Vicky
I listened to Black Metal this year. And a lot of it. So, I’m here to tell you the things that worked, as well as the ones that did not impress me, in terms of music as an overall. Today we focus on the good, the mean, and the evil (or the less evil), in Black Metal. We’ve covered a part of these albums in the past (something that shouldn’t be a surprise), but I’m trying not to repeat what has been said before about these materials. This is just a ranking I’ve made very quickly, without browsing extensively for lyrics, so beware.
15. Argesk –Moonlight Pyromancy (Matriarch Records)
The Electroblack Metal intro “Invocation” will probably always captivate me. Moonlight Pyromancy is one of straightforward records meant only for the connoisseurs of dark music, that are never afraid to experiment with different soundscapes. Ambient-wise, you will find this LP to somewhat resemble a Dissection album: once you enter the realm of the pyromancy, there is no escape.
14. Drudkh – Гра тіней (Season of Mist: Underground Activists)
This band has been accused of leaning towards NSBM, albeit has denied these rumors on numerous occasions. Being a Ukrainian band (and a good one, in terms of music), I couldn’t help but include this shadow play in my list, to honor and pay tribute to my Ukrainian ancestors. By blending Black, Folk, Melodic, Atmospheric/Symphonic, and Death Metal, Drudkh manages to create new highlights for these dark styles. One of the aspects that you might find to be highly interesting regarding the new Drudkh album is that it features a seven-minute-long instrumental introduction, called “Розвіювання попелу” (or “Scattering the Ashes”). My personal favorite track, however, has to be “Вигнання” (or “The Exile”).
13. Labyrinthus Stellarum – Rift in Reality (Northern Silence Productions)
After you move on past the initial shock given by some proper use of more electronic instruments, you realize that we’re dealing with an Experimental Black Metal album. And an interesting one indeed. The edginess given by shrieks and guitar solos is counterbalanced by insane drum parts and synths/distorted vocals, and what not. It’s a decent release for your usual Black Metal fan, albeit a phenomenal album for a person who is used to Metalcore.
12. Agony By Default – Of Darkness and Solitude (Independent)
Think of this album like a man’s shower gel, it’s basically 100 in 1: it gets you hyped up, it’s Black Metal, it’s acoustic, it’s dark, it’s American, it’s kind of gloomy… It’s what you need to get by this winter without depressing everyone. Additionally, it features songs with catchy titles, such as “Depths”, “Sanctuary”, “Eternity”, “Misery”, “Fate”, etc.
11.1914 – Viribus Unitis (Napalm Records)
Yet another Ukrainian band for you. 1914 is praised for being one of the few “War Metal” groups existent to this day (you know, alongside Sabaton). Now, Viribus Unitis translates to With United Forces, and it was apparently the personal motto of Austro-Hungarian emperor Franz Joseph. Every song featured on this LP has a name much in the vein of “1914 (The Siege of Przemyśl)”, and they describe the events that happened in the date mentioned. Special guests (one of them being the great Aaron Stainthorpe of High Parasite) are featured on certain tracks, to offer more emotional nuances.
10. Blackbraid – Blackbraid III (Independent)
As the solo project of Mexican vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Sgah’gahsowáh, Blackbraid is known for releasing Pagan Black Metal work that actually impresses one. For instance, this third chapter reminded me a lot of Time I by Wintersun. If you’re into Power/Folk Metal, combined with Black Metal and slight touches of tribal music, this should just do the trick for you.
9. Vígljós – Tome II: Ignis Sacer (Les Acteurs de L’Ombre Productions)
This is DSBM, so tread lightly, expect high-pitched shrieks similar to those you’d find in a Silencer song. Actually, kudos to the vocalist (Luca Piazzalonga) for being one of the best shriekers ever, after King Diamond. Moving on from the lyrics, the instrumentals are also pretty solid, with a slight tendency to go in a more Folk-esque way, however I can’t complain too much.
8. Draugveil – Cruel World of Dreams and Fears (Independent/Phantom Lure)
This album made me chuckle a lot, and if it weren’t for a massive controversy about the content of this album being human-made or AI generated, I would have probably included it in my top 3 (instead, it’s at a mean 8). Now, just look at the album cover with a straight face. If you can’t, you’re one of my kind, and you’ll definitely love the music Draugveil composes, too. Just try “Knight Without a Name”, and you’ll understand. More about this band and album later.
