MetalMatters: The Best Metal Albums of January 2025

Here we are, 2025 is a reality, and the albums are pouring in! So, the first installment comes in fast and furious, with several high-quality thrash releases setting the tone. Starting with the old-timers, Sacrifice dispel any rumors regarding rust and tiredness, and they sound more vibrant than many newcomers. The two notable exceptions here are their countrymates Hazzerd, whose style owes more to the US scene, and Sweden’s Sarcator, who draw from the aggression of the Teutonic style but project it through a more pristine presentation.

Taking inspiration from the darker days of thrash, Necromaniac funnel the raw energy of proto-black and proto-death metal for an astounding debut release. At the same time, Faithxcrator outgrow their old-school death metal days and go for something more nuanced, and Scitalis unleash fervent black metal with their sophomore release.

If you are after darkness of a different flavor, both Haunted Horses and Expose dive head-on into twisted, contorted noise rock. Do you want something more introspective? Then check out Dax Riggs’s unexpected return (please tell us a new Acid Bath record is on the way). Want something to scare the shit out of you? Sutekh Hexen and their disturbing blend of dark ambient and black metal have you covered. So, dig in! – Spyros Stasis

Barshasketh – Antinomian Asceticism (WTC)

The raw fervor of Defying the Bonds of Cosmic Thraldom and Sitra Achra slowly gave way to a more orthodox black metal view. Barskasketh’s latest work, Antinomian Asceticism, extends the style of Ophidian Henosis and their 2019 self-titled record. It starts with a bang, as “Radiant Aperture” takes near Norsecore characteristics, where blazing blastbeats initiate the assault. Still, this destructive essence soon gives way to something darker and more sinister, and it is there that the choirs and decadent melodies of “Nitimur In Vetitum” reveal the orthodox self.

Barshasketh relishes this style’s duality, offering twisted melodies filled with discordance. However, they also reveal their epic underpinnings, as “Charnel Quietism” radiates a sense of grandeur. They follow the same methodology with “Phaneron Engulf” and even more so with “Exultation of the Ceaseless Defiance” where the clean vocals enhance the experience.

In all, Barshasketh channel much of the genre’s 1990s methodology and, in particular, the essence of Funeral Mist and Ofermod but filter it through its latter-days disciples, such as Aosoth. Even though they do not reach the same heights as the aforementioned heavyweights, they offer some stunning moments. – Spyros Stasis

Century – Sign of the Storm (Dying Victims/Electric Assault)

I maintain that creating an excellent record in a familiar—and, let’s be frank, overdone to death—style like traditional heavy metal can be the most challenging thing in music. Without the crutches of innovation for innovation’s sake to lean on, bands are left to their own devices, forced to create a standout work by retracing the lines of their predecessors.

The triumph of Century’s Sign of the Storm is, then, all the more impressive as it emerges from the majestic riffs, the sleek croon of vocalist Staffan Tengnér, the catchy hooks, and, above all else, how the Stockholm-based duo bring all of these elements together. Leo Ekström Sollenmo and Tengnér’s sophomore album is marked by an impeccable songwriting flow, which shifts from tasty New Wave of British Heavy Metal hymns to punky scorchers and 1970s hard rock-influenced pieces but never loses its alluring slightly wistful aura. – Antonio Poscic

Dax Riggs – 7 Songs For Spiders (Bright Shadow/Fat Possum)

It felt like a goodbye when Dax Riggs released Say Goodnight to the World in 2010. There was something final in both the wistful atmosphere of that album and Riggs’ interviews at the time, which suggested we wouldn’t be hearing from the Austin-based musician any time soon. For 15 years, we didn’t. The announcement of Acid Bath’s reunion in October of last year came as a shock. Yet, the fact that he had been working on a follow-up album of his own was somehow even more surprising.

7 Songs For Spiders very much picks up where Riggs left off with his solo career and Deadboy and the Elephant Man before that: in texturally rich Southern Gothic rock songs subtly tinged with country and doom folk, simultaneously intimate and universal. Opener “Deceiver” is particularly effective in this sense as its smokey and intentionally lo-fi production wraps around slowly moving blues licks. 

