My Top 40 Albums of 2025

Written: 6th - 7th December 2025

2025 has been another remarkable year for music. It brought moments of discovery, reflection and sheer exhilaration, with artists old and new continuing to redefine what rock and metal can achieve. This countdown represents the studio albums that captured my imagination most vividly, those that stayed with me long after the final note and those that simply demanded repeat listens. As always, the selection spans extremes - from crushing death metal to music of serene beauty - reflecting the eclectic spirit of Hotel Hobbies. I would like to give honourable mentions to the albums by Absolva, Ricky Warwick, Cosmic Cathedral and Marko Hietala, all of which i enjoyed. Also, a special mention for the new Lunatic Soul album which I have not have the opportunity to fully digest but I am sure would have made it into this list given more time.

I hope you enjoy the journey and perhaps find something unexpected to explore.

40 : Azell – Astralis

Azell’s Astralis (full review here) is an ambitious concept album that expands the band’s sludge and doom foundations into a cosmic narrative of loss and transcendence. It pairs colossal riffs with bleak atmospheres, immersing listeners in a story of astronauts adrift after Earth’s destruction. The accompanying novella deepens the experience, yet the music alone conveys isolation and dread through crushing low-end weight and moments of stark stillness. Astralis is both brutal and cinematic, a testament to vision and scale.

Favourite track: Time Slows To Nothing

39: Dream Theater – Parasomnia

Dream Theater’s Parasomnia marks the return of Mike Portnoy after fifteen years. The album explores the unsettling terrain of sleep disorders through sprawling compositions that balance technical mastery with cinematic atmosphere. While its ambition and precision are undeniable, the record feels more like a confident consolidation than a bold reinvention. Familiar motifs and intricate interplay dominate, offering moments of brilliance without quite reaching the heights of their most celebrated work. Parasomnia is a polished experience - rich in detail and energy - yet ultimately more reassuring than revolutionary.

Favourite track: Night Terror

38: Killswitch Engage – This Consequence

Killswitch Engage’s This Consequence (full review here) strikes with immediacy, compressing its ideas into a lean thirty-five minutes without sacrificing impact. The album thrives on sharp contrasts: serrated riffs collide with soaring melodies, while Jesse Leach’s vocals pivot between raw ferocity and emotive clarity. The band sound energised, their interplay taut and purposeful, with moments such as Collusion radiating sheer force and urgency. Despite its brevity, the record feels complete, each track honed for maximum effect. It is a work of conviction and craft, brimming with vitality and intent and a reminder of why Killswitch Engage remain leaders in their field.

Favourite track: Broken Glass

37: Moon Halo – Trichotomy

Moon Halo’s Trichotomy (full review here) unfolds as a beautifully constructed work of melodic progressive rock, rich in nuance and emotional weight. The album thrives on interplay between soaring vocal lines, layered instrumentation and thoughtful lyricism. Themes of vulnerability, resilience and connection permeate the record, lending depth to its polished arrangements. Every element serves the song, from shimmering keyboard textures to guitar passages that glide with elegance.

Favourite track: Empires Burning

 36: The Halo Effect – March of the Unheard

The Halo Effect’s March of the Unheard is a commanding statement from five former members of In Flames, reaffirming the strength of Gothenburg melodic death metal. The record thrives on intricate guitar interplay and dynamic contrasts, balancing aggression with melodic clarity. Our Channel to the Darkness emerges as a centrepiece, combining thrash-driven urgency with atmospheric depth, showcasing the band’s ability to evolve without abandoning its roots. The album refines the genre’s essence, delivering a cohesive and urgent collection that honours tradition while embracing subtle progression. It is a benchmark for authentic heaviness and melodic sophistication.

Favourite track: Our Channel To The Darkness

35:Architects – The Sky, The Earth & All Between

Architects’ The Sky, The Earth & All Between surges with controlled fury, blending serrated riffs and towering choruses into a sound that feels urgent yet cinematic. The album thrives on contrast - moments of stark aggression give way to passages of shimmering melody while offering tension that never fully resolves. Sam Carter’s vocals pivot between raw defiance and aching vulnerability, while the rhythm section drives with relentless precision. Whiplash epitomises this duality, its jagged rhythms and lyrical venom cutting through the mix.

