Today, we celebrate the amazing black metal albums you might have missed in 2025.
Honestly speaking, overall, 2025 amounted to a pretty bleak year for black metal. Yet, within the darkest hours, the brightest lights shine. For example, hopefully, a good portion of readers had the chance to experience the heartfelt In Devastation by the blackened supergroup Sinsaenum. The Pantera icon Phil Anselmo also released a blackened scorcher — Scour’s Gold.
It would be nearly impossible to select just one 2025 offering by the revered Renaissance man Maxime Taccardi. Thus, we recommend all three: Kyūketsuki’s Nightmare Detective and Oni, plus Osculum Serpentis’ The Streams of Sorrow.
Little compares to the charm of Nachash’s Eschaton Magicks — a terribly authentic mixture of black, death, doom and thrash metal. Nachash includes sonic sorcerers from the likes of Knokkelklang, Syning and the disbanded legends Celestial Bloodshed. From Celestial Bloodshed co-founder Wraath and Italy’s Omega, Darvaza’s We Are Him equates to another must-hear. Meanwhile, Darvaza’s friends Funeral Harvest paid tribute to Celestial Bloodshed on a killer EP, Malum in Se. Fír’s Het Sinistere Oog is likewise a standout EP.
In addition, make sure to enjoy the superb Naglet til Livet by Jordsjuk, who boast a Norwegian dream-team lineup; this ridiculously talented emerging band deserves to be a household name in the metal community. More worthy efforts were unveiled by artists such as Teitanblood and Nattverd. Although it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, some listeners really enjoyed Lamp of Murmuur’s The Dreaming Prince in Ecstasy.
Among the biggest disappointments of 2025 was the fact that one of the most stunning highlights, Funeral’s The Funereal EP, didn’t receive the attention it deserved. It may not be black metal in the literal sense, but it is blacker than black, thanks to the genius of composer Anders Eek, formerly of the symphonic titans Odium.
Fortunately, 2026 already seems like a great year for dark music. The self-titled debut by the underground black metal supergroup Diabolus, Mecum Semperterne!, composed by Tor-Helge Skei, is simply unsurpassed — a work that makes basically all else look like child’s play. As is the case with Diabolus, I have come to the conclusion that Skei’s two genre-defying masterpieces that will follow this year are among the best releases I’ve heard.
Without further ado, we present our five main picks!
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Enthroned, ‘Ashspawn’
Enthroned frontman Nornagest displays exceptional versatility and a horrifying level of vocal excellence on the sublime Ashspawn, while Menthor gives a splendid performance on drums and percussion and T. Kaos (whom Nornagest had long wanted on his roster) brings his prowess on guitars and bass.
During the long and grueling process of composing Ashspawn, this trio of perfectionists labored from morning until night. Nornagest also painstakingly worked with fellow occult writer Gilles de Laval on the lyrical concept and more, directing a dizzying amount of thought into the album.
The distinguished scholar, author and visual artist José Gabriel Alegría Sabogal (known for his collaborations with the likes of Whoredom Rife) handled the artwork, and Mr. Nornagest (who doubles as an accomplished visual artist with a master’s degree in the field) contributed a piece himself.
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Enevelde, “Pandemonium’
Although 100 cassette copies of Enevelde’s Pandemonium were sold in 2024, the rightly revered and feared label Terratur Possessions counts April 8, 2025, as its true release date and that is around the time when the music fell into the eager hands of die-hard fans and journalists (whether digitally, on vinyl or on CD).
On Pandemonium, Enevelde, the enigmatic one-man entity of Brage Kråbøl (also of Misotheist; Diabolus, Mecum Semperterne!; and the family supergroup Kråbøl), yet again inspires awe with his songwriting, musicianship and fiery vocals. This hypnotic album is infuriatingly magnificent and demands (yet also rejects by virtue of its hostility) more gushing praise than feels humanly comfortable.
While there are plenty of talented musicians in the scene today, Kråbøl is arguably one of its youngest torchbearers.
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Ritualmord, ‘This Is Not Lifelover’
To say that Lifelover and Hypothermia legend Kim Carlsson never disappoints is an understatement. Ritualmord’sThis Is Not Lifelover administers a shot of truth so potent that it’s dangerous; this triumph cuts painfully deep and straight to the heart but ultimately proves transformative.
The news of This Is Not Lifelover, which arrived in time for the glorious and tasteful 20th anniversary festivities for Lifelover (Eternal hails to Jonas Bergqvist…), simply seemed too good to be true.
Fans owe their gratitude to Carlsson for his divine vocals, lyrics and musicianship as well as to 1853 for lyrics and additional vocals.
This nuanced album receives my vote for the most emotionally impactful release of 2025.
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Mütiilation, ‘Pandemonium of Egregores’
After many journalists had retired their pens for the year, plenty of so-called Satanists were busy celebrating Yuletide with their families while true misanthropes indulged in rotten fruits; France’s venerable Mütiilation unleashed their brutally awesome surprise Pandemonium of Egregores.
Mütiilation rose from the crypt once again with this pioneering outfit; their example serves as a crucial reminder to audiences inundated with diluted products about black metal’s true essence.
While modernity presents us with “a theatre of puppets for plebeians,” remember to stay coldly cynical and listen to Mütiilation.
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Sarkom, ‘Exceed In2 Chaos’
Sarkom’s varied Exceed In2 Chaos, nearly 50 minutes into beautifully “organized pain,” provided a refreshing burst of kaleidoscopic color without sacrificing any blackness that felt desperately needed. Composed entirely by outstanding frontman Erik Unsgaard, this exhilarating album features Galaaen on guitars and Somby on guitars and bass.
Sarkom has been producing First-Class Norwegian Black Metal since around 2004; thus only greatness could be expected from this full-length follow-up to Anti-Cosmic Art.
This serious yet fun title calls out “Bottomfeeders” among other types as Unsgaard delivers delightful crowbar blows against weakness.
