Clockwise as the seconds tick away, I make my move today… Time and life, life and time, to have and hold and sometimes find… Time… Marches on, and on, and on… flies eternally…
Once more ’round the sun we go again…
And here we are, a year closer to oblivion, and with all the chaos, and craziness, and biiiig riffs that has been 2025 now in the rearviewmirror. At the dying of 2025’s light, all the sailors of the good ship Ghost Cult have come together to cast their votes independently and agenda-free to crown our collective Top 75 albums of year, and ultimately, the overall official Ghost Cult Album of the Year for 2025. To find out more, venture forth, dear reader…
So, read on to find which new beast shall join the roll-call of honour that currently reads: 2013 – Surgical Steel, Carcass, 2014 – The Satanist, Behemoth, 2015 – Meliora, Ghost, 2016 – Magma, Gojira, 2017 – Emperor of Sand, Mastodon, 2018 – Prequelle, Ghost, 2019 – In Cauda Venenum, Opeth, 2020 – Ohms, Deftones, 2021 – In The Court Of The Dragon, Trivium, 2022 – Of Kingdom and Crown, Machine Head, 2023 – Blackbraid II, Blackbraid, 2024 – You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To, Knocked Loose
THE OFFICIAL GHOST CULT TOP 75 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2025
75. Incite – Savage New Times (Reigning Pheonix Music)
74. Cheer-Accident – Admission (SKiN GRAFT Records)
73. The Wildhearts – Satanic Rites of The Wildhearts (Snakefarm Records)
72. Lik – Necro (Metal Blade Records)
71. Hayley Williams – Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party (Post Atlantic)
70. The Night Flight Orchestra – Give Us The Moon (Napalm Records)
69. Ameokama – I Will Be Clouds In The Morning and Rain In The Evening (Self-Released)
68. Helloween – Giants & Monsters (Reigning Pheonix Music)
67. Earl of Hell – Earl of Hell (Copper Feast Records)
66. Battlesnake – Dawn of the Exultants and the Hunt for the Shepherd (Unified Records)
65. Thumos – The Trial of Socrates (Fiadh Productions / Snow Wolf Records)
64. Employed To Serve – Fallen Star (Spinefarm Records)
63. Håndgemeng – Satanic Panic Attack (Ripple Music)
62. Sakna – De Syv Dødssynder (Hypaethral Records)
61. Sunrot – Passages (Prosthetic Records)
60. Ministry – The Squirrely Years Revisited (Cleopatra Records)
59. Ethel Cain – Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You (Daughters of Cain Records)
58. Terzij de Horde – Our Breath Is Not Ours Alone (Church Road Records)
57. Despised Icon – Shadow Work (Nuclear Blast Records)
56. Missing Link – Miracle Smile (Triple B Records)
55. Ghost Bath – Rose Thorn Necklace (Nuclear Blast Records)
54. Mares of Thrace – The Loss (Artoffact Records)
53. Corpse Pile – In The Beginning… (Maggot Stomp Records)
52. Avantasia – Here Be Dragons (Napalm Records)
51. Killswitch Engage – This Consequence (Metal Blade Records)
“Despite being Coroner’s first album in 32 years, there is little effort to ride the coattails of former glories; instead, they have updated their sound to smooth out any of the wrinkles from the eighties to present something very vital.” GC Review
Yngwie J. Malmsteen would love Creeper’s “More is More” approach to their fourth album. More drama, more anthemic, more bombast, and (even) more quality shock rock in this career-defining release.
48. The Halo Effect – March of the Unheard (Nuclear Blast Records)
“Comprised of former members of In Flames, The Halo Effect is a support group for disgruntled ex-employees, with riffs instead of complaining. Stick this one in your basket now” GC Review
Mixing and blending hard rock of the seventies variety with Krautrock, all embellished with flashes of prog, jazz, and psychedelia, across its eight tracks, Axioms retains the band’s trademark retro-style while seeing them push at the wider boundaries.
The seventh journey into the dark, mist-shrouded world of Hexvessel, this crisp blast of atmospheric black metal merges icy riffs, ghostly synths, ambient piano and delicate folk. An album of the night, for the children of the night, laced with beauty and sorrow.
An aggressive ball of groove, angular contemporary riffing, heavy chugs, and thunderous rhythms all serve as a powerful background to Tatiana Shmayluk’s powerful vocals. A cocktail of dissonance and modern progressive metal that has deservedly elevated Jinjer.
