It’s been a busy year, hasn’t it? There’s been plenty going on—some good; some…less so—and a ton of albums for us to get through. And while we’ve traditionally summed the cream of the crop up through individual lists, we’re doing things a bit differently this time. Here are The Soundboard’s top 30 albums of 2025, as chosen and aggregated from the vast and varying tastes of our contributors. With that in mind, let’s get into it…
30
Annisokay – Abyss – The Final Chapter
Finding the balance between cinematic soundscapes, obliterating heaviness and catchy melodies that will become earworms (in the best possible way), is no mean feat. Abyss – The Final Chapter sees the both Abyss EPs, along with three new tracks, into a full-length format. Now in its entirety, the fierce intensity is evident. In Human and Get Your Shit Together, the thundering rage at those in power willingly destroying our world feels (sadly) more relevant than ever, while Time offers a more personal and introspective reflection. Leading with pop sensibilities, fan- favourite Calamity and the newer Splinters are two offerings to become lost in amidst the soaring melodies. Annisokay bring emotive moments, a fight against injustice, and also provide some much-needed moments of escapism, all delivered in a highly polished form. • HR
29
Wet Leg – moisturizer
There’s a good reason why any scan of the indie-rock landscape from summer onwards has, without fail, thrown up Wet Leg. In the three years since their debut, Wet Leg have come on leaps and bounds, taking their self-titled’s ramshackle approach to post-punk and giving it the newest, freshest lease of life for moisturizer. The wit and efficacious-to-a-T presentation are paired with their sharpest hooks to date, almost unrecognisably so on CPR and catch these fists. All the while, the festival-indie feel rattles by, driven by Rhian Teasdale as the unlikely, taciturn superstar at the helm. As a next step, moisturizer is the whole package for Wet Leg, a deft stride around ‘difficult second album’ pitfalls that’s (somehow) even leaner and more propulsive than before. There really is no stopping them now. • LN
28
RØRY – Restoration
RØRY’s Restoration is a record that wears its scars openly: not as a gimmick, but as proof of survival. Built from the wreckage of burnout, grief, and self-reckoning, the album captures an artist rebuilding themselves in real time, turning pain into something bruised, beautiful, and brutally honest. It’s intimate without ever feeling small, striking a balance between catharsis and careful craft. Restoration leans into atmospheric alt-pop and rock textures, pairing swelling synths and raw guitar lines with melodies that hit hardest when they pull back rather than explode. RØRY’s voice is the anchor throughout, cracked, emotional, and unfiltered, delivering lyrics that read like confessions you weren’t meant to overhear, but can’t turn away from. There’s a quiet power in the restraint here, an understanding that healing isn’t loud or linear. What makes Restoration resonate is its sincerity. This isn’t an album chasing trends or viral moments; it’s about reclaiming identity after everything’s fallen apart. In an era obsessed with polish, RØRY embraces imperfection, and the result is deeply human. Restoration doesn’t promise answers, but it offers solidarity, and that makes it one of the year’s most emotionally grounding releases. • EBr
27
Stress Positions – Human Zoo
Stress Positions’ Human Zoo is the craft of a particular flavour of rage that could’ve only come from 2025. Striking anti-colonialist sentiment is baked right to its core (the title itself comes from the ‘human zoo’ of 1,100 Filipinos at the 1904 World’s Fair), shaped into hardcore-punk and powerviolence that’s as relentless as it comes. For the duration of its short runtime, Human Zoo encapsulates the righteous ferality of the underground to perfection. Capped off by the oppressively eerie collage of Kaddish and a clutch of remixes for some added, unexpected dexterity, and Stress Positions have a release that, even if you weren’t being physically grabbed and compelled to let the bloodletting soak, would be near-impossible to look away from. • LN
26
Richard Dawson – End Of The Middle
Richard Dawson cannot stop throwing himself into grand concepts, and he excels at them all whether he’s discussing alien visitations, Anglo-Saxon Northumbrian farmsteads or huddling around a TV dinner watching Gladiators. End Of The Middle is more in the latter’s case, where even his ‘stripped back’ humdrum cross-examines familial differences and repeated behaviours of a multi-generational household: bullies rearing younger bullies, emotional house moving days, memories of allotments, dreams of Venice, labrador ring bearers and corned beef pie buffets. Somehow, Dawson’s simple man-and-guitar setup is also confounding for it being so idiosyncratic, sparsely flecked with drums and clarinets leading up to a synthy heart-warming ode to a loved one (with Hen Ogledd bandmate Sally Pilkington), the culmination of multiple short tales told with a master’s pen no one can come close to mimicking. With this album, and whether veering more into prog or freak-folk in future, the generous discography from the UK’s foremost modern bard is becoming one of music’s most preposterously consistent, too. • EB
