Metalcatto
There’s one subgenre that almost never disappoints, and that’s the original extreme Metal style. I’m talking about Death Metal—the one that’s given us the best and worst reputation among the normies. But enough chatting; here are my picks for the best Death Metal albums of 2025.
5. Cryptopsy – An Insatiable Violence
Maybe I’ve placed this one here partly out of respect for the OGs. However, having Cryptopsy back with this level of savagery is always moving. Except when you realise that this album is the equivalent of being thrown into a meat grinder on fire while your cat watches with complete indifference. It’s absolutely relentless, and nothing makes me happier than being crushed by those blast beats. Please, never change.
I have a complicated relationship with Fallujah, mostly because I’m completely infatuated with The Flesh Prevails. That said, after a few more listens, I’ve come to my senses and realised that Xenotaph is a Tech-Death mayhem most bands can only dream of emulating. No other band sounds like Fallujah. The sonic landscapes it explores belong to an alien world we can only access through some of the sickest riffs of 2025, which is exactly why this album lands so high on the list.
I know this could’ve ended up in the Black Metal top, but (a) that list was already packed and (b) 1914 sits perfectly in the middle of both subgenres. Still, with all the Asphyx influence present here, it belongs firmly in this category. I don’t think Viribus Unitis is its best album, but the fact that the band can keep making us relive the horrors of World War I time and time again without losing its edge is remarkable. Its mastery of storytelling through music remains unmatched in our niche. Finally, Metal that makes you want to learn something about history that doesn’t involve silly dragons and knights.
2. Dormant Ordeal – Tooth and Nail
The moment this album hit me, I knew we’d be returning to it again and again. Beyond the spectacular artwork, Tooth and Nail is state-of-the-art Blackened Death Metal—what we’d all aspire to create if we had any musical talent. Oppressive, evil, and more decadent than your bank account at Christmas. The sheer violence and horror this album delivers makes me wonder if this is what Behemoth would’ve sounded like if the edginess hadn’t fully taken over. It’s mysterious and devastating at the same time, yet it remains completely focused on one goal: destroying our eardrums.
1. Qrixkuor – The Womb of the World
Another album that punched its way straight to the top this year, because The Womb of the World is easily the scariest record of 2025. If Ingurgitating Oblivion leaned more toward Doom and creepiness, this would be the end result. Long, vast soundscapes of absolute desolation unfold throughout the album. It not only pushes the boundaries between Black, Death, Prog, and Doom, but also challenges your stamina without mercy. An unholy journey that feels like an homage to Fas – Ite, Maledicti, in Ignem Aeternum. What more could you want from extreme Metal? That’s why this stands as my Death Metal champion of 2025.
Metal Eclipse Reviews 