Celebrating new music is important. In the subculture, we are constantly faced with a chorus of people who will tell you that the genres are dead and that there is nothing good coming out anymore. This opinion alone indicts how out of touch a person can be. There is a deluge of incredible new music coming out every year and it is important to take the time to praise the work of those who contribute to the subculture's sonic archive.
An aside about this year’s lists. My favorite part of compiling the annual best of the year lists is that at the beginning I’m always feeling disappointed, believing nothing notable came out in the year. As I start looking up what was released, I am always, without fail, pleasantly reminded that not only were there good releases, but an overwhelming amount of them. Good new music is out there. You just have to want it and be willing to look for it. This was the deepest and most competitive year I can remember in the 11 years of making these lists. Thank you to all the artists who released great new music this year for making that possible.
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1.) C-4 - Payback's A Bitch (Triple B)
2.) Béton Armé - Renaissance (La Vida Es Un Mus)
3.) Steröid - Chainmail Commandos (Crypt Of The Wizard)
4.) The Massacred - Nightmare Agitators (ACTIVE-8)
5.) Puffer - Street Hassle (Static Shock)
6.) Negative Charge - Negative Charge (Neon Taste)
7.) Mangled State - Learn To Suffer (Youth Attack)
8.) Necron 9 - People Die (Unlawful Assembly)
9.) Hot Load - Fate Unknown (Going Underground)
10.) Endless Joy - Endless Joy (Iron Lung)
11.) Bulls Shitt - Bulls Shitt (Rebirth)
12.) Ultimate Disaster - For Progress... (Kick Rock)
13.) G*U*N*N* - G*U*N*N (Going Underground)
14.) Terminator - Identity (Rebirth)
15.) Alienator - Meat Locker (Black Water)
16.) Inmates - Role Of God (Iron Lung)
17.) Psych-War - Psychotic Warmonger (Archaic)
18.) Illiterates - Does Not Compute (Sorry State)
19.) Dark Thoughts - Highway To The End (Stupid Bag)
20.) Ukko's Hammer - Ukko's Hammer (Self-Released)
21.) Scarab - Burn After Listening (Rebirth)
22.) Acid Casualties - Flags Are False (Iron Lung)
23.) Pyrex - Body (Total Punk)
24.) Tàrrega 91 - Ckaos Total (La Vida Es Un Mus)
25.) Plasma - Mua Et Voi Omistaa (Sorry State)
26.) Total Con - Who Needs The Peace Corps? (Static Shock)
27.) Ayucaba - Operacion Masacre (Educacion Cinica)
28.) Dust Collector - Dust Collector (General Speech)
29.) Kaleidoscope - Cities Of Fear (La Vida Es Un Mus)
30.) Industry - Industry (La Vida Es Un Mus)
31.) Traidora - Una Mujer Trans Sin País (La Vida Es Un Mus)
32.) Citric Dummies - Split With Turnstile (Feel It)
33.) Xiao - Control (Twelve Gauge)
34.) Cannonball - Cannonball (Youngblood)
35.) Hierarkin - Bomberna Faller (Cimex)
36.) Iron Lung - Adapting // Crawling (Iron Lung)
37.) Staticø - Absurdity of This World (Refuse)
38.) Deadsky - Reapers Call (Profane Existence)
39.) Nisemono - Nisemono (Toxic State)
40.) Death Gasp - Death Gasp (Profane Existence)
Honorable Mentions
Siyahkal - Days Of Smoke And Ash / روزای دود و خاکستر (Static Shock)
Face The Pain - Time & Dedication (Youngblood)
Black Convoy - Roadwork (Lionheart)
Suspect - Send The Bombs (Collective Memory)
Wiccans - Phase IV (Unlawful Assembly)
Second Death - Second Death (La Vida Es Un Mus)
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1.) Volahn - Popol Vuh (Crepúsculo Negro)
2.) Fellwinter - Dark Mediaeval Art (Blood And Crescent)
3.) Mephitic Corpse - Sickness Attracts Sickness (Extremely Rotten)
4.) Clandestine Blaze - Consecration Of The Blood (Northern Heritage)
5.) Hate Forest - Against All Odds (Osmose)
6.) Revenge - Violation.Strife.Abominate (Season Of Mist)
7.) Caustic Wound - Grinding Mechanism Of Torment (Profound Lore)
8.) Arbor - Erwache! (Blood And Crescent)
9.) Atheosophia - Bloodline Ascendance (Blood And Crescent)
10.) Arbor - In The Shadow Of The Vanguard (Blood And Crescent)
11.) Uranium - Corrosion Of Existence (Sentient Ruin)
12.) Pissgrave - Malignant Worthlessness (Profound Lore)
13.) Onyxblade - Quintessence Of The Shadowsword (Torture Palace)
14.) Teitanblood - From The Visceral Abyss (Norma Evangelium Diaboli)
15.) Mortual - Altar Of Brutality (Nuclear Winter)
16.) Blutschwur - Reclaim The Fire (Mordstreich)
17.) Ancient Death - Ego Dissolution (Profound Lore)
18.) Diabolical Fullmoon - Desecrating The Sign Of Christ (Medieval Prophecy)
19.) Forbidden Temple - In The Rotting Grave (Medieval Prophecy)
20.) Khaos Aura - Thorn Bringer (Sonorous Night)
21.) Kvad - Sort Skogsmesse (Sonorous Night)
22.) Ifernach - Dominus Brutalis (Black Marrow)
23.) Vider - Strike With Putrefaction (Self-Released)
24.) Wulkanaz - Luftuz (Regain)
25.) Warloghe - Logos Of All-That-Ends (Northern Heritage)
26.) Крюкокрест - Жестокость и власть (Horrible Room)
27.) Kommodus - A Foetal Wolf In Stained Glass (GoatowaRex)
28.) Impure - The Devil Sees My Dreams (H.S.F.T.W.)
