Culture
Suggested Listening 2025: Nicholas Kobe
By: Nicholas Kobe
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WOUB Culture’s Suggested Listening series highlights the music that resonated with WOUB Culture contributors and regional artists in 2025. Today we spotlight Nicholas Kobe, a longtime contributor to WOUB Culture. Kobe has interviewed a wide variety of artists for WOUB, including members of Judas Priest, GWAR, and more. Find all his past work for WOUB Culture at this link.
Last year, my Top Metal albums list came amidst arguably the greatest year popular music has had so far this decade. Predictably, there’s been a lull in 2025. But that’s in the mainstream. Metal, especially in the underground has been continuously thriving through 2025. Like always, I wasn’t able to listen to everything, but from what I did listen to, here are some of the best metal albums of 2025.
Blackbraid– Blackbraid III
Blackbraid returns with another excellent, atmospheric, and visceral album. While there’s less of a dramatic improvement from II to III, as there was with I and II, Blackbraid easily maintains its place as one of the best and most consistent names in modern Black Metal.
Spiritbox – Tsunami Sea
Metalcore stars Spiritbox put all of the pieces in the right place with Tsunami Sea, creating the first project from the band that lives up to the incredible potential that’s been there all along. This is the only “popular” metalcore project of the year to actually land with me, and Spiritbox retains their own identity amidst peers who are begining to feel more like carbon copies.
Arch Enemy – Blood Dynasty
Arch Enemy dosen’t re-invent the wheel on Blood Dynasty, and while the album falls just a hair short of their previous LP, it’s an incredible showcase of the melodic death metal icons proving why they’re regarded as such. With the knowledge now that this is the last Arch Enemy record to feature Alissa White-Gluz, this feels like the strong end of an incredible era.
Faetooth– Labyrinthine
The sophomore LP from doom metal trio Faetooth has only grown on me with each listen. The bands’ hard-hitting, sludgy riffs, combined with ethereal melodic elements, made this one of the best listens of the year.
Testament – Para Bellum
Testament deserves a lot of respect for having the gall to take some pretty dramatic sonic swings on their 14th studio album, Parra Bellum. Most of these go over great, and Testament, both musically and lyrically, feels much fresher than most of their ’80s peers.
Sanguisugabogg – Hideous Aftermath
While Columbus’s death metal sensation may be best known for their absurd song titles and incomprehensible logo, one listen to Sanguisugabogg, either live or on this LP, proves they are the real deal. Hideous Aftermath is simply one of the best straightforward death metal albums I’ve heard in years.
Drain – …IS YOUR FRIEND
Drain is the reigning king of crossover thrash with their newest record …IS YOUR FRIEND. I had been worried about whether Drain’s in-studio magic could match their incredible live performance, a fear this record swiftly put to bed. Drain showcased a honed ability to create exciting shout-along choruses and riffs that make you want to flail every part of your body with the best of hardcore and metal.
Deafheaven – Lonely People With Power
A music critic praising Deafheaven should be one of the least surprising things on this list. Deafheaven has been a Pitchfork darling for good reason, leading the charge on blackgaze (shoegaze + black metal). The band has become masters of creating lush soundscapes that perfectly build to a brutal, abrasive, viscous climax. Lonely People With Power isn’t just a record for people wanting to dip their toe into the extreme end of metal; it’s perfect for those already deep in the pool who want something different, progressive, and innovative.
Venator– Psychodome
Venator is a band that is frankly, tailor made to fit my interests. A throwback band leaning heavily on the sounds of Led Zepplin, Black Sabbath and Judas Priest. Psychodome is filled with all the riffs, machismo and fun that any classic metal fan could ask for.
Teen Mortgage – Devil Ultrasonic Dream
Teen Mortgage hit it off on the right foot with their debut album. Their is surfy punk rock sound is equal parts, hard-hitting, groovy and deeply political. One of the most fun front to back listening experiences of the year, Teen Mortgage are more refined than most bands are three albums in.