Last Rites Presents: Our Most Anticipated Albums Of 2025, Part 1

You may have noticed this, but it’s a new year. And what that really means is that there’s a whole new slew of forthcoming heavy metal records for us all to obsess over for the next twelve months (and beyond). So, without any further longwinded ado, here’s the first installment of Last Rites’ prestigious Most Anticipated Albums feature, now updated with those albums we are most excited about hearing in the days to come.

SEVEN SISTERS – SHADOW OF A FALLEN STAR, PT. 2

March 28; Dissonance Productions
PREORDER & Sample

When Part 1 of Shadow of a Fallen Star landed back in 2021, it totally blew me away. A portion of that leveling was due to an element of surprise, given that the record did not land via the conventional promo route or through a friendly recommendation, but it was also thanks to… Well, the record simply being tremendously fun and toothsome. Isn’t fun the funnest?

Point of fact: If you’re keen on making me giddy as a Golden Retriever getting a set of car keys jingled anywhere within earshot, combine trad metal, prog, hard rock and pinches of classic USPM into a formula that guarantees loads of guitar-centric good times, and pull it all off without being a single one of those off-shoots so strongly as to outweigh any of the others. BOOM: I’m squirming and violently wagging and jumping and hopefully not pissing on the floor.

Yes, that formula is obviously Seven Sisters’ general course of action, but beyond their knack for blending styles into something that feels fresh, the band launches the entire windfall even higher into the stratosphere by also excelling when it comes to the storytelling aspect of the game. So, if you love the idea of adventurous science fiction colliding with an exceedingly melodic and progressive form of metal that underscores plenty of vocal hooks, trust that the four dudes behind Seven Sisters have enough dilithium stowed in an undisclosed area to cruise all four quadrants.

Suffice to say, suddenly having the veil lifted on a quickly approaching Part 2 of Shadow of a Fallen Star that jaunts back to The Crystal Temple AND includes a 20-minute closer entitled “Andromeda Descending (A Fallen Star Rises)” has me duly and mightily… Anticipatory. [CAPTAIN]

Quality Confidence Factor: Warp 10

WORMROT – TBD

TBD); Earache

The last Wormrot album — 2022’s Hiss —was absolutely brilliant, one of the best of that year, although it was also far removed from the band’s raging pure-grind earliest days. And there for a bit, it seemed like it might be a stopping point, or at the very least, a serious inflection point, as vocalist Arif departed afterwards and the band (with only stalwart guitarist Rasyid remaining from the start) soldiered on, touring all over the world with replacement vocalists. I would’ve been on board with wherever Wormrot decided to go with whatever line-up, at least initially, but I’d be lying if I said the changes weren’t cause for a little bit of concern.

But then, things changed… again. Arif came back. And so did original drummer Fitri, who hasn’t performed on a Wormrot recording since 2011’s Noise EP. As I mentioned above, the band back then was less experimental, less inclined toward the genre-blending blasting of Hiss and much more of a classic-styled Earache grindfest…  which, of course, is something I hold very, very dear.

So the question now is: Will the return to the classic line-up shift this newest Wormrot backwards in time, to the rawness of Abuse and Noise, or will they continue with the equally-awesome-yet-very-different expansion of Hiss, or will they meet in the middle, or will this newest one be an acoustic ska-punk album? We’ll all be waiting to see, and I’ll be happy with any of the above except the ska-punk, I’m sure…  They haven’t failed us yet. As long as there’s more Wormrot, we’ll all be in a better place. [ANDREW EDMUNDS]

Quality Confidence Factor: 95%

CORONER – TBD

TBD; TBD

So, we’ve been told to expect a new Coroner album in 2025. Granted, we’ve been told to expect new Coroner material since the band reformed about 15 years ago, but it seems like they’re really about to wrap it up, at least if their 2025 tour doesn’t get in the way too much.

The biggest question for Coroner isn’t so much about quality ‒ the entirety of their original studio run is pretty special ‒ but rather style. Their change from downright rippin’ thrash to blindingly technical albums to the weirdo groove-prog on Grin remains one of the whackier rapid evolutions in metal, with no two albums quite sounding the same. So what are we to expect from album number six? If the band’s statements are to be believed, it’ll be closest to Grin, but not completely like Grin, while also containing some of the techy thrash of their middle albums, and also still weird.

