2025 was another banner year for new music and to that end, the KNAC.COM staff and contributors have compiled their lists for their top new releases of the year.

Check them out below and see if any match yours!

Larry Petro, Managing Editor/News Monkey

1. Crazy Lixx – Thrill of the Bite (Frontiers Music)
2. Primal Fear – Domination (Reigning Phoenix Music)
3. Dynazty – Game Of Faces (Nuclear Blast)
4. Battle Beast – Steelbound – (Nuclear Blast)
5. A-Z – A2Z 2  (Metal Blade)
6. Heaven Below – The Majestic 12 (Broken Halo Media)
7. Helloween – Giants And Monsters (Reigning Phoenix)
8. Dorothy – The Way – (Roc Nation)
9. Avatar – Don’t Go In The Forest (Black Waltz)
10. Sabaton – Legends – (Better Noise)
11. Sumo Cyco – Neon Void (Cyco City Records)
12. Burning Witches – Inquisition (Napalm Records)
13. Volbeat – God of Angels Trust (Vertigo/Universal)
14. Wings of Steel – Winds of Time (High Roller)
15. Ghost – Skeletá – (Loma Vista)

Alex “Dr. Metal” Yarborough, Orlando Contributor

1. Lethal X – 90 Tons of Thunder (Metallic Blue)
2. Vicious Rumors – The Devil’s Asylum (Steamhammer)
3. Helstar – The Devil’s Masquerade (Massacre)
4. Warbringer – Wrath and Ruin (Napalm Records)
5. Testament – Para Bellum (Nuclear Blast)
6. Joe Stump’s Tower of Babel – Days of Thunder (Silver Lining Music)
7. Brainstorm – Plague of Rats (Reigning Phoenix Music)
8. Helloween – Giants & Monsters (Reigning Phoenix Music)
9. Primal Fear – Domination (Reigning Phoenix Music)
10. Sintage – Unbound Triumph (High Roller)
11. The Rods – Wild Dogs Unchained (Massacre)
12. Wytch Hazel – V: Lamentations (Bad Omen)
13. Volbeat – God of Angels Trust (Vertigo/Universal)
14. Babylon A.D. – When The World Stops (Kivel Records)
15. Speed Queen – …with A Bang! (High Roller)
16. Power Surge – Shadows Warning (FHM)
17. Ashes of Ares – New Messiahs (ROAR)
18. Redshark – Sudden Impact (Listenable)
19. Dragonsclaw – Moving Target (High Roller)
20. Mob Rules – Rise of the Ruler (ROAR)

F**k A.I. Album Design Awards:

Henrik Siegel (for Volbeat’s ‘God of Angels Trust’) (Vertigo/Universal)
Thomas Ewerhard (for Helloween’s ‘Gods & Monsters’) (Reigning Phoenix Music)
Eliran Kantor (for Testament’s ‘Para Bellum’) (Nuclear Blast)

Thomas Coffman, Coffman Rock Shots

1. Heaven Below – The Majestic 12 (Broken Halo Media)
2. Crazy Lixx – Thrill of The Bite (Frontiers Music)
3. Halestorm – Everest (Atlantic)
4. H.E.A.T – Welcome To The Future (earMUSIC)
5. Cheap Trick – All Washed Up (BMG)
6. Hell in the Club Joker In The Pack (Frontiers Music)
7. Mammoth – The End (BMG)
8. Sumo Cyco – Neon Void (Cyco City Records)
9. Alice Cooper – The Revenge of Alice Cooper (earMUSIC)
10. Treat – The Wild Card (Frontiers Music)

Peter Atkinson, East Coast Contributor,

1. Paradise Lost – Ascension (Nuclear Blast)
2. Deftones – Private Music (Reprise)
3. Lorna Shore – I Feel the Everblack Festering Within Me (Century Media)
4. Helloween – Giants And Monsters (Reigning Phoenix)
5. Coroner – Dissonance Theory (Century Media)
6. Testament – Para Bellum (Nuclear Blast)
7. Nightfall – Children Of Eve (Season Of Mist)
8. Harakiri For The Sky – Scorched Earth (AOP)
9. The Acacia Strain – You Are Safe From God Here (Rise)
10. Supersuckers – Liquor, Women, Drugs & Killing (Hardcharger)

Honorable Mentions

Agnostic Front – Echoes In Eternity (Reigning Phoenix)
Avatarium – Between You, God, The Devil And The Dead (AFM)
Behemoth – The Shit Ov God (Nuclear Blast)
Cryptopsy – An Insatiable Violence (Season Of Mist)
Katatonia – Nightmares As Extensions Of The Waking State (Napalm)
Messa – The Spin (Metal Blade)
Orbit Culture – Death Above Life (Century Media)
Scour – Gold (Housecore)
Spiritbox – Tsunami Sea (Pale Chord)
Whitechapel – Hymns In Dissonance (Metal Blade)

