The 2025 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - #1

 #1. Elevation Rhythm - Goodbye Yesterday

Track: Goodbye Yesterday
Artist: Elevation Rhythm
Album: Victory Lap

 

In a wild turn of events, a year in which hard rock and metal was absolutely king of the new music empire here at Jester One, it was a worship song that ended up taking the #1 slot. It wasn't as big of a landslide as it was from the last 3 years, where the #1 track was a runaway pick at the top in terms of both plays and impact. But there was no doubt at the mindway point of 2025 that it was going to take a strong new release to push Elevation Rhythm back. 

We have to scroll back to 2019 to find the last worship song that splashed in, with James Truslow's "Overwhelmed" taking the #18 spot that year. Bethel Music's "Goodness of God" almost snuck in that year, and last year "Praise" by Elevation Worship just missed, but the absolute explosion that happened the first time I heard "Goodbye Yesterday" at church, and the tremendous dual chorus between singers Nate Diaz and Gracie Binion just knocks me backwards every time I listen to this song.

What a wild year.

Favorite line: "Again and again and again and again, you rescued me out of the mess I was in. You traded my sorrow for something to sing, now I'm dancin' on the grave that I once lived in"

Previous five #1s:

2024: LØLØ - wish i was a robot
2023: The Classic Crime - Alone in the City
2022: Forever Unknown - sad people, blue eyes
2021: Teenage Wrist - Taste of Gasoline
2020: Lilieae - Level

The 2025 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - #2

 #2. The Devil Wears Prada - For You

Title: For You
Artist: The Devil Wears Prada
Album: Flowers

The Devil Wears Prada has twice been just on the outside looking in, with 2019's "Chemical" and 2015's "Planet A", but they've never been a band that I really listened to much. Still, Dayton Ohio's best musical export absolutely rocketed up the list this year, from the first time I heard "For You" until today as I write this. The song starts off slow before ramping up at the chorus and slamming home the heaviest, most disgusting neck-throttling breakdown of the year. I think I've listened to that part of the song more than any one singular verse or moment than anything else this year. What a hammer. What a song. Welcome to, well, almost the top, fellas. 

Favorite line: "I could bring the world to you, but what is it worth? Whеn everything I give to you just diеs in the dirt"

Previous five #2s:

2024: Metric - Days of Oblivion
2023: The Broken Relics - Rodeo
2022: Rammstein - Lügen
2021: The Struts - Another Hit of Showmanship (ft Albert Hammond Jr)
2020: Purity Ring - stardew

The 2025 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - #3

#3. Lady Gaga - How Bad Do U Want Me

Title: How Bad Do U Want Me
Artist: Lady Gaga
Album: Mayhem

 

What, you thought this entire Countdown was going to be hard rock and metal?

SURPRISE! And not just any surprise, but Lady Gaga! A massive popstar! Wowza!

Okay, but for real. Lady Gaga is easily the most tolerable of the modern popstars in my book, with her bizarre artistic antics and her incredible voice and stage presence, it's hard not to like her from an outsider perspective. Naturally, it was the extrapolation of Yazoo's 1982 hit single "Only You" was what caught my ear first, but this is a fun and bouncy track on an album full of solid offerings, including "Perfect Celebrity", "Disease", and the bittersweet ballad "Blade of Grass". The song talks about a forbidden relationship, with Gaga teasing the man about his lack of commitment to her. 

Yeah, definitely a curve, or more like a knuckleball in this year's list. But a great freaking song, man.

Favorite line: "You hear my name, 'cause she's in your brain and I'm here to kiss you in real life - 'Bout to cause a scene, how bad do you want me?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Previous five #3s:

2024: Watershed - Hey Lydia
2023: White Lies - Trouble In America

2022: Ronnie Martin - From the Womb of the Morning, The Dew of Your Youth Will Be Yours
2021: Acceptance - At the Edge of the Earth
2020: White Reaper - Real Long Time

The 2025 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - #4

  #4. A Tiger Made of Lightning - better parts of broken things

Title: better parts of broken things
Artist: A Tiger Made Of Lightning
Album: Manticore

The #4 spot seems to be a really solid place for bands from Columbus to land lately, with Forever Unknown, Truslow, and A Tiger Made Of Lightning now landing twice at this spot in the last 5 years. A deeper dig into the archives also show that 2018, '16, and 2010 also had local offerings at #4 as well. As far as ATMOL goes, this is now their 3rd full length album since their debut EP It's Chaos, Be Kind rocketed into our eardrums four years ago. It's clear that singer Mike O'Leary has a lot to say about the state of the world, and as usual he presents it into a crushing, crunchy sonic package. Other standout tracks on the record include "It's All Worth Reaching For", "me against me against me", and the explosive title track that opens the album with 1:09 of fury.

