Pegah’s Top Albums of 2025

Pegah

This is all doom and gloom, so let’s get to it Pegah!

10. Hermyth – Aether
Italian cosmic Doomgaze band Hermyth, with its second album, Aether, explores a journey through ethereal soundscapes and celestial mysticism. Inspired by the ancient concept of aether—the fifth element binding existence—the album explores spiritual ascension, cosmic exploration, and melancholic grandeur.

9. Veil of Conspiracy – Shape of Grief
On its latest album, Shape of Grief, Italian Doom Metal band Veil of Conspiracy turns sorrow into crushing soundscapes of despair, loneliness, and inner pain, creating an experience that is as personal as it is widely relatable.

8. Tetramorphe Impure – The Sunset of Being
The one-man Funeral Doom/Death Metal band Tetramorphe Impure, led by multi-instrumentalist Damien. In their new release, The Sunset of Being, Tetramorphe Impure blends the crushing heaviness of Funeral Doom with the raw force of old-school Death Metal and the somber textures of early Death/Doom.

7. Broken Pillars – Ghosts of the Persian Gulf
Another album out of my comfort zone was Ghosts of the Persian Gulf. With their latest album, Persian epic Metal duo Broken Pillars pay tribute to the Persian Gulf through a compelling fusion of raw guitars, abrasive vocals, and expansive atmospheres. Concepts of identity, heritage, and history converge to shape a work of profound artistic significance.

6. Sun of the Dying – A Throne of Ashes
The Spanish Death/Doom Metal band, Sun of the Dying, made a strong return this year with A Throne of Ashes. The album carries forward its signature blend of classic and Death/Doom foundations and rich atmospheric depth, enhanced by poignant, introspective lyrics and a compelling balance of clean and brutal vocals.

5. Sunday of the Dead – Memento Moribundis
Sunday Of The Dead from Germany present its second EP, Memento Moribundis (remember those who are dying), sharpening and elevating its sound, pushing its musical range deeper into the shadows of Doom and Death Metal while further expanding its progressive and orchestrated dimensions.

4. Bianca – Bianca
One of the albums that truly surprised me was the Italian band Bianca. Although I rarely listen to Black Metal, I found myself enjoying every track. Bianca taps into the rebellious core of the genre, enriched by Doom-laden weight and immersive atmospheres. At its center is a feminine force that shifts between states, from ethereal grace to raw, untamed intensity.

3. Inborn Suffering – Pale Grey Monochrome
After years of silence, the French melodic Death/Doom band Inborn Suffering returns with its third album, Pale Grey Monochrome. With this album, the listener explores suffering, despair, and fleeting glimpses of hope. Despite its lengthy tracks—an expected trait in Doom Metal—Pale Grey Monochrome maintains a dynamic and evolving atmosphere throughout, preventing monotony. Each song offers a distinct soundscape and emotional depth, ensuring an engaging listening experience.

2. Evoken – Mendacium
Across Mendacium, Evoken shape each canonical hour into a shifting soundscape of gloom and rising dread. From the midnight tension of “Matins” to the crushing climax of “Sext” and the final descent of “Compline,” the album moves through waves of somber ambience, harsh vocal eruptions, and suffocating heaviness. Each track deepens the monk’s journey into pain and delirium, turning the liturgy of a single day into a slow, immersive spiral of spiritual decay.

1. Structure – Heritage
Heritage, the latest album by Structure, is a project led by Bram Bijlhout, former guitarist of Officium Triste. The album opens like a sudden cold wind, sharp, unavoidable, and sonically brutal. Its sound lays bare the weight of reality with cutting riffs and a bleak atmosphere that feels almost physical. As the album unfolds, its immersive textures pull me away from my own pain. The swirling ambience, emotive solos, and enveloping heaviness create a space where everything else momentarily dissolves.