29.) Corpus Offal - Corpus Offal (20 Buck Spin)
30.) Vile Apparition - Malignity (Dark Descent)
31.) Phrenelith - Ashen Womb (Dark Descent)
32.) Moosegut - In Nature's Embrace (Darker Than Black)
33.) Decrepisy - Deific Mourning (Carbonized)
34.) Sulfuric Cautery - Killing Spree (Blast Addict)
35.) Necromantic Worship - Necromantic Worship (Nuclear War Now!)
36.) Kiloton - Kiloton (War Vellum)
37.) Yahwist - Сорные Цветы (Horrible Room)
38.) Ossuary - Abhorrent Worship (Me Saco Un Ojo)
39.) Stangarigel - Za Striebornou Horou (Medieval Prophecy)
40.) Dark Divination - Liitto Hengen Ja Veren (Signal Rex)
Honorable Mentions
Sargeist - Flame Within Flame (W.T.C.)
Bidirna Dhamani - Ojash (Kaliyuga Konspiracies)
Vaurien - Merveilleux décombres (Croux)
Blood Monolith - The Calling Of Fire (Profound Lore)
Anguirel - Mist & Twilight (Sonorous Night)
Trhä - Ducel ëf ∂acet'asde§ den.... (Self-Released)
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Best Rap / R&B Releases
1.) Playboi Carti - MUSIC (AWGE)
2.) Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist - Alfredo 2 (ESGN)
3.) Nourished By Time - The Passionate Ones (XL)
4.) slaywitme - risen from the dead (Self-Released)
5.) EsDeeKid - Rebel (Lizzy)
6.) Clipse - Let God Sort Em Out (Self-Released)
7.) Christ Dillinger & DJ Ess - Live Swag Daily (Self-Released)
8.) Smokedope2016 - The Peak (Listen To The Kids)
9.) Sickboyrari - Sahel Dreamz (Goth Money)
10.) Dijon - Baby (R&R)
11.) OsamaSon - psykotic (Motion Music)
12.) Sematary - HAUNT-O-HOLIXXX THE MIXTAPE (Haunted Mound)
13.) Bloodhound Q50 - Long Live My Brudda He Prolly Kilt Yo Brudda (Signal)
14.) NBA YoungBoy - Make America Slime Again (Never Broke Again)
15.) Che - REST IN BASS (10k)
16.) Ken Carson - More Chaos (Opium)
17.) Dave Blunts - You Can't Say That (Listen To The Kids)
18.) Tyler, The Creator - DON'T TAP THE GLASS (Columbia)
19.) CityBoy! - Glime Season Vol.2 (Self-Released)
20.) billy woods - GOLLIWOG (Backwoodz Studioz)
21.) keiyaA - hooke’s law (XL)
22.) Amaarae - Black Star (Golden Angel)
23.) Jim Legxacy - black british music (XL)
24.) SlimeGetEm - GetEm (Self-Released)
25.) AJ Tracey - Don't Die Before You're Dead (Revenge)
26.) Boldy James & RichGains - Murder During Drug Traffic (Self-Released)
27.) Theodora - MEGA BBL (Boss Lady)
28.) Disobey - Disobey Vol. II (Self-Released)
29.) Izaya Tiji - O2A (Self-Released)
30.) 2slimey - High Anxiety (Self-Released)
31.) Rochelle Jordan - Through The Wall (Empire)
32.) SINN6R - #FEDERAL (XV)
33.) Acid Souljah & DJ Foreign Money - Basedworld Strikes Back (Self-Released)
34.) Sudan Archives - The BPM (Stones Throw)
35.) 1oneam - Sin Ever After (Self-Released)
36.) Chuckyy - I Live, I Die, I Live Again (Santa Anna)
37.) Little Simz - Lotus (AWAL)
38.) Thirteendegrees - Clique City Vol. 2 (Clique City)
39.) Kkuba102 & 102 Boyz - Rucken Zur Wand (K.O. Syndikat)
40.) Bear1Boss - Lil Hotsauce 2 (Cleopatra)
Honorable Mentions
Bloodhound Lil Jeff - Bloody Bruddas (Drench LLC)
LAZER DIM 700 - Sins Aloud (Santa Anna)
SlimeGetEm - 2923 Hours (Self-Released)
sbk - SPIRIT (Self-Released)