Riggs’ velvety, rugged voice is inimitable and essential here once again. He ruminates on all things personal, elevating them into religious tableaux and living them out through a cast of vaudevillian characters. The music is spooky and beautiful and haunting and heartbreaking, interspersed with lowercase textures and grumbling, fuzzy riffs, then tied together by Riggs’s masterful lyrics: “She said maybe I’m a demon, but you just don’t see me / And I said maybe you know Jesus, but I just can’t believe it.” – Antonio Poscic

Expose – ETC (Quindi)

Throughout 2024, this column featured albums from the likes of Couch Slut,  Buñuel, and Dunn with Lords and Lady Kevin that felt as if they were reimagining and expanding upon what noise rock could be. If ETC by California’s Expose is anything to go by, this year will be just as exciting for the genre.

The second release by the Los Angeles-based group is a collection of often baffling, loosely connected noise rock concoctions that swing wildly from one extreme to the next. More than anything, this sounds like music forgotten in a washing machine stuck in tumble drying mode, then dumped in a landfill and made to roll around like a katamari to absorb punk, noise, art/avant-rock, and jazz tropes.

There’s skronking, saxophone-laden punk jazz reminiscent of Blurt (“Dutch Field”, “Road Railing”), clattering and battered post-hardcore of the Drive Like Jehu and Black Flag sort (“Self Terror”), and atmospheric scorchers colored with electronics and big riffs (“Glue”, “Zero To Zero”). Music to lose your mind to. – Antonio Poscic

Faithxtractor – Loathing and the Noose (Redefining Darkness)

Loathing and the Noose marks a surprising change of direction for Cincinnati, Ohio’s death metal duo Faithxtractor. While Zdenka Prado and Ash Thomas have made a name for themselves playing a stripped-to-the-bones, unabashedly primal style of old-school death metal, this latest album sees them embrace a more varied approach.

On the imposing “Flooded Tombs”, they intertwine bits of their signature style with towering start-stop structures, further emphasizing the presence of curiously menacing doom metal in their aesthetic. Meanwhile, “Fever Dream Litanies” and “Ethos Moribound” both toy with the brutality of black metal and the groove of thrash metal, occasionally even approaching the intricacies and slamming heaviness of technical death metal.

Despite all these new elements, the music feels as tight and punishing as ever, complete with some stunning riffs—check out the middle section of “Flooded Tombs”, for example—that ensure a thrilling death metal ride from start to finish. – Antonio Poscic

Haunted Horses – Dweller (Three One G)

Subscribing to the darkness and oppression of industrial rock, but without forgetting their noise rock pedigree, Haunted Horses have unleashed thick darkness throughout their career. That does not change in their new record, Dweller, where their contorted rock forms meet a Twin Peaks-inspired atmosphere to produce a journey through the abyss. The industrial machinations appear first, where the circular motifs coalesce. In this mode, they call upon the aesthetics of Uniform without embracing the New York’s band’s extravagant approach (“Watch Tower”), retaining some semblance of control.

It is this balance between the primal and the precise that Haunted Horses have mastered. On one hand, they adorn the background through Einstürzende Neubauten flourishes (“SEED”), and then they swap it for a high-octane post-punk rendition (“Fevered Water”). They deal in the psychotropic (“Temple of Bone”) as well as they do in the aggressive (“Fucking Hell”), and that brings them closer to Daughters’ glorious days with You Won’t Get What You Want. In this way, Dweller is an intense listen that will not disappoint fans of this scene.