Favourite track: Blackhole

34: Cosmograf – The Orphan Epoch

Cosmograf’s The Orphan Epoch examines what it means to stand apart in a world saturated with distraction. Across seven carefully constructed tracks, Robin Armstrong blends textured guitars, layered keyboards and atmospheric detail to evoke both vulnerability and strength. It winds fluidly between contemplative passages and surging crescendos, enriched by expressive saxophone lines from Peter Jones. Rather than imposing a rigid storyline, the album offers a series of interconnected reflections on isolation, misinformation and personal resolve. It is a work that rewards close listening, balancing sonic depth with emotional clarity to create an experience that feels strikingly human.

Favourite track: We Are The Young

33: Lacuna Coil – Sleepless Empire

Sleepless Empire (full review here) confronts the turbulence of a digital age with music that feels urgent yet cinematic. Across its tightly woven tracks, the band fuses gothic textures with metallic weight, balancing soaring melodies against crushing riffs and electronic shadows. Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro deliver contrasting voices that frame themes of identity, isolation and resistance, while guest appearances add further depth without diluting the band’s core intensity. Lacuna Coil refine their sound with defiant precision on an album that urges listeners to reclaim meaning amid relentless modern chaos.

Favourite track: Sleepless Empire

32: Saor – Amidst The Ruins

Saor’s Amidst The Ruins (full review here) is an expansive meditation on heritage and resilience, expressed through five sweeping compositions that merge atmospheric black metal with folk textures. Andy Marshall layers surging riffs, martial percussion and spectral melodies with traditional instruments such as whistles and pipes, evoking the rugged beauty of Caledonia. Themes of ancestry and defiance run through music that alternates between ferocity and serenity, allowing space for reflection amid moments of grandeur. Rather than mere nostalgia, the album offers a compelling dialogue between past and present.

Favourite track: Amidst The Ruins

31: Whitechapel – Hymns In Dissonance

Whitechapel’s Hymns in Dissonance (full review here) is an unrelenting storm of brutality, steeped in narrative darkness and executed with surgical precision. The album abandons the introspection of previous works for a mercilessly savage approach, weaving colossal riffs, fiendish breakdowns and moments of twisted melody into a storyline of cultist devotion and ritualistic depravity. Phil Bozeman delivers a masterclass in vocal ferocity, shifting seamlessly between abyssal growls and shrieking cries, his performance anchoring the album’s apocalyptic weight. Dynamic sequencing and flashes of melodic contrast ensure the chaos never stagnates.

Favourite track: Nothing Is Coming For Any Of Us

30: Coroner – Dissonance Theory

Coroner returned after three decades with Dissonance Theory; an album built on unease rather than nostalgia. The music travels through angular thrash patterns, sudden rhythmic shifts and passages that feel almost architectural in their precision. Lyrically, it circles ideas of fractured perception and the struggle to reconcile opposing truths, echoing the concept of cognitive dissonance that gives the record its name. There is weight here but also space - moments where silence and restraint sharpen the impact of the next surge.

Favourite track: Consequence

29: Swans – Birthing

Birthing is an uncompromising exploration of sound and ritual, stretching across seven compositions that demand patience and immersion. Michael Gira shapes music as a process rather than a product, using repetition, layered instrumentation and gradual shifts to create pieces that feel alive and evolving. Stark minimalism and overwhelming crescendos draw on elements of drone, folk and industrial textures without settling into any single form. Themes of renewal and mortality echo through its vast structures, making Birthing less a conclusion than a transformative passage.

Favourite track: The Healers

28: Katatonia – Nightmares As Extensions of the Waking State

Katatonia’s Nightmares As Extensions Of The Waking State (full review here) charts a shadowed path through existential unease and fractured memory. Jonas Renkse anchors the album with his restrained yet compelling presence, guiding songs that pivot between riff-driven weight and moments of spectral calm. New guitarists Nico Elgstrand and Sebastian Svalland inject fresh energy into compositions that explore impermanence, spiritual erosion and the thin line between clarity and obscurity. Rather than chasing former extremes, Katatonia shape a work of contrasts, where melodic fragments and ominous undercurrents coexist.

