25 of ’25: Favorite Albums of 2025
As the frost of January 2026 begins to thin and we find ourselves on this final day of the month, it’s time to look back at the tectonic shifts of the year that was. 2025 didn’t just give us the (pretty expected) funerals; it surprised us with a series of massive, lively comebacks. We saw legendary names rise from the crypt and long-silent projects return with a ferocity that proved the “old world” is the only world – a timeless, decaying landscape where the shadows never truly fade!
At Doomnation Radio, we’ve spent the last twelve+ months submerged in the slowest, saddest, and heaviest sounds imaginable. Now, we present the definitive countdown: our 25 best (or simply favorite) doom albums of 2025.
SO. Pull the curtains, light the incense, and let’s start from the bottom as we climb toward the pinnacle of the abyss.
#25
Pentegram – Lightning in a Bottle
Bobby Liebling and company returned in 2025 with an album that proves you can’t kill a legend. Lightning in a Bottle captures that classic 70s-infused doom swagger, pairing Bobby’s unmistakable snarl with riffs that feel like they were unearthed from a haunted basement. Interestingly, 2025 was also the year Bobby became an unlikely internet sensation; a clip of him intensely staring into a camera while performing “The Ghoul” went viral, turning the doom godfather into a global meme, bringing a whole new generation to the altar of Pentagram. And what did we think about that? Honestly, seeing teenagers discovering Relentless through a 15-second loop of Bobby’s bug-eyed stare was as jarring as a sudden tempo change – but if it takes a meme to bring fresh blood to the altar of the riff, we’ll take it. “Doom Scrolling” never felt so justified!
LISTEN HERE >>>
#24
Hooded Menace – Lachrymose Monuments Of Obscuration
Finland’s masters of the macabre continue to refine – and definitely expend – their blend of crushing death-doom and mournful melodies. This record is a labyrinth of decaying riffs and atmosphere, sounding exactly like its title.
#23
Conan – Violence Dimension
The caveman battle-doom masters were back this year allright, and they haven’t softened an inch. Violence Dimension is exactly what you expect: riffs that sound like tectonic plates grinding together and vocals that sound like a barbarian king screaming from a mountaintop. So heavy, so wild.
#22
16 – Guides for the Misguided
The masters of misanthropy return with a title that perfectly encapsulates their worldview. Guides for the Misguided is a jagged, hateful record full of disenchanted riffs and vocal delivery that sounds like broken glass. It’s a raw reminder that doom can be as much about urban frustration as it is about cosmic dread…
#21
Forged Relics – Portal
A standout newcomer in the scene, Slovenia’s Forged Relics delivers a massive slab of atmospheric sludge-doom. Portal feels like being pulled through a wormhole of fuzz and feedback, balancing heavy weight with moments of soaring, melancholic melody.
#20
Dawn of Solace – Affliction Vortex
Tuomas Saukkonen’s melodic doom project remains the gold standard for Finnish melancholy. Affliction Vortex is a cold, beautiful journey through the long winter of the soul, featuring soaring leads and a sense of longing that only the Finns truly master…
#19
Death has spoken – Elegy
Poland’s Death Has Spoken delivered a crushing, traditional death-doom experience that feels like a physical weight on the chest. Elegy is a relentless march through funeral landscapes, focusing on the sheer gravity of the riff and the guttural depths of the vocals. Absolutely wonderful.
#18
Nortt – Dødssang
The king of “Pure Depressive Black Funeral Doom” returned this year with a true death rattle. Nortt has crafted an atmosphere so thick with the scent of the grave that it’s almost physical – an essential listen for those who prefer their doom at a glacial, terrifying pace.
#17
Tribunal – In Penitence and Ruin
Tribunal has quickly become one of the most vital voices in the gothic/death-doom revival. This album is a stunning mix of cello-led atmosphere and dual-vocal interplay that recalls the Peaceville Three – It’s theatrical, tragic, and absolutely massive.
#16
In the Company of Serpents – A Crack in Everything
The Denver act returns with a spiritual, heavy-as-lead exploration of the void. This is raw, ritualistic doom-sludge that leans heavily into Southwestern occultism and pretty much vibrates through your bones.
