Around every new year I try to recall what music defined the past year. Let's continue the tradition. Here are ten albums I can't imagine 2025 without.
This year, like the previous ones, had a lot of Fish-core. But even with its presence in the top — I got a bit tired of it. Any music that sounded different became somehow much more valuable.
As tradition goes, those who didn't make it but were memorable: Sleep Token, IC3PEAK, Jinjer, Thornhill, Deafheaven, Imminence, Noize MC, Zatochka, Anacondaz, AIGEL, Loqiemean, Husky, Bond s knopkoy, Babymetal, Slaughter to Prevail, Bleed From Within, Pendulum, Grima.
Concerts
The main event of the year — Rock im Park in Nuremberg. Three days, 20+ bands heard, my first big European festival in years.
June 6: Slipknot, In Flames (x2), Heaven Shall Burn, Bullet for My Valentine (x3), Spiritbox, Skillet (x2), Imminence, Nothing More.
June 7: Sleep Token, Korn (x2), Falling in Reverse, Jinjer, Idles, I See Stars, Polaris.
June 8: Bring Me The Horizon (x2), Biffy Clyro, A Day To Remember, Poppy, Weezer, Knocked Loose, House of Protection.
Best concerts of the year: Poppy, Spiritbox, Jinjer, House of Protection, Sleep Token.
Sleep Token live is a separate visual experience that's hard to describe in words. Even if it came at the cost of an hour-long night walk back to the hotel in a wrecked state.
I went to Spiritbox as one of my headliners and knew in advance I'd be in the mosh pit by the second track. My expectations were all met and even exceeded, especially considering I ended up in the same pit with Nuki, whom I managed to greet from Almaty.
I went to Jinjer knowing one song, left as a big fan who then re-listened to everything and got hooked. The set quality was absolutely world-class.
House of Protection on the second stage brought me back to 2019 and Fever 333 shows, incredible drive.
And Poppy simply without words — my favorite concert of the year.
Let's also remember Limp Bizkit in Almaty, who are experiencing some kind of second youth.
Poshlaya Molly at Pervomayskie Prudy — the best local concert of the year, even despite Fred Durst coming shortly after.
Albums
10. MOLODOST VNUTRI - Bez-konechnost
Anton is one of the hitmakers who resonates with me the most in Russian-language music over the past five years. Even when I'd seemingly put on a new release without any interest — I'd end up hooked and playing it on repeat.
Zaderzhi dyhanie and Poka ty spish — the tracks that got stuck in my head the most.
9. House of Protection - Outrun You All
I'm definitely biased here after seeing House of Protection live at RIP. Even tracks that had passed me by before became instant favorites.
This year I finally realized that my favorite music is all at the intersection of electronic and heavy music, and if you add some existential weight to it, you can easily draw a portrait of any of my favorite bands.
House of Protection fits this portrait completely.
Godspeed is like if Rage Against the Machine crossed with Innerpartysystem, if anyone even knows who that is. This is my thing.
8. Architects - The Sky, The Earth & All Between
After a couple of divisive albums, Architects finally returned with something cohesive. Again Jordan Fish on production, and again it's both a plus and minus. Because it sounds great, can't argue with that, but it sounds the same.
For Blackhole alone, Architects deserve to be in this top. It's their best song since Doomsday, probably, but how the mood has changed. That it's one of the best singles of the year — pretty much everyone agrees.
7. Daite Tank (!) - Hrupko
First album in 4 years. An event. During this time DT became a band that can easily sell out two Moscow stadiums in a row. And it's no accident.
Hrupko is a stunningly beautiful album. Musically, it's phenomenal work. In terms of lyrical beauty, it's hard to think of a stronger band. For fans, the album is perfect, though perhaps just slightly less groundbreaking than Cheloveko-chasy.
M — track of the year in Russian-language music for me personally.
6. Spiritbox - Tsunami Sea
Spiritbox stands out significantly from the top of modern metalcore — no producer's hands have reached the Canadians yet. Compared to the overproduced polish from someone like Architects, they're harder to digest. But Eternal Blue was the first release where on my very first listen I knew this is what we mosh to.
The "Golden Breakdown 2025" award goes to Black Rainbow. This is music you literally feel with your heart. The music from the speakers resonates with your pulse and this pleasant sensation runs through your body, oh.
