Music publication Rolling Stone has released its list of the 15 best metal albums from 2025, highlighting both mainstream and underground acts. The selection features prominent releases from bands like Ghost and Deftones alongside lesser-known groups such as Runemagick and Chepang. While metal's presence remains limited in the magazine's overall top 100 albums, this dedicated ranking showcases the genre's diverse strengths.
On December 27, 2025, Rolling Stone published its annual roundup of the year's standout metal records, praising the genre's vitality despite its modest footprint in broader music rankings. In the magazine's top 100 albums of 2025, only two heavier acts appeared: Deftones at number 76 with their tenth studio album, private music, and Turnstile at number 31 with NEVER ENOUGH.
The dedicated metal list balances major labels with independent voices, including established names and emerging talents. It begins with Coroner's Dissonance Theory and Deafheaven's Lonely People With Power, followed by Runemagick's Cycle Of The Dying Sun (Dawn Of Ashen Remains) and Chepang's Jhyappa. Other entries include Castle Rat's The Beastiary, Rwake's The Return Of Magick, Whitechapel's Hymns In Dissonance, and Deadguy's Near-Death Travel Services.
Further down, Blut Aus Nord's Ethereal Horizons, Halestorm's Everest, Primitive Man's Observance, and Dream Theater's Parasomnia round out the midsection. The list concludes with Ghost's Skeletá, Agriculture's The Spiritual Sound, and Deftones' private music. This curation underscores metal's range, from dissonant experimentation to melodic heaviness, offering fans a roadmap to the year's essential listens amid the genre's ongoing challenge for wider recognition.