I’ve I’m being perfectly honest, 2025 has not been the best year for me. The world has frequently felt coldhearted, angry, & bleak. HOWEVER, it has been an EXCELLENT year for music, so much so that I don’t think I can choose ONE top album for the year. Trust me, I have tried! I have waffled between at least four of these but can never land on any one of them because they are all so damn good. In any case, I’d say that’s a good problem to have. So without further ado & in particular order, here are my choices for the best albums of 2025. Yes, these are all rock/metal. Sorry- not sorry!

• Violent Nature by I Prevail: Oh man, where to start with this one? I have probably listened to this album straight through more than any other album this year. So maybe it does deserve to be my top choice. In any case, like many fans, I wasn’t sure what to expect when Brian, the former clean vocalist, left the group earlier this year. Initially I feared that the band was doomed. Thankfully my fears proved to be completely unfounded as the band released this album which is, in my opinion, their best work to date. From the creepy sound of opener Synthetic Soul to heavy hitters such as Violent Nature (the first single) & God, this is an album you simply cannot afford to miss. It’s also an album that truly deserves to be listened to from top to bottom. You can’t fully appreciate all the highs & lows if you just listen to the singles here & there. The most surprising track on the album is the incredibly gorgeous acoustic piece Crimson & Clover. Lyrically it’s a tearjerker & musically it proves that Eric has a much more versatile voice than we previously knew. I for one cannot wait to hear some of these songs live next year. (I’ll be seeing them in March.)

• Set It Off by Set It Off: Last year I included a number of the songs from this album under my best EPs for 2024 because I wasn’t sure if the band was going to release a true EP or album, but I loved so many of them that I felt like I had to recognize them somehow. As it turns out, the guys were able to release their first album as an independent band this year, & it is absolutely brilliant. My favorite of the non singles is Worst Case Scenarios which I had the pleasure of hearing live a few weeks ago when I saw the band on the final night of their self-titled headlining tour. Other favorites include Punching Bag, the song that started it all for me with this band (when it hit Octane); Evil People; Fake Ass Friends; & Creating Monsters. The latter features a reference to the classic swing song It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing with Cody playing his clarinet. The band found a way to marry jazz & metal, & it’s absolutely as chaotic & amazing as you’d expect. Another beautiful thing about this album is that it has encouraged me to check out some of the band’s older work. I’ve now listened to all of Duality from 2014 & am obsessed with that album too. It’s also really fun to see how the band has evolved over the years, especially since the guys are the same age as I am.

• Everest by Halestorm: It’s a fact as plain as the sky is blue that Halestorm has never released a bad album, but this one just might be their best yet. The band is wearing their 80s influences on their sleeves here, & I for am am here for it. Don’t miss the bluesy vocals & guitar solo on Like A Woman Can (which also has an excellent video) or the gorgeous ballad Darkness Always Wins. I was lucky enough to see Halestorm live this summer (for the sixth time) so I got to hear almost half this album live before it actually debuted, including songs like Watch Out & Fallen Star. The title track Everest is another stunner. Oh yeah, did I mention the album artwork? It’s easily my favorite for the year.

• The Sky, the Earth, & All Between by Architects: I am seriously late to the game with Architects as I only got into them when Seeing Red came out last year. As it turned out that was just one of many stellar tracks from this, their 11th album. I especially love the way the album starts off with Elegy, coming in like a ballad but then becoming incredibly heavy. And if that isn’t heavy enough for you it’s immediately followed by two serious bangers in Whiplash & Blackhole. Yep, now I know why so many of my favorite bands list Architects as such a massive influence/inspiration.

• Antifragile by All That Remains: Vocalist Phil Labonte & I might not agree on politics much these days, but I’ll always love his music. We didn’t know it at the time but this was the final ATR record featuring Jason Richardson on lead guitar, & let’s just say he definitely went out with a bang. If you’re looking for a good gym album, look no further. From Divine to Kerosene to Forever Cold to many more, there isn’t a bad track here, just banger after banger after banger.