25
Calva Louise – Edge Of The Abyss
Edge Of The Abyss is Calva Louise at their most fearless, a genre-smashing, reality-warping record that refuses to sit still for even a second. Blending punk aggression, alt-metal heaviness, electronic glitch, and cinematic sci-fi storytelling, the album feels like tumbling headfirst through multiple dimensions and somehow landing on your feet. It’s intense, visceral, and unapologetically weird, exactly what makes it so compelling. Jess Allanic’s vocals are a force of nature throughout, shifting seamlessly between snarled defiance and haunting melody, while the band’s chemistry keeps even the most chaotic moments tightly locked in. Songs explode with jagged riffs, pulsing synths, and sudden left turns, but there’s a sharp emotional core anchoring the madness. Themes of identity, isolation, and survival bleed through the dystopian imagery, giving the album real weight beneath its sci-fi sheen. Crucially, Edge Of The Abyss never feels indulgent. Every risk pays off, every twist feels deliberate, pushing Calva Louise further into their own lane. It’s the sound of a band staring into the void and daring it to blink first. Bold, cinematic, and electrifying, this is a record that demands attention and absolutely earns it. • EBr
24
The Band CAMINO – NeverAlways
NeverAlways sees The Band CAMINO doubling down on what they do best: emotionally charged pop-rock built for late-night drives, bad decisions, and the lingering ache of almost-love. Sleek and immaculately produced, the album glides between euphoric hooks and quiet devastation, capturing the strange in-between space where hope and heartbreak coexist. It’s polished, yes, but there’s real feeling pulsing beneath the sheen. NeverAlways circles obsession, self-sabotage, and the kind of relationships that refuse to stay in the past. There’s a restless push and pull throughout the record, with soaring choruses masking moments of self-doubt and vulnerability. The Band CAMINO have always excelled at making big feelings feel communal, and here they sharpen that instinct into something more refined, more resonant. While NeverAlways doesn’t reinvent the genre, it doesn’t need to. Its strength lies in precision: knowing exactly when to explode into a massive hook and when to pull back and let the melancholy breathe. It’s an album that understands the power of subtle emotional accumulation, leaving you humming the melodies long after the final track ends and quietly nursing whatever feelings it stirred up along the way. • EBr
23
The Armed – The Future Is Here And Everything Needs To Be Destroyed
Few bands have the ability to spin incandescent rage into gold like The Armed. The Future Is Here And Everything Needs To Be Destroyed is another perfect extension of that, demolishing all in its wake with the intensity of a few dozen nukes at once, fuelled by the built-in malaise of hardcore-punk informed by noise-rock and the overall dourness of the world around it. It’s The Armed’s bread-and-butter, without a single thrill lost even six albums in. What lifts this further, though, is a surprisingly melodic angle that only adds rather than displaces. The former implacable wall of noise has been sculpted into something more recognisable, yet not at all compromised. That leaves The Armed on what might be their strongest foot to date, as a murderers’ row of collaborators and extra hands ensures an even greater final product. When that UK arena tour with Biffy Clyro arrives next year, don’t be surprised if those venues are fully rubbled by the end. • LN
22
caroline – caroline 2
Even after digesting caroline’s lovely debut, little could prepare me for how single Total euphoria scrambled my brain to the point it’s barely been put back together correctly since. And this whole record’s strangeness doubles down on that. Every idea is ripped to its barebones then stitched with others to resemble ‘songs’. Sometimes these flit over multiple parts consecutively, or layer two or three separate ideas on top of each other. It’s stunningly meticulous, yet packaged like a meme—an album by caroline called caroline 2 featuring another Caroline (Polachek) with joke titles like Coldplay cover and Song 2. They manage to make dissonant noise and post-rock a cuddly blanket. They hide four-on-the-floor beats and blasts (When I get home and Two riders down). And a jarring cut in U R UR ONLY ACHING to an acoustic Nunhead Cemetery performance on a wintry day sparks a very personal warming connection. All these examples show there’s hardly anything like it, and is more than food for thought for where the 8-strong group’s curiosity will possibly go next. • EB
