Things You Might Have Missed 2025

Dear Hollow’s Mathcore Madness [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

By Dear Hollow on February 26, 2026 in Reviews, Deathcore, Hardcore, Mathcore, Metalcore, Post-Hardcore, Punk, 63 comments

Were you missing the 2025 Mathcore Madness list? Miss no MOAR!

Memories of Old – Never Stop Believing [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

By ClarkKent on January 9, 2026 in Things You Might Have Missed 2025, Power Metal, Symphonic Metal, 32 comments

“Sneaking in at the end of a crowded 2025, Memories of Old released their sophomore record, Never Stop Believing, hoping to fill a Fellowship-sized hole in your heart.” Don’t stop!

Opia – I Welcome Thee, Eternal Sleep [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

By ClarkKent on January 5, 2026 in Things You Might Have Missed 2025, Doom Metal, Gothic Metal, 18 comments

“This stunning debut comes to us via members from across the globe—from England to Spain to Czechia to Brazil. Despite somewhat limited experience between them, the sextet plays like they’ve been jamming together for decades. They bring an eclectic range of styles from their previous and current bands, from black metal to scatological heavy metal to melodic doom to gothic metal, in order to craft a gentle yet brutal piece of gothic doom metal. I would like to give a warm welcome to Opia and their powerful debut album, I Welcome Thee, Eternal Sleep.” Sleep in the void.

Amalekim – Shir Hashirim [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

By Baguette of Bodom on December 23, 2025 in Things You Might Have Missed 2025, Black Metal, Melodic Black Metal, 40 comments

“You may be wondering what on earth I am doing willingly touching a black metal album, let alone complimenting one. Well, you know what they say: never let them know your next move. Mysterious Polish-Italian collective Amalekim garnered praise in these hallowed halls with their 2023 release Avodah Zarah, our own Thus Spoke calling it a highlight during a weaker year for the genre. Naturally, I disliked the album, which tends to be a good sign for the average black metal fan. I was nevertheless surprised to see Shir Hashirim released to little fanfare or label promotion after such a positive reception 18 months prior.” Pole vaulting.

Species – Changelings [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

By Grin Reaper on December 23, 2025 in Things You Might Have Missed 2025, Thrash Metal, 45 comments

“About once a year, I find a technical thrash album I utterly adore. 2023 graced me with Xoth, and 2024’s Dissimulator debut was my favorite album of the year. In 2025, the premiere thrash platter belongs to Warsaw, Poland’s Species. Unfairly or not, thrash is an oft-maligned genre accused of being unserious and trite or stale and stuck in the past. On Changelings, Species’ sophomore offering, the band nimbly threads the needle between paying homage to thrash’s heyday while shaping a fresh sound that’s enchanting yet familiar.” Speed into the future.

Sallow Moth – Mossbane Lantern [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

By Grin Reaper on December 21, 2025 in Things You Might Have Missed 2025, Death Metal, 29 comments

“I don’t know if Garry Brents is the busiest person in metal, but he’s active enough that I worry for his work-life balance. In 2025 alone, Brents cranked out releases for multiple projects, including Sallow Moth’s latest platter, Mossbane Lantern. This is death metal for purveyors of the unrepentantly weird, especially those who indulge in sci-fi and fantasy.” Leave the lantern on.

Dagdrøm – Schauder [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

By Kenstrosity on December 20, 2025 in Reviews, Things You Might Have Missed 2025, Black Metal, Melodic Black Metal, 18 comments

“To be perfectly honest, I no longer recall when or how exactly I encountered Germany’s Dagdrøm for the first time. There’s a pretty good chance it was a Discordian recommendation, or I discovered it organically while sifting through Bandcamp’s new releases feed. Either way, their debut Schauder regularly circulates on my listening rotation. Weirdly, it received very little fanfare from the commenters or other arenas of metallic discourse that I frequent. It’s a shame, because Schauder remains one of the coolest melodic black metal albums released this year.” Døggøne it!

Sold Soul – Just Like That, I Disappear Entirely [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

By Lavender Larcenist on December 20, 2025 in Things You Might Have Missed 2025, Deathcore, 38 comments

“Blah blah blah, deathcore sucks, blah blah, okay, we got that out of the way. Now, for everyone who likes it, come close and hear about one of the bands doing shit right. Deathcore can be incredibly varied as a genre, and among the hundreds of doggy-doo bands out there, a few break the mold. As someone who listens to a lot of different deathcore groups (judge me, I don’t give a shit), North Carolina’s Sold Soul are out here making progressive deathcore that surprises as much as it crushes your skull. Even if you don’t like Lorna Shore or, like me, find their recent albums incredibly boring, Sold Soul is here for you.” MOAR core?

Suotana – Ounas II [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

By Baguette of Bodom on December 19, 2025 in Things You Might Have Missed 2025, Melodic Black Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Power Metal, 29 comments

“Remember the Finnish melodic death and power metal fusion of the late ’90s and early ’00s? Bands like Children of Bodom, Kalmah, and Norther were all the rage for a short while. You even had stuff like Ensiferum for a folkier interpretation, or Catamenia for the blackened side of things. The truth is that it never really left. Suotana is one of the bands keeping this sound alive and well, and they have more history than one might think.” Increasing your death power.

Petrified Giant – Endless Ark [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

By Andy-War-Hall on December 19, 2025 in Things You Might Have Missed, Groove Metal, Thrash Metal, 18 comments

“For many, the mention alone of “YouTuber music” evokes a sudden and potent nausea. Historically tacky, poorly conceived or just plain bad, these projects are so often killed at conception if not by a lack of talent or vision then by the sin of vanity, assembled too self-consciously to leave any real impression. The music is only another extension of their online celebrity and, man, does it sound like it. Petrified Giant formed by the guitar duo of online funny guys Dave McElfatrick (Cyanide & Happiness) and Lyle Rath (Wrathclub, OneyPlays), are not like those other guys. To the contrary, Petrified Giant’s debut Endless Ark just rocks.” If the Ark is arocking…