2024 – A YEAR IN REVIEW(S): THE GOOD

(Today we have Andy Synn‘s mammoth second article rounding up the year that was 2024)

Ok, so this is where “List Week” really gets going.

Before we get stuck in, however, a quick explanation for those of you who are new to the site at this time of year.

The following article is not a normal “Best Of…” list, nor is it intended to be treated like one – instead, think of it as a resource which rounds up all the albums I’ve heard this year (well, almost all of them, there’s a few that got cut simply because I didn’t feel strongly enough about them to include them at all) which didn’t make it onto my “Great” list (which will be published tomorrow).

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check them out, however, as there’s a lot of good stuff here (including some of my personal favourites), and the list itself runs the gamut from “it’s pretty good, you might like this” to “this is really fucking good, bordering on great, and needs to be heard”.

It’s not, of course, in any way definitive, because:

• I’ll obviously have forgotten to include some things
• there’s a few big names I just didn’t have time to get around to
• some of what isn’t here will appear on tomorrow’s “Great” list
• some bands we purposefully don’t feature/cover (for a variety of reasons)

And, obviously, there’s going to be more albums than I can count that I won’t even have been aware of… but it’s still a pretty big collection of records and releases, split up by style and sub-genre, which I hope you’ll find useful as a way of catching up on stuff you might have missed.

Feel free to drop any questions about anything you’re interested in via the comments… and, yes, I’ve provided links for every single album featured here.

BEST FOOT FORWARDS

If anyone is worried about the future of the Metal scene, then hopefully this will put their minds at ease, because 2024 saw a whole host of bands making their debuts (all of whom you can check out via the links below), from totally new groups like Icosandria, Vitur, and Wounds, to fresh new projects from more experienced voices like Floscule, Living Gate, and Thanatotherion.

I’d also point you in the direction of Machukha‘s powerful Post-Black-Hardcore hybrid, the gorgeous Post-Metal gloom of Santacreu, and the in-your-face intensity of Karkosa, all of whom were on the shortlist for my “Personal Top Ten” this year (but you’ll have to wait until Friday to find out if any of them made the final cut), as well as the massively heavy debut album from Mould and the intricate intensity of Vile Rites (both of which also came close to finding a place on the “Great” list).

Black Birch – Black Birch
Black Hole Deity – Profane Geometry
Brazen Tongue – Of Crackling Embers and Sorrows Drowned
Devouring Void – Across the Eternal Nothingness
Floscule – Ї
Glossa – Death Is Not The End
Hauntologist – Hollow
Icosandria – A Scarlet Lunar Glow
Karkosa – Esoterrorcult
Living Gate – Suffer As One
Machukha – Mochari
Mould – Pull & Repulsion
Necroracle – Arcane Impious Sorceries
Oriska – Oriska
Santacreu – Cançons d’Amor, Dol i Enyorança
Sovereign – Altered Realities
Thanatotherion – Alienation Manifesto
Throne of Exile – The Endless Sky
The Tomb – Valley of Despair
Tower of Silence – Semelean Revelations
Traktat – Dogmatic Accusations
Unholy Altar – Veil of Death! Shroud of Nite
Unsouling – Vampiric Spiritual Drain
VAARA – VAARA
Vafurlogi – Í vökulli áþján
Vile Rites – Senescence
Vitur – Transcending the Self
Voidwomb – Spiritual Apotheosis
Waidelotte – Celestial Shrine
Wounds – Ruin

THE BIGGER THEY ARE…

There was also no shortage of big name releases in 2024, from fun-but-flawed new albums from Darkest Hour and Devin Townsend, to righteous new records from the likes of Alcest and Opeth, both of which were very close to making an appearance on tomorrow’s “Great” list (Les Chants de l’Aurore in particular is one I’m still torn over, while it’s probably worth stating that as much as I love a lot of The Last Will and Testament, it’s arguably more of an album with moments of greatness, rather than an album that’s “great” from front to back).

It’s probably also worth mentioning how much I liked the guest-filled new Aborted album (although I know the record’s more overt ‘core leanings put some things off) and the killer new one from The Crown (which, to be honest, almost made the “Great” list, and is also on the short-list for my “Personal Top Ten”), as well the latest release from Solstafir (their best in years, in my opinion) ane the not-quite-invincible, but pretty damn irresistible, new record from the almighty Judas Priest.

And, of course, I’m sure we’re all glad to see that The Black Dahlia Murder are back, as while Servitude isn’t their best work it’s still a solid addition to the band’s back-catalogue!

