2025 Year End Top Tens, Part Four
Alrighty, here it is—the fourth and final installment of our YETTs. Here are parts one, two, and three, if you missed those. Also, be sure to scroll all the way down to see our Top Ten 2025 YETTs!
D. Gregory
D. Gregory has been a reviewer for Maximum Rocknroll since 2024. He has been culturally irrelevant since 1987. He chopped off his hair and sold off a big chunk of his record collection this year, so it goes without saying that all of his opinions are now moot.
Lots of new adventures and changes this year: moved from Milwaukee back east to upstate New York, got a new job, became a car owner for the first time in two decades, and did a bunch of other stuff that I simply can’t recall. Musically, not as much seemed to hit for me on a macro level. But on a micro level, there was still a stellar grip of standouts for sure.
Presented alphabetically:
FAST KIDS – Fast Kids Forever LP (Lolipop)
On the topic of changes, it’s fitting to start with the FAST KIDS debut. When Mike Brandon from the MYSTERY LIGHTS announced that he had a solo power pop record coming out, it immediately became one of my most anticipated records. The shift from paying homage to ’60s garage freakouts to honoring the tight earworms of the next decade felt effortless, and all the tracks here are killer. If some of your prized 45s include the SPEEDIES, FAST CARS, and the TELEFONES, allow yourself a full-length and snatch one of these 100 copies while you can.
GAME SET MATCH – Hang Out With You / Mundane digital (self-released)
The first track this year that made me stop everything and crank the dial is still my favorite song of 2025, nine months later. “Hang Out With You” is two minutes of frantic, frenetic joy. I blasted this one a hundred times until I even realized there was another song! No one does rock and roll like the Aussies, and this one is just another feather in their cap.
THE GNOMES – The Gnomes LP (Dog Meat / Grown Up Wrong)
Another Australian act, another favorite record of the year. What is in the dang water down there (besides a bunch of animals that would probably kill me)? This collection of Merseybeat bangers somehow toes the line between cosplay and cocksure, falling into neither while soaring above both. The end of each track should really be replete with throngs of screaming teens.
LÙLÙ – Lùlù LP (Dangerhouse Skylab / Howlin Banana / Taken By Surprise)
Hook this stuff right to my veins. Absolute top-tier power pop. Don’t speak French? No worries, they also sing in Italian. When I think “all killer, no filler,” this is what comes to mind (Sorry, SUM 41…). I’m almost glad to have a driving commute nowadays because I get to air drum like an idiot on my steering wheel to “Tous les Etés” over and over and over.
MOD LANG – TV Star / 3 + 1 7” (Just Add Water)
I don’t wait until the last minute to compile my year end list simply because I’m a procrastinator (although that’s certainly part of it). I wait because inevitably something fantastic gets released just before we call it a year. This year’s entry is an absolute powerhouse of a single by MOD LANG. “TV Star” is everything I want in my power pop: giant hooks, flawless guitar sounds, simplicity that you couldn’t dare replicate somehow done with ease. The kids are alright, indeed.
NUMBER ONES – Sorry / Blind Spot 7” (Static Shock)
I think I sufficiently glazed this one in my MRR review, but I’m happy to fawn over it a little more. Another perfect power pop single, complete with all the things that make this music special. “Sorry” was the song of my summer, and there’s little doubt it won’t be the same in 2026.
PLASTIC ACT – Now! EP (Bachelor)
Another one that I was lucky enough to get to review for MRR, this three-song EP from Canadian group PLASTIC ACT is plenty bouncy and fun, the kind of thing that comes to mind when the word “bop” is tossed about. Probably the most attractive album art of the year, to boot.
POWERPLANT – Crashing Cars / Never Smile 7” (Arcane Dynamics)
It’s a good thing I didn’t own a car yet when this single dropped earlier this year, because I would have taken the title as instruction. Both of these tracks put me under a spell that I can only snap out of once the sound waves leave my earspace. But of course, I usually just flip the record and happily fall into the trance again.
TEO WISE – Fermo o Sparo! LP (Turbo)
If I had to choose simply the coolest record of the year, this one would win by a landslide. I had no idea what to expect when I saw this described as “Italian spaghetti western power pop punk,” but not only were those descriptors apt, the sounds were absolutely mesmerizing. I wasn’t surprised to find out this was on the same label that put out the TWISTED TEENS LP from last year, as that record was also insanely unique and effortlessly cool.
THE TUBS – Cotton Crown LP (Trouble in Mind)
Cotton Crown was the first LP of 2025 that I truly fell in love with. This is one of those special French-fry-dipped-in-a-milkshake kind of albums, where you’re drawn in by the seemingly sweet jangle-pop sounds but come to find out that there’s way more than a smiling exterior on offer. The album can do dark and menacing just as easily as it can do sunshine, and those moments where everything feels like it could just collapse (“One More Day”) are truly the moments that make you want to take the ride all over again.
Honorable Mention
Fish & Cheap Records
Fish & Cheap knocked it out of the park this year. Between the JET! and the TERMINAL reissues, and the infinitely replayable RETROSPECTS single, this label out of Nantes consistently showed the world that French taste is impeccable.
Daniel Alvarez
My name is Daniel Alvarez, I’m just an homosexual who loves punk. I live in Monterrey, México, and play in some punk bands like CREMALLERAS, LA R.A.F., ARPONERAS, and KODOMO GUN.
TÓRAX Y LAS EXTREMIDADES – Extinción Presenta digital (self-released)
This is my favorite release of the year, I waited for it to come out for a very long time! I remember I had the chance to listen to some phone recordings when the band first started playing. There’s something really special about the melodies of the two voices singing together and the lo-fi sound of the songs; sometimes I feel like they remind me of NIXE, and other times they make me think of the FRUMPIES. There isn’t a single skippable song, but if I must choose a favorite, it would be “Arcadas.”
MEGAROLLO – Megarollo Para Rato 12” (1 Minuto De Gloria / Discos Regresivos / Jgc Producciones)
This is another release I had been waiting to come out for a long time. I had already reviewed some singles from this record before, so obviously I was really excited to listen to the whole album, and it didn’t disappoint. I really enjoy the unserious moments in some of the lyrics, a pop punk vibe that always makes me think of Spanish bands from the ’90s that I love. “Balada Etílica” is my favorite song from this record; I’ll always love a love song.
TRAIDORA – Una Mujer Trans Sin País LP (La Vida Es Un Mus)
TRAIDORA is one of the best things that have happened to punk lately. The power of this record is just insane, feeling the anger in every word, in every strum, in every drum beat—it is just exactly what got me into punk. We all should be listening to what Eva is doing these days. My favorite song from this record is “Un Cuerpo Trans Lleno de Odio.”
ERROR DE PARALELAJE – Imagen Latente LP (Andalucía Über Alles)
My friend recently sent me this album and was like “You are gonna love this!” He was totally right. From the first play, I knew this was gonna be in my top ten. It has a very elegant, classic Spanish post-punk sound that makes me think of DÉCIMA VÍCTIMA, AGRIMENSOR K, and many amazing ’80s bands I’m obsessed with. “A Veces Llueve” is the song that opens the album, and it’s also my favorite.
LAME – Lo Que Extrañas Ya No Existe LP (La Vida Es Un Mus)
I’m really obsessed with this record. I feel like the first thing that really got me into it were the vocals, they are just so expressive and powerful and so energetic and full of rage. It’s for sure one of the best hardcore punk records of the year for me. Fucking love every lyric on this, every noise, every fucking thing about it. My absolute favorite track is “Te Traigo Una Bomba Mi Amor.”
SOGA – Corrosión LP (Irong Lung)
I feel like I already knew this entire record perfectly before it came out, because I’ve seen them play its songs live so many times. It’s another record I had been waiting on for years. Their first album was an absolute banger—I needed more. This record makes you wanna fucking jump like crazy from the first second to the very last: perfect guitar riffs, amazing bass lines, super hardcore drums, and lyrics that we really need to hear in times like these. The entire record is perfect; I can’t pick a single favorite song.
RATA NEGRA – Hawai LP (Sonido Muchacho)
I’m a big fan of RATA NEGRA; I pick up everything they release as soon as it’s out. They’ve established a really particular sound that I love, and they always give me exactly what I’m looking for with lyrics that tell stories you can turn into a video in your mind. There’s something very nostalgic in Violeta’s voice that is present in every song. My favorite song for sure is “Sobrepensando.”
EXO – Exo 12” (La Vida Es Un Mus)
I didn’t know if I should list this record again, ‘cause it was my favorite release of 2024. But now it’s available as a record, whereas last year it was only on cassette. I still love every second of it and wish I could always feel what I felt the first time I listened to it! So, if I have the chance to talk about it, I will take it every time I can.
