review – Page 13 – Metal Eclipse Reviews

Eximperitus – Meritoriousness of Equanimity

Metalcatto

I don’t know what Willowtip Records is cooking most of the time, but somehow they keep delivering. So when Eximperitus – Meritoriousness of Equanimity (what does that even mean?) landed in my mailbox, for once I actually had expectations. I knew next to nothing about the band, and judging by the lack of noise around them, this still feels like a fresh act in an already hostile scene. Fearing I might be getting ahead of myself, I dove into uncharted territory hoping to find gold—like a proper colonialist—but enough context, let’s start the plunder.

Shine – Wrathcult

Metalcatto

Welcome back—it’s been one day! So let’s get into what the new year already has in store for us. If you were hoping for brutal and merciless blackened death metal, then today is your lucky day, because I’m here to show you what Shine have to offer with Wrathcult. An album with a promo campaign more pagan than an Edda Reddit thread. So prepare your spells and animal bones, because this is going to be one of those mythological trips—or at least I hope so.

Metalcatto’s Top Progressive Metal Albums of 2025

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.

Metalcattos’s Top Avant-Garde Metal albums of 2025

Metalcatto

It’s time to reward the albums that made us scratch our heads and wonder: what the heck just hit me? Is this even metal? And should I be having an identity crisis because this album makes me feel stuff I didn’t even know I could feel? Anyway, you don’t have the answers to these questions either, so why keep bothering you? Here are my favourite avant-garde albums of 2025.

Metalcatto’s Top Death Metal Albums of 2025

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.

Metalcatto’s Top Black Metal Albums of 2025

Metalcatto

Well, you already know thanks to Vicky that this was a decent year for black metal. In fact, this is probably the top I struggled with the most, but in the end I came up with a few jewels for you to listen to in your darkest hours.

Metalcatto’s Top Post-Metal albums of 2025

2025 was a year where we had a substantial number of decent post-metal releases. However, only a handful of albums really stayed with me for the rest of the year, so this list was easier to make than the previous one. Anyway, let’s get into it!

The Gothic Metalhead’s Top Albums of 2025

The Gothic Metalhead

One of our most discreet collaborator has one last top to give us before the year is over. So, without further do, here’s The Gothic Metalhead‘s top.

The Unsung and Unstoppable: 2025’s Metal Revelations

Metalcatto

Time to recognize those albums crawling out of the sewers of the underground. The ones that struggle to even get 30 seconds of your attention, but promise a deep reward if you stick around. So here they are, in no particular order, the revelations of 2025.

Best Mix of Styles 2025

Metalcatto

This top is meant to recognize the work of those bands that don’t have a specific niche to attack—the kind of artists that make you say “what the heck was even that?” or “I didn’t know I could feel this.” It’s a journey through albums that are each more mixed and harder to pin down than the last, but that’s the whole point, right? To be disturbed beyond repair. Or, if you prefer, you can also call this the top albums I couldn’t fit anywhere else.