Category: news

LAMB OF GOD Announce New Album Into Oblivion, Drop Title Track And Video

Richmond, Virginia metal heavyweights LAMB OF GOD have announced the release of their tenth studio album, Into Oblivion, due out March 13 via Epic Records. The record marks the band’s first full-length release in four years and finds the longtime metal titans embracing their status as veterans with nothing left to prove.

To coincide with the announcement, LAMB OF GOD have unveiled the album’s punishing title track, “Into Oblivion,” along with an official music video directed by Tom Flynn and Mike Watts. The song delivers the band’s trademark groove-driven aggression, paired with psychologically charged and socially reflective lyrics that continue vocalist Randy Blythe’s uncompromising approach.

Speaking about the creative mindset behind the album, guitarist Mark Morton said the band felt free from outside pressure while writing the material. “For me, the album is about having the space to breathe creatively and not feeling like we have to keep up with any trend or expectation,” Morton explained. “It feels nice to be untethered from any agenda beyond rallying around the notion of, ‘Let’s just make music that we think is cool,’ which is really where it all started.”

Blythe was more blunt when discussing the album’s title and themes. “Because that’s where we’re heading,” he said of Into Oblivion. “In general, the album is about the ongoing and rapid breakdown of the social contract, particularly here in America. Things are acceptable now that would’ve horrified people just 20 years ago.”

In the lead-up to today’s announcement, LAMB OF GOD released two new tracks that previewed the album’s scope. “Sepsis,” the band’s first new song since 2022, paid tribute to the early ’90s Richmond underground scene that helped shape their sound. Consequence praised the track’s slower, crushing pace, noting that Morton’s riffs were “bruising,” while comparing Blythe’s vocal delivery to “a heavy metal Nick Cave.” The follow-up single, “Parasocial Christ,” leaned into classic LAMB OF GOD territory, earning Revolver’s description as an “anti-tech thrasher.”

Into Oblivion was produced and mixed by longtime collaborator Josh Wilbur and recorded across several locations tied closely to the band’s history. Drums were tracked in Richmond, Virginia, guitars and bass were recorded at Morton’s home studio, and Blythe laid down his vocals at the legendary Total Access Studio in Redondo Beach, California — known for classic recordings by BLACK FLAG, HÜSKER DÜ, and DESCENDENTS.

Album pre-orders are available now, including multiple limited-edition vinyl variants and signed copies. An unannounced first pressing was quietly posted on the band’s website earlier this week and sold out immediately.

In support of the album, LAMB OF GOD will kick off the North American Into Oblivion Tour on March 17.

Into Oblivion track listing:

1. Into Oblivion
2. Parasocial Christ
3. Sepsis
4. The Killing Floor
5. El Vacío
6. St. Catherine’s Wheel
7. Blunt Force Blues
8. Bully
9. A Thousand Years
10. Devise/Destroy

Into Oblivion arrives March 13 via Epic Records.

Welcome to our annual countdown of our top 40 metal albums of the year. 2025 was another banger of a year in heavy music, and the varied bands on this list are a testament to that. As a reminder this list is reserved for full-length albums, and as another reminder this isn’t a traditional “best of” list. Just one person’s favorites from 2025. I hope you find some favorites on this list as well.

40. Mourn The Light – Sorrow Feeds The Silence
Epic trad metal sailing in from the southeastern shores of Connecticut. Their most complete and best sounding release to date.
https://mournthelight.bandcamp.com/album/sorrow-feeds-the-silence

39. Christian Mistress – Children of the Earth
Ten years after their last full-length album, trad metal legends Christian Mistress returned with an absolutely fiery effort. There were few bands who returned from self-imposed hiatus who delighted as much in 2025 as this band.
https://christianmistress.bandcamp.com/album/children-of-the-earth

38. VoidCeremony – Abditum
Equal parts technical mastery and crushing heaviness, the newest VoidCeremony offering is an absolutely labyrinthine work of monumental death metal.
https://20buckspin.bandcamp.com/album/abditum

37. Phrenelith – Ashen Womb
Copenhagen’s Phrenelith dropped arguably their best work to date in 2025. Ashen Womb is a brutal, beast of an album that is as interesting as it is unrelenting.
https://phrenelith.bandcamp.com/album/ashen-womb

36. Orm – Guld
I’ve been a huge Orm fan since their 2017 self-titled debut album, and each subsequent Orm record seems to build on the foundation of melodic, atmospheric black metal that they’ve perfected. Guld sees the band head in some new and interesting directions with their sound and I’m absolutely here for it.
https://indisciplinarian.bandcamp.com/album/guld

35. Phobocosm – Gateway
Montreal’s Phobocosm play a style death metal that’s fully equipped for the darkest and most harrowing of nights. Their newest album was any even darker pitch of black, if that’s even possible. Truly devious material from a band that specializes in it.
https://darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com/album/gateway

34. Tower – Let There Be Dark
Tower’s 2021 debut was one of my favorite metal albums of that year, so it should come as no surprise to see them on this list again. This album’s title is more than apropos, as Tower takes their sounds seemingly further into the fiery depths. The added dark metal elements gave Tower an even more powerful and engaging sound.
https://towernyc.bandcamp.com/album/let-there-be-dark

33. Scare – In The End, Was It Worth It?
If you’re looking for vitriolic crust punk mixed with top-notch, sludgy hardcore, then this record needs to be on your player immediately. Easily one of the angriest records you are going to hear from 2025, and one that deftly picks up the torch where their Canadian crust/hardcore forefathers left off.
https://scareqc.bandcamp.com/album/in-the-end-was-it-worth-it

32. Fauna – Ochre & Ash
The first album in 13 years for ambient black metal project Fauna, and they quickly made up for lost time with one of their best offerings to date. Coming from within the beauty and majesty of the Cascadian mountains of Washington state, Fauna’s music is as mystical and magical as that glorious range.
https://fauna.bandcamp.com/album/ochre-ash

31. Disembodiment – Spiral Crypts
Spiral Crypts is the debut full-length from Canadian death metal outfit Disembodiment, and it fully delivers off the promise of their 2021 debut EP. Not afraid to add a little groove to their brand of bludgeoning metal, Disembodiment will be sure to get the circle pits going in your living room ones the play button is mashed.
https://everlastingspew.bandcamp.com/album/spiral-crypts

