The Proglodytes assembled for a cave council and shared some of our favorite recommendations from 2025. We at Proglodytes sincerely hope you check out these album recommendations and support these artists. Click on the album name to listen to and/or buy these amazing records.
Cedric
We Lost The Sea- A Single Flower
As heavy as post-rock gets. Deep, growly, and emotional.
Hedvig Mollestad Trio- Bees in the Bonnet
Raw, aggressive, and wide open virtuosity.
Veteran post-rockers bring the past to their future and make it sound fresh.
Iris
Amplifier has been one of my favorite bands of all time, but their second to last album, Hologram, left me unfulfilled and wanting more from this band since this album was more mellow and lacked straightforward heavy riffs. I was afraid that this follow-up album was going to be like Hologram, but when I heard the first single on Gargantuan, “Invader”. I immediately knew that this Amplifier album was going to be my number one pick of 2025. Gargantuan carries the same spacey and grungy vibes as their early 2000s debut album, the album that made me fall in love with this band. Definitely listen to this album if you’re a fan of layered guitar sounds and soundscapes that make you feel like you’re floating in space.
Rylee
I can’t recall an album in recent history that has thrown the metal world into so much a frenzy of disagreement. Depending on who you talk to, it’s either “the best album to come out of this decade so far” or “absolute garbage”. With all of the controversy surrounding this, I had to throw my 2 cents in.
Most complaints I’ve heard about this album seem to boil down to it being less heavy and more mainstream than their past releases. While both of these criticisms are at face value correct, I don’t personally see them as “bad” things. I see Even in Arcadia as Sleep Token’s intentional effort to reframe themselves and their role in the music world. While they did start out notably more “metal” than they currently are, their music has always contained undertones of pop, hip hop, arena rock, and even occasionally gospel music. With Even in Arcadia, they’ve simply expanded on these sounds to create an album that seems to transcend all genres. This diversity of sound is something that is seldom found in any metal band, and I personally love the idea of a band with heavier roots finding their way to the ears of more mainstream music listeners. If Sleep Token can become a “gateway band” that ushers a whole new generation of pop listeners into heavier music, then I’m all for it!
Musically, Even in Arcadia is brilliant. The melodies are memorable, yet not overbearing. The vocal performance is notably more complex and layered than their past albums. The lyrics are thoughtful, and fun to sing. Their synth and guitar production is top notch as always. Yet, while all this is great, the real highlight of this album for me was the drumming. I’ve always enjoyed the drum performances from their past records, but this record has truly cemented this drummer (who goes simply by “II”) as one of my all time favorites. As a singer and guitarist myself, it’s refreshing to hear a drummer who so expertly finds ways to accent every other element in the music, while still holding a strong groove, and also including tasteful embellishments as needed. Simply put, these drums are SINGABLE! Very few drummers in the history of rock and metal have achieved that feat, and I tip my hat to “II” for his attention to detail! Standout drum performances on this album for me are “Look to Windward”, “Caramel”, “Damocles” and “Infinite Baths”.
Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, and this is mine: Even in Arcadia is a beautifully written, excellently produced, expertly performed selection of songs that deserves at least one serious listen (in headphones preferably). Don’t let the negative reviews scare you away from it. Give it a chance, and you may come to love it as I have!
Thomas
Yes, I acknowledge I just released an effusive review of this powerful, troubling, intense album. But it’s stuck with me in a way that few other records in 2025 have. Songs like “The Bell Ringer”, “Ear on Arm”, and “Like Little Soldiers” have hung around in my head for days and weeks on end. I love these guys — their melodies and harmonies are always so memorable, and they always manage to play something that is simultaneously familiar and also new and exciting.
