Oi oi, rock ‘n’ metal fam—grab your air guitars, crank that volume to 11, and get ready for the January 2025 rundown! Here’s what’s been dropping in the riff-heavy, shouty world of ROCK & METAL, served with a side of cheeky Cymraeg flavour. 🤘🏴
🎶 January 2025 Albums That Bring the Noise
⚡ Heavy Metal Hotness (Jan 10 releases went OFF)
- Alt Blk Era – Rave Immortal
- Barshasketh – Antinomian Asceticism
- Ex Deo – Year of the Four Emperors EP
- Faithxtractor – Loathing & The Noose
- Haunted Horses – Dweller
- Magnum – Live At KK’s Steel Mill
- Maw – The Humble Collapse
- Moon Wizard – Sirens
That’s a tidy stack of riffs to kick the year off. Proper job, mun! 🤯🎤
🤘 Critics’ Favourites of the Month
Treble rang the alarm with some tasty picks:
- The Great Old Ones – Kadath
- Besna – Krásno
- Uulliata Digir – Uulliata Digir
- Trauma Bond – Summer Ends
Meanwhile, PopMatters’ MetalMatters crew couldn’t shut up about:
- Dax Riggs (yes, the dark crooner is BACK)
- Sacrifice proving thrash never dies
- Necromaniac summoning proto-death/black nightmares
Nightmare fuel, riffs sharper than dragon teeth, and the kind of chaos you want soundtracking a bar fight in Swansea. 🐉🥊
🌑 Post-Black Metal & Atmospheric Carnage
Invisible Oranges spotlighted:
- Harakiri for the Sky – Scorched Earth (week of Jan 19–25)
A melancholic monster of an album. Perfect for staring at the rain in Cardiff while pretending you’re in a tragic black metal music video. 🌧️🖤
🎵 Singles to Rock Your Socks Off (January 2025)
Dead Rhetoric rounded up the bangers worth smashing repeat on:
- As December Falls – “Therapy”
- Ave Mujica – “KiLLKiSS”
- Band-Maid – “Zen”
- Cyhra – “Superman”
- City of the Weak – “STFAFM…”
- Plus killer drops from Conquer Divide, Diablevoix, Dimrays, East of Eden, Lilac & Lotus, and more.
Whether you’re a headbanger, emo-screamer, or “just here for the riffs,” there’s something to blast while you spill your pint in the pit. 🍺💥
⚡ Quickfire January Shred-Level Index
| Category | Highlights |
|---|---|
| Heavy Metal Albums | Rave Immortal, Antinomian Asceticism, Dweller, The Humble Collapse, Sirens |
| Critics’ Top Picks | Kadath, Krásno, Uulliata Digir, Summer Ends, Dax Riggs comeback, Sacrifice, Necromaniac |
| Post-Black Metal | Scorched Earth – Harakiri for the Sky |
| Singles to Rock | “Therapy”, “KiLLKiSS”, “Zen”, “Superman”, “STFAFM…” and more |
🤘 Final Riff
So there ya have it, butt—a proper January stacked with feral riffs, melancholic screams, and face-melting licks. A month where metalheads could feast like kings (and queens 👑), while the rest of the world is still faffing with dry January. Pfft.
C’mon, turn it up, grab a pint, and let’s make 2025 the loudest year yet. YESS MUN! 🎤🔥
Diolch for cruising The Riff Report Blog—where every day is a front-row mosh. 🤟
