Following the regrettable and entirely non-suspicious sabbatical of the great El Cuervo, the baton of the heroic effort of assembling the Aggregated List has been passed. This year’s list is a joint effort. The data collection and analysis have been handled by yours truly. The finely-crafted blurbs below were produced by newcomer Andy-War-Hall, who has not yet learnt to say no when volunteers are requested.
Of course, with new personnel comes new methods. Ranked choice group decision making is a famously knotty problem; indeed, one can show mathematically that a perfect mechanism simply doesn’t exist. And we are armed with partial information: did one of our writers not put a particular album on their list because they were lukewarm to it, or absolutely hated it (or would have, had they listened to it)? How do we even define the overall best album? Is it better for an album to be liked by many or loved by a few?
These questions led entirely too far down a rabbit hole on voting algorithms. I spent quite a while testing different approaches on last year’s list season.1 In the end, I have gone with an approach which is similar to the one El C used previously, but which more heavily weights the upper end of a list. A #1 placing gets 1 point, a #2 gets 1/2 a point, and so on.2 This, I hoped, would produce a list more representative of the records that were loved and passionately debated at AMG HQ, and less vulnerable to “lowest common denominator” criticisms levelled at previous aggregation endeavors.
This year, we had 28 lists, spanning 235 unique albums. This year’s tastemakers and/or crowd followers are Creeping Ivy, GardensTale, Kenstrosity, and Thus Spoke, each of whom had 7 records from their lists make it onto this one.3 Meanwhile, this year’s contrarians are Alekhines Gun and Dr. A.N. Grier, with exactly one each.
In practice, the new selection algorithm has done about what I expected. 14/20 of the records overlap between the two methods, with mostly minor changes in position. Records like Grima, Flummox, and Maud the Moth made the list with one passionate advocate and a handful of supporters. Records like Imperial Triumphant and Igorrr, with 7 and 6 relatively low placements, respectively, did not. Is this better? I think so, and if you don’t, you’re wrong, or a big fan of a record that didn’t make it onto the list in the new system.4, 5
–Sentynel
#20. Dax Riggs // 7 Songs for Spiders – [#2, #3, #4, #ish] – “Dax’s comeback album marks a triumphant and warm, comforting return from an underground icon. 7 Songs for Spiders delivered the goods, as Dax and friends dropped an album with a familiar, nostalgic feel that refuses to rest on its laurels. Riggs’ defining vocals sound as vital and deliciously smoky as ever, weaving signature morbid tales, deadly hooks, and earworm melodies through subdued yet deceptively hefty and bluesy folk-doom ditties.” (Saunders).
#19. Qrixkuor // The Womb Of The World – [#2, #3, #4, #8] – “Yet I still don’t think anything could have adequately prepared me for how massive and mad The Womb of the World actually is. With the strings, horns, and piano swooping and crashing about in great surges and falls, Qrixkuor’s already grandiose style fully feels like some tormented classical opus, and it’s utterly magnificent” (Thus Spoke).
#18. Grima // Nightside – [#1, #7, #10] – “On Nightside, [Grima] struck the perfect balance between the traditional influences of 2019’s Will of the Primordial and the propulsive, frozen atmosphere of Frostbitten (2022). The combination gives Nightside an almost hypnotic, and weirdly tranquil, flow, offset by Vilhelm’s rasping vocals, which remain among the best in the BM game” (Carcharodon).
#17. Flummox // Southern Progress – [#1, #9, #9, #HM] –
“Steeped in messaging that spotlights systematic and social prejudices that plague the queer[…] Flummox’s fifth LP greatly affected me on a personal level. More so than any other record released this year, Southern Progress feels important, not just to me, and not just to Flummox. I strongly believe everyone could learn something from this bizarre, wild, and untamable barnstormer, and have a blast doing it” (Kenstrosity).
#16. An Abstract Illusion // The Sleeping City – [#2, #7, #7, #9, #10, #HM, #HM, #HM, #HM] – “I’ve somehow grown to love The Sleeping City even more in the months since I awarded it a 4.0. Sure, the production leaves much to be desired, but there aren’t any other notable qualities that I would consider faults. It won’t appeal to the exact same audience as the legendary Woe, but I have plenty of room in my heart for both (and likely whatever An Abstract Illusion devises next)” (Killjoy).
