The Top 10 Albums of 2025

This is it, the big one! It is an honour to announce the Vinyl Fantasy Reviews Top 10 Albums of 2025!

All albums must have been released on or after 01/01/2025. Only one entry per artist.

10. Coheed & Cambria – Vaxis III: The Father of Make Believe

RATING: 86/100 – Mostly Excellent

Thirty years deep into their career (under various monikers), Coheed & Cambria have started to think about what the end of it all might look like. Their Vaxis series of records seeks to bring the band’s grandiose sci-fi concept, The Amory Wars, to a point of conclusion, and the third entry sees the band not only starting to tie up conceptual loose ends, but deliver a genuinely impactful and compelling musing on the existential.

Continuing to polish the prog-pop sound they established with ‘Vaxis II: A Window of a Waking Mind’, this record is jam packed with some of the band’s catchiest hooks to date. ‘Someone Who Can’ is a summery anthem with its driving rhythms and playful riffing, whilst ‘One Last Miracle’ brings a delightful 80’s flair to proceedings. ‘Goodbye Sunshine’ showcases the band’s roots in 90’s and early 00’s emo and post-hardcore brilliantly, with its pounding instrumental and soaring, bittersweet melodies.

Beyond this, the band also offer some of their heaviest work to date. The one-two punch of ‘Blind Side Sonny’ and ‘Play the Poet’ makes for an absolutely incendiary midsection to the record, with the latter packing a wickedly brutal breakdown that shows that there is still a lot of life in this old dog yet. The climax of the record is wrapped up with the four part ‘The Continuum’ suite, and gives longtime fans of the band plenty to relish in, especially with its usage of motifs.

The end might be in sight, but don’t think for one moment that Coheed & Cambria are going to go quietly.

9. Richard Sallis – Felix

RATING: 88/100 – Mostly Excellent

All the way back on the 14th of January, we posted our first album review of 2025, and entered the year on an incredible high. Despite all of the wonderful music of this year, ‘Felix’ by Richard Sallis has remained steadfast in the top 10.

After assuming he had long since reached the very end of his musical career, the former frontman of The Camermen returned in 2023 with a single that was as much of a surprise to him as it was anyone else. Then, with the advent of fatherhood, Sallis developed a second artistic wind, and with an ensemble of close friends, constructed a magnificent, theatrical body of work. Telling the story of his loss of confidence, his reconciliation with old demons, and the new life he was given through the birth of son, this is a magnificent exploration of some of the deepest and most human vulnerabilities we all possess. ‘Felix’ serves as an important reminder that dreams only die when we stop believing in them.

On the 2nd of January, Sallis will release a brand new record, ‘Casino’, which was originally conceived during a period of homelessness during his teenage years. Let’s see if Sallis manages to remain in 2026’s top 10, just as he did this year.

8. Spiritbox – Tsunami Sea

RATING: 88/100 – Mostly Excellent

Canada’s Spiritbox have continued their rise to the very top of metalcore. Emerging back in 2017 from the ashes of various musical projects, the four-piece gained major attention with their alternative smash hit, ‘Holy Roller’. In 2021, the outfit finally unleashed their debut record, ‘Eternal Blue’, and since then, it has been one continual, meteoric rise for the band.

A sophomore slump has been deftly avoided with a truly ferocious slab of arena-sized metalcore. ‘Tsunami Sea’ is heavier, feistier, and more complex take on Spiritbox’s sound, as the band gaze inwards at their own monsters and the turmoil of uncertainty. ‘No Loss No Love’ alternates between ethereal spoken word passages and absolutely crushing choruses, whilst ‘Black Rainbow’ is a phenomenal exercise in brutality. The band even offer one of their most emotive performances to date with the alternative rock anthem, ‘Deep End’.

It’s polished, powerful, and persistently brilliant, continuing to offer what makes Spiritbox so captivating without feeling redundant in the slightest.