"better parts of broken things" became something of a motto for me as I worked through this sludge-ride of a year. It's a song about making the best of the messed up landscape we see in 2025, and being the best possible human we can be. If you're not paying attention to the positivity that radiates from this band, you really need to open your eyes and ears to their message. For my money, this is their best full-length album so far, and I doubt they have any intention of slowing down.

Favorite line: "You cut me down for the last time, and I rebuilt myself to be a beacon to look to in times of despair, A person to count on as someone who cares."

"

 

Previous five #4s:

2024: The Struts - Hands On Me
2023: Gable Price and Friends - I Don't Wanna Live Like This
2022: Truslow - Abbey Dear
2021: A Tiger Made of Lightning - Little Birds
2020: Forever Unknown -  Bury Me

The 2025 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - #5

 #5. Novelists - Say My Name

Title: Say My Name
Artist: Novelists
Album: CODA

We've got the US, Canada, UK, Sweden, Germany, and now France represented in the Countdown this year, as Novelists rocket into the top 5 with new vocalist Camille Contréras leading the way. The band has released 3 major albums with 3 different (and rather unique) singers, but Contréras is the first to resonate with me. While the djent/core genre is rife with bands making similar sounding music and basic riffs, Novelists definitely jump around stylistically and manage to throw in some outstanding soaring solos on their newest album, CODA, featuring standout tracks "All For Nothing", "Coda", and "Maldición de la Bruja". "Say My Name" kicks the album off with the most radio-friendly of the chaotic offerings, a track about the bad side of an abusive gaslighing relationship. I think the band has finally found their niche and look forward to seeing what they have to offer in the future with Contréras.

Favorite line: "I'm so worthless that you don't even say my name. I stand alone in the dark, convinced that I'm defеated. yeah, I don't wanna fight for who I am. I stand alone in the dark, a shadow of you"

 

 

 

Previous five #5s:

2024: Softcult - Shortest Fuse
2023: The Awakening - Gabriel
2022: Silversun Pickups - Alone on a Hill
2021: Meryl Creep - Spiraling
2020: Empathy Test - Monsters

The 2025 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - #6

 #6. Seether - Dead On The Vine

Title: Dead On The Vine
Artist: Seether
Album: The Surface Seems So Far

Another year, another solid Seether track seeping into the rock universe. In fact, this was an entire album full of jagged head-bangers from the South African quartet. With 9 albums in 25 years under their belt, the group continues to paint angsty pictures as they bend derisive notes out of their guitars. The Surface Seems So Far feels like their best record in several years, not that the previous ones were lacking; but something special connected with me on this one. If you've been following the Countdown this year, it's been nothing but hard rock and metal songs, so maybe that's just where my mind has been. Other standout tracks include "Illusion" and "Try To Heal".

Favorite line: "Who gets to break me, then pillage and rape me, then leave me alive somehow?"

 

 

 

 

Last five #6s:

2024: Till Lindemann - Nass
2023: White Reaper - Pages
2022: YUNGBLUD - The Funeral
2021: Gang of Youths - the angel of 8th ave.
2020: TRVSS - All The Bugs

The 2025 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - #7

 #7. Turnstile - Light Design

Title: Light Design
Artist: Turnstile
Album: Never Enough

Is there any band out there right now that is blending unique elements into a more fun, upbeat, rocking sound than Turnstile? Whatever they're doing, it absolutely works for me, and the little bit of shoegaze and heavy dose of keyboards really rocket this song into another dimension. It's hard not to get bouncing with the synths drop in on this one. There isn't much by the way of lyrics, but it's a groover that bangs hard. Other standout tracks include "Never Enough" and "Birds".

Favorite line: "Never thought I'd be on my own, but I survived"

Last five #7s:

2024: Red Wanting Blue - Killer
2023: Teenage Wrist - Something Good
2022: Best Foot Back - Give It A Go
2021: '68 - Bad Bite
2020: King Princess - Ohio

The 2025 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - #8

 #8. Ghost - Lachryma

Title: Lachryma
Artist: Ghost
Album: Skeletá

Ghost hit #20 in 2018 ("Dance Macabre") and #9 in 2022 ("Spillways") and have jumped up another spot this year with their new album Skeletá. In an interesting mix of circumstance and hindsight, this is probably the album that I've enjoyed the most by Ghost, despite not feeling that "Lachryma" (Latin: tears) is any stronger than the other two songs... despite it being ranked higher. Those are all just a bunch of words and don't mean much outside of my head, but this is still a pretty darn good song on a pretty darn good album, with an edgier, less polished sound and more soaring solos.

