That’s a wrap, 2025. This past year gave us ample reason to celebrate, especially if you’re a fan of metalcore or deathcore (or any category of -core, for that matter). Spiritbox and Lorna Shore achieved metal supremacy. Between the Buried and Me, The Acacia Strain, and Deftones discovered the fountain of youth. Then you’ve got Sleep Token, who’s doing numbers we haven’t seen from a metal band in decades.
Among these artists and many others, from the sprightly returns of La Dispute and Motion City Soundtrack to the folk-pop dominance of Ethel Cain and Laura Stevenson, 2025 was yet another excellent year for music. Despite a lot of concerns in the industry regarding the business of streaming services and the soullessness of AI artists, the quality of the tunes is as good as ever. Here are my 40 favorite albums from the past 12 months.
40. Hot Mulligan – The Sound a Body Makes When It’s Still
39. Militarie Gun – God Save the Gun
38. Architects – The Sky, The Earth & All Between
37. A Day to Remember – Big Ole Album, Vol. 1
36. Squid – Cowards
35. FKA twigs – Eusexua
34. Shadow of Intent – Imperium Delirium
33. Lady Gaga – Mayhem
32. Moving Mountains – Pruning of the Lower Limbs
31. Greet Death – Die in Love
30. Big Thief – Double Infinity
29. Dayseeker – Creature in the Black Night
28. Tallah – Primeval: Obsession // Detachment
27. Laura Stevenson – Late Great
26. Coheed & Cambria – The Father of Make Believe
25. Bon Iver – Sable, Fable
24. Dance Myth – The Shapes We Make
23. Hail the Sun – cut. turn. fade. back.
22. Twenty One Pilots – Breach
21. Great Grandpa – Patience, Moonbeam
20. Psycho-Frame – Salvation Laughs in the Face of a Grieving Mother
19. Thrice – Horizons / West
18. The Acacia Strain – You Are Safe from God Here
17. Between the Buried and Me – The Blue Nowhere
16. Alex G – Headlights
15. Wednesday – Bleeds
14. Fit for a King – Lonely God
13. Drain – …Is Your Friend
12. Motion City Soundtrack – The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World
11. Whitechapel – Hymns in Dissonance
10. Greyhaven – Keep It Quiet
9. La Dispute – No One Was Driving the Car
8. Spiritbox – Tsunami Sea
7. Sleep Token – Even in Arcadia
6. Turnstile – Never Enough
5. Ethel Cain – Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You
4. Deftones – Private Music
3. Lorna Shore – I Feel the Everblack Festering Within Me
2. The Callous Daoboys – I Don’t Want to See You in Heaven
The Verbatim 