The best Goth/Post-Punk releases of 2025

Reviewing a whole year across a notoriously shapeshifting genre is never an easy task, and one made even harder when many of the leading players of the current global goth/post-punk scene - She Past Away, Whispering Sons, Then Comes Silence, Diavol Strâin,  Molchat Doma, Ground Nero, Ashes Fallen, Kaela Mikla, All My Thorns, to name but a few - didn’t release any new music at all (bar the odd cover version, live album or remix).

However, the old guard continued to mobilise, to the extent that it’s increasingly hard to think of acts from the original gothic wave of the early 80’s who aren’t still touring and/or releasing new material. This resurgence was reinforced in the UK by the relative success of Forever Now, the one-day festival held at Milton Keynes Bowl, which was billed as a celebration of alternative culture by its (Cruel World) organisers, with a whole raft of pensionable goth-adjacent acts on the bill drawing a reasonable sized audience (which was, however, swelled by late cut-price ticket promotions), finally banishing the spectre of Alt-Fest.

Heritage acts were also prominent on a more low-key local (to me) event, the inaugural Deadinburgh Festival in Scotland’s capital, a genuine gathering of the gothic clan which however paired reinvigorated old school box office guarantee acts like The March Violets and 1919 with newer ones like Cold in Berlin and Witch of the Vale in a successful event which captured the full breadth of the current goth dynamic.

Deadinburgh was part of a very welcome proliferation of goth festivals across the UK, with Nottingham, Leicester, Sheffield, Leeds, Halifax, Whitby and Morecambe all now staging multiple events just in the upper half of England, whilst as will be seen in the countdown below, it was bands from further north-east (like Social Youth Cult and Black Rain) who saw the UK gothic focal point switch to Newcastle, home of scene observer, promoter and commentator The Blogging Goth for the first time.

On a more global level, it has been disappointing (but sadly not surprising) to witness the apparent popularity of the Goths Against Cancel Culture movement which, despite its protestations to the contrary, seems fully at odds with the genre’s basic ethos, whereby all are welcomed and respected for who they are (until they breach others’ rights or behave in an offensive, misogynistic, homophobic or racist manner, for example). By nature, goths are often more sensitive souls who gain strength through uniting with others who feel similarly at odds with mainstream culture and society in a mutually supportive manner, and those who have felt emboldened by wider political movements and have been fuelled by illogical fears to positively revel in spreading hatred and division have done nothing but demonstrate why cancel culture was so necessary in the first place.

On a more technical level, one of the bigger challenges facing goth (and indeed all) musicians has been the rise of AI, and how (if at all) to harness its power without harming artistic integrity and creativity. Bandcamp has always hosted many genuine single person multi-instrumentalist goth acts with no ‘live’ performances, but it is increasingly difficult to differentiate between these old school creatives and those tech boffins churning out swathes of generic goth thanks to ever more powerful iterations of AI. Whilst some are open about using AI in order to obtain seemingly more impressive final product, others are less forthcoming about its use in the creative process, whether in composition, performance or production, not to mention sleeve photography and video production. 

Despite a clear increase in scene nombrilism and the fallow year for so many outstanding talents, fortunately there were still many excellent releases, which are hopefully exemplified in this year’s highly subjective ‘Best Of’ list. Before highlighting this year’s Top Ten, an honourable mention for those who just missed out and fill positions 11-20 in this year’s countdown…

At the deathrock end of the spectrum, both veterans Altar da Fey and Cataphiles deserve great credit for the quality and energy of their releases respectively, with trad goth act In A Darkened Room and post-punkers Lathe of Heaven both producing fine guitar-based sophomore albums. Both Vacios Cuerpos and Piel de Lana upheld Mexico’s deserved reputation as purveyor of the world’s best minimalist darkwave. Ash Code’s Synthome saw the band continue to grow as one of the leading lights of the darkwave scene, with Silver Tears also successfully combining guitars and synths to cross the great goth divide. Further along the spectrum, both The Discussion and Mark E Moon produced high quality melodic albums which would also appeal to those with more mainstream taste. Kudos also to Divine Shade for their stunning début compilation album, and to Dead Spells, Blood Dance and others who just missed out on the countdown.

