The ink has now dried on our end of year lists, compiling our favourite records and singles from 2024, so the mind now casts itself to the coming year. It’s one where our minds ignite with anticipation of coming festivals and their potential line-ups, with the likes of ArcTangent, Outbreak and 2000trees seemingly looking to deliver special days for many. With local shows and tours back to full pelt, live music looks to be stronger than it has been in a decade as we enter 2025.
Conversation now turns into fevered discussion of coming releases, whether confirmed or speculative. We wonder which acts will truly break out and make names for themselves in the coming year. Established acts such as Loathe, Moodring and God Complex will more than impress in 2025, showcasing some of their finest material. Fans of artists we have previously featured in previous ones-to-watch lists, including Church Tongue, Volatile Ways, Forlorn and JIVEBOMB, should still be on your radars, as they are set to release outstanding material this forthcoming year.
Now firmly casting our aim on 2025, we put forward twenty five artists who we believe will make their mark. Some will already be familiar if you have an ear in the scene – we believe they are set to make their triumphant return. Other acts are poised to make a breakthrough this year, either after impressing on the live circuit, or through their first key releases – either way, we reckon they have something special that could see them skyrocket. From top to bottom and side to side, 2025 will no doubt be a truly fantastic year for music, and these acts will no doubt be the reasons why.
Boneflower
Dobbin T: Boneflower are European screamo premieres in waiting. Their last release, “Pyrrhic Victories”, appeared on the Secret Voice compilation Balladeers, Redefined, putting them right alongside the key voices in the scene across the world. On their recent Europe run they promised a new record would be coming soon. With a spot at ArcTanGent 2025 (quietly the UK’s official screamo festival) there’s surely another EU tour in the books too. Meanwhile, modern whatever-wave emo increasingly embraces extremes, meaning Boneflower’s sound is well positioned for a grand 2025.
FFO: Nuvolascura, Frail Body & Jeromes Dream
fallfiftyfeet
Joe: Last year saw fallfiftyfeet make their return with single “Hole”, before joining up with Wounded Touch on their boisterous split EP Traumatic Entanglement, showcasing a fallfiftyfeet with sharpened claws. Now set to drop their sophomore full-length, their experimental blend of metalcore and post-hardcore looks ready to be their magnum opus, no doubt with a few exciting collaborations awaiting listeners on the album too.
FFO: 156/Silence, Cast In Blood & Fly Over States
ameokama
Dobbin T: Aki McCullough has propagated many projects over the years (Vivid Illusion, Dreamwell, Lacerated, A Constant Knowledge of Death, and her own music production outfit Nu House Studios), making her a titan of the East Coast queer heavy scene. 2025 represents a major change: she’s left Dreamwell and Lacerated are on hiatus, but she’s also kicked off the thus far mysterious MIDNIGHT ANSWERS (with Audrey Lane of Foxcult), and prepares to release a solo project under the moniker ameokama. Its two singles tease a gaze-driven blend of rock and metal brimming with unapologetic queerness.
FFO: Holy Fawn, claire rousay & Spotlights
Monterey.
Jack W: A relatively new name in the scene, Florida-based metalcore revivalists Monterey. made their mark with a double single release in April, followed by a split with Keep Reaching in December. Quickly rising through the ranks of Florida’s vibrant music scene, it’s evident that Monterey. are poised for big things. Their blend of gritty, raw metalcore with emo-influenced instrumental breaks and clean vocals not only highlights their strong songwriting ability, but also brings a unique charm to their performances – something rarely captured in today’s sound. While nothing is confirmed yet, it seems highly likely that we’ll see more from this band in 2025, as they flourish from local gigs to no doubt supporting acts across the country.
FFO: Memento, Pieces Of Eden & Cauldron
Cwfen
Dobbin T: Cwfen are an occult doomgaze project with a penchant gothic drama. They dropped their debut (non-demo) singles in 2024, “Reliks” and “Penance”, both of which are stellar mini-epics, mixing 80s stylings with a modern take on heavy music. These tracks have gained traction and they immediately bagged some quick wins, including support slots with Agriculture, Witching and Aluk Tolodo. With sufficient hype they might even get a European tour in the next few years, but for 2025, we can rely on a debut record from them, coming through the label New Heavy Sounds.
FFO: King Woman, Healthyliving & Zetra
rozemary
Dobbin T: A key discovery in our deep search into the UK’s heavy underground, rozemary impressed us with “empty ceiling” back in November. The track puts pop sensibilities at the centre of a modern metalcore sound, with plentiful sonic experimentation to flesh out their studio atmosphere. The Liverpool band are also building hype for their live shows. With just one single out, we’re hoping to see some more studio material as well as some festival and key support slots which they already deserve.
FFO: Initiate, Tribe of Ghosts & Trauma Bonds
Hail Mary
Joe: Over recent years Australia has dropped some of the most feral, vicious and pissed off music we’ve heard. Scenes from Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane have flourished with bands such as Volatile Ways and Horsepower emerging from them. Now from Sydney comes new act Hail Mary, with a concoction of death metal and metallic hardcore. With debut song “Motherly Martyrdom” impressive from the get-go, what else follows will surely be a barnstormer.
