{"id":254867,"date":"2025-12-28T00:42:15","date_gmt":"2025-12-28T00:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/254867\/"},"modified":"2025-12-28T00:42:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-28T00:42:15","slug":"tymes-and-killjoys-top-tenish-of-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/254867\/","title":{"rendered":"Tyme’s and Killjoy’s Top Ten(ish) of 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tyme<\/p>\n

\"\"I\u2019ve spent much of my 2025 thinking about privilege. Not in the sense that the media has conditioned me, or us, to think about it, but in a way that I\u2019ve employed to shift some of the mundane aspects of life onto their respective heads. For instance, it\u2019s a privilege to look in my closet and have to decide what to wear each day. It\u2019s a privilege to look in my kitchen pantry to figure out what I\u2019ll eat for breakfast or, better yet, which coffee cup I\u2019ll drink from. I could go on, but there\u2019s a word limit to these intros. Suffice to say, I really tried to dwell on my blessings rather than my challenges this year.<\/p>\n

And despite the blessings of my professional life, which bestowed upon me the incredible privilege of being really fucking busy for the last \u201cwhatever\u201d number of months, I\u2019ve been equally, yet much less facetiously, blessed in my personal endeavors as well. For, in addition to having a bountiful roof over my head, a vehicle to get me back and forth to my extremely privileged job, a dog I can honestly say I will have NO idea how to say goodbye to if I don\u2019t go first, and a wife that, despite the ups and downs of a normal, healthy marriage, continues to love me, I have the distinct privilege of contributing my trve opinions on all things musically heavy, or adjacently heavy, here on the best heavy metal blog in the world! And now comes the part where I give thanks.<\/p>\n

Thank you, first and foremost, to everyone who reads this blog every day. Without you, none of this would be worth doing. At least for me, who read, lurked, and commented for years before working up the courage to actually apply for this subservient existence. Thank you to this newest crop of freshly demoted n00bs and to my list mate Killjoy<\/strong> and the rest of the Freezer Freaks Crew\u2014Alekhines Gun<\/strong>, Owlswald<\/strong>, and Clarkkent<\/strong>\u2014who, through perseverance and a buttload of patience, managed to survive nearly two years on ice to land in the crosshairs of the commentariat\u2019s adverse, and always wrong, opinions., Thanks as well, to ALL the senior staff who are way nicer than they\u2019d have you believe, except Grier<\/strong>, who\u2019s even nicer than everyone else. And finally, the editors, the man himself, Dr. AMG<\/strong>, for seeing enough in me to bring me over, and Steel<\/strong>, who runs the tightest, most compassionate ship I\u2019ve ever had the privilege of sailing on. Thanks, boss!<\/p>\n

Now! To the LIST!!!<\/p>\n

\"\"#ish. Antino\u00eb<\/strong> \/\/ The Fold<\/a> \u2013 When I snagged this late-year gem back in November, I had no idea it would have me shuffling my list. With a little more time, I\u2019m sure it would have moved up the ladder, but as it stands, Antino\u00eb<\/strong> grabbed my (ish) spot easily. With little to no instrumentation beyond her piano, Teresa Marraco crafted something so beautiful in its basic-ness that I was entranced. Her delicate melodies evoke vibes that are as much Darkher<\/strong> or Tori Amos<\/strong> as they are Emperor<\/strong> or Dimmu Borgir<\/strong>, and I am definitely here for it.<\/p>\n

\"\"#10. King Witch<\/strong> \/\/ III<\/a> \u2013 In a year when Messa<\/strong> released a new album as well, the fact that King Witch<\/strong> is sitting on my year-end proper list and not Sara Bianchin and company speaks volumes about the job Laura Donnelly, Jamie Gilchrist, and Rory Lee did on III. Whether crooning over wispy acoustics or belting out doomily powerful tones over rock-heavy riffs, Donnelly is the star of the show, and her performance had me swooning. From the minute I first heard \u201cSuffer in Life\u201d with its swing-heavy riffs and killer vocals, I was happy to take King Witch<\/strong>\u2019s III for a spin over and over, and it\u2019s been part of my regular rotation since summer.<\/p>\n

