Cruising on through list-o-clock, we come to this, the first of the albums that we’re gonna commend for being a cut above the rest.  Although…maybe that’s not exactly fair.  There was A LOT of good music released this year.  I can’t believe I went into this year thinking list season would be easy, because it sure as hell was not.  Deciding where to make the cut between “honorable mention” and “main list” was much more laborious of a process this year, and one that *may* still be ongoing.  Even as of writing this, I’m debating shuffling things around between this list, my main one, and a secret third list in progress, although Hera would yell at me again for second guessing myself so I’ll lock it all in, finally.  As always, even though I probably don’t have to at this point, I will reiterate: any of these albums have a shot at being a contender for the top spot even if they’re on a side list.  Make no mistake about it: these are solid gold albums that you deserve to hear about if you haven’t already.  

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Atræ Bilis – Aumicide

I made the mistake of actively avoiding Apexapian when it came out back in 2021, because at that point I had already written Atræ Bilis off as a project that didn’t really have a whole lot of memorability to it.  Imagine my surprise, then, when Apexapian knocked me to the floor and made me take notice.  Aumicide is no different of an experience, only this time I was ready for something mindblowing and wholly memorable, and I certainly got that.  Everything that made Apexapian everything that I wanted it to be has been refined and honed to a razor’s edge.  There isn’t one single solitary second of wasted space, and it seems like every five seconds or so there is something, a guitar line, vocal delivery or drum hit, that leaves me with my jaw on the floor.  Vince put it best in their review: “Isn’t it so cool we live in a world where death metal can be this good?”

Click the link to read for yourself the aforementioned review!

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Knocked Loose – You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To

I’ve said it once already, but it bears repeating: it ain’t dickriding if it’s true.  Everybody and their mother seems to at least be aware of this album (thanks, Jimmy Kimmel!), and it seems that the acclaim for You Won’t Go is practically universal.  And do you want to know why?  Because this album kicks ass.  Not only is this the first Knocked Loose album I’ve actually started and finished, it also gripped me much harder than I was expecting to.  I can’t quite put my finger on what is different this time around, other than everything is just…better.  In every conceivable way.  The songs are more memorable, they are balls-heavy, and they don’t pull punches or sacrifice anything in the way of a hook.  Knocked Loose kind of have their cake and eat it too, and the end result is an album that will serve as a benchmark for further hardcore releases for a long, long time.

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Ripped to Shreds – Sanshi

Similarly to Apexapian, I had gotten around to Jubian, the 2022 release from the Bay Area’s Ripped to Shreds, too late to include it on one of my main lists, but it left an indelible impression on me.  When I saw that there was a new Ripped to Shreds album coming this year, I knew I had to check it out promptly, but I was not at all prepared for what I got.  Sanshi is so far above and beyond Jubian that I got whiplash in the first track alone.  Plain and simple, Sanshi is just as much a shred record as it is a death metal album.  Andrew Lee goes absolutely insane on this one, and his chops rival, and perhaps surpass, any of the greats of the 80s.  But maybe the smartest thing the band could have done for themselves is bring in Michael Chavez on second guitar and vocals, because the anthemic “shout-along” choruses are nearly as electrifying as Lee’s showmanship.  This album is an absolute unbridled joy to listen to.

Chris mentioned this as a standout September release in his “Nine Circles ov…” feature that month.  Check out this and a lot more chef’s-kiss albums from September right here.

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Aara – Eiger

It should stand to reason at this point that if there’s a new Aara release, it’s going to show up somehow come end of year season.  Eiger sees a little bit of a shift in thematic and aesthetic elements for the Swiss trio: more focus on atmospheric passages and acoustic guitars and historical lyrical themes as opposed to literary ones.  But what doesn’t change is the deft and moving sense of melody that permeates every second of what Aara do.  The best thing about their music is that it is “composed” just as much as it is performed.  It almost listens like classical music, with movements and sections defined and woven together more than just verses and choruses.  Just like the mountain Eiger is named after, this album is intense, brutal, but also majestic and quite beautiful if you pay it the respect it deserves.

If you want more thoughts on Eiger, I was very fortunate to be able to write yet another review of yet another Aara album.

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Spectral Voice – Sparagmos

Sparagmos might be the best case I can think of for how set and setting play a role in helping an album make an impact.  Of course, objectively speaking, this is a great album: it’s death-doom with a whole lot of girth to it.  It’s downright creepy sometimes, utterly intense and vicious in a methodical and maniacal way that leaves my skin crawling when I listen to it.  But there were a lot of albums this year that hit similar notes.  What helped Sparagmos make the cut was the fact that I first listened to it while driving through the California desert, and the sparse landscape paired perfectly with the sparse atmosphere in a way that made the two experiences linked forever in my mind.  Sparagmos is one hell of a listen, and even almost eleven months after its release it still hasn’t let go of me.