#14. Buried Realm // The Dormant Darkness – [#1, #3] – “Buried Realm[…]gave me everything I like about metal in one dense package: blazing speeds, soaring guitars, majestic vocals, and relentless fury. It’s also inexplicably well-produced for how many layers there are to deal with. While 2025 was not a particularly star-studded release year—especially compared to most of the 2020s so far—it threw plenty of fun curveballs at me, and The Dormant Darkness exemplifies this with its Xothian fusion of metal subgenres in one big Ophidian I blender ov shred” (Baguette of Bodom).
#14. Maud The Moth // The Distaff – [#1, #3] – “And like the artists we value—or rather, like the artists I value—Amaya presents her vision of this struggle with focused and expanding melodic lines, crushing and crying crescendos, and an earnestness that compels its audience to surrender for a moment to a world created by these musical ideas. When your sadness comes, it won’t weep in blacks and ivories the way that The Distaff does” (Dolphin Whisperer).
#13. Yellow Eyes // Confusion Gate – [#1, #3, #HM] – “Yellow Eyes are one of the best black metal bands in the game and Confusion Gate is their most impressive work to date. It sees the band return to a more traditional atmospheric sound, but with the lessons learned from their explorations of dissonance and ambience. The result is a kaleidoscopic blend of gorgeous melodies, haunting riffs and a pervasive sense of pathos that only the best art can achieve” (Samguineous Maximus).
#12. Cave Sermon // Fragile Wings – [#1, #3, #6, #7] – “Words like ‘wistful,’ ‘exuberant,’ and ‘playful’ were tossed about in Thus’s excellent write-up and really homed in on what made listening to Fragile Wings such a connective experience for me. Imbued as Fragile Wings is with upbeat sadness, Cave Sermon proved that I can get on board with post metal, and to be honest, any metal that sounds this good is worth the time spent” (Tyme).
#11. Primitive Man // Observance – [#1, #2, #10, #HM] – “Primitive Man is the heaviest band on the planet. While I’ve appreciated the Denver trio’s pitch-black approach to death metal laced with noise, doom, and sludge – from afar – Observance booked me in with upbeat tempos and a surprising melody. It swallows you whole like any good Primitive Man album ought to, but the devotion to deteriorating songwriting and weaponized noise” (Dear Hollow).
#10. Paradise Lost // Ascension – [#1, #3, #4, #7] – Paradise Lost’s latest entry into their historically varied and long-running discography, Ascension earned its flowers this Listurnalia through a heated handful of endorsements, all but one seated in the top halves of their respective lists. Whether impressing longtime fans like Steel Druhm through “maturity and sophistication even the classics lack” or grabbing off-and-on listeners like Thus Spoke by way of “grungy aggression and sadboi introspection in perfect equilibrium,” Ascension exudes not only oodles of gothic atmosphere but also vitality, something a band as old as Paradise Lost could be forgiven for lacking. As Grymm put it while crowning Ascension with his #1 spot, “With Black Sabbath now officially put to rest, Anathema long gone, and whatever the fuck is happening within My Dying Bride these days, somebody has to fly the British Doom flag high and proud, and Paradise Lost have done a bang-up job of doing so.” Simply, find Paradise in Ascension or get Lost.
#9. Calva Louise // Edge Of The Abyss – [#1, #5, #5, #9, #9, #10, #HM] – Every year this list has to have at least one real oddball pick, and 2025 has Calva Louise and their prog-groove-electronica-metalcore-whatever record Edge of the Abyss. Our Overlord, Angry Metal Guy Himself, declared, “Calva Louise sports a swagger unique to bands who are just doing exactly what they want to be doing. Since July, I’ve kept coming back to Edge of the Abyss and forgetting I had even enjoyed other records this year. There’s a real sense of becoming here; of a band pulling its influences together into something that feels unique.” Six other valued writers tolerated peons heaped their fair share of praise as well. Our server-savior Sentynel asserted, “Calva Louise is what you get if you take the Diablo Swing Orchestra and remove their classical instruments and sense of restraint. Something this absurd could only ever have been terrific or terrible.” Edge of the Abyss certainly won’t resonate for everybody as it did for much of the AMG crew, but with how much creativity and vision Calva Louise exude maybe that’s your fault if it doesn’t for you.