MESTIZA – Ataque / Acción cassette (Polze De La Mort)
An amazing hardcore punk release from this year. I really enjoy feeling like I belong: punk made for minorities, with direct lyrics that remind me of the things we should all be talking about, and a confrontational voice that immediately caught my attention. My favorite song is “M.A.L.V.M.”
LAS ÁNIMAS DEL CUARTO OBSCURO – Las Ánimas Del Cuarto Obscuro 12″ reissue (La Vida Es Un Mus)
This is the first time I’m including something that isn’t actually new; I feel like I prefer to use this space to talk about new bands, new songs, new records. But I really want to talk about how happy I was when I heard this Mexican post-punk masterpiece was going to be reissued. It is one of my all-time favorite records, and it has been impossible to get a reasonably priced copy. So, this was for sure the record I was most happy to get this year. If you haven’t listened to it, stop everything you are doing and play this now. My favorite song will always forever be “Pueblo Fantasma.”
Erick Bradshaw
Erick Bradshaw hosts Spin Age Blasters with Creamo Coyl on WFMU. He makes music with CYANIDE TOOTH, BLANK ACCOUNT, ROGUE CHROMOSOME, and MAXIMUM ERNST. In 2025, he wrote a ton of stuff for Bandcamp Daily, also CREEM and The Wire, plus his blog, Anonymous Cave. Work continues on his book We’re Not Crazy, an oral history of the 1980s/90s NYC underground.
ARTIFICIAL GO – Musical Chairs LP (Feel It)
Recall LUDUS and I will follow you to the ends of the earth. ARTIFICIAL GO went from damn good to fucking great in the blink of an eye. Their set this past fall in the rain at 3:00 am on a cracked strip of land in the remaining wilds of Williamsburg, Brooklyn was what it’s all about, this thing that we do.
BLAMMO / RIBOFLAVIN – split LP (State Laughter)
Real cool team-up between Atlantan bands that share members (I think?). BLAMMO has a flexible, spongy sound that is like being stuck inside a daydream, possibly forever, but it’s OK, even preferred. RIBOFLAVIN is just as elastic and sly with a hook, sort of like TIMES NEW VIKING with POLVO guitars but also blatant gestures of NZ damage. Sixteen killer songs—“Dirt” into “Bird” is the hand-off of the year.
CASUAL HEX – Zig Zag Lady Illusion II LP (Youth Riot)
It may have taken seven years to deliver the sequel to this Seattle trio’s excellent 2018 debut, but their corrosive art-punk is as seductive and terrifying as ever—you will be entering the web and you will not be leaving any time soon.
THE EX – If Your Mirror Breaks LP (Ex)
There’s not much left to say (actually not true) about the Best To Ever Do It. Mammoth grooves on this one. “When I grow up / I want to be an apartment block.” Best discography in rock? It might be time to revise your list.
FUGITIVE BUBBLE – What Will Happen If We Stop? LP (Sorry State)
Rad-as-hell Tilt-A-Whirl punk rock with songs that turn on a dime, only to swing hard and fast in the other direction, one you had no idea that you wanted to go in. The beginning of “Steel Dust Mites” straight up bites SACCHARINE TRUST’s “A Human Certainty,” and I can only smile and nod approvingly.
G.I. JINX – Mind Freak LP (Celluloid Lunch / Psychic Handshake)
Brutal and sophisticated noise rock featuring a triple guitar attack and a burning desire to bum you the fuck out.
THE HAHAS AND THE BLABLAS – The Hahas and The Blablas LP (Dirty Old / Dushtu)
I got hip to this long-player about halfway through 2025, but it came out at the very outset of the year. This Croatian band plays a charming blend of garage and post-punk. They have songs about Debbie Harry (you’re cool), Andy Kaufman (you’re cool), David Icke (fuck you), and some guy named Rupert, who is an introvert.
KNOWSO – Hypnotic Smack LP (Sorry State)
For a solid decade now, these Clevo spelunkers have been digging a trench that links DEVO to A FRAMES. This one is their best yet. Helmets off.
MOLESKINE – Affective Experience of Urban Space cassette (Chrüsimüsi / Urticaria)
Part mutant disco, part no wave, part downwardly mobile bummer punk, MOLESKINE is all kindsa awesome.
NAPE NECK – The Shallowest End LP (Dot Dash Sounds / OCCII / Red Wig)
Smash, bash, crash, slash. When NAPE NECK hits, it smarts. This Leeds trio juggles polyrhythmic frenzy, shredded nerve guitar damage, plus tasteful inflections of cowbell and woodblock like a perfectly executed garnish. The vocals are like a Pilates instructor exhorting you to be less of an asshole, but poetically. A pummeling and exhilarating action painting.
Other goods:
BRAINBOMBS – Die LP (Riot Season)
Die, again, you fuck.
CHIME OBLIVION – Chime Oblivion LP (Deathgod)
Very good post-punk from a multi-generational gang of heavy-hitters including John Dwyer (OSEES, COACHWHIPS, etc.), Weasel Walter (FLYING LUTTENBACHERS, LAKE OF DRACULA, etc.), and David Barbarossa (ADAM AND THE ANTS, BOW WOW WOW, etc.). H.L. Nelly’s vocals seal the deal.
CRUELSTER – Make Them Wonder Why LP (Convulse)
Between this 21-song banger of sarcastic, jacked-up punk anthems, PERVERTS AGAIN’s The New Man LP, and the KNOWSO album (see above), this small clique of Clevo weirdos have remade “weird punk” in their rusted, spit-encrusted image.
PRISE RAPIDE – Trop Plein cassette (Dirty Slap / Yoyodyne)
Noisy, hook-filled indie punk like TRUMANS WATER and SEBADOH jamming surf mixtapes and taking turns packing the bong.
XANNY STARS – Adaptor EP (Just Because)
An old-fashioned, action-packed four-song EP from this Cleveland trio, with each song a perfect balance of quirky new wave and hooky power pop. I’m just glad this kind of thing still exists.
Archival Digs
HARDWARE – Untitled LP, 1979 LP (Dirty Knobby)
QUITE RIDICULOUS NO NSENSE – A Failure…EP (Celluloid Lunch / Sweet Rot)
ROBERT – Robert the Record LP reissue (Bunkerpop)
THE SPELLS – The Night Has Eyes LP (Garganta Press)
V/A – Promises, Promises: Borders & Mid-Wales Punk/Post-Punk (1979-83) CD (Caroline True)
Gonza Perez
Gonza Perez has been a reviewer for Maximum Rocknroll since 2022. He is a punk guitarist from Zarate, Argentina. He is part of the DIY label Discos Corrosivos, likes editing and making zines like Futurodificil, and he is also a shitworker.
2025 felt like a year of tension, erosion, and constant pressure. Living in Argentina right now means navigating uncertainty on every level—economic collapse, political cruelty disguised as reform, and a social atmosphere where solidarity is constantly tested. Punk and hardcore didn’t feel like nostalgia or style this year; it felt like survival language. I gravitated toward records that were direct, violent, and uncompromising—music that doesn’t decorate despair, but confronts it head-on. These releases didn’t offer escape; they offered clarity, rage, and a sense of alignment with everything that still feels real. This list isn’t about trends or innovation—it’s about records that hit like a blow and stayed with me throughout a year that demanded honesty and resistance. Here’s my selection in no particular order, picking from the reviews I was assigned by MRR. Punk no muere, viva el DIY.
El 2025 se sintió como un año de tensión, desgaste y presión constante. Vivir en Argentina hoy significa moverse en la incertidumbre en todos los niveles: colapso económico, crueldad política disfrazada de reforma y un clima social donde la solidaridad se pone a prueba permanentemente. El punk y el hardcore no funcionaron este año como nostalgia ni como estilo; fueron un lenguaje de supervivencia. Me acerqué a discos directos, violentos y sin concesiones—música que no maquilla la desesperación, sino que la enfrenta de frente. Estos lanzamientos no ofrecieron escape, ofrecieron claridad, bronca y una sensación de alineación con todo lo que todavía se siente real. Esta lista no trata de tendencias ni de innovación: trata de discos que golpearon como un puñetazo y acompañaron un año que exigió honestidad y resistencia. Aquí les dejo mi selección sin orden particular, realicé mis elecciones de este año desde las reseñas que me asignaron para la MRR. Punk no muere, viva el DIY.
CELL ROT – Parasite LP (Convulse)
Bay Area grindcore obliteration that never lets up. Brutal tempos, cavernous vocals, and pure concussive energy. One of the most violent and punishing punk releases of 2025.
Aplastante grindcore del Área de la Bahía que no da respiro. Ritmos brutales, voces cavernosas y energía demoledora. Uno de los lanzamientos punk más violentos y castigadores de 2025.