\"\"#9. Imperishable<\/strong> \/\/ Revelation in Purity<\/a> \u2013 As the year wore on, I became increasingly sure that I may have underrated Imperishable<\/strong>\u2019s Revelation in Purity. In fact, I found myself returning to it several times, forgoing subsequent spins of albums I\u2019d rated higher. With their Nile<\/strong> and Olkoth<\/strong> pedigree, Imperishable<\/strong>\u2019s expert blend of blackened death metal hit an overtly swirling sweet spot for me. The songwriting on Revelation in Purity, while not groundbreaking, is expertly executed, rendering its quality undeniable. And when you toss in those very Alice in Chains<\/strong>-like grunge passages, akin to a cherry on top, it was easy for me to put Revelation in Purity on my year-end list.<\/p>\n

\"\"#8. Mutagenic Host<\/strong> \/\/ The Diseased Machine<\/a> \u2013 Mutagenic Host<\/strong>\u2019s The Diseased Machine was the first album I successfully coveted and secured from the sump pit alllll the way back in January of this year. As a freshly demoted staff member at the time, I was overly excited at the opportunity to take it on, and the album surely didn\u2019t disappoint. Mutagenic Host<\/strong> does death metal the way I like it: low-brow, Neanderthalic, and brutally chuggy. It\u2019s a tenuous thing to run across something you deem so good so early in the year, but The Diseased Machine has definitely stood the test of Tyme<\/strong> and proved worth every point of the quarter-pounder I placed on it.<\/p>\n

\"\"#7. Igorrr<\/strong> \/\/ Amen<\/a> \u2013 My fancy with Igorrr<\/strong> has always been somewhat of a passing one. I was nowhere near the listener who would\u2019ve been part of the band\u2019s early target audience (Mousissure, Nostril). Still, I found more common ground with 2017\u2019s Savage Sinusoid and even more with 2020\u2019s Spirituality and Distortion. But when those first electronic beats of Amen\u2019s opening track, \u201cDaemoni,\u201d poured out of my speakers for the first time, I was completely plugged in to Igorrr<\/strong>\u2019s chaotically beautiful brand of metal madness. Amen\u2019s surprisingly accessible break-cored, trip-hopped blackened death \u2018baroque\u2019 it\u2019s big boot off in my ass, and I\u2019ve been relishing and wallowing in its avant-garde pain ever since.<\/p>\n

\"\"#6. Cave Sermon<\/strong> \/\/ Fragile Wings<\/a> \u2013 Cave Sermon\u2019<\/strong>s Divine Laughter was something I\u2019d definitely missed out on in 2024. When Thus Spoke<\/strong> covered Cave Sermon<\/strong>\u2019s rapid follow-up, Fragile Wings, in April, however, I vowed I wouldn\u2019t sleep on Charlie Park\u2019s solo black metal project this time around. And I\u2019m certainly glad I didn\u2019t. Words like \u2018wistful,\u2019 \u2018exuberant,\u2019 and \u2018playful\u2019 were tossed about in Thus<\/strong>\u2019s excellent write-up and really homed in on what made listening to Fragile Wings such a connective experience for me. Imbued as Fragile Wings is with upbeat sadness, Cave Sermon<\/strong> proved that I can get on board with post metal, and to be honest, any metal that sounds this good is worth the time spent. And seriously, what is that cover?!<\/p>\n

\"\"#5. Crippling Alcoholism<\/strong> \/\/ Camgirl<\/a> \u2013 Inspired by a subreddit I\u2019m glad I never stumbled across, Crippling Alcoholism<\/strong>\u2019s provocative moniker steels those who\u2019d approach the band\u2019s output with a certain sense of visceral anticipation before hearing even one note. My love for the disturbingly creepy With Love from a Padded Room led me to the pink, candy-wrapped murderpop of Camgirl with nary a moment\u2019s hesitation. I gladly signed on to plumb the depths of weirdness I knew would exist, but could not have anticipated the absolute fathomless darkness lurking within Camgirl\u2019s saccharine sweetness, especially as revealed with subsequent spins. A disturbing diatribe on hopelessness, disappointment, loneliness, and sex in the digital age, Camgirl wraps its message in a deceivingly poppy form of electronica that, when all is said and done, will have you wondering what the fuck just happened. I love it.<\/p>\n