The fourth, and most complete and satisfying release, from Finnish epic Black(ened) Metal pagans, this folk-tinged raw and roaring album belts along with chug and bounce, with confidence and heft. Harsh and majestic.
Having pulled themselves out of the trenches and back into the wider mythos of heroes and conquerors from various eras, Sabaton have produced their best album for ten years, with a slew of Power Metal bangers to (steel-clad) boot.
Noise rock with corrosive blackened vocals, sludgey riffs and blasting beats, that also checks into the post-rock motel from time to time, this is a pretty unique beast that flits between aggression and introspection. Intense, challenging, hard and harsh.
Taking the GLOW ON template and pushing their sound, all while adding a little more artistic exploration for good measure, the hooks, grooves, dreamscapes and triumphant alt fuzziness, this is a stomping success.
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The Film draws from Sumac’s more strained, airier moments as well as their more improvisational aspects; the stark, industrial rhythms and chaos are amplified with radio static and washy swells, all amplified by the distinctive vocals.
Maximalism is a choice for New Jersey symphonic deathcore merchants Lorna Shore, who, rather than strip back have doubled-down on the complex, the grandiloquence, and the fucking massive. To great effect.
“Constructed under an unpredictable formula, as the three primary sonic colors being used are Middle Eastern Electronica, Death Metal, and Classical, Amen finds Igorrr continuing to impress.” GC Review
A ritualistic, atmospheric, gothic-doom-meets-introspection journey of blackened ferocity, ambient folk, and haunting darkened music, Gaahl has embraced the cinematic, and found a way to combine the reflective and the destructive.
“Experimental Blackened-Jazz Death Metal can be a little daunting for more casual listeners, so Goldstar slices off any excess fat, bridging the avant-garde… everything is sublime.” GC Review
“It would have been easy for the Melvins to have rested on their laurels; that they haven’t is a testament to their tenacity, and Thunderball helps prove that there’s still plenty of life in the old dogs yet. Outstanding.” GC Review
“This album exceeds expectations and shows they are one of the best new Death Metal bands worthy of carrying the genre forward. It’s hard to imagine a heavier album with better songwriting this year.” GC Review
Heavy Death Metal with more than a nod to the old school, spat out with a contemporary ferocity. Uncompromising and visceral, with tonnes of metallic riffing, all without losing the songwriting. GC Review
“If you are someone who also tries to live their life without the benefits of prescription medication, this album should be taken as a replacement for such drugs handed down by Big Pharma.” GC Review
It’s Mathcore Jim, but not as we know it. For the Callous ones throw in some left-at-the-traffic-light turns headbutting chaos pop, amongst the razor-riffs and unfiltered vocals. Catchy and off-putting.
Beast have taken a steroid-shot of Classic Metal and added classy, accessible HM sheen to their confident Death Metal chuggery. Marrying this to mammoth grooves, this aggressive heft more than brings the swagger.
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Slam Death Metal. Gutteral vocals. Hip-hop samples. Raw Brutality. Absurd groove. Get in, get out, take no prisoners, unsubtle chaosity laced with more smacks to the face than a Will Smith trip to an awards show.
Dark alternative, moody, immersive, and stylish, the Los Angeles duo evoke vintage smoky late-night clubs, atmospheric, and slightly unsettling with an off-kilter beauty.
“Biohazard in 2025 sounds like the perfect extension of their early nineties existence. The only obvious downside is that it took so damn long to materialise. All good things coming to those who wait.” GC Review
Having claimed the GC Album of the Year crown in 2022, a re-constituted Machine Head (sans Vogg of Decapitated) diversified their sound in a way that evoked Burning Red and Catharsis at points, whilst still delivering some massive cuts.
“Revitalised by the homecoming of original frontman Ezra Haynes… Chaos. Progression. Development. Adaptation. Seven albums in, it feels like we’re still only exploring the tip of the iceberg” GC Review
Bands claim to take unique approaches… twisting actual birdsong into devastating industrial doom, ear-shattering vocals, synths, and eerieness carves its own ugly path… a heavy, unsettling, grim hell-scape.
Strides away from Astronoid’s “Dream Thrash” origins, Stargod is more polished, hopeful and anthemic still, all while keeping their trademark angelic vocals and uplifting choruses.
