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As the year nears its end, Machine Head<\/a> frontman Robb Flynn<\/a> has offered a playlist and reflections on the music that he listened to the most over the course of 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n Though the playlist is titled “Robb’s Top 10 ‘Listened To’ of 2025<\/a>,” it actually spans 67 songs including multiple entries from certain artists. But it also provides a glimpse into Robb’s musical tastes which span beyond the more thrash and groove metal sounds that his own band delivers. So what exactly was Robb Flynn listening to in 2025? He offers some commentary on his selections and we’ll dig in on a few below.<\/p>\n That honor would go to alternative outlaw country star Zach Bryan<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Indisputably, my 2 most listened to albums of 2025. \u00a0These became my go-to ‘heavy in the soul, not the guitars’ records. Zach Bryan blindsided me. Mostly acoustic, almost no distortion, certainly no thrash beats \u2014 just raw emotion. Zach Bryan writes like he\u2019s emptying out his soul one line at a time and it caught me in a way I didn\u2019t expect,” says Flynn of Bryan.<\/p>\n He cites\u00a0\u201cHey Driver,\u201d Whiskey Fever,\u201d \u201cJake\u2019s Piano,\u201d “East Side of Sorrow,” \u201cSomething in the Orange,\u201d \u201cHappy Instead,\u201d \u201cMine Again,\u201d \u201cCold Damn Vampires\u201d and \u201c\u201968 Fastback\u201d among his favorites.<\/p>\n “Sometimes the best music doesn\u2019t need to be loud \u2014 it just needs to be honest in a way that feels almost uncomfortable at times \u2014 and that\u2019s exactly why I kept coming back to it,” says Flynn.<\/p>\n Two of the buzziest bands in heavy music these days are Sleep Token<\/a> and Turnstile<\/a> and both acts seemed to have caught Flynn’s ear.<\/p>\n “Sleep Token\u2019s album absolutely swallowed me whole this year. I know some metalheads love to hate on them, and not every song was for me, but there\u2019s something about the mix of crushing down-tuned riffs, haunting melodies, lyrical sadness, sex and naked emotion that hits a part of my brain nothing else touches,” shared Flynn.<\/p>\n READ MORE<\/strong>: A Sleep Token Song Is No. 1 on the New York Times’ Best Songs of 2025 List<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n He shouts out the Sleep Token songs\u00a0\u201cEmergence,” “Chokehold,\u201d \u201cLook To Winword,\u201d \u201cDangerous,\u201d and \u201cCaramel\u201d in his picks.<\/p>\n “I don\u2019t care how many ‘true’ metalheads roll their eyes \u2014 the songs that grabbed me, grabbed me and didn\u2019t let go,” says Flynn.<\/p>\n As for Turnstile, the Machine Head vocalist notes, “Turnstile dropped an album I kept reaching for whenever I needed something that just felt good without losing that hardcore punch. It\u2019s bright, bouncy, and weirdly uplifting, but still hits with enough energy to scratch the heavy itch. It\u2019s one of those records that reminds me that being a metal guy doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t enjoy a little sunshine with your riffs \u2014 sometimes a blast of pure positivity is exactly what the year needs.”<\/p>\n He dropped his appreciation for “Glow On” and “Never Enough” amongst his Turnstile favorites.<\/p>\n Given his metal background, you’d probably expect some heavier picks. Of Sanguisugabogg<\/a>, Flynn offered, “This Sanguisugabogg album is just straight-up sonic barbarism, and I loved every filthy second of it. I felt like I was doing something illegal just by listening (those lyrics are FUCKED UP!),. The riffs don\u2019t just hit \u2014 they maul. The vocals are savage, the Peeling Flesh feature absolutely rips, and grooves are so nasty you practically need a shower afterward. No pretense, no polish, just pure, swamp-dwelling death metal. \u00a0For all its gore-soaked chaos, it hits a primal nerve, reminding me why I fell in love with the heavier, uglier corners of metal in the first place.”<\/p>\n Flynn shares his love for Sanguisugabogg’s “Felony Abuse of a Corpse” (featuring Peeling Flesh) and “Semi-automatic Facial Reconstruction.”<\/p>\n He also landed on Paleface Swiss<\/a> plenty in 2025. “This album is just pure sonic bloodbath, that voice\u2026 WOW\u2026 this young man has a very bright future, as he has delivered one of the most truly cathartic performances of this decade,” says Flynn, adding, “Every song feels like a breakdown waiting to collapse the floor, and sometimes that\u2019s exactly the vibe I\u2019m after. It\u2019s raw, ugly, and gloriously over-the-top, and yet lyrically quite the contrary to the current overly-masculine-posturing of todays metal climate – all delivered with death-metal-rap-flows that makes you want to fight your own steering wheel while driving.”<\/p>\n “Enough?” and “\u2026and with hope you\u2019ll be damned” were among Flynn’s favorites.<\/p>\n Among the music making Robb’s 2025 list included some selections from Linkin Park<\/a>. The Machine Head vocalist shared, “This new chapter of Linkin Park hit me way harder than I expected. BOLD move getting a female front person, and it paid off. \u00a0Emily Armstrong stepped in with this grit and raw power that doesn\u2019t try to replace anything \u2014 she just plants her flag and goes.”<\/p>\n He adds, “It makes me happy to see them making relevant, dynamic new music and moving on. \u00a0The album is emotional, massive, and feels like a band refusing to be a relic of nostalgia. A hell of a return,” while shouting out “Two-Faced,” “The Emptiness Machine” and “Over Each Other.”<\/p>\n What else made Robb Flynn’s most listened to music of 2025? You’ll find selections from Kublai Khan TX<\/a>, The Jompson Brothers, Clipse, Bring Me the Horizon<\/a>, Knocked Loose<\/a> and Slaughter to Prevail<\/a> rounding out his “top 10.” Check out the full playlist below and read more of Robb’s thoughts on his most listened to entries through the Machine Head website<\/a>.<\/p>\n It should also be noted that Flynn and his band Machine Head put out one of the year’s better metal albums with Unatoned<\/em>, which is available through the band’s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n In a year with thousands of new songs, we’ve narrowed it down to rock and metal’s 51 best.<\/p>\n See how many of your favorite sogs from this year made the list!<\/p>\n Contributions by Chuck Armstrong (CA), Jordan Blum (JB), Rob Carroll (RC), Chad Childers (CC), Joe DiVita (JD), John Hill (JH) and Lauryn Schaffner (LS).<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Loudwire Staff<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWho Robb Flynn Says Had His ‘2 Most Listened To Albums of 2025’<\/h3>\n
Zach Bryan, “Something in the Orange”<\/h3>\n
Robb Flynn Joins in the Sleep Token and Turnstile Celebration<\/h3>\n
Sleep Token, “Caramel”<\/h3>\n
Turnstile, “Never Enough”<\/h3>\n
Robb Flynn Shares Some Heavier Picks<\/h3>\n
Sanguisugabogg, “Felony Abuse of a Corpse”<\/h3>\n
Paleface Swiss, “Enough?”<\/h3>\n
What Did Robb Flynn Think of Linkin Park’s Return?<\/h3>\n
Linkin Park, “Two-Faced”<\/h3>\n
Machine Head Singer Robb Flynn’s ‘Most Listened To’ of 2025<\/h3>\n
The 51 Best Rock + Metal Songs of 2025<\/h2>\n