30. Havukruunu – Tavastland
The newest full-length from these Finnish black metallers caught me completely by surprise, but what a brilliant and pleasant surprise it was. Truly epic pagan, black metal of the highest order, this album may be the rightful heir to the kingdoms of both Immortal and Emperor.
https://havukruunu.bandcamp.com/album/tavastland

29. Afghan Haze – Sermons of Filth and Disgust
The album title pretty much nails it for this Connecticut quartet. Afghan Haze play a mix of sludge, doom, and stoner rock that truly just oozes both filth and disgust. Filthy riffs, filthy vocals, filthy low end rumblings, and disgustingly good songs abound.
https://afghanhaze.bandcamp.com/album/sermons-of-filth-and-disgust

28. Ossuary – Abhorent Worship
Absolutely crushing full-length debut album from Wisconsin’s Ossuary. Listeners of The Metal Dad Radio Show already know I like my death metal of the slow and sludgy variety the best. This album does more than scratch that itch. Abhorent Worship slithers and sneers its way through six dastardly tracks leaving you ready to immediately do it all again.
https://mesacounojo.bandcamp.com/album/abhorrent-worship

27. Void of Hope – Proof of Existence
One of the first truly great albums to drop in 2025 came last January courtesy of Finland’s Void of Hope. It also happens to be one of the best debut albums you are going to hear from this past year. Dark, atmospheric black metal that was tailor-made for long, frostbitten winter nights.
https://avantgardemusic.bandcamp.com/album/proof-of-existence

26. Castle Rat – The Bestiary
New York City’ Castle Rat may have some of the best live shows you’ll see in a dingy club, but can they translate it to record? Oh, yes, they can. As much as I loved their 2024 debut album, The Bestiary sees a band truly hitting their stride. This is trad metal done right and the songs on this record will have you ready to grab a sword and head straight into battle without a second thought.
https://castlerat.bandcamp.com/album/the-bestiary

25. Bone Church – Deliverance
One of Connecticut’s finest metal exports over the last half decade or so is stoner rock outfit Bone Church. It’s hard for a band to make an album that’s catchier and more accessible for the average music fan than their previous material while still maintaining the heaviness and grittiness that made them darlings of the stoner rock world. Yet here we are. Turn this one up to 11 and keep it there.
https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/deliverance

24. AAWKS – On Through The Sky Maze
Canada’s AAWKS play a heady, almost trippy brand of sludge-infused stoner rock. This is a band that’s not afraid to merge crushingly heavy riffs with a melodic flair, giving stoner rock fans and those who like their doom on the dirtier side of the ledger both something to sink their teeth into. On Through The Sky Maze is one of their most ambitious and raucous albums to date.
https://aawks.bandcamp.com/album/on-through-the-sky-maze

23. Reekmind – Mired in the Reek of Grief
There were so many great debut albums in 2025 and easily one of the best of the lot came from Australia’s Reekmind. I’ll freely admit to knowing little about this act before coming across Mired in the Reek of Grief, but this album has me dying to hear more from this band. Top-notch death doom that is equal parts brutal and mesmerizing.
https://reekmind.bandcamp.com/album/mired-in-the-reek-of-grief

22. When the Deadbolt Breaks – In The Glow of the Vatican Fire
One of my favorite metal bands coming out of CT today are the trio known as When the Deadbolt Breaks. Mixing doom and sludge metal with atmospheric and experimental elements When The Deadbolt Breaks create a truly unique sound unlike even other outfits of the same ilk. In The Glow of the Vatican Fire is their most ambitious album to date, yet may also be their most accessible as well.
https://whenthedeadboltbreaks.bandcamp.com/album/in-the-glow-of-the-vatican-fire

21. Lamp of Murmuur – The Dreaming Prince in Ecstasy
One of the absolute best black metal bands in the world these last five years resides in the US. Lamp of Murmuur has been putting out stunning releases seemingly every year since the pandemic times, but The Dreaming Prince in Ecstasy may be the best offering to date. This album is one of the true successors to the mighty second wave of black metal, and continues the legacy with aplomb.
https://lampofmurmuur.bandcamp.com/album/the-dreaming-prince-in-ecstasy

20. Primitve Man – Observance
You will be hard-pressed to find a band that writes music as vitriolic and as crushingly heavy as Colorado’s Primitive Man, and Observance may in fact be their heaviest and angriest record to date. This album weighs on you like a tank, and feels like the sonic aftermath of total destruction. Just a completely brutal record from start to finish in the best way possible.
https://primitivemandoom.bandcamp.com/album/observance

19. Occulsed – Antegnosis
Featuring members who have played in a litany of killer extreme metal acts (including recent favorites Father Befouled and Encoffination), Occulsed came exploding out of the rich Atlanta metal scene with their second full-length album in 2025. With influences ranging as far and wide as Tampa and Sweden, Occulsed mastered their often discordant and crushing brand of death metal.
https://everlastingspew.bandcamp.com/album/antegnosis

18. Blackbraid – Blackbraid III
Some artists continually get better with each release, and you can count New York’s Blackbraid amongst that group. With an album that felt even heavier and angrier than previous releases, yet somehow more melodic as well, Blackbraid III has permanently cemented Blackbraid as one of the best USBM bands, bar none.
https://blackbraid.bandcamp.com/album/blackbraid-iii

17. Cemetery Moon – Dominion of Ashes
One of Connecticut’s best metal exports, Cemetery Moon, dropped their newest album of powerful, unadulterated black metal this year. More melodic than their previous releases, Cemetery Moon opted for a fuller, more approachable recording on this album. Yet, that doesn’t mean this will be accessible to the mainstream masses. On the contrary, the slight alterations to their sound created an even more overall vicious and frost-bitten affair.
https://cemeterymoon.bandcamp.com/album/dominion-of-ashes

16. Lo-Pan – Get Well Soon
One of the most consistent (and consistently good) stoner rock bands over the last two decades is Ohio’s Lo-Pan. Get Well Soon sees them continuing to fire on all cylinders, and at the top of their game. Chunky riffs combined with soaring vocals and a bottom-heavy back end make so many of these songs the kind of ear worms you pray for. Turn it up loud and prepare to rock out.
https://lo-pan-rock.bandcamp.com/album/get-well-soon

