Bobo Dupla’s Favorite Albums of 2025

Danes Sewer Haul, who already impressed me last year with their demo Emetic Fluid Transaction, released a new EP in 2025 called Torso Mangled Beyond Repair. It should be clear to everyone just based on the album name, that they continue in their "hardgore" style and produced another rotting slab of filthy and grimy death metal which borders on goregrind. You can feel your brain fluids leave your body as you listen to this, but it is so much fun and well worth it!

I gushed over Besna in my review already and that still stands. This post metal gem from my home country of Slovakia is one of the most inventive takes on the genre so far. Besna's bleak lyrics paired with the beautiful music create a detailed tapestry of our world. Krásno is a masterpiece of songwriting and will remain a staple in my non-death metal playlist.

I'm going to be honest — sometimes I don't know the difference between war metal and black/death. So for the sake of war metal, and because it is in dire need of variety, I am going to consider Demon Sluice a war metal band. And it brings so much to the genre! There is the dark aggression we all know, but also intricate guitar work intertwined with almost psychedelic motifs. This is a very inventive record that's always here for me in case I crave something "different".

Crossover albums rarely do anything for me these days. They are often edgy or just conveying a political message, but that's it. No fun in the music. Stress Test brought back the fucking danger fun in crossover. The songs are punchy, energetic and induce tremendous levels of head banging right from the start. Not to mention that the band compressed all of this into a sub-20 minutes album which is always a plus. Can't wait for more from them.

Death metal is one of the most recycled genres out there and bands really need to bring something more to stand out these days. Poles Toughness brought their Demilich, Atvm and Adramelech CDs with them, because their music is strongly reminiscent of these greats of weirdo death metal. Not only does Black Respite of Oblivion stand out as a death metal record, it is obviously being performed by people who know what they are doing. Superb instrumental prowess is mixed spectacularly with proggish death metal to create an interesting sonic experience.

Last year saw a technical brutal death metal band top my overall list. Kakothanasy play very similar vein of tech-BDM than Defeated Sanity but with much, much longer song names. I wish I would return to this record more often, after all it must be good if it's on the list. But it is a bit harder to stomach than Chronicles of Lunacy which makes it more a "special occasion" entry. Still, Metagonism is brilliant entry into the overcomplicated brutal kind of metal and will definitely be a regular in my album rotation.

There must be something about Denmark and the appetite for death metal specifically, among its citizens. How can they have so many metal bands and also maintain quality every year? Phrenelith are no rookies, Ashen Womb is already their 3rd full-length, and it is the most mature one. It is still a murky, crushing record, but this time with more finesse than before. Phrenelith know how to bring out the grime from within the very depths of the Earth and translate it into a sophisticated, yet classic sounding death metal.

I don't picture Costa Rica when I think about violently sounding death metal. Yet, Mortual put the country on the metal map with their album Altar of Brutality this year. This album does not wait for anything, it is a non-stop pummeling of the finest art, catchy and aggressive. It does not cover any new grounds, but the execution is so well done, it begs for a spot on my year-end list.

Phil Tougas is one of the best recent multi-instrumentalists working in extreme metal. The master of guitar wank (positive) is known for many bands, but his latest project—Zeicrydeus—is a "bass first" homage to the old Hellenic black metal acts such as Rotting Christ or Varathron, but will also please any fan of traditional heavy metal as it blends these two genres into a remarkable album.

These Finns packed the best speed adjacent album into a punk package and sent it. In almost 20 minutes I got one of the best speed and punk albums this year. It's fun, it's fast, it's not serious. Rarely do such concepts work without being tiresome after several relistens, but Speed Days never seem to fall flat.

A seasoned metalhead most probably came into contact with Blut aus Nord. Their variety in realms of atmospheric, melodic, and avant-garde black metal is quite famous. With Ethereal Horizons the band are returning to the melodic roots of one of their best albums - Hallucinogen. Full of psychedelic and ambient passages, the latest album picks up where the band left off in 2019. It is a much better direction than the previous effort and really shows the band's true strength.

Melodic death/doom is often just sadboi nonsense for perpetually depressed folks. Heteropsy add some HM2 grit to it and don't indulge in sadness that much, rather they focus on melody and delivery. Embalming is a powerful album with great writing, elevating melodic death/doom to a better place. This really is Dismember but sad. The choice of a typical Swedish death metal sound from a Japanese band for a melodic death/doom album works very well. Who knew that buzzsaw works so well with sadness?

