2025

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    Top albums of 2025

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    Umbrío - Quintaesencia nocturna (2025)

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    Hailing from Chile, today we have a very unique and interesting Atmospheric Black Metal release titled “Quintaesencia nocturna”. Featuring a poignant Black Metal sound with heavy Doom influences, this outfit delivers eight tracks and nearly 40-minutes of hypnotic and ritualistic music with a certain retro edge, and some truly haunting passages. This band has a similar, albeit less theatrical sound that one of our favorite Mexican bands of the 90’s: Argentum, and their captivating Black/Doom Metal.

    After a magical and lush atmospheric opening, “El vacío de una flama bajo el firmamento” kicks off with blistering drumming and punishing riffs. The deep monotone vocals are quite engaging, keeping things very eerie, particularly thanks to the Spanish lyrics that add that extra layer of mystery (to non-Spanish speakers). The harsh vocals are very fitting of the genre, and a solid contribution, but the atmospheric components of the music is what draws the listener’s attention as “Vientos del clamor del pasado” and “Polvo - piedras - silencio” showcase.

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    Martröð - Draumsýnir eldsins (2025)

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    As one of the most brutal and punishing releases of 2025, “Draumsýnir eldsins” comes directly at your throat and never lets go. Featuring four tracks and over 36-minutes of demoralizing Black Metal, this Icelanding/American duo unleash one hell of a blistering sound that is both violent and chaotic. For fans of outfits like Misþyrming, this album took us by surprise as it is quite masterfully crafted and equally vicious, making us listen to it non-stop for several days

    Opening with the blistering dissonance of “Sköpunin”, A.P. and H.V. Lyngdal set a high bar with a seemingly chaotic riffing onslaught that is masterfully flanked by an assortment of different vocal styles, creating a very immersive and demoralizing atmosphere. Particularly with the well planned atmospheric interludes that further elevate the tension and allow the songs to build up momentum, like on the brilliant “Líkaminn”.

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    Lychgate - Precipice (2025)

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    For their first release in over five years, UK’s Lychgate returns with their cavernous and maddening Avant-garde Black/Doom metal, unleashing “Precipice”. Featuring nine tracks and over 45-minutes of truly chaotic and haunting music, the band’s sound is enveloping and this release does feel like falling into a hellish precipice as it descends into total aural annihilation. For the fans of the weird and the bizarre, this release has plenty of magical things to digest.

    The madness immediately starts with the haunting intro, as it sets a chaotic backdrop for “Mausoleum of Steel” to unleash some crafty doomy riffs alongside harrowing vocals, creating a dense and immersive atmosphere. As “Renunciation” and “The Meeting of Orion and Scorpio” roll around, the band delivers some interesting and sultry jazzy passages alongside hearty guitar driven sections that further expand the band’s creativity and reach.

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    Ulver - Neverland (2025)

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    Always an event when the wolves of Ulver return with their signature antics and superbly produced sound. Waiting until the last day of 2025 to unleash “Neverland”, the band continues to expand and explore with their sound, removing all vocals and focusing on creating trippy ambient soundscapes that capture subtleties of other genres like Post-Punk and Synth-pop. For 11-tracks and over forty minutes, the band weaves back and forth between dreamy and ethereal soundspaces, to darker and hypnotic pieces, always being uniquely Ulver and completely enthralling.

    Setting a somber opening mood, “Fear in a Handful of Dust” creates a very ethereal vibe, similar to outfits like Hælos. The exploration of synths/pianos of the sultry “Elephant Trunk” and “Weeping Stone”, takes us back to the band’s “The Assassination of Julius Caesar” sans the vocals, while “People of the Hills” has that funkiness to it of walking into a time machine. Crafty tempo changes and Ambient elements make "They're Coming the Birds” and “Horses of the Plough” be dark and yet quite refreshing, alongside more catchy pieces like “Hark Hark The Dogs Bark”.

