Favourite Album "Discoveries" of 2025

Albums (or bands) I heard for the first time in 2025.

In the world of film fanatics and Letterboxd lists, people (myself included) often make year-end “discovery” lists where they bring up their favourite movies they saw for the first time that year. I still do this, but have stopped calling them “discoveries”, because often times we’re talking about known quantities we just finally got around to seeing. So, when I call this list my favourite album discoveries, just know I’m thinking along the lines of “I discovered I loved this record!” and not that I consider myself to the definitive person who has “discovered” that Japan put out a really great album.

And with that out of the way, here’s some albums (and in some cases bands) that I heard for the first time this year!

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As always, feel free to reach out over on BlueSky or join the Rosy Overdrive Discord server where I can be found now and again. You can also find me in the corners of Rate Your Music scrounging for obscure emo, hardcore, indie rock and pop punk.

Don’t forget: if you’re reading this in your email it will be cut off.
Read on the web for the full list of reviews!

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Silver Scooter - The Blue Law (2001, Peek-a-Boo)

Genres: Midwest Emo, Jangle Pop, Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Twee Pop

Thanks to Christopher of HEDGE for tipping me off to this via their contribution to my Digging for Something series.

Silver Scooter play a very intriguing mix of indie pop, informed by that 80s gloom but always melodic, and with wonderfully fluid bass lines holding up their foundation. Terrific stuff.

Spyro Gyra - Catching the Sun (1980, MCA)

Awwwww yea. Weather Network ass smooth jazz, right here. No really though, their later work seemed to be used on actual Weather Network segments and ultimately compilations like The Weather Channel Presents: Smooth Jazz II.

Sacrilege - Within the Prophecy (1987, Under One Flag)

Genres: Thrash Metal, Stenchcore, Crust Punk

Was tipped off to this because I read a list saying that they were a big influence on Bolt Thrower. Some really enormous riffing on this, it’s super satisfying. Sits right between the punk/crust influences of Behind the Realms of Madness and their full-turn into a doomy progressive metal type act on Turn Back Trilobite.

Up for Nothing - Swindled (2016, No Label)

Genres: Punk Rock, Pop Punk

Definitely fits into the 2010s era of poppy, gruff orgcore singalong punk rock but seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle of years. This feels particularly overlooked even if it’s not going to blow any minds. Very well rounded.

Eloy - Planets (1981, Harvest)

Genres: Progressive Rock, Space Rock, Symphonic Prog

Absolutely huge synth sound on this album, and bass lines that positively haul. Total progressive space rock greatness.

U.K. - Danger Money (1979, Polydor)

Genres: Progressive Rock, Symphonic Prog

This is progressive rock with a big focus on sweet electric violin jams (“Caesar’s Palace Blues”) and smoke machine synths (“Nothing to Lose”) with a foundation in dad-core melodies and hooks. Kind of gives everyone what they want, in some ways, be that progressive dad rock or honest-to-good-ness progressive fusion, it’s all in here somewhere.

Sonetic Vet - Peer (1994, Bittersweet)

Genres: Pop Punk, Noise Pop, Garage Rock

Sounds like if Dahlia Seed dialed back the aggression/emo and input more shambly pop punk into their overall vibe. There’s definitely a pinch of that “pop punk but influenced by alt-rock” thing going on here too, but not so much that it gets into that “wait, is this grunge-pop” territory that bands like that sometimes do.

Frenzal Rhomb - Shut Your Mouth (2001, Fat Wreck Chords)

Genres: Pop Punk, Punk Rock, Skate Punk

This feels like the quintessential turn that Fat bands often made (See also: Like You Know, More Betterness!) towards a slightly less punk sound, peppering more mid-tempo power-pop songs into their track lists. Another good example of when the “conventional wisdom” of a discography cannot be trusted (this is the band’s lowest rated album of their entire career on Rate Your Music).

Electric Light Orchestra - Balance of Power (1986, Epic)

Genres: Synthpop, Pop Rock, AOR, Sophisti-Pop

I guess people don’t care too much for this album because ELO fully took a turn into AOR synthpop and away from their more quote unquote legitimate symphonic rock. Well guess what? I love cheesy 80s cocaine pop and this is above average if you’re into that kind of thing.

