ALL HAIL COCKROACH
Adam's Best Of 2025
Hey everyone, how's it going? First of all, I know I missed a ton of releases this year and it's nearly impossible to keep up with everything, so if there's somethat you can't believe I didn't mention, It might just be because I missed it. Feel free to drop your favorites in the comments or in the chat.
I try to never put these lists in any kind of order but there are two releases this year that are clearly in the top-two for me, problem is that I can't pick a #1. But those two releases are Deafheaven's "Lonely People With Power" and Secret Cutter's "///". On one hand, the Deafheaven show I saw in Seattle was really fucking fun and sounded incredible, and this album is a sonic work of art. But to be fair, I've never seen Secret Cutter so what do I know. I will tell you that I love that they just dropped their new album with no warning or fanfare whatsoever, and the fact that it is better than 2018's "Quantum Eraser" is insane.
So, I'm just going to put these two up top in no particular order. After that, everything will be in aphabetical order so nobody's feelings get hurt. Take care everyone.
A feral grindcore assault steeped in blackened chaos:
"Non omnis moriar..." Compilation
From the Hypaethral Records Bandcamp: Welcome to our 2025 compilation, where we once again highlight some of our favourite bands from the southern Ontario scene -- spanning cities, genres, and eras. Fulfilling one of our core aims as a label: to document and champion the best that our scene creates.
Price of Redemption - Demo 2025
Instagram - Bandcamp - Spotify
Price of Redemption is a hardcore/metalcore band from Springfield, Massachusetts, and they’ve just put out a debut Demo. This release is raw and direct, showing off heavy riffs, sharp breakdowns, and tons of no‑frills energy. You can really hear both the hardcore urgency and the darker metalcore edge in the way the songs are put together.
FFO: Shadows Fall, Unearth, Hatebreed, Earth Crisis
Armus - Mirror Image
Instagram - Bandcamp - Spotify
Armus from Portland, Maine just put out Mirror Image and it’s heavy as hell. They’ve always had that slow and kind of hypnotic creepy doom vibe, and this record keeps it going by mixing in elements of sludge and death metal. This new one clocks in at just under half an hour, but every track feels massive.
FFO: Electric Wizard, Conan, Primitive Man, Coffins
GRAY STATE - S/T
Facebook - Instagram - Discogs - Bandcamp - Spotify
Formed in 2015 in Finland, Gray State blends blackened hardcore, metalcore, and punk influences into a furious wall of riffs and breakdowns. With themes rooted in veganism, animal rights, and death, their music carries a social conscience and relentless aggression.
FFO: Brutality Will Prevail, Jesus Piece, Malevolence, Arkangel
FALSETRIP - S/T
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Formed in 2016, FALSETRIP from Ebern, Germany quickly built a reputation for blending hardcore punk, thrash, and black metal influences into a sound that is both abrasive and cathartic. Their self‑titled album, released in June 2025, features tracks like Push It On, Soulripper, and Nazi scum, each brimming with relentless riffs and politically charged aggression.
FFO: Integrity, Power Trip, Ringworm, Municipal Waste
FOSCO - TRES ESTACAS
Instagram - Facebook - Discogs - Bandcamp - Spotify
Emerging from Spain’s underground hardcore scene, FOSCØ blends screamo, post-hardcore, with hardcore punk, and plunges listeners into a heavy, atmospheric sonic journey. TRES ESTACAS showcases their ability to balance chaotic aggression with moments of atmosphere.
FFO: Jeromes Dream, Funeral Diner, Celeste, Lentic Waters
foxglove - labyrinthine
Instagram - Bandcamp - Spotify
Seattle’s Foxglove have quickly become one of the city’s most compelling heavy acts, and their newest EP Labyrinthine shows why. Blending screamo, post-hardcore, emo, ambient, screamo and punk, the band crafts a sound that is both chaotic and atmospheric. This release captures raw emotion with crushing riffs and haunting melodies.
