What’s occurring, metalheads? May left us reeling, but June 2025 came roaring in like a dragon after six pints of Brains—loud, messy, and ready to torch everything in sight. From pirate-metal sea shanties to unearthed Motörhead treasures and Muse suddenly going djent (yep, really), this month was stacked with riffs, weirdness, and plenty of headbang fuel.
🎶 June 2025 Albums That Smacked Hard
⚡ Tech-Death Wizardry
- Fallujah – Xenotaph (June 13)
The Californian prog-death wizards dropped an album so complex it makes your GCSE maths homework look easy. Brutal riffs, jazz-fusion flourishes, and more time signatures than a Valleys rugby crowd clapping out of sync. Critics are calling it their most ambitious work yet—tidy.
⚡ Boogie-Metal Mayhem
- Volbeat – God of Angels Trust (June 6)
Danish rock ‘n’ roll metalheads unleashed their darkest record yet—serial killers, satanic rites, and still somehow danceable. It’s Elvis Presley meets Slayer in a Copenhagen pub.
⚓ Pirate Metal Madness
- Alestorm – The Thunderfist Chronicles (June 20)
Grab your rum, butt, because Alestorm’s back with sea-shanty riffs and a 17-minute epic that’ll make you want to invade Barry Island by longboat. Daft? Absolutely. Brilliant? Also yes. 🏴☠️
🌌 Psychedelic & Orchestral Rock
- King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – Phantom Island (June 13)
The Aussie psych overlords turned cinematic, layering lush orchestration and jazzy moods into their trippy formula. Less mosh pit, more midnight stargazing in a field full of sheep.
🐍 Unearthed Heavy Metal Gold
- Motörhead – The Manticore Tapes (June 27)
A lost 1976 studio session finally released. Lemmy in his prime, raw and feral, sounding like the inside of a biker bar at 3am. Proof the gods of metal never really die.
🤘 Critics’ Faves – June’s Darlings
The tastemakers were drooling over:
- Katatonia – Nightmares As Extensions Of The Waking State – Melancholic prog-metal perfection. Misery has never sounded so lush.
- Cryptopsy – An Insatiable Violence – Tech-death chaos, faster than a Wetherspoons pint disappearing on a Friday.
- Deadguy – Near-Death Travel Services – 30 years later, NJ hardcore legends came back swinging.
- Byzantine – Harbingers – A long-awaited return, full of groove and grit.
- Hexvessel, Anfauglir, Stygian Ruin – atmospheric, symphonic, and weird in all the right ways.
🎵 Singles That Hit Like Tornadoes
June wasn’t just about albums—the singles were off the chain too:
- Muse – “Unravelling” (June 20)
Muse went full djent—eight-string guitars, EDM synths, existential angst. Imagine Matt Bellamy cosplaying Meshuggah. Bonkers, but it slaps. - Poison The Preacher – “One Man Army” – Thrashier than a Valleys dust-up outside the chippy.
- Ghost – “Peacefield” – Gothic anthem with singalong power.
- Loathe, Death Angel, Heaven Shall Burn, Primus (feat. Maynard James Keenan), Shadows Fall – A buffet of metal chaos.
- Fit For A King – “Begin The Sacrifice”, Kingdom Of Giants – “Collide”, Villain Of The Story – “Broken Promises” – breakdowns galore for the metalcore faithful.
⚡ Quickfire June Shred-Level Index
| Category | Highlights |
|---|---|
| Tech-Death/Prog | Xenotaph (Fallujah) |
| Groove Rock/Boogie | God of Angels Trust (Volbeat) |
| Pirate-Metal Chaos | The Thunderfist Chronicles (Alestorm) |
| Orchestral Psychedelia | Phantom Island (King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard) |
| Archival Rawness | The Manticore Tapes (Motörhead) |
| Critics’ Top Picks | Nightmares… (Katatonia), An Insatiable Violence (Cryptopsy), Near-Death… (Deadguy), Harbingers (Byzantine) |
| Singles That Hit | “Unravelling” (Muse), “One Man Army” (Poison The Preacher), “Peacefield” (Ghost), plus Loathe, Death Angel, FFAK & more |
🤘 Final Riff
June 2025 was a proper buffet of noise: pirate metal for the dafties, Motörhead for the lifers, Muse going djent for reasons we still can’t explain, and Fallujah showing off more technical wizardry than a maths teacher on steroids.
It’s only halfway through the year, butt, and already 2025 is shaping up to be one of the wildest in rock and metal history. Keep those horns high, keep those pints full, and remember—LOUDER IS ALWAYS BETTER. YESS MUN! 🍺🔥
Michael is the founder, editor, and chief riff wrangler behind The Riff Report, an independent Welsh rock and metal publication built by fans, for fans. With a lifelong passion for loud guitars, unforgettable live shows, and the incredible community that surrounds rock and metal, he created The Riff Report to celebrate everything that makes the scene special—from legendary headline acts and grassroots venues to rising bands that deserve to be heard.
A familiar face at festivals across the UK, Michael spends much of the year covering events including Download Festival, Bloodstock Open Air, Steelhouse Festival, Firevolt, Plumpton Revival, and many more. Whether he’s battling the Welsh weather on a mountainside, surviving a weekend in a muddy campsite, or squeezed against the front barrier with thousands of fellow fans, he’s always searching for the next great story to share.
As editor of The Riff Report, Michael writes festival guides, breaking news, album reviews, gig reviews, interviews, opinion pieces, nostalgia features, and behind-the-scenes stories from across the rock and metal world. His writing combines honest opinions, humour, and a genuine love for live music, bringing readers closer to the bands, festivals, venues, and people that keep the scene alive.
Michael is particularly passionate about supporting independent artists, local venues, charities, and the wider UK rock and metal community. He believes every band deserves a chance to be discovered and every festival has a story worth telling. Through The Riff Report, he aims to shine a spotlight on both the biggest names in rock and the future stars waiting to break through.
When he’s not writing or interviewing artists, you’ll probably find him exploring festival campsites, photographing live shows, chatting with fellow fans over a pint, or planning the next road trip in search of more riffs, bigger crowds, and unforgettable moments.
Above all, Michael believes rock and metal are about more than music—they’re about community, friendship, and creating memories that last a lifetime. That’s exactly what The Riff Report exists to celebrate.
Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. Always chasing the next great riff. 🤘
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