Favourite track: Wind of No Change

27: Revocation – New Gods, New Masters

Revocation’s New Gods, New Masters (full review here) pushes their hybrid of thrash, death metal and progressive elements into sharper focus while exploring themes of technological dominance and human fragility. Dave Davidson drives the narrative with incisive riffs and commanding vocal shifts, while Alex Weber’s bass lines carve a distinct presence alongside Ash Pearson’s rhythmic force. Guest contributions from Travis Ryan, Jonny Davy and Luc Lemay expand the album’s scope without diluting its identity. Across ten tracks, the band alternates between relentless velocity, intricate structures and moments of unexpected clarity, forging a work that interrogates power, control and the cost of innovation.

Favourite track: Buried Epoch

26: Steven Wilson – The Overview

The Overview is a sweeping meditation on perspective and fragility, inspired by the profound shift astronauts experience when viewing Earth from orbit. Built around two extended compositions, the album immerses the listener in evolving soundscapes where acoustic warmth intersects with electronic pulses and spectral harmonies. Wilson’s layering creates music that feels vast yet deeply personal, inviting reflection on humanity’s place within the cosmos. Conceptually ambitious, The Overview stands as a bold statement of artistry, balancing technical precision with emotional resonance in a way few contemporary works achieve.

Favourite track: Objects Outlive Us

 25: Luke Morley – Walking On Water

Walking on Water feels like a statement carved from experience rather than trend. The record beats with a natural pulse, balancing raw drive and moments of restraint without sounding calculated. Guitar tones cut through with clarity, lending texture that never overwhelms, while the rhythm section anchors everything with a sense of purpose. Vocals are delivered with weight but avoid excess, allowing space for the music to breathe. It is a collection that values substance over spectacle, built for endurance and shaped by a confidence that does not need to shout.

Favourite track: Always A Saturday Night

24: Behemoth – The Shit Ov God

The Shit Ov God (full review here) is a lean and aggressive record that strips away some of the cinematic layers of recent albums in favour of raw ferocity. The production is sharp and powerful, giving every riff and drum strike a sense of clarity without losing weight. Vocals are delivered with venom, supported by chants that add scale without softening the impact. While there are moments of variation, the overall approach feels tighter and more relentless than before. Strong in execution and atmosphere, it is an extremely solid album if not a defining statement in Behemoth’s catalogue.

Favourite track: Sowing Salt

24: Sanguisugabogg – Hideous Aftermath

Hideous Aftermath (full review here) pushes Sanguisugabogg further than before, both in ambition and execution. At nearly fifty minutes, it tests the limits of brutal death metal without losing momentum. The production is a clear step up from Homicidal Ecstasy - precise yet never sterile - anchored by real bass that adds depth and punch. Devin Swank’s guttural vocals remain ferocious, while guest appearances from names like Todd Jones and Travis Ryan inject extra venom. Tracks shift between relentless blasts, crushing grooves and moments of doom-laden weight. Their most accomplished work to date.

Favourite track : Paid In Flesh

22: Jo Quail – Notan

Jo Quail’s Notan (full review here) is a study in contrast and transformation, a solo work that bridges raw improvisation and refined composition. Conceived as the foundation for a future orchestral piece, it retains an elemental immediacy while revealing intricate layers of tone and texture. Each movement feels deliberate yet fluid, from the commanding weight of Butterfly Dance to the meditative stillness of Embrace and the darting vitality of Kingfisher. Quail’s mastery of cello and piano creates a sound world that is immersive without excess, drawing the listener into shifting spaces release and quiet revelation.

Favourite track: Butterfly Dance

21: All India Radio – The Unified Field

The Unified Field (full review here) is a patient work that builds on All India Radio’s established shoegaze, ambient identity while introducing subtle shifts in texture and mood. Martin Kennedy and his collaborators lean into spacious arrangements, shimmering guitar tones and layered synths that evoke a sense of quiet magnitude. Tracks unfold slowly, allowing every chord and phrase to breathe, whether in the Lynch-inspired dreamscape of The Red Room or the expansive drift of Everything That Exists Anywhere. The production feels warm and detailed, balancing clarity with atmosphere. It is a record that rewards close listening - restrained, luminous and deeply reflective.

