Best in Metal! February 2025 Edition
February 2025 is shaping up to be a rather epic month for metal. From brutal notes of death metal to the darker mindspaces of black metal, here’s everything from fresh new talent to established heavyweights returning with ferocious releases.
Featuring Vampiric Coffin, Nexus, Fuzzripper, Lucretia’s Defilement, Eternal Blood Of War, Hallucivore, Fallen Fortress, SOAH, Buzzard, MikeJak13, Garden Of Darkness, and Depraver
Follow the Best in Metal! playlist on Spotify
Bloody Valentine - Vampiric Coffin
Let’s start February’s list with a song in theme with one of my favorite concepts this year: gothic vampire thriller. It was no coincidence that Vampiric Coffin’s latest release, Bloody Valentine, was on February 14th—Valentine's Day. And yes, black metal does the concept justice, especially when the band bends it to gothic elements and creates an atmospheric piece fit for the season.
Give Bloody Valentine a listen if you’re craving some dark and dramatic energy this February.
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Falling Down – Nexus
After a year-long break, Mexico’s progressive metal band Nexus finally returns with the video for their new single, Falling Down.
This track teases their upcoming 2025 EP too, which makes me excited to hear what more they have to say on societal themes like self-liberation. But don’t think for a second this is a political bore. As vocalist Jorge Vargas puts it, the song is the rebellious “#al4ching4d4” attitude that embodies the band themselves. If you don’t know what that means, it’s basically a classic Mexican expression for telling the world to go to hell!
With their rich history of performing alongside legends like Opeth and Katatonia, here again, Nexus reminds us that there’s much more to them than what meets the eye!
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Poltergeist - FUZZRIPPER
Say hello to Poltergeist, a heavy metal rampage soaked in retro synths and pure nightmare fuel from their upcoming album of the same name.
Right from the first riff, it’s clear they’re channeling horror classics—this one feels like Amityville Horror meets Stranger Things, with a side of Nightmare on Elm Street. Dusty Mahan’s vocals hit with powerful intensity, while Joshua Porche’s drumming slams like a haunted heartbeat. And those synth lines creeping through the shredding guitars? Pure 80’s nostalgia, like N.W.O.B.H.M. got lost in a VHS horror flick.
FUZZRIPPER prove why Clarksville, TN is on the map, and they’re here to announce it to anyone who doesn’t know.
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A Lecherous Pact - Lucretia’s Defilement
A Lecherous Pact is the first track on Lucretia’s Defilement’s latest album, called elevated to unearthly realms of yearning and infatuation. Brace yourself for forceful tremolo riffs colliding with melodic despair. I love the vocals for their raw shrieks, ones that sound like they were torn from a heart rotting in devotion.
If you’re a sucker for romanticism meets ruin like I am, then you’ll notice this eerie, melodic undercurrent that almost feels... tender. But it’s buried under layers of blast beats and dissonant guitars. It’s exactly the kind of love song you’d expect from a band that brands itself as a "blackened black metal cult" (their words, not mine).
If you’re into melodic black metal with a taste for the grotesquely romantic, this one’s yours.
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The Darkness That Dwells Forever - Fallen Fortress
Fallen Fortress’ return album, At the Heart of Emptiness, feels like an abyss swallowing you whole.
Guests like George Bokos (ex-Rotting Christ) appear on the album to co-create a cathartic confrontation with despair that isn’t afraid to experiment.
Tracks like Dehumanized and Fake Glory carry an unsettling rawness, with some more relentless than others, namely The Source. But my personal favorite is The Darkness that Dwells Forever, a terrifying and beautiful reminder that sometimes the heaviest burdens inspire music in the form of art.
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Those Who Fight For Freedom Live Forever – Eternal Blood Of War
Eternal Blood Of War arrives with their debut EP, Beneath The Brunt Of Hellas Sword, offering four epic black metal tracks steeped in the chaos of the Greek–Persian wars.
It’s history through distortion, with Bart Van Hemel orchestrating every riff and orchestral swell, while Arneriach’s vocals channel the battle cries of ancient warriors. And Those Who Fight For Freedom Live Forever stands out for its heroic melodies that feel like charging into the fray.
Don your armor, this one’s for the warriors!
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Telescopic Threshold - Hallucivore
Hallucivore’s latest track, Telescopic Threshold, from their upcoming album Shrouded in Exogaian Petrichor, feels like a dark and bizarre ocean of chaos and death metal.
The Boston-based quartet—Andre Forero (drums), Connor Thompson (guitar), Jake Rainis (bass/vocals), and John Rainis (guitar/vocals)— made this sonic freakshow that feels like a bad trip you don’t want to end.
Hallucivore, whose motto is simply HE WAR, ON DRUGS, brings this unhinged, lose-your-s*it vibe to every second of this death metal gem.
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Sireme - SOAH
SOAH’s debut full-length, Eternal Deathforms, feels like a ritual turned into music with Sireme being the raw invocation at its core.
The lyrics read like an ancient scripture, with themes of cosmic forces and spiritual rebellion; “my dance of disobedience makes all forces reverse” hits hard honestly.
SOAH formed in Saint Petersburg just last year, but Sireme sounds like it emerged from the earth’s core. Listen closely and you will hear their fire burn through dissonant chords and unholy growls.
If you crave death metal that feels like an ancient force stirring, this one’s yours.
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Crushing Burden of Despair - Buzzard
This track from Buzzard’s upcoming LP, Mean Bone, nails the chaotic tension of a world sinking into a tailspin.
Buzzard’s blend of doom-metal and folk influences gives the song a strange, haunting quality. The riff is thick, and the pacing is slow and deliberate, mirroring the heavy steps of a world bent on self-destruction. The lyrics are as sharp as the sludgy riffs, spitting out lines like "Knuckles dragging on the ground, Creationists arch a unibrow."
Safe to say it’s as much a social commentary as it is a jarring reflection of human regression.
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Existential Existence - MikeJak13
As Existential Existence starts to play, it’s immediately clear this is going to be a raw, honest outpouring of frustration and questioning. There’s no sugarcoating here, just a brutal reflection on the grind of daily life and the crushing weight of trying to get ahead in a world that doesn’t seem to care.
The blend of punk energy with the heavier, grittier elements of hardcore and alternative metal makes the song feel like it’s charging forward, refusing to back down.
You can feel the anger, the frustration, but also this underlying urge for change. The message is clear: “The struggle is real for all involved, a cog in the machine we are called.”
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Embers - Garden Of Darkness
Embers by Garden of Darkness' latest album Psychosomatic, is a beautiful track that leans into a moody, instrumental metal soundscape with progressive twists.
Jeremiah Koser’s multi-instrumental mastery shines here, blending intricate guitar work and atmospheric layers reminiscent of early Opeth or Russian Circles. I like this one because it’s haunting, contemplative, and hits like a slow burn, perfect for a late-night session with your own mind.
You can find Embers on the artist’s Bandcamp page linked here!
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Drowning in Eternal Woe - Depraver
Depraver's latest single, Drowning in Eternal Woe, is a twisted mix of black metal chaos and thrash punk fury. The guttural vocals and breakneck drumming create a ritualistic atmosphere that feels like being dragged through the underworld.
Lyrically, it’s dark, cryptic, and drenched in nihilism; exactly what you’d want from a band named Depraver.
If this track is any sign, the band’s upcoming album called Necrocryptic Obliteration is going to rip through everything in its path.
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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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