Christ Dillinger - There's Evil In New York (Self-Released)
Easykid - I'M PART (Self-Released)
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Best Releases In Open Competition
1.) Oklou - Choke Enough (True Panther)
2.) Q Lazzarus - Goodbye Horses: The Many Lives Of Q Lazzarus (Sacred Bones)
3.) James K - Friend (AD 93)
4.) Rosalía - LUX (Columbia)
5.) Ethel Cain - Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You (Daughters Of Cain)
6.) Whirr - Raw Blue (Funeral Party)
7.) Ichiko Aoba - Luminescent Creatures (Psychic Hotline)
8.) Venera - Exinfinite (PAN)
9.) Roomer - Leaving It All To Chance (Squama)
10.) Nick León - A Tropical Entropy (TraTraTrax)
11.) Erika de Casier - Lifetime (Independent Jeep)
12.) Shlohmo - Repulsor (R&R)
13.) Ninajirachi - I Love My Computer (NLV)
14.) Skrillex - Fuck U Skrillex You Think Ur Andy Warhol but Ur Not!! (Atlantic)
15.) Easy Sevens - Guitar Music (Listening House)
16.) Bad Bunny - DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (Rimas)
17.) Real Lies - We Will Annihilate Our Enemies (Tonal)
18.) Mechatok - Wide Awake (Young)
19.) venturing - Ghostholding (deadAir)
20.) Isabella Lovestory - Vanity (Giant Music)
21.) Malibu - Vanities (Year0001)
22.) Anna von Hausswolff - ICONOCLASTS (Year0001)
23.) aya - Hexed! (Hyperdub)
24.) Sam Fender - People Watching (Capitol)
25.) Audrey Hobert - Who's The Clown? (RCA)
26.) Ancient Methods / Vatican Shadow / Salford Electronics - Oct 11, 2025 NYC (Hospital)
27.) Bassvictim - Basspunk 2 (Twin)
28.) Double Virgo - Shakedown (Year0001)
29.) Joanne Robertson - Blurrr (AD93)
30.) FKA twigs - EUSEXA (Atlantic)
31.) DJ Billybool - DYR (Bank Of Star Sound System)
32.) Khadija Al Hanafi - !OK! (Fada)
33.) Kelela - In The Blue Light (Warp)
34.) The Tubs - Cotton Crown (Trouble In Mind)
35.) Blood Orange - Essex Honey (Domino)
36.) Cowgirl Clue - Total Freedom (Vada Vada)
37.) Wet Leg - moisturizer (Domino)
38.) Smerz - Big city life (Escho)
39.) Tyler Childers - Snipe Hunter (Hickman Holler)
40.) Pearly Drops - The Voices Are Coming Back (Music Website ☺︎)
41.) Frost Children - Sister (True Panther)
42.) Night Tapes - portals//polarities (Nettwerk)
43.) Yandere - Affectionate (Self-Released)
44.) Japanese Breakfast - For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) (Dead Oceans)
45.) Oneohtrix Point Never - Tranquilizer (Warp)
46.) Wednesday - Bleeds (Dead Oceans)
47.) Skin On Skin - Home Is True (Stay On Sight)
48.) bambinodj - Silent Dispatch (OST)
49.) Hannah Cohen - Earthstar Mountain (Bella Union)
50.) girlpuppy - Sweetness (Captured Tracks)
Honorable Mentions
Turnstile - Never Enough (Roadrunner)
K-Lone - sorry i thought you were someone else (Wisdom Teeth)
Yung Lean - Jonatan (World Affairs)
Sophie Woodhouse - Natural Blonde (Silken Swan)
Richie Culver - I Trust Pain (Fixed Abode)
Low End Activist - Airdrop II (Peak Oil)
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EPs Of Distinction
This is the first year of this category. To recognize EPs of note that merit recognition across all genres.
1.) Ecco2k - Cr₂ (Live) (9th.)