Favourite track: Everything That Exists Anywhere

20: Raphael Weinroth-Browne – Lifeblood

Lifeblood (full review here) is Raphael Weinroth-Browne’s most personal and ambitious work to date, a record that stretches the expressive range of the cello far beyond its classical confines. Across eight pieces, he fuses progressive metal with Middle Eastern motifs and moments of meditative calm, constructing music that feels both intuitive and transcendent. Extended compositions such as Ophidian and Nethereal unfold with unhurried precision, contrasting passages of brooding conflict with luminous clarity, while Pyre and Winterlight offer essential breaths of stillness. Every detail reflects a deep artistic vision—nuanced, daring and utterly compelling.

Favourite track : Nethereal

19: Paradise Lost – Ascension

Paradise Lost’s Ascension reflects nearly four decades of evolution without surrendering their gothic doom essence. Across twelve tracks, the band navigates themes of mortality, faith and human frailty, framed by riffs that alternate between crushing weight and mournful melody. Nick Holmes makes use of guttural roars and sombre cleans, while Gregor Mackintosh’s guitar lines cut with deliberate precision. Ascension consolidates eras - death-doom roots, gothic grandeur and modern dynamics - into a cohesive whole. It is a record that contemplates transcendence yet remains tethered to shadow, demanding full immersion for its bleak beauty to resonate.

Favourite track: Salvation

18: Imperial Triumphant - Goldstar

Goldstar is Imperial Triumphant at their most audacious, a record that gleams with grandeur while striking with calculated menace. The band’s signature collision of blackened extremity and jazz-infused chaos feels sharper and more deliberate - every passage is sculpted for maximum impact. There is an opulent darkness running through the work, a sense of towering architecture collapsing under its own weight yet rendered with precision and intent. At under forty minutes, Goldstar is a lavish descent into controlled disorder - bold, corrosive and impossible to ignore.

Favourite track: Industry of Misery

17: Wardruna - Birna

Birna finds Wardruna at their most elemental, a meditation on the life cycle of the she-bear rendered through ritualistic rhythms, primal horns and haunting vocal interplay. Einar Selvik and Lindy-Fay Hella lead a soundscape steeped in animism and folklore. It evokes hibernation, rebirth and the fragile bond between humanity and nature. A work of stark beauty and spiritual weight, it reaffirms Wardruna’s place as a singular voice in Nordic folk.

Favourite track: Lyfjaberg

 16: Am I In Trouble? – Spectrum

Spectrum is an album that thrives on contrasts, weaving serenity and chaos into a seamless narrative. Steve Wiener’s vision is conjured from the rustic optimism of Yellow to the suffocating darkness of Black, producing a journey that feels both unpredictable and deliberate. Moments of acoustic calm collide with avant-garde ferocity, yet the transitions never feel forced; instead, they evoke shifting states of mind - hope, longing, despair and release. At just over thirty minutes, Spectrum (full review here) captures the essence of experimentation without indulgence, proving that genre boundaries are irrelevant when emotion drives the music. It is a record that invites reflection while challenging expectations.

Favourite track: Black

 15: Those Damn Crows – God Shaped Hole

God Shaped Hole is a bold and emotionally charged record that amplifies Those Damn Crows’ strengths while pushing into new territory. The production is powerful yet detailed, giving riffs, melodies and vocals room to breathe without losing impact. Lyrical honesty runs through every track, tackling themes of betrayal, fragility and existential doubt with unflinching candour. There is variety in tone and texture, from high-energy assaults to moments of stark introspection but the flow remains cohesive. Confident and ambitious, this album (full review here) feels like a defining step forward—crafted with precision and brimming with intent.

Favourite track: Still

 14: Deafheaven – Lonely People With Power

Lonely People With Power marks a fierce resurgence for Deafheaven, balancing the visceral energy of their early blackgaze roots with the melodic sophistication they have honed over time. The production is sharp yet atmospheric, allowing the guitars to blaze without losing clarity and the rhythm section to strike with precision. Vocals shift between searing power and moments of restraint, amplifying the album’s themes of isolation and control. This is a record that thrives on contrast, confident and uncompromising in its vision.

