News
MetalBite's Top 10 Albums of the Month - December 2025
Welcome to MetalBite's Top 10 albums of the month! December tends to be a quiet month for new releases as most people are typically just catching up on everything they heard that year, but that doesn't mean you should sleep on these albums. In modern times when there is a never-ending deluge of new music, having the chance to take a breather and pay attention to the music you listen to is becoming an increasingly valuable luxury.
Anyways, get your fix of new music. Happy new year, here's to a prosperous and riff-filled 2026.
-Nate
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Cryoxyd - This World We Live In…
Dolorem Records
After 25 years (!!!), this French group has put out their first full-length album. Granted, most of the lineup has been overhauled since the band's inception and there was a long period of inactivity, but nonetheless, it's heartwarming to see this album finally come to fruition. Never give up on your dreams.
Contained within is lean, meaty death metal riffage with a futuristic touch (mostly in the drum work) and throaty rasps that bring John Tardy and Martin Van Drunen to mind. The compositions are concise, and naturally generate atmosphere without forcing it. Though they are late bloomers, this is a well-developed debut that hints at a bright future for the band…ironically, via depicting a desolate, mechanical dystopia.
-Nate
Sepulchral - Beneath The Shroud
Soulseller Records
This Spanish band makes some truly nasty and satisfying old school death metal. It's riff worship of the "Scream Bloody Gore" variety, with a lot of thrash influences, without going full death/thrash. I like the short but very creative solos (although, being a fan of tech death, I would have taken much more solos) and the subtle and tasteful uses of blast beats. They even slow down sometimes, for a nice death/doom vibe. Vocally, it's a traditional reverb drenched growl that sounds like it's coming from a deep murky cave. We even get a short drum solo near the end. In the end it's nothing new, but just well executed, comfort OSDM to warm your soul.
-Raphael
Blood Red Throne - Slitskin
Soulseller Records
These guys are the Norwegian Cannibal Corpse - you know exactly what you're getting with every new album and you don't care because it gives exactly what you need. The perfect "bread and butter" listening for any death metal fan. Don't know what to put on? Blood Red Throne will do the trick no matter your current mood.
If I could note any differences between Slitskin and their earlier work, this seems more polished and groovy, but that's a hairsplitting distinction to make. If you like BRT, you'll like this album. Normally I do not champion assembly line consistency this readily and appreciate when a band evolves and experiments, but there are a few notable exceptions where I'd rather the band just keep making solid music and not fix what isn't broken. This is one of them. No bullshit, no frills - just death metal.
-Nate
Burning Death - Burning Death
Caligari Records
Burning Death, hailing from Braz… no wait, Nashville, Tennessee, play the extreme style of thrash metal, inspired by "teutonic blasphemies, early Slayer, Sabbat (Japan), and South American legions" and it's 30 minutes of punches to the face and it feels good! If you're in the mood for classic blackened death/thrash with a modern production, this ticks all the boxes.
-Raphael
METALBITE'S TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE MONTH
10: Darvaza - We Are Him
Terratur Possessions
We are him, he is us. The Devil is in all of us, isn't he? Darvaza certainly evoke him with their cold, orthodox black metal. As you can see on the cover, less is more here. No ambient experiments - "We Are Him" is frostbitten and dragging black metal. Don't expect any melodious warmth in the seven songs, this isn't for the Dimmu Borgir/Cradle of Filth crowd - there is only pure hatred and Devil worship. Transilvanian Hunger is a better comparable. Listen to this and uncover your dark side.
-Michael
MetalBite's Rating: 8/10
9: Rotten Sound - Mass Extinction
Season Of Mist
This is a short, compact and precise grindcore EP by Finnish legends that is musically tight and devastating. With lyrics about the environmental scam that is recycling, to slave labor in rare earth mines used to make batteries and just a very dark outlook of humanity, it's designed to pump you up and thrash your surroundings, basically what grindcore is supposed to do.
-Raphael
MetalBite's Rating: 8/10
8: Nemorous - What Remains When Hope Has Failed
Bindrune Recordings
The loss (no pun intended) of Wodensthrone was a bitter blow for the UK black metal scene, but the silver lining is the existence of Nemorous, who have risen like a phoenix from the ashes of that much-missed band. With just 2021's self-titled EP to their name so far, their debut album has been gestating for what seems like an age, but the results show that they were right to take their time, and the diligent work that has been poured into an immaculately well-crafted record is palpable. The bleakly-titled What Remains When Hope Has Failed is very much at the atmospheric end of the black metal spectrum, but enough feral intensity is retained to offset the passages of twinkling post-rock prettiness, and maintain the deep connection to the band's roots. While this will no doubt be of interest to fans of Wiegedood, Ellende, and Necronautical, Nemorous's real point of difference is the subtle way in which they weave unconventional synth layers throughout their music. The string and woodwind tones that are used position this some distance from bombastic symphonic metal, recalling instead the way in which Panopticon have integrated traditional folk instruments into their attack, and some of the more unconventional harmonic choices even approach Arcturus territory at points. Not unlike last year's Saor album, Nemorous leave the best song until last, the triumphant chord progression of the title track delivering the kind of transcendental wonder that Vemod specialise in, creating a majestic apex for the album. This is a very good debut, and if Nemorous can harness more regularly the kind of alchemy that they are so clearly capable of, they may yet become a truly spectacular proposition.
-Benjamin
MetalBite's Rating: 8.1/10
7: Zero State - Shadow Realm
Independent
Hardcore bands cosplaying as OSDM is all the rage these days, but I'm not averse to the trend because you've still gotta have a nasty guitar tone and some sick riffs to keep it legit - they've just maximized the crossover appeal. Zero State has enough simplicity to keep the meatheads moving, but their hearts are clearly set on recreating the vibes of Dismember, Cannibal Corpse, Entombed and early Gatecreeper. Having seen them live, I know it's only a matter of time before they break through to bigger audiences - they have the sound, they have the stage presence, they're doing everything right. It's all about to fall into place. You heard it here first.
