Best In Metal - January 2025 Edition
Here comes January with many epic Metal hits for fans of progressive, atmospheric, black, and death metal!
Featuring Pale, Azelisassath, Mad Act, Kaluman, CKRAFT, Hell's Enemy, Sight of Theia, Cristobal Gallardo, Droni Eye Omi, Fate of Destiny, and Brainamaze.

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Euphoria - Pale
I’ll start the list with one of my favorite Tokyo-based post-black metal/blackgaze bands, Pale, and a track from their latest album Our Hearts In Your Heaven.
Euphoria beautifully represents this full-length album’s audacious spirit with the influences of post-hardcore, progressive rock, and the melodic flair of NWOBHM showing. I especially love that it’s so unpredictable. One moment, it’s all beautiful, shoegazy calm, and the next, it’s full-on chaos with noise that feels like it’s rewiring your brain.
If you’re into noise, atmosphere, and music that actually feels like something, you’ve got to give this one a spin.
Connect with Pale
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Obsessions of Self-destruction - Azelisassath
Welcome to black metal’s darkest realms, where Azelisassath brings forth a brutal aura that both traditional black metal purists and newcomers will revel in.
This track is a harrowing exploration of chaos, despair, and self-destruction, matching the album’s theme of the ultimate decay of humanity.
Connect with Azelisassath
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Doom Party - MAD ACT
MAD ACT, the post-metal trio from Amiens, France, takes listeners on a dark and atmospheric journey with Party Off, part of their upcoming album set to release later this month.
The track opens with brooding, layered guitars that crawl like molasses and hint at a forthcoming thunder.
I love that the band shows off their modern post-metal edge while carving out their own unique sound.
Connect with MAD ACT
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G.A.E - Kaluman
Kaluman, a brutal collaboration featuring members of Bleeding Corpse, Jasad, and Meledak, just gave us a bone-crushing demo track with G.A.E. (Groove Grinding Death).
And heads up, this rehearsal-session demo delivers the raw energy and uncompromising heaviness you'd expect from these veterans of the Indonesian death metal scene.
If you’re into the likes of Aborted, Devourment, or even homegrown acts like Jasad, G.A.E. is just right for your playlist.
Connect with Kaluman
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All You Can Kill - CKRAFT
CKRAFT is flipping the script on modern metal with Uncommon Grounds, a genre-defying album that drops on January 17, 2025.
Blending the technicality of progressive metal with the unexpected warmth of jazz, this French quintet creates something truly unique. Featuring a lineup that includes synth-accordion, saxophone, and a rhythm section tight enough to rival Meshuggah’s polyrhythmic chaos, CKRAFT sounds cerebral.
Tracks like All You Can Kill set the tone—apocalyptic melodies, razor-sharp noises, and a haunting nod to the medieval Dies Iræ chant.
If you’ve ever wondered what jazz-metal fusion could sound like, this is it.
CKRAFT doesn’t just blend styles—they create a sound storm that’s entirely their own. Don’t sleep on this one.
Connect with CKRAFT
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West of Eden - Hell's Enemy
Hell's Enemy is known for their hard-hitting extreme metal sound but in West of Eden, they officially step into the realm of atmospheric black metal.
West of Eden captures the duality of light and darkness, its layered compositions balancing haunting melodies with a cold, expansive atmosphere.
Fans of Lost Age, the artist’s other project, will love West of Eden and its ethereal soundscapes, especially if they enjoy this one’s sharper emotional resonance.
Available on a "Name Your Price" basis on Bandcamp, it’s a chance to support an artist carving out a space in atmospheric unblack metal.
Connect with Hell's Enemy
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Children of the Uplift – Sight of Theia
Let me just say, Atlanta’s Sight of Theia knocked it out of the park with their debut album, The Great Dreamer.
One track that’s been living rent-free in my head this month is Children of the Uplift. It’s got everything I crave in a progressive instrumental, a masterclass in storytelling with moody vibes, massive build-ups, and spine-chilling crescendos that feel like the soundtrack to some cosmic horror epic.
The way they weave tension and release is pure magic. It’s atmospheric, it’s haunting, and honestly, it gives me that creeping otherworldly Lovecraftian vibe.
If The Great Dreamer is any hint of what’s to come, 2025 is going to be huge for Sight of Theia. Keep them on your radar, because this band is going places.
Connect with Sight of Theia
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Maldita Tentación (Damn Temptation) - Cristobal Gallardo
If you’ve ever wondered what Joe Satriani might sound like with a heavier, edgier twist, meet Cristobal, the artist behind the beautiful Maldita Tentación (Damn Temptation).
Gallardo’s latest track is a fiery blend of intricate guitar work and genuine emotion, blending influences from legends like Carlos Santana and Randy Rhoads into a metal sound that’s just him.
If you’re ready for a song that blends virtuosity with heartfelt passion, this one’s for you.
Connect with Cristobal Gallardo
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Chromosphere - Droni Eye Omi
Chromosphere sounds like no other, a voyage into the deep with Droni Eye Omi. This duo, featuring Brad Frye (of Red Mesa and Desert Records fame) and Ronaldo Baca (gypsy jazz and flamenco virtuoso), takes drone and minimalism to celestial heights.
Unlike the desert/stoner rock or flamenco styles their names might evoke, this is pure, unfiltered metal experimentation. Drawing inspiration from Lamonte Young's Composition 1960 No. 7 and Earth's Earth 2, Frye and Baca craft an atmospheric piece that’s truly worth listening to.
Connect with Droni Eye Omi
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Barely Surviving - Fate of Destiny
Belgian metal band Fate of Destiny hits hard with their latest track, Barely Surviving, from their new full-length album, Silent Struggle.
The song is a modern sonic portrayal of inner turmoil and the determination to push forward with themes of pain, survival, and triumph over adversity. The narrator faces a powerful storm of emotion and loss, yet refuses to succumb to it, fighting through with trembling hands and a wounded spirit.
And they really own the “digital” feel of their creation with exclusive NFTs that come with each track of Silent Struggle.
Connect with Fate of Destiny
Instagram / X / Spotify
I'm Terrified - Brainamaze
If you’ve ever wrestled with your inner demons, you’ll know how it feels to blast I'm Terrified by Brainmaze on really loud.
This groovy metal juggernaut is the brainchild of Bulgarian musician Ivan Shishkov, who has gathered a global lineup of heavy hitters to craft a sonic exploration of fear, spite, and despair.
Give I'm Terrified a listen on Bandcamp.
Connect with Brainmaze
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Spotify Playlist

About Araz Mirbavandi
With over 15 years of experience, Araz passionately channels his deep love for music into blog posts that uncover the hidden stories behind every melody.
Contact Araz Mirbavandi at araz.m.c2@gmail.com
In this blog section we host new music releases, artist features and handpicked playlists by the Musicngear staff.
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