Ryan's Top 10 Albums of 2025

Honorable Mention

While my musical tastes have evolved considerably in the last few years, Sleep Token will always hold a special place in my heart for being my real gateway back into listening to music as a hobby.

Given that, it feels unfair for me to compare Even In Arcadia to their previous work, but this might be their weakest record for me overall.

Either way, while not in my true top ten for the year, this album is still full of bangers and I think their accessible and unique blend of pop, R&B and metal is something everyone (including you) should definitely check out.

Thematic/lyrical content: introspection, growth, spiritual awakening

At a short and sweet 35 min, Ego Dissolution is a fantastic, easy listen. Mixing old school death metal styling with a progressive and psychedelic flair, Ancient Death have crafted an album with interesting song structures and some great atmospheric moments. The sections with ethereal female vocals in a few songs are a really cool addition as well. As this is only their debut album, I'll definitely be looking to a follow up ending up even higher on a future list.

Thematic/lyrical content: cosmic horror, occult, spiritual darkness

Not for the feint of heart, The Womb of the World is just as terrifying as it is entrancing. The cavernous and unsettling atmosphere crafted by Qrixkuor here is at times dense and suffocating and at others strange and beautiful and even occasionally rings true and triumphant. The addition of a full orchestra to accompany the traditional metal instrumentation expands the scope of this work into unfathomable territories and adds an unbelievable depth of sound that leaves you remembering the feelings you felt rather than specific musical moments.

Not an everyday kind of listen but when the time is right, The Womb of the Worlds is a special and rare kind of experience.

Thematic/lyrical content: societal collapse, cyclical nature of history, indifference of the march of time

A Monument to Oblivion is both authoritative and pummeling, but what helps it stand out even further are its powerful grooves and strong melodic choruses. Often using layered clean vocals atop the harsh to further emphasize these bombastic moments, Centuries of Decay have manged to create some high highs on this record. Drums and particularly cymbal work are also a highlight throughout. While maybe slightly overlong at an hour, A Monument to Oblivion nonetheless delivers an engaging and formidable listen.

Thematic/lyrical content: otherworldliness, cosmic wonder

In a recent rare interview from the anonymous collective, composer and guitarist Vindsval describes the goal of this album as to take the listener on a journey and to step outside the world for a while, and this is exactly how I feel while I listen. Ethereal Horizons is a transportative work, with its spellbinding melodies and hypnotic songwriting. A late in the year release, I could see this moving up a few places if I had more time with it. This is also a new band to me and I will certainly be spending some time exploring their expansive back catalog, preferably while taking a walk under the cool night sky.

Thematic/lyrical content: A cautionary tale and demonization of someone's unrequited love and obsession leading to unsafe and unhinged behaviors like stalking.

Sporting some blistering leads, technical and progressive song structures, and a harrowing tale, this album is defined especially by its intensity. While the savage drums and angular, chugging guitars are phenomenal in their own right, I'd also like to highlight the vocal performance. The delivery across the whole album is both technical and varied while also being incredibly intense. The madness of the character in the story is really sold by the vocals and without this high level of passionate execution, it might fall flat.

The title track ending sequence showcases a really cool songwriting moment using circular lyrics as a basis for layering and building instrumentally to the climax of the song.

Blindfolded and Led to the Woods have crafted an intense and violent work of art.

Thematic/lyrical content: the period of time around the fall of the Roman empire and the subsequent fall of paganism and rise of christianity.

Another album that leans heavily into its concept, Catechesis musically captures the conflicts of the time period with alternating moments of sinister dissonance and beautiful melody in a truly engrossing listen. Sporting incredible performances across the board, the drums are a specific highlight for me being intoxicatingly mesmerizing and showcasing really cool rhythmic interplay with the rest of the instrumentation. Rounding out the top 5, this is easily a highlight of the year.

Thematic/lyrical content: technological dread and existentialism

Compared to the cosmic beauty of Ethereal Horizons listed above, Burning Palace's Elegy leans more into the existential dystopian side of space metal. In a time period where A.I. slop is being shoved down all our throats, I would describe this album as poignant and relevant.