#8. Crippling Alcoholism // Camgirl – [#1, #3, #3, #5] – When Tyme first reviewed the “murderpop” synthwave group Crippling Alcoholism’s Camgirl back in September, he “could not have anticipated the absolute fathomless darkness lurking within Camgirl’s saccharine sweetness.” Neither, it seems, could the three freshly-raised N00bs who included Crippling Alcoholism on their lists, including a top spot on Lavender Larcenist‘s list, describing Camgirl as “dripping with the atmosphere of neon-lit back rooms, seedy interactions, and terrible decision-making. It feels like a lens into the lives of those society has left behind, and I can’t help but feel a connection.” Though perhaps not the most typically metal record on the aggregate list, given Camgirl’s deeply unsettling atmosphere and sticky hooks, it’s not hard to see how it can grab a listener and not let go. In a world and music scene so deeply desensitized to depravity, Crippling Alcoholism tapped into something truly profane.6
#7. Havukruunu // Tavastland – [#1, #1, #3] – Havukruunu may not have placed on many lists, but Tavastland clawed smote mightily onto the aggregate list by right of being our first entry of two top-billing spots. Creeping Ivy was taken in by Tavastland’s “adventurous prog sensibilities” while claiming “Havukruunu stands as a model of Viking black metal consistency.” Dr. A. N. Grier similarly heaped highest praise onto Havukruunu over their ability to scratch “that itch for old-school Bathory-core that is almost as good as the real fucking thing” and onto Tavastland for its “bludgeoning Bathory-meets-Immortal riffs, feel-good Viking plods, melodic passages, and seamless transitions that make repeat listens oh-so soothing.” The verdict is out: Havukruunu may not draw from fresh or cutting-edge sounds, but Tavastland is nonetheless a sword-swinging, barrel-chested victory cry that will take you straight to Valhalla if you let it.
#6. Structure // Heritage – [#1, #2, #5, #5, #6, #7, #8, #ish] – If the world were just a little bit better, we might not have had the depressive conditions for funeral doom duo Structure to produce Heritage, so just be glad it kinda stinks here. Earning eight list placements, not to mention boss-man Steel Druhm‘s #1, Heritage rocked this blog hard in 2025. Dear Hollow made no bones in stating “Heritage is Structure paying homage to doom metal’s contemplation while paying its dues in death metal’s viciousness – pure devastation,” while Steely D. made clear that “over the 50 minutes of Heritage, the duo drag you to the heart of sadness, loss, and despair as only thoughtful, well-executed doom can. Yet there are faint rays of light and hope in the inky black…” If you have any taste for doom or death (and perhaps a touch of masochism), you should already have given Heritage a spin. If funeral doom isn’t your thing, listen to “Will I Deserve It” and make it your thing.7
#5. In Mourning // The Immortal – [#1, #2, #2, #4, #8, #9, #10, #HM] – In Mourning may be a sad bunch of melodeathers, but it can’t be from a lack of appreciation for their record The Immortal ’round these parts. The word “perfect” appeared twice in relation to The Immortal this Listurnalia, with Clark Kent claiming “From the beautiful guitar tones to the excellent combo of clean and harsh vox to the memorable melodies, The Immortal is an emotional tour-de-force that grows more majestic with each spin” and Owlswald opining “these Swedes have found the perfect combination of their patented Opethian death metal chuggery, sadboi melodies and creative dynamism, resulting in a sound rich in emotional depth with more digestible hooks than one can handle.” A grower for some, an instant hit for others, The Immortal is a smart, emotional journey and—if the well-deserved tongue-bathing it received on this blog is anything to go by—may just have set In Mourning as the flag bearers of melodic death metal for the remainder of the 2020s.