-Nate
MetalBite's Rating: 8.1/10
6: Chaos Over Cosmos - The Hypercosmic Paradox
Independent
Who doesn't like fast, technical guitar work, intense vocals, and a strong cosmic atmosphere? Polish musician extraordinaire, Rafał Bowman asks this question and if the answer is yes, then strapped in for the ride! What a fun album to close out the year, done by a truly talented musician and with the most insane solos you'll ever hear. If you've never heard of Chaos Over Cosmos and you love prog, what are you doing?
-Raphael
MetalBite's Rating: 8.2/10
5: Sun Of The Suns - Entanglement
Scarlet Records
Oh hey, I thought Fallujah already put out an album this year. Also didn't realize they changed their name and relocated to Italy!
In all seriousness, this should be an easy album to get into for modern prog death fans. Very similar ethereal vibes, and the frequent use of chugs will satiate Rivers of Nihil fanboys. Any deathcore influence is off-kilter and diluted enough that this probably won't appeal to straight-up hardcore kids, but there's still an occasional moment where a mosh pit would be warranted in a live setting.
The beauty of metal, to me, is that for a band the size of Fallujah that's hitting Billboard with their new album, there's at least a dozen bands like Sun Of The Suns that are musically just as good, and you might even prefer them - they just aren't as well-marketed or weren't the first to do it.
-Nate
MetalBite's Rating: 8.3/10
4: Weft - The Splintered Oar
Bindrune Recordings
Charlie Anderson is a Texas musician that is best known for playing the violin live for Panopticon. He is now finally releasing his first solo material, doing everything from vocals, guitars, bass, violin, synth, piano to percussion and oh boy, what a debut it is! You can hear some similarities with Panopticon, with folk and atmospheric black metal but his composition style is much more progressive, complex song structures, going from extremely aggressive black metal to quiet folk violins, incorporating dissonance and odd rhythm structures. He has such a great voice, harsh piercing shrieks, guttural death growls and soulful cleans. The album ends with the prog epic "Dream Of Oaks" which is a wild ride through americana, prog, black and death metal. Perfect album for the cold winter months.
-Raphael
MetalBite's Rating: 8.3/10
3: Phantom Corporation - Time And Tide
Supreme Chaos Records
Kicking off with some casual thrash riffs, soon the full inferno unfolds with "Time And Tide". This is the logical step after their furious debut "Fallout" and a heavy punch in the face. The German quintet is offering a relentless mixture of crust, grind, thrash and punk - they know how to grab the listener by the balls. Everything is in place and there are no unnecessary diversions. Vocalist Leif Jensen shouts and screams as if he is possessed by some evil spirits and the riffs are like a chainsaw cutting fresh bones.
"Time And Tide" is crazy brutal shit and might cause you to forget about the screaming orange toddler threatening and terrorizing everybody because he cannot find his little prick in his pampers.
-Michael
MetalBite's Rating: 8.5/10
2: Fleshvessel - Obstinancy: Sisyphean Dreams Unfolded
I, Voidhanger Records
Something about each of the main band members being credited with half a dozen instruments each and then Gwyn Hoetzer only playing the flute got a chuckle out of me.
Anyways, this is some real off the wall shit. "everything but the kitchen sink" metal. You never know what it's going to throw at you next, but it's not a grating or uncomfortable fabric. Weirdness for its own sake can be tiring, but this has a certain elegance to it that keeps me coming back.
-Nate
MetalBite's Rating: 8.5/10
1: Lychgate - Precipice
Debemur Morti Productions
In some respects, Lychgate's label have done them a disservice by releasing their fourth album in December, the month typically being taken up by lists naughty, nice, and, of course, best albums of the year. Precipice is good enough to be on all three, an imposing slice of avant-garde death metal that punishes and delights in equal measure, sometimes simultaneously. Lychgate are the sound of death metal had it evolved in the wake of an apocalyptic nuclear meltdown, like the flora and fauna that grew in the shadow of Chernobyl after the humans had abandoned the Soviet hellscape. It's recognisable, but only just. There are reference points: latter-day Gorguts are the most obvious, but there are elements of Ulcerate, Dodecahedron, Morbid Angel and even Prometheus-era Emperor in the dissonant miasma that the band conjure. Lychgate, however, are no one's imitator. Forging their own hellish path, led by Greg Chandler from Esoteric, another group of fearless sonic adventurers, the band can rely on virtuoso instrumental skill, but utilize it only in service of the song. The album reaches twin peaks on the wonderful 'Hive Of Parasites', which moves almost imperceptibly from a jazzy mid-section to a terrifying coda, with interlocking counterpoint melodies weaving their way through each other until the final denouement, and then the penultimate track 'Anagnorisis', a grandiose slab of post-metal, featuring dizzying work on the bass from former To-Mera and Haken maestro Tom MacLean, as well as the catchiest riff on the entire album, as if to prove that Lychgate are capable of dropping into something more conventional if they so wish. This writer simply wishes that every album were as ambitious and impressive as this outstanding release.
-Benjamin
MetalBite's Rating: 8.9/10
As always, thank you for stopping by. This concludes 2025, and if you ever want to do a deep dive on new metal from this year, you can view all the lists for past months below:
November 2025
October 2025
September 2025
August 2025
July 2025
June 2025
May 2025
April 2025
March 2025
February 2025
January 2025
And, of course, Follow MetalBite on Facebook, Spotify and Instagram so you can be there right when the next Top 10 list drops!
Entered: 1/18/2026 12:39:51 PM
150