#15
Rosary – The Broken Sacrament
Rosary’s latest is a bleak exercise in traditional doom. The Broken Sacrament feels like a religious rite gone wrong, draped in reverb and a sense of impending dread. It’s less about the “big riff” and more about the suffocating space between the notes.
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#14
Methuselian – …and the Monks Played Rock & Roll
The oddballs of the list, Israel’s Methuselian brings a psychedelic, almost ritualistic approach to doom. This album is a sprawling, experimental journey that blends traditional heavy metal sensibilities with a drone-like focus on repetition and a healthy dose of Sleep worship.
#13
Novembers Doom – Major Arcana
The veterans of the Chicago scene return with one of their most cohesive and powerful records in years. Major Arcana leans into the band’s strengths – catchy yet soul-crushing death-doom with Paul Kuhr’s iconic vocal delivery.
#12
Mizmor / Hell – Alluvion
When two of the heaviest entities in the underground collaborate, the results are predictably world-ending. Alluvion is a terrifying fusion of black-doom and agonizing sludge, a sonic representation of total spiritual – and physical, as the beautiful cover image suggests – collapse.
#11
Barren Altar – Bound by Impermanence
A harrowing blend of blackened doom and funeral death. This record is suffocating, offering no light and no hope. The production is raw and abrasive, making the listener feel every bit of the agony being poured into the microphone, again and again and again.
LISTEN HERE >>>
#10
Pilgrimage – From Amber to Sun
This is melodic death-doom done with surgical precision. From Amber to Sun balances the inescapable burden of the genre with moments of shimmering, crystalline beauty. A masterclass in pacing and atmosphere!
#9
SOREWOUND – Espanto
A terrifying dive into the abyss. Espanto is a claustrophobic blend of sludge and death-doom that feels like a fever dream. The production is filthy, the riffs are agonizing, and the overall vibe is one of pure, unadulterated terror. Excellent.
#8
Hangman’s Chair – Saddervision
Paris’s finest purveyors of “cold doom” have perfected their urban desolation on Saddervision. It’s a bleak, neon-lit journey through the concrete jungle, blending heavy sludge with a melancholic shoegaze sensibility.
#7
Clouds – Desprins
Romanian death-doom at its most poetic. Desprins is a deeply emotional record, focusing on loss and the passage of time. The orchestration is lush, the growls are cavernous, and the melodies are designed to break your heart.
#6
Pagan Altar – Never Quite Dead
The magic of Pagan Altar remains untouched by time. Never Quite Dead is a collection of NWOBHM-infused doom that feels like it was found in a time capsule from 1982. The late Terry Jones’ legacy is honored here with riffs that are occult, melodic, and endlessly charming.
#5
Ritual Mass – Cascading Misery
Ritual Mass delivers on the promise of their name. This is punishing, cavernous death-doom that feels like being buried alive. The riffs are thick as tar, and the overall atmosphere is one of uncompromising, suffocating dread.
#4
Paradise Lost – Ascension
The masters of the genre have returned to their heavier roots with Ascension. While still retaining the gothic elegance they’ve perfected, this album hits with a weight we haven’t felt from them in years. It’s a grand, cinematic statement that cannot, and WILL NOT be missed.
#3
Coltsblood – Obscured Into Nebulous Dusk
Coltsblood returns to remind everyone what “crushing” actually means. This album is a monolithic slab of blackened sludge-doom that feels like being ground between two mountains. It is raw, primal, and utterly relentless in its pursuit of the low-end.
#2
The Howling Void – The Glow Of A Distant Fire
A majestic, synth-heavy funeral doom odyssey. The Glow of a Distant Fire is an album of immense scale, evoking images of dying stars and ancient ruins. It’s an incredibly lonely-sounding record, but the sheer beauty of the compositions is absolutely breathtaking.
#1 🥁
Evoken – Mendacium
There was no other choice for the top spot. You know it, we know it, it is, indeed, well known throughout the atmosphere and beyond. Mendacium is a monumental achievement in funeral doom. Evoken has taken their signature sound and expanded it into something terrifyingly vast. It is an hour of intricate, soul-crushing, and nuanced death-doom that stands as a landmark for the genre. In a year of incredible releases, Evoken remains the absolute master of the slow-motion apocalypse. Bravo.
We will meet again with 26 of ’26. Cheers!
