Rolling Stone Reveal ‘The 15 Best Metal Albums Of 2025’

The editors at Rolling Stone have officially weighed in on the year in heavy music, releasing their selection of “The 15 Best Metal Albums of 2025.” The list arrives with a slightly tighter focus than previous years, reducing the count from the traditional 20 entries down to 15, yet it still manages to capture a diverse snapshot of the genre’s current landscape—from experimental black metal to radio-ready hard rock.

Leading the pack this year are alternative metal icons Deftones, who claimed the number one spot with their tenth studio effort, private music. The Sacramento veterans were also one of the few heavy acts to penetrate mainstream critical consciousness this year; alongside melodic hardcore outfit Turnstile (whose album NEVER ENOUGH landed at #31), Deftones were the only heavy band to appear on the publication’s broader “100 Best Albums of 2025” list, sitting at #76.

The 2025 metal ranking highlights a mix of legendary returns and underground darlings. Progressive metal titans Dream Theater secured a high placement with Parasomnia, while Swedish occult rockers Ghost cracked the top three with Skeletá. The list also acknowledges the darker corners of the genre, giving nods to the “ecstatic black metal” of Agriculture and the crushing sludge of Primitive Man.

Rolling Stone’s 15 Best Metal Albums of 2025:

1. Deftones – private music
2. Agriculture – The Spiritual Sound
3. Ghost – Skeletá
4. Dream Theater – Parasomnia
5. Primitive Man – Observance
6. Halestorm – Everest
7. Blut Aus Nord – Ethereal Horizons
8. Deadguy – Near-Death Travel Services
9. Whitechapel – Hymns In Dissonance
10. Rwake – The Return Of Magick
11. Castle Rat – The Beastiary
12. Chepang – Jhyappa
13. Runemagick – Cycle Of The Dying Sun (Dawn Of Ashen Remains)
14. Deafheaven – Lonely People With Power
15. Coroner – Dissonance Theory

This year’s selection stands in contrast to the publication’s 2024 wrap-up, which was slightly more expansive with 20 entries. In 2024, Rolling Stone faced criticism for including only a single metal album on their general “Top 100” list, suggesting a slightly better year for heavy music’s mainstream visibility in 2025.

The 2024 list was dominated by thrash royalty, with Kerry King taking the crown for his solo debut From Hell I Rise, followed closely by progressive death metal legends Opeth and doom metallers Crypt Sermon.

For comparison, here is Rolling Stone’s Top 20 Metal Albums of 2024:

1. Kerry King – From Hell I Rise
2. Opeth – The Last Will And Testament
3. Crypt Sermon – The Stygian Rose
4. High On Fire – Cometh The Storm
5. Bruce Dickinson – The Mandrake Project
6. Blood Incantation – Absolute Everywhere
7. Judas Priest – Invincible Shield
8. Huntsmen – The Dry Land
9. Chat Pile – Cool World
10. Thou – Umbilical
11. Paysage d’Hiver – Die Berge
12. SUMAC – The Healer
13. Knocked Loose – You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To
14. Unholy Altar – Veil Of Death! Shroud Of Nite
15. WHORES. – WAR.
16. Gouge Away – Deep Sage
17. Darkthrone – It Beckons Us All…
18. Battlesnake – The Rise And Demise Of Motorsteeple
19. Tzompantli – Beating The Drums Of Ancestral Force
20. Body Count – Merciless