Favorite line: "I'm done crying over someone like you - I'm done crying, hope you're feeling it too now."

 

 

 

Previous five #8s:

2024: Amira Elfeky - Tonight (Demo)
2023: Blackcarburning - Divide Us (ft Mari Kattman)
2022: Spiritbox - Sew Me Up
2021: Manchester Orchestra - Bed Head
2020: Ships In The Night - Lost Times

The 2025 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - #9

 #9. Bush - The Land Of Milk And Honey

Title: The Land Of Milk And Honey
Artist: Bush
Album: I Beat Loneliness

Two years after triumphantly making their return at the #9 spot of the Countdown, Bush returns with another album chock full of angsty rippers and Gavin Rossdale's trademark pipes. The band put out a couple singles and was another candidate for album of the year for me with tracks like "Scars", "60 Ways To Forget People" and the title track. I Beat Loneliness didn't feel like as strong of an album, top-to-bottom like 2023's The Art Of Survival, but its highpoints were still enough to keep multiple songs on my daily playlist, including the rage-filled "The Land Of Milk And Honey". Rossdale recently turned 60 and somehow still has the stamina to continue making worthwhile music, perhaps now with the added age he has a more cynical look at a life of angst. Either way, this album kicks off hard and keeps your head banging and ears ringing.

Favorite line: "I wasn't born in a cage, I am free to remain, I feel a darkness I can't resist"

 

 

 

 

Previous five #9s:

2024: Knox - Me, Myself & Your Eyes
2023: Bush - Heavy is the Ocean
2022: Ghost - Spillways
2021: Assemblage 23 - Factory
2020: Apollo LTD - You

The 2025 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - #10

 #10. Spiritbox - No Loss, No Love

Title: No Loss, No Love
Artist: Spiritbox
Album: Tsunami Sea

In 2022, Spiritbox made their debut on the Countdown with "Sew Me Up" reaching #8, and have triumphantly returned to the Top 10 with their newest album, Tsunami Sea. This is far and away my favorite of Spiritbox's album offerings, and I had a difficult time picking between songs that were my favorite. Other standout tracks include "Black Rainbow", "Soft Spine", "Keep Sweet", "Tsunami Sea" and "Fata Morgana".

"No Loss, No Love" is split between vocalist Courtney LaPlante's clean singing along with a simple drum and keyboard backing, and Spiritbox's traditionally chaotic screaming guitars and LaPlante's harsh vocals. For my money, I don't think there's anyone in the business who can flip between both vocal styles and do them both justice like LaPlante does. This is easily the most insane song on a record full of chaos and oddity. Spiritbox has made a big name for themselves in a short period of time and they consistently back it with their frenetic style and LaPlante's outstanding delivery.

Favorite line: "Twist my face in a desolate smile. Taste the salt in my blood, There is a waste, I feel no sentiment... No loss, no love"

 

Previous five #10s:

2024: Walk the Moon - Mono No Aware
2023: Phoenix - Tonight (ft Ezra Koenig)
2022: Andy Mineo - Been About It (ft Lecrae)
2021: Echo Image - Walk My Mind
2020: Loathe - Two-Way Mirror

The 2025 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - #11

#11. Stahlmann - Heimlich

Title: Heimlich
Artist: Stahlmann
Album:  Phosphor

I had to dig back through the archives, and with the exception of Rammstein's multiple appearances, there has never been another band singing in a language other than English on the Top 20 Countdown. I found this curious as I do spend a lot of time listening to German industrial/NDH music and try to stay current with all of the releases within, but here we are. Stahlmann isn't one that I'd consider one of my favorites of the genre (e.g. Eisbrecher, Megaherz, OOMPH!, Exfeind) but they consistently have one or two songs on every record that I enjoy. The crushing heaviness of "Heimlich" continually batters you from chorus to verse to chorus, and lyrically the song deals with death being around every corner, always lurking silently and waiting for us all. 

Definitely a switch-up from Tommy Richman and Owl City the last two years at 11, hah!