21
Stray From The Path – Clockworked
For a final album, Clockworked doesn’t do much more than iterate on the tried-and-true Stray From The Path formula, but it doesn’t need to. In a career of raging against the machine with unerring frankness, another helping more than hits the spot, but there is a certain potency to this one that gives it the edge. Maybe it’s an extra push of exertion for a final go-around, where hardcore, rapcore and rap-metal coalesce into their hardest, most blistering form, and Drew York frequently sounds like he’s just a few syllables away from a popped vein or several. Fat-free and fully hewn by a relevance that’s persisted all the way up to its creators’ final moments, Clockworked achieves most as a reminder of how truly vital Stray From The Path have always been. Unrelenting, and totally earned in being so. • LN
20
Whitechapel – Hymns In Dissonance
What makes Hymns In Dissonance such a standout listen is how it simultaneously subverts and redefines expectations for Whitechapel going forward. Going back to deathcore was unexpected, certainly, but nothing close to a hacked-out, regressive pivot. No, this is a total monster of an album, wearing the insidious aura of its more expansive preceding pair, and using it to blanket one of the most decimating experiences you’re likely to get in modern metal. This is everything that a successful deathcore album should be—stupidly heavy as a baseline, without feeling hemmed in or stuck in the rut its genre tends to coagulate into. Coupled with Phil Bozeman and his Satan-summoning roars that represent the apex of -core vocals, full-stop, and you’ve got an album that appreciates in value with every spin, and makes Whitechapel seem totally unbeatable at the same time. • LN
19
JADE – That’s Showbiz, Baby!
Jade Thirlwall has long been a pop music fan first and an artist second—while her Little Mix bandmates have spent time finding their sound Thirlwall, now simply JADE, had a fully-realised album ready to go from the release of bonkers first single Angel Of My Dreams. That’s Showbiz, Baby! is first and foremost a passion project, a crazy lab experiment of disparate references that fit together perfectly in JADE’s hands (and JADE’s hands only). Unconditional marries Giorgio Moroder disco and Gossip-esque crashing guitars in one of the record’s best moments, Fantasy goes full Donna Summer, while the aforementioned Angel Of My Dreams is a three-act show in one headrush of a track—Sandie Shaw sample, hard rave beats and vaudeville harpsichord making for something truly unique. JADE herself is always steering the chaos, never buried by it, her perspective and personality being what makes this a creative triumph instead of a mishmash of references. Her vulnerability makes Plastic Box and Self Saboteur exemplary slices of Robyn-esque synthpop, a duet with her younger self adding depth to Before You Break My Heart, steely confidence making IT girl and Midnight Cowboy the real deal instead of a costume being tried on. JADE has solidified herself as not just an out-and-out diva with That’s Showbiz, Baby!, but a top-of-the-class student of pop. • GJ
18
Igorrr – Amen
Expecting the unexpected is the best way to approach Igorrr. Yet, even with this in mind, they never fail to deliver audacious surprises. Gautier Serre’s thrilling sound design, created through intense orchestral arrangements, eclectic instrument combinations and explorative production methods, is untameable yet not inaccessible. Amen sees Igorrr’s sonic quality pushed further in all directions. From the theatrical drama of Daemoni and the discordant chaos of ADHD to the engulfing heaviness of Mustard Mucous and juxtaposing elements within Silence, reveal the length and breadth of Igorrr’s creativity. Amen is darker, heavier and fully immersed in numerous styles and genres, as it delivers a captivating listening experience. • HR
17
Gigi Perez – At The Beach, In Every Life
A singer-songwriter armed with an acoustic guitar and their feelings is the most common type of musician in the book; sometimes that simplicity can make the right artist the most powerful. At The Beach, In Every Life is the result of a perfect storm—Gigi Perez working through the sudden death of her sister, a relationship breakdown and subsequent reconsideration of the Christian faith she was raised with, the hyper-specificity of her lyrics delivered with her husky, captivating alto. Songs like Fable and Sleeping lay bare Perez’ grief-helmed thought process in stark, poetic fashion—it’s deep and soul-searching but also inherently human. Album highlight Sugar Water is a gorgeous autobiography of herself and her two sisters’ childhoods (unaware of how different life would look years later), while Please Be Rude and worldwide hit Sailor Song detail love and lust in high-stakes romance-novel detail. Most importantly though, Perez never loses a sense of hope amidst the tragedy on this record, the closing title track in particular a shining beacon of possibilities for once she reaches the other side of this heartache. It’s the perfect note to leave things on after so much questioning and uncertainty, one of the most emotionally affecting debut albums of the last few years. • GJ
