Best of 2025: Annual Review

Lighthouse Music
Jan 1
5 min read

2025! A year defined by uncertainty and creeping negativism, enlightened by the ever so vibrant alternative music scene. One could argue that the undeniable cretive upheaval that errupted at the turn of the decade and clashed violently with the new lockdown normality, reached its peak in 2024 with very little to surprise us in 2025. Still, last year was just as wild and turbulent, swinging uncontrollably between unapologetic brutality and aethereal fragility, and leaving its bright mark across the entire scene and its countless branches.

REVIEWS. Keeping up with my usual tempo, I managed to cover a total of 32 LPs and EPs that I think anyone with interest in the contemporary metal world should be aware of. Sure, there were some that I missed, be it on purpose or simply due to a lack of time, but a toddler will do that to your schedule. All ramblings aside, there is plenty for everyone to check in the 2025 category, neatly summarised across the traditional quarterly overviews, so if you are looking for a start-up guide for what was good, better and best last year, go check out the albums I picked for you.

RELEASES. With a grand total of 197 separate releases streamed attentively in their entirety, I couldn't top my 2024 record of 218 but then again, I did mention the toddler. All in all, I managed to e listen to 142 LPs and 31 EPs, with the remaining 24 the usual mix of deluxe editions and anniversary re-issues. Of all these, I judged only 53 to be worthy of our already shockingly limited time and attention span, and then filtered them even more carefully to cover the best 32 of them I thought were a proper must-check, 25 of them made up the traditional Album Of The Year chart.

SPOTIFY. More data that noone really cares about, I listened to a total of 42,612 minutes which is almost 10k minutes more than last year, so glad to see music is back on track in keeping me sane in all that chaos. Spotify reckons my listening habbits cover 383 genres but considering how every other band now has its own niche, and the media loves putting random labels, this is hardly a surprise. A personal favourite from my 2025's Wrap is the newly added listening age, revealing my achievement of nailing 18 years while approaching elder territories, which was particularly envigorating, if not slighthly comical.

TOP. You can see the actual 25 releases that entered my AOTY charts below, and also listen to the 100 best tracks that best personified what modern metal sounded in 2025 in the offisical end-year Modern Metal playlist. As usual, I have already started compiling next year's addition of the 2026 playlist with several tracks that just came out in December, and more to be added very soon as January unfolds. Beside all this, my Spotify profile actually has some great themed playlist based on countries, genres or periods so go check it out and spread the word.

UNITED KINGDOM. Contrary to previous years, when a single country would traditionally steal the show, 2025 offered a more balanced geographical spread in terms of bangers per region. Still, it is worth mentioning that Europe in general did pull its weight, and England in particular definitely raised the bar higher. We had the Architects drop a blockbuster record early on to kickstart the year, followed by Sleep Token's record breaker, and expectedly stellar releases by Bury Tomorrow, Acres, Caskets and such. On the heavier front, Bleed From Within more than delivered on their latest pit-starter, proudly waving Scotland's flag at the AOTY chart.

CENTRAL EUROPE. Over to the continent, it was up to France to deliver my personal favourite in Landmvrk's latest masterpiece, leading the country towards the top alongside the likes of Novelists, ten56., Rise Of The Northstar, Revnoir, Ashen and Igorrr. Next in line, Germany expectedly made some noise with Annisokay leading the next generation of global heavyhitters like ACCVSED, Avralize, Vianova, Unprocessed, Devil May Care, Enemy Inside, Artemis Rising and many others. It is also worth mentioning few standalone acts like Paleface (Switzerland), Stain The Canvas (Italy), Siren Lake (Netherlands) and Abbie Falls (Czech Republic).

SCANDINAVIA. Few surprises to the North, aside from the usual cross-genre mastery, instrumental excellence and chilling aesthetic. Sweden brought modern juggernauts to the table, the likes of Orbit Culture, Imminence, Aviana, and Solence standing proud next to the veterans in Arch Enemy and The Halo Effect. Finland answered with Balance Breach, Luna Kills and Bloodred Hourglass representing current sound and future current trends, and Katatonia and Amorphis defending the old school Scandinavian legacy. In Norway, Once Awake and Wardruna made a lasting impression while Denmark saw Afterlove deliver a killer debut.

NORTH AMERICA. As tradition dictates, there was plenty to see across the entire continent, from Canada's finest in Spiritbox, Silverstein, grandson and Frontières to the north, all the way to Florida's very own Underøath and A Day To Remember to the south. The Ohio scene took the lead with The Devil Wears Prada, Wolves At The Gate and Convictions all dropping bangrrs. California offered a hefty mix between Kingdom of Giants, Bleeding Through, Stick To Your Guns and Dayseeker, among many others, while Texas delivered some quality metalcore in Fit For A King and Memphis May Fire, but at the end, it was New Jersey's royalties Lorna Shore who delivered 2025's most memorable moment with 'Glenwood'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pScWD7ay1I

CONCLUSION. All in all, 2025 was a rager of a year from start to finish. You might have noticed that for the first year since I write these annual reviews, I skiped Australia. That is not to say that Thornhill did not release their fantastic new record, but overall the country was much quieter than usual and I predict this is about to change once again in 2026. There are already some huge releases in the pipeline from Down Under and beyond, so lets wrap this up and toast to another fantastic year of killer modern heavy music!