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    Burial Gift - MMXXV (2025)

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    Unleashing an explosive and totally awesome EP, today we have North American outfit Burial Gift with their three song debut. With a sound that evokes the likes of Deafheaven, Heretoir, Alcest, etc. and but with a hefty dose of heaviness and rawness, this release makes a statement to keep an eye out for these guys.

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    Enthroned - Ashspawn (2025)

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    After a six year hiatus, the legendary Enthroned is finally back with one of their most hard-hitting releases to date. “Ashspawn” delivers nine tracks and over 50-minutes of demolishing Black Metal. Nornagest and company showcase that the band still has that vicious edge and craft one hell of a ride filled with massive drums, blistering guitars, and a hefty dosage of hellish screams.

    Opening with the pummeling “Crawling Temples”, we get a barrage of riffs alongside pummeling drums and Nornagest’s highly energetic screams. The band’s vicious approach to the genre leaves the listener very little room to breathe as the onslaughts continue with crushing tracks like “Basilisk Triumphant”, “Stillborn Litany”, and the Death-metal-ish album title track and its chugging riffs.

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    Blut Aus Nord - Ethereal Horizons (2025)

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    The wait for one of the year’s most awaited releases is finally over. Blut Aus Nord returns with their epic “Ethereal Horizons”, unleashing over 51-minutes of nightmare inducing Atmospheric Black Metal. Constantly improving and expanding their sound over the years, from their more Industrial days, to their later Avant-garde/Atmospheric Black Metal influences, this release captures the band’s bombastic and yet hellish music in a very piercing and punishing way.

    Opening with the dreamy Atmospherics of “Shadows Breathe First”, we get an hypnotic opening that quickly transitions into intense riffing and nightmarish shrieks paired with ethereal clean vocals, creating a very unique and yet pummeling vibe. The band excels in creating unsettling music as “Seclusion” and “The Ordeal” weave back and forth between crafty drumming, dramatic atmospherics, and engaging tempo changes, keeping the listener engaged and enthralled with the proceedings.

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    Irae - In the Key of Twilight (2025)

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    Portuguese one-man Black Metal battalion Irae returns this November with their latest offering “In the Key of Twilight”. Featuring eight tracks and over 40-minutes of hellish music, this release has that primordial viciousness and rawness of the genre, thanks to crafty atmospherics, fierce shrieks and pummeling riffs. If you are looking for that old-school retro Black Metal sound of the late 90s, this band will bring back some memories.

    Opening with some melodic guitar leads, this album goes on a full-on destruction path with “Apex Predator” and its vicious onslaughts of blistering drums and fierce shrieks. The band’s musical core is very compact and it transitions brilliantly to melodic head-banging sessions thanks to incisive guitars. Featuring plenty of atmospheric elements and moody tempos, tracks like “Key to the Darkest Path”, “Forlorn”, and “There Will Be Wrath”, keep the listener fully engaged thanks to their cavernous vibe.

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    Shores of Null / Convocation - Latitudes of Sorrow (2025)

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    Perfectly arriving for when the days are dark and short, today we have a split release featuring Italian Melodic Death/Doom Metal outfit, Shores of Null, and Finnish Funeral Doom duo Convocation. Splitting almost evenly the duration of this split, we get a nice mixture of more ‘upbeat’ tracks from Shores of Null to then set the backdrop to two long and punishing pieces from Convocation. Definitely a great introduction to two excellent bands for any fan of the genre.

    Opening with “An Easy Way”, Shores of Null unleashes catchy and guitar driven melodies with a nice blend of Melodic Death Metal, clean vocals (similar to old Before the Dawn), and hearty growls. The band’s style creates a very melancholic atmosphere, when combining weeping guitar riffs and very crafty tempos, as on our favorite “The White Wound”. Closing their side with “The Year Without Summer”, we get an excellent bleak atmosphere and plenty of headbanging passages.

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