16
Ela Minus – DÍA
Ela Minus’ DÍA exists to defy its own boundaries. Compared to its smaller, comparatively delicate predecessor acts of rebellion, DÍA is the kind of cranked-high synthpop rush that, from the right angle, seems almost completely at odds with what came before. And yet, the cold, insular tones remain, as does Minus’ ear for a sharper, less-conventional texture. When those basically clad the entire album and remain gripping and forward-thinking in the extreme, you’ve got one of electro-pop’s true gems for the year. When DÍA drives itself in with such unrestrained force, good luck getting it to dislodge in a hurry. • LN
15
Viagra Boys – viagr aboys
Since we first saw Seb Murphy dancing around a badminton court yelling “sports!”, the Viagra Boys’ rascal nature has spread drastically to legions of fans worldwide. And through it all, on their kinda self-titled record’s You N33d Me, the singer’s back parodying his own (or his fictional narrator’s) extensive knowledge of military history to sound like a dick at a house party—but one that’s charismatic and can dance a little well. The funky dirt-skimming outfit are out doing more of that, in an evolved state that appears rather accessible on the surface, yet bizarre enough for their lore to build. The Bog Body’s chorus will never leave your head so long as you’re down for being channelled through the mind of a dog visiting a vet (Uno II), for instance. Henrik Höckert’s basslines are still kingly, and there’s offbeat vocal garbles, Shrimps, cacophony, and post-punk goodness all along the line. With those now a foundation, there’s no way we’ll stop finding the Swedes as major festival stage mainstayers. • EB
14
Luvcat – Vicious Delicious
In her bid to become pop music’s next main character, Luvcat built avenues all unto herself with Vicious Delicious. Not only is the premise and cabaret chic one of, if not the most distinct aesthetic in indie music today, but it makes way for the kind of songs that are leagues ahead of an artist’s full-blown debut. There are murder-ballads; there are gauzy pop cuts; there’s a grimy instability that fills out that character and world so much more; and there’s a genuine ear for pop vulnerability and humanity that, for an album so reliant on its Vaudevillian footlights, makes all the difference. It’s rare that an artist springs into life as fully-formed as Luvcat is on Vicious Delicious, a feature that makes it all the more praiseworthy. Bands and artists will go for vast stretches of their career aiming for something like this, and still might not be able to make it. That’s the sign of something special right here. • LN
13
Pulp – More
It says something when a legacy band makes a serious ‘best of the year’ bid, but for Pulp—mavericks among the original Britpop lot already—it’s not all that surprising. More‘s advancement isn’t reliant on mere nostalgic inertia, instead swelling with genuine creativity that bands of this style and vintage aren’t exactly known for. Jarvis Cocker’s inimitable presence behind the mic is just the start; there’s a richness and elegance that feels worn, though never shabby. Moreover, for the first Pulp album in 24 years, there’s the crispness of a band moving into their bold new era with all the conviction in the world. That’s what ultimately turns More from a worthwhile return into something wholeheartedly great on its own. • LN
12
Unprocessed – Angel
On Angel, Unprocessed do their utmost to distance themselves from the battery farm that houses so many of their contemporaries in German metalcore. For one, they’re endlessly technical and creative, owed to a former life as tapestried Polyphia worshippers that’s blossomed into something more succinct but no less ear-catching. There’s a weight and a presence to Angel that Unprocessed are clearly aware of, and take advantage of whenever possible. Thus, the result encapsulates tremendous highs and calamitous lows without neglecting that vast swathe of a mid-section, and revelling in the dynamics that attract both Paleface Swiss and Fever 333 and make them feel like natural creative partners. In another toothless fallow period for quality metalcore, Unprocessed are going against the grain spectacularly. The name is certainly apt, then—vacuum-sealed artificiality is nowhere to be found. • LN
11
Hot Milk – Corporation P.O.P.