7. Counterexpressive – So Long As There Is Quiet

RATING: 89/100 – Mostly Excellent

The debut record of Dallas post-hardcore outfit Counterexpressive released all the way back in January of this year, yet has maintained its place in this top 10 for 2025’s entirety.

This is one of the brightest hidden gems of the post-hardcore scene in recent years, with the band offering a raw baring of the soul through their bleak, emotive sound. Scrappy guitar riffs are unleashed atop of rhythms that offer sharp complexity, whilst the vocal performances range from scathing screams to some of the most heart-rending melodies that can be found on a record this year. The closing number, ‘This Rainfall Feels Like An Ending’, is the single greatest closing track of 2025, with its genuinely beautiful vocal performance and cascading acoustic guitars.

In twenty years time, kids browsing emo music will hear ‘So Long As There Is Quiet’, and pick up a guitar with their friends. It is an undeniable feat of musicianship that represents the very best of what a scene has to offer.

6. MASSA NERA – The Emptiness of All Things

RATING: 90/100 – Excellent

Perhaps the most daunting record of 2025, MASSA NERA aren’t here to simply repeat the hollow platitudes of “save the planet” and “let’s recycle!”. In the spirit of the monumentality of the climate crisis, ‘The Emptiness of All Things’ is a bleak, uncompromising look at a land razed to the ground by a system that seeks to turn every last element of the natural world into profit.

The record exists as a raging inferno from start to finish, as the band utilise their expansive screamo sound to obliterate the listener’s every senses. Towering guitar riffs crash down like skyscrapers, foundations reduced to rubble by percussion that registers on the magnitude scale. The lyricism is often ugly and unflinching, as MASSA NERA refuse to even acknowledge the concept of restraint; the climate crisis requires more than reusable cups and separating waste, but a complete obliteration of the capitalist system. There is no comfort to be found here; only a blinding, furious rage.

You won’t find this record on Spotify, but that should not matter; great art deserves your support, and if we are to step away from the monopolies of mega corporations, streaming services that pay a pittance and openly support the fascist American empire must also be evicted from our lives as much as possible.

5. Stay Inside – Lunger

RATING: 90/100 – Excellent

I was originally skeptical of Stay Inside’s move towards an Americana influenced sound. The band’s 2023 sophomore record, ‘Ferried Away’, was a wonderfully imaginative emo record that utilised the abandoned Coney Island amusement park as an allegory for the impermanence of human relationships, and the ghosts we live with. With such a fantastic identity established, change felt risky.

Any doubts proved to not only be wholly unfounded, but frankly stupid; ‘Lunger’ is a fantastically whimsical fusion of Americana flair, folk twang, and emo melancholy. Pulling influence from old school western movies, the band paint a variety of incredible soundscapes that excite and enchant, from the dreamy summer haze of ‘Oh, Longshoreman’, to the crackling paranoia of ‘Counting Electric Sheep’. Every performance is delivered with a wry yet theatrical wit, whilst never losing emotional weight; Stay Inside haven’t simply created a collection of songs, but a whole cinematic world worthy of exploring.

Let it be known that change is never a thing to be feared; it might simply be the next step needed to achieve something truly special. Wherever Stay Inside go from here, rest assured that the results will be truly magical.

4. Animalcules – Luz

RATING: 92/100 – Excellent

Glasgow emo outfit Animalcules emerged in early 2023 with their debut single, ‘Pseudo Non-Fiction’, released no new music in 2024, and then in January 2025 released a debut full-length record that blows titans of the scene out of the water. If a parable of the benefits of honing your craft is to be written, then Animalcules are the authors.

Fans of post-hardcore and the swancore subgenre will be familiar with the sounds here; intricate riffs that jitter with hyperactivity, bass lines so groovy they should be declared a controlled substance, and captivating melodies that playfully swoop and soar above often bittersweet lyricism. Yet it is how Animalcules take these elements and present them that makes ‘Luz’ such a phenomenal listen. Incredible performances are embossed with a slick and polished production, whilst chiptune bleeps, birdsong, and sparkling synths decorate the tracklist to lend everything a cozy, warm glow.

