Select Frequency #17
Let's see what we discovered in 2025
Well, wonderful readers of Gatekeep!, 2025 is almost at a close. What sweet sorrow parting is. As we approach the end of the year, it’s natural that most people would turn to the best songs and albums that released this year. In fact, even we here at GK! will be doing the same thing (stay tuned, lovely readers). But, there’s far more to a year than just the music that released. Lest we forget, a new year is a new excuse to discover plenty of music that we never had heard before. And 2025 was no different! That’s why, for my final Select Frequency of 2025, I will be assembling a list of my 10 favorite songs that I discovered in 2025! So, any song that released before 2025 is fair game!
Closure in Moscow - “Primal Sinister”
Ethereal Shroud - “Chasmal Fires”
Fightstar - “Sharp Tongue”
Ghost - “From the Pinnacle to the Pit”
Kocchi No Kento - “Hai Yorokonde”
OCT - “Dim Sum Paradise”
Porcupine Tree - “Blackest Eyes”
Styx - “Renegade”
Tenacious D - “Rize of the Fenix”
Autumn Kings - “HELLBOUND”
Closure in Moscow - “Primal Sinister”
from Soft Hell // 2023 // prog rock/alt rock
One of my favorite things to do at the start of any given year is run through old “best of” lists from previous years, see how much my music taste has changed, and if any songs that I would’ve overlooked in the past carry new appeal. Case in point, “Primal Sinister” from Closure in Moscow’s comeback album Soft Hell, a high-placing song on a certain music YouTuber’s best of 2023 list (shoutout ARTV). Intrigued by the sample, I pressed play, and was immediately drawn in by what might be the grooviest bass line I’ve heard all damn year. “Primal Sinister” strikes a perfect balance between prog weirdness (those pitch shifted vocals in the chorus take some getting used to) and accessible groove, with the track perfectly building to the fist-pumping chorus. It’s funky stadium rock polished to a mirror-shine, be it the pounding drums or the delicious instrumental lick that heralds the bridge and finale.
Ethereal Shroud - “Chasmal Fires”
from Trisagion // 2021 // atmospheric black metal
I am not a black metal listener, by and large. The number of BM releases that I’ve truly devoured are so few and far between, that I could probably fill a Select Frequency list with my favorite songs from each, and have room for one or two more. It’s just not a genre that appeals to me. But there’s always an exception. Ethereal Shroud’s Trisagion was an album that I had been remotely aware of thanks to its presence on certain music sites that I tended to frequent, but it was only in 2025 that I truly sat down and gave it a fair shake. I’ll be honest, I had little to no idea what to expect. What I found was one of my favorite albums of the decade, and easily my favorite black metal album, not likely to be beaten any time soon. “Chasmal Fires” is the intro to this three-track masterpiece, and what a fucking statement it is. A grand, yet peaceful or mournful piano and string overture gives way to a wall of guitars and drums, all while lead vocalist Joseph Hawker lets loose in a furious rage against old organizations who would preach hate and bigotry. It’s 27 minutes, but it blasts by in record time, and you’re left hungry for more. Thank goodness the rest of the album delivers in equal measure.
Fightstar - “Sharp Tongue”
from Behind the Devil’s Back // 2015 // post-hardcore
One of the more interesting developments to emerge from 2025 was the masked band zeitgeist, riding the coattails of the breakout popularity of Sleep Token… with often varied results. Out of all of these imitators, PRESIDENT were the only band that seemed to actually have a shot at matching Sleep Token’s hype, though that could be attributed to the star power of the band’s lead vocalist. Speaking of which, when I checked out Charlie Simpson’s work, I was taken aback by how vibrant the intro track to Fightstar’s last album was, and how it utterly blew anything PRESIDENT had released out of the water. Intricate riffs layer around Charlie’s sublime vocals and jagged screams, with Alex Westaway providing the perfect preamble to the chorus.
Ghost - “From the Pinnacle to the Pit”
from Meliora // 2015 // heavy metal
Thanks in no small part to Impera and Prequelle, I was already pretty familiar with Ghost’s heavy metal revival output, and their far more tongue-in-cheek masked presence compared to Sleep Token or PRESIDENT. But it was only ahead of seeing them on the Skeletour this year that I properly checked out what is often considered their finest album, 2015’s Meliora. And considering the chokehold “From the Pinnacle to the Pit” has had on me ever since, I’d say there’s a good reason the album has the reputation it does. Opening with a bassline that I can only describe as sinister and threatening, Papa Emeritus III heralds his congregation in a voice that alternates between sneer-like singing and snarling the name of the song like a threat. The gothic atmosphere is palpable even before the minimalist chorus and harmonized vocals drive the point of the song home.