Now this is a whirlwind of an album. Insane tempo and insane performance, all tightly packed into 25 minutes of glorious grind. Ethereal Emanations from Cthonic Caries has been recorded all the way back in 2017, but never released. It has been remixed and mastered in 2024 and finally released upon us humans in 2025. Abraded know what they are doing and this album just proves that this kind of sick music has its place in the metal pantheon.

The attack of the PONG. This is how I would characterize Sulfuric Cautery's brand of goregrind. They already proved their mastery in 2023 with Suffocating Feats of Dehumanization which was a brilliant album and 2025's Killing Spree only cements that fact. This blistering fast, gory splash of music attacks with such ferocity it leaves me speechless every time I listen to it. It never bores me, it doesn't overstay, it simply delivers a frantic experience and leaves. Sulfuric Cautery are quickly becoming my favorite goregrind act and they underlined their status in my list with the fact they also released a second LP (and a split) in 2025, one more geared towards brutal death, but still gory—Consummate Extirpation.

Garry Brents, the brain behind Sallow Moth was involved in so much music in 2025, he would be the most represented musician if I would publish a full TOP50. Mossbane Lantern is a proper weirdo death metal album. Vicious, gurgling vocals are added to the cocktail of technical death metal, gore, psychedelia, and grotesque jazzyness. All these ingredients create an extreme goulash of genres, a goulash I cannot stop eating.

"Oh! This is nasty! This is grimy!" Those were my exact words, when I first heard Ossuary's Abhorrent Worship. This sonic onslaught is a celebration of violent music, the kind of metal that causes harm and then salts your wounds for extra spiciness. The band conjured an album so bleak it turns a sunny day into an other-wordly nightmare. Abhorrent Worship is one of two female-fronted extreme metal entries on my list, and I must say we really need more of this in the metal scene.

When a band release album after album each year I get suspicious. Not many acts can maintain quality with such fast release cycle. Veilburner seem to have it all figured out. Last year's The Duality of Decapitation and Wisdom was a solid entry into their weird discography, but this year's Longing for Triumph, Reeking of Tragedy is a step above. It has more catchy melodies while it retains the signature Veilburner weirdness. At some points the album feels like melodic black/death, but then it quickly evolves into a proggy affair. It still is as quirky as all the other Veilburner records, but it also brings some fresh concepts into the picture and makes this the band's most approachable album so far.

I never actually planned on listening to Battle Beast. Like, never. It is a genre of metal I actively avoid most of the time, and I only listened to this album to prove some Discord people wrong. And it turned out to be some of the most fun time of 2025. I don't know if I just need a proper palate cleanser for all the music I listen to, or if my heart sometimes really longs after some cheesy music, but one is clear—Steelbound is excellent. It's fun, it's melodramatic, it's over the top, it's fucking catchy! Definitely a curveball in my 2025 list.

2025 was not the year of black metal. At least not for me. Innern by Der Weg einer Freiheit is an exception. It is not just a black metal album, it is a deep journey into my soul. It is bleak and beautiful at the same time. It is vicious and calm. It is emotional and cold. Innern is my favorite DWeF release to this date and already a trusted companion for when the times are not so great.

I am not the one to talk to when it comes to music related terms. I don't make any music, nor do I understand any technicalities behind the process. After all, I am a bear and bears are famous for stealing your picnick baskets and not composing music. But when it comes to ByoNoiseGenerator even I know that whatever is going on here, is not normal. Somebody just kidnapped a grindcore band, a saxophonist, put them all into a giant washing machine set to the maximum RPMs, then threw that washing machine down a very long staircase, all while recording the cacophonous outcome. And it worked! Subnormal Dives is one of those "crazy enough, but still palatable" albums that just stands out in the crowd, like an old-school punk at a Backstreet Boys concert, and people would talk about it for years to come.

Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration was one of the few 2025 albums I eagerly anticipated. Hooded Menace have quickly became one of my favorite bands, especially after their last two releases which cemented them as death/doom royalty. Slow and heavy death/doom laced with generous amounts of heavy metal riffs can only mean fun times. Hooded Menace added more of the trad elements and shifted also a bit into early Paradise Lost territory with their newest LP. It is still the old and great Hooded Menace but with a prettier face this time. I am still getting loads of crushing death/doom and fantastic guitar licks and solos, and it makes me happy. Plus they recorded what is the best cover of this year. Yes, "Save a Prayer", the Duran Duran cover, is a brilliant idea executed flawlessly. And the video accompanying the track is hilarious.

I've stumbled upon Kandarivas on one of the many obscure sites I visit. Japanese grind is always special and most of the time also really good. The problem with a lot of Japanese bands is that they absolutely refuse to market their music outside their islands. And Kandarivas are not different in this regard. Rhythms of Obliteration is only to be had in physical formats, delivered from Japan. Ugh. Anyway, this is some great, powerful and fun grindcore! The band utilize the traditional Wadaiko drum in their music and what a great addition that is. It's a fresh take on annihilating grindcore which won't bore anyone even after multiple listens. Good luck finding it, though.

