OpEd

It's Another Best Of 2025 List! Here's Nikos' Favorite Albums Of The Year!

Not again! The end of the year lists have started dropping like Steve “Zetro” Souza out of Exodus…AGAIN! They are an obligatory evil for just about every music blog and Metalunderground is not exempt from these mandatory and forgettable lists. Many writers do a “Top Ten” list. Fuck that noise. Not this dude. I feel that if I can whittle my list down to five releases, which means they’re special and these albums certainly are indeed that. Please give eye to my top five albums of 2025.

Igorrr – Amen

I was looking forward to this release all year long and when it finally dropped in September, I was not disappointed. Quite the contrary. I was blown away within listening to the first 30 seconds and I didn’t stop listening to “Amen” until two album repeats later.

This band has wowed me from the very first time I listened to them, and they continue to impress me with each release. They’re not for everyone, but if you want something in the vein of brutal death metal topped with a dash of Mr. Bungle influence, then this is your jam.

Below is some of that Mr. Bungle influence. “Blastbeat Falafel” with a Trey Spruance cameo from (you guessed it) Mr. Bungle!

Lik – Necro

I can never get enough of that Swedish chainsaw death metal sound. Lik sates that vice and then some. On “Necro,” Lik demonstrates mastery to replicate the Swedish death metal sound while cementing their own unique sonic identity. When I reviewed “Necro” earlier this year, I automatically knew that this album would land on my favorite albums of the year list.

You can check out that review HERE.

Hirax – Faster Than Death

I think I need to start by stressing that Hirax is a legendary and influential band in underground thrash metal history. Do a quick Google search and see for yourself. You’d be hard pressed not to find a Hirax patch on any TRVE thrashers battle jacket at any metal festival setting.

“Faster Than Death” is Hirax’s sixth studio album since it was first formed in 1984. It is an adrenaline inducing listen that makes you want to grab some black leather spiked gauntlets and headbang alongside vocalist Katon De Pena onstage. This is one of the most underrated albums of the year and YOU, the reader, should trust me and give it a listen!

Hirax at Brutal Assault in 2024

Helstar - The Devil's Masquerade

I guess you could call Helstar dad power metal. I would be shocked if anyone under 30 years of age is familiar with this legendary Texas power metal band or has any of their albums floating around in their playlists. Regardless, they have staying power.

Helstar has been tearing it up for 43 years already! Both vocalist James Rivera and guitarist Larry Barragan have been the anchors in Helstar since the band’s conception and this decades long cohesion and the chemistry between them is omnipresent. Every album is a guitar shredders wet dream. “The Devil’s Masquerade” is just a microcosm of their entire and impressive discography, so if you decide to check it out, you’ll know why OG metalheads rave about them.

Sanguisugabogg – Hideous Aftermath

This band is kind of newish to me. I’m usually set in my ways when it comes to checking out new bands. I tend to stick with bands that have names that are easier to read and pronounce. All jokes aside, I finally made the effort to actually listen to them and was instantly impressed.

I’m a fan of technical death metal ala Goreguts, Atheist, Suffocation, etc., so this album was right up my alley. There are some rhythmic breakdowns that just boggle the mind and because 2025 was such a dumpster fire year, a good boggle via “Hideous Aftermath” was a perfect remedy to get away from it all for 47 minutes. My favorite track? Repulsive Demise has a Godflesh meets Deicide feel to it and it slaps.

And that completes my 2025 list. It was a crazy year, but aren’t they all? Our hearts broke when we lost Ozzy, Brent Hinds and Paul Di’Anno. May they rest in power. But 2026 is around the corner and we’ll start anew with new albums predicted to drop from Megadeth (allegedly the final album), Gojira and Kreator. And now for the juiciest rumor of them all…Slayer scheduling 40th anniversary shows in celebration of their grand opus, “Reign in Blood” (I thought they were retired?). Horns up for 2026, see you next year!