Written by Kep
Welcome in for the first of my two AOTY articles. Today we’re talking EPs, and 2025 was full of great ones. I rounded up 13 that I thought were particularly deserving of a mention: 8 honorable mentions, and an ordered top 5. I dropped the honorable mentions on Bluesky the other day, and here they are again (in alphabetical order):
Ancst – Dominion (Bandcamp)
Beyond Mortal Dreams – Devastation Hymns (Bandcamp)
Ninkharsag – The Black Swords of Winter (Bandcamp)
Sallow Moth – Deformity in Ceremony (Bandcamp)
Soul Hater – Astral Malefactor (Bandcamp)
Terror Corpse – Systems of Apocalypse (Bandcamp)
Torture Hammer – Torture Hammer (Bandcamp)
Underneath – In the Shadow of a Watchtower (Bandcamp)
Not a bad collection, but these 5 were better:
5 Crypt Sermon โ Saturnian Appendices
For โonlyโ being a set of songs that were cut from the Stygian Rose tracklist, Saturnian Appendices sure is impressive stuff. Itโs more of what we expect from them: big riffs, moodily epic hooks, dark yet strangely romantic vibes, and excellent songwriting. And Iโll go ahead and speak some metal sacrilege: the Mayhem cover is comfortably better than the original.
4 Umulamahri โ Learning the Secrets of Acid
Ugly, weird ass death metal is just the best, isnโt it? This, from Baring Teethโs Andrew Hawkins and Glorious Depravity and Pyrrhonโs Doug Moore, is a wildly unique and hideously unnatural beast. Unnervingly spacious and frighteningly brutal, it walks the razorโs edge between progressive and avant-garde with abandon. Esoteric yet visceral, thoughtful yet vicious, itโs a hell of a package.
2 (tie) The Blood Mountain Black Metal Choir โ Demo I – โFolkloreโ
2 (tie) Lucerne Hammer โ Vermillion Pyre
I tried and failed to find anything to give one of these the edge over the other, so they share the silver medal. Itโs only fitting, I guess, that two solo antifascist black metal acts stand shoulder to shoulder with equally stellar releases. Both lay down plenty of atmosphere, both are surprisingly emotional, both weave melancholy melodic work deftly into buzzing textures of distortion. Theyโre not the same by any means, but in quality theyโre neck and neck. Crossing my fingers and keeping an eye out for full-lengths from both projects next year.
1 Curtaโn Wall โ Georgie and the Dragon
No contest here, really. Iโve replayed this baby about a million times since April.ย Georgie and the Dragonย is some of the catchiest material Abysmal Specter has ever released under any project and I love it dearly. I dare you to listen to โKing John the Shiteโ and not smile. I defy you to hear โNorman Keepโ and not want to do a silly little dance.ย Curtaโn Wallย continues to be an absolute delight.ย
And that’s all for the EPs! Come back soon to catch my Best Albums article, and read Ellis’ Best of here.