15. Kamra – Unending Confluence
Every year it seems that there is one band that’s not on my radar at all that comes out of nowhere to knock me on my ass. In 2025 that honor belongs to Slovenia’s Kamra. Mixing symphonic-styled black metal with some absolutely mind-bending experimental elements (especially those vocals), Kamra delivered easily one of the most unique and interesting records of the year. This is one of those albums worth multiple listens because you never know what you’re going to catch the next time around.
https://voicesofkamra.bandcamp.com/album/unending-confluence

14. Ancient Death – Ego Dissolution
Another band that dropped an absolutely blistering full-length debut in 2025 was Massachusetts death metal quartet Ancient Death. Guitarist Jerry Witunsky also plays live with Atheist, so that should give you some benchmark on how angular and progressive the songs on this album can get, but none of that eschews how downright brutal this album feels at certain turns. Easily one of the best death metal records of the year, (with some of the best solos and riffing around) and one that I’ve been listening to non-stop since it dropped back in April.
https://ancient-death.bandcamp.com/album/ego-dissolution

13. Intercourse – How I Fell In Love With The Void
I’ve been an Intercourse fan for longer than I can remember and count some of their releases among my favorites of the last decade plus. But How I Fell In Love With The Void is special, even for a band that’s this good at what they do. This is a violent, vicious album that never really relents enough for you to ever catch your breath, and that’s exactly how Intercourse likes it. Make sure you give at least one listen with headphones on so you can pay close attention to some of the best, and most biting lyrics you’ll see this year as well.
https://intercourse.bandcamp.com/album/how-i-fell-in-love-with-the-void

12. Anthrodynia – Unspeakable Horrors Emanating From Within
Let me mention again how much I like my death metal slow, sludgy, and filled with gnarly riffing. Canada’s Anthrodynia are the absolute embodiment of that statement. Their debut full-length album is filled with dirge-like doom sections, coupled with blasting madness to create the ultimate death-doom album of the year. This is a band I’ll be paying close attention to moving forward.
https://anthrodynia.bandcamp.com/album/unspeakable-horrors-emanating-from-within

11. Paradise Lost – Ascension
30+ years and 17 full-length albums into their careers Paradise Lost needs no introduction. One of my all-time favorite metal bands released another banger of a record in 2025. Ascension continues to build on this band’s legacy of creating amazing gothic-tinged, death-infused, doom metal. Some of their most memorable songs of the last five years appear on this record and based on how much I loved the last three albums that’s as high a compliment as I can give.
https://paradiselostofficial.bandcamp.com/album/ascension

10. Prayer Group – Strawberry
There were some pretty stellar noise rock records that hit the streets in 2025, but they all paled in comparison to the one released by Virginia’s Prayer Group. This is an album that revels in its discordance without losing sight of still making songs that snag the listener as opposed to repelling them. If this one doesn’t get your heart rate pumping a little higher by the end of the record there may be no hope for you.
https://prayergroupsaves.bandcamp.com/album/strawberry

9. Waldgefluster – Knochengesange
Germany’s Waldegefluster dropped two full-length albums on the same day in 2025. Knochengesange I and II are companion albums, with the first album being stuffed with Waldgefluster’s brand of emotive, atmospheric black metal and the second being rooted in acoustic/dark-folk traditions. Both albums are genius in their own rights, but for our metal purposes here we’ll focus on the first album. If you are looking for truly contemplative, beautiful, and yet wholly frostbitten black metal this should be the first album from 2025 you reach for.
https://blackmetalwaldgefluester.bandcamp.com/album/knochenges-nge

8. Malthusian – The Summoning Bell
It’s been seven long years since Ireland’s Malthusian released their stellar debut full-length album. Waiting seven years for this stunning follow-up probably wasn’t on anyone’s bingo card, but the wait was worth it for the album we’ve been gifted. This is blackened death metal that’s as filth-laden and grimy looking as the swampy scene on the album’s cover. Filled with massive, doomy passages and absolute brutality from start to finish, this was one of the most intense death metal albums of the year.
https://malthusian.bandcamp.com/album/the-summoning-bell-2

7. Evoken – Mendacium
New Jersey’s Evoken has been one of the best US doom exports since their debut album dropped back in 1998. Their last album, 2018’s Hypnagogia was also a top 10 album for me that year, so it should come as no surprise to see them here again. Few bands have mastered the ethereal realm of death doom the way Evoken have and it’s not hyperbole to state that Mendacium is one of their best efforts to date. As heavy and as interesting as they have ever been.
https://evokenofficial.bandcamp.com/album/mendacium

6. -(16)- – Guides for the Misguided
One of the longest running bands on this year’s list is California’s -(16)-. I’ve been a fan of this band since the mid-’90s and have been equally stoked to see new albums consistently pop up every few years. Guides for the Misguided was the first album of 2025 (released back in February) that I knew was going to not only make my year-end list, but crack the top 10 as well. This is sludge metal of the highest order and one of the best albums -(16)- has ever released. Equal parts thick as molasses, yet filled with head-bobbing catchy riffs, killer solos, and melodic interludes, this is an album I’ve been pretty obsessed with for close to a year now.
https://16theband.bandcamp.com/album/guides-for-the-misguided

5. Hooded Menace – Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration
It’s so refreshing when a band you love refuses to stand pat on their sound and is willing to take sonic chances that pan out perfectly. Such is the newest album from Finland’s Hooded Menace. While their newest release is still rooted in the mesmerizing death doom that they’ve become synonymous with, Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration infuses old school metal aesthetics with absolute perfection. Turns out reaching into the past for trad metal inspiration can give your already exemplary sound something fresh and exciting. Since this album’s release in October this may be my most listened to record over the last three months of the year.
https://hoodedmenace.bandcamp.com/album/lachrymose-monuments-of-obscuration

4. Tithe – Communion In Anguish
As you could glean from this list I personally felt this was another stellar year in the death metal world. My favorite death metal record of 2025 comes from Portland, Oregon’s Tithe. Communion In Anguish takes a death metal foundation and runs it through a gauntlet of black metal, doom, and grindcore aesthetics. What sounds, on paper, like a kitchen sink mishmash comes out of your speakers as a vitriolic, wild ride of an album. At certain turns this thing is ripping at your face like a feral cat, and at others it chooses to melt your face off slowly and steadily instead, sometimes within the boundaries of one track.
https://tithepdx.bandcamp.com/album/communion-in-anguish

