You can find the Collective List as well as all our Best of 2025 content, including contributors’ individual lists and radio DJ shows here: CGCM’s Best of 2025 (Year in Review)
BEST OF 2025 – Rich The Meister Dillon (Radio Host) 
Well, friends and enemies as the case may be, here we are at the close of another year. A year loaded with personal struggles, yet personal growth simultaneously. A year wrought with changes, positive and negative and many happy times spent with friends and family throughout it all.
As usual, there was a veritable “shiton” of music released this year from bands large and small. A new player in the game really made its presence known in 2025 and that’s the AI stuff. At first listen, some of it really does sound decent. But there’s no humanity, no emotion in it and I’m sorry, but under no circumstances whatsoever will Meister support AI music. Over 500 albums again on my list to check out, but with life challenges this year, I didn’t get to give everything even a cursory listen. Hopefully, I didn’t miss something great!
Anyway, here are the albums that were rockin’ my earbuds throughout 2025. I am sure that if I’d had more time with these “top” albums, the list would look a little different, but here’s where it stands at this moment.
#10 
MEAN MISTREATER – Do Or Die
Well, Mean Mistreater are back once again! They were a late discovery and entry into my best of year for 2024, placing at #8. Their sophomore effort, Do Or Die, is a perfect continuation of that first album that hooked me in. This Houston, Texas band formed in 2023 and are already making waves and executing European tours. Fantastic heavy metal!
#9
READY TO STRIKE – First Bite
Who the hell are these guys? To be quite honest, I don’t know myself. Looking at the cover only, I had low expectations when clicking play, but this band is the prime example of why I go through a list of 500+ albums every year. The one you’ve never heard of might be your new favourite band. This album really rocks and is fun from start to finish. Supreme sleaze rock out of Syracuse, NY, loaded with high energy, foot stomping, fist pumping anthems. I look forward to more from Ready To Strike in the future!
#8 
TUMENGUNGG – Back On The Streets
From the rather unlikely location of Indonesia, I present Tumengungg. No idea what the band name means, if anything, but the record is top-notch metal. It came out early in the year and has been floating around my playlist ever since. The title track is a perfect example of what to expect and I encourage you to give a listen below.
#7
WILDHEART – Wild n’ Three
The Belgian crew behind the Wildfest Festival unleash their third full-length album and absolutely the pinnacle of the trio’s catalogue! This one is jam-packed with melody and sing-along choruses infused with great guitar work and hard rock anthemic compositions. “Fire In The Hole” for me is the fave choice, check it out below.
#6 
MADHOUSE – Plead The Fifth
Each time one of the advance singles hit, it drove home even stronger Plead The Fifth‘s placement as a favourite of the year. And there were quite a few singles too! The album is loaded with sleazy hard rock that just hangs with you after listening.
#5
LADY BEAST – The Inner Alchemist
OK, c’mon, realistically, who out there didn’t think that my favourite band wouldn’t place in my best of the year? I’m sure many of you actually expected The Inner Alchemist would surface at #1 and while it is the album that I played the most over the year, I’m comfortable with #5. Overall, Lady Beast has delivered another solid output, again displaying further growth and maturity in songwriting while staying true to their roots. “Off With Her Head” is an absolute ripper that’s risen to my second-favourite Lady Beast song behind “Lone Hunter” from Vicious Breed.
#4 
AMBUSH – Evil In All Dimensions
This one didn’t sink in on the first run-through. I love Ambush and rate the 2015 Desecrator among my all-time favourites. Finally, 10 years later, I saw Ambush live in 2025, twice even. After that, I took another run at Evil In All Dimensions and the merits shone through, rooting themselves deep in my head, forcing me to play it again. These guys are the Judas Priest of the future if you ask me!
#3
VENATOR – Psychodrome
I first gave this one a spin initially after a voracious recommendation from a friend. I mean, I have their earlier album and I would have gotten to it sooner or later, but he pushed me in. And I am grateful for that. This is straight-up old-school metal as it should be. Take a listen to this awesome new-ish band out of Austria.
#2
SAVAGE MASTER – Dark & Dangerous
Wow, have Savage Master really outdone themselves with Dark & Dangerous. Always solid traditional metal and beautifully nice folks as well, but this album dug in deep straight away and has held up high since its release in March. After the first listen back then, I said, “This will be a top 10” and that’s held true.
#1
PAUL LIDEL’S SCREAM THERAPY – Are You Ready?
Straight up hard rock, loud, proud and in your face, just the way I like it. It might not be the most technical or complicated, but it has a charm that simply overwhelmed me on the first listen. Everything Paul Lidel touches is simply solid gold!
Cheers,
The Meister
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