Cardiacs fans have long anticipated this legendary “final” album, which has been in development since around 2007. The world may be engulfed in flames right now, but LSD‘s release was such an incredible boost for me in 2025. I didn’t totally know what to expect, given the nature of its posthumous release. What I felt in waves listening through LSD is that this album is, in so many ways, an overflowing, massive, loving tribute to Tim Smith, former leader and madman behind this band. The list of personnel included on the album is massive, and includes many figures from Cardiacs or Cardiacs-adjacent projects, as well as full brass and strings sections. The vocals are fantastic, with Oceansize’s Mike Vennart, Rose Kemp, Kavus Torabi, and others contributing both individual and group performances. You can hear such affection and reverence in Vennart’s crystal clear, eager voice on the triumphant “Downup”, and you can hear Tim’s friends channel him as they join in on the crowd vocals on “Woodeneye”. An absolutely beautiful, bonkers, inspiring bookend to the Cardiacs story.
Wyatt
Vildhjarta – + där skogen sjunger under evighetens granar +
This band is intense. My brother recommended their new album to me, saying “This
album was made by aliens.” He wasn’t wrong. The album’s title, which I immediately
looked for an English translation, is Swedish for “Where the forest sings under the
eternal spruce trees,” and that instantly grabbed me. And that artwork? Come on, that’s
gorgeous. I remember my cousin showing me their first album, Måsstaden (Swedish for
“Seagull”), a while back, but I’m not sure if I revisited it after one or two listens. I wish
their music clicked with me back then, but I suppose it’s better late than never.
For those who haven’t listened to Vildhjarta, many people hear Meshuggah as a key influence; the down-tuned guitars, jagged riffs, and harsh vocals are cornerstones to Vildhjarta’s
sound. But what separates them from the godfathers of djent are the consistently
changing and completely jarring movements, as well as the intense amounts of reverb
amidst the staccato blasts from the rhythm section. I couldn’t name a single verse or
chorus in this album, or even recommend a single song to throw on to get a taste, and
I’ve listened to this album more times than any other this year. This is an other-worldly
full-album listening experience, so just carve out an hour and enjoy the ride.
Throughout the year, I noticed this band was releasing singles – maybe one every
couple of months or so. Then they released their first LP in September, which included
all of their last six singles, plus five more songs. The band is vianova from Berlin, and
they hit quite hard on their debut LP Hit It!. The metalcore that I enjoy relies on
infectious grooves, and what better way to make those heavy riffs groove than to pull
from R&B, funk, and hip-hop influences? “Squier Talk” has an easy start to introduce
you to the album, but it quickly shifts gears and throws you into the Periphery-esque
riffage that is an integral part to the vianova sound. Despite the band releasing the song
“Wheel of Fortune” a year ago in December of 2024, I don’t think I listened to a song
more in 2025 than that funky djent anthem. And “Obsolete” has both the musical
arrangement and lyrics that bring a tear to my eye amidst all the chaos in the album.
The album riffs and grooves from beginning to end, with the few lulls providing so much
more than just moments to catch your breath.
Xerxes
2025 was a bit of a down year in the prog world, according to this single (but authoritative) opinion. There were several decent albums released, and some albums released by artists I have long liked that did not crack the rotation over previous offerings. One exception to this was Magic 8-Ball by Norwegian dark proggers Gazpacho (a band whose persistent morose mood has led to them being called ‘sad soup’ by everyone in my household). I have long enjoyed Gazpacho, but thought that their last album, Fireworker (way back in 2020), did not live up to their best albums like Demon, March of Ghosts, or Tick Tock.
Enter Magic 8-Ball, appropriately released on Halloween 2025. The traditional Gazpacho sound is there: the album is contemplative, haunting, and dark, but their use of new and interesting sounds (to include vocoder and what sounds like throat-singing) as well as some songs that have a more up-tempo feel give it a unique place in their discography. For those familiar with Steam-Powered Giraffe, you might be as surprised as I was to read that the title track of Magic 8 Ball almost sounds like it could have come from that American performance-art team. All in all, a very strong offering from a consistently very good band. Highlights include “Strangers”, “Ceres”, “Gingerbread Men”.
What are some of your favorites from 2025? Leave in the comments below.
Proglodytes 