ENTRAPPED – Světlo Je Mrtvý LP (Phobia)
Bleak and suffocating crust punk packed with heavy riffs and an apocalyptic atmosphere. Slow-burning aggression that leaves permanent damage.
Crust punk opresivo y sombrío, cargado de riffs pesados y una atmósfera apocalíptica. Agresión lenta pero devastadora.
HARAM – Why Does Paradise Begin in Hell LP / ليش الجنة بيتبلش في الجهنم؟ LP (Toxic State)
Emotionally-charged hardcore punk fueled by displacement, anger, and resistance. Raw, urgent, and deeply personal.
Hardcore punk cargado de emoción, impulsado por el desarraigo, la bronca y la resistencia. Crudo, urgente y profundamente personal.
DEATHFIEND – Dark Rising LP (Phobia)
Ugly, feral crust punk that crawls out of the underground with no regard for comfort or trends. Pure filth and fury.
Crust punk sucio y salvaje que emerge del subsuelo sin concesiones. Pura mugre y furia.
IRON LUNG – Adapting // Crawling 12” (Iron Lung)
Precise hardcore punk executed with mechanical brutality. Clean production without losing a single ounce of aggression.
Hardcore punk de precisión ejecutado con brutalidad mecánica. Producción clara sin perder ni un gramo de agresión.
OUST – Rather Be a Fuck Up 12” (Discos Enfermos)
Chaotic D-beat punk bursting with frustration and reckless energy. Raw, fast, and absolutely unhinged.
D-beat punk caótico, cargado de frustración y energía descontrolada. Crudo, veloz y totalmente desquiciado.
GAOLED – Bestial Hardcore LP (Iron Lung / Televised Suicide)
Savage hardcore punk infused with metallic abrasion and synth noise. One of the most confrontational records of the year.
Hardcore punk salvaje con abrasión metálica y ruido sintético. Uno de los discos más confrontativos del año.
CORONARY – M.A.D.ness LP (Rad Girlfriend)
Relentless Chicago hardcore with metallic muscle and street-level anger. Riffs that pummel without mercy.
Hardcore de Chicago implacable, con músculo metálico y bronca callejera. Riffs que golpean sin piedad.
偏執症者 (PARANOID) – The Great Reset / Cycle of Contention 7” (D-Takt & Råpunk / Paranoid Northern Discs)
Raw and paranoid D-beat punk that feels like collapse in real time. Short, sharp, and devastating.
D-beat punk crudo y paranoico que suena a colapso en tiempo real. Corto, filoso y devastador.
NIGHTFEEDER – Live in Saint-Étienne LP (Kick Rock)
Pure live D-beat violence captured in its most feral form. Sweat, feedback, and non-stop aggression.
Violencia D-beat en vivo capturada en su forma más salvaje. Sudor, feedback y agresión constante.
Greg Benedetto
Greg Benedetto plays guitar in S.H.I.T. He has been putting on shows in the DIY style in Toronto for nearly twenty years.
This past year, I’ve done my best to choose hope. There is so much awful in this world—too much to innumerate now it seems—but at least we have our friends and our records. If you can, go for a walk, go to a show, spend time with people you love. These things can always help. As a drunk from Portland once famously said, “You can’t change the world, but you can change yourself.” I try not to include artists I’ve included previously, but aside from the below, full credit to excellent records from INDUSTRY, IRON LUNG, DARK THOUGHTS, HOME FRONT, BETON ARMÉ, and more.
SCHIMMEL ÜBER BERLIN – Eisenmund LP (Static Age)
Didn’t land in my headphones until November, but it’s the most-played over the last couple months. Pitch-perfect post-punk out of Berlin. KLEENEX meets KILLING JOKE is too easy a description, though not entirely false to me, an idiot. Very indebted to XMAL DEUTSCHLAND at times. Icy. Jagged guitars. Romantic, melodic, and brooding. An excellent record, top to bottom.
HEALING – Healing demo cassette (Roachleg)
Lo-fi, twisted, and damaged bedroom (squat? Las Vegas hotel?) recordings from minds involved in BOBBY WOULD, SLENDER, BLOTTER, and more. Unclear if this is a project beyond this cassette. Proof creativity and sound is enough. Friends and a beat. Heard it was part of Jason’s reconciling the death of his sibling. A beautiful collection of songs.
ENDLESS JOY – Endless Joy LP (Iron Lung)
Yes, this is effectively three-fourths of the Blinded COLD SWEAT lineup, with a fellow Seattle mainstay filling bass duties. Somehow though, Shawn seems angrier? The band feels more fierce? A blunt object converted to audio frequency. Shawn Dean is the last truly disaffected hardcore vocalist. While many dabble in the “immediate,” Dean continues to explore the terrors of humanity. Pure force, total intensity. A strain of HC much indebted to the seeds initially planted by INFEST, oft-forgotten, or disrespected, these days. The old gods remember.
PSYCH-WAR – Psychotic Warmonger LP (Agipunk)
This record sounds incredible, and is an absolute bulldozer of buzzsaw guitars and pounding drums. A record very obviously steeped in the crustier side of hardcore punk, it is unrelenting. Many bands travel this world with no riffs. Or don’t understand the spirit of DISCHARGE. PSYCH-WAR does. Maximalism with some degree of restraint. Hat-tipping to CONTRAST ATTITUDE on their latest here, as they also delivered a fine study of the dis arts this year.
AYUCABA – Operación Masacre LP (Metadona)
An absolute masterclass in thrash in the classic style. It sits tight in the pocket, where the thrash is all about intensity, with none of the overblown wankery. Each song is only a few well-crafted riffs, maybe a lead or two, with acidic vocals throughout. Perfectly unrelenting!
ALIENATOR – Meat Locker LP (Blackwater)
A widely-praised LP for good reason. ALIENATOR will be one of those bands, a decade from now, that people rip off endlessly. The 86 MENTALITY for this generation, in that they refuse to follow any of the hardcore trends, while perhaps playing hardcore better than anyone else at the moment. Spoiler described this band as a Sean Taggart drawing come to life, and he’s right. Cause for Alarm-era AGNOSTIC FRONT stylee…without the MRR beef. The painting on the cover is absolutely mental.
INMATES – Role of God LP (Iron Lung)
People will say hardcore is this or hardcore is that. When the truth is, the best hardcore is made by absolutely insane people. Case in point.
DISTURD – From the Darkside LP (Blackwater)
DISTURD has been a band for approximately twenty years, and finally, we get an easily acquirable LP in North America. The late Bill Chamberlain, in his review for this record, said he hated the name, so he put off listening to them because he knew he would love it—and so he did. Crunch, crusty, mid-tempo chug—think AMEBIX, AXEGRINDER, etc. And holy fuck, were they incredible live when we had the chance to play with them in ’24. A wicked band that needs more praise worldwide.
MOONSCAPE – 最終報復をお前に LP (self-released)
Newer bands in Tokyo don’t get as much shine over here for a number of reasons. MOONSCAPE’s latest is a deviation from their last, verging on the psychedelic, the same way Cherry’s many projects (ZOUO, DANSE MACABRE, S.H.I.) remained heavy while getting weirder and weirder. This record goes a lot of places, but closer listening is rewarded. A strange and heavy beast.
PUNTER – Australienation LP (Drunken Sailor / Televised Suicide)
A perfect blend of ’70s proto-punk aggression with hardcore’s intensity. It starts hot and never lets up an inch. An Australian band…that has bagpipes…on the first track of the LP? Take my money.
Jason Harding
Writer/Artist. Terminally bored. Insta:@jharding.andfriends
CRIMINAL ASSAULT – Criminal Assault demo cassette (Sound Grotesca)
Berserko hardcore that follows in the legendary shredding of JERRY’S KIDS, CIRCLE JERKS, and early GANG GREEN. Fast, loose, and ferocious, this tape from Texas set the bar high early in the year.
NECRON 9 – People Die LP (Unlawful Assembly)
Straight-up hardcore punk destroyer out of Milwaukee. In case you haven’t heard this yet, I’mma leave it wrapped up like a present for you to crack into freshly. And if you have heard it, you already know it’s a monster. Nasty work.
DUMBELLS – Up Late With LP (Total Punk)
I gushed about this one pretty effusively upon its release, but the glowing pop anomaly that is Up Late With Dumbells warrants a little more adulation. With a striking indie sound that draws from sparse corners of the rock realm to transcend its punk roots, the greatest crime that this tapestry of styles commits is creating an incredibly hard act to follow.
WARGAZ – Age of Steel LP (Unmatched Dominance)
Right after that foreboding War of the Worlds-ass intro ends, the raw insanity kicks in and continues across fourteen filthy tracks. This is vicious and crusty D-beat smashing with unearthly vocals, piercing solos, and a general disregard for eardrum health. If you can track a copy down, consider yourself among the worthy.