#4. Tómarúm // Beyond Obsidian Euphoria – [#1, #1, #2, #5, #HM] – Very nearly taking three #1 spots this Listurnalia, progressive death-heads Tómarúm hit it big in 2025 with their sophomore record Beyond Obsidian Euphoria. Layered like lasagna and dense as deep dish, Beyond Obsidian Euphoria left Saunders with no shortage of things to say in his list: “Beyond Obsidian Euphoria smacked me upside the cranium with an explosion of creativity and ambitious songcraft…the whole experience is so consistently gripping and superbly written and performed that minor quibbles are squashed well below the surface.” Similarly, Kenstrosity maintained that “Tomárúm’s epic, sprawling constructs demand so many of my spoons; emotionally, physically, spiritually. But it gives just as many back, plus just enough extra to compel me to spin it again.” Sharp, ambitious, and impactful, Tómarúm are the real deal, and if you have the silverware to spare, you should dig in to Beyond Obsidian Euphoria today.
#3. Dormant Ordeal // Tooth And Nail – [#1, #2, #2, #2, #4, #4, #6, #7, #8, #HM, #HM, #HM, #HM] – With just one list placement short of Archspire’s historical 2021 showing, Dormant Ordeal was the belle of the Listurnalia ball with their beefy blackened death opus Tooth and Nail. “Heavy, groovy, and eminently-listenable” (Thus Spoke), Tooth and Nail won over the unsettled minds of the AMG staff via achieving “the ideal form so far of what Dormant Ordeal can achieve with their gut-wrenching take on the Polish death metal sound” (Dolphin Whisperer). Crowning Tooth and Nail his #1 album of 2025, Tyme attested that, “From the brutally effective ‘Halo of Bones’ to the excellent, Dylan Thomas-inspired ‘Against the Dying of the Light,’ there wasn’t an album I returned to more this year than Tooth and Nail, its visceral riffs and razor-sharp edges leaving long-lasting scars.” You’re just not getting death metal this heavy, this mean, and this delightfully re-listenable in 2025 if it’s not Dormant Ordeal’s Tooth and Nail. Simple as.
#2. Messa // The Spin – [#1, #2, #2, #2, #3, #4, #5, #5, #ish, #HM, #HM, #HM] – The way the twelve writers who included Messa’s latest record The Spin on their lists describe it, you’d think they had no choice in the matter. Describing Messa’s blend of prog, doom, and post-rock, Dolphin Whisperer confessed, “I can’t rid myself of the power that a soaring bluesy lick and a smoky siren voice hold, no matter how I try,” while Kenstrosity described The Spin as “Emotive, sultry, and nuanced doom metal, compelling enough to seduce even the coldest heart.” Topping a list of self-professed comfort picks, El Cuervo said of his #1 pick, “The Spin doesn’t trouble to make itself easily approachable. Doom, prog, and post influences circle velvety melodies that sometimes sound like deliberate songs, and sometimes sound like jazz improvisation. But it’s these very qualities that belie its subtle allure; only with repetition and attention does The Spin shine.” Clearly, if you’re not ready to be taken in wholly by Messa and their intoxicating, multifaceted, and rewarding take on doom metal, then please avoid The Spin for your own sake.8
#1. 1914 // Viribus Unitis – [#1, #1, #1, #4, #4, #8, #HM, #HM, #HM] – “I have not listened to every item of music released in 2025, but I still think I can say that none could be more powerful than 1914’s Viribus Unitis. I listened to nothing heavier, nothing more memorable, and nothing so relevant as 1914’s story of a Ukrainian soldier caught up in the mania of the First World War.” Thus spake Twelve, one of three writers to set Ukrainian blackened death doom dogs-of-war 1914 and their latest musical AAR Viribus Unitis atop their lists in 2025, setting it atop this aggregate list as a result. Though I’m perhaps a bit biased in saying this, it’s not hard to see why Viribus Unitis takes the cake because, as Grin Reaper put it, “1914 paints war-torn life with savage grace, supplying devastating melody and grueling crawls that elevate the album to such heights that I’m genuinely moved each time I get to the end.” Elsewhere, yours truly gushed pathetically collectedly stated, “Immersion defines great music and art for me. It is almost unfortunate how good 1914 are in this facet of their music…1914 don’t play ‘history metal.’ Viribus Unitis is as present and relevant as you can get.” Rattling minds in its violence, breaking hearts in its tragedy, Viribus Unitis is a singularly enthralling record and is (by aggregate decision) 2025’s best album.
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