\"\"#4. Dax Riggs<\/strong> \/\/ 7 Songs for Spiders<\/a> \u2013 Dax Riggs<\/strong> may be one of the more underrated artists of the last thirty years, and while I know I\u2019m not the only one who rejoiced in the recent resurgence and subsequent touring schedule of one of the \u201990s best sludge acts, Acid Bath<\/strong>, I also realized a new album will probably never materialize, at least not under that moniker. Instead, the universe graced us with 7 Songs for Spiders, Dax<\/strong>\u2019s first solo effort in nearly 15 years. Filled with simplistically haunting melodies sung in Riggs<\/strong>\u2019s inimitable style, 7 Songs for Spiders strummed every one of my fuzzed-out, laid-back heart strings and has remained consistently satisfying since its January release.<\/p>\n

\"\"#3. Maud the Moth<\/strong> \/\/ The Distaff<\/a> \u2013 I stumbled across Maud the Moth<\/strong> in 2023 while exploring the ever-expanding milieu of performers associated with my favorite artist Darkher<\/strong>. Searching Amaya L\u00f3pez-Carromoero\u2019s back catalog, I dove into 2015\u2019s The Inner Wastelands and 2020\u2019s Orphn\u0113, emerging a fan of Maud the Moth<\/strong>\u2019s quirky neo-classical piano-led operatics. When The Distaff popped up in the sump, I was glad to see Dolphin Whisperer<\/strong> snag it, knowing his words would do the album eloquent justice. Soaring in scope and execution, Maud the Moth<\/strong> proffers her most complex yet beautiful release to date. Filled with classically executed vocal acrobatics and massive amounts of intricate instrumentation, The Distaff is less a thing just to be listened to, as it is a thing to be wholly experienced. As immersive a piece of music as I\u2019ve heard all year.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

#2. Structure<\/strong> \/\/ Heritage<\/a> \u2013 M-A-S-S-I-V-E is the word that best describes Structure<\/strong>\u2019s Heritage, which is to say it\u2019s big, sad, and \u201cheavy as fook!\u201d Every time I threw this beast on, and the album opener began crawling forth, it conjured the same cinematic image in my mind\u2019s eye. A lone, bloodied warrior, fists clenched, head bowed, wind-swept and rain-soaked hair hanging down, muscles taut and twitching in furious sadness, standing in a field full of his fallen brethren as a lightning-laced deluge washed the blood of dead soldiers into the hungry ground. Then, slowly, he casts his gaze skyward, anguished tears streaming, contemplating his sole survivor existence, and screaming at the thunder-filled heavens \u201cWill I deserve to live on?\u201d Every time, that\u2019s what I see when I listen to \u201cWill I Deserve It,\u201d and every time I break out in goose bumps with a lumpy throat and welling eyes. Heritage came as close to being my number one as to make the two offerings at the top of my 2025 list nearly interchangeable.<\/p>\n

#1. Dormant Ordeal \/<\/strong>\/ Tooth and Nail <\/a>\u2013 I know I underrated Dormant Ordeal<\/strong>\u2019s fourth album, Tooth and Nail, for, despite giving it the 4.0 treatment, the sheer excellence of this record has only improved over time. April was THE month for me this year, yielding my two favorite metal releases and leaving Poland\u2019s metal map deeply staked with a big, black-and-gold Dormant Ordeal<\/strong> flag. In true, warrior-like fashion, Maciej Nie\u015bcioruk and Maciej Proficz soldiered on without sole founding member Radek Kowal, which opened the door for Chase Westmoreland to waltz in and give my favorite drum performance of the year. From the brutally effective \u201cHalo of Bones\u201d to the excellent, Dylan Thomas<\/a>-inspired \u201cAgainst the Dying of the Light,\u201d there wasn\u2019t an album I returned to more this year than Tooth and Nail, its visceral riffs and razor-sharp edges leaving long-lasting scars. But in a good way, you know? It\u2019s with profound pleasure that I dutifully crown Dormant Ordeal<\/strong>\u2019s Tooth and Nail my album of the year.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Honorable Mentions<\/strong><\/p>\n