ANGEL FACE – Out in the Street LP (Slovenly)
The unstoppable Fink and his gang of veteran rock assassins serve up their strongest pack of punky power pop hits yet on this infectious LP. These guys have a charming way of pairing 1950s-like youthful innocence with a razor-sharp edge, and cutting tunes like “Leave Tonight” and “Let’s Go” had me blaring out the car speakers and drawing dirty looks at red lights. Taking the spirit of the RAYDIOS to glorious new heights, ANGEL FACE gets better with every release, and at this rate, the next one very well may result in me getting my license revoked.
ELVIS II – Thank You Very Much LP (Under The Gun)
The edge of my lip curls up into a sneer, my leg starts shaking, and suddenly I’m doing fake karate moves in the mirror. No, it’s not long COVID, I just can’t stop listening to ELVIS II! This thing slaps absolutely, fusing blown-out fuzz with addictive harmonies to send chills down the ol’ spine. Here’s hoping that the new king keeps takin’ care of business for a long time to come.
SAVE OUR CHILDREN / STUNTED YOUTH – split LP (Unlawful Assembly)
They called it a split LP, but it’s more like a giant-sized Texas hardcore team-up, featuring a full album’s worth of material from each group – a whopping 36 tracks in total. You get the storming chaos of S.O.C. on one side and the symphonic thrashing of STUNTED YOUTH on the other, and you love ‘em both. These bands are now defunct, but this record sends them off with a long, hard, drool-inducing bang.
20 MINUTES – Sucks LP (Venti3)
Twisting the timeless cool of the STOOGES into a buzzing blade of Italian punk fury, 20 MINUTES blew away most of the year’s other releases in less than twenty actual minutes with this blazing LP. A real ripper.
GLUEMAN – III cassette (VOD)
Delivering garage punk ruckus with that classic ’97 mentality, the latest GLUEMAN tape continues this Denver group’s under-the-radar winning streak. Instant classics like “Can’t Get High” and “Invisible Man” threaten to wear out your rewind button, and “Reality Hammer” finishes this bright spot of the year with a bludgeoning exclamation point.
THE ETTERS – Maken Je Hartstikke DOOD! LP (Fink City)
It’s LOLI & THE CHONES, but it’s 2025, and they’re from the Netherlands. The guitarist is Hubbs from The Stoned Age, they will pee in your mailbox, and they will make you dead!
Jason Ryan
Jason Ryan has been a reviewer for Maximum Rocknroll since 2011, taking an extended absence over the last year. He is a graphic designer, illustrator, and vocalist living in San Francisco.
HELLSHOCK – XXV 12” (Agipunk / Black Water)
The last HELLSHOCK LP was a slow burn for me, but XXV seeped into my system quicker, like a barbaric barbiturate. I’ve admired the intense personal songwriting of this band for decades, and they’ve only evolved into the most disaffected, creatively expressive version of themselves. A darker, more cosmic sound is how out-there they’re going with Todd Burdette (TRAGEDY, WARCRY, but most importantly for this comparison, NIGHTFELL) joining the ranks, complementing Brian Hopper’s thrash-crust locomotive riffs. HELLSHOCK is a Charybdis, a sinister force here. A new favorite from these stenchcore originals!
PSYCH-WAR – Psychotic Warmonger LP (Agipunk / Archaic)
If you liked A New Dawn Fades by WOLFPACK almost 30 years ago, you’re going to love Psychotic Warmonger. Bands such as PSYCH-WAR, LANGUID, DECOMP, and K.O.S. have encapsulated the heavier metallic sound, Scandinavian vevarsle as it were. Jawbreaking, divebombing, cyber-slices at times, à la AGE or SDS. Hooks recalling the NAILBITER’s Abused EP. Crust as fuck. A must that starts out traditionally heavy as hell then develops into its own unique and confident delivery, with longer playing tracks on Side B. Favorite track: “Horrendous Stressor.”
ULTIMATE DISASTER – For Progress… 12” (Grave Mistake / Kick Rock)
A blistering barrage of teeth-gritting D-beat. Hypnotic, oratorical anthems to repeating nightmares. An aural panic attack. For fans of DISCHANGE, DISASTER, GLORIOUS? Favorite track: “Mass Produced Hatred.”
EXCREMENT – Excrement LP (General Speech)
This is the discography of a crushingly distorted, obscure ’90s Japanese band, and it is the shit. I love EXCREMENT OF WAR, but this is just raw EXCREMENT. Would complement any CONFUSE, ZOUO, LSD, or CROW connoisseur’s collection. Tumbling fills and buzzing guitars smother coarse, howling, remarkably impressive vocals. That’s Sapporo’s EXCREMENT for you. Get it while it’s hot!
SUBVERSIVE RITE – Apocalypse Zone LP (Acute Noise Manufacture)
SUBVERSIVE RITE delivers with a distinct meter, and while Apocalypse Zone may be their final record, it’s their most poignant and punctuated. SUBVERSIVE RITE stands out with the rhythmic vocal delivery of ONSLAUGHT’s Power From Hell, along with the harmonizing of French doom band SHELDER. Insane instrumentals remind me of Sweden’s EXIL. There is something street-tough and mystical about SUBVERSIVE RITE, which (or witch) is contemporarily unmatched.
DESTRUCT / SVAVELDIOXID – split EP
Every top ten needs a solid split, and over the last several years, mine seem to include SVAVELDIOXID. DESTRUCT didn’t click on their initial releases, but these last few have really stood out. Scorching and anxious intensity. SVAVELDIOXID has an attack more furious than ever, and they are certainly prolific. On their last track, they cover DESTRUCT. I would love to hear more of this on collaborations, in the vein of DOOM/HIATUS. Classic mängel in the style of DISFEAR, DISCARD, TOTALITÄR—this split is where it’s at.
INDUSTRY – Industry LP (La Vida Es Un Mus)
Tundral wasteland-inspired, anti-militant marching punk akin to the late ’70s/early ’80s emerging anarcho-punk scene or the rise of industrial crust. Cold, somber, reverberant, and poetic love letters from a post-punk band to a perpetually post-war-era world.
CRUDITY – The Total End Discography LP (De:Nihil)
It is imperative that you get this collection if you have any interest in ’80s hardcore or Swedish käng. Firstly, CRUDITY recordings are sparse and expensive. Secondly, members went on to form the legendary MOB 47. You need this on your turntable; as I say this as vehemently as I recommended the AGONI discography from DeNihil Records a couple years ago. A calamity of drums collapsing, guitars sizzling, and bass gurgling. Pulverizing hardcore at twice the normal speed. I have always been in awe of the sounds coming out of Europe and Scandinavia, from the time I was tripping over my shoelaces on the hopscotch pavement to now, when I’m an old man.
PAROLE E AZIONI – Guarda Come Balla LP (Detriti)
Urgent EDM synth time! I was introduced to PAROLE E AZIONI after I saw CES CADAVERES in 2019. Detriti Records had the novel idea of making rare demos attainable by pressing them as a split LP, featuring bands continents away from each other. Anyway, PAROLE E AZIONI shared one of those splits. This, their second LP, is everything I love about early ’80s European new wave, with its buoyant almost country-Western bounce, followed by aggressive compositions with raw, DISCHARGE-like tempos and primitive electronic body music. I find this band grooving, awkwardly pheromonic, addictive, gothically irreverent, and I don’t even like techno.
DISTURD – From the Darkside LP (Black Water)
I don’t own this record, yet, but I love what I’ve heard, the band’s earlier material, and I know Bill Chamberlain reviewed it for MRR and we love Bill. Play loud (“at your next party”) for Bill!
AYUCABA – Operación Masacre LP (Metadona)
I don’t own this record either, but what I’ve heard means it! So, it needs a quick mention. From the evil metallic fathoms of FARMACO, to the maniacal chaos of INYECCION, this is a sharp-toothed, caustic expression of speed punk!
Anarcho-Punk: Music and Resistance in London 1977-1988, Expanded Edition book by David Insurrection (Earth Island)
This is the most immersive recollection of the DIY punk scene in the UK I’ve seen. Part memoir, part objective description, we are transported to the squats, gigs, and more intimately to the intentions and tribulations that lit a spark of many sentiments that echo through today in forms of activism, music, art, solidarity and involvement. An inviting and interesting read that doesn’t gush or hyperbolize. Punk, real, and fascinating storytelling.
Tony Party
I’ve been reading MRR since the mid-’80s, and have recently decided to write about what I think of the things coming in.
