Coilguns’ Lost Love EP served as the soundtrack to 2025: a hellishly bad acid trip. If love is the most precious thing life has to offer, what could be more terrifying than the prospect that we have abandoned it for good — or even worse, that it has abandoned us? Read my review of the short-player as part of my “10 Best Psychedelic Albums of 2025” installment of my 13th Floor column for Treble.
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Vile Apparition’s Malignity is so terrifying that you’ll immediately run through your home to make sure your kids are safe before you realize you don’t actually have any. This is only the second record by Vile Apparition, but it’s unimpeachable proof that these guys already know damn well what they’re doing. Go to Post-Trash to read my full review of Vile Apparition’s Malignity as part of the outlet’s “Year in Review: The Best of 2025” roundup.
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VoidCeremony’s org chart of employees is messy as all hell. But you’d never guess that from the expertly sequenced and coherent Abditum. As with practically every great metal record, interludes and samples sometimes tie together what could be disparate components to the record. But the real glue is the band’s mastery of tone, texture and melody; seamless time changes; and sheer ferocity throughout. Read my full review courtesy of Post-Trash.
At a time when the memoir market is oversaturated, Faith No More member Roddy Bottum’s brazenness strips the word “transparency” of its trendy veneer and restores its original meaning. He’s done as much work on himself, and it shines through. Read my full review on Treble.
Interviews with Steve Albini, Neko Case and Thurston Moore shed some light on how an enigma of a band found such favor with artists who were actively trying to alienate their audiences simultaneously as Die Kreuzen attempted to woo and expand theirs. Read my review on Treble.
Lonely People with Power delivers a punch that will leave listeners reeling deliriously. Deafheaven’s new record restores Clarke’s black-metal screeches—sometimes at their most ear-shattering yet—while also producing the punchiest hard-rock riffs proliferating the band’s arsenal. Read my new review at Knotfest.com–and also don’t miss my FLOOD interview with frontman George Clarke about Lonely People with Power, as well as my analysis of Deafheaven’s 2017 tour set lists and first-ever show in Boise.
Don’t miss these two other roundups either:
• Friends of The Bad Penny Share Their Top 10 Lists of 2025 Best Albums
• Boise Friends of The Bad Penny Share Their 2025 Top 10 Lists
After signing with Century Media, Orbit Culture lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Niklas Karlsson told me that the Swedish melodic death-metal band “now really have to show our worth”–despite having been around for a dozen years. But boy do they ever on Death Above Life. Read my review at Knotfest.com
Don’t miss these two other roundups either:
• Friends of The Bad Penny Share Their Top 10 Lists of 2025 Best Albums
• Boise Friends of The Bad Penny Share Their 2025 Top 10 Lists
With nary a stinker among the Spiritual Sound‘s 10 tracks, Agriculture proved their decision was right to wipe the slate clean with this new chapter in the band’s career and be reborn with seemingly the most massive, loudest sound possible in all of heavy metal. Read my new review at Knotfest.com, another take on the record that I wrote for FLOOD and my review of one of the album tracks for Treble.
Don’t miss these two other roundups either:
• Friends of The Bad Penny Share Their Top 10 Lists of 2025 Best Albums
• Boise Friends of The Bad Penny Share Their 2025 Top 10 Lists
Mclusky didn’t have a concept for The World Is Still Here and So Are We, but the message is clear, with Falco sending up British politicians and commoners in general for their corrupt and lazy approaches to governance and engagement, respectively. Read my new review at Knotfest.com, my original take on Mclusky’s The World Is Still Here and So Are We from earlier this year on Treble and my interview with Mclusky for FLOOD surrounding their album release.
Don’t miss these two other roundups either:
• Friends of The Bad Penny Share Their Top 10 Lists of 2025 Best Albums
• Boise Friends of The Bad Penny Share Their 2025 Top 10 Lists
Messa hit the bullseye with fourth record and first studio effort in three years. The Italian quartet ditch their Pallbearer-esque slow, heavy, chunk guitar sound from their previous full-lengths. And the results are illuminating. Read my new review at Knotfest.com and my original take on Messa’s The Spin earlier this year on Treble.
Don’t miss these two other roundups either:
• Friends of The Bad Penny Share Their Top 10 Lists of 2025 Best Albums
• Boise Friends of The Bad Penny Share Their 2025 Top 10 Lists
The Bad Penny (beta) 