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This was set in motion two years ago when too many journalists tried to erroneously hail hot garbage as the best black metal album of the year. This compelled me to set things straight, as such a claim is disrespectful to the genre; therefore,
I decided to uphold this mid-year tradition. Just sounding good from a production standpoint is not going to make the cut, since studio magic alone is not what black metal is about. Though I am not looking for something to sound like trash in the name of being cvlt either. I am also not paying homage to bands that are just press darlings for whatever social reason of the day might be. After all, Blackbraid continues to show what he got right about Native representation is being an alcoholic. I want bands who are effective at creating darkness, so with that said, here are the top 10 Black Metal Albums of 2025 ...so far.
10- Ritualmord- "This is Not Lifelover"
Lifelover's remains turned to Hypothermia and Kall. This comes from the guitarist who formed Hypothermia. This was where the songs that were too experimental for that project as they continued to evolve as musicians. This is the first full-length of the project following three EPS. The mood is similar to what they have done before, even if they are not using the typical sonic building blocks of black metal to get there.
9- Void of Hope- "Proof of Existence"
Finland's black metal scene is expanding beyond the raw black metal bands like Horna. It is also cool that depressive black metal is making more of a comeback. It's dark and more emotive than the normal blasting black metal that wants to sound like Darkthrone when even Darkthrone doesn't sound like the band they are trying to imitate anymore. The vocals have a nasty howl. The music carries a very deliberate throb.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/black-metal-history-month-void-of-hope.html
8-Karg- "Maroduer"
The band's 9th album finds attitude propelling the aggressive tendencies, and even in how the atmosphere is approached. The vocals are not screamed but shouted in a forceful yet pained manner. More melodic and angular than what I expect from any metal coming out of Germany
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/black-metal-history-month-karg-maroduer.html
7-Grima- "Nightshade"
The theme of this album is to honor Taiga, the spirit of the Siberian forest. If these guys are from Siberia, I can only wonder what it's like getting to band practice, as it's pretty harsh there. This is their 6th album, so they have been doing this a while, and it's apparent in how things flow in their playing.
6-Abigail Williams - "A Void Within Existence"
Abigail Williams is one of the rare American Black Metal bands that has stood the test of time as a legitimate representation of its genre, with a sonic darkness on par with their European counterparts. This album effectively captures the darkness that this project embodies. The atmosphere brought by the guitar hits the sweet spot of making things sonically heavier.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/abigail-williams-void-within-existence.html
5-Morast- "Fentanyl"
This is what black metal should be. Darkness and misery forged into music. It carries a dreadful throb, that is not what you might think of as depressive black metal, but they succeeded in capturing the despair of junkie in a manner so real we have not heard it since mid-2000s Nachtmystium. I did not know fentanyl was big in Germany, but it's spread worldwide now, as I am sure the trailer parks of Europe in the Eastern Block are spreading it like roaches.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/black-metal-history-month-morast.html
4-Void of Hope- "Proof of Existence"
Finland's black metal scene is expanding beyond the raw black metal bands like Horna. It is also cool that depressive black metal is making more of a comeback. It's dark and more emotive than the normal blasting black metal that wants to sound like Darkthrone when even Darkthrone doesn't sound like the band they are trying to imitate anymore. The vocals have a nasty howl. The music carries a very deliberate throb.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/black-metal-history-month-void-of-hope.html
3-Deafheaven- "Lonely People With Power"
The band continues to balance out the varied elements of their discography, right down to the deliberate chug that the song transitions into. Having made their way onto the rock festival circuit, you had to wonder how much playing with big mainstream bands would influence them. Truth be told, when I saw them at Rockville, there was little compromise on their part to win anybody over. 6 albums into their career, I think it is safe to say if they were going to sell out, they would have by now.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/03/deafheaven-lonely-people-with-power.html
Seven albums into their legacy, this Finnish band continues to ebb and flow with both neo-folk and black metal in their veins. In some way, this picks up where "Polar Veil" left off; in other ways, it expands upon it, with more layered voices that sound like the hippie choir persona of their folk era, now haunting this album, and finds a more balanced blend of those melodic folk textures.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/hexvessel-nocturne.html
1-NITE- "the Cult of the Serpent Sun"
The third album from this San Francisco metal band. They walk a line between black metal and traditional metal. I can hear where Tribulation might have occupied a similar sonic space at one time if they had not turned into a goth band. If you want a classic metal-sounding album that is just not reheating leftovers but is writhing with an inner darkness, this album is for you.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/01/nite-cult-of-serpent-sun.html
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