• The Place After This One by Underoath: Ok, I am SUPER late to the game with this band (20 years!) but hey, better late than never, right? I got intrigued by this album when I All the Love Is Gone kept popping up on Octane. With the almost Motionless In White style intro to the infectious chorus, I knew I had to give this album a further listen. Starting off with Generation No Surrender, this album just never lets up- nor lets you down. Survivor’s Guilt is an incredibly catchy song that sounds quite upbeat but was actually inspired by vocalist Spencer Chamberlain’s guilt over surviving his own drug addiction when so many of his friends didn’t. This is another great gym album but perhaps my favorite thing about this album is just the fact that it led me to the band itself. I have spent hours & hour listening to podcasts with Spencer, Aaron Gillespie, & Tim McTague this year, & it has been so incredibly validating for me to hear their life stories & experiences, particularly with religion. I have so much in common with these guys that sometimes hearing them tell their stories feels like hearing someone tell my own. I know that must sound crazy because I am not a rock star, nor even a man, but it’s true all the same.

• This Consequence by Killswitch Engage: I got into this album after hearing I Believe & The Fall of Us on both Octane & Liquid Metal. I Believe feels like an especially important song in the dark political climate we’re facing these days. Like the previous two choices, this is another fantastic gym album filled with loads of fun guitar work.

• New Addiction by The Haunt: I was lucky enough to discover The Haunt several years ago when I saw them open for The Hu. I had never even heard of them before that night but they won me over immediately. This is a brother & sister band out of Florida who are very young but very talented. Lead vocalist Anastasia might be small but her voice is BIG. There isn’t a bad song here but my favorites are Claws, Teeth, & Dead 2 Me. My only complaint is that every song is 3 minutes or less. I’d love to see the band extend some of these pieces a bit. Having said that, I’ve still listened to this album from top to bottom many, many times so clearly it’s not a huge problem.

• The Ugly Side of Me by Tetrarch: Tetrarch are high on my list of must-see bands for 2026, especially after this album. My favorite here is Live Not Fantasize but I’m also very partial to Never Again (Parasite) which features lead guitarist Diamond Rowe singing lead vocals for the first time on one of the verses. We need more of this! Diamond is a phenomenal guitarist but it turns out she’s got some pipes too.

• Unatoned by Machine Head: I was super late to discover this band but their previous album absolutely won me over. I was lucky enough to see them live this year, so I got to hear hits like Unbound, Outsider, & Bonescraper. The ending track Scorn is perhaps the closest to a ballad that we may ever get from Machine Head &,if you ask me, it’s one of their most well-written songs to date. Robb Flynn absolutely nailed the state of the world here: “I’ve lost faith in everyone, follow no more/My heroes have failed me, they look down on me with their/Scorn/Paranoia seeps through every pore/Scorn.” Furthermore I love that the album artwork & font feel like a direct continuation of the previous album.

• Face in the Mirror by James & the Cold Gun: Here’s yet another band I discovered by hearing them live. This is a Welsh band that I got the pleasure of seeing open for Highly Suspect in January. In my opinion, they stole the show. Guessing Games & Above the Lake are my favorites here but it’s a great album all around, & in my opinion the band sounds even better live than on the album. They have an energy that just begs to be witnessed. Oh, did I mention they have 3 fantastic singers? Above the Lake actually features lead guitarist James Biss on lead vocals, while bassist Gaby provides gorgeous backing vocals on many of the tracks. P.S. If you’re familiar with Holding Absence, another Welsh band, you may recognize lead vocalist James Joseph as a former member of HA. (Yes, the band name is inspired by having 2 guys named James.)

• Afterglow by Sleep Theory: It’s hard to believe this is Sleep Theory’s first real album because they’ve already had so many hits. And what a debut it is. Perhaps my favorite thing about Sleep Theory is how they make use of the vocal talents of not only front man Cullen Moore but also guitarist Daniel Pruitt & bassist Paolo Vergara. Numb is the first song I ever heard by this band & it made me an immediate fan. Other stand-out tracks include the R&B style Gravity, plus Fallout & III. The band promised this would be a “no skip” album- & they delivered. Epic album artwork here too.