Animal Chin - 20 Minutes From Right Now (1999, Fueled by Ramen)

Genres: Pop Punk, Ska Punk, Emo-Pop

Horn-less ska-punk from this band with pre-The Stereo member Jamie Woolford. If you like The Impossibles‘ brand of ska-punk with Weezer-esque geek rock and poppy punk hooks this would also be up your alley.

Chester Copperpot - Short Cuts (1995, Dolores Recordings)

Genres: Indie Rock, Pop Punk, Emo

Scrappier than their LP, not quite as power-poppy, but still sitting on that over-lap between indie rock and poppy punk-adjacent music. I like how “Just Another Goonie” starts as a scuzzy little indie rock tune with an emo-element to the vocals but takes a real poppy turn for its denouement.

Gentle Giant - In’terview (1976, Chrysalis)

Genres: Progressive Rock, Avant-Prog, Zolo, Jazz-Rock

Very digestible as far as progressive music goes. But! It still contains some fun, challenging moments. A great blend and possibly my favourite pick of their discography.

Pages - Pages (1978, Epic)

Genres: Yacht Rock, AOR, Soft Rock

Came across this via the SomaFM channel Left Coast 70s, because it’s consistently listed in the #1 position on their “Top 30 Albums BY SPINS” chart for the station. This is about a ten out of ten on the “these guys want to be Steely Dan” rating scale (non-derogatory).

Fun Fun - Have Fun! (1984, X-Energy Records)

Genres: Italo-Disco, Synthpop, Hi-NRG, Dance-Pop

Great stuff if you enjoy cheesy 80s Hi-NRG synthpop dance music, which I absolutely do. Euro/Italio-disco-sized melodies and some cheesy ass scratching on “Happy Station.” I mean, hell yeah.

Yes - Drama (1980, Atlantic)

Genres: Progressive Rock, Symphonic Prog, New Wave

I’ve tried moving on to 90125 (as much as I absolutely love the bombastic cheese of “Owner of a Lonely Heart”) and have tried moving backwards for Going for the One / Tormato but this seems to be a perfect recalibration of their sound for me and remains the one album of theirs I have been reaching for over and over.

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Hey, don’t forget that my 2025 year-end list is out and ready for you to peruse!

O.K., back to your regularly scheduled list.

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FM - City of Fear (1980, Passport)

Genres: Progressive Rock, New Wave, AOR

As reviewed in my “Listening to Every Album by the Mostly Forgotten Canadian Progressive AOR Band FM” article.

Direct to Disc is more thrilling on the whole, but this has a cold, rain-slicked atmosphere that really works for their more concise songs.

Passport - Cross-Collateral (1975, Atlantic)

Genres: Jazz-Rock, Jazz Fusion, Progressive Rock, Jazz-Funk

First side leans a little more on the ‘out there’ side of jazz-fusion with some wilder excursions (“Cross-Collateral”), and the second side is more groove-focused. Nicely lacks any in-your-face guitar work and instead focuses on the drums, sax, bass, and varying keys and moog and synth combo which really works for me.

Japan - Gentlemen Take Polaroids (1980, Virgin)

Genres: Art Pop, New Wave, Synthpop, Sophisti-Pop

I went straight to Tin Drum when getting into the band, but this has a lot of really nice atmosphere with extended synth diversions and instrumental passages.

Gorguts - Considered Dead (1991, R/C)

Genres: Death Metal

This certified death metal classic whoops ass. Really great vocal performance actually, nails a perfect balance between mostly legible and throat-shredding-vocal-chord-slashing evilness.

Happy the Man - Happy the Man (1977, Arista)

This seems obviously a prog-fusion album first and foremost, as the addition of vocals are incredibly minimal and only appear on a couple songs. There’s enough smokey, forbidden planet synth solos and otherworldly atmosphere for me to toss this on the 🐉 D&D Fusion list.

Autopsy - Mental Funeral (1991, Peaceville)

Genres: Death Metal, Death Doom Metal

Two songs into this and you know exactly how sick this is going to be. The opening one-two punch of death metal and slowed down smoked-out drop-an-anvil-on-your-head riffs just absolutely kills.

Prism - Prism (1977, Polydor)

Genres: Jazz Fusion, Jazz-Rock,

Slick, proggy jazz funk fusion with an incredible bass performance. Some of this sits in a bit of a straight-forward, slinky jazz-funk box (“Love Me”) but the performances are sick and there’s a lot of whiffs of prog and out-there moments peppered throughout (like when the aforementioned “Love Me” eventually takes off.)

