Tag Archives: maleficium – part 2

The Year In Review – Top 10 Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Albums of 2025

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“Who the fuck is Justin Bieber?” – Ozzy Osbourne

There’s not much to celebrate in rock and metal music in the same year when we lost the one and only John Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne. Nothing will ever be the same without the Prince of Darkness, the Madman, The Wizard of Ozz. There isn’t a single artist or band reviewed in the history of The Headbanging Moose that wasn’t influenced in several ways by Ozzy and, of course, by Black Sabbath. It is a very sad year indeed. However, Ozzy was always in a great mood, always happy, and I’m sure that, wherever he is now, he wants to see us all smiling and laughing, because that’s what life is all about. He also wants us to keep attending rock and metal concerts to have a good time with our loved ones, with our closest friends, just like Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I did so many times this year, covering incredible bands the likes of Blackbraid, Ne Obliviscaris, Cattle Decapitation, Blind Guardian, and so on. I’ve also had the utmost pleasure of seeing the mighty Judas Priest in Dalhalla, Sweden, a dream come true for this fanboy here, and I can’t wait to “run for my life” in 2026. Having said all that, let’s honor the life of Ozzy with The Headbanging Moose’s Top 10 Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Albums of 2025, excluding EP’s, best of’s and live albums, and keep on rockin’ like the Madman until our very last breath!

1. Blackbraid – Blackbraid III (REVIEW)
Behold the stunning next chapter in the musical and spiritual journey of the witch hawk of Black Metal hailing from the Adirondack Mountains.
Best song of the album: Wardrums At Dawn On The Day Of My Death

2. Werewolves – The Ugliest of All (REVIEW)
The torchbearers of “Caveman Death Metal” continuing to annihilate intellects with an unlistenable barrage of truly hideous music.
Best song of the album: The Ugliest of All

3. Testament – Para Bellum (REVIEW)
Let’s prepare for war to the sound of the breathtaking fourteenth studio album by California’s own masters of old school Thrash Metal.
Best song of the album: Para Bellum

4. Helloween – Giants & Monsters (REVIEW)
These German giants of Heavy Metal and monsters of Rock N’ Roll are back with their ass-kicking seventeenth studio album.
Best song of the album: Majestic

5. An Abstract Illusion – The Sleeping City (REVIEW)
This incredible Swedish Progressive Death and Black Metal entity returns with their heaviest and most atmospheric work to date.
Best song of the album: Like a Geyser Ever Erupting

6. Allegaeon – The Ossuary Lens (REVIEW)
World domination awaits to the sound of the striking new beast by one of the must-see bands of the current tech death scene worldwide.
Best song of the album: The Swarm

7. 1914 – Viribus Unitis (REVIEW)
Trench warfare meets blackened death and doom in 1914’s fourth onslaught of war-torn fury.
Best song of the album: 1918 Pt 3: ADE (A Duty to Escape)

8. Cryptopsy – An Insatiable Violence (REVIEW)
Canada’s own Death Metal machine returns with their ruthless ninth studio album.
Best song of the album: Until There’s Nothing Left

9. Baest – Colossal (REVIEW)
Back from the fires of Denmark, this unstoppable creature will crush you with their fourth studio album.
Best song of the album: Colossus

10. Diabolizer – Murderous Revelations (REVIEW)
The torchbearers of diabolical abomination unite once again to drag us down into the fiery abysses of Turkish Death Metal without warning.
Best song of the album: Deathmarch of the Murderous Tyrant

And here we have the runner-ups, completing the top 20 for the year:

11. Lorna Shore – I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me (REVIEW)
12. Impureza – Alcázares (REVIEW)
13. Crimson Shadows – Whispers of War (REVIEW)
14. Primal Fear – Domination (REVIEW)
15. Serenity In Murder – Timeless Reverie (REVIEW)
16. Khôra – Ananke (REVIEW)
17. Panzerchrist – Maleficium – Part 2 (REVIEW)
18. Ominous Ruin – Requiem (REVIEW)
19. Wrath of Belial – Embers of Dead Empires (REVIEW)
20. Grima – Nightside (REVIEW)

Not only that, here’s once again our Top 10 EP’s of 2025, proving once and for all that the duration of an album is not that important in the end. As long as the music is great, the whole thing can be only one second long, like the classic “You Suffer” by Napalm Death!

1. When Plagues Collide – Kingmaker (REVIEW)
2. De Profundis – The Gospel Of Rot (REVIEW)
3. Fimbul Winter – What Once Was (REVIEW)
4. NecroticGoreBeast – Brute (REVIEW)
5. Serpent Corpse – Retaliate (REVIEW)
6. Akouphenom – Connections To The Erebus (REVIEW)
7. Necht – The Inevitable Suffering (REVIEW)
8. Discovery Through Torment – Telesynthetic Rebirth (REVIEW)
9. Der Rote Milan – Verlust (REVIEW)
10. Eleine – We Stand United (REVIEW)

Do you agree with our list? What are your top 10 albums of 2025? Also, don’t forget to tune in every Tuesday at 10pm BRT on Rádio Coringão to enjoy the best of classic and underground metal with Jorge Diaz and his Timão Metal, and every Thursday at 8pm UTC+2 on Midnight Madness Metal e-Radio for the best of underground metal with The Headbanging Moose Show!