7. Malepeste – Ex Nihilo (Les Acteurs de L’Ombre Productions)
Shifting between usual a thousand different genres every single song, Malepeste does a terrific job at combining multiple soundscapes and making a collage out of nothing (by the way, that is the translation of the album title). The lyrics are both in English, and in French, and I, for one, really appreciated the lead vocalist’s versatility (going from normal shrieks, to screams, to actual shouting, to clean vocals, to a DSBM-type of singing is no easy task).
6. Exiled Hope –Apocrypha (Independent)
Hey, who remembers this one? The album was so cool, that we just had to interview Sofia, the highly talented artist behind it all. Since I already reviewed the LP once before, now I’m just going to say that it’s a Gothic/Black/Power Metal release, and Sofia is a very good vocalist, something that can be noticed especially on “Blood of the Ancients”, a track where one can even hear banshee cries.
5. Bloody Valkyria – In Our Home, Across The Fog (Northern Silence Productions)
To be completely fair, this album seems at first the Black Metal reinterpretation of the LOTR soundtrack, but somewhere around the second song, things take an unexpected turn for the dark, and just stay there. Don’t get me wrong, I think this is one of the more harmless LPs I’ve written about until now (just check out the song titles – “The Fallen Leaves Tell A Story”, “Radahn Festival”, and so on). Later edit: yes, it seems that this band genuinely sings about the Elden Ring and fantasy, so I’d give it around 4.4 as a rating.
4. Velvet Cross – Blood Consumer (Independent/Phantom Lure)
This is an EP about vampires and gothic romance, meaning that if you’ve ever read Interview With A Vampire by Anne Rice (something that you absolutely must do, regardless of your feelings towards vampires themselves), you’ll adore this release. If you will, we can think of Blood Consumer as a logical continuation of Theatres des Vampires’ time with Lord Vampyr. Just imagine that one of the best tracks featured on this mini-album is called: “A Dying Rose Withered Inside a Grave”. If that doesn’t scream out “good quality vampiric Black Metal”, I have no idea what could possibly do.
3. Belnejoum – Dark Tales of Zarathustra (Antiq Records)
Fleshgod Apocalypse fans, gather ’round, for this album features two members of FA: Fabio Bartoletti (guitars), and Francesco Ferrini (piano/orchestrations). These Dark Tales are surprisingly great, and the mixture between growls/shrieks, soprano, and tenor vocals is one of the greatest things I’ve heard in Symphonic Black Metal since Cradle of Filth’s released Nymphetamine.
2. Der Weg einer Freiheit – Innern (Season of Mist)
I told you that this album won’t grow on me back when I first reviewed it. And I honestly thought that for a long period of time, until I listened to it again, back in November 2025, when suddenly everything changed. Meanwhile it’s true that I had different expectations from Der Weg einer Freiheit, Innern isn’t a bad album, it’s just not what I had in mind. Their shift towards a more classical approach to Black Metal is more than welcome – it’s appreciated, and I am very much looking forward to hearing what the future holds for these talented Germans. Also, please listen to “Forlorn”, I’ve had it stuck in my mind since September…
1.5. Les Bâtards du Roi – Les chemins de l’exil (Les Acteurs de L’Ombre Productions)
And yet another French band (the last one, I promise). I probably wasn’t going to feature Les Bâtards du Roi in this list, but I listened to their latest release a lot in this past month, and I couldn’t help but consider it exquisite. Picture this: it’s the only band with lyrical themes that seem taken straight from Alexandre Dumas novels. Additionally, one of their songs, “Vers l’Étoile solitaire”, actually features the lyrics of the poem Exil, by Victor Hugo. All in all, Les Bâtards du Roi managed to make my December a lot nicer with their paths of exile, and their glorious soundscapes.
1. …and Oceans – The Regeneration Itinerary (Season of Mist)
Oh, with all the awesome albums we’ve seen in 2025, I nearly forgot about this one. The Regeneration Itinerary means a lot – to me as a person, but most importantly, to the Black Metal scene as a whole. If there is anything you need when your year has been hell on Earth (or slightly better, I’m not discriminating you), it’s to hear Electronic and Atmospheric pumped songs performed by Mathias Lillmåns and the outfit of …and Oceans. It’s always a pleasure to look up the lyrics that this band writes – the lyrics are once again based on philosophy, to double the listening fun.
And there you have it, under 20 essential albums if you like Black Metal and you want to understand more about the mentality of dark music artists who have released new material in 2025. As to what is about to come in 2026, I’ve seen some of the stuff that we’ll be listening to then, and it’s going to be extremely exciting. Who knows, maybe even Ed Sheeran will finally do that collab with Dani Filth? Or, at least, one can hope…
Metal Eclipse Reviews 