The Best Gothic Metal Album - Metal Storm Awards 2025

Dawn Of Solace - Affliction Vortex

That Tuomas Saukkonen appears blurred in the background on most Dawn Of Solace press photos may be due to his genuinely modest personality, but it may also be because since 2019 the band has had another steady constant alongside the multi-instrumentalist Saukkonen: Mikko Heikkilä. For three albums now, Heikkilä’s unmistakable clean vocals have shaped the work of the Finnish duo, allowing them to venture into realms of dark, melancholic music that has gradually but steadily moved away from the very melodeath-heavy debut toward gothic metal, occasionally even crossing into gothic rock territory on their latest output Affliction Vortex. Fans of the heavier side will still get their money’s worth, as Saukkonen’s growls are more present than ever, and at the latest by the end of the album it becomes very clear that any sense of modesty is entirely out of place when you have such crushing death/doom bangers as “Perennial” and “Mother Earth” in your repertoire.

Empire Drowns - Endless Nights

It took the Danish gothic doom band Empire Drowns 11 years after their formation in 2011 to release their debut, Nothing, which you could say turned out to be anything but. Three years later they returned leaving Nothing in its wake with Endless Nights of more gothic doom. Here on this sophomore album, Empire Drowns drowns its listeners in more irresistibly dark melancholic soundscapes, only this time through a much higher and more consistent level of songwriting quality, more deeply emotive performances, and an outstanding production unparalleled to the majority of their gothic doom peers. This album is not only one of the most surprising but best offerings from the genre in 2025.

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Hangman's Chair - Saddiction

In an imaginary world, Type O Negative, The Sound, The Mission, Deftones, and Killing Joke walked into a studio, they became one band called Hangman's Chair, and they recorded one album, titled Saddiction. They created a world of contrasts, introspection, and gloom by taking the melancholy of modern urban life and transforming it into a musical journey, packed with emotional depth, bare honesty, and moody atmosphere. Saddiction is a cathartic soundtrack for the lives of those addicted to sadness.

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Hooded Menace - Lachrymose Monuments Of Obscuration

Man, Hooded Menace really grew into a band that sounds like it has purple album covers (complimentary).  They were a great group when the darkness was merely dripping forth, but now that the darkness is sallying forth with a cape and bells and sending out "Alternative Thriller" vibes, a whole new fun side of death-doom is coming out to play.  The last few albums have heard more and more traditional heavy metal influence emerge in faster tempos and increased emphasis on melody, and Lachrymose Monuments Of Obscuration swings that sideways into a corridor that's creepy but dramatic, with the burning riffs and sense of spaceousness that make goths of punks and alt-rockers.  Think slower Deceased and have a cocktail by a tombstone.

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Liv Kristine - Amor Vincit Omnia

While her name is best known in the metal scene for her iconic stints in both Theatre Of Tragedy and Leaves' Eyes, Liv Kristine has been making music under her own name for nearly three decades, and Amor Vincit Omnia is but the latest testament to the enduring allure of her remarkable voice. Joined by husband Michael Espenæs in a guest appearance for a classic 'beauty and the beast' song, Kristine creates mournful, doomy eulogies on this new record that celebrate the sombre beauty of gothic metal, while also experimenting with rock and electronic elements, operating in a manner unconstrained by the confines of any one genre.

Lord Vigo - Walk The Shadows

Lord Vigo have been progressively evolving their sound since Danse De Noir and have moved from their initial epic doom metal work to a more captivating hybrid that incorporates a lot of synthpop, gothic/darkwave, and post-punk. On Walk The Shadows, they have temporarily put aside their Blade Runner trilogy, and they have offered us a fascinating and atmospheric record, relying more on keyboards than usual. It may be polarizing for metal fans, but it is an album of successful genre experimentation and an undeniably stylish retro experience.

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Opia - I Welcome Thee, Eternal Sleep

Opia is a new band, formed by musicians from the UK and Spain, blending gothic and death-doom metal in a stunning debut of ethereal atmosphere and crushing heaviness. The music is lush and captivating, with acoustic guitars and mournful lead melodies giving way to shattering riffs and powerful drum beats, while Tereza Rohelova’s harsh vocals are aggressive, brutal, and sinister, in stark contrast with her ethereal and dreamlike cleans. The entire album is gorgeous, but, whatever you do, make sure you listen to “The Fade”, one of the best songs of 2025.

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Paradise Lost - Ascension

Thirty-five years is a long time to be a band, let alone be one that's still considered vital and still builds interest in each new release. Obsidian stood out for its goth rock touches, and Ascension keeps the gothic touches at the forefront. Old Nick's darkly morose vocals still have gigantic hooks in each chorus, the melodic riffs being in competition with the vocals in their memorability, and the songwriting takes bits of the best of all of Paradise Lost's past sounds, from the harsher to the more accessible, in an album that clearly comes after the band revisited their own past with Icon 30.

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Remina - The Silver Sea

After a noteworthy debut in 2022, Remina have returned, and The Silver Sea cements them as a modern doom metal act worth following closely. Heike Langhans’ ethereal vocals perfectly complement the atmospheric doom sound of The Silver Sea, complete with a layer of synthesizers, several guest appearances, and all-around great songwriting. Some of these hauntingly beautiful tunes will definitely stay with you for a while. If you’re in the mood for a more atmospheric slice of doom, The Silver Sea is definitely worth your time.

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The Man-Eating Tree - Night Verses

After a nearly decade-long silence, the Finns of The Man-Eating Tree hit the ground running with their fourth full-length and the first with the refreshed line-up, powered by ex-Ghost Brigade vocalist Manne Ikonen, whose brooding delivery and occasional growls give these songs a certain weight most fans hoped for. Night Verses blends melancholic gothic touches with melodic death- and doom-tinged heft. Think mood-drenched, rain-soaked riffs with only the occasional glint of light breaking through, keeping that Finnish gloom firmly in check. A solid comeback that nods to the band’s early work while giving the new line-up room to find its stride.