Vicky
Since I’m the youngest member here, it seemed fit to try and include as many genres as humanly possible. Also, this is like the third variant of my incredible list, so please be patient. Just remember, the correct question is never “oh, what did Vicky include in her list?”, it’s “what didn’t she include?”… Here it goes, the long overdue list, featuring dramas, friends, and spoilers:
11. Cradle of Filth – The Screaming of the Valkyries (Napalm Records)
Since Spotify was kind enough to let me know that I’ve listened more to Cradle of Filth from May to December than I have bands that I’ve known since forever, placing CoF at the end of this list proves that platform wrong! I’m kidding (sort of, at least), in fact this album does have some very strong songs, like “White Hellebore”, but I guess it’s a bit too dark for me, I’ll just go back to “Absinthe with Faust”.
10. Primal Scourge – End of Eden (Iron Fortress Records)
This is actually a solid Death Metal record. One of the best things ever is reading the song titles out loud, without making any mistakes. Yet, still, the harsh vocals are really great, and they blend in perfect harmony with the brutal instrumentals, creating one of the most interesting albums I have heard in this domain in a long time. It’s hard to believe that this is just the band’s debut album, and it only makes me excited to hear more from it.
9. Lacrimosa – Lament (Out of Line Music)
Towards my embarrassment, I, a long time fan of Lacrimosa, only recently stumbled across this album while spotifying for more good albums to add to this list. Lament is as Darkwave as Lacrimosa gets, and that is in itself a brilliant thing. And my greatest joy is that the band finally put the track “Du bist alles was ich will” on an album. Now I may listen even more to Lament and perhaps rediscover Lacrimosa the way they intended me to, through this return to its origins.
8. Marko Hietala – Roses From The Deep (Nuclear Blast Records)
I’ve been obsessed with “Two Soldiers” for a few months now, so it was only logical to include the entire album in my list. Honestly, the LP is genius, and – just maybe – better than the latest Nightwish album. Hietala goes beyond his Power Metal roots, to demonstrate, yet again, that he is one of the best vocalists that Rock music has ever had. Get this guy a Grammy, he’s definitely earned it!
7. Evadne – The Fragile Light of Fireflies (Meuse Music Records)
This is an acoustic album, but without a doubt, it’s one of the year’s best renditions. Just hearing “Shadows” acoustic after listening to/seeing the electric version live earlier this year melts my heart every time. If there’s anything I regret, it’s not finding out about Evadne sooner – listen to the aforementioned song, and to “Silhouettes of a Faceless Sun” acoustic, and I’m sure you’ll understand.
6. Grabyourface – Sadgirl Mixtape
Enter an album that all (melancholic) teenage girls will find relatable. Sadgirl Mixtape is basically the perfect combination between a heartbreak classic and a new type of drama. One of the best tracks on this LP is “Everything Remains the Same”, and I haven’t been able to get that out of my head since I first listened to it. The album is so good that it will remind you of sorrow you haven’t even experienced yet.
5. Old Night – Mediterranean Melancholy (Meuse Music Records)
I did warn you guys that this album was going to make the list, and I’m glad that it stayed at a solid five. Don’t get me wrong, it’s the best Epic Traditional Doom Metal album I’ve heard this year. With the combination between old Candlemass and the New Wave of Doom, this is definitely a must for everyone who likes slow headbanging sessions with the seagulls and the lighthouses.
4. Your Inland Empire – Your Inland Empire (Season of Mist)
This album is the peak of 2025 Post-Metal and Industrial Darkwave (yes, that is really a genre). You basically get the best of all three worlds, without too much of that unusual Industrial Metal sound, and more Atmospheric sounds. I strongly recommend the song “Myself Destruct” – it’s like EBM meets Antimatter. I don’t know about you, but it sounds awesome to me! J
3.5. Pantheïst – 25 Years of Pantheïsm (Ardua Music)
This is a compilation of sixteen songs taken from the Pantheïst archives, including some covers of very well known songs like “For Funerals To Come” by Katatonia. As an overall, 25 Years of Pantheïsm is one of the only albums on this list that have carried me through a multitude of emotions – from sorrow, to joy, anger, and everything in between. It’s really great to watch the band’s sound evolve from Gothic Doom, to Symphonic, to Death Metal, and to see all of these styles combine.
3. Ossyrium – Fall From Purgatory
This is a Death Metal album that passes through most of the style’s own subdivisions that you could ever think of (so, we have MeloDeath, Technical Death, Atmospheric Death, Black Death, Power Death, and so on). I can’t really give you my favorite song off this album, since there isn’t a track that I don’t like – all of them hold a special power that will certainly make you feel something you haven’t experienced before. The LP is very well balanced and it will probably never cease to amaze me.
2.5. The Old Dead Tree – London Sessions, EP (Season of Mist)
Another return to the origins, but this time for The Old Dead Tree. The London Sessions EP reminded me up to a certain point of Leprous, and then of Charlotte Wessels, since it’s really good, and it’s also Dark Prog Metal. This material is unforgettable, and you can find yourselves pretty easily in the lyrics, once you manage to discover what their message is. Recommendation: listen to the rendition of “What Else Could We’ve Said” featured on this EP, it’s worth it.
2. Medusian – Library, (Independent)
From Swedish librarian glory rises a Symphonic Black/Death Metal band: Medusian. Now, personally, I don’t even know which version of these songs I like most – the studio one or the live one. This EP has literally been around for me through so much – from Buzău, to Alba, to Galați, to Tulcea, to Brăila, to Mangalia, to Bucharest, and back, from one Metal magazine to another (and then, to another one). It’s helped shape me as a human throughout 2025, and I can’t thank the members of Medusian (Mitchell, Isak, Rasmus, and Daniel) enough for releasing this masterpiece. Definitely looking forward to new material!
1. Pilgrimage – From Amber To Sun (Meuse Music Records)
And there it is, the album I called “best of the year” back in August. I still haven’t changed my mind, since this just makes one break down in a torment of unexpected feelings. It’s the lyrics that make this whole album become the best of this year, metaphorical, mournful, and worthy of appreciation from the Doom Metal masses. Somewhere around the final lyrics of this song, “Follow the star! In the shadow of the pilgrim-sun.”, you hit replay, just to find yourself once again in the pilgrimage of a lifetime spent between amber and sun.
It makes me somewhat sad to think that this list is now officially over, but I guess that we need to enter 2026. Already announced releases for January 2026: Rotting Christ – Aealo (Re-recorded), HÉR – Monochrome, Graves For Gods – Last Light Fades, Megadeth – self-titled, and many more.
Metal Eclipse Reviews 