Hot Milk’s Corporation P.O.P. is the sound of a band snapping the leash and daring the world to deal with it. Loud, confrontational, and deliberately abrasive, the album weaponises pop hooks and punk fury to tear into late-stage capitalism, media manipulation, and the exhaustion of existing online. It’s chaotic by design but never careless. Every distorted synth, every shouted refrain feels intentional, sharpened into a protest chant you can scream back at the speakers. Where earlier Hot Milk releases flirted with glossy alt-pop and pop-punk bounce, Corporation P.O.P. fully commits to discomfort. Tracks lurch between hyperpop chaos, industrial grime, and nu-metal heft, mirroring the fractured attention economy the band is railing against. Han Mee’s vocals are the album’s beating heart: snarling one moment, vulnerable the next, carrying real emotional weight beneath the maximalist production. Crucially, this isn’t rebellion for aesthetics alone. Corporation P.O.P. has something to say, and it says it loudly, about commodified identity, burnout, and fighting to stay human in a system designed to grind you down. It’s messy, thrilling, and cathartic: an album that feels less like a product and more like a riot, and one of the year’s most vital alternative statements. • EBr
10
Deftones – private music
It’s almost laughable how big the victory laps are getting with Deftones, and how utterly in their own lane they’ve been operating for, at this rate, three decades. Bubbling underneath that whole time, there’s been the sneaky caveat they might get outshone by a band they’ve influenced—and, golly, that’s many—but there’s no equal to their low-string simplicity, Moreno’s warbled lyrical dreams, Frank Delgado’s synth sprinkles and Abe Cunningham just grooving on his kit. All of those elements are here on their 10th outing, ceremoniously plucking little parts that chime with every generation of listener: nu-metal lifers (cut hands), gazehead slowcore TikTokers (i think about you all the time), or, like me, those that did the Wayne’s World “We’re not worthy!” thing when Steph Carpenter wanted to be Meshuggah on Diamond Eyes and Koi No Yokan (my mind is a mountain). This deep into a career, they’re striving to bring the best out of each other with youthful glee, almost as if they haven’t been at the head of alt-metal’s Mount Olympus for a scarily long time. • EB
9
Geese – Getting Killed
There are indie hype cycles, and then there’s Geese in 2025. In fact, it’s taken on so much of a life of its own that numerous outlets have flouted the sacrosanct form of the year-end best list to include frontman Cameron Winter’s 2024 album Heavy Metal. That’s not at all in the spirit of how this works, but Getting Killed? Yeah, it’s fair game. If you want an album definitive of indie-rock and post-punk’s top brass in the 2020s—knotted; layered; magnetised for the intrigue to dissect it all—it really is this one. And when you factor in Winter’s now-inimitable voice, the ideal production style and how accessible it proves to be when you unwrap the exterior, it’s really no wonder that Geese’s shoot to prominence is still at a near-vertical angle. One of the defining albums of the year, without question, and not undeserving of it in the slightest. • LN
8
Sam Fender – People Watching
Sam Fender has long been an expert storyteller and cultural commentator, this year’s People Watching capturing him in a more world-weary place than ever. While there was palpable fire and anger fuelling his previous material, this time he ruminates on no longer being part of the working class he’s spent his career speaking up for, taking great pains to emphasise he’s not holding the answer to any of the world’s problems and even showing a more anxious, vulnerable side when talking about his personal life. There’s scathing commentary on how we treat celebrities, discussion of austerity’s effect on the most vulnerable and full-on soul-searching about faith; it’s a dense listen, but the tried and true Fender heartland trademarks are the perfect tonic. Classic feelgood saxophone solos, sweet melodies and soaring guitar lines are all present and correct, everything levelled up with added strings and brass band cameos, pivots in a folkier direction and a secret weapon in old friend Brooke Bentham’s backing vocals. There’s pessimism to People Watching but it’s never the overriding emotion—along with housing some of Sam’s arms-round-your-mates anthems to date, it’s a vital snapshot of where we are as a society in 2025. • GJ