5. LANDMVRKS - The Darkest Place I've Ever Been
Everyone goes to music festivals in their best merch, as you probably know. It's all clear when you see Metallica, AC/DC, Slipknot or Bring me the Horizon t-shirts. But when you see dozens of LANDMVRKS t-shirts over three days, that's somehow surprising. Especially considering they weren't even at this festival. Holy shit, I thought. So I got to the album right after returning. And I didn't regret it.
Thanks to The Darkest Place I've Ever Been, I started recognizing French metal by ear, like Gojira. The album is extraordinarily unusual. French rap, vocal parts à la Deftones or Marilyn Manson, industrial like Rammstein, electronic inserts like from Joe Hahn. What did I even just listen to? — you want to ask after the first few times. And then you get hooked.
I'll highlight Creature and A Line in the Dust, a collab with another favorite of mine While She Sleeps.
4. The Devil Wears Prada - Flowers
A divisive album. Critics are split — some call it a failure, some their best work. I'm in the second category.
Many say it was better before, but that's not my case. I actually really enjoy how comfortable this music is for me. I feel like I can listen to it in any situation just in the background.
I'd call TDWP one of the brightest second-tier metalcore bands of the past fifteen years. A band you don't appreciate that much and don't consciously put on, but looking back you realize you've listened to all their albums.
When You're Gone and Ritual are simply beautiful.
And on January 16th, the band dropped Play The Old Shit — a response to everyone who wants to hear the old stuff. Typical crabcore straight from the 2000s. Sounds hilarious in context, and the track absolutely slaps.
3. Turnstile - NEVER ENOUGH
Only the lazy haven't heard about Turnstile this year, so I don't even want to repeat myself. The album sounds like a continuation of the excellent GLOW ON from 2021, when normies first started noticing the band.
And what visually aesthetic work they do in their music videos, I can't even describe. NEVER ENOUGH and LOOK OUT FOR ME are beautiful. Seeing them live is probably one of my main dreams for the coming years.
The title track NEVER ENOUGH is a gorgeous melodic manifesto. BIRDS is music that makes you want to dive into the pit. And despite all this diversity, it's a surprisingly cohesive album.
2. vianova - Hit It!
After the first listens, I wrote in my channel that the vianova album is like a breath of fresh air.
On one hand, it's very light and danceable, some soul, jazz, funk, atmospherically looking somewhere towards the eighties. Saxophone, piano, choir, synths. On the other hand, it's djent, guitars doing the djuh-djuh-djuh thing as expected. On top of all that, add breakdowns so heavy you want to run full speed into a mosh pit and headbang. And the whole release plays so skillfully on this contrast. If ADHD were music, basically.
The vocalist can deliver Bruno Mars, Chris Cornell, Danny Worsnop, and Sam Carter, all in one song. The riffs are pure delight, you want to listen to them over and over.
The "most unusual sound of the year" award goes to vianova from Berlin. How meticulously crafted this music is simply amazes me.
Melanchronic and Whatever Alright are my favorite tracks. Though the closer to the top, the less I want to single out specific singles. This is valuable as a complete product, where it's actually hard to pick out something you didn't like. Here every track is concentrated avant-garde madness. And it's beautiful.
1. Cardio Killer - MAYHEM PUNK RAP
I always like to leave room for unexpected names in the top. This year — Cardio Killer.
This duo from Nizhny Novgorod is the main event in Russian-language music for me. I haven't heard a band with such a distinctive sound in Russian in a very long time. I don't even understand what they play. Punk rapcore with a hint of nu-metal is probably the simplest description that comes to mind.
It seems MAYHEM PUNK RAP never gets old for me. I've cooled off and come back to it. Right now I'm at the point where I put it on in any unclear situation and get a ton of enjoyment.
GAME OVER, Vse psy popadayut v ray, 911, ZUGZWANG — ten out of ten. Young bands sometimes figure out some hit formula and keep abusing it. But these guys can also make completely different tracks.
They don't really hide that they're inspired by Turnstile, but it's extremely interesting to observe that they also came from a completely different background — there's System of a Down, Limp Bizkit, and everything else that was trendy to listen to twenty years ago.