The final WHYBLT episode of 2025 is here, and Influencers of Metal Podcast does not go quietly into the night—it headbangs through the wall.
This episode celebrates our first full year as a podcast, and we’re closing it the only way that makes sense: by ranking the Top 5 BEST metal releases that defined our listening habits this year. Naturally, the intro derails immediately, because tradition matters.
Tom and Collin once again prove they are metal soulmates with wildly different brains. Collin’s list plays by strict rules—full-length albums only, no exceptions. Tom, meanwhile, opens the floodgates to albums, EPs, and singles, determined to include as much killer music as possible.
Honourable mentions kick things off with Fallujah’s atmospheric prog-death journey “Xenotaph”, while Tom absolutely rattles Collin by spotlighting AlphaSix’s “The Ritual”, one of the most hilariously unhinged breakdowns of the year.
The Top 5 unfolds as a globe-trotting metal assault. From symphonic death metal, surprise listings, thrash metal mosh pits, progressive triumphs and so much more!
It’s reflective, ridiculous, passionate, and extremely on-brand. The perfect way to close out the year and kick off another round of asking the most important question in metal: What Have You Been Listening To?
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