Favourite track: Amethyst

13: Testament – Para Bellum

Para Bellum (full review here) is a fierce reaffirmation of Testament’s dominance, a record that radiates confidence. Every riff cuts with precision, every rhythm surges with intent and Chuck Billy’s vocals remain as venomous as ever. The album thrives on contrast: For The Love of Pain erupts with relentless aggression, while Meant To Be slows the pace, layering acoustic textures and orchestral strings to deliver a moment of reflection without losing weight. Testament’s chemistry feels unbreakable, their technical command sharp and Chris Dovas injects fresh fire behind the kit. After four decades, the band sound vital, uncompromising and utterly committed, convincing proof of their remarkable consistency.

Favourite track: Meant To Be

12: Gleb Kolyadin – Mobula

Pianist Gleb Kolyadin shapes music that feels alive, moving between luminous optimism and moments of shadow with unerring control. Pieces such as Glimmer pulse with curiosity and forward motion, while Fractured and Gaia draw the listener into reflective depths. Folk textures, electronic hues and classical elegance intermingle without friction, each transition carrying emotional weight. What makes Mobula (full review here) compelling is its sense of purpose - every note speaks, every silence matters. It is an album that invites immersion, revealing new contours with each listen and leaving the listener suspended in wonder long after the final chord fades.

Favourite track: Radiant

11: Between The Buried and Me – The Blue Nowhere

The Blue Nowhere (full review here) is an audacious statement from Between The Buried and Me, a record that thrives on unpredictability while maintaining a sense of purpose. Across seventy-one minutes, the band navigates extremes: crushing technicality, lush orchestration and moments of stark simplicity. Each track feels like a self-contained world, yet together they form a vast, interconnected landscape. Themes of solitude and introspection run through the lyrics, echoing the music’s restless shifts in tone. It is an album that resists easy categorisation, rewarding those willing to engage deeply with its complexity and its quiet revelations.

Favourite track: Absent Thereafter

10: King Kraken – March of the Gods

March of the Gods (full review here) is a statement of intent from King Kraken, brimming with power, groove and ambition. The riffs hit like tectonic shifts, yet the arrangements remain sharp and purposeful, each section flowing with confidence. Lyrically, the album explores mythic chaos, personal struggle and moments of heartfelt reflection. The production captures every detail, from the crushing weight of the rhythm section to the soaring guitar lines, while Mark Donoghue’s vocals deliver raw force and emotional depth in equal measure. The Kraken is on the rise.

Favourite track: March of the Gods

9: Deforestation – 50 Days of Rain

50 Days of Rain is a work of quiet power, a record that speaks through nuance. Adrian Jones and Brendan Eyre craft music that feels elemental. Each piece carries its own atmosphere - sometimes hushed and meditative, sometimes shadowed with anxiety - yet the album has an unbroken sense of purpose: a meditation on the fragility of nature and the urgency of environmental preservation. Field recordings, layered textures and restrained melodies create spaces that invite reflection, while moments such as the spectral surge of Vapula remind us that beauty can erupt without warning. 50 Days of Rain is immersive, resonant and deeply human - a journey for those willing to listen beyond the surface.

Favourite track: Bow

8: Bioscope – Gentō

Gentō is a work of quiet sophistication, shaped by two musicians who understand the art of restraint. Steve Rothery and Thorsten Quaeschning create music that unfolds with deliberate pacing, blending electronic architecture with melodic clarity to form soundscapes that suggest movement and memory. The interplay between guitar and sequencer is seamless, neither dominating, both serving the whole. From the evolving contours of Vanishing Point to the radiant swirl of Kaleidoscope, the album invites listeners into a world where detail matters and space is part of the composition. Gentō (full review here) is not about grand gestures; it is about trust, nuance and the beauty of ideas realised with precision.

Favourite track: Vanishing Point 

7: Gazpacho – Magic 8-Ball

Magic 8-Ball (full review here) is built around the Ship of Theseus paradox and its question of identity. Each song portrays a character at a breaking point, reflecting how memory and self are reshaped by time, loss and change. The band’s instinct for structure and atmosphere remains impeccable, with Jan Henrik Ohme’s voice commanding attention and the interplay of violin, guitar and keyboards offering both fragility and force. Gazpacho favour precision over excess to develop music that is profound, uncompromising and enduring.

