There are some years where choosing a personal album of the year is rather straightforward, something either stands above the rest, or never left the rotation throughout the year. But 2025 was a bountiful year, with regular new favourites popping up as the months rolled by.
The year started very productively, with offerings from Sam Fender and People Watching, the UK’s millenial answer to Bruce Springsteen, and Architects, who continued to sit atop the modern UK Metal scene with The Sky, The Earth & All Between. These two albums were both early contenders for this writer, even at that early point in the year, but they were both outshone by Sleep Token following with Even In Arcadia.
If there is an album that continued to provide an emotional touchstone throughout the past year, then Even In Arcadia was that to a tee. The blending of styles and genres that the anonymous metallers continued to produce, provided an enveloping embrace and comfort, even with the heavier moments such as the ending passage of “Caramel”.
But even so, for this writer the choice for album of the year was ultimately between two, as Deftones’ Private Music, and Spiritbox’s Tsunami Sea were delivered with precision and mastery that edged them out among the rest. Deftones showed they are still masters of the genre, with Private Music serving up what will in time likely be held as a modern classic. In the end though, the platitudes go to Spiritbox with their majestic, graceful, at times crushingly heavy, second album which perfectly mirrored the stark and serene of the British Columbia coastal environs which inspired the writing.
Three More Essential Albums from 2025
Deftones – Private Music
Sleep Token – Even In Arcadia
Sam Fender – People Watching
Musical Experience of the Year
In some ways, highlights of the year included the opportunities to review some of the personal favourite albums of the year, namely the offerings from Spiritbox and Sleep Token. In the time of virality, Spotify listens, and TikTok, there is still enduring value in the art of a well-crafted and curated album. Listening and then reviewing for those two albums was a personal delight, and it was a joy experiencing how the two albums revealed themselves. However, the experience that was the ultimate treat of the year, was finally getting the chance to see Architects live at the O2 arena in October. This was a longtime coming, and it was a thrill to see them rip through their set in what was a momentous achievement for the group to be playing at such a venue.
Tracks of the Year
Sleep Token – Caramel
Spiritbox – Perfect Soul
Deftones – Milk Of The Madonna
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