THE TOP TEN   (click on album title for Bandcamp link)

10 LIGHT OF ETERNITY - Distraction EP

Weighing in at over twenty-two minutes, the four tracks on Light of Eternity’s third EP continue the breath-taking form of 2024’s opening post-industrial salvos from this dark project by former Killing Joke drummer Big Paul Ferguson. Pauly Williams’ ability to bring the fire and conjure up the ghost of the late lamented KJ guitarist Geordie in all of its various guises remains nothing less than astonishing, and Fred Schreck’s alluring storytelling vocal style is the perfect foil for the excoriating, bone-crushing riffs, synth drones and pummelling drumming.

9 BLACK RAIN - Black Rain

Starting the North of England takeover of this year’s Best Of 2025 list, Black Rain’s up-tempo gothic post-punk blossomed on their eponymous début album which paired five excellent studio tracks with some live recordings. Black Rain may claim to be “too punk to be goth, too goth to be punk”, but their multi-layered guitar-driven sound is very much in the style of early acts like Red Lorry Yellow Lorry and Comsat Angels or more recent ones like Lathe of Heaven). Buzzing bass, some ferocious drumming and a more distant vocal combine effectively on a series of intense yet melodic songs on this impressive début.

8 BYRONIC SEX & EXILE - Songs From The Blood

Joel Heyes’ impressive flow-rate continued unabated in 2025, with BS&E releasing fourteen new tracks across two extended EPs even before this album’s appearance towards the end of the year, with the quantity of tracks matched by their quality. The brooding, atmospheric ambiance of songs like Stronghold of Night is enhanced by the dancefloor friendly power of dark anthems like Obsession (Kissing with Teeth), with Heyes’ vampiric lyrics adding to the satisfyingly bloody concoction.

7 COLD IN BERLIN - Wounds

Cold In Berlin have flirted back and forth between the goth and metal scenes with their alternative doom rock sound over the past fifteen years, and their fourth album Wounds sees them inching back towards to the welcoming bosom of a gothic scene which they never really emotionally left. As ever, Maya’s haunting vocal is the centrepiece, with that intriguing mixture of purity and other worldliness which Grace Slick first evoked back in the 1960’s, and there’s something timeless about the band which has helped to maintain and extend their appeal across artificial scene boundaries. The beautifully-crafted songs are played with both reverence and perfect precision by the band, translating the passion and raw emotion of their legendary live performances into a studio setting.

6 THE JAN DOYLE BAND - The Ravenspurgh Gothic Phantasmagoria Soundtrack

This album and its accompanying video from The Jan Doyle Band (aka Derek from Doncaster) in full goth mode is a phenomenal take on the spirit and sounds of the very earliest years of the goth scene, borrowing liberally from both the positive punk and futurist movements to create a thrilling potent mix of spidery guitar, syncopated low-Fi drum machine rattle and descending basslines topped with a louche absinthe-drenched vocal. Featuring tracks from previous releases, the video (which was shot in various Yorkshire graveyards) hints at the breathtaking performance art of the act’s live show, best viewed in a dingy basement club.

5 CORPUS DELICTI - Liminal

Any lingering doubts that 90’s legends might not be able to repeat the magic of their memorable trio of studio albums on their reformation are dispelled within the first minute of impressive opening track Crash. The gossamer threads of Franck’s shimmering guitarwork , Sébastien’s powerful and emotive vocal, Christophe’s busy and unpredictable basslines and the trademark subtle inventive drum patterns (now provided by Fabrice Gouré) are all thrillingly present and correct, but with the added advantage of twenty first century production values. To counteract the perfection of the latter, there’s a deliberate detuning effect on a number of tracks which adds to the dramatic edge to a project which whilst growing older gracefully maintains the charming embrace of its early appeal.

4 NATURES MORTES - Blind Submission

Impressive début album from Polish deathrock act Natures Mortes, featuring some outstandingly eerie guitar work and a full-on gothic punk sound which dips successfully into a variety of neighbouring subgenres for a satisfyingly uncompromising listening experience. This energetic, full-on cemetery experience is available as a digital download and a very groovy purple cassette.

3 SHADOW ROOTS - Reborn

Wonderful album of polished and melodic contemporary darkwave gothic rock which is a fabulous amalgamation of the best-loved components of the previous waves of the genre, whether the driving basslines of the Sisters, the sinister atmosphere of Bauhaus and Christian Death or the dark dancefloor sensibilities of Suspiria and Angels of Liberty. This rich and varied set is from a Californian act which is currently a solo project, which makes this stunning album all the more remarkable. Available as digital download only.