3. Tribunal – In Pentinence and Ruin
Vancouver, Canada’s Tribunal exploded onto the metal scene in 2023 with a debut album that I thought was going to be really hard to top. Foolish me for doubting this band so early in their already impressive careers. In Penitence and Ruin takes the gothic/death doom of their debut and builds a virtual monument to one of my favorite metal sub-genres. As beautiful and elegant as it is dark and heavy, this is the type of album you sit down with for hours on end and let it wash over you. There’s an element of seductive melancholy here that is simply unmatched by any of their current peers. Truly a masterwork of gothic metal dominance.
https://20buckspin.bandcamp.com/album/in-penitence-and-ruin

2. Rwake – The Return of Magik
Hard to believe it’s been 14 long years since Arkansas’ Rwake released a full-length album, but time flies when you’re trying to survive I suppose. The album’s title is an apropos one because this album truly is a magical one. I’ve been obsessed with this record since it dropped all the way back in March, uncovering new and interesting pieces with every listen like an obsessed miner searching for gold. Rwake’s brand of experimental sludge has always been eye-opening with each new release, but The Return of Magik is simply next-level good. Truly one of the most engrossing albums we’ve been gifted so far this decade.
https://rwake.bandcamp.com/album/the-return-of-magik

1. Deadguy – Near Death Travel Services
The return of New Jersey hardcore legends Deadguy was cemented when they dropped their first full-length album in 30 years. When this album was released on June 27 I knew by June 28 that this would be my top album of 2025, and despite the best efforts of some stellar bands armed with killer albums I’ve never wavered from that. I was a massive Deadguy fan back in the ’90s, so trust me when I say that this is the best thing they’ve ever released. It’s an angry, violent record the way that only Deadguy could do it. I’ve been playing this album non-stop for the last six months and I don’t see that ending any time soon.
https://deadguy666.bandcamp.com/album/near-death-travel-services

Per Google Oxford Languages, to reimagine is to reinterpret (an event, work of art, etc.) imaginatively. To form a new conception. I thought in light of the upcoming New Year, where we often contemplate and try reimagining our jobs, our hobbies and interests, ourselves and our life paths, I would share a collection of songs expertly reimagined by many skilled artists.

There have been times when hearing a new song that somehow seems familiar, yet new, I then have the “a-ha” moment realizing it is an interpretation of a song I know, and marvel at the metamorphosis. Sometimes this entails a total reworking of the style, feel, and approach of the song, making it almost unrecognizable. Other times it is more a genre or energy shift. But the result is often a spectacular seemingly new cover song that is often equal if not superior to its original tune.

The ones that come to mind most readily for me are some interestingly enough by the original artist in a new iteration of themselves, often in their transition from membership in their rock band to their status as a solo artist. Think Phil Collins/Genesis with “Behind the Lines,” the solo offering a pop-R&B version of the song, with the original a progressive rock staple.

Or Sting/Police with Shadows in the Rain, with reggae rock giving way to a jazz-pop style.

And Clapton actually questions on Unplugged “See if you can spot this one” regarding his reimagination of Layla, virtually unrecognizable until you really focus on the lyrics and melody, so different than its early 70s guiotar driven blues rock.

Then CeeLo Green reenvisions his alter ego Gnarls Barkley’s psychedelic funk-soul “Crazy” to a more unplugged acoustic offering.

Sometimes, as discussed in my previous blog Cover Me – Great Cover Songs & Their Originals (October 21, 2021 – see/search via Playlist menu for an exhaustive list of cover tracks often better than their originals), songs we know and love, unbeknownst to us, are actually covers. The one that continues to blow me away in this regard is Led Zeppelin’s beautiful power rock ballad “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You,” originally a droning cat wailing song not worth remembering by Joan Baez. How Zep listened to that song and thought “we can turn this into a breathtaking, powerful track on their debut album to me is beyond comprehension. Only the most creative, gifted musical gods could pull off such a transformation.

Here is Pink’s fantastic cover of the Zep version:

Watching American Idol in 2008, David Cook was competing and as I listened to his cover, while I sensed I knew the lyrics and melody, I couldn’t quite place it, until it dawned on me it was Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.” Or was it? It was the Chris Cornell version/interpretation, which was pure genius.

One of my favorite Indie artists and former Glee and America’s Got Talent alum built a YouTube following with his creative interpretations of pop songs. His version of LMFAO’s “Sexy And I Know It” put him on the map. And Prince’s “I Would Die For You” was equally creative.

And his interpretation of Prince’s “I Would Die For You” was equally creative.

It often takes a verse or two of such wildly reimagined songs before you fully recognize and place the tune.

Other notable reimaginations include Natalie Merchant’s version of The Chiffons’ “One Fine Day” from the movie of the same name, Annie Lennox’ covers of the Clash’s “Train In Vain” and Bob Marley’s “Waiting In Vain” off her album of covers “Medusa.” There’s Lourde’s etherial somber cover of Tears For Fears’ “Everybody Wants To Rule The World.” Tori Amos covers Nirvana, of all bands, with a very non-grunge interpretation “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” And Ryan Adams covering miss Eras herself, Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off.” Or Evanescense soaring with Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain.”

Joe Cocker delivers the definitive soul interpretation of The Beatles “With A Little Help From My Friends” as does Johnny Cash with Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt.”

 Many reimaginations are courtesy of a genre shift, often a shift from country or pop to rock, blues, reggae, techno-pop, or rap. Think Run DMC reenvisioning Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way,” of Stevie Ray Vaughn’s blues coverage of Stevie Wonder’s funk soul “Superstition.”

Or Elvis Presley’s 50s rock and Jim Hendrix’ acid rock reinterpretations of Big Mama Thorton’s blues classic “Hound Dog.” There’s Sting covering Hendrix’ “Little Wing,” Hendrix covering Bob Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower,” and Guns N’ Roses covering Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.”

Classic reggae reinterpretations include UB40’s “Red Red Wine” (Neil Diamond) and “I Got You Babe” (Sonny & Cher), Club Nouveau’s “Lean On Me” (Bill Withers), and Big Mountain’s “Baby I Love Your Way” (Peter Frampton). Techno-pop interpretations include Erasure’s “River Deep, Mountain High” (Ike & Tina Turner), The (English) Beat’s “Tears Of A Clown” (Smokey Robinson & The Miracles), Pet Shop Boys “Always On My Mind” (Willie Nelson), and Soft Cell’s “Tained Love” (Gloria Jones).

