An album’s posthumous influence can lead to band reuniting. Think of Cynic and At the Gates. The former came back together after the internet petitioned for them to return. Likewise, the latter were shocked to see how influential their 1995 album had become on unlikely genres such as metalcore. Sometimes, the artists that moved on realise that an audience of people out there love the music they hate. Nothing sums this up better than Tom G. Warrior touring with the Hellhammer reincarnation under the name Triumph of Death.
A comeback should also to be celebrated when an artist returns with a strong record after an uncharacteristic blip. Metallica’s 2008 LP, Death Magnetic, is the most famous example so far this century. One-off albums from legends such as Faith No More and Soundgarden in the previous decade were also matched in this one by The Jesus Lizard. Influential artists like Botch and Emperor continue to play live, but we’ll never see another album from them,
Whether returning to form or to the recording studio for the first time in at least five years, these are the SBR Top 7 comebacks of 2025…
7. Deafheaven
‘We can stop caring about this band in the metal underground. The coffee-connoisseur vegan hipsters are welcome to them,’ said Scream Blast Repeat in our scathing review of their 2021 Infinite Granite LP. We were wrong. Now signed to Roadrunner Records, the most famous blackgaze band in the world returned with a scorching new double album. ‘It might even be too extreme for the average metal fan who believes Napalm Death and Burzum make unlistenable noise,’ was our verdict upon hearing Lonely People with Power. The post-punk and My Bloody Valentine influences are still at the core of what they do, but they ramped up the thrash and black metal once again to produce a record that might have been in the running for album of the year if it wasn’t a tad bloated.
Read the original SBR review of Lonely People with Power by Deafheaven here.
6. Strange Boutique
The Washington D.C. post-punk stalwarts returned with their first album in thirty-one years, and it’s as if they never went away. Reforming in 2019 to honour the memory of their late guitarist, Fred Smith, Monica Richards (Faith and the Muse) and co. realised early on that they still had the chemistry to write new music. ‘Monica Richards utilises her heavenly voice in a radiant sadness that’ll make you smile with sentimental appreciation. Electric guitar strings receive a slash of the plectrum in that jangly tone beloved of the 1980s post-punk scene,’ was how we described their triumphant comeback record.
Read the original SBR review of Let the Lonely Heart Sing by Strange Boutique here.
5. Novembers Doom
US gothic death-doom legends, Novembers Doom, qualify for this list with their first album in six years. It’s a welcome reminder that there’s more to America’s contribution to the genre besides Type o Negative. With a stable lineup since 2011, they may be on their twelfth LP, but Major Arcana sounds as invigorating as anything from the early 2000s. We lavished it with praise: ‘Can you feel your eyes expanding in time with the crunchy riffs and gargling vocals? Look no further if you want an example of a band that refuse to mellow with age. Would you allow these men near your daughters?’
Read the original SBR review of Major Arcana by Novembers Doom here.
4. Biohazard
The band that brought the school of hard knocks into the mainstream, Biohazard were a commercial and cultural success in the 1990s and left their mark on heavy music as an inspiration for the likes of Machine Head, Candiria and Korn. This year saw them return with their first album since 2012 and welcomed Evan Seinfeld into the fold once again on vocals and bass. ‘Fans had much to be excited about when they announced their reunion in 2022, and Divided We Fall lacks nothing in spirit and vigour for album number ten,’ was our verdict.
Read the original SBR review of Divided We Fall by Biohazard here.
3. Rwake
The Arkansas progressive sludge crew signed to Relapse Records in 2006, released two albums in 2007 and 2011, and then disappeared. This means a whole new generation is ready to discover their music, and they didn’t disappoint on The Return of Magik. ‘The six-stringers in this band love the extravagant possibilities of their instruments. Baroness and Mastodon come to mind, but this group existed before both of these titans. You’ve no idea where the riffs will take you, but you know they won’t be repeated too often,’ said Scream Blast Repeat. “And, yes, there is a master who is the devil,” roars singer, C.T., in penultimate track, ‘In After Reverse’. You might start to believe it if you let this music weave its way through your consciousness.
Read the original SBR review of The Return of Magik by Rwake here.
2. Coroner
The Swiss technical thrash legends, Coroner, last released an album in 1993 before returning this year with Dissonance Theory. Now incorporating some of the progressive elements they inspired in others, they produced a fine piece of cerebral metal for the faithful and for those that have yet to discover them. Like Voivod, Coroner’s influence on the unorthodox side of thrash metal cannot be underestimated. ‘Some of the modern artists they’ve influenced draw the wrong conclusions from this music. You don’t need twenty-five riffs in a song when eight will do the job,’ said Scream Blast Repeat in our glowing review.
Read the original SBR review of Dissonance Theory by Coroner here.
1. Deadguy
Before the Dillinger Escape Plan and Botch, there was Deadguy. Their 1995 album, Fixation on a Co-Worker, created the prototype for mathcore and merged metal and hardcore before the term metalcore even existed. There’s always a shade of trepidation when a band return after a thirty-year album hiatus, but we had nothing to fear on hearing the first notes of Near-Death Travel Services. ‘There’s much to enjoy here and a lot to make you hyperventilate,’ noted Scream Blast Repeat. ‘Black Flag as an unorthodox thrash band should excite you as much as the prospect of a naked supermodel standing over you (see ‘The Alarmist’). Ditto to The Dead Kennedys receiving a makeover from Voivod (see ‘Wax Princess’).’ This is how you return after three decades away from the scene when many of the artists you influenced have become legends.
Read the original SBR review of Near-Death Travel Services by Deadguy here.
Honourable mentions
Byzantine
Cancer
Cold in Berlin
Novembre
Paradise Lost