Album reviewer, playlist maker and now interviewer for WoS, KJ Draven, got all up in the live and recorded music scene in 2025.
Between the copious number of gigs and albums he shared his thoughts on, there was almost no stone left unturned in the heavy metal and core space. But what is all that experience without a recap?
Let's suss his #WoSYearInReview to find out the best of the best for our ravin' Draven...
TOP 10 INTERNATIONAL ALBUMS OF 2025
10 - RIVERS OF NIHIL - Rivers of Nihil
9 - DEFTONES - private music
8 - AVATAR - Don’t Go In The Forest (Review)
7 - NINE INCH NAILS - Tron: Ares Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
6 - WHITECHAPEL - Hymns in Dissonance
5 - GHOST - SKELETA (Review)
4 - ARCHITECTS - The Sky, The Earth and All Between
3 - SPIRITBOX - Tsunami Sea
2 - LORNA SHORE - I Feel the Everblack Festering Within Me (Review)
1 - JINJER - Duel
Honorable Mentions & Recommendations: Killswitch Engage - This Consequence, Landmvrks - The Darkest Place I’ve Ever Been, Arch Enemy - Blood Dynasty, Sabaton - Legends, Fit For A King - Lonely God, The Haunted - Songs of Last Resort, Revocation - New Gods New Masters, Bloodywood - Nu Dehli, Dying Wish - Flesh Stays Together, The Acacia Strain - You Are Safe From God Here, Testament - Para Bellum
TOP 10 AUSSIE / NZ RELEASES OF 2025
10 - Devilskin - Re-Evolution
9 - Bloom - The Light We Chase
8 - Barriers - Decay (Review)
7 - Hidden Intent - Terrorform (Review)
6 - Psychic Mass - Babylon (EP)
5 - SPEED - ALL MY ANGELS (EP)
4 - Nicolas Cage Fighter - I Watched You Burn (Review)
3 - Thornhill - Bodies
2 - Alien Weaponry - Te Ra (Review)
1 - Justice for the Damned - Stay Relentless
TOP 10 SONGS OF 2025
10 - The Pretty Reckless - ‘For I Am Death’
9 – ICE NINE KILLS - ‘The Laugh Track’
8 - Parkway Drive - ‘Sacred’
7 - Sabaton - ‘Hoards of the Khan’
6 - BabyMetal & Poppy - ‘from me to u’
5 - Voyager - ‘Seen Better Days’
4 - Sylosis - ‘The New Flesh’
3 - Lamb of God - ‘Parasocial Christ’
2 - Lacuna Coil - ‘Gravity’
1 - Amy Lee, Poppy & Courtney LaPlante - ‘End of You’
BEST BLACK SABBATH / OZZY COVERS FROM BACK TO THE BEGINNING
5 - Danny Carey, Travis Barker, Chad Smith drum off - ‘Symptom of the Universe’
4 - Travis Barker, Nuno Bettencourt, Papa V Perpetua, Vernon Reid, Rudy Sarzo, Adam Wakeman - ‘Bark at the Moon’
3 - Gojira - ‘Under the Sun’
2 - Lamb of God - ‘Children of the Grave’
1 - Yungblud, Adam Wakeman, Nuno Bettencourt, Frank Bello & ii - ‘Changes’
TOP 3 GIGS OF THE YEAR
3. Sabaton with Anamarthe (review)
2. Metallica with Evanescence and Suicidal Tendancies
1 Jinjer with Kittie (review)
FAV NEW BAND/MUSICIAN DISCOVERED IN 2025?
Ominous Ruin out of California. A great tech death band whose new line up delivers the goods (album review). Pretty glad we were able to feature them on this side of the Pacific (interview here).
NEXT BIG AUSSIE ACT TO WATCH IN 2026?
Future Static is my bet. Their debut was a ripper and their latest single ‘There’s Nowhere Else to Go’ hits hard.
FAV ACHIEVEMENT AT WOS HQ?
I conducted my first live interviews (with Jesse Leach and Joakim Brodén) so that was pretty cool. But from February to May I punched out 12 album reviews that featured lyrics in Italian (Lacuna Coil), Hindi (Bloodywood), Ukraine (Jinjer), Latin (Ghost), Māori (Alien Weaponry), and French (Arch Enemy). By July I had added Japanese (Babymetal) and in October included Swiss (Sabaton). 23 music reviews for the year is a pretty good effort overall.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2026?
Finally I can answer this question without saying “Metallica tour!” So my calendar is open after Better Lovers in January so let’s embrace what will be and be open to learning something new. No gatekeeping, just metal in all its forms.
Words by KJ Draven @kjdraven
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