Some inspiration for creative covers of movie songs include Whitney Houston’s soaring anthem “I Will Always Love You” (Dolly Parton/Best Little Whorehouse in Texas), The Beatles “Till There Was You” (Barbara Cook/The Music Man), LL Cool J’s “Who’s Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf (Disney), Gipsy Kings “I’ve Got No Strings” (Pinocchio) – they also offer a Spanish guitar adaptation of Hotel California (Eagles).

While perhaps unfair to include Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox, as the musical collective’s mission is to rework popular music into vintage musical genres, most often swing and jazz, I felt it was worth given them some representation with reinterpretations of Van Halen’s “Ain’t Talking ‘Bout Love” and Kiss’ “I Was Made For Loving You.” Here’s yet another PMJ offering with Blondie’s “Call Me.”

And I thought I’d close with Jeff Buckely’s beautifully haunting, prayerful reworking of Leonard Cohen’s almost depressively brooding “Hallelujah.”

So as you contemplate the endless possibilities of reimaging parts of your life on the eve of the New Year, I hope you enjoy listening to some great songs reimagined by some very skilled artists. Happy New Year!

I hope that this music and my blog truly serve as a “revival: a new presentation of something old,” a springboard to return to the music of your youth, or perhaps to find artists you want to discover anew.  Rediscover the passion of music in your life.

Live in the moment.

Enjoy the moment.

Love the moment.

Listen to the MUSIC!

When I was first asked to put this list together for the Hartford Courant almost a decade ago I thought it was one of the hardest writing tasks I had ever been assigned. All these years later and the difficulty of putting this year-end list together hasn’t changed. That’s a testament to a local music scene that continues to not only survive but thrive.

I found this year’s list  particularly hard to whittle down to 20 albums. (Hence the extra long list of honorable mentions this year.) As a reminder this list is not necessarily a “best of” list so much as a list of my personal favorite albums from 2025. For example, if this list seems metal heavy this year (see what I did there), you would be correct. I’ve waxed poetic multiple times on the Metal Dad Radio Show about what a stellar year the CT metal scene has had. Regardless, I hope you find something on this list that you’ll love as much as I do, and as always click the links provided and support the bands listed. On to the list in pseudo-alphabetical order.

The Almighty Yellow Star – The Almighty Yellow Star
Featuring two New Haven scene vets who’ve been on this list multiple times (Kierstin Sieser of Tiny Ocean, and Paul Belbusti of Mercy Choir), The Almighty Yellow Star are the perfect amalgamation of those two acts – one part dreamy folk that wisps along Americana lines, and one part experimental outlet that smashes genre barriers. Combined it’s a unique concoction that’s best listened to with headphones and your full attention.
https://thealmightyyellowstar.bandcamp.com/album/the-almighty-yellow-star

Andy Wakeman – Late Bloomer
I love when an artist takes their own sound and successfully expands it without losing the essence of what made their music so enjoyable to listen to in the first place. Case in point, the new full-length from singer-songwriter Andy Wakeman. Wakeman has appeared on this list before for albums that were solidly within that Americana label. On Late Bloomer, Wakeman adds a pop/synth element that’s as refreshing as it is interesting. A handful of these songs could easily find homes on current pop radio stations, yet there’s a nostalgia quietly buried here as well that hearkens back to Wakeman’s earlier works and equally, a simpler time. All told it’s a fantastic journey.
https://open.spotify.com/album/1xPqJAXwzmz6ODxoS4UusJ

Apathy – Mom & Dad
CT hip-hop legend Apathy seems to make annual appearances on this list, but one listen to his new album Mom & Dad will give credence as to why this prolific rapper shows up once again. As a fellow Gen Xer an album soaked in ’80s nostalgia, both lyrically and sonically, already has my interests piqued. But beyond the stories of being raised up in the shadows of Reaganomics, this album touches on a personal journey that every generation that’s come after Gen X can also relate to. Combined with Apathy’s flawless delivery, this album was easily one of the best hip-hop albums to emerge from Connecticut in 2025.
https://apathy.bandcamp.com/album/mom-dad

Balkun Brothers – Two Leather Jackets
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the musical journey that sibling-fronted act Balkun Brothers has partaken over the last decade plus of their careers. From blues rock stalwarts (heavy on the blues part) to a hard rock tank blasting through every brick wall that dares stand in their way. Their newest album Two Leather Jackets has completed their transition to an act that can hold the stage alongside fellow metal and punk acts in their home state. It shouldn’t be shocking to see either Balkun brother wearing a Motorhead t-shirt on stage, as that might be the closest musical comparison I can come up with here. Just as Lemmy and his crew did, the Balkun Brothers have successfully melded metal, punk, and a dash of heavy blues to perfection.
https://balkunbrothers.bandcamp.com/album/two-leather-jackets

The Bargain – Smile and Smile
2025 started off with a bang as one of Connecticut’s finest dropped an absolutely stellar album just after the New Year parties were finally cleaned up. Coming out firing with a full band accompaniment, The Bargain delivered one of the catchiest albums you’ll here from this corner of the world, and this particular corner of the Americana universe. These three scene vets  – Frank Critelli, Shandy Lawson, and Muddy Rivers – somehow keep getting better and better with each album, which is astonishing when you go through their entire discography. With each album you think, ‘they can’t possibly top this one’, yet Smile and Smile may actually be their best and most complete album to date. Furnished with toe-tapping melodies and beautifully introspective lyrics, this is an album that will stick with you for a long time.
https://thebargain.bandcamp.com/album/smile-and-smile

Bone Church – Deliverance
One of Connecticut’s finest metal exports over the last half decade or so is stoner rock outfit Bone Church. I’ve always felt that stoner rock was the most accessible sub-genre of metal for non-fans of the genre. Chock full of chunky riffs, clean vocals, and driving rhythm sections, stoner rock is the logical successor of all the proto-metal/classic rock bands of the ’60s and ’70s. Sometimes a band of that ilk will take their sound even further across the divide and closer to their riffing ancestors. Such is the case with the new Bone Church album. It’s hard for a band to make an album that’s catchier and more accessible for the average music fan than their previous material while still maintaining the heaviness and grittiness that made them darlings of the stoner rock world. Yet here we are. Turn this one up to 11 and keep it there.
https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/deliverance

