The RMR crew finally decided to revive the Top 3 lists for EPs and Videos. The last iteration was back in 2022 with a more or less reasonable crop of juicy goodies. The output of ’23 and ’24 was – with exceptions – apparently never enough, so we gave both a pass. That said, 2025 got us a pretty wild selection of good-to-great shorties and some snazzy moving pictures. Thus, same as the lamestream n00b section, this here list rose from its ashes to shine once again in the dark glow of a very ominous 2025 that this reviewer would like to forget quickly.
And with this morose take on things, here are our top picks of short-form contributions the music industry threw at us.
RMR’s 2025 Top 3 Videos!
#3 – Týr – The Rune (2025)
The Rune talks about being rooted in the rough grounds of the Faroe Isles, sitting athwart the Norwegian Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. A ditty telling us about the love o’ the land and a warning to those wanting to invade them arid rocks in the roaring sea. The cinematography blew us away, not for being spectacular, but because it was made in one shot. The drone travels from the ocean along the coast, visiting different members of the band playing their song on forelorn outcroppings, stuck in angry salt water. That is where the mastery comes in. And this pretty neat idea made us pick this reel for the Top 3 list. Check it out, if you don’t believe us.
#2 – Paradise Lost – Serpent on the Cross
Paradise Lost enjoyed a true homerun on RMR in 2025. First, the top spot on the Top 10 and now some kudos for their video called Serpent on the Cross. This track is the filet piece of their new album Ascension. One could take exception at the slop-ish execution of the clip, but it does tell a story, and it does it well. Once they get into their tale, the amateurish vibes disappear, and true CGI mastery appears. In the end, the RMR crew stayed glued to the screen. And this is why this clip finally made it onto this list.
#1 – Carach Angren – Ik Kom Uit Het Graf
Carach Angren cannot only tell stories like no other. They can also create rough-hewn clips, made cheaply with little effort, yet with a genuine sense of horror and unease. The RMR crew got a real kick out of the reactions of the unsuspecting nightowls on Belgrade’s streets. People who weren’t quite sure if now is the time to call the SWAT team or to enjoy a joke or two with the film crew. That unfeigned emotion, combined with one of those typical CA ditties, left the RMR Review desk with a sense of angst and disquiet. For no reason at all. Because it is only a video after all. Or, is it?
That clip we failed to cover in 2024!
The omission to create a list of memorable videos for the Year of the Dark Lord 2024 led to a lot of dismay over at the RMR Office Tower. Somehow, one of the greatest contributions in metal history left our mutual minds and saw no reward during the last listing season. You guessed it, this is about Gojira‘s stellar contribution to the French Olympics with their song and video called Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!). An astounding performance that drew an astonishing amount of ire and some choice remarks issued by the mainstream press. Funny enough, Eurosport probably had enough of the negative comments that their own questionable contribution generated and pulled their original video, the cowards. The full story is in the linked article. Enjoy!
RMR’s 2025 Top 3 EPs!
#3 – Freeze the Fall – The Red Garden
The RMR crew found itself a bunch of landscapers tending to a red garden. Or something. Alright, it’s not real metal, agreed. But RMR ain’t only this, we’re also rock and folk.1 And it’s mixed with Metalcore and Nu that Freeze the Fall excel in. And excel they do in pretty much everything. These guys were easily THE surprise of 2025 and had us in an uproar for a long while. The band blends heavy chugging with metallistic urges, followed by jazzy and proggy excursions, to the haunted piano and ambient interludes. All of that in a wild and wildly energetic staccato fashion, propped onto a perfect production with no hair out of place. These guys will go places.
#2 – Stortregn – One Eternal
Holy fucking moly! Welcome to the new Stortregn. Well, it’s not new, but their ferocious vocalist is. And their straight-in-the-face fury is kinda new, too. So, here we found ourselves suddenly devoid of the former, comparatively tame Technical Death Metal, and were stuck in front of face-melting metal brutality. A delicious piece of raw metal that made us hunger for more. Much MOAR! So, this crew cannot wait for the FNG2 to unleash his powers on the new full-length sure to come.
#1 – De Profundis – The Gospel of Rot
If only De Profundis had the stamina to create a full-length record, they would have roared onto our mean, little Top 10 list. Short pieces and little blurbs end up here. But what a thunderclap this EP became. Rejuvenated and energized, that’s the name of the game. And it shows. A rapid-fire mix of Brutal Death, Tech Death, and a sprinkling of Swedish Death Metal will take you into their steely claws and won’t let you go until you scream uncle. Or the piece finally peters out, and you’re released from the torture chambers. The Gospel of Rot is a ferocious affair, and you will like it. Despite yourself.
The Odd Footnote!