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Hamferð – Men Guðs hond er sterk

What a year for death-doom, 2024 was.  Between Sparagmos and Men Guðs hond er sterk it’s hard to pick a winner.  Both of these albums came out early in the year and got their claws in me pretty much instantly, and both of them are drowning (pun intended) in atmosphere, albeit in their own way.  Men Guðs hond er sterk deals in the dramatic, but not in a way that ever feels cheesy or forced.  The operatic vocals bring a sense of gravitas to the concept album, and the guitars oscillate from melodic and moving to bestial and crushing, all in the span of the same song.  Plus, the Faroese language lends itself beautifully to this style of music; I have no idea what the lyrics are, but I *feel* it intensely when the whole package comes together.  It’s been a bit of a wait for Men Guðs hond er sterk, but the payoff was well worth it.

Hera had so much more to say about this album, and if you want to read a review as captivating as this album, check it out right here.

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Chapel of Disease – Echoes of Light

“The Dire Straits of death metal” is how Chapel of Disease was sold to me, and boy howdy is that ever an apt description of Echoes of Light.  This was my first introduction to the band, but I’m told by people who know better that this album sees them go even harder into the dad rock territory that is their hallmark, and I for one could not be happier with that.  There are bands who certainly incorporate flairs of arena rock or classic rock into their metal, but I can’t think of any other band who go as far into, like, Blue Öyster Cult with death growls territory than Chapel of Disease.  And you know what?  Echoes of Light straight up fucking rocks, in a lighters-in-the-air, beer-gut-hanging-out-the-bottom-of-a-faded-t-shirt type of way.  If you think stepdad licks are completely played out, especially in a metal setting, I dare you to listen to the one-two punch of the title track and “A Death Though No Loss” and not involuntarily make the metal scrunchy face.

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Suidakra – DarkanakraD

What kind of monster, what kind of traitor to myself would I be if I didn’t include a new Suidakra release on my year end list?  It may be all but a given, but that doesn’t even really matter when DarkanakraD is just so damn good on its own.  Nobody does cheesy, goofy-ass fantasy/mythology-based melodeath like Suidakra, and on DarkanakraD (god, what a choice for the title…) the 30th birthday of the band is a good excuse to look back on their early releases and the classic melodeath that inspired them.  This is easily the heaviest Suidakra release in a long time, and the riffs are fast and furious, while still maintaining that sense of melody and catchiness that endeared this band to me so many years ago.  Really though, it’s the guest appearances that always make a Suidakra release, and you’ll find all the usual suspects here, adding an indelible cinematic quality to the music that reveals all the careful worldbuilding and storytelling masterminded by artist and lyricist Kris Verwimp.

Gratitude abounds that I’m lucky enough to get to review new releases from my favorite bands, with DarkanakraD being no exception.

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Opeth – The Last Will and Testament

OKAY FINE, ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM: I forgot to talk about perhaps the biggest and most divisive metal release of the year when I hosted the November podcast.  IT WAS MY FIRST TIME, RELAX.  Subconsciously, I knew that The Last Will and Testament would come up again and again as list season approached, and it just wouldn’t feel right talking about it without Chris there.  Well, he’s not with me right now (at least…I haven’t checked everywhere in our house for him…), but I’ll tell you this much with no gun to my head or any other form of coercion: I don’t hate new Opeth.  Gasp all you want, it’s true.  I was not in the camp of those who felt betrayed to their core by the prog influences, and as such, it should come as no surprise that I fucking ADORE The Last Will and Testament.  To hear Mikael growl again is literal music to my ears, and to have him backed up by maybe the tightest the rest of the band have /ever/ sounded, new drummer Waltteri Väyrynen included (you heard me), makes this release well worth the wait and the hype surrounding it.  Bringing Ian Anderson on board as a featured guest is a no-brainer, but all the same, his presence takes a great album and throws it over the top.  The return of growls, the return of the concept album, the return of Opeth in general…dare I say it, we’re so back, fellas.

Speaking of Chris, if you want his track by track synopsis of this album, and of course you do, check it out at this link.

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Escuela Grind – DDEEAATTHHMMEETTAALL

I like closing out every list with an EP, and DDEEAATTHHMMEETTAALL is certainly one of the musical highlights of the year, regardless of length, but also…this is my cheeky way of telling you to check out this EP *and* Dreams on Algorithms, because they both are out-fucking-standing slabs of metal, and this is probably your last chance to hop in on the ground floor of Escuela Grind before they blow up and act like they don’t know nobody.  If Barney Greenway puts his seal of approval (in addition to his guest vocals) on a project, who the fuck are you to argue with him?  “Meat Magnet” is such a wonderfully goofy explosion of love and devotion to the titular genre that it’s impossible to listen to it, or any of the four tracks contained herein, without a gigantic grin on your face.  There is such joy to be found in this short release, and it really does a wonderful job of setting up Dreams on Algorithms for the knockout punch that it delivers.

I got to review both of these releases this year, and I love them both so much I’m going to double plug myself: there’s a Evcharist with a beer to go with DDEEAATTHHMMEETTAALL and a longer treatise on Dreams on Algorithms.

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Well, we’re almost to the big one, but before we get there, make sure you give all these albums a listen.  There are definitely some familiar and expected faces on this list, but I hope I threw enough curveballs at you to keep you on the edge of your seat.  The main list will hopefully have more of the same, and of course you can expect that from me and everyone else here soon.  Until then, kick back and jam out to some of these equally fine examples of the bounteous year of music we have had.

— Ian