![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Listmania-2K25-Day-5-Falxifer_RT.jpg\")
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
shining sucks. heqq that shid. ABBA, Boyz II Men, etc. is where its at \u2013 real metal with balls! also all the old hordes of course, but you guys are just like metal sucks, trying to make an apolitical, partly spiritual, LISTMANIA 2K25 DAY 4 into some past-time for TovH-nerds, and the worst part is Falxifer and Reliquary Tower succeeded!<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/divider6.png\")
Falxifer<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/falxifer-header-Listmania.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
An intoxicating and masterful display of deathrock with all the classic signifiers while also being remarkably fresh and timeless. Altar de Fey was a happenstance discovery for me, a random recommended artist during the COVID lockdown and I\u2019ve been a fan since. This record is one that I\u2019ve been playing nonstop since it dropped, and it might\u2019ve listed higher if it hadn\u2019t released at the turn of fall.<\/p>\n Under A Waxing Moon by Altar De Fey<\/a><\/p>\n This album was a decade in the making, and one that was surprised dropped and I couldn\u2019t be happier it did. Hateful Abandon have basically perfected their unique blend of black metal, industrial and post-punk to a punishing and hypnotic onslaught of pure bleakness. This record is by far one of the darkest and most relentless I\u2019ve heard but it\u2019s also weirdly addicting. It kept me coming back to its desolate soundscapes which is an achievement by itself\u2014making darkness compelling.<\/p>\n Threat by HATEFUL ABANDON<\/a><\/p>\n Whenever I read the phrase \u201cFinnish black metal\u201d I immediately get a sense of dread and groan because you really never know if you\u2019re gonna get sketchy at best weirdos. Finding that rare band that\u2019s not overly sus is a massive victory, and Havukruunu somehow manage to continue making some of the best pagan black metal around, combining grit and majesty in equal measure. This record frankly floored me in how the band managed to get more and more epic and triumphant while retaining a certain grimness that keeps this record within black metal, and always leaves me wanting more.<\/p>\n Tavastland by Havukruunu<\/a><\/p>\n Habemus Papa! I think it\u2019s so weird and funny that in the same year Ghost released a new record and with the newly minted Papa V Perpetua, we saw the death of pope Francis I and ascension of pope Leo XIV. Barring potential fateful and cosmic convergences, I can say that being into Ghost continues to be a treat, and Skelet\u00e1 is the most fun I\u2019ve had with Ghost since their 2018 breakthrough masterwork, Prequelle. Tobias Forge managed to find a sweet spot between \u201980s inspired cheese, classic arena rock and his underground metal bonafides while still indulging in pompous theatrics.<\/p>\n Skelet\u00e1 by Ghost<\/a><\/p>\n There was a time I used to think alternative metal and hardcore punk don\u2019t or shouldn\u2019t mix, and then I discovered Higher Power through their 2020 sophomore 27 Miles Underwater, and kept hoping they\u2019d follow that up; when they finally did, it made me feel like something got unlocked in me. There\u2019s Love in This World if You Want It is a fierce record but it\u2019s also one that\u2019s bursting with positivity. I can safely say it kept me sane and offered me comfort at a moment when I needed it, and suffice to say, I keep coming back to it.<\/p>\n There\u2019s Love In This World If You Want It by Higher Power<\/a><\/p>\n One of my current favorite labels is Stygian Black Hand from New York, and that label\u2019s owner Salpsan aka Horned Father of Desecreation has both showcased and taken part in great modern extreme metal bands. Impure, where he\u2019s joined by Satyrannical Lord of Assault, is one of them, and their long overdue sophomore record The Devil Sees My Dreams is a punishing slab of classic USBM that\u2019s equal parts grim and brutal, feeling like the lost child of Incantation and Profanatica. Despite the long gap between the previous record and this one, it was well worth the wait.