A Brief Review of Our Favorites | The Most Notable Albums of 2025
This is another one of those “ downer” end-of-year articles, typical of December 31. And we’re surely not the only ones choosing the best albums of 2025 within the White Metal scene. So let’s hope we don’t die trying, although it should be clarified that the idea is not to be definitive, we are only going to say what we liked most in terms of albums in 2025, our opinion remaining just that, an opinion, and nothing more. Another thing: we are sticking to what came into our hands in physical format and no, we are not going to make a ranking, even if it seems like we are. This isn’t a competition. We’re just highlighting what we think was the most relevant of the year.
Without a doubt, for us, the level Wytch Hazel has reached is incredible. “V – Lamentations” is like light filtering through the darkness, and no, we’re not exaggerating. If there is such a thing as a perfect album, Wytch Hazel’s latest work comes pretty close, and we clearly found it to be one of the most interesting of the year. For its sound, its songs, its overall concept, etc., Wytch Hazel is at the top of our list. Maybe we’re exaggerating, but there’s no doubt that “V – Lamentations” is, for us, the best of the year without a doubt.
Bride is incredible. The band formed by brothers Dale and Troy Thompson is not resting on its laurels, but continues to compose, propose, and release interesting material. Let’s be clear, while they don’t ignore their history as a band, Bride does not live in the past. After several strange experiments in the past, it is clear that Bride has decided in recent years to follow a defined line, but even within those parameters, they are capable of releasing an album (a double album!) like “Vipers And Shadows,” one of those things that deserves attention. For us, it was another of the highlights of the year.
They cannot go unnoticed. Not for us, at least. Sorry to insist on Monograf, but the band led by Erik Normann Sannes-Aanonsen (bassist for Antestor) offers something different. Sounds and compositions framed in the “Post-Rock” genre but with a dark, extreme and, above all, original and interesting take. “Occultation,” their latest album, has what it takes to be considered for this list. The proposal itself defies any limits and takes us to unusual places, expanding musical and compositional horizons, combining elements of progressive, dark ambient, extreme, doom, and perhaps gothic music in a fine mixture that elevates the musical above the lyrical. Occultation took us away from “the same old thing” and offered us something different, but with truly incredible quality. It has earned its place on our list.
If we’re talking about Heavy Metal, then yes, Reign Of Glory’s album “Slingshot” occupies a special place on our list. “Slingshot” evokes the good old days of traditional Metal with a modern sound, striking a balance between pure nostalgia and enough imagination to offer something original with its own unique style, enhancing its sound with different musicians with a wealth of experience. The result is devastating, and with Mark Boals on vocals, Nick Layton on guitar, Jeffrey McCormack on drums, and Roger Dale Martin on bass, Reign Of Glory is another gem of 2025 that is coming to an end. Tremendous album. Explosive, powerful, and Metal!
Should we add Demon Hunter to the list? Let’s be impartial. It’s not a band we love, but we have to be fair. “There Was A Light Here” is a great album, within the parameters of Demon Hunter’s style. Clinging for several years to that kind of metalcore with clean and occasionally guttural vocals, the guys from DM managed to capture in “There Was A Light Here” a work that is very well crafted in terms of aesthetics, concept, and sound, and they demonstrated why they continue to be one of the mainstays of the genre, particularly when it comes to Christian content. It can only be described as impeccable.
One of the albums that pleasantly surprised us, even though it’s only an EP, is Fear Not. The legendary American hard rock band returned to the fray and released “Weight Of The World.” With just five songs to its credit, this new work navigates the waters of hard rock, reminiscent of southern rock and with a strong emphasis on guitars, which sound loud and dominant in each of the tracks included. A spearhead for a full-length album (or as they used to say, an LP), “Weight Of The World” surprises everyone, giving a twist to the style with which Fear Not made a name for themselves back in the early ’90s. That’s why, for its simplicity, strong guitars, and good songs, “Weight Of The World” deserves a place on this list.
And speaking of EPs, we can’t fail to mention “Iron Age,” with which Primal, the band led by Alberto Zamarbide, Glenn Rogers, Jorge Iacobellis, and Cesar Ceregatti, brought together the best of their first album and “Humachine,” introducing two new tracks: “Iron Age” and “Mirror,” with which Primal remains a top-tier band worth paying attention to. The mix of traditional heavy metal and thrash metal reaches new heights here. “Iron Age” confirms that Primal is the real deal, which is why we’ve included this work in this list.
And what can we say about “Burn Baby Burn”? The new album from Alan Zaring’s project, The World Will Burn, sweeps away any preconceptions and musical labels that claim to be such. Hard rock, 90s alternative, grunge, groove, and some stoner rock are the ingredients of The World Will Burn, all decorated with the unmistakable voice of Dale Thompson from Bride. “Burn Baby Burn” could easily win the award for the most daring album of the year. That explains why The World Will Burn goes beyond the limitations of genre and style. One of the most interesting albums of 2025.
From Brazil comes No More Death, old-school thrash metal embodied by Tiago Torres, an old warrior of the scene and former Mad Dragzter member. The album “The Death Is Dead” is making noise, and promises to make even more noise since it will soon be officially released by the well-known label Roxx Records. In an even and explosive album, No More Death shows us the most visceral and warrior side of true thrash metal, which has been left so far behind in time and which Tiago Torres, with this new project, proposes we remember and enjoy again, of course.
And since we’re talking about Thrash Metal and the Roxx Records label, we can’t fail to mention Martyr, an old cult band that this year saw the release of an album, “Once Upon A Tale,” which rescues this band from ostracism and compiles several demos that the band made in the early ’90s. With this, we begin to talk about what are strictly reissues, among which we can mention as highlights “Inhabit,” that old Living Sacrifice album that recently became available again in physical format, with a new cover, remastering, and the opportunity to get your hands on a key piece of the band’s history.
Then we have two emblematic cases, the yin and the yang. Both Signum Regis and War Of Ages decided to release two reissues of two emblematic albums for both of them: “The Eyes Of Power” and “Eternal,” respectively. In both cases, the proposal involved re-recording the original material, with Signum Regis winning in this case, in our opinion. War Of Ages was frankly unnecessary in our view, but we mention it in passing.
There were many more albums to highlight, as well as others that we didn’t really like very much or that didn’t catch our attention. The idea was to review the highlights. However, we would like to clarify something. There are two albums that were left off this list for specific reasons. Both Stryper, Germán Pascual, and Worldview, with their last works, are left out because at the time of writing, they have not yet reached us, so we will surely consider them next year. Such are the vagaries of the postal service in these latitudes at the end of the world.
Here’s to a 2026 with much more metal, more steel, and above all, strength and faith to face what lies ahead. May God and metal be with you throughout the year that is about to begin. God willing, we’ll be here, annoying you, informing you, commenting, and above all, fighting the good fight as always!!!!! Stay Heavy!!!!
