It’s been a hell of a year for fans of heavy music. Whether you favor old school gods like Slayer or new power players like Cult Leader, 2015 proved to be an embarrassment of riches. With another killer album or single dropping almost every week, there was something new and awesome constantly coming down the stream for those of us who like our tunes fast, distorted, bruised, and ugly. I don’t know about you guys, but my record shelf got awfully crowded over the last 12 months.
Picking 25 songs to represent the best of the year’s heavy music was no easy task. Some of the tracks listed below are from albums released in 2015, and some are singles that were dropped in anticipation of yet-to-be released records. Either way, this is all stuff that became available this year. For brevity’s sake, we excluded rereleases and anniversary collections. We also allowed each artist to make only one appearance on this list, even though it was tempting to just plug Loma Prieta’s entire new record in here.
Undoubtedly, you’ll have a favorite that isn’t listed here, as there was just too much good stuff to fit into 25 slots. Enjoy our playlist and read through our gallery below to support these awesome bands. We could all use more punk, metal, and hardcore in our lives.