2 SOCIAL YOUTH CULT - The Lighthouse

Newcastle’s Social Youth Cult had already gained the de facto title of Britain’s best young goth act on the back of a couple of promising singles, but this stunning début album rightly catapults them straight onto the global scene. The opening pair of tracks show the astonishing rate at which they have developed: opener Venus is a buckle-your-seatbelts deathrock joyride, whilst stripped back atmospheric post-punk lament Close To Nothing has a depth and subtlety which some acts fail to capture in decades-long careers. The Lighthouse is as challenging and rewarding a listen as the stark delights of Unknown Pleasures, Killing Joke and In The Flat Field (three useful reference points) were some forty-five years ago.

1 PETER MURPHY - Silver Shade

Ignore the two high profile collaborations (with Trent Reznor and Boy George) released as singles (as they are by far the worst two tracks). This sublime album ranks as one of the finest in Murphy’s long career, with his mesmerically expressive and rich vocal timbre the icing in the cake of a fabulous set of songs most of which were co-authored and expertly produced by Youth. Epic tracks like The Artroom Wonder, Xavier New Boy and The Meaning Of My Life build to monumental choruses with Bond-theme levels of bombast and give full reign to the raspier tone in his upper range which Murphy has showcased on recent albums.

Live Review: Jan Doyle Band, 13 Tombs, Byronic Sex & Exile @ Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, 6th October 2025

 The nights are drawing in, the students are back, Halloween is just around the corner and the goth gig calendar in this most gothic of cities is suddenly full to bursting with a cornucopia of aural and visual delights. Two days earlier Twisted Nerve, Revanica and Social Youth Cult had played a sold out gig at the Banshee (which I was gutted to miss), and on the same Monday evening as this gig, goth-adjacent artist Eric13 of Combichrist is belting out some garage sleaze rock with his band the Pinheads at Bannerman’s. In this context, attracting a couple of dozen punters to the cosy confines of Sneaky Pete’s is no mean feat and a reward for the hard yards Joel Heyes has put in over the last decade as his Byronic Sex & Exile project heads out on yet another tour pre-promoting his new Dracula-themed album which will be available within the next month or so.

This gig saw the Edinburgh début of another stalwart of the Yorkshire dark music scene, Jan Doyle Band, here in full goth mode performing the majority of the  set which featured in his stunning contribution to the recent Ravenspurgh online goth festival. As with BS&E, performance is very much a key element of a Jan Doyle Band gig, and on this form it is hard to think of another contemporary artist who can as fully and effectively conjure up the true heady spirit of the Batcave circa 1983. 

Beginning with the brief Reptile House dirge of I Thought He Was Your Reflection, the pace picked up with the new guitar-enhanced version of Rain On Ice, with the more reflective and more atmospheric Last Rites, Getting Nearer and The Party adding to the louche and spooky vibe. With Williams divesting layers of PVC, leather and fishnet, the set built to a climax with dark disco stomper Sister Sarah, the peerless They with its Daniel Ash-inspired guitar scratching and syncopated March Violetsesque drum track, and finally his stunning and unique unhinged cover of Soft Cell’s Martin, an artist devoted to his craft leaving everything on the stage.

13 Tombs were the Fife filling between the two one-man bands from goth’s own county, and their high octane horror punk’d up deathrock’n’roll was equally well-received, particularly the more overtly goth-influenced tracks like Dehydrating, Dead Roses and a breakneck version of I Drink Your Blood that recalls the cartoonish spirit of Misfits. Although Mark had forgotten his trademark prescription dark glasses and managed to inadvertently kick over his can of lager, his sheer energy and Al’s impressive versatility on the guitar saw the duo successfully through to the traditional set closer, Monkey Pus.

Frustrated by the limitations of a half-hour slot on his last visit to Auld Reekie for this summer’s Deadinburgh Festival, Joel Heyes clearly relished the prospect of bringing the full Byronic Sex & Exile experience to the punters of the Scottish capital, with the full intro tracks to set the scene for the candelabra-lit audience walkthrough, which was later repeated during the doomy lilting lament of The Vampire’s Castle, always one of the highlights of a main set which is deeply marinated in gothic romanticism. 