7
Wolf Alice – The Clearing
The Clearing is the new apogee for what Wolf Alice can achieve as a pop band. Their journey from indie-grunge noisemakers via mainstream-adjacent faves has wound up here, sounding easily the most accomplished they ever have, while never losing sight of what they’re capable of. This is lush, luxuriant indie-pop in all the right ways, allowed to breathe at all times and show off just how rich Wolf Alice’s expanded palette has become. Yes, full-confidence stabs at soft-rock and folk-pop might seem alien, but the gloss and glitter that this thing has been rolled in multiple times over assuages any misgivings as soon as it hits. For an album earmarked so much by a ‘placid’ maturity, it’s honestly a wonder that The Clearing can do as much as it does; that sort of thing would once be considered the antithesis of this band. But Wolf Alice figure it out, run with it, and deliver an absolutely tremendous pop album at the end. • LN
6
CMAT – EURO-COUNTRY
In a year when CMAT’s star rose higher and shone unequivocally brighter than ever, an album like EURO-COUNTRY proved that, yes, she is fully matching the hype. With every step taken into the narrow but intensely explored intersection of pop, indie, country and Irish folk, the humour and fun factor of CMAT becomes all the plainer. This is definitely one of the funnier albums that reach the upper echelon of 2025, delivered with such old-school, dyed-in-the-wool verve that you wonder why the big breakout is only just coming now. And even for CMAT’s poppiest release, there’s genuine introspection and intelligent writing, where the occasional gut-punch lands with consistent poignancy. But it’s also incredibly listenable at the same time, and produced to wear a pop sheen that’s never forced or phony. It’s an absolute achievement of an album, getting there through the unbeatable tag team of near-infinite replayability and star power made manifest. • LN
5
Hayley Williams – Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party
Hayley Williams’ third solo record was a product of endings. Her 20-year ‘360’ record deal (which saw thousands in profits from multiple income streams seized by her label) ran its course, as did a long-term relationship with fellow Paramore member Taylor York. And while Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party deals with uncertainty and insecurity at times, it’s anchored by how self-assured it is, the singer knowing herself and her strengths while having the confidence to play however she wants to. Lots of these songs have no correlation to each other but feel quintessentially Hayley Williams—Ice In My OJ drips with swagger and rage while sampling a Christian pop song Williams contributed to aged 14, Whim is wistful dream-pop, Mirtazapine is her native punk, while the title track goes introspective trip-hop. It’s this freedom that’s the most notable part of Ego Death…. It feels like the door opening to endless possibilities for one of rock’s most beloved personalities—bear in mind this record initially dropped as 17 standalone singles, fans lapping up the task of building a tracklist themselves—and whether new Paramore is on the horizon or not, Hayley Willliams can absolutely hold down the fort. • GJ
4
The Callous Daoboys – I Don’t Want To See You In Heaven