FFO: Converge, Orchid, City of Caterpillar, Hewn
BACKSTABBERS INC. - Poisoned Minds
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Backstabbers Inc., the hardcore punk and grindcore band from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, have returned with their latest release Poisoned Minds. Known for their chaotic blend of hardcore, crust, and grind, the band has been a staple of the New England heavy music scene since the late 1990s. Poisoned Minds delivers politically charged tracks like I’m Afraid of Americans and Savior Complex, showcasing their relentless energy.
FFO: Trap Them, Pig Destroyer, The Red Chord, Converge
SKYTT - BRUTALISMUS
Instagram - Facebook - Discogs - Bandcamp - Spotify
SKYTT is a powerviolence & Sludgecore trio from Giessen, Germany, delivering raw intensity and uncompromising energy that formed in 2018. Their 2025 EP Brutalismus captures their ferocious style in short, abrasive, blistering tracks.
FFO: Nails, Regional Justice Center, Gulch, Trap Them
Victims of Ergotism - Saint Anthony's Fire
Victims of Ergotism is a new blackened death metal & noise band from Orlando, Florida, formed in 2025. They released their debut demo Saint Anthony’s Fire in November 2025, featuring tracks inspired by historical events like The Fall of Constantinople and The Battle of Hastings. The band’s name and themes reference ergot poisoning, blending medical horror with epic history to create a dark, aggressive sound.
FFO: Undeath, 200 Stab Wounds, Vitriol, Behemoth
war - VENIVIDIWAR
Instagram - Discogs - Bandcamp - Spotify
Hailing from Leipzig, Germany, the power trio War creates a crushing wall of sound that sits somewhere between stoner doom and chaotic math-rock, AKA Doomgaze. Featuring members of local heavyweights Lingua Nada, their music is a volatile mix of melancholic textures and aggressive, screamo-inflected explosions.
FFO: bongripper, Whores, Torche, Cave In, Botch
Pale Throne follow up
I posted about this band a few days ago, and I just realized that they actually had a ton of releases in November. And I'm not talking about singles, I mean full blown EP-length releases. Like I mentioned previously, I can't find any social media, or any info really on this band, so I'm just going to drop all these here. I have no idea if these are all new and actually done this month, or old shit. But either way, it's good. Enjoy?
baan - neumann
Instagram - YouTube - Discogs - Bandcamp - Spotify
Baan is a genre-bending band from Busan, South Korea, fusing post-rock, shoegaze, sludge, and hardcore into a raw, emotional sound. Their 2025 album Neumann showcases this mix with walls of noise and atmosphere, they the gap between beautiful and terrifying.
FFO: Svalbard, Amenra, Kowloon Walled City, KEN Mode
ratstallion - Sisyphus Happy
Denver’s ratstallion, known for their powerful, unpolished, and hook-heavy sound, blends shoegaze, grunge, and noise rock into a heavy, dreamy GrungeGaze. They recently dropped their latest offering, the Sisyphus Happy EP. Tracks like "Eye" and "Pit" showcase their knack for crafting energetic narratives and immediate, memorable rock anthems.
FFO: Nothing, Hum, Gleemer, Cloakroom
Territory // Withdrawal - Hope is Disease / Paranoia is Salvation
Here's a killer split from Territory and Withdrawal. From Bandcamp: "Arizona's TERRITORY awaken from the scorched wastes of the sonoran with 2 new songs of pummeling, bleak, crushing metallic hardcore. Sonically similar to the psychosis of later-era KICKBACK, the darkness of HIS HERO IS GONE and BLUT AUS NORD's twisting, grim riffing." and "WITHDRAWAL lurch forth from the furthest reaches of frozen Hell with 3 songs of fast, Apocalyptic Metallic Hardcore. Labyrinthian hymns for the end-times that bring to mind ALL OUT WAR's violence, the darkness of CATHARSIS and 100 DEMONS taking acid."
