Top 20 Best Album Releases of 2025 (Ranked #1 to #20), plus 3 bonus picks

End of the year means one thing, it’s time to fight with yourself about lists.

2025 had an insane amount of strong releases, across completely different genres, so doing a Top 20 is always a little unfair. But that’s the point, this is not “objective”, it’s just my personal Top 20.

And this time I’m doing it differently, I’m starting with #1, my favorite album of the year, and then we go down to #20.

Let’s begin.

1) Paradise Lost - Ascension

Paradise Lost have been on a killer run lately, and Ascension is where it fully hits for me. It’s still 100% Paradise Lost, but it also feels fresh, like they tightened everything and made it hit harder.

My highlight is “Serpent on the Cross”, that song is basically the perfect opener for the whole mood of the album. I sadly missed them live this year (they even played Nürnberg and I couldn’t make it), so now I’m just hoping they come back around soon.

2) Frantic Amber - Death Becomes Her

This one was a new discovery for me this year, and it felt genuinely refreshing. Frantic Amber deliver melodic death metal, but with a vibe that doesn’t feel like “just another copy”.

The vocals are great, the whole record flows well, and I also love the concept, every track ties into stories around women who killed, survived, or went brutal in some way. Dark, cinematic, and catchy in the best way.

Now I just want to see them live, so hopefully they bring this album to Germany soon.

3) Testament - Para Bellum

I swear, this album showed up in almost every “Albums of 2025” list I saw, and honestly, it deserves it.

It’s exactly what you want from Testament, thrash done by absolute pros, but also with that extra punch that makes it feel bigger and sharper than expected. Some people might even put this at #1, and I would totally understand why.

4) Kryptan - Violence, Our Power

Another strong one from Sweden. Kryptan hit that sweet spot of black metal energy with a heavy, hostile atmosphere.

The vocalist is the big standout for me, raw, violent, and unique, exactly the kind of voice that makes you instantly recognize a band. If you want something cold and aggressive but still memorable, this album delivers.

5) Havukruunu - Tavastland

This was a random Instagram recommendation, and I’m really glad I clicked.

I’m not super deep into folk or pagan black metal, but Tavastland felt special. At first it sounded “different” compared to what I normally listen to, but then I couldn’t stop thinking about it. That’s always a good sign.

Epic atmosphere, strong songwriting, and it’s the kind of album that grows with every listen.

6) Sodom - The Arsonist

With Sodom I’ll say the same thing as always, they deliver what you expect, and they do it properly.

The Arsonist is classic Sodom energy, heavy, dirty, direct, and it just works. For me it’s easily in the “at least 8/10” zone, maybe even higher depending on the day.

Also the album artwork is absolutely brutal, it fits perfectly.

7) Warkings - Armageddon

This one surprised me a lot.

I checked some older Warkings material before and it wasn’t fully my thing, but Armageddon clicked, mainly because of Morgana le Fay. The moments where she comes in are so good, it’s this mix of power, melody, and aggression at exactly the right time.

I really want to see how that translates live, because on the album it works insanely well.

8) Patriarkh - Prophet Ilja

I also saw Patriarkh live this year, and they were fantastic.

I honestly don’t fully understand why this album got so much hate from some Batushka fans. Yes, the early Batushka material is a different level, but Prophet Ilja feels like the first record that truly stops being “a copy” and becomes its own thing.

Listening to it from start to finish feels like a ritual, especially on vinyl. Atmosphere is everything here, and they absolutely nailed it.

9) Eisbrecher - Kaltfront°!

I’ve been an Eisbrecher fan since the early days, and Kaltfront°! felt like a real moment for them.

For me it hit heavier than expected, more punchy, more direct, and overall it felt like a strong step in the direction I personally like most from them.

I enjoyed basically every track, and the whole album works really well as a complete listen, not just single songs.

10) Lorna Shore - I Feel the Everblack Festering Within Me

I’ve never seen Lorna Shore live, but on record, the vocals are just ridiculous. It’s one of those bands where you sometimes stop and think, “How is a human doing that?”

This album is intense, cinematic, brutal, and it somehow stays engaging the whole way through. I don’t listen to deathcore 24/7, but when I’m in the mood, this is perfect. Also great for the gym, not gonna lie.

11) Destruction - Birth of Malice

I like Destruction, but I’m not a hardcore historian fan who knows every era in detail.