The first five of my top ten are things I was assigned to review that ended up in my steady rotation. I’ve always liked it when reviewers could reflect back on their year of critique and pull out their highlights from a forced feeding vs. finding out about something from a pal. This isn’t to say that these five are my top for 2025 as a whole, but rather exclusively pulled from the Tony Party MRR cyber pages. The second five are things I had picked up that never made it into the review section but, I believe, would have fit in nicely.
Top five records I reviewed this year (these are excerpts from my reviews, read the full things here):
- 504 PLAN – DCxPC Live & Dead, Vol. 6 LP (DCxPC)
504 PLAN, from DC, picks up where DOUBLE O, DEADLINE, ARTIFICIAL PEACE, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, and LÜNCH MEAT left off in the ’80s. Lyrically, this is focused on issues that directly impact their lives, such as the poor DC school system, accommodations for students with disabilities, and the doomed thoughts of having to decide your life’s path before you are even close to adulthood and with limited life experience. - V/A – Calgary Calling LP (Sketchy)
Calgary Calling has everything from art-punk, punk, math rock, SoCal riffs, indie, ’90s DC-core, riot grrrl, and hardcore, which means there is something on here you’ll certainly be turned onto.
- DEMMERS / THE TRUE FAITH – split 7” (Council)
The TRUE FAITH recalls 1985–1990 CURE, TALK TALK’s “It’s My Life,” FLOCK OF SEAGULLS’ “Space Age Love Song,” or those first few HUMAN LEAGUE LPs. The DEMMERS side is more of a 1981–1983 CURE vibe, starting from the first rhythmic bass through to the very last ringing guitar note. Both songs could easily slide into any mid-’80s mixtape that your art school friend recorded off their college radio station, and I say that in the best, most delightful way possible.
- POWER PANTS – PP7 cassette (Knuckles On Stun)
For me, this checks all of the right boxes: sounds like it’s recorded in a bucket at the bottom of a well under 3/16” of water, they got a keyboard down there, the SPITS and LUMPY & THE DUMPERS botched a cloned baby experiment, could be on Total Punk or Goner Records, bouncy like some and creepy like others, and on and on.
- V/A – This Is It… LP (Back Ache)
Put simply, this is the Midwest at its absolute best. It’s styled as a variety of underground hardcore and punk, with multiple songs by bands to let you know that quality control and intent is paramount to the label that put this out. With seven bands, and six of them having multiple songs, this comp does its best to hack a path to uncover that raw nerve dry socket of the Great Lakes region.
Five 2025 releases I dug that I didn’t review (in alphabetical order):
BIG LIFE – Cost of Progress 12” (self-released)
BIG LIFE is outta Detroit but pulls from DC’s SWIZ, early DAG NASTY, and maybe some of those Boston ’80s melodic hardcore bands…but toss in a horn and keyboard once in a while to elevate the entire record. Powerful, interesting, melodic hardcore seems hard to come by these days, but dang, duder! This thingamabob is powerful. You have eight songs and three different covers to choose from. Please go make that choice now.
DISSENT – Epitome of Democracy + Rarities 2xLP (Rabbit Rabbit!)
DISSENT was an MRR sweetheart band in the mid-’80s/early ’90s that combined interesting song structures, insightful lyrics, and included a bunch of great and highly passionate, well-liked people. Although I have all of these tracks, I was most excited to get them all in one place. This meant no more digging for the Very Small Records 10”, MRR’s They Don’t Get Paid, They Don’t Get Laid, But Boy Do They Work Hard! comp, the Hippycore 7” comp, or their Expression EP. This 2xLP comes on four different color choices of vinyl and includes an informative book. I first learned that Dissent guitarist Bob, his girlfriend, and their two dogs were killed by a drunk driver from the Very Small Records ad in MRR #108. The ad had a photo of Bob with the news and I still remember the conclusive impact of reading those words.
JEFFERY BLVD & THE MAIN DRAG – Manhattan Baby EP (!HQ?)
This record is a couple folks from CHARLES BRONSON, SOCIAL COMA, DAS OATH, HOLY MOLAR, GOODBYE WORLD, MK ULTRA, and a million other bands doing power pop and glam so well, you’d think it was Canadian.
NO SYMPATICO – Vandalize Your Mind digital (self-released)
To me, this has a very South West Michigan quality to it, wherein pulling in the middle from Detroit and Chicago you get this awkward despair and clarity that can only make a record this great. Elements of the CRUCIFUCKS, NOMEANSNO, musically but the lyrical feelings somewhat like taking a walk on a wooded trail and just as you’re starting to decompress from the day’s shit and you start feel good about things, you see somebody’s hamburger wrapper next to their Pepsi bottle they discarded trailside, and you get angry and start wishing a comet was a little closer to wipe us all out and leave the smart phones and flatscreens for the roaches and scorpions to divvy up.
PIG RIDES – These People Are Not Your Friends cassette (Color and Time Tonight)
Considering this contains folks from bands like KILL THE HIPPIES, SOCKEYE, MUZZLE, PILL TIME, TV DRUGS, and WILD WINGS, you think you’d know what this is all about, but you’d be mostly wrong and super delighted to find out that this translucent pink cassette plants their flag firmly in the POISON IDEA/NEGATIVE APPROACH camp, with a precision and wall of sound that almost mirrors MINISTRY’s “Stigmata.”
Teodoro Hernández
Teodoro Hernández hace el programa de radio Hardcore Radikal y el fanzine Eskupe al alkalde.
COTGRAVE – Never Believe! EP (Autoeditado)
Diez temas emocionantes en un disco de 7”. Pareciera que desde 2019, el año en el que editaron su demo, hubieran dedicado cada hora de su vida al compromiso con el hardcore crudo, que por otra parte llevan tocando durante décadas en bandas como VOÇO PROTESTA, KONTRAŬEKZISTO, o CROCODILE SKINK. COTGRAVE han asumido la gran responsabilidad de gritar con justicia y determinación, contra el capitalismo y sus crímenes.
SKYGGESIDEN – Detoner EP (Fucking North Pole)
Sus demo de 2024 estaba bien, pero este disco es realmente agresivo y con un sonido mucho más afilado. Lo que escuchamos en cada una de sus ocho tonadas es la no-evolución del hardcore noruego. No contemplan parar su furia ni cuando bajan la velocidad. Las letras no entiendo de qué hablan: demonios digitales por aquí, corazones de silicona por allá, vida de rata…son unos bandidos SKYGGESIDEN.
TRAIDORA – Una Mujer Trans Sin País LP (La Vida Es Un Mus)
Hace unas horas una amiga me avisa de una grave agresión, un apuñalamiento contra la guitarrista y una paliza contra le batería de esta banda. Definitivamente las vidas de les disidentes de género no le importan al patriarcado más cruel. TRAIDORA tocan y escupen la música más furiosa del año, un ruido y una existencia que se niega a ser víctima de la precariedad y la coacción. Un disco con un mensaje solidario que ampara a les rechazades y les oprimides.
LAMPREA EXPLOSIVA – Anarquía de Montaña cassette (Caracol Negro)
Su cantar es gallego, su toque frenético, su necesidad la ecología, su sonido el del bosque y su negación a la sociedad industrializada. Esta cinta es maravillosa. ¡Conspirar, atacar, pelexar, golpear—y a bailar!
LA NIÑA DEL KAOS – La Molestia Continúa digital (Autoeditado)
“Al presidente hay que meterle un tiro” es una canción que se debía haber escrito antes del año 2025, pero nadie lo hizo. “Me pinté las uñas y mi padre me pegó porque me dijo eso es de maricón” es una de las muchas embestidas que podemos escuchar en esta grabación excesiva en exabruptos antiautoritarios. No me puedo creer que incluir teclados en cada una de estas canciones de punk crudísimo podría ser buena idea. “Muchos punkis de derechas nos andan diciendo travestis de mierda,” que tengan cuidado esos punks.
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UNIDAD IDEOLÓGICA – Choque Ideológico LP (La Vida Es Un Mus)
Cuando comienza a sonar el disco en Bogotá, el agua que hay en todos los pantanos que construyó Franco en este país de mierda hierve como la lava de un volcán y rompe todos los muros de contención. Este es un deseo que si nos pusiéramos de acuerdo los/as/es punks y toda la fuerza trabajadora mundial podría materializarse y desbordar al sistema. Ciertamente este artefacto tiene una potencia arrolladora.
ABISM – Barbie Terminator EP (Toxic State)
Suena destartalado y acertado, suena a una defecación del mejor y más genuino ritmo Dis, pero circula por caminos menos explorados y por las sendas que le da la gana a la banda. Nadie puede decir que esto no sea el alimento más nutritivo para el punk. No hay paz, ¿cuantos niños van a ser aplastados por la guerra? Rompe la televisión, la normalidad y su cabeza.