2.) Skrillex - hit me where it hurts x (OWSLA)
3.) Bladee & Yung Lean - Evil World (Trash Island)
4.) swedm® - Klubb Musik Vol.1 (Self-Released)
5.) Kelly Lee Owens - Kelly (DH2)
6.) Infectious Jelqing & DJ Smokey - Nuclear Slam Division (Self-Released)
7.) Dj Smokey & Varg2™ - Psychological Musical Warfare Vol. 2 (Acoustic Ammunition)
8.) Jane Remover - ♡ (Dead Air)
9.) PinkPantheress - Fancy That (Warner)
10.) Nuovo Testamento - Trouble (Discoteca Italia)
11.) Ma Sha & Hodge - No One Moves Alone (Kindergarten)
12.) Shygirl - Alias Is Me (Because)
13.) X Club - Stay With Me (Steel City Dance)
14.) Skaiwater - #Mia (Capitol)
15.) Seepy - Moment (TT)
Honorable Mentions
Chareth Cutestory - What Did I Miss (TT)
Bladee - Ste The Beautiful Martyr 1st Attempt (Trash Island)
HorsegiirL - v.i.p. - very important pony (Three Six Zero)
SPFDJ - Heel Thyself (Intrepid Skin)
Cortisa Star - E.M.O. (Evil Motion Overload) (Self-Released)
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1.) Dynamite - Settle The Score (Scheme / Northern Unrest)
2.) No Idols - No Idols (Iron Lung)
3.) The Final Agony - Depraved From Darkness (Triple B)
4.) Cadaver Dog - Bred To Fight (Youth Attack)
5.) Arson - Burning Future (General Speech)
6.) Nuclear Fear - Pantomime Of Power (La Vida Es Un Mus)
7.) Laughing Corpse - Beyond Recognition (Sorry State)
8.) Private Hell - To Dust You Shall Return (Self-Released)
9.) No Time - Comply Or Die (TKO)
10.) Yellowcake - Apparitions Of War (Total Peace)
11.) Axon - Axon (Not For The Weak)
12.) T.S. Warspite - Trauma Stage (Northern Unrest)
13.) Who Remembers - Still Kickin (Rebirth)
14.) Hellbound - Seventh Seal (Northern Unrest)
15.) Piston - Capital Crime (Dynastic Yellow Star)
16.) Spikepit - Peacewalker (Pipeline)
17.) Mil-Spec - Mil-Spec (Lockin Out)
18.) Daunting Nightmare - Bloodshot (Sex Fiend Abomination)
19.) Rigorous Institution - Tormentor (Roachleg)
20.) Identity Shock - Traces (Designated Moshers Unit)
21.) Grand Scheme - EP (11PM)
22.) Total Con - This Whole World Is Gonna Pay (Brainrotter)
23.) No Fucker - No Fucker (No Real)
24.) Who Pays - Hard Times (11PM)
25.) Total Nada - Aquí y Ahora (11PM)
26.) Ruined Virtue - A Garden Without Birds (Televised Suicide)
27.) Zyclone - Visions Of Impending Death (Re_vile)
28.) The Berserk - Where's The Dictator? (Self-Released)
29.) Fuckin' Lovers - Crucifixion Of The Masses (General Speech)
30.) Jailbird - EP (Armageddon)
Honorable Mentions
Malaise - Malaise (Desolate)
Contempt - You Still Suffer (Advanced Perspective)
False Salvation - Through Shards Of Glass (Rebirth)
Destruct / Svaveldioxid Split (Prescription)
Electric Chair / Physique Split (Iron Lung)
EZ8 - EZ8 (Static Shock)
Brux - Sota La Influència (Mendeku Diskak)
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Best Hardcore / Punk Demos
Best Hardcore / Punk Demos
1.) Wits End - Demo I
2.) Wits End - Demo II
3.) Arsenik
4.) Direct Order '82
5.) The Damage
6.) Kleptocracy
7.) Self Arrest
8.) Pray To Be Saved
9.) Criminal Assault
10.) Automated Execution
11.) Critical Damage
12.) Subversive Intent
13.) Who Remembers
14.) Reason Why
15.) Lower Receiver
16.) Runnin Hot
17.) Narcan - Demo II
18.) Zero Mob
19.) Living Dead
20.) Madman
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Best Sets
1.) Genocide Organ @ Hospital Fest in Brooklyn, NY (10/11)
2.) Oasis @ Wembley Stadium in London, UK (7/25)
3.) Ancient Methods / Vatican Shadow / Salford Electronics @ Hospital Fest in Brooklyn, NY (10/11)
4.) Beherit @ Brooklyn Monarch in Brooklyn, NY (9/19)
5.) Whirr @ Slide Away in Brooklyn, NY (4/26)
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