Brian Dolzani – The Endless Sky
One of CT’s most well-traveled singer-songwriters also happens to thankfully be one of the state’s most prolific recording artists as well. Brian Dolzani writes music that is not only inherently catchy, but it’s a deep well of emotive, contemplative sounds, filled with rich lyrics and the kind of old-soul vibes you can only gain with experience. His newest album The Endless Sky is easily one of his best, which is no small feat to these ears considering how often Dolzani has shown up on this year-end list in the past.
https://briandolzani.bandcamp.com/album/the-endless-sky

Brian Larney – Scrambler
Bridgeport’s Brian Larney is not the first artist to cull together a year’s worth of singles into a full album, but he’s one of the few to do it in a way that said album flows seamlessly. Larney’s knack for writing pop and indie-infused folk songs is truly uncanny, and this album in particular sees Larney lean hard into the pop and indie parts of that equation. There’s a glean of sunshine and smiles infused into these songs that give them a wonderful upbeat feel without falling into syrupy ridiculousness that too many songwriters unfortunately drift into. Play this album immediately, but then revisit it in the springtime when the the thaw hits and the birds start chirping again. You’ll be glad you did.
https://brianlarney.bandcamp.com/album/scrambler

Cemetery Moon – Dominion of Ashes
Released just in time for Halloween, one of CT’s best metal exports, Cemetery Moon, dropped their newest album of powerful, unadulterated black metal this year. More melodic than their previous releases, Cemetery Moon opted for a fuller, more approachable recording on this album. Yet, that doesn’t mean this will be accessible to the mainstream masses. On the contrary, the slight alterations to their sound created an even more overall vicious and frost-bitten affair. It’s an album that’s worthy of repeat listens, especially on these long, cold winter nights.
https://cemeterymoon.bandcamp.com/album/dominion-of-ashes

Christopher Cavaliere – Self Checkout
Few indie folk artists infuse as many varied influences into their work as Bridgeport’s Christopher Cavaliere, and even fewer do it as successfully. His newest album, Self Checkout, is a masterwork of musical intricacies woven into a sonic tapestry that’s as stunning as it is listenable. Mixing indie and alt-rock with elements of folk, blues, jazz, country, and even a little funk for good measure, Cavaliere has created an album designed to take listeners on a journey through the the great Americana pantheon and back again. It’s a beautiful, wild, inspiring ride.
https://christophercavaliere.bandcamp.com/album/self-checkout

Fjord Pony – The Last Green Valley
A couple years ago Middletown’s Fjord Pony crept up on me and dropped an album I was absolutely enamored with. I wasn’t going to let them sneak up on me again. My patience was rewarded back in April when they released newest effort The Last Green Valley. I think what I like most about this band is that their sound is not easily definable. It’s alt rock at its core, but there are indie and pop elements at play, there’s a bit of prog rock sizzling under the surface, and it’s guitar driven while still allowing the other instruments to breathe. All told their sound, and this album, are wholly memorable and worthy of your attention.
https://fjordpony.bandcamp.com/album/the-last-green-valley

Inner Groove – Momentary Glance
I don’t go into each year thinking about lists like this, but inevitably there’s a moment or a record that hits and I think for the first time, ‘oh this has to make whatever year-end list I decide to put together.’ In 2025 it was Momentary Glance by Inner Groove. I’ve always liked the music that Denise Jones and Tom Sekscenski have put together under the Inner Groove moniker, but this is easily their best album to date. The songs are introspective and personal, yet built to be played blasting through a car stereo with the windows down on some back country roads. There’s a richness and familiarity to these songs that make them feel like the welcoming arms of an old friend. Embrace the embrace and give this album multiple spins.
https://open.spotify.com/album/17ovF9bZ4ixrbO1vnGOTH7

Intercourse – How I Fell In Love With The Void
I don’t get out to as many shows these days as I used to, but I did have the pleasure of seeing noise rock titans Intercourse open a show at The Space Ballroom in Hamden, CT this year and it was easily one of my top three live sets in 2025. Part of the reason why is how absolutely killer the new material from this record sounded on stage. I’ve been an Intercourse fan for longer than I can remember and count some of their releases among my favorites of the last decade plus. But How I Fell In Love With The Void is special, even for a band that’s this good at what they do. This is a violent, vicious album that never really relents enough for you to ever catch your breath, and that’s exactly how Intercourse likes it. Make sure you give at least one listen with headphones on so you can pay close attention to some of the best, and most biting lyrics you’ll see this year as well. Just an all-around stellar effort from a band that keeps getting better with age.
https://intercourse.bandcamp.com/album/how-i-fell-in-love-with-the-void

The Lonesome While – The Lost of Us
It’s been at least five years since Hartford’s The Lonesome While has released any new music, and they themselves state on their Bandcamp page that these are songs they never thought would see the light of day. Thankfully for all of us they did. I’ve always thought The Lonesome While were one of Hartford’s underrated gems and this collection of songs proves why. Various shades of punk and indie rock collide in spectacular fashion on The Lost Of Us. The songs on this album waver back and forth from the catchy pop side of the punk spectrum to something much more biting. Either way this album was meant to be played loud and often, which would also be my personal recommendation. Here’s to hoping The Lonesome While continues to gift us songs they didn’t think they’d release.
https://thelonesomewhile.bandcamp.com/album/the-lost-of-us

The Meadows Brothers – In The Land of Steady Habits
Another on of the first truly great albums of 2025 came from The Meadows Brothers. Readers of this blog (or listeners of Wrong Side of the Tracks on Cygnus Radio) know my love for the brothers Meadows. There are few acts in the world who can put out as many albums as these guys have and claim not one stinker among the bunch, or for that matter not one album that has any filler on it either. In The Land of Steady Habits (Connecticut’s unofficial/official nickname) is another gem of an album, filled with top tier Americana. Each song on this record is a snapshot of what the Meadows Brothers do best – songs that stick with you long after they stop playing, and ones that make you long to hear them again.
https://open.spotify.com/album/6GuAKTvooacebL7oKmNevf