LAKRA – Desconocimiento General EP (Abismo Sonoro / Little Jan’s Hammer / Metadona)
Es el disco estatal que más me ha gustado este año, por decir algo. Me enfada soberanamente que los menos de diez minutos ocupen tanto plástico. Si estas encrespadas canciones estuvieran en un disco de siete pulgadas sería un mejor artilugio. He pensado en mandar estas letras a la papelera por eso, pero no puedo. Hardcore antisocial de Mallorca, continuando una legendaria saga de enojo, disgusto y turismofobia.
NO FUCKER – Annihilate Your Desperation EP (No Real Music)
NO FUCKER – Are You Really So Afraid EP (No Real Music)
Los de Útica son la savia del ritmo Dis. Agradezco enormemente estos dos fabulosos discos. Seguimos en un tiempo en el que la guerra y sus responsables deben ser aniquilados antes de que nosotros perdamos la vida y el ruido. En uno de dos los plásticos hipertrofian el legado de DISCHARGE y en el otro vuelven al principio, acariciando su joven, pero tonificada musculatura. Admirable.
TA2REEBAN – صاحب الموتور بيستند عليكن cassette (A World Divided)
Los administradores de los estados y del dinero nos han dicho que solo nos queda la mansedumbre ante su dominación, que no hay salida. TA2REEBAN se carcajean, son la larga serpiente del hardcore que se dilata y encoje, se ondula y desliza a conveniencia; y cuando la oportunidad aparece, muerde e inocula su veneno. Un tóxico que seca el egoísmo y la individualidad, pero también una pócima que estimula el crecimiento de la solidaridad y los olivos. Viva Palestina libre de cualquier estado.
ACTIVE MINDS – Things That Cannot Be Unseen LP (Loony Tunes)
En España llevamos todo el 2025 celebrando el año jubilar de ACTIVE MINDS con su gira y su nuevo disco. Después de cuarenta años y decenas de ediciones, demuestran que el punk puede seguir construyendo grandes canciones con contenido radical y honestidad. Ya no se quitan la camiseta en directo, pero siguen siendo la banda más sexi de nuestra comunidad. Deseo mucha salud y larga vida a los hermanos Dixon.
Anexo:
Ha sido realmente difícil dejar fuera ediciones de sellos tan interesantes como General Speech, Roachleg o las cassettes del sello Ragdoll. Fueron discos increíbles los de DESTRUXIÓN AMÉRICA, ZYCLONE, EXPLOATÖR, BOMBARDEMENT, THE MASSACRED, PSICO GALERA, ULTIMATE DISASTER, AMERETAT, HARAM, KALEIDOSCOPE, NÃO, PLASMA O LONDON CLAY. Las cintas de FÖRGÖR, SHITCONTROL, YELLOWCAKE, SISTEMA DE MUERTE, o La Juventud Perdida de ITALONOLLI son muy recomendables. Y me ha conmovido leer mensajes solidarios con las presas de Filton 24 en los discos de The Social y Nuclear Fear.
Tremendo Garaje
This world is shit, largely because we’ve all handed power to a bunch of idiots…and if everyone’s pissed-off, how could there not be good punk?
LIIEK – Living in a Fiction LP (Adagio830)
Berlin’s LIIEK returns with a third album that shatters expectations and pushes German post-punk into almost inhuman territory. There’s zero fat here: oblique rhythms stretched to the limit, bass lines crafted under Kubrick’s perfectionist tension parameters, and a razor-edged guitar wielded with neurosurgical precision, pumping pure tension straight to the skull and all topped off with abrupt, aggressive lyrics fired from a nailgun.
CRUELSTER – Make Them Wonder Why LP (Convulse)
Anyone who’s even vaguely familiar with my obsessions knows that I’ve been hooked on these Clevo weirdos since day one. PERVERTS AGAIN, KNOWSO, the CARP, and, of course, the savage CRUELSTER, a band setting the record straight in a unique, twisted way. This time, they’ve pushed themselves further with an insanely raw all-killer-no-filler punk blast, where hardcore meets jagged angles in perfect proportions.
CITRIC DUMMIES – Split With Turnstile LP (Feel It)
Of course, this isn’t some split with TURNSTILE, and these three bastards didn’t pay tribute to HÜSKER DÜ’s Zen Arcade last year. We’re talking about the DUMMIES—true Midwest champions, a Minneapolis chaos crew with class, grit, attitude, and enough twisted humor to do whatever the hell they want. No one comes close. Forget that “love them or hate them” crap—if you don’t worship CITRIC DUMMIES, you have got a serious problem!
ARSE – Complete LP (Erste Theke Tonträger)
Maybe not a straight-up 2025 release, but the long-awaited European tour and the urgent need for a proper 12″ from one of Sydney’s rawest, wildest, darkest punk bands made it an inevitable pick. Mannheim’s ever-reliable Erste Theke Tonträger delivers Complete, a must-have, all-killer-no-filler collection, gathering every release to date from a band that should already be burned into your damaged brains. Total Mannheim mayhem.
MARAUDER – Flaschenträger LP (Feel It / Kakakids / Red Wig)
No noise for noise’s sake. Every sound has intent; every gap holds weight. Flaschenträger walks between post-punk and art-punk—disciplined yet instinctive, abstract yet physical. Guitars sketch in hard angles, synths carve air, and the rhythm drives forward with mechanical grace. Repetition becomes architecture, structure becomes emotion. Nothing spills over. Nothing feels missing. MARAUDEUR doesn’t chase chaos, they sculpt it, turning restraint into rebellion.
THE EDUCATED FOOLS – Tantric Decapitation: 69 Minutes of Trichotomy and Liquefaction 2xLP (Total Punk)
Beers, LSD, maybe white Russians. If the Cohen brothers ever made a Big Lebowski sequel, the EDUCATED FOOLS could score the Dude’s world instead of CREEDENCE, and no one would freak. Yeahhh! The EDUCATED FOOLS, a.k.a. RETAILS SIMPS, that scrappy low-budget band has restored our faith in rock‘n’roll—raw, basic, extravagant, lysergic. Rock’n’roll has been waiting for a band like this.
ARTIFICIAL GO – Musical Chairs LP (Feel It)
After Hopscotch Fever, one of last year’s most peculiar and quietly assured debuts, this Cincinnati trio remains in a constant state of grace. Instrumentally, they are amazing—they’ve maintained their angular minimalism while crafting better and tighter songs. Lively, elastic rhythms are driven by groove-heavy bass lines, while acoustic riffs evoke the CLEAN’s sublime jangles, punctuated by touches of sax and keys, all reaching their peak in lyrics delivered with the divine, off-kilter lilt of Su Tissue.
ALLEY GIRL – “Peregrine Rambler” digital (self-released)
With the irresistible charm of a captivating FRANCE GALL, drifting from Eastern Europe to the California coast, powerfully shaped by a Nuggets-era spark of early psychedelia and the baroque pop of the ’60s—imagine ARTHUR LEE or Pet Sounds—and charged with a relentless DIY underground magnetism.
THE GNOMES – I Like It EP (self-released)
In just one year, the GNOMES have gone from a teen’s bedroom project to a full band that doesn’t just evoke the spirit of ’60s garage-beat, but produces it genetically. Distorted guitars, mono sound, and that same acid teenage energy channeling the chaotic precision of the early KINKS and the EASYBEATS. It’s as if a wormhole had dropped them straight from a live set at London’s Cavern Club or Sydney’s Oxford Tavern. Their debut album was released in November on Melbourne’s Dog Meat and Grown Up Grown!, but in January, back when the GNOMES were still just the solo project of a scrappy young Frankston kid, this amazing four-track EP came out to pull us right into the GNOMES’ world.
REHASH NEU KLANG – War Crimes & Love Songs 12” (Mangel)
Nervy, razor-sharp post-punk with a snarling new wave pulse that recalls WIRE, a more pissed-off GANG OF FOUR, and the art-punk funk of TALKING HEADS. There’s a clear nod to German roots, even though the band is Belgian, all wrapped in a raw, no-frills punk attitude that stays fully intact while embracing its unapologetically danceable edge.
Reissue of the year:
ROBERT – Robert The Record LP reissue (Bunkerpop)
A dadaistic spoken-word masterpiece that avoids being chaotic thanks to the rhythm section’s insanely masterful groove, capable of restraining the whims of an anarchically bratty guitar. The album is crafted by a collective who would have been too self-absorbed to seek inspiration in the FALL’s Grotesque (After the Gramme), proving that whichever muse who served as Mark E. Smith’s inspiration must have gotten around.