• Sanguivore II: Mistress of Death by Creeper: Here’s yet another band I discovered live. I found the English band Creeper when they opened for Black Veil Brides on the Bleeders tour in 2023. If you’re too young to actually remember the 80s (like me) but still love the sound of that decade, this album is for you, especially if you also love a gothic aesthetic. My favorites here are Blood Magick (It’s a Ritual) & Headstones.

• Don’t Go in the Forest by Avatar: Continuing the theme of bands I discovered live, here’s Avatar who I discovered when I saw them open for Trivium back in 2018. I’ve been a diehard fand ever since. This album, like all Avatar albums, is as unique as the band’s circus themed stage attire/makeup. I mean what other metal band starts an album with a piccolo solo? That’s what Avatar did here with Tonight We Must be Warriors, the band’s call to stand up against fascism across the globe. Captain Goat is a metal version of a sea shanty & comes with a fantastically fun music video that features bassist Henrik as a mermaid- err, merman, that is. Speaking of Henrik, his bass solo that starts off Death & Glitz is absolutely brilliant. I mean, what’s not to love about 5 nerdy Swedish guys who love metal, classical music, & find ways to write songs that question society’s fascination with murdered women, as they do here?

• Creature in the Black Night by Dayseeker: This has to have been one of the most anticipated albums of the year, after the success of the band’s previous album Dark Sun, & it did not disappoint. From lead single Pale Moonlight to Crawl Back to My Coffin & many more, this album is replete with Rory Rodriguez’s gorgeous cleans as well as a decent amount of his commanding growls. It’s dark, it’s sexy, & it’s sure to keep the band growing even more. The music videos for this album are also top notch, as is the album artwork.

• Angels Calling by Solence: I discovered this Swedish band on Octane’s test drive a year or two ago & have been eagerly awaiting this album ever since. I’m even more eagerly awaiting the chance to see the band live because it’s obvious their energy would be extremely fun to witness. I mean, they have a keytar player- need I say more? Where Were You? & Wish You the Worst are my favorites here.

• Dilworth by Jutes: Jutes has been all the rage lately & with good reason. The title of the first song (Left on Dilworth) is brilliant, as it’s an homage to the street Jutes grew up on in rural Canada (you had to turn left on the street to reach his family’s house), but it also has the dual meaning of what he left behind on that street/in that town. Love it. Other favorites include Parasite & It Takes Two. When it comes to sexy metal, Jutes is giving Dayseeker, Sleep Token, & Bad Omens a serious run for their money. (Side note, he’s Demi Lovato’s husband- they got married in May.)

EPs

• Shock to the System: Part 2 by Daughtry: I’ve loved Daughtry’s music since high school, back when he was on American Idol, but his newer music from the past 5 years or so is his best work yet, if you ask me. I had the pleasure of hearing The Day I Die live this year, & whew, it’s a powerful one. Terrified & Antidote are also very powerful. The latter is a real tearjerker because it was inspired by the loss of Daughtry’s daughter to suicide.

• Struck Dead by Trivium: Sadly this turned out to be the last Trivium album featuring drummer Alex Bent, but boy, did he go out with a bang. Bury Me With My Screams never ceases to amaze me. Definitely one of my favorite Trivium songs ever (& they have a phenomenal catalog).

• Don’t Look Down by Nate Vickers: Nate has one of those voices that could make the ABCs sound brilliant. Every song here is gorgeous but Falling Away From Heaven is my favorite. It’s the kind that you can go days or even weeks without hearing but it’ll still be stuck in your head. Then of course you have to go listen to it again & wonder how you stayed away so long.

Most Anticipated Albums for 2026

Some of these have been truly confirmed, while others have just been discussed, but I feel reasonably sure they will be released based on the number of singles already released &/or on what the bands have said about the work they’re doing on new music.

• Alter Bridge (self titled)- coming 1/9/26
• The Funeral Potrait
• Shinedown
• Black Veil Brides
• Catch Your Breath
• Celebrate (EP) by Black Stone Cherry- coming 3/6/26
• The Pretty Reckless
• Electric Callboy
• Motionless in White
• Ice Nine Kills
• From Ashes to New
• TX2
• Bad Omens
• Silent Planet
• Nothing More