Michael Suddes – Out Of My Hands
Some debut albums are worth the long wait. Michael Suddes has been a top-notch guitar player both as a solo artist, as well as with other people’s projects for quite a while now. Out Of My Hands is the culmination of years of honing his craft as a songwriter and live performer, and what we are left with is an album’s worth of material that takes indie folk to new and interesting places. Unafraid to mix in elements of jazz, pop, and alt rock, Suddes creates music that seems to float and flutter in and out of various influences, yet never feels forced or contrived. His music seems designed to get the listener into a relaxed, contemplative state of mind, one where the world is filled with possibilities and challenges are easily bested with pure positivity. That’s a world I’m here for.
https://open.spotify.com/album/4qfWEQpxu9TEQ9vzast9vd

Ponybird – Fire & Stars
After multiple electronic releases as her WEAREBISON alter-ego, Ponybird mastermind Jennifer Dauphinais returned to her ethereal alt-folk roots with Fire & Stars. It had been roughly a decade since Ponybird released a full-length’s worth of material that floated along Americana lines like 2014’s Modest Quarters (still one of my all-time favorite CT albums), however the comparisons between the two albums are really superficial at the end of the day. This record, while rooted in folk aesthetics, is more experimental when it needs to be and at times truly stretches the boundaries and limits of Americana music in the best ways possible. While there may only be five new studio tracks here, coming close to breaking our full-length albums only rule, the demo and live material that’s been included is excellent enough to count.
https://ponybird.bandcamp.com/album/fire-stars

Various Artists – James
There has never been a tribute record on this list before but there is possibly no other artist in the history of CT music more deserving  of having a tribute record show up here or any other year-end list. For anyone reading this from outside of Connecticut, New Haven’s James Velvet was an absolute legend in this state’s music scene. Through various projects over the course of several decades Velvet’s name was synonymous with the New Haven scene, and through his work with The Local Bands Show the greater statewide scene as well. This tribute to Velvet reads like a who’s who of the Connecticut shoreline including Shellye Valauskas & Dean Falcone, Anne Castellano & The Smoke, American Elm, Shandy Lawson, Frank Critelli, A Pallet For The Shoal, The Lost Riots, Brian Slattery, Stephen Peter Rodgers, Christine Ohlman & Jim Chapdelaine, and over a dozen more acts. A truly fitting tribute to a guy who absolutely deserves one.
https://jamesvelvet1.bandcamp.com/album/james

When the Deadbolt Breaks – In The Glow of the Vatican Fire
One of my favorite metal bands coming out of CT today are the trio known as When the Deadbolt Breaks. Mixing doom and sludge metal with atmospheric and experimental elements When The Deadbolt Breaks create a truly unique sound unlike even other outfits of the same ilk. In The Glow of the Vatican Fire is their most ambitious album to date, yet may also be their most accessible as well. Usually in the metal world when you hear a band has not only toyed with their sound but made it seemingly more digestible (albeit a relative term to non-metal fans) that usually doesn’t bode well, yet for When The Deadbolt Breaks it not only works, the final result is exceptional.
https://whenthedeadboltbreaks.bandcamp.com/album/in-the-glow-of-the-vatican-fire

Xavier Serrano – Enantiodroma
It’s been five long years since New Haven’s Xavier Serrano has gifted us with a full-length album, and Enantiodromia was well worth the wait. Serrano has always been the master of writing ethereal chamber folk, yet on this record he’s expanded his sound to a fuller, richer one. It would not be hyperbole in the least to say that each song on this album is cinematic in scope, complete with abundant and carefully curated orchestration. This album showcases Serrano at the absolute top of his craft as both a songwriter and a master of atmospherics. Drop the shades, light some candles, and settle in with this album. You will not be disappointed.
https://xavierserrano.bandcamp.com/album/enantiodromia

Honorable Mentions:

A Pallet For The Shoal – The Trembling Ground
Afghan Haze – Sermons of Filth and Disgust
All The Pretty Horses – hammersmashedface
Greenholt – The Neighborhood
Isaac Monts – Since the Beginning
Jason LaPierre – There Are Things I’d Like To Say
Jim LoPresti – Life As Liquid
Kevin MF King – Looking at a Screen of Someone Else’s Dreams
Mourn The Light – Sorrow Feeds The Silence
Old Milk Mooney – Darlin’
Post-Modern Panic – To the Silence
Shawn Taylor – The Last One
Showrocka – From CT With Love
The Ambulance Chasers – Too!
The Lil Guy – Great & Terrible
The Problem With Kids Today – Take It!
Whatnot – Whatnot

Cavalera Conspiracy, shortened to Cavalera on Sepultura-related re-recordings and tours, brought the Chaos A.D. tour to the House of Blues Anaheim on Tuesday, October 7. The lineup was stacked with LA metal band Thrown into Exhile, Relapse Records’ DC death metal band Genocide Pact, and tourmates from the original Chaos A.D. tours, Prong and Fear Factory.

East Coast thrash groove metallers Prong took the stage third on the lineup with the packed crowd primed and ready to go.  Mainstay vocalist/guitarist Tommy Victor and company opened the set with “Broken Peace” off 1994’s Cleansing and stuck to that album for most of the set including the crusher “Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck.” Their latest release State of Emergency is out now.

In the direct support slot were Fear Factory with their signature progressive industrial metal. Not only did Fear Factory tour with Sepultura during the original Chaos A.D. tour cycle, but they also received help from Max Cavalera to get their Roadrunner Records deal. “Demanufacture” opened the set, and the album made up the bulk of the setlist for the 30th anniversary of the album’s release.

Guitarist Dino Cazares, the only remaining original member, played custom 7 and 8 string custom headless Ormsby guitars. New frontman, the Italian Milo Silvestro, proved he’s not just a young Burton C. Bell clone. He commanded the stage with his own style and talent. Bassist Tony Campos is out with Static-X on the Mudvayne L.D. 50 tour, so Butcher Babies’ Ricky Bonazza filled in. Havok’s Pete Webber became an official member in 2023 with Silvestro and held his own behind the drumkit.

The Cavalera brothers, Max and Iggor, are still considered by many to be the core of Sepultura even decades after their respective departures. The younger Igor Cavalera on bass solidifies that this was as much the Cavalera show as it was a Sepultura show. Chaos A.D. has been credited by many musicians as opening the door to groove metal and nu-metal.