With the customary sword wielding during the impassioned Death Or Joy and a dagger-enhanced Bloodstains from the forthcoming Songs From The Blood album also adding a sense of theatricality to proceedings, Heyes rounded off another great night of varied gothic musical entertainment with four fan favourites, the dancefloor filling Vampire Guitars and Grave Is In The Heart, the brooding Dented Shield and the talismanic Leviathan. 

As ever, the gothic scene only continues to survive because of the willingness of artists like BS&E to take the financial risk and constant headaches and setbacks of arranging a self-promoted tour, and because acts like JDB and 13 Tombs accept that they will be unlikely to recoup their own costs for the thrill of performing to a loyal, appreciative but small audience. On tonight’s evidence, it is clear that for all concerned, the game is still worth the (appropriately flickering) candle.

Live Review: The Deadinburgh Festival, July 4th/5th 2025 @ The Hive, Edinburgh

 On the weekend of both Ozzy Ozbourne’s emotional finale and Oasis’s long-awaited (by some) return, the first Scottish gothic music festival for nearly twenty years, the inaugural two-day Deadinburgh Festival, got underway at the Hive venue in the Scottish capital in the late afternoon of Friday 4th July 2025, after a somewhat difficult genesis. Promoter Eric admitted in the run-up that organising the event had been more difficult than he had imagined, and the original plans which had included films, burlesque performers and a gothic market were stripped back to two simple sessions of music showcasing thirteen acts, to the dismay of many but keeping intact the core musical offering which was, after all, the main attraction to many spectators. Poor communication had resulted in rumours that the event may not even take place at all, but a week before the first night was due to take place, set times were confirmed and the event finally began with a first night eclectic mix of five artists whose music showcased the broad spectrum of acts still willing to shelter under the much-maligned gothic umbrella.

Day One - Friday

First up were local act Burning The Filth, whose word-of-mouth reputation had been enhanced by two promising EPs and reports of incendiary live performances. Self-described as “anarcho-crust goth”, their unique sonic palette could also be termed “post-apocalyptic doom punk”, with gloomy heavy riffs, pounding drums and ominous basslines topped with a distorted angry vocal performed through a gas mask. At their most effective with the hypnotic repetitive stoner chorus of Dead To Me from the first EP and the thrashier Cursed Life from the second, BTF’s live performance has the same unsettling yet thrilling effect as Souls At Zero-era post-hardcore titans Neurosis. Although one song (Fire) was sung in Greek, in effect it made little difference as the lyrics were largely indecipherable throughout anyway, but the band put everything into their set to get the festival off to a memorable start.

If Burning The Flesh are in Scotch whisky terms an inspired blend, second act on the bill Byronic Sex & Exile is more of a classic cask-aged single malt, with debonair goth dandy Joel Heyes clearly relishing the rare privilege of performing at a festival which he hasn’t had to organise himself. The prolific Yorkshireman’s welcome return to Scotland coincided with the release of (yet) another excellent EP, Vampyros Wesbos, which both lyrically and musically explores similar themes to his other recent work, creating his own unique niche within broader gothic musical culture. Always a reliable stage performer, the set began with the usual candelabra-lit audience-examining walkthrough, a throwback to the early days of goth when theatricality was a key component of live performance, a factor overlooked by too many of those on the current scene. The set proper began with A River Of Blood Ran Through The Sony Backlot from the new EP, after which the classic goth rock of Vampire Guitars raised the tempo further, and Death Or Joy was as usual enhanced by some impressive sword play, after which the red wine swigging artist removed his frock coat to a heckle of “I thought the Burlesque had been cancelled” from minor media celebrity and inveterate scene cheerleader The Blogging Goth who was in attendance. The all-too-short set ended with an impassioned Leviathan to an appreciative crowd which grew in number during the performance.