Pale Throne - Forgotten
Pale Throne is a crushing sludge metal band based in New York City. Their music blends elements of blackened doom, noise, and death-sludge. Their sound is slow, suffocating, and seething. And get this, ZERO social media. Impressive.
FFO: Primitive Man, Thou, Graves At Sea, Dragged Into Sunlight
Sylvia Haynes - Healer
New Jersey-based experimental musician Sylvia Haynes has released her latest project, “Healer”, a deeply personal and sonically adventurous album that continues her prolific streak of genre-defying work. Known for her raw lyricism and unconventional song structures, Haynes blends lo-fi textures, ambient noise, and spoken word into a soundscape that’s as haunting as it is healing.
FFO: Mount Eerie, Deli Girls, White Suns
SLOWHOLE - S/T
Instagram - Facebook - Discogs - Bandcamp - Spotify
OK, this isn't new, but it's brand new to me & I need to post about it now because it bulldozing my face off. New Orleans, Louisiana's SLOWHOLE delivers a suffocating mix of sludge, doom, and shoegaze textures. With acerbic vocals cutting through walls of distortion, the band channels the raw intensity of sludge and doom while pushing into experimental territory.
FFO: Thou, Eyehategod, Primitive Man, Chat Pile
SINATRA - You Came Into My Life And All Colors Disappeared
Sinatra is a powerhouse in the continental hardcore scene, delivering a raw, aggressive sound that's a cornerstone of the German DIY community. Sinatra's style is pure, relentless, metallic, chaotic & noisy hardcore. They blend the speed and intensity of traditional punk with the punishing riffs and metallic edge of heavier music.
FFO: Trainwreck, Ancst, Gulch & Trash Talk
Spit Acid - Time For Revenge
Spit Acid is a hardcore/riot punk band from Osnabrück, Germany, known for their explosive live shows. They just dropped Time For Revenge, a six-track EP packed with raw energy and political fire. Recorded in March 2025 at Mühle der Freundschaft, the release features fast, furious tracks like “Still Torture” and “Trapped.” It’s a punchy, no-frills blast of DIY punk spirit
FFO: The Bronx, Punch, Trash Talk, Abitur & Pascow
Dog Complex - Terrible Things Will Happen To The Ones You Love Most
Dog Complex is a genre-defying band from New Hampshire that blends many genres into a raw, chaotic sound. Their 2024 album Do Fish Dream? is a whirlwind of dissonant riffs, surreal song titles, and unrelenting energy. This new album continues Dog Complex’s tradition of fusing blackened hardcore, mathcore, sludge, and noise rock into a visceral listening experience. Dog Complex’s lyrical themes continue to explore alienation, emotional violence, and surreal imagery.
FFO: Daughters, The Body, Full of Hell, Chat Pile & Converge
TREMBLE - The end of an era
From the heart of Sherbrooke, Québec, Tremble erupts with a sound that blends sludge, grindcore, crust, and death metal. This trio delivers a visceral experience that hits like a freight train in a thunderstorm. Their music is raw, chaotic, and unapologetically loud.
FFO: Nails, Full Of Hell, Trap Them, Primitive Man & Cloud Rat
Cipres - Canciones del Veinticinco
Known for their poetic lyricism and visceral sound, Ciprés blends hardcore aggression with introspective themes. Canciones del Veinticinco follows the band’s earlier 2024 Demo and recent singles like Flotando sin Voluntad and La Jaula de mi Mente. This new record is a masterclass in dynamic songwriting and meticulous arrangement.
FFO: Touché Amoré, Defeater & - Pianos Become the Teeth
Conceit - VINDICATED BY RUIN
Conceit is a hardcore band from Quebec City known for raw intensity and political edge. Their 2025 release Vindicated by Ruin delivers six furious tracks, including “Sea of Meat” and “Freedom Warrior Fuck Off!”—a brutal mix of riffs, rage, and resistance.