However, it feels like Haunted Horses have dialed back some of the earlier weirdness of releases like Watcher to get there. If they can balance the two, their next record will be their best yet. – Spyros Stasis

Häxkapell – Om jordens blod och urgravens grepp (Nordvis)

Like their compatriots from Scitalis—see elsewhere in this column—Sweden’s Häxkapell draw from their country’s tradition of black metal, but instead of compressing the style into intense attacks, they expand its melodies into folk-flavored, utterly bombastic sonic architectures. Solemn harmonized chants alternate with anguished growls, while solitary fiddle phrases and plaintive cello bows grow into scintillating guitar tremolos underscored by blast beats. Om jordens blod och urgravens grepp can be both extremely atmospheric and melancholy, reminiscent of Agalloch at their gloomiest, and crushingly voluminous, on the brink of doom metal, like Enslaved circa Below The Lights. Poignant stuff. – Antonio Poscic

Hazzerd – The 3rd Dimension (M-Theory Audio)

As I write this, the United States hasn’t yet invaded any of its neighbors. Nonetheless, listening to The 3rd Dimension, the third LP by Canada’s Hazzerd, I’d forgive you for thinking otherwise. Nurturing a style likelier to place them in San Francisco than Calgary, their particular brand of thrash borrows all the best characteristics of Bay Area originals like Death Angel and Testament, then puts a contemporary twist on them.

While the album is bookended by pieces that sound as if they were salvaged from a long-lost Exodus album, full of groove and chug, things get much more varied elsewhere. On “Scars”, the quartet channel swirling, melodic re-thrash in the vein of Oozing Wound. The swift “Deathbringer” reaches near-death and power metal levels of intensity.

Meanwhile, “Plagueis” and the instrumental “A Fell Omen” stray even further. The former adds a touch of Coroner-esque progressiveness to their combustive core. The latter goes all in with expansive synths and atmospheric passages as if applying Blood Incantation’s cosmic San Francisco template to thrash. – Antonio Poscic

Monte Penumbra – Austere Dawning (NoEvDia)

Monte Penumbra turned a page with 2021’s As Blades in the Firmament, leaving behind many of the doom aspirations of their debut, Heirloom of Sullen Fall. Focusing on the intense, dissonant black metal edge without forgetting its atmospheric origin, they keenly understood the genre’s mechanics. Their new work, Austere Dawning further gazes into this dark abyss, relishing the Deathspell Omega havoc that rushes in through the opening track “Ab.gott”.

It is a rather relentless affair from there on, with the Icelandic scene’s early days echoing through the vast bleakness, highlighted through the poignant flourishes and erratic changes of “Void of Quietude”. The gates have now fully opened and the venomous essence of Thorns by way of orthodox black metal applications settles into the heart of “Murrain Unveiled” and makes a stellar ending for “Stamen of Barrenness”.

There are still further investigations, be it the traditional black metal sound of “To Sleye No Beginning But An End”, but also through atmospheric leanings. Ambient parts complete the journey in “Sub Forma de Animal” and Ved Buens Ende-inspired clean vocals craft the harrowing presence of “Lux Electa”. What remains in the end is an austere record that does not forgive. – Spyros Stasis

Necromaniac – Sciomancy, Malediction, and Rites Abominable (Invictus)

The proto-extreme metal promises of Morbid Metal are finally fulfilled. Ten years after Necromaniac’s first demo, the London-based act finally unleashes its debut full-length, Sciomancy, Malediction & Rites Abominable. The purpose is simple. Return to the early days of extreme metal, when the lines between black and death blurred through their shared trash origin. It is a primal affair oozing with malice and intent, as Sarcofago and early Slayer are invoked through “Daemonomantia”. Necromaniac use an unhinged and chaotic modus operandi, lashing out in an animalistic manner through “Swedenborg’s Skull” and especially “Teraphim (Skull Sorcery)”.