In other words… wait to find out. We can expect it to sound like Coroner, but that expectation is as obvious (because it’s Coroner) as it is potentially misleading for a couple reasons. First, as just stated, Coroner never quite sounds the same from record to record, so who knows if it’ll regress to an old sound, bring further evolution, or simply (“simply”) provide a hybrid of Coroners past. Second, and most importantly, it’s been 32 years since the last Coroner album. No one stays the same over that period of time, least of all artists as obsessed with growth and change as Coroner. Stay tuned. [ZACH DUVALL]

Quality Confidence Factor: 85%
Chance Of It Actually Coming Out This Year: 50%

…AND OCEANS – TBD

TBD; Season Of Mist

The Finnish Fenoms of Filigreed Ferocity, …And Oceans, are set to grace our cochlear shores [;)] again this year. A return to Season of Mist after a 20 year absence would in theory portend a return to some original form, however if you’ve been paying any amount of slack-jawed attention in the last 5 years you’d know – the form IS original, long live the form.

Yes, since 2020 …And Oceans have plumbed their own depths [;)] for inspiration. The highly melodic black metal base of the late 90’s is back and augmented with some extra menace via the formidable vocal prowess of Mathias Lillmåns (aka Vreth from Finntroll. Pardon? Yes, Finntroll. Anyone?). Mathias helps bridge the sizable gap between that original sound and the fashionable nastiness of today. These days …And Oceans remind me of a group like Majesties — your cheeks know the groove of the cushion, your nose the scent of the leather. It’s an older couch but damn it, they don’t make them like they used to.

If Cosmic World Mother and As in Gardens, So in Tombs are any indication we should not see any wacky deviations ala A.M.G.O.D. Expect another wave [;)] of tightly composed and aggressive symphonic black metal, enough to foam [;)] your jeans but nothing goofy enough to rock the proverbial boat [;)]. [ISAAC HAMS]

Quality Confidence Factor: The Symmetry Of 8, The Circle Of 0 … Or 80%

EPICA – TBD

TBD; TBD

Symphonic metal is mostly a revolving door of eccentrics. Continuity is relatively rare. That Epica has stood the test of time — given that landscape — and released eight incredibly dense and well-received full-length albums over the past 22 years is, well, kind of wild.

If the band’s latest single, “Arcana,” is any indication, that wild narrative won’t change this year. Though the new album remains nameless, it is said to be “heavy,” “cinematic,” “melancholic,” “epic,” and “back to the roots.” And there’s an orchestra. So, yeah, very much Epica. That “Arcana” sounds like all of those things is encouraging.

With what sounds like a Fall release, the new album will arrive about two years after The Alchemy Project EP, a surprisingly strong collaboration with other symphonic-friendly artists that was also hardly representative of their norm. So this new one will be a welcome return to more familiar territory. And for many that alone will be reason to celebrate, myself included. [CHRIS C]

Quality Confidence Factor: 80%

GRIMA – NIGHTSIDE

February 28; Napalm
PREORDER & Sample

Nightside marks the sixth album in a decade from this Russian duo, with a couple of live releases thrown in for the sake of a steady cadence. Check the Metal Archives page and you’ll see that while Grima is technically a duo, those two only play guitar and perform vocals, which means you’ll find an additional six names in the guest musician section. Of particular note is the inclusion of Sergey Pastukh playing the bayan, which is a type of accordion. He has played on all but one of their albums, but it’s a noteworthy instrument for a largely cold and atmospheric brand of black metal.

Part of what makes Grima so great is that their icy style has a fireside warmth at its heart and touches like the bayan go a long way in creating that. So far, the band has released “Skull Gatherers” from Nightside (and you can hear it on the preorder link above). The bayan doesn’t create warmth here by being a bouncy Ensiferum tool, even if the outro does sound like an Oktoberfest farewell, but often by being a driving force in the bleak song. The instrument still sounds dark and somber, but it creates a folksy heartbeat that feels a bit more like sitting by the hearth with a friend so as to not be battling the terrors of the night alone. The screeching vocals paired with deathly lows, atmospheric keys subtly woven into the mix and driving guitars are as potent as ever. Both Rotten Garden and Frostbitten made my year-end lists when they were released, so I’m pretty excited to get another fresh dose of Grima during one of the harshest winter months of the year. [SPENCER HOTZ]

Quality Confidence Factor: 95%

Posted by Last Rites

GENERALLY IMPRESSED WITH RIFFS

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