<\/p>\n The Devil Sees My Dreams by Impure<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s rare for bands to consistently evolve their sound, especially after a decade, but Wode\u2019s 4th LP Uncrossing the Keys entered my top 5 by virtue of that. This black metal band from Manchester has managed to surprise me 4 times in a row with their records, and this new record where the band incorporated post-punk and gothic rock with their blend of blackened heavy metal is such an infectious concoction that I seriously can\u2019t get enough. I can\u2019t recommend this highly enough to any fan of metal or goth music.<\/p>\n Uncrossing the Keys by Wode<\/a><\/p>\n Not including this record would be a disservice to this band and their art, and while post-punk is a style of music I\u2019ve become very passionate about, be they new or old bands, Lathe of Heaven is the band that has completely ensnared me. Aurora is the definition of perfection for me: catchy, dreamy, impactful and confident, this record ticks all the boxes of great post-punk and then some. You can mosh, dance and lay down to it and it will move you, because it certainly moved me.<\/p>\n Aurora by Lathe of Heaven<\/a><\/p>\n While there are days when I wish I had taken part in the heyday of the underground metal and punk scenes, I\u2019d be lying if I said I didn\u2019t appreciate the ease of access the internet has given music for better or worse. I got into Catharsis this very year, via a shoutout from Myke C. Town, and fate would have it that this band would reunite and release a long overdue new record. Hardcore, crust and extreme metal in equal measure, this record is a distillation of everything I love about punk and metal while also pushing both styles into bleak atmospheres that make a perfect soundtrack for the hellish dystopia we currently live in.<\/p>\n Hope against Hope by Catharsis<\/a><\/p>\n This was a record I knew would be among my favorites the moment it dropped and while it wasn\u2019t what I originally expected, it still floored me. I got into Martr\u00f6\u00f0 around the same time I discovered the Icelandic black metal scene and considering when they released their first EP they had an impressive lineup, I kept waiting with bated breath for the record to come out. When it finally did, I was just awestruck by what H.V. Lyngdal and Alex Poole accomplished here: absolutely nightmarish and majestic, and unlike anything else that came out this year, which is why it\u2019s my top album of the year.<\/p>\n Draums\u00fdnir eldsins by Martr\u00f6\u00f0<\/a> Reliquary Tower<\/p>\n What a year, huh? Somehow it feels like it just started and yet, somehow, took forever. There were a lot of good releases this year, so this list was a tough one to narrow down. Hopefully in six months I\u2019ll still agree with myself, but honestly, we\u2019ll just have to wait and see!<\/p>\n Honorable Mentions<\/p>\n I\u2019ve never been a huge metalcore fan, but Spiritbox has always been the exception. 2021\u2019s Eternal Blue was one of my favorite releases of that year, and to this day there\u2019s seldom an occasion that I\u2019m not in the mood for it. Tsunami Sea is a worthy follow-up that strikes an amazing balance between beautiful, watery-feeling (does that make sense? I hope it does) atmospheric tracks and good ol\u2019 drop-F face-pummelers. Ultimately though, it sort of blends together for me and while I love the album as a whole, there are only a few individual tracks that keep me coming back. It\u2019s an excellent release, but these others have stayed with me a little bit more.<\/p>\n Takuya Kuroda is a name that I\u2019ve been saying more people should know for at least the past 5 years now. Kuroda changed my opinion on trumpet-centered jazz back in 2020 when I first heard his album Zigzagger, and I\u2019ve followed his work closely ever since. If you\u2019re into jazz fusion, particularly with hip-hop elements, EVERYDAY is definitely worth a spin.<\/p>\n EVERYDAY by Takuya Kuroda<\/a><\/p>\n Holy buzzer beater, this album is good. Paul Riedl\u2019s no stranger to ambient\/atmospheric synth music. Between Blood Incantation, Hoverkraft, and his eponymous solo material, he\u2019s put out plenty of it. With this release, Riedl alternates between floaty electronic textures and more down-to-earth acoustic guitar passages. This is one of those ambient albums that you could just as easily put on for active listening as you could passive. Ultimately though, as an ambient album, it just won\u2019t be everyone\u2019s cup of tea, and without having had a whole lot of time to spend with this one, I\u2019ll keep it as an honorable mention.