My Metal Music Musings - 2025 in Review

Chase Gifford
1 day ago
4 min read

2025 is over. Only 3 days into the new year and we’re already being threatened with all out war. So not exactly starting off things on the right foot. So as a true millennial, let’s look back at the last year in music.

As I did last time, ten is five too many so this will be my TOP 5 Full Length Albums of 2025. If there are any EPs I’ll list that separately.

5. ‘Flowers’ by The Devil Wears Prada

‘Flowers’ is a slow revelation. On first listen, it didn’t immediately click, its restraint and atmosphere feeling distant compared to the urgency I expected. But as a longtime fan dating back to ‘Plagues’, it demanded more than a single pass, and with time its depth began to surface. The performances are nuanced and emotionally heavy, trading sheer aggression for texture, melody, and a lingering sense of melancholy. The production is lush and patient, letting songs unfold rather than explode, and that choice ultimately gives the album its staying power. What once felt elusive gradually became comforting and profound, and now ‘Flowers’ stands as one of my favorite albums of 2025.

Highlight tracks: All Out, When You’re Gone, So Low

4. ‘The Sky, the Earth & All Between’ by Architects

‘The Sky, the Earth & All Between’ is quietly stunning. After two records that left me cold and convinced my time as an Architects fan might be over, this album arrives with a sense of purpose and emotional clarity that feels almost restorative. The performances are expansive yet restrained, balancing crushing heaviness with soaring melody in a way that feels earned rather than calculated. The production is immense but intimate, giving space for reflection while still delivering moments of undeniable power. There’s a maturity here—an understanding of loss, resilience, and scale—that reconnects the band to what once made them feel vital. I didn’t expect to feel this way again, but this record renewed my love for Architects completely.

Highlight tracks: Blackhole, Seeing Red, Chandelier, Evil Eyes

3. ‘Tragedy of The Commons’ by Great American Ghost

‘Tragedy of the Commons’ is overwhelming in the best way possible. For an album rooted in hardcore and metalcore, it carries an immense emotional and ideological weight, spiraling through rage, despair, and bleak self-awareness with relentless momentum. The performances are ferocious, with Great American Ghost channeling precision and chaos into moments that feel both meticulously crafted and barely contained. The production has a cold, industrial grit that amplifies the suffocating atmosphere, making every breakdown and sample feel heavier than the last. But this is an album deeply aware of human cruelty and systemic rot, and that unflinching honesty can be exhausting, even punishing. All of it comes together as a cohesive, crushing statement—small moments of personal anguish expanded into something vast and confrontational. I expected intensity, but it delivers something far more harrowing.

Highlight tracks: Kerosene, Forsaken, Hymn of Decay

2. ‘Shadow Work’ by Despised Icon

‘Shadow Work’ is relentless. For an album emerging from a band with nothing left to prove, it somehow feels urgent, punishing, and meticulously refined all at once. The performances are surgically tight, with Despised Icon balancing technical deathcore brutality and hardcore ferocity in a way that feels both disciplined and unhinged. The production is massive and clear, giving every blast, breakdown, and guttural its own crushing presence while never sacrificing momentum. But this is a record steeped in confrontation—of the self, of violence, of consequence—and that intensity can feel overwhelming by design. Taken as a whole, ‘Shadow Work’ transforms controlled aggression into something monumental. I hoped for a strong return, and it delivered with absolute force.

Highlight tracks: Over My Dead Body, Reaper, Omen of Misfortune

1. ‘Clockworked’ by Stray from the Path

‘Clockworked’ is incendiary and deeply affecting. For an album fueled by rage and urgency, it carries the weight of a farewell, turning Stray from the Path’s trademark fury into something sharper and more reflective. The performances are as explosive as ever—grooves snapping, vocals spitting venom—but there’s a clarity here that makes every message hit harder. The production is lean and confrontational, amplifying the tension between outrage and resolve, between burning it all down and saying goodbye. Knowing this is their final statement gives the album a bittersweet gravity, as if every riff and refrain is aware of its own finality. It’s an uncompromising send-off—angry, honest, and quietly devastating. It is my favorite full length of 2025.

Goodbye, Stray. It was great while it lasted. Thanks for everything. 2001 - 2025

Highlight tracks: F**k Them All to Hell, A Life in Four Chapters, Kubrick Stare

Ep - ‘Time is Violence’ by VANNA

‘Time Is Violence’ feels like a homecoming. After Vanna disbanded in 2017 and later resurfaced as Inspirit with their original lineup, the road back to this name felt uncertain, almost symbolic. Now, returning as Vanna, this EP carries the fire, urgency, and emotional volatility that defined them in the first place. The performances are raw and impassioned, tapping into the chaotic energy and sincerity that longtime fans never let go of. There’s a sense of renewal here—not nostalgia for its own sake, but a rekindling of purpose. It’s a return to form that feels earned and triumphant, and more than anything, it gives fans a reason to celebrate: Vanna is back.

I tend to usually shake up the genres that I listen to. While I did listen to some rap and pop music, nothing new really caught my ear in 2025. So metal it remains. What are your favorites of 2025? Let me know.