The Top 10 Most Disappointing Albums of 2025

Here's the second annual installment of this list that looks at that were more hype than substance for various reasons we can see here, ranging from nostalgia to wanting to offer a diverse or inclusive list rather than just focusing on which albums have the best songs. People live in such a warped reality bubble they can not handle disappointment and would rather pretend the emperor is wearing clothes than admit their favorite artists are falling short. My role has always been to call out things for what they are, as a form of quality. These are not bad albums, but they did not live up to what these artists did in the past, except for one entry that improved but was never that great and got a critical pass from mainstream music media for reasons that have nothing to do with music.  There are only three artists  that are favorites of mine that missed the mark a bit, but in the interest of honest journalism, those are the ones I must draw the most attention to, so here are the top 10 Most Disappointing albums of 2025

10-Dream Theater- "Parasomnia"

They ranked low on the list, as I expected this album to be bad since most have been after "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence." The fact they score an 8 is better than what they have done, but does not hold up against their best work.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/dream-theater-parasomnia.html

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

They lost what made the previous album unique, despite having leaned in a more Tunrstile direction, they sound like every other California band that wants to be Blink 182. But it is well done for what it is, just not what I wanted it to be. 

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

8-the Haunted - 'Songs of Last Resor.t' 

This band might have come about after At the Gates ' 90s breakup, but clearly, their existence is reliant on Slayer as well. They bring the more melodic Swedish guitar solos to the party, but that really feels like the only thing that sets them apart from being a Slayer clone themselves. Some riffs are more Slayer-influenced than others, but the death metal intensity is tempered with the fun-loving thrashing. However, for as long as they have been at it I expect something more original.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/the-haunted-songs-of-last-resort.html

7-Fallujah -"Xenotaph"

 Guitarist Scott Carstairs is the only original member of this band. The last album I reviewed by them was "Undying Light," which I felt played it safe and moved in a more metalcore direction. Things are in a more progressive direction, though it does sacrifice some of the heaviness, and over-produced layers of vocals create an Opeth sound when they would be better served following the path of Cynic

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/03/fallujah-undying-light.html

6-Model/Actriz - "Pirouette"

The first song made me Google

"Is Jamie Stewert from Xiu Xiu in Model/ Actriz??

No, it turns out Colde Haden is doing his best impersonation. This album was released in May, and there has been some confusion among listeners who mistakenly believe it is industrial music. But no, it's not, and yes, I would rather listen to Xiu Xiu despite the hyper here. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/09/modelactriz-pirouette.html

5- Machine Head - "UNATØNED" 

Not letting freedom ring like a shotgun blast here, and most songs are reduced to following current metal trends.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/machine-head-unatned.html

4-Billy Idol-"Dream Into It." 

This album gives the impression that his voice has not aged as well as live performances have shown, and the songson this album don't help, though he still scored an 8.5.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/billy-idol-dream-into-it.html

3-Turnstile - "NEVER ENOUGH." 

The original review was a 9.5, and I think a 9 might be more accurate as it did not keep my interest aside from a couple of songs and fell short of what they did on their previous album in terms of the punch it packed.

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

2-Higher Power-There is Love in the World If you Want it." 

An 8 is a decent score, but the overall direction almost made them seem likea  different band as they are not playing to their strengths in this creative shift'/

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/06/higher-power-there-is-love-in-world-if.html

1-the Weeknd - "Hurry Up Tomorrow." 

This album scored a 7.5, when he is capable of creating 10s. "Beauty Behind the Madness" was his creative peak, and with "Star Boy" things began to become streamlined for radio audiences, and he has been on creative decline ever since, while shifting his focus to absurd things like movies and TV shows that failed. This should not have come as a surprise. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/the-weeknd-hurry-up-tomorrow.html

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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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