“When it comes to the music of Häxkapell, there are few constraints — with the album blending elements of Death Metal, Folk and Heavy Metal organically and beautifully.” GC Review
Not daunted by their legacy; a deeply personal record full of despair, rage, sludge, noise-rock, Americana, shuddering electronics, and bleak rawness. A tough but rewarding aural and emotional trauma.
“Swans proves they are still capable of taking you on tense, beautiful journeys, recreating the moods that bring them closer to their more classic sounds. Fans have a reason to rejoice.” GC Review
“Nadler continues to fine-tune a sound she has been perfecting for the past nine years, as she succeeds in her continuation in creating ethereal Folk for the twilight hours.” GC Review
“(fits) into no specific genre, and that is on full display on this newest effort. The musicianship on display only adds to the tremendous songwriting that has this feeling of a grand saga playing out” GC Review
“With such a legacy to live up to, Deadguy could have faltered and produced a disappointment. The fact this both measures up to and surpasses past works is remarkable.” GC Review
Compared the expansive Noktvrn and the raw excellence that was the urgent Finisterre, Innern is a more introspective and crafted album, yet to spectacular effect, still maintaining their exceptional standards.
Pushing their post The Valley emotionally heavy mantra, but without abandoning their deathcore heart, Hymn… is an album of contrasts, Balanced and mature, aggressive and dynamic.
“The band’s sophomore album is brutal and ruthless, yet ethereal and mesmerizing… Tsunami Sea makes modern Metalcore its bitch in a way that is sure to leave a tremendous influence on up-and-coming bands.” GC Review
Don’t let the theatrical amateur role-play aesthetic put you off (like it initially did with me), Castle Rat blend classic doom with proto-metal swagger and a touch of psych, without straying into parody, with compelling, groove-laden, confident songs.
Moody, electrified, synth-driven, future-noir, slinking between orchestral grandeur and haunting atmospheres and industrial bursts, the soundtrack far outshines the film it is interwoven with.
“Portentous and ominous, the riffs are massive, the rhythm section a finely tuned machine, and Holmes’s vocals are nothing short of magnificent. Another absolute masterclass in misery.” GC Review
GHOST CULT MAGAZINE TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2025
Even In Arcadia expands Sleep Token’s genre-blending approach, balancing slick pop soundscapes, minimal and orchestral flourishes and metal dynamics. More restrained and polished than its predecessor, the heavy has given way to the grandeur, polarising those who want the Riffs.
“Getting to experience their evolution from a Deathcore band to this amalgamation of Death Metal, Hardcore, Sludge, and Doom has been fascinating and they continue to keep me wondering what is next.” GC Review
“Testament continues to uphold the legacy of quality decades in the making, and finds their brand of thrash rivalling the sonic heft of even today’s death metal bands. The combination of grit and melody was always one of the sonic staples that set these guys apart.” GC Review
If an album could sound like mankind slowly dying of self-inflicted cancer as it’s own skin was melting from having climbed into an acid bath, it would be Observence, a bleak, nihilistic sludge-doom monolith with the occasional glimpse of hope.
“The Spin finds the band embracing their inner prog rock guitar gods, and channeling that energy in a few different directions. Fans of darker-tinged prog-rock that winks in the direction of the nineties without becoming a tribute act to the era, will find plenty to rejoice about here.” GC Review
5. Wardruna – Birna (By Norse Recordings)
“Birna is a beautiful and powerful statement of art. Einar Selvik’s incredible vision is once again fulfilled… The sounds are also ever-cinematic, combining nuances of the ancient times to keep the very heritage of the North intact”. GC Review
“Overall, private music showcases deftones’ versatility and growth in experimenting with noisier/shoegaze instrumentation while incorporating the mix of dark, thrashy, and sultry elements we all know and love”. GC Review
“There’s no telling what the band can or will do next. You can only trust that it’ll be done to a standard that few other bands dare reach, able to bring the sound that they’ve cultivated from the start to a whole new level”. GC Review
“It was only three years ago that the first Blackbraid album took the music world by firestorm, and the gas pedal has not been lifted. Blackbraid III is both a fantastic continuation of the story of Blackbraid and a great place for new listeners to start and work backward”. GC Review
and the GHOST CULT MAGAZINE ALBUM OF THE YEAR 2025 is…
1. Ghost – Skeletá (Loma Vista Recordings)
