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User
Album Ratings 1703
Objectivity 60%
Last Active 12-25-22 9:05 pm
Joined 10-05-22
Review Comments 37
| Top 10 albums 2025
I listened to a lot of new music this year, close to five hundred albums, which is nearly double what I managed last year. There was an incredible amount of great material to discover, but nothing quite reached a true perfect score for me. Still, many records stood out in powerful and memorable ways. Here are the ones I consider the best of the year. | | 1 |  | Deafheaven
Lonely People With Power
With their last release, Deafheaven leaned heavily into the shoegaze elements of their signature blackgaze sound, leaving many of us wondering which direction they would take next. Personally, I would have been satisfied either way, as I appreciate both styles equally. The first single, however, made it abundantly clear that this album was not for the faint of heart—the sheer aggressiveness of that track was just a glimpse of what was to come.
Lonely People With Power sees Deafheaven returning to what they do best: layering emotions seamlessly to evoke both euphoria and despair in equal measure. Few bands can execute this balance as masterfully as they do. Some might argue that this album rivals Sunbather—or even surpasses it—and I wouldn’t disagree. This is a true masterpiece, a strong contender for Album of the Year. | | 2 |  | Saya Gray
Saya
One of the few albums this year I could listen to around my girlfriend, this quickly became one of my most played records of 2025. I’ve gone through it at least thirty times, far more than any other new release. Saya Gray was new to me, but this album resonated deeply. The songs are catchy without feeling shallow, with fresh hooks and subtle electronic textures that add atmosphere rather than decoration.
What impresses me most is how Saya balances accessibility with experimentation. The melodies are warm and inviting, yet the detailed production, nuanced vocals, and unexpected shifts keep things engaging. She gently pushes pop boundaries while staying emotionally grounded.
Though still new to the industry, Saya already has a clear artistic identity. Her sound is personal, confident, and distinct, showing a strong vision for her music.
Overall, this is one of the most engaging and memorable pop albums of 2025—charming, inventive, emotionally rich, and endlessly replayable. | | 3 |  | Conjurer
Unself
Despite its heaviness, Unself is a deeply intimate experience. Knowing a band member faced an identity crisis adds weight, as the album constantly shifts between reflective passages and explosive, rage-filled crescendos. These contrasts feel like witnessing emotions clashing in real time, making it intensely personal and rewarding careful listening.
Conjurer channels personal hardships into every riff, vocal, and atmospheric break. The compositions are tighter, more dynamic, and the production lets quieter moments breathe while giving heavier sections real impact.
What stands out is the album’s unity amid emotional turbulence. Pacing and transitions are precise, and the band’s chemistry has never felt stronger. By balancing vulnerability with aggression, Conjurer delivers one of their most affecting works yet, making Unself a standout album of the year. | | 4 |  | Der Weg Einer Freiheit
Innern
Innern by Der Weg Einer Freiheit strikes a near-perfect balance between atmospheric black metal, melodic passages, and post-metal heaviness. The band seamlessly shifts between crushing riffs and melancholic moments, keeping the music emotionally gripping and constantly engaging.
What stands out is how memorable the album is. Melodic sections linger long after listening, carrying real emotional weight—Forlorn’s ending stayed in my head for weeks. The production is powerful yet clear, letting the atmosphere breathe while maintaining intensity. Thoughtful songwriting ensures each track contributes to a cohesive emotional journey, rewarding repeated listens with new details.
Overall, Innern is immersive, emotional, technically impressive, and incredibly replayable—a confident statement from a band in full command of their strengths and one of the year’s standout black metal releases. | | 5 |  | Racing Mount Pleasant
Racing Mount Pleasant
After being underwhelmed by Black Country, New Road’s previous release, Racing Mount Pleasant feels like the album I had hoped for. Melancholy runs through every track, with sadness and vulnerability at its core. The jazzy elements aren’t just decorative—they shape the album’s atmosphere across its full hour.
