A new year brings a fresh collection of music to look forward to. Although we’re just starting 2025, there’s so much on the horizon that we can’t wait to dig into. We’ve already received Ethel Cain’s unsettling new project, Perverts, and releases from L.S. Dunes, Coheed and Cambria, and Anxious aren’t far off. Because it’s the beginning of another year, we asked our readers to vote on their most anticipated albums of 2025, and their answers were entirely satisfying. Find the top fan picks ranked below.
Read more: 50 best albums of 2024
5. Silverstein – Antibloom and Pink Moon
Silverstein are following up 2022’s Misery Made Me in a major way. When the post-hardcore greats arrived at Joshua Tree to cut a new album, they whittled down 25 demos into two separate releases. The first, Antibloom, will arrive next month, with the other, Pink Moon, to come later in the year. Along with their 25 Years of Noise Tour, which kicks off tomorrow with Thursday and Split Chain, the next 12 months are bound to be great for Silverstein.
4. Sleep Token
Sleep Token, the spellbinding masked band from across the pond, have been on a wild ascent since releasing 2023’s Take Me Back to Eden. It resulted in an unlikely breakout that inducted thousands of new members into their cult, and the anonymous band spent much of last year touring those very songs. It only makes sense that they’d keep the momentum going by releasing a new album — or at least that’s what our readers are hoping. Given that the band signed with RCA Records and will play Download in the summer, it definitely seems like something big is on the way.
3. Architects – The Sky, The Earth & All Between
Following an intense couple of years on the road supporting Metallica and headlining festival stages, Architects are preparing to unleash their latest album, The Sky, The Earth & All Between, next month. Helmed by former Bring Me the Horizon member Jordan Fish, the band set out to capture the fiery energy of their live shows while losing none of their melodic side, so it’s no wonder that readers are excited. Reflecting their grit, friendships (House of Protection and Amira Elfeky both guest), and clever production choices, it’s definitely a fresh chapter for the Brighton metal crew.
2. L.S. Dunes – Violet
Back in 2022, L.S. Dunes made a searing debut album that encapsulated the life-saving bond between five friends during the pandemic — all of whom have an impressive history within the alternative scene. Their second record, Violet, doubles down on the chemistry that runs rampant throughout the group, reflecting a collective living in the present moment and following their “first best guess.” Made with their “sixth member” Will Yip, Violet is hotly anticipated by our readers for good reason.
1. MCR5
It’s been three years since My Chemical Romance surprise-dropped “The Foundations of Decay,” their first proper single in nearly a decade, but our readers are hopeful that MCR5 will be announced this year. The band certainly haven’t been stagnant, completing a pair of mesmerizing performances at When We Were Young last year and announcing their Long Lives the Black Parade stadium tour, where they’ll play the 2006 rock opera in its entirety. Either way, it will be an enormous year for My Chemical Romance fans — new music or not.