Breezy Bird, Idaho Contributor/Breezy Bird Photography

1. Three Days Grace – Alienation (RCA)
2. Bush – I Beat Loneliness (earMusic)
3. Chevelle – Bright As Blasphemy (Alchemy)
4. Split Chain – motionblur (Epitaph)
5. Earshot – Humaning (Earshot Entertainment, Inc.)
6. Sleep Theory – Afterglow (Epitaph)
7. We Came As Romans – All is Beautiful…Because We are Doomed (SharpTone)
8. The CEO – Path Remains (Rat Pak Records)
9. Daughtry – Shock To The System (Part Two) (Machine Rock)
10. Bangalore Choir – Rapid Fire Succession: On Target Part II (Bravewords Records)

Andrew Depdro, Ottawa Correspondent

1. Lycanthro – Remnants Of Rapture (Psychomanteum Records)
2. Testament – Para Bellum (Nuclear Blast)
3. Burning Witches – Inquisition (Napalm Records)
4. Helloween – Giants & Monsters (Reigning Phoenix)
5. Spades GT – United (Independent)
6. Arch Enemy – Blood Dynasty (Century Media)
7. Deftones – private music (Reprise/Warner)
8. Dream Theater – Parasomnia (Inside Out)
9. Scorpion Child – I Saw the End as It Passed Right Through Me (Noize In The Attic)
10. Halestorm – Everest (Atlantic)

Notable mentions:

Machine Head – UNATØNED (Nuclear Blast)
Warbringer – Wrath And Ruin (Napalm Records)
Spiritbox – Tsunami Sea (Pale Chord)
Killswitch Engage – This Consequence (Metal Blade)
Mammoth – The End (I Am The Sherriff/BMG)
Alice Cooper – The Revenge Of Alice Cooper (earMUSIC)

George Dionne, The Rock Is George Podcast

1. Rick Hughes – Redemption – Deko Entertainment
2. Helloween – Giants & Monsters – Reigning Phoenix Music
3. The Darkness – Dreams On Toast – Cooking Vinyl
4. Peter Goalby – Don’t Think This Is Over – Explore Rights Management
5. Alice Cooper – The Revenge of Alice Cooper – earMusic
6. Vicious Rumors – The Devil’s Asylum – Steamhammer
7. Billy Idol – Dream Into It – Dark Horse Records
8. Envy Of None – Stygian Waves – KScope
9. Dorothy – The Way – Roc Nation
10. One More Satellite – One More Satellite – Deko Entertainment

Honorable Mentions

Don Airey – Pushed to the Edge (earMUSIC)
Heavy Pettin – Rock Generation (Silver Lining Music)
Ellefson/Soto – Unbreakable (Rat Pak Records)
Chris Harms – 1980 (Napalm Records)
Primal Fear – Domination (Reigning Phoenix)

Arnold ‘Rocky’ Kessenger, Through The Metal Lens

1. Avatar – Don’t Go In The Forest (Black Waltz)
2. Malevolence – Where Only The Truth Is Spoken (Nuclear Blast)
3. AngelMaker – This Used to Be Heaven (Blood Blast Distribution)
4. Wolfheart – Draconian Darkness II (Reigning Phoenix)
5. Orbit Culture – Death Above Life Century Media)
6. SpiritWorld – Helldorado (Century Media)
7. Spite – New World Killer (Rise)
8. Machine Head – Unatoned (Nuclear Blast)
9. Blackbraid – Blackbraid III (Self-released)
10. Slipknot – Slipknot 25th Anniversary Edition (Roadrunner)

Honorable Mention:

Bush – I Beat Loneliness (earMusic)

Shane Lee, Vulgar Display Of Gaming

1. Messa – The Spin (Metal Blade)
2. Evoken – Mendacium (Profound Lore)
3. Tribunal – In Penitence and Ruin(20 buck spin)
4. HEALTH – Conflict DLC (Loma Vista Recordings)
5. Hooded Menace – Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration(Seasons of Mist)
6. Drain – …is your friend(Epitaph Records)
7. Propaghandi – At Peace (Epitaph Records)
8. Ancient Death – Ego Dissolution (Profound Lore Records)
9. Castle Rat – The Bestiary (King Volume Records)
10. Turnstile – Never Enough (Roadrunner Records)

Rob McNees, Vinyl Aficionado

1) No Life ‘Till Leather – A Tribute to Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All (Silver Lining Music)
2) Helstar – The Devil’s Masquerade (Massacre Records)
3) Saxon – Wheels Of Steel (45th Anniversary Edition) (BMG Music)
4) Wytch Hazel – V: Lamentations (Bad Omen Records)
5) Magic Power – All-Star Tribute to Triumph (Round Hill Records)
6) Cirith Ungol – Live At The Roxy (Metal Blade Records)
7) Alex Williams – Space Brain (Lightning Rod Records)
8) Hirax – Faster Than Death (Doomentia Records)
9) Thin Lizzy – Jailbreak (Alternate Version) (Vertigo Records)
10) Rush – R50 (Mercury Records)