Favorite line: "Der Tod kommt heimlich, und er ist immer nah bei mir"

 

 

 

 

 

Previous five #11s:

2024: Tommy Richman - Million Dollar Baby
2023: Owl City - Kelly Time
2022: The Weeknd - Gasoline
2021: The Birthday Massacre - The NeverEnding Story
2020: Nightwish - Harvest

The 2025 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - #12

 #12. Black Satellite - Downfall

Title: Downfall
Artist: Black Satellite
Album: Aftermath

I first met Black Satellite back in '22 opening for Cold, and was awestruck by their live energy and heavily down-tuned industrial metal sound. It took me back to high school, listening to bands like Static X and Orgy (who, coincidentally, I would see live with Cold the next year), and Larissa Vale was an absolute beast fronting the act. We chatted for a bit, and I ended up buying a shirt with the promise of a new record coming later that year. Well, fast-forward to 2025 and that album is FINALLY out and well worth the wait. Other standout tracks include the title track, as well as "Broken", but it's Downfall, with its frenetic pace, crushing guitars and rage-filled lyrics that really propel the group all the way up to #12 on the Countdown. I'm looking forward to see what the future holds for this group, and hoping to see them again live!

Favorite line: "Just suffocate me, go ahead and hate me. Be the downfall of me"

Previous five #12s

2024: Neuroticfish - Bring The Noise
2023: Kamelot - Eventide
2022: Coheed and Cambria - The Liars Club
2021: Romy - Lifetime
2020: Alright Years - Something I Can Dance To

The 2025 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - #13

 #13. Nothing More - Freefall (ft Chris Daughtry)

Title: Freefall (ft Chris Daughtry)
Artist: Nothing More
Album: Carnal (Deluxe Edition)

Nothing More is another band battling to keep hard rock music alive amongst all the core and bizarre alt experiments going on around the rock scene. They've never been a band that piqued my interest much, and their album Carnal barely registered on my radar last year. However, when they released their song "Freefall" with guest vocals from Chris Daughtry, I immediately took notice and was hooked. Honestly, it's Daughtry's verse that really brings this song to life. I'm not always a fan of bands re-recording a song with a guest vocalist for the sake of making a "deluxe" edition or whatever, but it really kicks in the right direction with this one.

Favorite line: "I've got a million reasons to hold on, but I need one to let it go"

 

 

 

 

Previous five #13s

2024: Letdown. Hate Myself
2023: Meet Me @ The Altar - Say It (To My Face)
2022: Judah & the Lion - scream!
2021: The Dirty Nil - Blunt Force Concussion
2020: Slimfit - Pineapple Pizza

The 2025 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - #14

 #14. Off-Leash - Welcome Mat

 

Title: Welcome Mat
Artist: Off-Leash
Album: Welcome Mat single

I first came across Off-Leash when they were just teenagers, performing under the moniker "Detention" opening up for my friends in Grumpy Plum. In the 4 years since that meeting, the band has matured, gotten edgier and added a lot of grit to their skate-punk sound, as well as adding a heavy level of polish to their recordings. "Welcome Mat" showcases thunderous riffs along with lyrics that very clearly sing about a bad breakup and how the singer is looking to move on from what sounds like an awful relationship. It's a classic break-up/middle finger song that is fun to headbang along with while screaming the lyrics "Everyone but you!"

Favorite line: "Somehow it's only been a month, but I think I'm finally growing up. My welcome mat is still an open invite to everyone but you"

 

 

Previous five #14s:

2024: Soft Kill - Joy Is A Crime
2023: Beck - Thinking About You
2022: The Regrettes - Anxieties (Out of Time)
2021: beabadoobee - Last Day On Earth
2020: The Anix - Renegade

The 2025 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - #15

 #15. TRUSS - Tell Me Something

Title: Tell Me Something
Artist: TRUSS
Album: Fluorescence

How do you follow up having your first two albums (one live, one studio) making the Countdown? You make a third album that might be even better than the one before. I'm not sure what makes the core trio of singer Hannah Crandall, guitarist Eric Kennedy and drummer Holden Szalek so damn good together, but this album is just crushing riff after riff, catchy choruses and power. Sheer, unabashed power from every microphone that is tracked, and especially from the vocals. Lyrically, everything on this record resonates with one or another part of my soul, which just adds to the enigma of what makes this band so freaking awesome.

The tricky part was picking my favorite song from the album - would it be the opening puncher "Headlock"? The tremendous TRUSTcompany cover "Drop To Zero"? The crown-pleasing "Soiled" with it's sing-a-long pre-chorus? Eventually, the song that locked in the best with me was, for my money, the most well-rounded song on the record, "Tell Me Something". The song is wholly introspective and shines a beam into your soul as you think about who you are, who you were, and just what has changed in your life.

Also, this is 4 years in a row that a band from Ohio has landed at #15, which also includes the last TRUSS hit, the emotionally charged "Drown" in 2022.

