2025 was a year of hardships—and some smaller wins. It wasn’t marked by grand success, but by endurance, persistence, and learning how to recognize progress wherever it appeared.
I hope that for you, the reader, this year was a little more forgiving—and if it wasn’t, I hope you found the strength to slap life right back in the face!
That said, there were a handful of metal releases that stood out to me as some of the year’s finest.
The following picks are in no particular order.
One of Nine – “Dawn of the Iron Shadow”
The Lord of the Rings has long gone hand in hand with Metal, Black Metal in particular. Yet too many bands either miss the mark, fail to fully dive into the potential of the literary work, or just play half-bad music that is not worthy of it or just does not seem to work with it properly.
This band, however, stands firmly on the opposite end of that spectrum. I first cast my filthy eyes upon them when their debut dropped, and since the release of their 2025 album, it’s safe to say it has been in constant rotation. Punishing drumming and vicious riffs collide with ethereal, harp-like keys and atmospheres, transforming the record into an immersive experience that few reach. This album kept on pulling me back to listen to it again, and then again. Massive.
Volahn – “Popol Vuh”
Ancient Mexican themes, pride, traditional musical influences, and some of the meanest tunes to have been written this year; these are the ingredients for Popol Vuh.
It seems that with this release, the band took a turn into the realm of organized chaos, because the music is more layer-laden than ever before and much less accessible for the faint of heart.
Everything the band is known for is present: intelligent guitar work, dynamic songwriting, and passages enriched by flute melodies and gentle acoustic strumming. Six years after their last EP—and even longer since their previous full-length—this occult entity has finally returned.
Deathhammer – “Crimson Dawn”
What happens when Kreator meets Sabbat? This.
Deathhammer consists of two Norwegian maniacs who have been churning out some of the evilest Speed tunes in recent years and they are no newcomers. I’m not sure if they play guitars or just tear the studio apart until they manage to put out what they do time and again. The pair’s new album is pure 80s Thrash worship, sprinkled with a tiny bit of first wave of Black Metal on top. Fast riffs that cut into the veins and just a relentless atmosphere that goes on for 40 minutes. No fillers and no mercy! Awesome!
True Iron Will – “Spirit of Steel”
On the surface, the music of this Texas-based band isn’t supposed to be anything that stands out, yet it does big time. It did with the band’s debut 3 years back and it improves on it with this one. It is Black Metal at its core, no doubt about it, but the Motörhead-esque moments and overall sound and straight-into-your-face martial kind of song build just turn it into something that is impossible to ignore. It has melodic moments on one hand, yet it’s very straightforward and uncompromising in a way that not many bands manage to be.
Grave Infestation – “Carnage Gathers”
Remember the wave of old-school death metal bands that aimed to resurrect the sound and spirit of the ’90s? Well, Grave Infestation were never really part of that movement—yet they manage to put at least half of those bands to shame. Their riffs are genuinely terrifying, echoing the first Death albums and the specific tones that helped define the genre itself.
This Canadian outfit preserves that meaty, filthy sound while pushing it further. This isn’t mere homage or nostalgia worship; it’s a fully realized bold statement that stands firmly on its own, with every dial turned up to eleven. The grooves hit hard, and while the music is undeniably old school in spirit, it never feels dated.
