Hateful Abandon - Threat (2025)

Hateful Abandon is a band from Bristol, existing since 2004, their fourth album Threat (released by Sentient Ruin) is the first in ten years, with songs from 2014-2024. Their most obvious influence is Godflesh (which can't be bad) but bands like Ramleh or Killing Joke can also be evoked, and more generally they draw from all the history of post-punk and industrial music. But Threat can't be reduced to just its influences and is filled with excellent and diverse songs. Recommended !  

 

The BC page. 

 

Blush Response - Ego Death (2025)

When I reviewed Blush Response previous album Sprawl in 2024 I wrote : "quality dark and industrial techno, but the most memorable part of the album is the couple of songs with vocals (from Marc Heal), showing that Blush Response could totally, with equal success, turn into an industrial metal band (reminding a bit NIN or Author & Punisher)". Seems I wasn't the only one to think that, since the new album Ego Death has vocals in every track. And the result is a noisy and abrasive combination of industrial metal, breakcore and EBM. A deadly mutation!

 

The BC page. 

 

Ghostvolume x Trust One - High Concentrate (2025)

High Concentrate is a nice dose of instrumental hip-hop (with a MC Nuse Tyrant featuring on one track) from producers Ghostvolume and Trust One, all being regulars of the Californian M25 label. The mood of the album often evoke old-school occult/horrorcore boom-bap but with also a smoother somewhat trip-hop feel as well that reminds DJ Shadow (with also the jungle loops and smart sampling). Highly recommended!

 

The BC page. 

 

La Dispute - No One Was Driving The Car (2025)

I'm still not that much into post-hardcore and emo, but I always pay attention when La Dispute release another album. No One Was Driving The Car is another nice piece in their discography and like usual the vocals really shines, sometimes screamed, sometimes spoken, or half-spoken half-screamed. Recommended!

 

The BC page. 

 

 

Uulliata Digir - Uulliata Digir (2025)

First and self-titled album from Polish band Uulliata Digir. And what a strong debut it is! Could be described as death/black progressive death metal, with sax and male/female vocals sometimes screamed, sometimes more melodic, great and special in any case. The use of the sax is also especially good. And their music has a dissonant and weird feel that make them definitely closer to Imperial Triumphant or Oranssi Pazuzu than to Opeth. But they managed to craft a distinctive style from the start. If I had made an AOTY list last year, it should have been included. Highly recommended!

 

The BC page. 

 

Hold Me Down - Devour (2025)

From their debut EP and this second album, Devour, it sounds like Hold Me Down mostly developed their Godflesh whorship side. Well, a more personal style wouldn't harm, but I have to say that talented disciples of the Godflesh are also always welcome as well. And Hold Me down are for sure excellent at doing the godfleshian kind of industrial metal. If you're into it, you'll enjoy Hold Me Down.

 

The BC page. 

 

Deadguy - Near-Death Travel Service (2025)

I'm discovering Deadguy with Near-Death Travel Service, their first album after their classics of the nineties. I won't compare it with their older stuff, in any case Near-Death Travel Service is definitely great on its own. It's an extremely strong piece of hardcore/noise rock hybrid, reminding both Black Flag and Unsane and Today is The Day. With excellent songs and especially good spoken/screamed vocals. Yes, most reunion of bands inactive during 30 years doesn't end up very exciting, but don't make the error of thinking it would be the same here, it's a really impressive reunion album. A total success.

 

The BC page. 

 

 

Bygone - Bygone (2025)

Bygone is an excellent first self-titled album, merging synth propelled space rock and hard rock/heavy metal. It reminds at time Deep Purple and more often Hawkwind, but with also a touch of more recent stoner sound. Epic and catchy songs with great vocals. A strong start, recommended!

 

The BC page. 

 

HAYWARDxDÄLEK (2025)

This album is a collaboration between English drummer/composer (here also playing keyboards) Charles Hayward (This Heat, Camberwell Now) and American MC/producer Will Brooks aka dälek. Overall this is amongst the most minimalist/atmospheric works from dälek, and also amongst my favourites. The dreamy atmospheres are great, and the drumming brings more variations than usual beats. I love the overall feel of the album, and I think its more instrumental nature makes the vocals more impactful, making it sound always very deliberate, controlled and to the point. This combination will make some of the tracks classics amongst dälek already full of masterpieces discography. Between the word and the drum, Breath slow, As children chant, are totally awesome. A great collaboration, a great album, highly recommended! 

 

The BC page. 

 

Today Is The Day - Never Give In (2025)

The new Today Is The Day starts with a big metal riff, but actually Never Give In leans a lot more on the bleak noise rock side. And it does it very well, a great noise rock album and a great Today Is The Day album, full of memorable moments. Highly recommended!

 

The BC page. 

