Music publication Rolling Stone have unveiled their list of The 15 Best Metal Albums Of 2025 and it’s pretty damn good!

For every major release like Ghost and Deftones, Rolling Stone got in some excellent choices from bands like Runemagick, Chepang, and Agriculture. Looking at metal’s representation across Rolling Stone’s wider coverage, the genre once again found limited space on the publication’s Top 100 Best Albums Of 2025 list. Only two heavier-leaning records made the cut:

Deftones landed at #76 with their tenth studio album, private music

Turnstile earned #31 for their critically acclaimed release, NEVER ENOUGH

While metal continues to occupy a smaller footprint in Rolling Stone’s broader rankings, the outlet’s dedicated metal list paints a clearer picture of the genre’s strongest offerings in 2025. The list is as follows, though you really ought to go check out the full editorial right here.

Coroner – Dissonance Theory

Deafheaven – Lonely People With Power

Runemagick – Cycle Of The Dying Sun (Dawn Of Ashen Remains)

Chepang – Jhyappa

Castle Rat – The Beastiary

Rwake – The Return Of Magick

Whitechapel – Hymns In Dissonance

Deadguy – Near-Death Travel Services

Blut Aus Nord – Ethereal Horizons

Halestorm – Everest

Primitive Man – Observance

Dream Theater – Parasomnia

Ghost – Skeletá

Agriculture – The Spiritual Sound

Deftones – private music

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