I had been thinking for a while about creating another online space, beyond Framescape where I write about films, Current Readings for books and comics, and Pixel Tracking for videogames, but due to various obligations I kept postponing it.
So we have reached the last month of the year, and as always, for many years now, I prepare a list of my favourite albums I listened to that year. Once I simply wrote them down in a notebook, later I recorded them as a podcast, and now I write them as text so that anyone who wants to listen to something relevant, and happens to be out of ideas for any reason, has a few options available.
Of course this act in itself carries another meaning. Texts have a distinct power, they last through time more than anything else, especially handwritten ones, without implying that anyone who chooses to communicate what they enjoy in any other way creates something of lesser importance or value.
Especially when it comes to music, and even more so Metal music, on which this list is based, the whole process is significant to me because it works as a reminder of an entire year. At any moment in the future, I can return to it, look at it, and recall what I was listening to back then, whether any of it still resonates with my present, and many more things that are not relevant at the moment.
In any case, beyond the five albums and bands you will see below, I will also include a few additional ones, the so-called honorary mentions. A top five is nice, but never enough.
There is no ranking order except for number one, so with further ado let’s move to number 5.
Name: Filth
Album: Time to Rot
Released: July 18
From Sweden, Filth presented their debut this year, running for almost half an hour, which for my personal taste is one of the ideal lengths. This does not mean that longer works are not worthwhile. The nature of each work dictates how much time it needs to fulfill its purpose. In heavy music especially, shorter durations work excellently for me because most of the time they feel like a shot of power in my veins. Sonically they walk old-school paths, although from the production and the way ideas develop, you can tell it is fresh and modern. Mostly mid-tempo, with groove and a general sense of decay and rot, exactly as the cover art suggests. Many riffs and a dark atmosphere make the whole effort tight and mature even though, as I said, it is the beginning of what I hope will be a long career. Thematically it leans toward horror motifs, somewhere between nightmare and supernatural overtones.
https://mesacounojo.bandcamp.com/album/time-to-rot
Number 4
Name: Sargeist
Album: Flame Within Flame
Released: May 28
Sargeist are veterans, active since the distant 1999 and hailing from cold Finland, something reflected in their music. You feel the cold covering you each time you put a record on. These melodic lines, captured as they are, work like an elixir for all the burdens of daily life, and music, most of the time, is the only help we truly have. It is slightly paradoxical because cold usually brings discomfort, but not in this case. When Black Metal takes control of your mood, it becomes catharsis, it drags you into its world and offers you the strength you need to live better. A recent discovery for me, after a recommendation by Fanis from the excellent record store Metal Throne in Aigaleo, and I thank him deeply for several more bands as well. The album is built on an occult foundation, hence the use of fire as a symbol that arrives to purify and transform each circumstance. It is, if you will, a musical ritual in the night, when snow has shaped the landscape into a vast uniform white. The key words for this magical album are red, white, black and melancholy. Flame Within Flame is an existential experience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbZB0wOqlPg&t=1220s
Number 3
Name: Coroner
Album: Dissonance Theory
Released: October 17
It is the album I have listened to the least among those on this list, yet the reason it is included, and in this position no less, is its quality and significance. Naturally it goes without saying that I like it very much, and that I consider it a remarkable artistic creation which connects the past with the present and possibly the future. Why fewer listens? Because in recent months I have been leaning toward more extreme sounds, but there is always room in my heart for bands like Coroner, who stimulate the imagination through their unbelievably technical, intricate, intoxicating and progressive compositions. It may be my impression, but on a conceptual level—without a direct reference—it gave me the sense that it deals with identity, with how a person perceives themselves within society, with the conflict that arises, similar to Camus’ The Stranger. Thus we encounter dissonances, internal and external, a mismatch between desire and ability, or rather what is allowed, under the shadow of a technocratic order that is imposed and from which you cannot easily detach yourself, a pressure created by oversaturation. Classic Coroner, aiming at so many themes and delivering a musical world that challenges you to explore it.
https://coronerofficial.bandcamp.com/album/dissonance-theory-24-bit-hd-audio
Number 2
Name: One of Nine
Album: Iron Shadow
Released: October 31
Second album for the Americans who move through melodic Black Metal paths across epic landscapes, specifically within Tolkien’s universe, Middle-earth. I could not imagine a better gift to close the year than this work. I do not even know how many times I have listened to it, even in hours when the only sound I could handle was something Bestial. Something in it calls me, and the moment I hit play I listen to it in one breath. It is the aesthetic approach, the dungeon synth passages, the triumphant bursts, the fact that it deals with the lures of Melkor or Morgoth, the Silmarils. In any case, Iron Shadow is a delight, and I feel very fortunate to have discovered it. I wonder when, and if, my beloved Summoning will ever release something again.
https://oneofnine.bandcamp.com/album/dawn-of-the-iron-shadow
Number 1
Name: Chainsword
Album: Chapter XII
Released: May 6
The album that took the top spot from Iron Shadow because for some years now Warhammer 40K has dominated everything related to my engagement with literature, as I do not even know how many related books I read each year. This alone does not allow me to act otherwise than placing Chapter XII by the Polish band at the top of my list. It is also a relentless Death Metal record in the tradition of Bolt Thrower. So I have in my hands nearly thirty minutes of a musical storm dealing with one of the Chaos Gods, specifically Khorne, also known as the Lord of Rage, the Blood God and many other names which make it clear he is not exactly the kindest figure, not that the others around him are much different. To be fair, the album is not entirely dedicated to Warhammer, but judging from the cover, one quickly understands that the lion’s share of devotion has been offered to that altar. Compositionally it points to the 90s, especially when it slows down, with deep and excellently mixed vocals completing the destruction unleashed by the instruments. There is, however, a track toward the end, I will not tell you which, that escalates things even further. A completely recent and entirely accidental discovery, as it appeared before me while listening to something else online. I tried it and I declare myself a loyal follower from now on.
https://chainsword.bandcamp.com/album/chapter-xii
These were my five favourite Metal albums of 2025. Below are a few more as references, all of which are absolutely worth your time.
Divinum Sanguinem by Ildaruni
All Powers of Darkness by Medieval Demon
Children of Eve by Nightfall
Those Who Dwell Beyond by Zaratus
Violation.Strife.Abominate by Revenge
And something last regarding this blog since this is the first post.
I will not feature only Metal releases here. I will make sure to include creations from across the full spectrum of what I consider the most important human art: music. Depending on the period and my mood. I hope you found something interesting.
See you in the next text.
If you truly love music do not rely solely on streaming. Whenever your finances allow it, give your contribution and purchase an album.
It matters.
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