Metal Xmas and a Headbanging New Year! See you in 2026!

And of course, as we really don’t like those boring Christmas songs here on The Headbanging Moose, we’ll leave you with what’s perhaps the most emotional and strongest metal hymn of the year, the charity version of “War Pigs”, by Black Sabbath, recorded by Judas Priest and with Ozzy himself sharing the vocal duties with the Metal God Rob Halford! This is the epitome of rock and metal music!

Generals gathered in their masses
Just like witches at black masses…

Album Review – Panzerchrist / Maleficium – Part 2 (2025)

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This ruthless Danish beast is completing their ambitious double concept album, centering around the theme of witchcraft with a blistering new chapter of Blackened Death Metal brutality.

Rooted in the legacy of the 90’s Scandinavian Death Metal underground, Aarhus, Denmark-based Blackened Death Metal beast Panzerchrist is completing their ambitious double concept album Maleficium with Maleficium – Part 2, the follow-up to their 2024 demolishing opus Maleficium – Part 1 and a blistering new chapter of Blackened Death Metal brutality. Produced, mixed and mastered by Tue Madsen at Antfarm Studios, the newborn spawn by Sonja Rosenlund Ahl on vocals, Frederik O’Carroll and Danny Bo Pedersen on the guitars, Rune V Wasmer on bass, and Ove Lungskov on drums sees the band expand their sonic palette with explosive tempos, melodic synth textures and apocalyptic doom passages, forging a sound that is both savage and cinematic, while its lyrical concept once again centers around the theme of witchcraft, this time diving deeper into narratives of persecution, grief, moral corruption, and their reflection in today’s world.

The second part of their phenomenal concept double album about witch hunts and trials begins in full force with Witchfinder General, with its haunting intro exploding into modern-day, caustic Blackened Death Metal led by the piercing roars by Sonja, whereas in Harmbidder the band continues to kick us hard in the head to the brutal beats and fills by Ove, while Frederik and Danny deliver pure Death Metal from their axes. Needless to say, it should sound fantastic if played live. Sonja sounds even more infuriated in Catalyst Of Chaos, delivering her trademark she-devil roars supported by the thunderous, vicious music blasted by her bandmates, followed by Hex Maleficium Pex, another song that goes absolutely heavy on the blast beats by Ove while Rune fires metallic, ruthless bass lines for our total delight, sounding perfect for breaking our necks headbanging. Or in other words, as Sonja herself says in the song, “the only good witch is a dead witch.”

Then the most cryptic and vile intro of all songs warns us all for the feast of darkness and brutality that’s about to come in Suffer My Fury, the most demented composition of the entire album, with Ove once again demolishing his drums in the name of violence and hatred. The quintet has simply mastered the art of crafting a sinister, visceral hybrid of Black and Death Metal, which is exactly the case in the menacing On Walpurgis Night, again led by the scorching riffs by the band’s unrelenting guitar duo. It’s time to dance with the witches, no doubt about it. The second to last burst of aggression by Panzerchirst is offered in the form of Black Mirror, with the deep gnarls by Sonja walking hand in hand with the demonic riffage by Frederik and Danny; and last but certainly not least, let’s join the band’s demonic coven one last time to the sound of The Descent, putting a climatic and melodic ending to such a magnificent album.

Delivering one of the most extreme and refined statements of their career, a release that marks a new high point for one of Denmark’s most enduring names in Death Metal, Panzerchrist are at the peak of their form with Maleficium – Part 2 (available in full on YouTube and on Spotify). “The songs on Maleficium reach a new level of depth and rawness, which has given me the opportunity to experiment with both lyrics, wordflow and vocal techniques. I am honestly so proud of the result,” commented the ultra talented growler Sonja. “Maleficium – Part 2 completes the work that was started with part one. Together, perhaps the best collection of songs from the band,” complemented Frederik, and if you want to know more about one of the most unrelenting names in the history of Danish metal you can find the band on Facebook and on Instagram, stream their music on Spotify, and of course purchase the phenomenal Maleficium – Part 2 from BandCamp or by clicking HERE. The time of the witches is upon us, and Panzerchrist are among us to make sure it’s going to be a savage and furious era to the sound of their incendiary new album.

Best moments of the album: Witchfinder General, Harmbidder, Suffer My Fury and On Walpurgis Night.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2025 Emanzipation Productions

Track listing
1. Witchfinder General 4:53
2. Harmbidder 4:10
3. Catalyst Of Chaos 4:03
4. Hex Maleficium Pex 7:19
5. Suffer My Fury 4:01
6. On Walpurgis Night 6:01
7. Black Mirror 3:45
8. The Descent 6:58

Band members
Sonja Rosenlund Ahl – vocals
Frederik O’Carroll – guitars
Danny Bo Pedersen – guitars
Rune V Wasmer – bass
Ove Lungskov – drums