<\/p>\n \u00abDemystification\u00bb \/\/ \u00abForestscapes\u00bb by hanging moss<\/a><\/p>\n Top 10<\/p>\n When you think of good places for indie\/punk rock, Provo, Utah probably isn\u2019t on your radar. Fictionist have been around for almost 20 years now, and are a band I\u2019d love to see gain more traction. This year\u2019s album sees the band putting out their heaviest material yet while still feeling like they always have. Odds are you haven\u2019t heard of these guys before, so do yourself a favor and check this one out. You\u2019ll thank me later.<\/p>\n In the 14 years since their last release, it\u2019s fun to see what\u2019s changed and what hasn\u2019t for Algernon Cadwallader. While the band\u2019s lyrics have always been socially conscious, Trying Not to Have a Thought has plenty of tracks that are openly political and tackle themes of homelessness, corporate greed, and the 1985 MOVE Bombing. The sound itself, however, feels just as good as ever, with a plethora of math-y, emotive riffs that I simply do not get tired of hearing. It took them a while, but I\u2019m so glad these boys are back!<\/p>\n Trying Not to Have a Thought by Algernon Cadwallader<\/a><\/p>\n Swans are one of my all-time favorite bands, so it\u2019s probably not a surprise that I really dig this record. If you\u2019ve been a fan of this era of the band\u2019s sound, you\u2019re sure to dig Birthing, but if you\u2019ve never really been a fan, there\u2019s not much on this record that\u2019ll change your mind. With this release being the last in their \u201cbig sound\u201d era, I\u2019m curious to see what Swans will have to offer in the future as they strip things down.<\/p>\n Birthing by SWANS<\/a><\/p>\n It feels criminal to only have this at number 7, but the competition was fierce this year! There\u2019s a lot on display with this record: beautiful, unconventional song structures, gnarly guitar and bass tones, really fun drums, insanely good vocals, killer guitar solos, and riffs. The back half of The Spiritual Sound especially just blows me away every time I hear it. I also had the pleasure of seeing Agriculture live last month and not only are they just as good (if not better) live, they\u2019re super nice folks too.<\/p>\n The Spiritual Sound by Agriculture<\/a><\/p>\n I\u2019ll admit, this one left my rotation for a while after my review. Not because I got sick of it or anything, I just wanted to wait until it was colder to throw it on again. It feels like such a wintery album to me, thanks in no small part, I\u2019m sure, to that gorgeous cover art. Asunojokei\u2019s emo-y take on post-black metal (this time mixed with a little city pop!) really tends to resonate with me, so much so that I paid big time for a signed CD from Japan (even though I was told that China would be paying the tariffs). Totally worth it though!<\/p>\n Think of You by Asunojokei<\/a><\/p>\n Comeback albums always scare me. I listened to so much Motion City Soundtrack back in high school and have such fond memories of doing so (I still throw on \u201cTogether We\u2019ll Ring in the New Year\u201d at midnight every New Year\u2019s Eve). What if this comeback record sucks and ruins those memories for me? Well, that\u2019s exactly what didn\u2019t happen with The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World. True to its name, it really feels like the band never left\u2014it\u2019s more of the same beautiful, catchy, energetic, angsty pop-punk, and I truly couldn\u2019t be happier.<\/p>\n The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World by Motion City Soundtrack<\/a><\/p>\n I was taken pretty off guard by this album\u2019s announcement, partially because Hayden Pedigo\u2019s music is so different from Chat Pile\u2019s, but mostly because Cool World just came out, like, an hour ago, right? But if there\u2019s one thing that In the Earth Again doesn\u2019t feel, it\u2019s rushed. It\u2019s so obviously a labor of love, and it\u2019s clear that they had fun making it. This release strikes me as perhaps their most emotional release to date. It shows off a softer side of the band that I would love to see more of, especially with the track \u201cA Tear for Lucas.\u201d I don\u2019t know if there\u2019s anything I could say about it that would do it justice. Of course their noisy side is plenty present as well, and, just as with every other Chat Pile release, you will feel like you\u2019ve been beaten with a 2\u00d74 by the end of it. This is a record that I\u2019ll be coming back to very frequently.