Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Beast of 2025

Of course the tradition continues...


10. Giant Claw - Decadent Stress Chamber


This one indeed makes me feel decadent, but strangely unstressed and dare I say unbothered? Everything I want in my retrofuturistic free-Pop and more!   



9. Yellow Eyes - Confusion Gate


I’ve been a fan of this band’s past work, but Confusion Gate is standing head and shoulders above their already impressive catalog. Great riffs and superb atmosphere with just enough discordance to keep things from getting too comfortable. Now we just need a new Sunrise Patriot Motion. 




8. Creatvre - Toujours Humain 


Probably the most impressive one man band that I’ve ever heard, and one that will continue to have a spot on the ol’ Beast of as long as gems like this are being dropped. Mastermind Raphaël Fournier keeps outdoing himself in his quest to create an immersive black metal flavoured journey exploring the inner depths of humanity’s cybernetic future.  




7. Sallow Moth - Mossbane Lantern


Cleverly constructed brutal & jazzy tech death that will keep you on your toes with funky bits and spacey ambience. 




6. Floating - Hesitating Lights


Absolutely cool post punk/death metal hybrid. Reviewer sppbd on bandcamp brilliantly describes this as “Gorguts meets The Chameleons”...’nuff for me.   



5. Esoctrilihum - Ghostigmatah - Spiritual Rites of the Psychopomp Abxulöm


The highly prolific Asthâghul drops a nearly hour and a half long album chock full of interesting bits to gnaw on. Delivers not only awesome song titles but also my song of the year, the dulcimer driven “Hypnotic Danse Macabre of the Blind Noctivagants”  



4.
 
Vauruvã - Mar da Deriva


The Brazilian two man psychedelic black metal tour de force does it yet again. Phenomenal expansive black metal in which to lose oneself. 




3. !T.O.O.H.! - Po ovoci poznáte je


The Veselý brothers return with more avant garde insanity that is at once incomprehensibly wackadoo and somehow digestibly ear-wormy. For true aficionados of the bizarro Czech grind scene.



2. Hypomanic Daydream - The Yearning


Yet again this highly potent project nets a spot on the beast of. If Watchtower mixed with Sculptured is your thing, then look no further.




1. Cardiacs - LSD


Hotly anticipated and even more hotly received. This is vintage Cardiacs; soulful, high octane, and exhilarating. A fitting tribute to Tim Smith’s everlasting genius. 



More Greatness...