FFO: KEN Mode, Trap Them, Cult Leader & Gaza
agenda - filth
Filth is the debut ep of singapore buzzsaw hardcore outfit, agenda, known for raw emotion and explosive live shows. filth is a refreshing blend of traditional hardcore/d-beat with black metal and modern metal/metalcore influences.. With a fierce DIY spirit and growing regional presence, Agenda is a must-listen for fans of Touché Amoré, Loma Prieta, Envy, & La Dispute.
NATUR - Eyes on the Knees
Natur fuses the chilling intensity of black metal with the vast soundscapes of post-metal and the crushing complexity of progressive metal. Natur stands out by seamlessly shifting from blistering speed and blast beats to massive, atmospheric breakdowns. This music is both brutal and beautiful, perfectly blending aggression with hypnotic depth.
FFO: Neurosis, Agalloch & Deathspell Omega
Melyxylem - Endophrenesis
Instagram - Facebook - YT Music - Spotify
Meet Melyxylem, the UK quartet quickly making noise in the death metal scene. They deliver a ferocious blend of old-school intensity and modern technicality. Imagine relentless blast beats, razor-sharp, complex riffs, and guttural vocals that perfectly mesh brutality with precision. If you crave punishing, technical death metal, they are essential listening.FFO: The Black Dahlia Murder, Dying Fetus, Decapitated, Behemoth & Belphegor
Bone Splitter - DEMO
Instagram - Spotify - YouTube Music
Bone Splitter is a Los Angeles primitive hardcore band blending punk, grindcore, and death metal. Their debut demo, released via Human Future Records, delivers five tracks of raw aggression.
FFO: Nails, Full Of Hell, Gatecreeper, Magrudergrind & Xibalba
JOTA - Cold Haven
JOTA is a five-piece from Halle (Saale), Germany. JOTA’s sound is described by the band as a powerful wave that just comes over you, inviting you to dive into another world. Their music masterfully walks the line between strength and fragility, combining a wall of powerful drums and raw riffs with moments of fragile, melodic calm. Tracks 1-3 from 'Cold' released May 9, 2023. Tracks 4-6 from 'Haven' released January 6, 2025.
FFO: Touché Amoré, Fjort, Heisskalt, The Saddest Landscape & Funeral Diner
Plague Cross - Demoralize
Instagram - Spotify - YouTube Music
Plague Cross is a Texas hardcore punk band delivering raw, fast, and furious energy. Their debut EP Demoralize features five tracks of aggressive riffs and snarling vocals, capturing the chaos of modern life.
FFO: Trash Talk, Infest, Negative Approach
PUPIL SLICER - Fleshwork
If you’re looking for a band that turns chaos into a work of art, meet Pupil Slicer. This London-based trio is at the forefront of the modern UK extreme metal scene, specializing in Mathcore. Their sound is a razor-sharp collision of genres, combining the angular chaos of The Dillinger Escape Plan and Converge with the abrasive intensity of Grindcore and the sweeping atmospheres of Black Metal. From their ferocious debut, Mirrors, to this latest, more dynamic album, Fleshwork, Pupil Slicer delivers music that is fiercely technical, emotionally raw, and relentlessly heavy.
FFO: Botch, The Callous Daoboys, Frontierer, Deafheaven, Oathbreaker & Rolo Tomassi
Asteriae - The place I call myself
Asteriæ is a five-piece band from Poland blending black metal intensity with post-hardcore emotion. Their latest album, The Place I Call Myself, dives into themes of identity and inner struggle through raw vocals, atmospheric guitars, and punishing rhythms.
FFO: Oathbreaker, Deafheaven, Celeste, Amenra & Wiegedood
PLAGUE PIT - A Whispered Curse
Hailing from the darkest corners of the UK, PLAGUE PIT is here to deliver a devastating dose of old-school death metal with a modern, guttural punch. Prepare to be crushed. PLAGUE PIT doesn't reinvent the wheel; they perfect the art of pulverization. Their sound is a relentless barrage of searing, buzzsaw riffs, thunderous blast beats, and vocals that sound like they're ripped from the deepest abyss. Think classic Swedish death metal fury infused with a grim, distinctly British sensibility.