What impresses most is how powerful the record feels despite minimal instrumentation. Intimate moments with soft vocals and saxophone give way to bursts of cathartic intensity, executed with sensitivity and precision. The pacing is thoughtful, balancing reflective passages with dramatic climaxes, making every moment resonate.
Overall, Racing Mount Pleasant delivers a beautifully melancholic, emotionally rich experience, capturing fragility and intensity with remarkable control. It stands as one of the most affecting listens of the year. | | 6 |  | Crippling Alcoholism
Camgirl
Crippling Alcoholism was one of my biggest surprises of 2024. The band’s blend of gloomy goth aesthetics, shimmering synths, and raw, weary vocals immediately stood out. The lyrics convey anger and sadness in a painfully human way, making the record feel unique and unforgettable.
A year later, they return with Camgirl, a more synth-driven, catchier album that still carries a persistent melancholy. It balances emotional intensity with surprisingly catchy hooks, ranging from accessible synth-pop to introspective, suffocating passages. The sharp, layered production keeps the album cohesive and compelling throughout its runtime. | | 7 |  | Geese
Getting Killed
Cameron Winter has one of the most distinctive voices I’ve ever heard, largely because of the way he uses it. There’s a unique blend of sadness and nonchalance in his delivery—two emotions that can be difficult to separate, yet he makes them coexist effortlessly. For that reason, Geese are at their best when the music slows down and his voice takes center stage.
That’s also why I adored last year’s solo effort from Winter: the folk-inspired sound gave his vocals the space they deserved, highlighting just how expressive and captivating his performances can be. On this new Geese record, it feels like the band took notes from that project. Even though the instrumentation is more prominent and energetic, the vocals remain the focal point.
This isn’t to diminish the role of the band—far from it. The arrangements are inventive, dynamic, and perfectly suited to the group’s brand of controlled chaos. But it’s Winter’s voice that ties it all together, turning the madness into something great. | | 8 |  | Coroner
Dissonance Theory
Coroner coming back after a 30-year hiatus is a surprise no one could have predicted. After all this time, you would expect their sound to have changed drastically or at least to have lost some of its aggression. Dissonance Theory proves that Coroner still has all the riffs and intensity they had in their early years. At first, the singles did not impress me, but within the context of the full album, everything comes together beautifully, resulting in a consistent and powerful listen filled with brilliant moments.
This album is technical thrash at its best. It blends aggression and melody perfectly, delivering a tight and focused experience from start to finish. There are no weak tracks throughout. The only slight drawback is that it could use a bit more experimentation, but considering the 30-year gap, it makes sense that the band chose to play it safe. The material is so strong that it hardly matters. | | 9 |  | Pain Magazine
Violent God
I’m surprised this album flew under the radar, especially with members of Birds in Row involved. Though it sounds nothing like their other work, it blends techno, industrial, and dark atmospheric elements in a way that feels fully realized rather than experimental.
The project balances intensity and precision beautifully. The rhythms are mechanical yet emotionally weighted, electronic textures are gritty and personal, and aggressive moments hit hard without becoming overwhelming, creating a hypnotic, uneasy mood.
The production is meticulous, layering sounds and pacing each track thoughtfully while keeping the raw urgency intact. Creative, immersive, and confidently crafted, this release deserves more recognition and is essential for anyone who enjoys dark electronic music with emotional depth. | | 10 |  | Maruja
Pain to Power
I’ve followed Maruja since their 2023 debut EP Knocknarea, immediately drawn to their energetic, jazzy, and unique sound. After two more EPs, their first full-length, Pain to Power, delivers on that promise with unapologetically political lyrics, balancing Rage Against the Machine–style anger with softer, melancholic passages for a dynamic, emotionally layered experience.
One minor note is that some song structures and melodies feel familiar across their releases, hinting at repetition. Still, Pain to Power is impactful, and I’m eager to see where Maruja pushes their creativity next. | |
EoinCofa
12.21.25 | Love that Maruja album! Total grower |
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