Featuring veterans of the field, it would be naive to assume Necromaniac rely solely on their aggression. Instead, they set a scenery, providing a processional progression, enhancing their music’s infernal quality. “Calling From the Shade” radiates with this essence, as doomy injections provide an otherworldly grandeur, while Marek Górecki’s guest appearance drives this excruciating process. At other times, the latent early Bathory splendor prevails, as “Grave Mound Oath” visualizes a field of battle through its drunken and abhorrent demeanor. Necromaniac’s long-awaited debut breathes life into a past era, and it does so by evoking all of its darkness and chaos. – Spyros Stasis

Necrotech – Necrotechnology (Sentient Ruin)

Necrotech’s debut EP starts with an ominous sonic collage. Noise specters roam over field recordings, paving the way for a dystopian world. When the drums of “Utopia” come through, it feels like Godflesh’s fiery vision in Streetcleaner has ended, and all that remains is a world that is no longer in flames but in ruins. For the Brazilian act, the decadence of extreme industrial, combined with the guttural proto-death metal stench, best describes this reality.

Necrotechnology circles around this notion of decay, taking different forms. “Deadly Industries” recalls the spirit of Nailbomb, where the mechanized mayhem leads the onslaught. The distorted Ministry circa Psalm 69 sirens echo through the darkness, with Necrotech forcing a punk-ish death metal variant to rise. Sludge notions appear in their most downtrodden form, and then the crumbling psyche is highlighted through the ambient horrors of “Reality? Existence?” causing any illusions of hope to crumble.

Considering its 20-minute long duration, Necrotechnology covers substantial ground and touches upon many nerve-tingling applications. It is intriguing to see what they can do with a full-length. – Spyros Stasis

Open Head – What Is Success (Wharf Cat)

Open Head’s 2022 debut record, Joy and Other Sufferings, revels in the direct approach of noise rock. An intense listen where compositions are stretched to extremes, it still offers some post-rock-inspired valleys to curve its progression. Yet, Open Head’s return is quite different from What Is Success. From the get-go, the New York act state this change, as “Success” retreats to a laid-back, awkward progression with a strangely jazz feel.

Soon enough, the electronica injection is revealed, as heavy bass and repetitive drum patterns create a hazy ambient trip. It provides the work with an urban essence that ties nicely with their post-punk origins, especially in tracks like “House” where the circular drumming enriches the smooth bassline, and the vocals increase the intensity as the track unfolds.

While this new incorporation alongside the sonic collage interludes (“*INOY” and “Julo”) reveals a tendency to explore further, Open Head do not forget their past. The noise rock and no-wave applications are still the band’s central pillar. It draws from a Swans-ian lineage but without going fully unhinged (“Fiends Don’t Lose”) and retreats to the earlier days of the genre combined with an art rock sensibility (“N.Y. Frills”).

Through this modus operandi, Open Head explore dreamlike extensions of their post-punk self (“Monotones”), rising tension without the promise of a crescendo (“Take It From Me”), or morphing into a strange duality between chaos and grace (“Bullseye” and “Catacomb”). It is a welcome evolution, but it does not feel complete. It will be interesting to see if Open Head can fully merge this newfound interest, balancing the individual compositions between their old self and their new extension. – Spyros Stasis

Sacrifice – Volume Six (High Roller)

From the first riff of “Comatose”, it is difficult not to lose yourself in Sacrifice’s thrash onslaught. The cynic in me would quickly dismiss such a return, but Sacrifice don’t simply play the “historic act” card that revels in its past glories. No, they also pave the way today. Their latest record, only the sixth in the career, arrives 17 years after their reunion album, The Ones I Condemn, and the question that echoes in mind is, “Where is the rust?” Nowhere to be found, as Sacrifice continue to pummel down with a no-bullshit attitude through “Incoming Mass Extinction” and “We Will Not Survive”, and poignant and as relevant as ever with the relentless attack that is “Missile”.

However, this is not enough. As has been the case with all historic thrash acts, something more lurks beneath the surface. Sure, it can be as simple as turning toward heavier grooves to accommodate head-banging, as with “Antidote of Poison” and “Your Hunger for War”, but there is more to be found here. “Underneath Millennia” sees Sacrifice weave together beautifully melodic inspirations, forming a multi-layered offering masterfully.