Who better to define how relentless mathcore should be this side of 2010 than Atlanta’s Texan football spoonerism-ers Callous Daoboys? There’s some sort of weird chemical reaction when you hear a modern act so in tune with their inspirations that their sound is transportative; in this case, to the feeling when you were first grossly entertained watching a Dillinger Escape Plan live compilation. Carson Pace and co. have managed to take the chaotic genrelessness of the scene’s forebears and bring it up to speed, leaning evermore into their zanier experiments and ears for hooks on I Don’t Want To See You In Heaven. The playfulness is infectious, and with lyrics going from braggadocious, to batshit hard to explain, to genuinely heartfelt within the space of three lines. Ultimately tinkering with the aughts’ pop-punk mainstream sounds on the God Smiles Upon The Callous Daoboys EP has resulted in the best emo throwback record in a long while—all courtesy of a spirited rough-and-tumble group who clearly had as much fun making this as I have listening to it all year. • EB
3
Thornhill – Bodies
The career path of Thornhill should be chronicled and studied moving forward. They started out as a tech-metal band who’d do well to elicit a nonplussed shrug, and are ending 2025 among alt-metal’s top-end slayers. From tip to tail, Bodies nails everything that’s made this sound a phenomenon. The production is note-perfect, a coalescence of nu-metal, grunge and all the right flecks of ’90s alternative wonder. The songs, meanwhile, rank among the keenest earworms that Thornhill have ever had, and rank highly, at that. And in a package without a bit of flab to tuck away, there’s the feel of meticulous creative endeavour that, at the same time, isn’t overworked or flavour-draining. It’s the crowning jewel of what Thornhill have achieved thus far, and it’s not particularly close. • LN
2
Turnstile – NEVER ENOUGH
With Turnstile’s gradual shift into more mainstream circles, they’ve singlehandedly put hardcore on the map like never before. The way they’ve merged chunky riffs and mile-a-minute drums with their summery, breezy guitar tone and earworm melodies has given the genre a completely new lease, this year’s NEVER ENOUGH an even more expansive step forward. Though much of the record mulls over loneliness and insignificance, fun is front and centre. It’s in no small part to frontman Brendan Yates’ often percussive vocal lines that encourage laddish chanting and bro-pointing along, delivering irresistible hooks like an ethereal guru and complete rabble rouser in the space of 30 seconds. The push and pull of thundering pace and more pared-back moments has clearly been pored over, and having everything in moderation make those full-on hardcore songs like SOLE and BIRDS hit even harder, laughing in the face of anyone who says Turnstile have forgotten their roots. In fact, NEVER ENOUGH is a love letter to those roots as well as to Turnstile’s future, and it’s so exciting to think of what their next step could be. • GJ
1
Spiritbox – Tsunami Sea
Tumultuous and unyielding, the ferocious soul of Spiritbox’s Tsunami Sea is truly thrilling, captivating and immersive. A formidable force rising from beneath the depths erupts creating the darkest and heaviest instalment from the quartet yet. It’s not simply sheer power and aggression that strikes from the waves—it’s exposed; it’s raw; it’s honest, personal and frustrated. Because of this, Tsunami Sea resonates so much and provides equal amounts of catharsis. Soft Spine screams against the injustice of problematic individuals being allowed to remain prominent in the metal scene, the vulnerability of Keep Sweet reveals the bitter reality of abuse and desperation for self-preservation, and the concluding Deep End offers a glimmer of hope to resurface from the deep. Exposing the shadows that cover the land through the album’s evocative concept of the vast untameable waters reminds us that we are not invincible, but also that we are not alone. • HR
Words by Holly Royle (HR), Luke Nuttall (LN), Ell Bradbury (EBr), Elliot Burr (EB) and Georgia Jackson (GJ)
And finally, to fully wrap up the year, we’ve got our individual staff picks for their personal top 10 albums of 2025—enjoy!
Luke Nuttall (Editor / Writer)
10. The Dirty Nil – The Lash
9. Hot Milk – Corporation P.O.P.
8. Drain – …Is Your Friend
7. Spiritbox – Tsunami Sea
6. Bloodywood – Nu Delhi
5. Creeper – Sanguivore II: Mistress Of Death
4. Sam Fender – People Watching
3. The Callous Daoboys – I Don’t Want To See You In Heaven
2. Whitechapel – Hymns In Dissonance
1. Luvcat – Vicious Delicious
Georgia Jackson (Deputy Editor / Writer)