Kocchi no Kento - “Hai Yorokonde”
single // 2024 // J-Pop
It wouldn’t be another year round the sun for me without at least one new J-Pop song crossing my ears. While I had been vaguely aware of this song’s existence at the tail end of 2024, 2025 was where I fully began to appreciate what a catchy bop this song is. Bouncing along retro-inspired beats, the lyrics dissect the stress of salarymen in Japan, but you’d be forgiven for missing that entirely in favor of the motor mouth vocals and a chorus that is easy to sing along to, regardless of your fluency in Japanese. And, hey, if the language barrier is an issue, Kocchi no Kento released an official English version the same year!
OCT - “Dim Sum Paradise”
single // 2024 // comedy pop
I’ve talked before (in my very first Select Frequency with Gatekeep!) about OCT, and how they’re keeping the art of comedy music alive and well in a way that would make The Lonely Island beyond proud. “Dim Sum Paradise” was my intro to the trio, thanks to a TikTok shared to me courtesy of my girlfriend, and I was hooked immediately. Something about the concept of a city pop song that extols the virtues of a dim sum restaurant sunk its teeth into me, helped by the genuinely memorable and entertaining instrumental that perfectly underscores the comically over-the-top love that these three boys show for their beloved dim sum. Honestly, it makes me crave the stuff… maybe I should order some tonight…
Porcupine Tree - “Blackest Eyes”
from In Absentia // 2002 // progressive rock
Certain albums carry reputations that follow them whether or not you’ve actually listened to the music within. Case in point, Porcupine Tree’s seminal 2002 record In Absentia, often hailed as one of the greatest modern prog albums. Just the cover alone is one of the most iconic rock covers to come out of the 2000s. And yet, it wasn’t until only a few months ago that I hit play for the first time. And once the opening riff of “Blackest Eyes” blasted through my headphones, I was sold. Blistering riffs contrast with soft acoustic verses and choruses, said chorus concluding with one of the most heavenly harmonies I’ve heard all year. Steven Wilson is a master of his craft, and that fact is on full display from the word “go”.
Styx - “Renegade”
from Pieces of Eight // 1978 // progressive rock
Yeah, yeah, I talked about “Renegade” before, the last time I had full control over Select Frequency, but this song is just too much of an earworm to only mention once. I still consider it my favorite Styx song by a long mile, even more so now that I’ve gotten to try it out on drums. John Panozzo is a monster behind the kit, and his work on “Renegade” perfectly underscores the track’s frantic themes.
Tenacious D - “Rize of the Fenix”
from Rize of the Fenix // 2012 // comedy rock
“When the Pick of Destiny released, it was a bomb”
Say what you will about Jack Black and Kyle Gass, you can’t say that they don’t know how to roll with the punches and poke some fun at themselves. The title track that opens the comedy duo’s third album is both an acknowledgment of how off-track Tenacious D had gotten, and a hell of a rockin’ “we’re back” statement. With Dave Grohl behind the drums, the D launch into a metal-tinged rollercoaster of a middle section, all before slowing down to make way for the song’s finale. It’s a journey of a song that manages to pack in some genuinely progressive moments in terms of tempo and mood changes, all while Jack Black’s distinctive voice announces the band’s rise from the ashes.
Autumn Kings - “HELLBOUND”
single // 2024 // hard rock
One of the fun things about sticking around for the opening acts of a tour is that you can be exposed to hidden gems you never would’ve glanced at otherwise. Case in point, the Autumn Kings, who were the first opener for Set It Off during their self-titled tour. And they put on one hell of a show too, with their final number, “HELLBOUND”, leaving one of the strongest impressions on me after the lights dimmed. Middle Eastern-inspired rhythms abound in the verses before the chorus surges in on distorted, fuzzy riffs, all while vocalist Joe Coccimiglio screams his heart out. Not to be outdone, Jacob Diab surges in the bridge with a pretty decent hard rock rap. The song is just a huge bundle of fun in general, and will leave you bopping your head by the time the final note rings out.
Very nice mix here. Ethereal Shroud/ Fightstar one-two punch makes me especially happy