from it. Once certain artists got too much radio play it began to become watered down. Even after the first wave a few bands included here slipped by to make decent music.

This afternoon I played DJ for the female of most significance in my life and cued up music of this era to invoke a time when life was simpler. The unbridled joy of catharsis this music could still bring was very touching, So here some deeper cuts from some of those same artists and others from that time period. This music carried an undeniable groove and proved easy to get caught up in as the angst it often boiled gave voice to pain otherwise left to feel unheard. I often reach back in time for music that spoke to me at certain place so listen to the voice of my younger days. I time when idealism was the language of dreams and the weight of the adult world was a burden not fully realized.

Music is a time machine. It reminds me when I was not as calloused by beatings life had given me and I could throw caution to the wind and free fall into feelings with abandon. Older and wiser I try to have a more balanced approach, but music helps keep the vibrations balanced until my mind can catch up to my heart. So maybe dear reader, you to might share such a place in time with these songs, perhaps you might discover a song that went under the radar at the time . Either way life is too short to not have a soundtrack to remind us when we lived and loved at 80 mph. Perhaps we now know, more sustainable speed at which to engage this journey, and every journey needs a soundtrack.  

Disturbed - "Believe"

 

 Static X- "Love Dump"


 

 Korn - "Swallow"


 


Orgy- "Fetisha"

 


 System of a Down - "Spiders"


 


 Slipknot- "Vermilion"

 

 Flaw- "What Do I have to Do"

 

 Mudvayne - "Nothing to Gein"



Deftones-"Mx'


 

Scars On Broadway : "Dictator"

Despite the fact I refuse to call this Daron Malakian and Scars on Broadway the new solo album from Daron Malakian is the closet things you are going to get to new System of a Down. Much like his first solo album, this is more rock n roll and less nu-metal than System of a Down. I have always like Malakian's vocals with System of a Down , perhaps more than Serj's. "Angry Guru" is less impressive than the more tightly written opener. The title track is more up tempo, but has a darker tension to that recalls some of System's best moment. It seems like this song was probably written for the next System of a Down album that never happened, as his takes on a lower croon that has more in common with Serj's vocal style. He also uses more of a stomping scream that really brings System back from the grave.

The dark and melodic nuances I prefer from his work continue to seep over the more bouncy rock of "Fuck and Kill". While I like the exotic touches when you compare it against the title track it's not the same caliber. Though it's not shabby either.  "Guns Are Loaded" is a little more of a power ballad in terms of dynamics. It's dark almost like something Marilyn Manson might do in one of his more organic moments. "Never Forget" is more of a straight forward rock song, that is energetic but doesn't capture everything I want from him as much as some of the other songs do. I'm not opposed to the more rock n roll side of what he does at it is done much better on "Talkin Shit". This album is somewhat hit or miss in this regard as the very next song fails to hit this very same sweet spot as effectively , maybe it's a case of going to the well too many times.

The guitar has a more frantic metal attack on "We Won't Obey". It's palm muted in an almost punk manner. More straight forward than your average System of a Down song, there are moment of quirky punch injected into it. "Sickening Wars" has a similar punk feel to it. It ends with two covers of these is an instrumental, the other is a Skinny Puppy song. It sounds nothing like the original Skinny Puppy song. I'll give this album a 9 as it's very solid and well done though not as hard hitting or gripping as the first one.