FFO: Entombed, Dismember, Grave & Black Breath
DEATHFUCKINGWOUND - VOID MMXXV
Instagram - Facebook - YouTube - Spotify
First off, DEATHFUCKINGWOUND is one of the all-time great band names. If the name doesn't tell you everything you need to know, the sound certainly will. DEATHFUCKINGWOUND is a mysterious Finnish duo whose music is a short, sharp shock—a chaotic and relentless vessel of rage drawing equally from Death Metal, Grindcore, Black Metal, and Noise. Their debut EP, Void MMXXV, was written, recorded, and released in just four frantic weeks, emphasizing their "cut-the-bullshit-and-go" mentality.
FFO: Caustic Wound, Primitive Warfare, Teitanblood, Antichrist Siege Machine & Altarage
Verrat - Das Credo der Angst
Instagram - Facebook - Spotify
Verrat is a hardcore punk and crust band from Vienna, formed in 2018, that blends D-beat, metal, and personal/political lyrics. If you are interested, Verrat means "betrayal" in German.
VERMINSECT - Demo
Here's another killer demo from a band I can basically find nothing about on the internet, but that's mainly because It's brand new. One thing I can tell you this one of the dudes in this band is/was also in Melancholia, one of my favorite bands. Both bands, of course, are from Bellingham, Washington but VERMINSECT sounds a lot different than Melancholia, but it's a very, very promising start. While Melancholia has an atmospheric, black metal-sludge vibe with very tight production, VERMINSECT is a much more raw, dirty, loose, rock n' roll kind of hardcore, sort of a west coast Funeral Chic. This is a compliment.
Sanguisugabogg - Hideous Aftermath
Website - Instagram - Facebook - Spotify
You guys should know this band already. They're pretty popular aren't they? I really like this new album. If you don't know, they are a brutal/extreme/death-metal band from Ohio. This one wil pummel you. FFO: Full Of Hell, Cattle Decapitation, Peeling Flesh & Cannibal Corpse.
Nohz - SLUMBER BETWEEN ROTTEN WALLS
Continuing with the theme of me posting something that I don't normally listen to, here's Toulouse, France's Nohz. So, uh.... yeah, I don't really love the whole "hardcore punk" genre all that much either. I don't know if it's the standard guitar tuning, the generic drums or just the fact that I just might be forever burned out on "punk" in general after a few decades of consuming it, but, I dig this 12". This is basically a blackened version of hardcore punk. You could also call it Raw Black Metal-Punk, I guess. But either way it's dirty and raw enough to catch my attention.
End Times Vision - A Career In High-Potency Capsules
There is basically nothing out there on the web about End Times Vision, other than their Instagram page and the fact that they are a noise rock/sludge metal band from Athens, GA. At times this debut full-length on Lead Mouth Records veers a little too close to stoner rock for my tastes (not a big fan), but it's sheer presence won me over. This band has a huge, noisy, sludge-punk sound, especially for a 3-piece, and what they honestly sound most like, to me, is Shallow North Dakota. So, I'm already a fan. Hope you enjoy too.
drumcorps - For Everything
drumcorps.co - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube - Bluesky
I don't know what the fuck this is, But I like it. Glitchy, messed up, electronica / Hardcore from Amsterdam, Netherlands. This is a good way to kick off Halloween if you ask me.
Constrict - Kadavergehorsam
More German Chaos. From their bio: Constrict is a grindcore band from Potsdam, Germany, formed in 2015. Fusing fast, aggressive blasts with death metal elements, their sound combines raw speed with relentless heaviness. After several DIY releases - including Ultima Ratio, Saturation, and Devourer - they now return with Kadavergehorsam, their most furious and focused EP to date.
breathe//die - gestalt
FROM: Berlin, GermanyGENRE: Powerviolence, Hardcore, Death Metal
I've said it 1,000 times and I'll say it again,
every hardcore band from Germany rules
every hardcore band from Germany rules
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