FFO: Terminal Sleep, Sorcerer & Negative Frame
i.liedtomyself
Joe: i.liedtomyself are a Florida band, part of the post-GILT-sphere, a space with a track record for tugging our heartstrings. They’re perhaps one of the most elusive acts on this list, with no complete tracks online, just snippets on their socials which promise tender and slow gothic emo. It’s possible they’ll be infusing slowcore and bedroom emo tendencies with their plucky keys in the centre of the mix. They’ve played just one show, but it was a special one, in support of post hardcore Greet Death and Clear Body on Halloween. We’re hyped enough.
FFO: Grouper, Ethel Cain & Slowdive
Out Of Spite
Joe: 2024 was the year Essex flexed its muscles, with the likes of Splitknuckle, Power Failure and False Reality dropping some of the year’s noteworthy material, along with a string of shows that would make many envious. 2025 will see the arrival of Out Of Spite to the Essex scene, who have already made their live debut alongside the likes of Wither and Dispute. With more shows and studio material to come, Out Of Spite might just be the next best thing to come out of Essex.
FFO: Mindless, Haywire & Seed of Pain
Angel Shot
Jack W: A chaotic fusion of nu-metalcore and cybergrind, newcomers Angel Shot are set to make a major impact with their debut EP, God Is Not A Safe Space. Collaborating with Josh Ang (Heavensgate, Pincer+, and Dealer), the band’s intent is clear: they’re here to make noise. If their debut single, “Gate of Mercy,” is any indication, they’re on track for something big. Keep an eye on Angel Shot – they’ll demand your attention if you try to overlook them.
FFO: Soulkeeper, ZOMBIESHARK! & Wiltwither
Cryptodira
Kieran White: One complaint you see about progressive metal is that it’s too clean and too polished. Cryptodira flip that notion on its head, adding a ravenous edge to their experimental sound reminiscent of bands like The Dillinger Escape Plan and Converge. Guitarist Michael Monaco has teased new material coming soon in a recent band newsletter, with an EP being almost finished and a full length being demoed. The future isn’t looking quiet for Cryptodira, as well as for the listeners whose ears will be subjected to their signature brand of chaos in 2025.
FFO: Ithaca, Protest The Hero & Between the Buried and Me
Mandragora
Amy: Mandragora are a tsunami of tantalising heaviness, just waiting for that shift in the floor beneath to unleash them. When trying to categorise them, genre choices such as metal just don’t quite cut it. Much to their credit, Mandragora have woven an entirely new world of subgenre that beckons you in with wickedly enthralling vocals, unrelentingly gritty guitar riffs and broody bass tones that meld seamlessly with the layered emphatic phrasing of the drums. It’s hard to beat the immense digital debut they made with their first single “Bedroom” in 2023, but they have shown us since (with further releases of “Double Negatives”, “Godspeed” and “I Can Make You Beautiful”) that what we are witnessing from them is only the beginning of something much bigger.
FFO: Capra, Gel & Love Rarely
Takoba
Joe: Performing live alongside the likes of Terminal Sleep, Gravitate and Slowburn in the years gone by, with an opening slot for Blind Girls also on the way, Takoba have made an entry by force via the live scene. Their metallic hardcore sound gives onlookers plenty to throw down to, we can only hope that 2025 will be the chance we get to hear them in studio form on their upcoming EP, PURGE.
FFO: Identity Error, Honest Crooks & Vengeance
Your Spirit Dies
Amy: There is a portion of metalcore being dished out by the dozen right now, indecipherable from one song to the next, but this is a band forging their own path. Your Spirit Dies has cultivated a fruitfully brutal sound that is fated to challenge many of the big names leading the scene right now. Serving up dirty breakdowns, bright riffs, distorted melodies and seethingly guttural vocals, Your Spirit Dies is a band that is sure to re-inspire any long standing fans of metalcore and intrigue those new to the genre. With new material primed and ready, their next drop will surely surpass the popularity of “Distorted by Absence”.
FFO: Balmora, Since My Beloved & Erase Them
Azshara
Joe: Azshara impressed us in 2023 their demo on the trustworthy Ephyra label. It showcased their own rustic and gloom-laden take on the metalcore revival, with slamming kicks and snares alongside vocals with a real snarl to them. Now set to record the follow-up to their debut demo, which direction Azshara with their sound intrigues us; there are many aspects they could be doubling down on to succeed. Given the quality of their material so far, there is little doubt it will be a fantastic release.
FFO: Sanction, Durendal & concealer.
Timepeace
Joe: For now there is little to say about Timepeace, other than their name, and they are a hardcore band from Melbourne due to drop some tunes this year. Yet as with other picks on this list, given the hotbed for quality that the Melbourne scene seems to be right now, it’s a fair punt to say Timepeace will impress, even before they’ve dropped a second of material. At the very least, they have a scene’s reputation to uphold.