Arguably a fan favorite from not just Chaos A.D., but the entire Sepultura catalog, “Refuse/Resist” opened the set. While the album was played in full, the tracklist was shuffled after the blistering opening song. A cover of Black Sabbath’s “Symptom of the Universe” was also added to the setlist. The performance was as strong as a Sepultura performance back in 1993 during the album’s release. The tour ends of October 18 in Dallas. 

Here you are another Norwegian brilliant band, progging away between pure symphonic rock, folk hints and some experimental, even dissonant moments. Jordsjø released their first album in 2015 and this track comes from a 2025 split record including this Jordsjø’s title track on vinyl version side A and another side-long track by Breidablik, an electronic prog project by Morten Birkeland Nielsen on side B. “Kontraster” (“Contrasts”, in English) does as its title says and offers an awesome variety of moods, arrangements, instruments and musical ideas. 

It is a rather low tempo collection – maybe a suite – of inner reflections and by such a rich palette you could hardly guess that  Jordsjø is formed by just two musicians: multi-instrumentalist Håkon Oftung and percussionist Kristian Frøland. Be as it may, this duo leads the listener through a fantastic and unpredictable trip, flowing very deep inside their souls (our souls, I daresay). It is an enriching and entertaining listening, something you won’t easily find nowadays.

^{Death Angel brought a heavy lineup stacked with many of their Bay Area thrash brothers to The Belasco to close out the final night of the 35th anniversary Act III U.S. tour. Opening the show was Chicago thrash band Misfire. While this band isn’t from the Bay Area, they do have a Death Angel connection.}

^{Death Angel founder and guitarist Rob Cavestany does have a guest appearance on the title track of Misfire’s latest album Product of the Environment. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a guest appearance at the show, but the Chicago thrashers delivered a set worthy of a lineup featuring two of “Big Six of Bay Area Thrash Metal” bands. Their album is out now on MNRK Heavy.}

Lions at the Gate was up next with their nu-metal-tinged brand of groove metal. While they’re mainly known for vocalist Christian Machado and guitarist Ahrue Luster’s former band ill nino, Luster has a Bay Area thrash connection. He did a stint with Bay Area groove thrashers Machine Head. Their tight set was mostly from their 2023 debut The Excuses We Cannot Make, but they did play a few newer tunes including their latest single “Burn the Candle.” They’ll have a new album out next year.

^{Vio-lence was up next with a blistering set as always. Vio-lence may never have received the commercial success of some of their fellow big six from the Bay, but vocalist Sean Killian has always been a master of putting together a great band and putting on an amazingly intense show. They played the “Upon the Cross” from the 2022 EP Let the World Burn, and the rest of the set was from the Robb Flynn and Phil Demmel era of Vio-lence.}

^{Finally it was time for Death Angel. After an already nonstop metal assualt with only 15 minute changeovers between the other three bands, the crowd was more than ready for the thrash legends. Death Angel aren’t just part of the big six of Bay Area thrash, but they’re widely considered a leader in the second wave of thrash as part of the “Big Eight.” After playing a set of Act III songs, the band also played a 6-song encore with a sampling of their other releases and the newly released single “Cult of the Used.” It was a powerful ending to the anniversary tour before going back home for their annual-ish Another Death Angel X-mas Show.}

Gliding into London after a breathless week of shows across the UK (with special mention given by the band to Coventry’s Just Dropped In, a venue I NEED to visit), LA quintet Mo Dotti dissolved The Shacklewell Arms with their rapturously received shoegaze soundscapes.

From the opening rip of debut album highlight Lucky Boy it was clear we were witnessing a band fully locked in and aware of the giddy power they were harnessing. Smiles exchanged on stage, players completely lost in the sonic dreams they were weaving, it was a joy to behold.

Older EP tracks such as Waiting For You and storming set closer Loser Smile highlighted the band’s glorious beginnings, whilst the new material weaved into the set hinted at a glorious future to come. Mo Dotti are truly one of the best live bands out there doing it, there was no better way to see out my gig-going year.

Mo Dotti are: Gina Negrini (vocals, guitar), Guy Valdez (guitar), Sophie Negrini (guitar, backing vocals), Greg Shilton (bass) and Andrew James MacKelvie (drums).

At the time of writing, UK readers can pick up the band’s early EP collection Blurring/Guided Imagery here. You can check out the band’s full length debut Opaque over at Bandcamp.

Story of the Year and Senses Fail brought their co-headliner Scream Team Tour 2025 to the House of Blues Anaheim for a sold-out show on Friday, December 12 before wrapping it up the the next night in Riverside. This was the first time touring together for the bands, but they have a long history of sharing festival bills going back for years on Warped Tour. While Senses Fail didn’t play this year’s When We Were Young Festival, a teaser video from the festival amped fans up for the tour.

Opening the show was Armor for Sleep. Like Senses Fail, the band started in New Jersey and is down to one original member. However, vocalist Ben Jorgensen has always been the lifeblood of Armor for Sleep, like Buddy Neilsen is to Senses Fail. Jorgensen handles rhythm guitar duties, so he can’t cover the stage the way the co-headliner frontmen can. He makes up for it with his emotive vocals and expressions. Guitarist Erik Rudic and bassist Chad Sabo up the energy on stage. By the time the band ended the set with fan favorite “Car Underwater,” the audience was primed and ready.

The always fun and hilarious Story of the Year came out on Razor scooters and played a bit of “Chariots of Fire” as their intro. Then they launched into their new single “Gasoline (All Rage. Still Only Numb),” which may be their heaviest song yet. It’s a banger and could arguably replace “Until the Day I Die” as the fan favorite. However, the balls to the wall energy made it a perfect opening song. This band gets better every time. They sounded like a CD played through Marshall stacks. Somehow Dan Marsala managed to keep the vocals clean without sacrificing the pop-punk physical performance. A.R.S.O.N. will be out in February on SharpTone Records.

Senses Fail handled headlining duties on this date. Last year, the band played Still Searching in full at When We Were Young and Let it Enfold You on the New Jersey Vs. The World tour. This set devoted about a third of the set to each album. The rest of the set list was split between their catalog with fan-voted picks filling out the setlist. Nielsen didn’t give the perfect vocal performance of Marsala, but he made up for it with showmanship. Make no mistake, Nielsen isn’t just playing dress up and resting on his laurels. He’s having a great time up there, and it’s infectious. Senses Fail and Story of the Year will both be on the Emo’s Not Dead cruise in January.