To push the already weak Scotch whisky analogy even further, the middle act on the bill, Fife’s A Murder Of Crows add peaty notes to their own musical distillation which they describe as “Celtic horror punk”.  Lyrically the band are drawn to the spookier elements of Celtic folklore and they ally this to a folky punk sound with Celtic rock undercurrents, with their excellently-titled last EP Gaels, Ghouls and Gaols giving a clear indication of their appeal. With a keytar and a full set of kilts on stage, A Murder of Crows were always going to be different to more traditional gothic fare on show over the weekend but their up-tempo ceilidh of songs about the last Scottish beheading, a witch chased off a cliff, the Scottish Bigfoot et al gradually won over the crowd. There was even an unlikely outbreak of slamdancing during one song, led by visiting German goth Heiko.

With the crowd suitably warmed up, local legends Twisted Nerve took to the stage for their customary dark punk goth’N’roll shananigans with charismatic frontman Craig Paterson on top form. Having recently lost guitarist Dunsy, TN have recruited the equally talented Mike from Gothzilla as his replacement, and it was very much business as usual for the only act on the first night to have participated in the original 80’s (albeit untitled back then) gothic wave. The band tore through their usual high octane set to raucous appreciation from the now-packed main room, with Craig as usual exhibiting more swagger than Jagger, more scarves than Steven Tyler and more poses than Peter Murphy. With Norbert (47 years in the band and counting) and Dave Grave the drummer keeping the rhythm section tight as usual, Mike coped well in only his second outing with the band, even treating everyone to an extra solo vocal chorus of Seance! As is often the case, they ended with an anarchic cover of New Rose and whilst it is often said in goth circles that Jesus Loves The Sisters, on a night like this, clearly the De’il Loves The Nerve.

Friday night headliners and former Whitby regulars Zombina and the Skeletones were making a rare Caledonian appearance and made the most of the opportunity with the instantly appealing corny graveyard cheesy organ garage rock sound which has sustained them over more than a quarter of a century. Founder members Zombina and guitarist/songwriter Doc Horror (along with the rest of the band) bring a cartoonish technicolour post-Cramps/B52’s soundscape to life, with the kooky psych-tinged groove of Don’t Kick My Coffin (‘coz I don’t wanna wake up) typifying both their dark lyrical humour and the tight melodic musicality which underpins their performance. You half expected to see the Mystery Machine parked up outside the Hive, as Zombina and the Skeletones would have made for a much more appropriate Scooby house band than the Hex Girls themselves. With the usual horror stage make-up and creepy song titles, despite there being only three Skeletones on this occasion (with the addition of a drum machine backing track), Zombina’s typical scouse humour carried the band through various technical issues which included an errant wig and a disappearing backdrop. Whether on newer tracks like I’m Horrified or old classics like Zombie Hop (now twenty years old), ZATS zipped through an enjoyable high energy set to end the first night’s proceedings on a high.

Day Two - Saturday

The second day’s bill began with three local goth acts often featuring as reliable support bands for touring goth acts playing in central Scotland, but relishing on this occasion the opportunity to play to those in the audience who had travelled from further afield. With a 2.30pm early start, there were only forty or so hardy souls in attendance for opening act 13 Tombs, Scotland’s self-styled tongue-in-cheek ‘undisputed kings of deathrock’, who entertained the early (and in some cases, hungover) revellers with their drum machine driven goth’n’roll straight out of Leven. With barely a break between songs, the duo blitzed through a dark garage punk set whose highlights included Dead Roses (about a haunted house) and the inevitable set closer, Monkey Pus. Singer Mark’s energetic enthusiasm ensured that the band received a similarly positive response from the crowd, setting up Day Two very effectively.

I have seen the next act Voodoo Twins several times over the past couple of years and always been impressed by their slick presentation and musical professionalism, but this was without a doubt their best performance yet, from the goth makeover of the band’s wardrobe through the pace of what was a very tight set to Daz’s improved vocal. Their muscular spacey post-punk sound and the intricate song structures on the best of their early compositions featured on last year’s compilation Chapter One again elicited a very warm response from the early gatherers, many of whom would have witnessing them for the first time.

The same would almost certainly not be the case for the following local band, Gothzilla, an act synonymous with the smaller UK goth festivals. Although they were not the first band to suffer from the shorter set times which a busy festival line up requires, cutting the likes of Today Is A Good Day To Die, Judy and The Edge of Forever amongst others from the usual setlist certainly affected the pace of their contribution, which on this occasion still included their unlikely cover of The Thompson Twins’ The Gap. The gig was also the perfect opportunity to unveil Mike’s replacement on guitar, Greg Friel, who has long been part of the Gothzilla project as producer of their excellent studio recordings. Classics such Tightwire, Dark Is Rising, Cast No Shadow and It Is What It Is all engaged the growing audience , and the set climaxed with the inevitable crowd participation on the epic electronically-enhanced Temple of Sound.