Honorable Mentions:

11) Midnight – Steel Rust And Disgust (Metal Blade Records)
12) The Sweet – Desolation Boulevard (50th Anniversary) (Sound City Records)
13) Dirkschneider – Balls To the Wall (Reloaded) (Reigning Phoenix Music)
14) Judas Priest – Live in Atlanta ’82 (Columbia Records)
15) Can’t Get Enough – A Tribute To Bad Company (Primary Wave Music)

Daniel Licitra, Florida Contributor

(1) Arch Enemy – Blood Dynasty (Century Media)
(2) Ultra Raptor – Fossilized (Fighter Records)
(3) Primal Fear – Domination (Reigning Phoenix Music) (4) Burning Witches – Inquisition (Napalm Records) (5) Destruction – Birth of Malice (Napalm Records) (6) Danko Jones – Leo Rising (Perception)
(7) Mark Morton – Without the Pain (Snakefarm Records) (8) Hazzerd – The 3rd Dimension (M-Theory Audio) (9) Mean Mistreater – Do or Die (Dying Victims Productions) (10) Savage Master – Dark & Dangerous (Shadow Kingdom Records)
(11) Struck A Nerve – Struck A Nerve (Listenable Records) (12) The Cold Stares – The Southern Part 2 (Mascot Records)
(13) Diamond Head – Live and Electric (Silver Lining Music)

Chris Pirri, The Bloody Asylum

1. Mammoth – The End – (BMG)
2. Halestorm – Everest – (Atlantic)
3. Epica – Aspiral – (Nuclear Blast)
4. Battle Beast – Steelbound – (Nuclear Blast)
5. The Darkness – Dreams On Toast – (Cooking Vinyl)
6. Testament – Para Bellum – (Nuclear Blast)
7. Dream Theater – Parasomnia – (Inside Out)
8. Jinjer – Duél – (Napalm)
9. Sabaton – Legends – (Better Noise)
10. Alestorm – Thunderfist Chronicles – (Napalm)

HONORABLE MENTION

GHOST – Skeletá (Loma Vista)

George Mihalovich, Aftershok Guitarist/Pittsburgh Contributor

1.) Testament – Para Bellum (Nuclear Blast)
2.) Lethal X – 90 Tons of Thunder (Metallic Blue Recs)
03.) Grave Digger – Bone Collector (Reigning Phoenix)
04.) Smith/Kotzen – Black Light/White Noise (BMG)
05.) Joe Stump’s Tower Of Babel – Days Of Thunder (Silver Lining)
06.) Vigilhunter – Vigilhunter (High Roller)
07.) Dirkschneider And The Old Gang – Babylon (Reigning Phoenix)
08.) A-Z – A2Z 2  (Metal Blade)
09.) Dream Theater – Parasomnia (InsideOut)
10.) Lynch Mob – Dancing With The Devil (Rat Pack Records/Frontiers)
11.) Syrek Story 2 (Self-released)
12.) Void – Forbidden Morals (Shadow Kingdom Records)
13.) Helloween – Giants And Monsters (Reigning Phoenix)
14.) Michael Schenker Group – Don’t Sell Your Soul (earMusic)
15.) Tiktaalika – Gods of Pangaea (InsideOutMusic)
16.) Vicious Rumors – The Devil’s Asylum (Steamhammer)
17.) Jack Starr – Out Of The Darkness Part II (BraveWords Records)
18.) Rage – A New World Rising (Steamhammer)
19.) The Ferrymen – Iron Will (Frontiers)
20.) Coroner – Dissonance Theory (Century Media)
21.) Power Surge – Shadows Warning (FHM Records)
22.) Steel Arctus – Dreamruler (No Remorse Records)
23.) Crimson Storm – Livin’ On the Bad Side (Fighter Records)
24.) Tokyo Blade – Time Is The Fire (Dissonance)
25.) Inglorious – V (Frontiers)
26.) Labÿrinth – In the Vanishing Echoes of Goodbye (Frontiers Records)
27.) Brainstorm – Plague Of Rats (Reigning Phoenix Music)
28.) The Dead Daisies – Lookin’ For Trouble (Fame/Malaco)
29.) Redshark – Sudden Impact (Listenable Records)
30.) Nite – Cult Of The Serpent Sun (Season Of Mist)

Additional Releases (worth a listen)

Bumblefoot – Bumblefoot…Returns!
Dead Daisies – Lookin’ For Trouble
Ellefson-Soto – Unbreakable
Firstborne – Lucky
Ginger Evil – The Way It Burns
Helms Deep – Chasing The Dragon
Iron Brigade – Ill-Fated Voyage
Robin McAuley – Soulbound
Ronnie Romero – Backbone
Wretch – Visitors