Ghost is a theatrical Swedish rock band that started in 2006, and their popularity has grown ever since. On April 25th, 2025, the band struck gold with their sixth studio album, Skeletá, reaching number one on the Billboard 200 in many countries, including the US, the UK, Australia, France, Germany, Finland, Sweden, and more.
Their hit song “Mary on a Cross,” self-expression through costumes and characters, and successful 2022 album Impera set the standard and made new fans ecstatic about the release of not only a new album, but a whole new era.
In an interview with BlabberMouth, Tobias Forge, the band’s frontman, said Skeletá is mostly about “the realization that sometimes you need to tear it all down to build something stronger,” which coincides with the previous album’s theme of building an empire from essentially nothing.
“It is a record that is introspective to a further degree,” Forge said. “I was more attracted to the idea of…making a record about healing aspects of being essentially a human being in whatever structural design, because at the end of the day, most humans are surprisingly alike and display the same abilities to sentiments.”
The album’s opening song, “Peacefield,” is one example of this. The song’s main theme is about hope during dark times, yet touches on aspects of personal loss, emotional immediacy, and vulnerability while delivering a classic 80s rock feel, insinuating another feeling: nostalgia.
“Peacefield” is just the beginning of what Skeletá promises to explore. Ghost invites listeners on a journey through the emotional wonders of their new album, reminding them that it is only the beginning: that the greatness they yearn for is already here, and it is definitely not over yet.
Linkin Park: From Zero (Deluxe Edition)
Linkin Park is an infamous nu metal band from the early 2000s. With their simple yet hard hitting riffs and inclusion of electronic beats, they became one of the most influential bands of their time. Recently, they have made many drastic changes in their music.
The band started off their career with Hybrid Theory and Meteora, two heavy, emotional albums that got them popular very fast. However, the band received backlash from fans when they moved toward a more “pop” sound a few years later with Minutes to Midnight and A Thousand Suns. It was in 2017 that they took a hiatus after the tragic passing of their lead singer, Chester Bennington. They returned in 2024 with their first album in seven years, From Zero, along with a new female lead singer: Emily Armstrong.
While there has been controversy over whether Emily was a good replacement for Chester, no complaints were made when From Zero was released.
From Zero reached number one in 13 countries, the band has been selling out venues from their world tour, and overall, Linkin Park’s comeback is outstanding.
“This tour and this album are one of our most successful of all time. That, for me, is insane,” said Mike Shinoda, the co-creator of the band, in an interview with The Guardian. “That is way beyond my hopes and dreams for what this whole thing could be.”
In 2025, they released the deluxe version of From Zero, including three more tracks from the previous version, truly defining what the band’s goals were when releasing the album.
The track “Up From the Bottom” is mainly about someone who cannot see a way out of their situation; they are down on their luck and desperately need to start over. Another, “Let You Fade,” is about reminiscing, whether on the band’s past or just in general, and says they will not let go of Linkin Park’s memories.
The deluxe edition of From Zero is an amazing addition to the album. It reveals just how much a comeback was needed for Linkin Park, and despite some changes, they are well on their way to more success.
Sleep Token is an anonymous English rock band that formed in 2016 and has become increasingly popular in recent years. Especially popular is their 2025 album, Even in Arcadia, hitting number one on the Billboard 200, surpassing albums by artists such as Kali Uchis, SZA, Sabrina Carpenter, and Morgan Wallen falling closely behind.
In 2023, they released Take Me Back To Eden, a turning point in their career. They appealed to many not only because of their new release, but also because of their unique outfits and genre.
Sleep Token, to many, is described as fake metal, yet the band does not actually have a distinct genre. They are a mix of progressive metal, rap, classical, and alternative rock, and frequently like to experiment with their music. Their anonymity is also a big part of the band, and that mixes in with their outfits and gives them a mysterious feel. These qualities made many people curious and eventually drew new fans to the band.
On May 9th 2025, they released their fourth studio album, Even In Arcadia, which shows many similarities between it and Take Me Back To Eden, yet shows a different side of their music as well.
Experimental features, like in their song “Emergence,” take on the challenge of having two different beats going on at the same time. The vocals are in a steady 4/4 rhythm, yet the beats behind it are syncopated, imposing a 6/8 rhythm. The whole song was written to sound off-beat, yet magically, the structure of the song fits all together. It is not supposed to sound aligned, and it tricks listeners by making them think it is off-beat, but in reality, it’s all in 4/4 rhythm.
Sleep Token strives on the idea that the music they make is different and takes pleasure in the fact that they do not have to write songs that fit under one specific genre, which is why Even in Arcadia became so popular and successful so quickly.
Deftones is a nu metal band from the 90s, commonly compared with bands like Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, and System of a Down. 30 years after their debut album, Adrenaline, they released their 2025 album, Private Music.
On Billboard 200, the album reached number five in the category of “all genres.” All 11 songs appeared in the top 16 in the “Hot Hard Rock Songs” chart, with their song “Infinite Source” as number one. Additionally, it topped all of Billboard’s key rock charts, including “Top Rock Albums” and “Top Alternative Albums.”
The popular song from the album, “Infinite Source”, is about “reflection of the past,” stated Chino Moreno, the lead singer of Deftones, in an interview with NPR. “I think it’s the only kind of song that really kind of did that. And the lyrics are sort of a nod to all the times and the years we spent doing this and our love for it.”
While most bands seem to hit a peak once the members reach a certain age, that is not the case with Deftones. They are currently on their North American tour selling out tons of venues, and they show no sign of stopping anytime soon.
Private Music is a strong album. It combines their signature blend of heavy alternative metal with experimental elements, showing how their legacy as one of the best metal bands of the 90s and 2000s can still live on today.
Return to Dust: Speak Like the Dead
Return to Dust is a relatively new band, with their first album being released in late 2024. Their new album Speak Like the Dead has done wonders for them, and makes people wonder what their next step is.
Return to Dust consists of four young men and it is hard to believe how far they have come in such little time. They started by gaining popularity on TikTok, and now they have released two successful grunge albums, and have played at venues including Rockville and Sonic Temple.
With their most popular song “Belly Up” and previous self-titled album, Return to Dust, fans of the band were eager to listen to new songs off of their newest album. Because of the new release, many think this is a tremendous turning point for the band, since they are just beginning their rock career.
“I do think it’s going to be a huge transition in many ways,” said Matty Bielawski, one of the lead singers in an interview with Rising Artists. “Even with ‘Bored,’ we haven’t had a song that’s so alternatively feeling…I feel like it’s really left-field with RTD. More songs on the EP do the same thing.”
“Bored” is definitely a fan favorite. It is their second most popular song on Spotify, with over 300,000 streams. It is essentially about change and staying in motion, but in a reactive kind of way. The band conveys through the song that they do not want to be trapped, but rather break free and keep on moving.
Return to Dust keeps redefining the modern grunge scene, and it is only just the beginning for them in their music-making career.
Patty Walker • Sep 27, 2025 at 9:50 am
Great article about 5 interesting bands. It is evident that the writer has a wealth of knowledge about the current rock music scene.