Musically, combining these kinds of chunky dissonant riffs, with some Sci-Fi beep-boop sounds and some cold, dead of space atmosphere is almost always a winning formula for me. Sometimes if it ain't broke, don't fix it. And when it's done this well, it's unquestionabley towards the top of my list. There's even a title track guest vocal performance from one of my favorite musicians.

Also check out the companion EP Burning Palace surprise dropped for Christmas!

Thematic/lyrical content: trauma, longing, existentialism, fragility

My first exposure to the music of Cave Sermon was through a 2024 year-end list that put me on to their previous work Divine Laughter. This absolutely blew me away and I spent all of January this year listening to it on repeat and it would have at least been top 3 of my 2024 album list had I discovered it earlier. It was much to my surprise then when Fragile Wings dropped unannounced as a surprise album back in April.

The man behind Cave Sermon (yes, all instruments and production engineering was done by one person) has quite possibly the most unique compositional voice I've ever heard. Tonally quite different from its predecessor, Fragile Wings sees that voice pushed even further with a sense of brightness and vivaciousness that at first caught me a bit off guard.

There's a certain jauntiness to parts of the record that juxtapose so dynamically with the more traditional metal textures. Cave Sermon's ability to maintain a consistent tone throughout with the amount of dynamism and layering of colors and ideas is nothing short of astounding.

This could easily go higher on the list but because it took me a bit longer to appreciate the stylistic differences between this and the previous album, my personal emotional connection with the following two albums over the year was a touch higher. Revisiting this album to shore up my list has shown me that I certainly need to spend more time with it because something here is downright magical. Make no mistake, Fragile Wings is the work of a musical genius and here's hoping we get another surprise in 2026.

Thematic/lyrical content: grit, determination, doing the difficult thing

Tooth and Nail was my #1 for most of the year and I still feel a bit bad about bumping it down. Dormant Ordeal, a favorite of mine, have crafted their best album to date. There was a concern with the band losing their sole founding member since their previous opus The Grand Scheme of Things, but the now two piece soldiered on to create something truly special.

My favorite thing about the album is the dramatic weight each songs brings musically and lyrically. This is exemplified by songs like "Against the Dying of the Light" (inspired by poet Dylan Thomas) and the the shiver inducing screams of the lyric "Rage". Or by the sudden silence and whispered lyrics before exploding into the final chorus on "Solvent". Those are just some of many examples as throughout the album's runtime, Dormant Ordeal does not let up.

Tooth and Nail is my definitive favorite drum performance of the year. The session drummer absolutely pulverizes the kit here delivering a performance akin to a massage gun to the brain in the best possible way. The use of toms and the double kick with a meatier mix and master to bring out some more low end adds a vibrant warmth to the sound. All that wrapped up with solemn, dissonant guitars and vicious screams creates an incredibly immersive and grandiose experience, particularly on a nice set of headphones.

Tooth and Nail is epic, ferocious, dramatic and beautifully encapsulates the inner fire to fight against oneself and the world for a better tomorrow.

Thematic/lyrical content: grief, meaning of life, human connection, existentialism, society. All told through a story about a person being reincarnated into a sentient pachinko machine

Moron Police's previous album Boat on the Sea holds a special place in my heart. It was an early pandemic obsession and something I listened to in my car's CD player as I drove over to Caity's apartment each night. Expectations were very high for their follow up this year.

Pachinko somehow shattered those expectations; they doubled and tripled down on what made their previous album so special. The instrumentation is lush and gorgeous, the melodies are soaring and anthemic, and the lyrics are as wacky as they are poignant.

There are constant leitmotifs scattered throughout tying the whole thing together as a well-paced and cohesive package. This leads to some of the best climatic moments of the year where layers build in a masterful way such as the strings that come in during the final chorus of "Pachinko, Pt. 1". There are even some musical references to Boat on the Sea such as in "Cormorant", a song dedicated to the band's sadly deceased friend and drummer who passed in a car accident a few years ago. The song builds to a final epic, wall of sound and blast beat section that musically echos the melody and lyrics "I am lost without you" in a moment that gives me goosebumps every time.

Simply put, Pachinko is a triumph of emotional beauty, soaring melodies, and intelligent lyrics in a whimsical and sometimes goofy but always heartfelt package and is my unequivocal album of the year.