<\/p>\n In The Earth Again by Chat Pile & Hayden Pedigo<\/a><\/p>\n If I haven\u2019t recommended this album to you, it\u2019s because I thought I had already. I Love My Computer was my first exposure to Ninajirachi, and what a treat it was. This is one of the best EDM records I\u2019ve heard in my life, easily. It makes me feel like I\u2019m 12 years old again, sitting at the family computer chatting about Doctor Who with strangers on a Minecraft forum after school. No other album has reminded me so much of that time in my life as this one. If you\u2019re at all interested in electronic music, you\u2019ve GOT to give this a spin. It\u2019s upbeat, it\u2019s beautiful, and it\u2019s horribly addictive. I just wish I had known she was touring the states before tickets sold out!<\/p>\n I Love My Computer by Ninajirachi<\/a><\/p>\n Whenever I\u2019m in my car and don\u2019t know what to put on, it ends up being this album. Every song on this record is so catchy, so well-produced, and so fun to sing along to. Sebastian\u2019s voice is crazy versatile and seems like it can suit just about any mood these chubbed-up chaps want to conjure. The electronic components of the album have a sort of dancy feel to them that I don\u2019t think will ever get old. \u201cMan Made of Meat\u201d alone could probably score viagr aboys a spot on this list, and as much as I love the song I\u2019ve got for #1, Viagra Boys are taking home my award for song of the year.<\/p>\n Shocker, I know. Falxifer and I reviewed this album back in April, and I haven\u2019t cooled off on it in the slightest. There is not a second of this record that goes to waste (don\u2019t even THINK about skipping those interlude tracks), and not a moment feels misplaced. Lonely People With Power is Deafheaven\u2019s most streamlined record to date, and now that the fat is trimmed, we\u2019re left with nothing but meat. There are so, so many great moments on this album, but there\u2019s something about the harsh vocals kicking in during \u201cHeathen\u201d that just keeps me coming back. Every track is a masterpiece and with the\u00a0announcement<\/a> of new music coming next year, I think it\u2019s fair to say that the band is firing on all cylinders. I couldn\u2019t be more excited to see what else is in the tank.<\/p>\n Make sure to check out LISTMANIA 2K25 Days I<\/a> | II<\/a> | III<\/a> as well!<\/p>\n Did you dig this? Take a second to support Toilet ov Hell on Patreon!<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/a2725307956_16.jpg?ssl=1\")
<\/a>10. Altar de Fey \u2013 Under a Waxing Moon
Transylvanian Recordings \/ Bat Cave Productions<\/p>\n<\/a>9. Hateful Abandon \u2013 Threat
Sentient Ruin Laboratories<\/p>\n<\/a>8. Havukruunu \u2013\u00a0Tavastland
Svart Records | Review<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>7. Ghost \u2013 Skelet\u00e1
Loma Vista Recordings<\/p>\n<\/a>6. Higher Power \u2013 There\u2019s Love in This World if You Want It
Nuclear Blast Records<\/p>\n<\/a>5. Impure \u2013 The Devil Sees My Dreams
Independent<\/p>\n<\/a>4. Wode \u2013 Uncrossing the Keys
20 Buck Spin<\/p>\n<\/a>3. Lathe of Heaven \u2013 Aurora
Sacred Bones Records<\/p>\n<\/a>2.\u00a0 Catharsis \u2013 Hope Against Hope
CrimethInc. \/ No Gods No Masters \/ Refuse Records<\/p>\n<\/a>1. Martr\u00f6\u00f0 \u2013 Draums\u00fdnir eldsins
Debemur Morti Productions | Review<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\nSpiritbox \u2013\u00a0Tsunami Sea
Pale Chord\/Rise<\/p>\nTakuya Kuroda \u2013\u00a0EVERYDAY
PPK Records<\/p>\nPaul Riedl \u2013\u00a0\u00abDemystification\u00bb \/\/ \u00abForestscapes\u00bb
Independent<\/p>\n10. Fictionist \u2013\u00a0Repeater
Independent<\/p>\n9. Algernon Cadwallader \u2013\u00a0Trying Not to Have a Thought
Saddle Creek<\/p>\n8. Swans \u2013\u00a0Birthing
Young God Records<\/p>\n7. Agriculture \u2013\u00a0The Spiritual Sound
The Flenser<\/p>\n6. Asunojokei \u2013\u00a0Think of You
Independent | Review<\/a><\/p>\n5. Motion City Soundtrack \u2013\u00a0The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World
Epitaph Records<\/p>\n4. Chat Pile\/Hayden Pedigo \u2013\u00a0In the Earth Again
The Flenser |\u00a0Review<\/a><\/p>\n3. Ninajirachi \u2013\u00a0I Love My Computer
NLV Records<\/p>\n2. Viagra Boys \u2013\u00a0viagr aboys
Shrimptech Enterprises<\/p>\n1. Deafheaven \u2013\u00a0Lonely People With Power
Roadrunner Records |\u00a0Review<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n