‘Flavour Town’ and ‘PureJim’ make for a genuinely electrifying opening combo, wrapped up with the delightful ‘Lucky’ interlude. Fading into the emo toned ‘Pseudo Non-Fiction’, the album goes on a beautiful run through the rhythmic switch-ups of ‘Wanderlust’ and soul-stirring melodies of ‘Midnorth’, wrapping up with the melancholic sparkle of ‘Bugs’. From here, the record launches into the climactic chaos and heaviness of ‘Let’s Party!’ and ‘Minimal Brain Damage’, preserving the momentum that started in the very first second perfectly, right to the very, very end. If you don’t want to slam that repeat button, then I fear your life is critically lacking in joy and whimsy.

Whilst the plans for a Top 10 Artworks of 2025 list never materialised, it would be amiss not to take a moment to marvel at the gorgeous pixel art that Aline Bulçao has produced for this record. This is the sort of artwork that demands a physical format. And to think people want AI to replace this!

3. vianova – Hit It!

RATING: 92/100 – Excellent

Metalcore has often been accused of stagnancy in recent years. From bands still shamelessly copying the template Bring Me The Horizon laid out with ‘Sempiternal’, to attempting to emulate the major success of Sleep Token and slapping trap beats where they don’t belong; innovation was a rare thing indeed. 2025 has offered something a little different, however: bands willing to challenge the status quo and take metalcore to new, incredible heights.

Berlin’s vianova unleashed a debut in that very vein, and immediately established themselves as the next need-to-know band in metal. Bold, glamorous, and ferocious, ‘Hit It!’ fuses heavy djent riffs with jazz glitter, and the result is an insanely fun rollercoaster from start to finish. ‘Oh No (Believer)’ is a razor sharp and wickedly playful affair with a hook that ensures the track grabs your attention with an iron grip. ‘Whatever Alright’ and ‘Uh Yaya’ hit new levels of brutality with their swaggering bombast and absolutely diabolical breakdowns. ‘Obsolete’ and ‘Future Nostalgia’ offer genuine emotion in their sparkling assessments of remaining relevant in an ever changing landscape.

vianova are simply essential: essential listening, and essential for the health of the scene. Without bands like this, the scene would forever be saturated by the Octanecore hoards, demanding the same riffs they’ve been listending to for over a decade. The third-place of the Vinyl Fantasy Reviews Album of the Year 2025 list is ‘Hit It!’ by vianova.

2. linoleumville – 1: a rip where a river should be

RATING: 95/100 – Almost Perfect

1950’s. A small town in the United States. A factory on the edge of town pumps an unknown substance into the river. A man climbs from the water, the air heavy with the haze of a humid summer. He meets his love in a diner, although she knows not of her role in his life. He does; he’s met her before, and he’ll meet her again, just as he shall meet the bullet again. Welcome to linoleumville.

The side project of since torino’s Alex Blake and Ben Dodd, this slowcore, folktronica record is the soundtrack to a wider multimedia project. Imagine DARK, but directed by David Lynch. Imagine Stranger Things, but narratively interesting. This is a quiet record, vocals rarely rising above a gentle murmur and instrumentals glistening with mystique. Banjos softly twang atop of acoustic strumming, whilst suggestions of violin peek through the gloom. Lo-fi drum machines crackle with a nostalgic sense of familiarity, and synths gently glimmer like fireflies in the damp summer heat. Guest vocals from Prima Hera will stir up emotions that defy labelling. You will not find catchy hooks, or choruses primed for virality, or breakdowns that beg for influencer reactions.

What you will find, however, is a true labour of love. ‘1: a rip where a river should be’ is a record that demands patience, attention, and an open mind; the gift it gives in return is nothing short of magical, transformative, and disquieting. Come on in, the water’s fine.

The runner-up of the Vinyl Fantasy Reviews Album of the Year 2025 list is ‘1: a rip where a river should be’ by linoleumville.

