Metalcatto
Just like last year, I leave the subgenre that contains my album of the year for last. It’s been a great year for Prog, honestly. At first it didn’t seem that way, but just like a 20-minute-long track, it gained momentum little by little (who am I kidding, you can’t sit through 20 minutes of anything). Anyway, let’s get to it.
6. Dessiderium – Keys to the Palace
I’m going to show the old-school Prog nerds some love with this one, because Dessiderium feels like complex, bombastic, and epic music straight out of the Shrine. It has mammoth tracks filled with solos, dramatic vocals, and crazy time signatures—you name it. Everything Dream Theater can do, but with an even geekier touch, you can probably get it here for half the price. So prepare yourself, because this is one long trip.
5. Flummox – Southern Progress
Not all Prog Metal has to be edgy to be good, as Milo already highlighted. The crazy, quirky, and straight-up fun spirit of Southern Progress comes as a breath of fresh air. But don’t let the suspicious possum artwork fool you: this album packs all sorts of technical and complex moments that you’ll need more than one listen to properly nerd out about. Proof that you can write complex music without putting most people to sleep.
This is the wildcard of the list. Nobody seems to be talking about how fascinating this Prog Black Metal jewel really is. If you’ve ever wondered what Panopticon might sound like if it leaned more heavily into Prog and had slightly more vintage production, then Weft have an adventure for you. It’s the kind of album that reminds you why mixing almost anything with Prog usually makes things better. Now, can someone please give this album the love it deserves? Oh wait—that’s me.
3. Lychgate – Precipice
Dark and absolutely sinister, this is the album Opeth should have given us last year. Precipice feels like pure Death Metal at first, but the deeper you dive, the more you realise just how perverse and creative it becomes. On top of that, it sounds incredibly clean and professional. Metal this twisted usually comes with awful production as a trade-off, but not here—Lychgate display a level of mastery far beyond its years.
I’m an In Mourning fanatic, but I was doubtful the band could deliver yet another epic album. Turns out I was wrong, because The Immortal has very little to envy from Monolith or The Shrouded Divine. This could’ve easily landed in the Death Metal top, but I wanted to acknowledge how the band’s sound has evolved beyond its MeloDeath roots to become part of something much bigger. And I’m completely on board, because this release is a triumph of consistency.
1. An Abstract Illusion – The Sleeping City
Here we are, just like I said last year. I might make plenty of bad jokes, but Metal should always aspire to be a form of art—and to get there, we need works that push us toward more complex expressions, whether musically or narratively. My album of the year has to achieve that. The Sleeping City has it all: phenomenal writing, musical creativity, beauty, and pain. It rewards patience as much as it uses its complexity to tell a poetic story. No other album made me feel this awesome and terrible at the same time last year. Its ability to convey profound emotion from a band that keeps outdoing itself with every release makes this my favorite album of 2025.
And that’s it, kids. We’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, helping you fight cosmic indifference. Cheers!
Metal Eclipse Reviews 