Krabathor - Cool Mortification (1993, Monitor)

Genres: Death Metal

This is a good example of a record being better than the sum of its parts, somehow. Someone could complain that this is standard death metal stuff and I wouldn’t argue with them, but when it works it works you know?

Mingo Lewis - Flight Never Ending (1976, Columbia)

Genres: Jazz Fusion, Jazz-Rock, Space Rock, Latin Rock

Can definitely understand this being referred to as Return to Forever-meets-Santana. Got some Jean-Luc Ponty in here as well. Sick as hell synth work and a really aggressively active atmosphere as a whole, just tons and tons of wild ass performances.

Aggressor - Procreate the Petrifactions (1993, Theka)

Genres: Death Metal

I love how much people hate synths in metal/death metal, so whenever an album like this has some synth adornments I’m always like “fuck yeah buddy”. Love the elements of groove here too - “Meaningless Life” hauls.

Shadowfax - Watercourse Way (1976, Passport)

Genres: Progressive Rock, Jazz Fusion, Jazz Fusion

Immediately this ticks a bunch of 🐉 D&D Fusion boxes... the cover art, the proggy synths, the classical 12 string guitar pickin’ and strummin’ and the nerdy forest elf ass vibe. Much of this crosses over into straight up prog and less fusion but the funky elements are there in spirit.

Invocator - Weave the Apocalypse (1993, Black Mark)

Genres: Thrash Metal, Groove Metal

Platonic ideal of a thrash band turning groove metal, because there’s tons of really interesting percussive and rhythmic stuff going on all the time. They’ve got a borderline sophisticated approach, rhythmically, to what is otherwise brain-slamming music.

Starcastle - Starcastle (1976, Epic)

Genres: Symphonic Prog, Progressive Rock

Look at the cover and you know exactly what this will sound like. I understand that this gets compared (unfavorably) to a specific titan of this era of prog (yes, you guessed right), but this just feels like another level of corny in a way that makes me able to take it on its own merits.

спид [Aspid] - Кровоизлияние [Extravasation] (1993, RiTonis)

Genres: Technical Thrash Metal, Progressive Metal

Really sick Russian technical thrash. This likely needs time to simmer and revisit before I called it a masterpiece or anything, but if you really like high-ass-density riffing with an almost oppressively technical atmosphere then you definitely should be checking this one out.

Steve Hillage - Green (1978)

Genres: Space Rock, Progressive Rock, Psychedelic Rock

At first I wasn’t really sure how to take this - as a straight prog record, something more prog-pop, or experimental stuff. But it works remarkably well as a whole. By the time “Activation Meditation” segues into “The Glorious Om Riff”, I was totally converted. This kicks ass.

Jungle Rot - Slaughter the Weak (1997, Pulverizer)

Genres: Death Metal, Beatdown Hardcore

A four star review from dewtaylo on a death metal album with less than 1K ratings is an instant spin for me. This totally hauls. Groove-forward death metal with sprinkles of slam. Definitely ranks high on the “makes me want to punch a wall” scale.

Kenso - Kenso III (1985, King)

Genres: Progressive Rock, Jazz Fusion, Jazz-Rock, Neo-Prog

This is so perfectly in my wheelhouse, the exact overlapping of jazz fusion and progressive rock, big cheesy 80s synths sprouting up where the two genres meet. Love it! Japanese fusion is obviously amazing and this is just another great example.

Thanatos - Realm of Ecstacy (1992, Shark)

Genres: Death Metal, Thrash Metal

This sits right in the pocket between thrash metal’s inability to sit still and need to cram riffs in your face and death metal’s intensity. Some big time neck-snapping head-banging moments in the first couple tracks. Title track “Realm of Ecstacy” approaches Bolt Thrower levels of the mid-tempo, anvil-heavy stomp in the opening half. Just uhh don’t bother reading the lyrics, okay?

Mi-Sex - Space Race (1980)

Genres: New Wave, AOR

This is kind of quirky, geeky new wave synthy rock, and while it’s not going to blow you away I dug what’s going on here. Sometimes they give a bit of a The Monks vibe, with the kinda humourous/satiric tone they often strike. “It Only Hurts When I’m Laughing” was a stand out, and closer “Ice Cold Dead” is a great new wave rave up.

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That’s it, that’s all. Be excellent to one other.

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