1. Benefits – Constant Noise

RATING: 100/100 – Perfect

If you’re seeking a political record that is all about fighting the power, man, then this isn’t for you. If you’re seeking the single most unsettling, unflinching, and honest look into the slow takeover of fascism in the United Kingdom, then keep reading.

We spoke of it over in our Top 10 Songs of 2025, but it bares repeating: Benefits should not be here. Following their aggressive debut, ‘Nails’, the band would not only lose long time member Hugh Major, but be completely unable to retain a drummer; the latter of these seemed particularly crucial for a band whose brand of noise rock relied on being as loud and confrontational as possible.

Yet just as the nation around them transformed, strangled by the grip of apathy that permeates every aspect of British life, so too did Benefits. Now a duo, consisting of Robbie Major and Kingsley Hall, the band leaned unapologetically into the electronic and dance aspects that had played a role in shaping their live shows. The result is one of the most haunting records I have ever had the pleasure, or perhaps displeasure, of experiencing. This is the eulogy for a dying empire. This is the sound of race riots in the streets, tattered flags on lampposts, and a government arresting pensioners for protesting the ongoing genocide of Palestinians. This is England for the English. This is ‘Constant Noise’.

The opening title track sets the tone phenomenally, with Hall’s sprawling poetry brimming with dejection, layered against the ominous distant swell of ambient vocals. ‘Land Of The Tyrants’ offers a pulsing dancehall beat as Hall speaks of a desolate north, scrambling for the scraps tossed out by the citadel of London; Zera Tønin elevates the whole track with disconcerting harmonies and piercing screams. ‘The Victory Lap’ ramps things up even further, with a driving electronic beat that backs up musings on masturbatory machismo and alcohol drenched British summers.

For those who preferred the band’s guitar and drum based work, ‘Lies And Fear’ and ‘Terror Forever’ is certain to appeal, serving almost as interludes of catharsis in the midst of the pensive electronic soundscapes; pure rage divorced from the abject sorrow that permeates the rest of the record. ‘Dancing On The Tables’ sees Hall sound utterly dejected in the midst of wobbling electric grooves, as he sings of the bread and circuses, and promises of meritocracy, that keep the working class from developing a meaningful sense of class consciousness.

‘Divide’ is a rip-roaring collaboration with Shakk. Major constructs an instrumental that continually builds towards an incendiary climax, on top of which Hall and Shakk offer an utterly ferocious take down of our ever dividing society. ‘The Brambles’ is a genuinely unsettling work of art that perfectly captures the desolation of post-industrial satellite towns, whilst ‘Missiles’ offers a glimpse of genocide on foreign shores from the comfort of your sofa. No matter where you look, the rot has soaked deep into the bones of the United Kingdom, and any desire to mend the problem dissolves in continual discourse. There is constant noise, no matter where you turn.

It is easy to write a political album that is crammed with hollow platitudes of rising up and rebelling. Everybody is a revolutionary in their own mind. What Benefits have done instead is something truly special; they have crafted a bleak, honest, and accurate depiction of the United Kingdom in 2025, and offer an admittance that it truly feels like time is running out to stop a complete and utter collapse into fascism. Voting has failed, protesting has failed, debating has failed. The house is on fire, and the firefighters have flamethrowers. So get a few cans, do a few lines, pick a fight with a stranger, and party like it’s the end of the world.

The Vinyl Fantasy Reviews Album of the Year 2025 is ‘Constant Noise’ by Benefits.

VINYL FANTASY REVIEWS ALBUM OF THE YEAR

2021: Adjy – The Idyll Opus (I-VI)

2022: Birds in Row – Gris Klein

2023: Sleep Token – Take Me Back To Eden

2024: Topiary Creatures – The Metaphysical Tech Support Hotline

2025: Benefits – Constant Noise

I hope each and every one of you has a safe and happy holiday season, with good food and good friends, no matter whether you celebrate or not! Take care, and I’ll be seeing you in the New Year!