Favourite track: Starling

6: Warbringer – Wrath and Ruin

Wrath and Ruin (full review here) confirms Warbringer’s status as one of thrash metal’s most formidable forces. At forty minutes, the album is lean yet varied, delivering savage speed, crushing grooves and passages of gothic menace. John Kevill’s vocals blaze with fury, matched by incendiary guitar work and Carlos Cruz’s relentless drumming. The Sword and the Cross sets the tone with ominous atmosphere before erupting into ferocity, while Cage of Air contrasts acoustic delicacy with explosive power. An essential metal release.

Favourite track: Cage of Air

5: Puppet Cell – Throwing Knives In The Dark

Throwing Knives In The Dark (full review here) is an accomplished and emotionally charged album. Written over two years, it confronts mental health, addiction, grief and isolation with stark honesty. Ryan Cronk’s lyrics cut deep, exposing vulnerability and rage, while the band delivers a sound that moves between ferocity and fragile beauty with absolute precision. The closing track Hotel Death’s Door is a masterwork and stands among the best songs of the year, its portrayal of dementia and loss rendered with devastating clarity. A record that leaves a permanent mark.

Favourite track: Hotel Death's Door

4: Jonathan Hultén – Eyes of the Living Night

Eyes of the Living Night (full review here) sees Jonathan Hultén create an album that resists genre boundaries, blending ambient textures, dreamlike melodies and folk-inflected tones into a contemplative soundscape. Exploring themes of isolation, creativity and renewal, Hultén encourages listeners to rediscover wonder and confront fear through imagination. His ethereal vocals entwine with layers of synths, acoustic guitars and delicate percussion, producing music that feels richly detailed and deeply expressive. Tracks such as The Saga and The Storm and The Dream Was The Cure reveal an artist at the height of his craft, offering an experience that is reflective, visionary and full of creative vitality.

Favourite track: Afterlife

3: Ghost – Skeletá

Skeletá sees Ghost leaning heavily into 1980s rock motifs, blending glam-metal theatrics, arena-sized choruses and shimmering synth layers with their trademark dark humour and ecclesiastical imagery. Tobias Forge, now as Papa V Perpetua, shifts from grand narratives to introspection, exploring themes of mortality, isolation and fractured belief. The album’s sound recalls the bombast of Journey and Van Halen while retaining Ghost’s melodic precision and theatrical flair. With its fusion of retro hooks and modern polish, Skeletá stands as a bold, stylistically nostalgic chapter in the band’s evolution.

Favourite track: Umbra

 2: Pearl Handled Revolver – Tales You Lose

Tales You Lose (full review here) is a commanding release that blends heavy rock, blues and progressive flourishes with touches of jazz. Lee Vernon’s baritone voice carries themes of disillusionment, vulnerability and self-examination, supported by intricate interplay between organ, guitar and bass. Extended compositions reveal a band confident in its craft, shifting between brooding passages and surges of raw intensity without excess. Each detail feels purposeful, from atmospheric openings to climactic instrumental sections that heighten the album’s dramatic pull. Thoughtful, dark and richly textured, this is music that asserts its presence and leaves a lasting impression.

Favourite track: Black Rock

1: In Mourning – The Immortal

In Mourning’s previous album The Bleeding Veil topped my album list in 2021 so it was with some interest that I began listening to The Immortal when I was sent it to review. The Immortal (full review here) asserts itself as a work of rare vision, merging relentless force with intricate beauty. In Mourning shape a sound that feels deliberate and alive, where guitars carve between crushing weight and melodic clarity and percussion strikes with unwavering precision. Vocals alternate between elemental roars and spectral cleans, carrying reflections on grief, endurance and transformation. Every passage resonates with intent, creating music that is as conceptually rich as it is emotionally charged. This is melodic death metal elevated to art - uncompromising and unforgettable.

Favourite track: As Long As The Twilight Stays

Listen to my Top 40 Albums Sampler (my favourite track from each album) for those albums available on Spotify.