Special mention:
SCIENCE MAN – Monarch Joy LP (Swimming Faith)Special mention to John Toohill and Lindsay Tripp for honoring the DIY ethos once more. Conceived from the outset as a multi-part whole on vinyl and VHS—Toohill, a Buffalo weirdo visionary, delivers the latest evolution of his ultra-fierce project SCIENCE MAN: muscular, jagged, skronky, and unhinged hardcore like nothing you’ve experienced before. But the addition of Tripp’s creative talent for crafting the surreal images for this dystopian VHS journey really pushes zero-budget DIY to its absolute limit with astonishing results.
Viktor Vargyai
Viktor Vargyai plays in NORMS, BALTA, and ÇAYÎR, rarely books local gigs, randomly makes zines, and does a bi-weekly show about punk for local community radio.
BARCELONA – KE PASA digital (self-released)
I remember when BARCELONA seemed to be the biggest band in the world within a tiny bubble of hardcore maniacs. We tend to have fantasies about uncovered hardcore relics: amazing demos and recordings of known and unknown bands. The idea of digging through a subculture is based on the exact fantasy that there is more. Learning that BARCELONA had an unreleased album’s worth of songs was a manifestation of fantasy and one of the biggest surprises of the year. The production is pretty limited due to the band losing the recordings before being able to mix and master them, but it’s still much better than many legendary tape-only rehearsal room recordings. The music is raw and unbridled, hardcore radikal, not artsy and never boring. Again, there is a whole fucking new BARCELONA album on the internet, and, guess what, it’s fucking great.
ABISM – Barbie Terminator EP (Toxic State)
ABISM is one of my current favorite bands. I was excited for this new EP, and it does not disappoint. Ripping off LENNY KRAVITZ and still sounding like a mix of DISCHARGE singles and trippy VELVET UNDERGROUND guitar knotting—these are such contradictory moves, it’s a marvel that they were able to balance them at all, let alone write the best record of the year. Such a great band.
LAKRA – Desconocimiento General EP (Abismo Sonoro / Little Jan’s Hammer / Metadona)
Great raw punk from Mallorca with a bit of Propaganda Records-era Finnish hardcore influences. Melodic but raspy, hardcore punk without any added bullshit and gimmick. It’s just sick music that sticks in my rotation and I did not get bored of it.
KORRUPTIO – Tuhon Jäljet cassette (Raw Rat Produzioni)
What is this? Proto-grindcore? Hardcore without finely executed blastbeats? Whatever it is, it reminds me of the chaos of SORTO, with its hectic yet simple songs and nonsense, full-speed ahead into a dead-end street mentality. It is falling apart in a right way, avoiding being machine-like, hyper-fast music that is usually just as exciting as listening to industrial buildings buzz. This is lively, it’s human.
RIGOROUS INSTITUTION – Tormentor 12” (Roachleg)
This year I was jamming the Spiderleg catalogue on frequent rotation, so I guess I got closer to understanding where RIGOROUS INSTITUTION is coming from, even if I already loved their previous output. But now I get the lone riffing to howling wind in the middle of the record and really appreciate their slower tempo and gloomy atmosphere. This could be called “castle crust” were it not so timeless or authentically outside of time.
SCHIRCHE OIDE live
SCHIRCHE OIDE’s demo tape should have made my previous YETT. Luckily, I saw them this year, and they were great. It’s accidental noisecore, just like they sounded on tape. Having young people in bands is the best thing in hardcore. I have been enthusiastic about two similar chaotic youngsters called MPSS and KETAMIN in my scene. Neither of them have actual records yet, but seeing people playing awesome, radical hardcore punk was a great experience throughout this year.
R.I.P. Arto.
Yoni Kroll
Yoni is a freelance music reporter, college radio DJ, and Philadelphia-based punk ne’er-do-well.
We love to define punk in the most shining, positive terms: community, radical politics, acceptance, joy. But while it is certainly all those things, it’s also being at the 1:00 am generator show and realizing that the most wasted person there is also the one with the homemade flamethrower—they’re standing right next to you, of course—and feeling the kind of giddy terror that can only come from bad decisions. What we do is secret, yes, but it’s also incredibly stupid.
Hi everyone! Welcome to my top releases of 2025, focused as always on the best city in the world, Philadelphia. It has certainly been a miserable twelve months but, you know, what else is new. At least there’s lots of great music to listen to! So without further ado:
CARNIVOROUS BELLS – Beacons In Limbo LP (Human Headstone Presents)
Philly’s finest art-punk combo has somehow gotten even better. Noisy, weird, and the best combination of wild jazzy post-punk and aggressive, in-your-face hardcore.
COMMITMENT – Commitment demo cassette (self-released)
Super fast hardcore that borders on powerviolence, a vocalist who sounds like they just might shank you, members of SOUL GLO and BACKSLIDER—what else do you need?! I mean, except for a full-length, which will be coming in 2026.
CONDUMB – Disassociation EP (Stupid Bag)
It’s almost rude how CONDUMB manages to sound so catchy while playing ridiculously maniacal raw punk. This is just amazing stuff from a collection of very talented musicians, including members of DARK THOUGHTS, POISON RUÏN, K.O.S., and SHEER MAG. It’s also important to note that the art on this is by the brilliant Ryan Fromdeland, who sadly passed away this year. He will be forever missed.
DARK THOUGHTS – Highway to the End LP (Stupid Bag)
Yet another great platter from these total RAMONES-core sweethearts. DARK THOUGHTS have been around for more than a decade and every record is better than the last. Find me up front, losing my mind for hopefully many years to come.
THE DISSIDENTS / D.O.V.E. – A Better World split LP (Grow Your Own Records)
R.I.P. Bill Chamberlain. One of the most influential punks of the last few decades—the PIST, AUS-ROTTEN, CAUSTIC CHRIST, the BROOD, etc. etc.—and just the nicest dude. His absence is felt so strongly both here in Philly and across the world. These final recordings with the DISSIDENTS make for some of the best stuff the peace punk band put out. Not to mention the series of Gaza fundraiser comps put together by him and his partner Rachel—two MRR shitworkers, which rules—have been absolutely crucial for so many reasons.
EARLY GRAVE – Sewer Baby Eaten By Worms cassette (self-released)
Do you like INDIGESTI? How about early C.O.C. and YDI? If you answered yes to any of those…well, you know what to do. Thrashing punk from the freaks who brought you REEK MINDS, BLANK SPELL, PHANTOM, and more.
ERASER – Hideout LP (Siltbreeze)
That ERASER made us wait two years before finally put out their debut was honestly pretty messed up. But that’s okay, I forgive them. This is some incredibly catchy, weird, and fun no wave/post-punk. That it was released on the legendary Siltbreeze label—the DEAD C, U.S. GIRLS, TIMES NEW VIKING, VENOM P. STINGER—is the icing on the cake.
FUCKIN’ LOVERS – Crucifixion of the Masses EP (General Speech)
Five tracks of perfectly bonkers Japanese-style noise punk. This makes my tinnitus sound so good!
MISANTHROPES – Misanthopes demo cassette (self-released)
I love MISANTHROPES cause they are a bunch of too-smart-for-their-own-good misfit idiots who love punk more than life itself. Same, girl! This demo is chock-full of just the tastiest hardcore riffs and the kind of breakdowns that’ll make you boogie. Members of ZIG-ZAG and EIGHTBALL, who also put good stuff out this year.
SMARTHEARTS – Not Forgotten LP (Stupid Bag)
The first release from Philadelphia’s power pop stalwarts in seven years, and Goddamn is it good. This hits all the right notes: the music is sweet, the lyrics are poignant, and the whole thing is just such a delight to listen to.
Honorable Mentions
Can’t stop at ten, so let’s get to some other Philly releases from this year that you should check out:
CHAINED BLISS – Out of Touch cassette (Stupid Bag)
This kinda MASSHYSTERI/WIPERS/Dirtnap-core sound is admittedly catnip to me. On this, their third release, the band continues to show they are the masters of their craft.
DISAPPEARANCES – Harrowgate LP (Council)
Members of KILL THE MAN WHO QUESTIONS, HIRS, and more bring you chaotic and supremely heavy hardcore that draws on that history while also not sounding like some sort of nostalgia trip.
PEN16 – Magic Touch cassette (Dead Broke)
Philly has a new region-rock-style group! Super fun, poppy songs with perfectly sardonic lyrics. It’s fantastic. Also: album art of the year? Definitely.
SWEEPERS – Sweepers LP (Abandon Everything)
I don’t mind a gimmick band, especially when it’s clever and done well. This cleaning-themed art-punk four-piece checks all those boxes: the joke is funny and quite weird, and the songs sound like a mix of GOD IS MY CO-PILOT, ALICE DONUT, and the DEAD MILKMEN. No sleep, yes sweep!