 

Wiggavisceration - Sinista Slam (2025)

Read the album name, look at the cover art? You probably guessed what the music could be. This cover art is ugly and vulgar (I suppose it's deliberate), but totally succeeds in illustrating the music. Yes, the concept here is combining slamming death metal with some hip-hop elements. Sophistication would have been misleading, indeed. Now let's get to the most important point : is the music good? Yes it is, hip-hop and slam definitely mix well since both are all about the groove, and Wiggavisceration are great at doing that, both the death metal and hip-hop parts (death metal being the prevalent part) are mastered and Sinista Slam is a nice and catchy album. Vulgar, yes, but really enjoyable nevertheless (and, let's admit it, also because of it!).

 

The BC page. 

 

Intensive Care and The Body - Was I good Enough? (2025)

Two major forces in the industrial/noise metal scene, Intensive Care (Andrew Nolan) and The Body are used to releasing collaborative albums, so this one, called Was I good Enough? was bound to happen. The result isn't really surprising either. The good thing is that the quality is as high as expected. I just regret it lacks maybe a dose of craziness/unpredictability to make it really stand out among both band discographies. That been said, they've done another excellent album and I enjoy listening to it, as will anyone into dark industrial sounds.

 

The Body BC page. 

Intensive Care/Andrew Nolan BC page. 

 

Rwake - The Return of Magik (2025)

The Return of Magik is the Fifth Rwake album, and we could also say it's a magical return, since Fourteen years after their previous album Rawke are back with their best one, a masterpiece in southern progressive doom (with some aggressive sludge vocals). I love the atmosphere they manage to create with these songs. Their music, somewhere between Crowbar, Mastodon and Neurosis combines nicely heaviness, epicness and melodic subtleties (including the use of acoustic and pedal steel guitars). Warmly recommended!

 

The BC page.

 

Rise of The Northstar - Chapter 4 : Red Falcon Super Battle! Neo Paris War!! (2025)

As you can guess, Chapter 4 : Red Falcon Super Battle! Neo Paris War!! is the fourth album from the most ambitious French hardcore band, Rise of The Northstar. Is the music backing the attitude? I think it is, this fourth one is another convincing one, maybe not better than the two previous ones, but adding some more diversity to a music already very "crossover", mostly reminding Biohazard, with its mix of old school hardcore, metallic hardcore, nu-metal, hip-hop, and for ROTN a bit of deathcore and now some bits of melodic hardcore as well. Cool stuff!

 

Ophiolatry - Serpent's Verdict (2025)

Serpent's Verdict is a new album from Brazilian band Ophiolatry, seventeen years after their previous one! They combine modern brutal death with old school US influences, especially Morbid Angel, with also a touch of Nile, and they do it well. Good stuff.

Their Website. 

 

Wytch Hazel - V: Lamentations (2025)

Wytch Hazel managed to create their own space in heavy metal, being at the same time very traditional (highly reminiscent of heavy metal from the 80' and even also proto-heavy metal / heavy blues bands from the 70', with echoes of Cream, Mountain, etc.), but also very personal, developing their own sound and otherworldly atmosphere. Their new album V: Lamentations is another masterpiece in old school epic and melodic heavy metal. Highly recommended!

 

The BC page. 

 

King Yosef - Spire of Fear(2025)

With Spire of Fear, one-man band King Yosef leaves nearly completely behind his nu-metal roots and gets full industrial metal. Spire of fear is definitely closer to The Downward Spiral than it is to Life is Peachy. There's also a hardcore element, reminding sometimes Youth Code (with whom he shared a split record). In any case, it's a nicely abrasive album.

 

The BC page. 

 

GIST - Preservation of Decomposing Tissues via Adipocere Formation (2025)

Which music could be better suited for Christmas than pathological goregrind? Right, then Preservation of Decomposing Tissues via Adipocere Formation from one-man-band GIST is what you need. Even if, actually, if you except the vocals and the drum machine it would be closer to death-doom, with it's quite melodic riffs (but Carcass fans know that melodic guitar parts are no stranger to goregrind isn't it?). In any case, it's cool stuff, I especially recommend the last track. Have a good time!

 

The BC page. 

Primitive Man - Observance (2025)

Last time I reviewed a Primitive Man album was when they released their first one, like twelve or thirteen years ago. I listened to each of their albums, but I felt the next ones were ok, but a bit too samey and monotonous (except the collab with Full of Hell that was bringing different elements). So why reviewing this new one, Observance? Maybe it's just because I paid more attention, but I feel they managed to make those new songs a bit more "catchy" while keeping their trademark sound, that is sludge/death/doom that is especially heavy, raw and bleak. In any case, I enjoy it!

 

The BC page. 

 

US Christmas - Cannibals of Unaka (2025)

Seems good things also can happen in 2025. Like a new US Christmas album, fourteen years after the previous one. Cannibals of Unaka is another masterpiece in psychedelic drone rock. Somewhere Earth, Neil Young (think the original Soundtrack of Dead Man) and Neurosis could meet. Not sure I'll do a best of year list, but if I do, this one will be in it. Highly recommended.

 

The BC page.