Hey, it’s that time of the year. Everything is winding down, there’s only a few weeks left in the year, and I highly doubt I’ll have time to cover much of anything over the next couple of weeks. But it’s also a time to celebrate this year in industrial and dark electronic music. We’ve covered a lot throughout 2025 (much less than what we wanted to, as always) but still found time to praise and critique that which we love. Nonetheless we’re here now to tell you all about the best of the best.
There will be two articles like this one, one for myself and the other for my partner in crime Luke Jacobs. Both men of differentiating yet distinguished tastes that alternate between industrial, synthpop, synthwave, and all other genres in between. The only rules I gave myself are that the albums had to be released in 2025 and that they had to be granted a high enough score to get on the list. Let’s get started, shall we?
HONORABLE MENTIONS.
Before we get into the best of the best I always like to do an honorable mentions section. Fantastic albums that you should check out that were rated an 8.5 out of 10, albums that I didn’t cover, or didn’t make it into the top of the year for another reason altogether. All explained and described below. Keep in mind that the honorable mentions are in no particular order.
Mari Kattman : Year of the Katt : 8.5 out of 10
Industrial-synthpop-trip-hop mastermind Mari Kattman is at her best when she’s working on her solo material and Year of the Katt is a testimony to that. Attitude packed mesmerizing femme electronica with elaborate layers and some of the best vox in the scene hands down. It’s no wonder so many people come asking her to collaborate, and is also one of the artists I always recommend people reach out to when looking for vocal collabs. Floored me when I first heard it, still floors me to this day.
Comaduster : Memory Echoes : 8.5 out of 10
I’ve heard the ancient tales of Comaduster’s production skills since almost the dawn of my time with industrial and underground electronic music as ripples of Hollow Worlds bled into my ears. The hype around that album was legendary and I finally found out why as Memory Echoes shattered my expectations. There’s a couple of songs on here that I would rate a perfect 10 out of 10 while others, still high and never submerging below an 8, managed greatness. This album is a journey from start to end and is worth your full attention.
Nevada Hardware : Split Scene : N/A
One of the things that I swore to do when I started a record label with Brutal Resonance was to never review a release on the label. I feel as if that’s going too far in shameless self-promotion. Not only that but if I put a release on the label it means that I love it. Nevada Hardware’s industrial-cyberpunk-beats are some of the best I’ve ever heard and it’s a sample-driven, instrumental thrill ride from start to finish. Originally self-released I was able to reach out to NH to get some vinyl out for the album. Being completely blunt, if this were reviewed it’d probably land in the top 5 somewhere. Alas I have a degree of integrity and shall keep it in the honorable mentions.
8mm : Black Cat (Digital Deluxe Edition) : 9 out of 10
There’s only one small reason as to why this isn’t making it into my actual Top 5 of 2025, the sole reason is that the original album released back in 2024 and this extended edition came out in 2025. While the extended edition does add a lot to the album with ten remixes and two wonderful original tracks from 8mm, I find that the original album by itself is already complete and phenomenal. The extended edition is like a second dessert; welcome, but not entirely needed. If I knew of this album in 2024 it likely would’ve cracks in the number two or three spot for that year. Hindsight is 20/20 and all that. Regardless, Black Cat is one of the best listening experiences I’ve had in a while. If you’re like me and missed it in 2024 now’s your chance to discover them.
Steve’s Top 5 of 2025
Okay. Now we’re getting into serious territory. These are the five albums I’ve found in 2025 that absolutely blew me away, that knocked my socks off, that electrified me and made my hair stick all the way up in the air. I’ve spent countless hours on these albums. Picking the actual tippity-top album of the year was a difficult choice as there were three contenders that were split by a hair, but in the end there’s one that came out on top. Let’s get into it.
NUMBER FIVE : King Yosef : 9 out of 10
I don’t think much more can be said about King Yosef that hasn’t already been said already; he’s producing some of the best industrial metal onslaughts the scene has seen in years. A harrowing blend of industrial and hardcore antics wrapped up in a neat ten track package with a bonus track available on Bandcamp. The collab on the album with Holy Fawn is a high point of the album showing off a blend of noise-wall shenanigans that sounds oh-so-soothing to the ears.
NUMBER FOUR : Miami Nights 1984 : COSMOPOLIS : 9 out of 10
This has become one of my go-to early-morning / late-night-driving soundtracks. It takes the best of 90s influenced vaporwave and smashes it together with the brilliance of synthwave. The first song I discovered off this playlist was Golden Hour once it was recommended to me via Spotify’s Release Radar. Then I discovered the whole thing and ever since it’s been a massive mainstay on my personal playlist. Whenever I need something to soothe the soul this is something I keep coming back to over and over again.
NUMBER THREE : Patriarchy : Manual for Dying : 9.5 out of 10
This is the second most surprising album of the year for me; while I have heard of Patriarchy plenty of times in the past I never really gave them a solid listen till I heard this album. The result is a phenomenal ten-track beast that goes from one end of the electronic spectrum to another whilst still having a cohesive sound that can be traced back to Patriarchy. Dirty electro beats, industrial experimentation, a bit of harsher pop, a little bit of cult-like witch house. Manual for Dying has a little bit of everything in its DNA and there’s not a single moment where Patriarchy fails. It’s no wonder the vinyl sold out so fast; please, reprint more.
NUMBER TWO : SIERRA VEINS : In The Name Of Blood : 9.5 out of 10
Anyone who follows the site won’t be shocked to find SIERRA VEINS at position number two; after all, I did rate A Story of Anger extremely high when that came out two years or so ago. Now in 2025 we get her next masterpiece, that being In The Name Of Blood. This is another solid nine-tracks of cinematic darksynth wizardry. A few instruments added into the roster, an increase on her vocal performance leads it to be one of the best albums of 2025. There’s dancefloor fillers and movie-worthy tracks in here. If the devs of the next Cyberpunk game don’t tap into her talent for the score I’m going to be disappointed.
NUMBER ONE : Street Sex : Full Color Eclipse : 9.5 out of 10
Again, I don’t think this is going to come as a shock to anyone. Street Sex has been dominating my Spotify playlist and I must have listened to this album from top to bottom over thirty-times at this point. While I understand that the term Industrial Pop is still in heated debate amongst much of the community, I fully believe that this is what Industrial Pop was meant to be. Hard, indigestible to a mainstream audience whilst still maintaining the sample-based roots of our beloved underground electronic scene. Perpetuity and Turn Blue are my favorites off the album and have been in rotation since it came out. Street Sex fucking nailed it with this album down the very minute detail. Album of the year for sure.
