Top 20 Best Concerts I Visited in 2025 (Plus 5 Bonus Mentions)
- L7
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
One thing I always want to make super clear with these lists: these are the best concerts I personally attended, not “best shows of the year on paper”, not “best tour setlists online”.
This year I went completely wild, 80+ concerts, and because most nights had multiple bands (support acts, festival lineups, you know the deal), that adds up to roughly 300 live sets. From all of that, I picked the 20 shows that hit me the hardest, plus 5 bonus mentions I still want to shout out.
Let’s go.
How this ranking works
Only concerts I actually visited, in person.
I’m judging the full experience: performance, sound, atmosphere, crowd energy, the whole package.
I’m not trying to be “objective”. This is my year, my taste, my memories.
Top 20 Best Concerts of 2025 That I Visited
20) Mammoth Grinder (Dark Easter Metal Meeting, Munich)
Thrash-death with a nasty edge and insane energy. I didn’t know them before, and they completely won me over. One of my favorite sets of the whole Dark Easter weekend.
19) Pryma (Augsburg, supporting Blaze Bayley)
I almost skipped them, thank god I didn’t. Young UK band, super motivated, modern metal vibe, and the vocalist was seriously great. One of those opening acts that makes you instantly respect them.
18) Blood White (Nuremberg, supporting Lordi)
I went for Lordi and had never heard Blood White before. Then I caught myself thinking: this is exactly the kind of music teenage me would’ve been obsessed with. Industrial vibes with a modern heavy touch, super fun live.
17) Tankard (Gießen, “Thrash Metal at the Monastery”)
Perfect location, perfect mood, and Tankard were an absolute party machine. I had no real reference for how they are live, now I totally get why people love them.
16) Slipknot (Rock im Park)
I’ve seen Slipknot a lot, so it’s hard to surprise me, but Rock im Park was strong. Also, hearing “Scissors” live was a personal highlight, that song works way better on stage than I expected.
15) Aesthetic Perfection (Vienna, supporting Till Lindemann)
I know opinions are split on this band, totally normal. For me, this tour worked best in the big halls, the sound felt even bigger, and from the front it was just pure fun.
14) Blaze Bayley (Augsburg)
The venue was almost empty, which honestly made me sad, because Blaze delivered a really strong show. Great set, great band, and the Maiden era tracks hit perfectly. If you ever have the chance, go.
13) Ankor (Aschaffenburg)
This was actually a birthday gift for my wife, and it turned into a killer night. Almost sold out, proper metalcore atmosphere, pits, movement, and Ankor’s blend of heaviness and melody just works live.
12) Steel Panther (Obertraubling, Eventhall Airport)
Exactly what I wanted: hits, jokes, crowd interaction, and a band that’s way tighter live than some people assume. Not just comedy, they actually deliver musically too.
11) Fear Factory (Nuremberg, Hirsch)
I did not expect that crowd. People sang everything, jumped nonstop, and the whole anniversary vibe was wild. Also, the new singer sounded really good live, the set felt powerful and super tight.
10) Megadeth (Munich, supporting Disturbed)
One hour, no filler, no wasting time. You could feel the “professional machine” level. Great musicianship, Dave sounded solid, and the whole set was just sharp and controlled.
9) Aura Noir (Dark Easter Metal Meeting, Munich)
A friend told me “don’t miss them” and he was completely right. Black-thrash madness, brutal and fast, and for me one of the best performances across both festival days.
8) Falling in Reverse (Rock im Park)
This was a surprise. I stayed mainly because I didn’t want to lose my spot before Korn, and at first I thought “not my thing”. Then it got better, and better, and suddenly I was fully into it. The hype in the crowd was insane too.
7) AC/DC (Karlsruhe)
Not just a concert, it felt like a giant community celebration. People of all ages, zero drama, just partying and singing. Only negative: toilet lines were completely insane.
6) Marilyn Manson (Berlin, Max-Schmeling-Halle)
Big comeback vibe. I saw him years ago and it was rough, so I had low expectations. This year he sounded strong, looked fit, and the Berlin show in particular had great sound where I was sitting.
5) Till Lindemann (Munich, Meine Welt Tour)
I’ve seen him a lot and wasn’t sure how this year would feel after some festival dates. But the arena shows were seriously strong, musically tighter, and overall more enjoyable for me. Munich was my favorite night.
4) Iron Maiden (Gelsenkirchen)
Maiden are always quality, but this night had something extra: great stadium vibe, lots of friendly people, and the production felt really polished. The kind of show that reminds you why they’re still on top.
3) Witch Club Satan (Munich, Backstage)
One of the biggest surprises of my year. Raw energy, ritual vibe, and a performance you don’t forget. Also, the “you’ll never see this again” moment: their bassist playing while heavily pregnant with twins. Unreal.
2) Ice Nine Kills (Munich, Zenith)
Another surprise. I’d seen them before as support and it didn’t fully click. As a headliner though? Totally different story. Every song tied into horror, and every song came with a mini stage show like a live horror theater. If you like horror films, you need to see this once.
1) Parkway Drive (Munich, Olympiahalle)
Best concert of the year, no question.
I went mostly because of the hype and because I had time that weekend, I barely knew a couple songs. And then they absolutely destroyed me. Musically brutal, and the stage production was just ridiculous, fire everywhere, moving structures, pure arena spectacle. Crowd was sold out and bouncing from front to back. The full package.
Bonus: 5 Special Mentions
These didn’t make the official Top 20, but I still want to mention them, because they mattered this year.
Limp Bizkit (Frankfurt)
Frankfurt crowds are always insane, and Limp Bizkit never disappoint. I left super happy, but I’ve seen them so many times that it didn’t feel “new” enough for my Top 20.
Solence (Berlin)
Solence were part of the Nothing More tour package, and live they were way better than I expected.
Dogma (Munich)
This one became controversial later, but the show itself was better than I expected, and it’s one of those nights that now feels like “you had to be there” because that exact era won’t happen again like that.
Dymna Lotva (Munich, Dark Easter Metal Meeting)
Beautiful, heavy, emotional, and honestly unforgettable. They played at Dark Easter Metal Meeting, and we covered that festival on the Niflheim Records blog, including Dymna Lotva.
Poppy (Rock im Park)
Not just the performance, but everything after it. The amount of online debate, the sudden attention, the love, the hate, the “wait, she does heavy stuff now?” reactions… that was kind of a moment.
Final thoughts
That’s my Top 20 (plus 5 bonus) for 2025, based only on concerts I actually visited.
And just to say it clearly because I’ve had comments like this before: I pay for my own tickets, travel, hotels, and merch. No one “pays me to hype” a band. I’m just a fan who goes to shows, buys shirts, and writes about it.
Now I’m curious: what was your number one concert this year?
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