THE III – Dig Your Own Grave cassette (Roachleg)
Will from POISON RUÏN and pals channeling their best late ’80s/early ’90s Greg Sage. The music is obviously great and the whole thing feels just wonderfully unhinged, delivered with a “no way everything is totally cool!” wink and a laugh, which makes it even better.
TVO – All Aboard Choo Choo Fuck You LP (Future Shock)
This is a real banger. Just straight-up rock’n’roll riffs x 1000. They played all of four shows this year, and I saw none of them, but fingers crossed for 2026!
Zuzanna Villanueva
Zu From All Over has been an active contributor to Maximum Rocknroll for 78 fortnights, producing a radio show for MRR Radio out of her home in Portland, Oregon.
This decade is half-over and starting to define itself, so now’s the time to make moves. I love you all very much.
HOME FRONT – Watch It Die LP (La Vida Es Un Mus)
I’m honored to say that I’ve been watching this great band for the past four years and have seen them somehow get better and better. In 2025, they’ve managed to sonically create three-dimensional visuals, projecting a story of death and the inevitable rebirth that follows. Their experience as songwriters and soundscapers has really come into focus. They’re in ring shape, and I think this is their first big triumph (first of many).
FRANKIE AND THE WITCH FINGERS – Trash Classic LP (Greenway / The Reverberation Appreciation Society)
FRANKIE and the fellas find a comfortable slot in danceable, polychromatic punk that really does kick ass, but then they slowly start to warp it. They’ve built a DEVO/GANG OF FOUR humanoid hybrid whose circuits are slowly melting internally, drowned it in battery acid, and plugged into a wet electrical socket. Put this record directly into your head—it’s amazing.
SUTRAS – The Crisis of Existence cassette (Tomb Tree)
Tidal waves of post-rock but with shouting vocals that demand to be heard just as much (post-rock is a subgenre of punk rock, y’all—don’t forget that). Beautiful and thoughtful songwriting standing shoulder-to-shoulder with …AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD, emphatic like FUCKED UP, with beautifully simple, EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY-esque soaring guitars. I’m honestly really surprised bands don’t shoot for the moon with a sound like this more. Hearing big cathartic music like this, it makes sense that a caterwaul of shouting vocals would burst from your lungs.
VISUAL LEARNER – Greg LP (Bloated Kat / Salinas)
Midwesterners know how to come of age, or at least know how to paint that backdrop effectively. This maturing of hardcore usually puts the emphasis on growing from hardcore, but the Greg LP feels more like mature well-traveled storytellers returning to their collective shithead years and bringing the confidence that comes with wisdom (plus pop and melodic sensibilities) back into hardcore. They’re speakin’ my language from two different directions. Even at this age, I can appreciate a good sit-down with people that have been there.
TENTÁCULO – Va a Pasar Algo LP (Andalucia Über Alles / Colilla / Malditos Vinilos / Mutant / Nunca Nada)
It’s like someone describing what they see in the shape of a cloud weirdly accurately, and it’s surprisingly polished for a band that you can tell thrives in small rooms and local stages. Very full and rich for a lean 29-minute full-length (complimenting the simple black-and-white cover art). They get their full message across in only the span of a single train ride. Listen to it next to a window; it’ll make the outside world more engaging.
CÖSMIC PSYCHÖS – I Really Like Beer LP (Subway)
Ya know, I really needed a simple, fun moment of mental rest this year. This record is just that (complete with an eight-freakin’-minute rager simply about liking beer)! Breezy, sleazy bar rawk mixed with thick and heavy punk, like the needle is all the way to the punk end of the MOTÖRHEAD meter. It’s just a fun stupid afternoon at the bar laughing and bullshitting with strangers. Thank you CÖSMIC PSYCHÖS for giving me a fun break from everything. Get one on my tab and here’s a buck for the tip.
DENEVÉR – Economía Doméstica LP (Abraxas Audio)
Another fantastically eccentric Hungarian punk rock record. A great blend of weird, wobbly electronics and multilingual humanity. Actually, throughout the whole thing, you can never really tell what’s a chorus-y, pulsing machine and what’s got a ventricular heartbeat. The perfect intersection of goth, post-punk, darkwave, industrial; it’s a gyrating alien with earth under its fingernails. In fact, if aliens ever do come to earth, we should totally send them to the Budapest scene first so the culture shock won’t be so bad.
GONIES – Gonies cassette (Kaleidoscopic)
Lots and lots of colors here, but it’s more like chucking water balloons full of paint at a wall than a pretty picture. They can’t seem to land on what kind of awesome they want to be, so they include calculated indie rock, soulful post-punk, and absolute wild, warbly, brick-throwing iridescent punk rawk. I guess chill cuties can be straight-up ass-kickers, too.
ZERO AZÚCAR – Zero Azúcar LP (Absolute Contempt / Andalucia Über Alles / Distribuidora Soroll / Inhumano / La Agonía De Vivir / Pifia / Producciones Tudancas / Vox Populi)
Imagine putting sunglasses directly onto music. It’s cool on cool. It’s a retro take on retro that’s from the future. It’s a refurbished convertible jalopy hovercraft cruzin’ with blown-out speakers setting off car alarms. It’s guaranteed to make you cool just by listening to it. It’s…cool. Cool cool cool.
HARAM – ليش الجنة بيتبلش في الجهنم؟ Why Does Paradise Begin in Hell LP (Toxic State)
There’s a surprising amount of sunshine on this record, especially for something that at times rains down a lot of harrowing darkness. Incorporating hardcore, crossover, post-punk, post-metal, necessity, pleading, pummeling, tumbling, importance, it’s a sermon brought out of the underground and a record that incorporates everything under the sun. If there’s one album you take with you from 2025, this is the most important one.
Top Ten 2025 YETTs
Yes, your eyes may be bleeding from reading all these Top Tens, but you can’t stop now! You’ve yet to find out who topped all of our Top Tens collectively. Fortunately, we’ve got you covered, and we can convey this information to you via the punkest of mediums: graphs!
Once again, we had a ton of folks submitting Top Tens this year—45 to be exact! And I, Alex, the sicko who coordinates these lists, decided to log every selection (including honorable mentions) from every contributor in a spreadsheet. So, let’s see what shakes out. Here’s 2025’s Top Tens by the numbers.
We had about 530 selections, representing around 335 artists and 270 labels. 62% of selections were LPs/12”s, 14% were EPs/7”s, 19% were cassettes, and 5% were everything else (books, 10”s, CDs, show attendances, etc.)—last year’s splits were 64% / 16% / 17% / 3%.
Top Ten Releases from 2025’s Top Tens
Releases mentioned as one of the contributors’ main selections received a full point, while honorable mentions received a half point. I was worried that giving honorable mentions a half point when so few people included them on their list this year might skew the data, but I tried a variety of things and the end results were all roughly the same. So, I kept it at a half point for aesthetic reasons. While I’m certain that almost no one cares about the details, I just want to make it clear that I ain’t juicing the numbers!
I think the most interesting thing is that there were no real juggernauts like in previous years (last year STRAW MAN ARMY’s Earthworks LP was on 14 lists!).
- ARTIFICIAL GO – Musical Chairs LP (Feel It)
NAPE NECK – The Shallowest End LP (Dot Dash Sounds / OCCII / Red Wig) - NECRON 9 – People Die LP (Unlawful Assembly)
- MARAUDER – Flaschenträger LP (Feel It / Kakakids / Red Wig)
- COLD MEAT – Cake and Arse Party EP (Static Shock)
CRUELSTER – Make Them Wonder Why LP (Convulse) - ERASER – Hideout 12″ (Siltbreeze)
THE EX – If Your Mirror Breaks LP (Ex)
AYUCABA – Operación Masacre LP (Metadona)
HARAM – Why Does Paradise Begin in Hell / ليش الجنة بيتبلش في الجهنم؟ LP (Toxic State)
Top Ten Labels Featured in 2025’s Top Tens
First and foremost, the “label” that was featured most in our lists was self-released. It’s easy, it’s cheap—go and do it!
In the past couple of years, I used a three axes graph to show 1) the number of unique lists a label appeared on, 2) the total count of appearances (accounting for my honorable mention scoring), and 3) the total number of unique releases our lists included for those labels. I didn’t want to rehash the same visualizations this year, and my co-editors had the great idea of trying do something with crust pants. I tried waaaaay too hard for waaaay too long to be mathematically accurate in my visualization and honor each of the three axes I list above. Fortunately, sanity prevailed, and I ended up just saying, “Fuck it, you’re literally the only person who would know or care—just eyeball it!” So, very roughly speaking, the size of the patch represents the prevalence of these labels in our lists. I included the actual number below the list.
Note: for releases split between multiple labels, each label received the counts separately.
Actual Number Breakdown