Many tech-death fans died a little when Spawn of Possession split up in 2017. Four former members took the name of the planned fourth LP and named their new band Retromorphosis. This year we finally saw what they have been up to. Psalmus Mortis is a continuation of Spawn's sound and style, and it is damn good. Gurgling vocals combined with fast and precise guitar work create a dynamic soundscape of murder and darkness. There is an ever-present synth background on this record, which adds a hint of tension into an already sharp sound. Psalmus Mortis is my favorite tech-death albums of the year, partly because it is simply very good, but also because it had almost no competition.

When it comes to death/doom, I am always cautious. I don't like the sad, meandering kind. I, however, adore the filthy, cavernous kind. Rothadás, luckily, are the second kind. Töviskert is a death/doom like none other. Not only is it slow and crushing, it is also fast and pummeling. Often within the same track. Rothadás are no strangers to good hooks, and they are not afraid to show it. The music is dark and ominous, and it drags you in with powerful guitars and masterful vocals by the band's drummer. There are great atmospheric additions throughout the album which are then topped by a grandiose closer with one of the best chants usage in recent years.

Many people know me for being an absolute Autopsy stan. And I am always on the lookout for bands that remind me of them. Morbific fit that description with their neanderthal style of death metal, that beats your temple with a club until you submit to it. Bloom of the Abnormal Flesh is a groovy slab of wet, gloopy death metal that just makes me happy every time I press play. These Finns know how to play mid-paced death metal, and they know you need killer riffs and rhythms to make it work.

Pure death metal needs riffs. Very good riffs. Otherwise, it does nothing for this hungry bear. Hedonist brought the best pure, OSDM riffs of this year in Scapulimancy. Not only does this album inject me with so much energy I could survive without caffeine, it also pays hommage to greats like Bolt Thrower with its relentless groove and heaviness. Another great surprise is the fact that Hedonist are a female fronted death metal band. And what a vocal performance this is! Not only is it the best female vocal performance of this year for me, it tops most other death metal bands as well. It's angry, grimy, dark, and energetic. Overall a great combination of superb attributes packed into a furious album.

Mixing genres is nothing new in the metal world. Mixing death metal with post punk, however, is unusual. The Swedes Floating approach their music from both sides of these genres at once. And they took the best parts of both worlds to create a unique listening experience. Hesitating Lights pops with a great bass sound, light guitar tunes and classic, distorted death metal riffage that seeps through the album. The mixture is done flawlessly, and neither style detracts from the other. This is one of my most treasured discoveries of this year and a constant part of my album rotation.

Messa's fourth LP wasn't an instant hit with me. I adore this band and so far liked every album they released. The Spin takes Messa further away from the doom metal waters and closer into the goth rock waters and yet, I cannot complain, even though I was a bit reserved about this direction upon hearing it for the first time. They never settled on a singular style and The Spin is a testament to that. The siren voice pulls me again and again towards this album, complemented by the great guitar work which is more bluesy and more cocky (positive) than ever. "The Dress" includes a great vocal performance, a goose bumps inducing solo and wonderful muted trumpet is most probably my Song of the Year as well. Messa are masters in creating catchy, approachable, and beautiful albums which never get old.

My introduction to Lychgate happened only shortly before the release of their latest album. And boy, did I miss out big time on a great band! The spooky, avant-garde, and dark atmosphere this band can create is beautiful. Precipice continues in the same vein and is filled with to the brim with little, intricate details and gentle bits. Until the true, dark and twisted face of Lychgate gets involved, creating a splendid mixture of beautifully arranged organ and piano parts with an unconventional take on the dark extreme metal. Precipice is both beautiful and haunting record, combining great avant-garde work with a keys-forward metal.

I can't even remember the last time I liked any metal record with the tag 'symphonic'. These albums are often quite bombastic and the symphonic elements often overpower the metal parts. In other words, it is frequently cheesy and used as a filler sound. Qrixkuor's approach is completely different. The symphonic elements are here to provide a sense of dread and horror while being smartly intertwined with the band's signature blend of psychedelic blackened death metal. The Womb of the Worlds is not an album where you pick your favorite song. Neither is it an album for easy listening while working. It demands attention. The layers of the phantasmagorical music run deep and with each subsequent listen there are new depths of unreal music to be discovered. It is a masterpiece, an album of such magnificence it will be adored by me for many years to come.