Favorite line: "I just want to feel something in my head but I'm drowning - all alone in a place where I can be myself again"

 

 

 

 

Previous five #15s:

2024: Flesh Field - Demon
2023: Brave the Sea - Where I Belong
2022: Truss - Drown
2021: AFI - Begging for Trouble
2020: The Unlikely Candidates - High Low

The 2025 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - #16

 16. Coheed and Cambria - Goodbye, Sunshine

Title: Goodbye, Sunshine
Artist: Coheed and Cambria
Album: The Father of Make Believe

Two Coheed albums in a row charting on the Countdown is pretty wild. As brilliant as Claudio Sanchez is, his music doesn't always hit me in the right spot. This is another fantastic upbeat album with driving chords and Sanchez' uniquely fantastic vocals. This album felt a little more like a standalone than a continuation of previous stories, but it was equally enjoyable in how it progressed. "Goodbye, Sunshine" is fun, poignant and mournful while still pushing the idea of hope at the end of a relationship.

Favorite line: "No, I don't wanna do that grind, every damn night, struggling through life holding on to the wrong end of the knife""

 

 

 

 

Previous five #16s:

 

2024: David Swanson - Pockerknife Heart
2023: VV - Run Away From The Sun
2022: Silent Planet - Panopticon
2021: PEABOD - Love Everybody (ft Tedashii)

2020: Sir Sly - Material Boy

The 2025 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - #17

 17. The Birthday Massacre - Wish

Title: Wish
Artist: The Birthday Massacre
Album: DEADBEAT!

The Birthday Massacre return to the Countdown for the first time in 4 years, for their third appearance overall (the first being in 2017). The group has consistently churned out solid hits and records 25+ years and 10+ albums into their career, and the main trio of Chibi, Rainbow and Falcore show no signs of slowing down with this release. Despite the downcast lyrics, the song's keys and drums paint an upbeat and fun song, with Chibi singing "MAGIC!" on the chorus over and over again.

Favorite line: "And time goes by, steals away the light. Oh, how it flies - we'vе lost another night"

Previous five #17s: 

2024: Jack Kays - Blow It
2023: The Cordial Sins - Sugercoat
2022: Grumpy Plum - i don't care
2021: Porter Robinson - Look at the Sky
2020: Corduroy Brown - To My Younger Self

The 2025 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - #18

  #18. Demon Hunter - The Pain In Me Is Gone

 

Title: The Pain In Me Is Gone
Artist: Demon Hunter
Album: There Was A Light Here

Is there another artist that has been as prolific as Demon Hunter? #11 in 2019, 16 in '17, 8 in '12 and 19 in 2010. They've only released one album, 2022's Exile that didn't chart in the Top 20 since I started recording things, and they return with what I believe to be their best album since 2014's Extremist. They keep making great singles and hits but There Was A Light Here is excellent from top to bottom, with several other songs vying for a spot in the Countdown. "The Pain In Me Is Gone" honestly wasn't my first (or second) choice for top song off of the album, but as the year progressed it just kept slapping me and getting more plays. It's one of those songs that you get stuck in your head and you're still humming it as you lie down to sleep. Way to go, boys. 

Favorite Line: "Am I right in feeling wrong? Can we cauterize our wounds?"

 

 

Last five #18s:

2024: Badflower - Teacher Has A Gun
2023: VNV Nation - Before the Rain

2022: The Foxies - Overrated
2021: Daymare - Control
2020: Little Hurt - Alaska

The 2025 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - #19

 #19. Wolves at the Gate - LAW OF THE (Waste) LAND

Title: LAW OF THE (Waste) LAND
Artist: Wolves at the Gate
Album: Wasteland

Spoiler alert: The theme of this year is heavier music, and it begins with Wolves at the Gate, making their first appearance on the Countdown. I had listened to other WatG albums before, but nothing truly hit me as hard as this one did, and it definitely was one of my favorite records of the year. LAW OF THE (Waste)LAND is a groovier track that still packs the punch of songs like SYNTHETIC SUN and PARASITE. Top to bottom, this album will rattle your bones and shake your neck off its moorings. 

Favorite Line: "It's time to break it down - Another victim of the thoughtless self-defining truths that we throw around. Another victim for the lawless. We play judge, jury, executioner. Watch out, kill or be killed, cause everybody does what's right in their own eyes"

 

Last five #19s:

2024: Vampire Weekend - Capricorn
2023: Switchfoot - On Fire (Ingrid Andress version)
2022: Bad Omens - Like A Villain
2021: Royal Blood - Typhoons
2020: The Broken Relics - Goodbye Tennessee