A new year means new bands coming our way! In this list, we’re looking at the top five bands that have either just started their journey or have been around a while but deserve more recognition. Here are the top five bands to look out for, starting with number one.
If getting into new rock music is your New Year’s resolution or you’re looking to expand your metal knowledge, you’re in luck! After lots of listening, we’ve put together our list of the top 5 rock and metal bands everyone must know in 2025.
1) JINJER
- Genre: Metal, Groove Metal, Progressive Metal
- Similar to: Spiritbox, Lamb Of God
- Where to start: JINJER – Pisces (Live Session) | Napalm Records
JINJER is a Ukrainian groove metal band formed in 2009. In their early stages, people doubted JINJER’s talents, telling the band they would never achieve their dreams of truly making it as a metal band. Boy, were those people wrong. Grabbing ahold of incredible vocalist Fatale Tatiana Shmailyuk in 2010 and releasing Inhale, Dont Breathe in 2012, JINJER hasn’t slowed down since. They won the “Best Ukranian Metal Band” in 2013 and caught the attention of Napalm Records, who signed JINJER as they began working on their third album King of Everything. This album put JINJER on the map with their single ‘Pieces’, gaining popularity even outside the metalhead community. Now, with an increase in international touring opportunities and a loyal fanbase, the already ambitious band is working as hard as ever to bring us unique groove metal sounds.
2) In This Moment
- Genre: Metal, Rock, Hip-hop/Rap
- Similar to: Halestorm and Motionless in White
- Where to start: IN THIS MOMENT – Blood (OFFICIAL VIDEO)
In This Moment is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed by singer Maria Brink and guitarist Chris Howorth in 2005. The two initially met in 2004 during a music audition, however, times were different back then and it took Howorth some convincing before he finally accepted Brink as their lead singer. They found drummer Jeff Fabb not long after and initially started the band as Dying Star. However, unhappy with their musical direction, they changed their name to In This Moment and gained two band members, guitarist Blake Bunzel and bassist Josh Newell within the same year. Newell left not long after the band’s new direction and was instead replaced by Jesse Landry, officially creating In This Moment as we know it today.
In This Moment grew their fanbase the only way you could in the early 2000s, through DIY touring and making sure the locals knew their name. Century Media Records caught word of them only a year after their formation and before they knew it, it’s 2007, their album Beautiful Tragedy is performing well, and festivals like Megadeath and Ozzofest are begging for their attendance.
3) Burning Witches
- Genre: Heavy/Power Metal
- Similar to: Iron Maiden, Alice Cooper and Judas Priest.
- Where to start: BURNING WITCHES – Dance With The Devil (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)
Burning Witches is a Swiss heavy/ power metal band founded by rhythm guitarist Romana Kalkuhl, who is influenced by 80’s metal bands such as Iron Maiden, Alice Cooper, and Judas Priest. Kalkuhl specifically wanted an all-female band and found all the members by 2016. Burning Witch started strong, earning themselves “Demo of the Month” in both Rock Hard and Metal Hammer with their very first demo. They released their self-titled album in 2017, which landed 73 on the Swiss album charts. Despite their success, it wasn’t until Valentine’s Day 2018 that their record company Nuclear Blast discovered and signed them.
4) Voice Of Baceprot
- Genre: Progressive Metal
- Similar to: Slipknot, Lamb of God, Rage Against the Machine, and System of a Down
- Where to start: Voice of Baceprot – God, Allow Me (Please) To Play Music (Official Music Video)
Voice of Baceprot, often abbreviated as VOB, is an Indonesian all-female rock trio formed in Garut, West Java, in 2014. The group consists of Firda Marsya Kurnia (vocals and guitar), Widi Rahmawati (bass), and Euis Siti Aisyah (drums). They sing in English as well as Sundanese.
Fun fact: the word backport means “noisy” in Sundanese, a descriptive that perfectly encapsulates the band’s musical style. VOB gained mainstream recognition in 2015 with their cover of Rage Against the Machine. The trio continued to produce videos of cover songs by artists such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, and Slipknot. Despite being considered a minority in the rock community, VOB never finds itself without support. Supported from a young age by their theatre coach, who now also serves as their manager and lyricist, the women first put themselves out there in a band competition. The rest is history.
5) Loathe
- Genre: Progressive Metal, Alternative/Indie
- Similar to: Fit for an Autopsy, The Devil Wears Prada, Between the Buried and Me
- Where to start: Loathe – Two-Way Mirror (Official Music Video)
Loathe is an English heavy metal band with elements of metalcore and nu-metal from Liverpool. Formed in 2014, the group consists of lead vocalist Kadeem France, guitarist and second vocalist Erik Bickerstaffe, drummer Sean Radcliffe, and bassist Feisal El-Khazragi. So far, Loathe has put out three studio albums, getting attention from SharpTone Records.
Loathe has been nominated for Best UK Breakthru Band in the Heavy Music Awards and Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards Best New Band in 2018. In addition to this in 2020, the band became the third metal band to break through into the mainstream poll by Revolver magazine and later went on to perform around the UK and at popular festivals such as Ozzfest. Loathe has gone through many aesthetic changes throughout their career, such as wearing masks inspired by bands like Ghost and Slipknot. Now, however, they’ve found their independence and are more comfortable with looks inspired by themselves, not others.
Spotify Playlist of Bands
Conclusion
While these are our top 5 bands to look out for, we could’ve added at least 50 more. There’s never a shortage of great music to discover. Comment down below any new bands we should look into! These are just a few that are personally picked out. Comment down below any new bands we should look into.