FFO: Fever Shack, Skorn & Eight Count
Justice For The Damned
Joe: The wait is nearly over for those who have been patiently waiting for Australian heavyweight’s to make their return. With their previous full-length, Pain Is Power, coming in 2020, and single “Sever What Makes Me Like Them” in 2021, the yearn for Justice For The Damned‘s next chapter has grown over the years. Their violent and adrenaline fuelled sound with its bludgeoning manner makes the Australian unit a unique faction in their scene, and one ever-growing in popularity. With new music due sooner rather than later and an album in the pipeline for 2025, this will be the year Justice For The Damned reclaim their throne.
FFO: Volatile Ways, END & Fit For An Autopsy
Eyes of a Nihilist
Dobbin T: Norwich’s premiere thall project, Eyes of a Nihilist bring the often bedroom bound genre to the stage in an extremely convincing fashion. 2024’s “ERASE” showed their continual climb towards the summit of the genre is nearing its end, going toe to toe with the genre’s most exciting bands. Their social feeds suggest monolithically big things are coming in 2025.
FFO: Humanity’s Last Breath, Mirar & Black Tongue
Ihlo
Kieran White: Ihlo are a progressive metal outfit from the UK who were met with critical acclaim and a dedicated fanbase after the release of their 2019 debut Union. An album influenced equally by electronic pop and prog mainstays like Devin Townsend and TesseracT, leaving us with a groovy, riff-filled piece laced with luscious, synth-laden atmospheres. It’s a proven combination as fans continue to spin the album five years down the line. With some new material being teased on their live EP and on social media, their transition from bedroom project to full live band is now in full force, and are looking to impress on a much awaited sophomore LP.
FFO: Vola, Wilderun & The Contortionist
Cult(ure)
Joe: The duo forming Cult(ure) are composed of vocal dynamo Dyane Crutcher (ex-Syre) and songwriter / guitarist Owen Hughes-Holland (Defences, First Signs Of Frost). They’ve quickly become one of our favourite discoveries of the past year. On debut singles “Rebound” and “Embers”, the duo showcased a gorgeous and enrapturing vocal performance, weaved together with intricate modern metal riffs. With new material and wider plans in 2025, the spark that Cult(ure) have should see them get the deserved recognition.
FFO: Giant Walker, TesseracT & Upsetter
Ómoia
Dobbin T: A lot of the time when we select entries for our ones-to-watch lists, we have a good idea of what the band has planned. In this case, we have no idea what Ómoia are cooking – this is a vote for their 2025 simply on the basis of their 2024 material, especially the double single The Weight of Silence. “Guillotine” and “All Monsters Are Human” effortlessly switch moods and genres, backed by incredible performances and ready-to-go production. Whether they spend 2025 cooking their next EP or a debut LP, getting more shows under their belts, or even changing up their sound entirely, I can’t imagine faulting Ómoia after such a strong start.
FFO: Blight Town, Love Rarely & Sweet Pill
Sunday Best
Amy: Post-emo heathens Sunday Best are shaking up the scene with their punchy blend of emo and hardcore music that is unapologetically raw, honest and relatable. They are an undoubtedly captivating band, with an electrifying stage presence that conjures up everything from push pits to people dangling from the ceiling – something that must be witnessed first hand. Their strongly received first single “Past Tense”, and the subsequent Live at Marshall Studio version, left us with an appetite for more that may just be satisfied in 2025. With the tease of at least a new single ahead, and several new shows announced, Sunday Best are set to resurrect and transform the emo genre from what we once knew – don’t wait around to be part of it.
FFO: Loathe, Mishikui & Death Goals
Wounded Touch
Joe: With their split EP partners fallfiftyfeet included, Wounded Touch weren’t going to be far behind. The midwest unit draw on the influences of 00s metalcore, leaning towards the mathier side with added punchy angst. Performing at the likes of SXSW and Furnance Fest, as well as featuring on Dreamwell’s sublime 2023 LP, Wounded Touch look set to deliver on their follow-up to 2022’s Americanxiety, and if their recent material is anything to go by, it could be one of this year’s gems.
FFO: Chamber, God Complex & Teeth
RESTRICTED US
Joe: Deathcore is finally back in a good place. After returning to its roots over the past few years with PSYCHO-FRAME at its spearheading, old school deathcore has for now pushed djenty-thall deathcore to the side. One of the latest acts to become part of this revival is East Coast act RESTRICTED US, who dropped their debut EP last year, and are set to soon release its follow up. And if their latest track “This Tear Gas Ain’t Shit” shows, it’s going to be heavy as hell, just as deathcore should be.
FFO: Lilith’s Demise, Thus Spoke Zarathustra & Killing Of A Sacred Deer
Indifferent Engine
Dobbin T: Known in the UK midlands for their unhinged stage behavior, discarded analogue aesthetics, pedal and video game-making side projects, Indifferent Engine’s greatest asset is absolutely the music itself. Their debut EP has been slept on, brandishing a particularly wild form of post hardcore which pins you between instincts – rock out in the grooves, or unhinge yourself and join in the emotional breakdown. Their debut LP, Speculative Fiction, is slated for spring 2025, and though we haven’t heard any singles yet, we hope it captures their wild creativity in the fidelity it deserves.
FFO: At the Drive-In, Coilguns & El Moono