10. Sabrina Carpenter – Man’s Best Friend
9. Haim – I quit
8. Conan Gray – Wishbone
7. Turnstile – NEVER ENOUGH
6. Lady Gaga – Mayhem
5. Sam Fender – People Watching
4. Lorde – Virgin
3. Hayley Williams – Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party
2. JADE – That’s Showbiz, Baby!
1. Gigi Perez – At The Beach, In Every Life
Holly Royle (Writer)
10. Vukovi – My God Has Got A Gun
9. Face Yourself – Martyr
8. Lord Of The Lost – OPVS NOIR Vol. I
7. Bleed From Within – Zenith
6. Lacuna Coil – Sleepless Empire
5. Unprocessed – Angel
4. Tetrarch – The Ugly Side Of Me
3. Annisokay – Abyss – The Final Chapter
2. Spiritbox – Tsunami Sea
1. Igorrr – Amen
Elliot Burr (Writer)
10. Liquid Mike – Hell Is An Airport
9. Sanguisugabogg – Hideous Aftermath
8. Samia – Bloodless
7. Pinkpantheress – Fancy That
6. Deftones – private music
5. Ninajirachi – I Love My Computer
4. Agriculture – The Spiritual Sound
3. Richard Dawson – End Of The Middle
2. caroline – caroline 2
1. The Callous Daoboys – I Don’t Want To See You In Heaven
Zena Morris (Writer)
10. AVRALIZE – Liminal
9. Turnstile – NEVER ENOUGH
8. Spiritbox – Tsunami Sea
7. Deftones – private music
6. The Callous Daoboys – I Don’t Want To See You In Heaven
5. Greyhaven – Keep It Quiet
4. Unprocessed – Angel
3. Hayley Williams – Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party
2. Thornhill – Bodies
1. Northlane – Node Reloaded
Ell Bradbury (Writer)
10. Three Days Grace – Alienation
9. Sleep Theory – Afterglow
8. Keep Flying – Time & Tide
7. The Summer Set – Meet Me At The Record Store
6. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Everyone’s A Star!
5. Memphis May Fire – Shapeshifter
4. Arm’s Length – There’s A Whole World Out There
3. RØRY – Restoration
2. The Band CAMINO – NeverAlways
1. Hot Milk – Corporation P.O.P.
Maryleen (Photographer)
10. Benefits – Constant Noise
9. Nova Twins – Parasites & Butterflies
8. L.S. Dunes – Violet
7. Vukovi – My God Has Got A Gun
6. Thornhill – Bodies
5. Halestorm – Everest
4. Deafheaven – Lonely People With Power
3. Spiritbox – Tsunami Sea
2. Biffy Clyro – Futique
1. Turnstile – NEVER ENOUGH
Will Robinson (Photographer)
10. Dayseeker – Creature In The Black Night
9. Spiritbox – Tsunami Sea
8. Heart Attack Man – Joyride The Pale Horse
7. LANDMVRKS – The Darkest Place I’ve Ever Been
6. Press Club – To All The Ones That I Love
5. Paleface Swiss – CURSED
4. Militarie Gun – God Save The Gun
3. Calva Louise – Edge Of The Abyss
2. Stray From The Path – Clockworked
1. Thornhill – Bodies
Ben Whitehurst (Photographer)
10. Hayley Williams – Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party
9. Lambrini Girls – Who Let The Dogs Out
8. Turnstile – NEVER ENOUGH
7. Geese – Getting Killed
6. Pulp – More
5. Djo – The Crux
4. Good Neighbours – Blue Sky Mentality
3. CMAT – EURO-COUNTRY
2. Wolf Alice – The Clearing
1. Viagra Boys – viagr aboys
Ross Peacey (Photographer)
10. Chat Pile – Live At Roadburn 2023
9. Witch Fever – FEVEREATEN
8. Deftones – private music
7. Die Spitz – Something To Consume
6. NewDad – Altar
5. Cross Record – Crush Me
4. Scowl – Are We All Angels
3. Stress Positions – Human Zoo
2. The Armed – The Future Is Here And Everything Needs To Be Des
1. Ela Minus – DÍA
Dean Cavanagh (Photographer)
10. Franz Ferdinand – The Human Fear
9. Sam Fender – People Watching
8. Lambrini Girls – Who Let The Dogs Out
7. shame – Cutthroat
6. Pulp – More
5. Turnstile – NEVER ENOUGH
4. Wolf Alice – The Clearing
3. Wet Leg – moisturizer
2. CMAT – EURO-COUNTRY
1. Geese – Getting Killed