It is even more impressive when the instrumental “Black Hashish” delivers the coup de grace, as the thrash identity crashes over a strangely psychotropic endeavor. Return to form? Not really, that would mean Sacrifice lost their grasp at some point, and listening to Volume Six that just does not seem possible. – Spyros Stasis

Sarcator – Swarming Angels & Flies (Century Media)

Starting the project at the tender age of 14, Sarcator prove that thrash is really a young person’s game (Sacrifice being this month’s exception to this otherwise flawless rule). With a name that promises a trip back to the extreme days of the genre (Sarcofago + Kreator), the Swedish band is now unleashing its third full-length and Century Media debut, Swarming Angels & Flies. Its very start is aligned with the Teutonic thrash metal approach, as the lightning-fast riffing meets with poignant drumming to offer moments of mania. This is Sarcator’s standard mode, as unhinged solos appear and brutal beatdowns are enforced.

Still, despite their Sarcofago influence and their blackened promise, Sarcator now mostly dwell in the pristine edge of the genre. The excellent production that highlights their intricate playing is overall a plus, but it takes away the chance for the melodies of “Comet of End Times” and “Unto Sepulchres” to become genuinely gruesome. At the same time, there is more experimentation than initially meets the eye. Classic heavy metal applications, even by way of NWOBHM, are exposed in “The Deep Ends”, audio effects nicely enhance the crazed quality of the title track, and a strange post-punk influence lurks over “Closure”.

Still, these are fleeting for the most part, the biggest alteration instead being the acoustic implementations that craft an epic undertaking in “Where The Void Begins”. If your interest lies in the more mainstream side of the genre, and you want something clean, catchy, and with technical depth, then you will enjoy Sarcator’s latest record. – Spyros Stasis

Scitalis – Maledictum (Vendetta)

The most annoying aspect of preparing this column each month is filtering out black metal acts that are sketch (in a “my heart goes out to you”, crypto-fascist sense) or otherwise shady. I’m therefore forever grateful to the ever-reliable Vendetta Records and bands like Sweden’s Scitalis, who wear their ideology on their sleeve and make use of music to “tell the story of how women suffered during the witch hunts and trials throughout the years of 1668-1676 in the North of Sweden.” 

Above all else, the quartet’s sophomore album, Maledictum, is a blistering, red-hot injection of black metal. While their take on the genre extends its roots from the Swedish melodic tradition, very few of their peers are as electrifying and grandiose sounding. Every burst of viciousness and brutality here (“Reborn”, “Ashes After the Fire”) is tempered with the voluminous, swirling atmosphere (“Suffering”) and an almost doom-death sense of song-building (“Seven Years Ov Blood”, “Trial”). The first genuinely great black metal album of 2025. – Antonio Poscic

Sutekh Hexen – Primeval (Cyclic Law)

Having released an excellent collaborative work with Harlow MacFarlane, aka Funerary Call, the specter of Sutekh Hexen resume their solitary journey. While Primeval sees many of the usual elements return in their oppressive form, the kick-off is smoother. When the acoustic instrumentation settles in, a medieval sense rises from the guitars. The scenery is an infinite succession of halls as one travels through a long-abandoned castle, while sounds of a forgotten past still echo through the dark stone. It is a strangely romantic element that Sutekh Hexen further cultivate with the strikingly sorrowful “River of Shadows” and the mournful “The Clarion Call”.

As easily as acoustic instrumentation can be used to create moments of wonder and awe, it can also be weaponized to produce anguish and despair. The string arrangements are twisted to produce a nightmare made flesh through the dissonant ways of “Severed & Sealed”. Similarly, their sound is deconstructed to awaken a dark ambient procession through “Moss Skull” and “Cavern Rite”, before taking a turn for the tribalistic as the quasi-Nordic inspirations of “Pyre” rise from the darkest abyss.

Then, all bets are off when the organ introducing “Orædjinn” is laid to rest and the full noise assault, à la Gnaw Their Tongues, is deployed against you. Brutality and wonder. It continues to be the case for Sutekh Hexen. – Spyros Stasis