MetalSucks’ Top Albums of 2025

Man, 2025 was one hell of a year for metal. Over the course of one rotation around the sun, we’ve seen legends calling it quits and new acts breaking out onto the scene, we’ve had long-defunct bands reunite and iconic legends decide to hang it up for good, and sadly, we’ve seen some icons pass away, leaving their musical legacies behind to stand the test of time.

Oh, and we got a metric fuckton of awesome new tunes to listen to over the course of the last year. Paring our choices this year down to the 10 albums we enjoyed the hell out of was hard. But ultimately, we opted to choose the records that remained on repeat even after their promotional cycles wound down. These albums reminded us what we love about this genre and let us really appreciate the wealth of talent we’re all lucky to witness in real time.

These picks are in no particular order, so while we’re sure to see some of you hating on our choices, at least you can keep your grievances to that and not how one album ranked “higher” than the others. Be sure to let us know in the comments which albums you enjoyed and which you would have chosen if you were on our payroll.

Despised Icon – Shadow Work

For a band that’s been around for majority of my life (a woman never reveals her real age, as Blanche from Golden Girls repeatedly drove home), Despised Icon returned with their familiar type of blast beat heft on Shadow Work. There’s only so many ways to execute it freshly but they manage to do it, and bringing Matt Honeycutt from Kublai Khai TX in on “Over My Dead Body,” didn’t hurt either.

Revocation – New Gods, New Masters

There’s something about Revocation that makes each of their releases demand your attention. Maybe it’s the sci-fi horror elements present throughout this album or maybe it’s just the fact that Dave Davidson has to be one of the most exciting metal musicians out there right now, but New Gods, New Masters immediately grabs you by the throat the instant you hit play. The riffs are immaculate, the rhythm hits like a sledgehammer, and the lyricism and vocal performance stands out among the band’s death metal contemporaries. Add in some killer guest vocal spots from Cattle Decapitation’s Travis Ryan, Gorguts’ Luc Lemay, and Job for a Cowboy’s Jonny Davy, and you’ve got a recipe for one of the most brutal and sonically exciting releases of the year.

PeelingFlesh – PF Radio 2

PeelingFlesh managed to make me mosh and make me twerk during certain parts of PF Radio 2 in less than 25 minutes. Blending straight up slam with hip-hop and booty-poppin’ trap is definitely what the cool kids do now, and the PeelingFlesh kids did it so well.

Testament – Para Bellum

Longevity in the music business isn’t guaranteed by a long shot. Far too often, bands overstay their welcome with each new release offering diminishing returns. Yet more than four decades into their career, thrash metal titans Testament continue to prove that they’re the exception to the rule. Para Bellum is an absolute banger from start to finish, with the band even incorporating flashes of death and black metal elements in their writing this time around. One has to wonder how much of an influence their new drummer Chris Dovas played in the making of this record, because it really feels like some new energy’s been imbued into this already masterful band.

The Acacia Strain – You Are Safe From God Here

I don’t know how The Acacia Strain does it. From start to finish, You Are Safe From God Here is one, a near perfect name for an album but two, a near perfect display of how to make a negative headspace sound so, so very good. Vocalist Vincent Bennett’s lyrical and vocal takes sound just as vibrant and forceful as they did on their 2002 debut, enough to make me break out the Bengay and hit the pit.

Sanguisugabogg – Hideous Aftermath

This album just feels grimy and evil. Every bit of this record feels like an assault is being committed to your senses. As far as death metal releases go, this one drips with contempt with every palm muted string, every drum hit, every word growled and grunted. And while the whole thing is ugly and brutal, the production quality on this record is impeccable, which is great because it’s far too easy for this kind of album to sound too much like muddy, feature-less slop. Future death metal bands need to take notice of Hideous Aftermath, because this really feels like the modern blueprint for the more murderous, gore-filled side of death metal.

Lorna Shore – I Feel the Everblack Festering Within Me

One of the prevailing stars of the Lorna Shore show for a long while now has been vocalist Will Ramos’ absolutely grimy guttural. Its intensity still shines through the murk, enveloped by such technical musical precision like a hot knife cutting through butter. Whatever the “everblack” is, it’s festering within me now, too.

Warbringer – Wrath and Ruin

There’s something about this latest release from Warbringer that really hits different. Maybe it’s the general A.I.-driven malaise we all find ourselves in, but Wrath And Ruin feels like it drips with an almost nihilistic mantra of ‘everything’s fucked’. From “Neuromancer” and its story of a sentient A.I. to “A Better World” and its condemnation of modern society’s current trajectory, there’s a sense of righteous fury that permeates throughout this entire record. Thankfully, Warbringer’s violent thrash metal stylings is the perfect canvas for that anger, which is exactly why it remained on repeat for a large chunk of 2025.

Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – Death Hilarious

Death Hilarious is like cracking open a cold one with the dudes in some smoky basement in the late ’70s… or ’90s… or shit, even now. It’s an easy—but still quite heavy—listen, one where you can kick back, spark up, and let the time just blow by.

Ghost – Skeletá

This album was always going to end up on this list. Ghost continue to be a point of contention among metalheads all these years later, but their ability to write insanely catchy tunes is undeniable. Where their past records have tapped the sounds of the 60s and 70s, Skeletá managed to trawl the 80s to marry their style with the likes of Def Leppard, Journey, and Ozzy’s solo career. Each track has a hook that digs deep and doesn’t let go. Lyrics and melodies from throughout this entire album remain stuck in my head eight months after its release, and that’s a hell of a feat because we at MetalSucks listen to a LOT of metal over the course of a calendar year. This one’s got a sort of staying power that’s undeniable, whether you’re a fan of the band or despise their gimmick.