That said, Birth of Malice might be my favorite Destruction album, because it balances thrash credibility with songs that actually stick in your head.

I even met a true old-school thrash guy at a show who said it’s “too commercial”, and I kind of get what he means, but for me, that’s exactly why it works. It’s heavy, but it’s accessible, and it has real hit potential without losing the attitude.

12) Cradle of Filth - The Screaming of the Valkyries

I listened to Cradle of Filth a lot in the early days, then for years almost nothing clicked for me.

This album changed that.

I randomly heard one track, thought “wait, this is good”, then listened to the full record and it fully caught me. For me it’s easily their best in years, and it made me actually want to go back and explore again.

13) Der Weg einer Freiheit - Innern

Black metal, brutal, and honestly one of the biggest quality surprises for me.

I found it through another Top list and gave it a shot, and yeah, that was a very good recommendation. Innern is intense, focused, and it really rewards full listens.

14) Jinjer - Duél

This is a funny one, because Jinjer always impress me live at festivals, then I try albums and it doesn’t always stick.

With Duél, it stuck.

I played it multiple times and it worked better and better. Strong singles, great performance, and it’s the first Jinjer album in a while where I felt like I really wanted to replay the full thing.

15) Solence - Angels Calling

I discovered Solence in a “four bands on one night” situation, and I didn’t even go there for them, but their album Angels Calling is just fun.

Swedish modern rock with a lot of melodic hooks, electronic elements, and that motivational, high-energy vibe. It’s probably more for younger fans, but that’s not a negative, it’s just the style.

And honestly, I totally understand why people go crazy for them live.

16) Ghost - Skeletá

This placement was hard for me.

I loved early Ghost, then from Prequelle onwards it got too pop for my taste. This year I finally gave Skeletá a proper listen and thought, okay, this is not bad at all, it goes more into the direction I personally prefer.

It starts strong, for me it drops a bit towards the end, but overall it’s still a solid album, and I can easily see Ghost fans loving it.

17) Blood White - From Hell

Another surprise.

I first heard Blood White as an opener and immediately had that feeling like, “This is exactly the type of music teenage-me would have been obsessed with.”

From Hell is a great modern metal record with that industrial edge, heavy mood, and catchy aggression. Also, extra points for being a release you actually want physically, not just streaming.

18) Grausame Töchter - Get Your Overdose

If you know Grausame Töchter, you know what you’re getting, but that’s also the reason this works.

Get Your Overdose delivers the provocative, kinky, theatrical dark electro world they’re known for, and it feels like a full experience, not just a few tracks.

For fans of this scene, it’s absolutely one of the year’s highlights.

19) Vampyros Lesbos - Vi Per Sanguinem

I always connect Vampyros Lesbos with the vibe of a ritual, like a strange, erotic 70s horror film, but fully electronic.

It’s atmospheric, dark, and actually very useful music for working or writing, because it builds a mood without becoming “background noise”. Also, their live aesthetic is super recognizable, the whole presentation is part of the experience.

20) Whitechapel - Hymns in Dissonance

This one could easily be higher depending on my mood.

I don’t listen to deathcore every day, and if I repeat this style too much it can get boring to me. But with some distance between listens, Hymns in Dissonance hits hard.

Great vocals, great heaviness, and I can only imagine how insane this must be live with a proper pit. If they show up at a festival I’m at, I’m definitely watching.

Bonus Picks (not in the Top 20, but still worth mentioning)

Bonus 1) Deftones - Private Music

I’m not a die-hard Deftones fan, but I honestly didn’t expect them to drop an album this strong in 2025.

It’s a full-album listen for me, not just one or two songs. I don’t necessarily need half the tracks in my everyday playlists, but as a complete record, it really works.

Bonus 2) Aesthetic Perfection - Closer to Human

This is a 20th anniversary reinvention of the debut, basically a full re-recording rather than a simple reissue.

And it’s honestly great. The production is cleaner, the whole thing sounds stronger, and after seeing them live this year, I appreciated it even more.

Bonus 3) Killswitch Engage - This Consequence

I’m still relatively new to digging deep into Killswitch Engage albums, and that might be why this hit me so hard.

For long-time fans it might feel like “more of the same”, but for me, it was a super satisfying full listen with strong songs and no wasted time.

That’s my Top 20 releases of 2025, plus 3 bonus picks. It was a stacked year, and if 2026 is even half as good, we’re fine 😄