Having had to take an enforced wee break from the festival, I unfortunately missed Chaos 8 as a result, but will hopefully catch them soon, as they head in a new musical direction without guitarist Pauly Williams, who has joined Big Paul Ferguson’s new vehicle Light Of Eternity.

London gothic doom band Cold in Berlin’s gigs are usually discussed in hushed, reverential tones, and described as an experience rather than a mere concert, partly as a result of singer Maya’s habit of conducting her trance-like vocal performance from the middle of an unsuspecting crowd. Playing their first Edinburgh gig in nearly a decade, the musical tone was set by opener Messiah Crawl, with Maya’s dramatic vocal soaring above the perfectly-executed melodic stoner sludge backing of Adam (guitar), Lawrence (bass) and Alex (drums). The following two tracks When Did You See Her Last? and Spotlight, both from their outstanding 2024 EP The Body Is The Wound, saw the first of Maya’s mesmerisingly theatrical walkabouts, allowing the parting spectators to witness the white-robed high priestess of gothic doom’s vocal talent at unusually close quarters. The combination of the bone-crunching riffs, the complex time structures and the otherworldly immersive vocal experience makes for a compelling spectacle which was on this occasion over all too soon.

Witch of the Vale, the only purely synth act of the whole festival, had the distinctly unenviable task of following Cold In Berlin but brought some welcome calm to proceedings with a competent set of ethereal and atmospheric cold wave. Although a little one-paced, their songs were very well-received by the audience, who clearly appreciated the delicate vocals and cinematic soundscapes.

Scene stalwarts 1919 have enjoyed one of the most successful comebacks of the last decade, with livewire frontman Rio Goldhammer a key part of their renewed appeal. Regulars on both the festival and Scottish gig circuits, their judiciously winning mix combines the more primitive tribal songs from their original eighties era with the more melodic and political songs from their more recent releases. Beginning with a reworked yet visceral Tear Down These Walls, 1919 hurtled through a punishing set which demanded Herculean efforts from original drummer Mick Reed and legendary Leeds figure Ding on bass, whilst now-established guitarist Sam skilfully evoked original guitarist the late Mark Tighe’s Geordiesque six string genius whilst stamping his own mark on more recent songs like Borders and Jackie from most recent album Citizens of Nowhere. Singer Rio is never one to be contained by a relatively small stage and during the latter song set off one of several exploratory walkabouts, scaling the high shelf above the audience on one occasion in what was the most intense and focussed set I have seen ever the band deliver. In particular, the classic Cry Wolf, new song Satellite Man and a notably ferocious Bloodline (which Goldhammer jokingly referred to as his Sex Pistols audition) were played with a power and energy which were a stunning reminder of the original goth movement’s punk roots.

It was left to goth royalty The March Violets to close a memorable festival in suitable style, with Rosie Garland confidently commanding the stage and enthralling the audience with her strong vocal performance and amusingly dark well-rehearsed song introductions. With Mat Thorpe’s vocals improved from their last Scottish visit (but still too quiet!) and Tom Ashton’s guitar genius shining through both ancient offerings like Crow Baby and Grooving In Green and no fewer than five tracks from last year’s Crocodile Promises LP, the Violets kept the audience turkey-trotting through a hugely enjoyable set that mixed in deep cuts like Fodder and Strangehead alongside 80’s alternative chart number one hits Walk Into The Sun and euphoric final encore Snake Dance. All in all, a fitting finale to two days of life-enhancing musical entertainment.

Against all odds, the Deadinburgh Festival was clearly a huge success, posting Sold Out notices and quite evidently enjoyed by the three generations of gothic music fans in attendance. Credit first and foremost to the promoter, but also to the bands, the Showtech sound engineers and the staff at The Hive, a suitably dingy suite of cellars in Edinburgh’s creepy Old Town. On this evidence, goth music not only continues to survive but to thrive, with a small but committed fan base and a variety of artists whose talents continue to expand a genre (which is often erroneously viewed as purely retrospective) in a multitude of different musical directions.