1349 – The Wolf and the King
Aborted – Vault of Horrors
Alcest – Les Chants de l’Aurore
The Black Dahlia Murder – Servitude
Blood Red Throne – Nonagon
The Crown – Crown of Thorns
Dark Tranquillity – Endtime Signals
Darkest Hour – Perpetual | Terminal
Devin Townsend – PowerNerd
God Dethroned – The Judas Paradox
Hideous Divinity – Unextinct
Hour of Penance – Devotion
Judas Priest – Invincible Shield
Leprous – Melodies of Atonement
The Monolith Deathcult – The Demon Who Makes Trophies of Men
Necrophobic – In The Twilight Grey
Opeth – The Last Will and Testament
Rotting Christ – Προ Χριστού
Sólstafir – Hin Helga Kvöl

GOD SAVE THE SCENE

It’s been a rich year for the wider UK Metal scene, regardless of genre/style, with new releases from both up-and-coming bands like Codespeaker, Earthbound (who, in my opinion, have a very bright future ahead of them), and Heriot (whose new album shows a lot of promise even if I don’t think it’s quite as good as all the hype would have you believe), and long-time NCS favourites like The Infernal Sea and Ingested.

Some particular stand-outs for me, however – which almost made the “Great” list – were the new releases from grim-faced Deathcore groovers Turin, haunting Post-Rock prodigies (and ex-labelmates of ours) Pijn, and those snarling sludge-monsters in Mastiff, all of whom I’d encourage you to check out ASAP.

Aklash – Reincarnation
Andracca – To Bare the Weight of Death
Anoxide – Morals & Dogma
Blind Monarch – The Dead Replenish The Earth
Codespeaker – Scavenger
Cognizance – Phantazein
Devastator – Conjurers of Cruelty
Earthbound – Chronos
Heriot – Devoured By The Mouth of Hell
Hidden Mothers – Erosion / Avulsion
Ingested – The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams
Iniquitous Savagery – Edifice of Vicissitudes
Kurokuma – Of Amber and Sand
Mastiff – Deprecipice
Midas Fall – Cold Waves Divide Us
Mountain Caller – Chronicle II: Hypergenesis
Pijn – From Low Beams of Hope
Sugar Horse – The Grand Scheme of Things
Sunfall – Les Morts Sont Nes Ici
Ten Ton Slug – Colossal Oppressor
Tendrils – Long Dead
The Infernal Sea – Hellfenlic
Turin – The Unforgiving Reality in Nothing
Verminthrone – The Cull
Vulgaris – Seat of the Fire
Warpstormer – Warpstormer
Yersin – The Scythe is Remorseless

DEATH (BY) METAL

I’d imagine there will be some people who might be a little upset by just how many Death Metal albums ended up on my “Good” list, rather than my “Great” list… but just taking a look at some of the releases mentioned below I think it’s pretty obvious that it was still a very good year for the Death Metal scene, which remains as fertile and fetid as ever, even if the over-saturation of groups playing some minor variant of OSDM has – in my opinion, anyway – actually made it more difficult for the very best bands to stand out.

That being said, it was hard (even for a cynic like me) not to enjoy the riotous riff-fest of the new 200 Stab Wounds, the unabashed Dismember-worship of Gatecreeper, and the shamelessly Bolt Thrower inspired stomp of Chainsword – even if they didn’t really offer anything all that new or different (though sometimes that’s ok!) – and I remain a firm fan of hard-hitting Death Metal/Hardcore hybrids like Lifesick, Maul, and Terminal Nation.

And although I was significantly less blown-away by the new Bedsore and Carnosus albums than I expected to be (neither were bad, they just didn’t quite rise to the occasion for me) I was extremely close to putting Necrot, Ripped to Shreds, and Tzompantli on tomorrow’s list instead… which hopefully tells you just how good those albums are… and definitely considered the new Karst for Friday’s “Personal” list!

200 Stab Wounds – Manual Manic Procedures
Apparition – Disgraced Emanations From A Tranquil State
ATER – Somber
Bedsore – Dreaming the Strife for Love
Carnosus – Wormtales
Chainsword – Born Triumphant
Deceitome – Deceitome
Gatecreeper – Dark Superstition
Intolerance – Waking Nightmares of an Endless Void
Karst – Eclipsed Beneath Umbral Divine
Konkhra – Sad Plight of Lucifer
Lifesick – Loved By None, Hated By All
Livlos – The Crescent King
LKVGT – Manische Omarming Van Een Alomvattend Niets
Maul – In The Jaws of Bereavement
Necrot – Lifeless Birth
Noroth – Sacrificial Solace
Obsidian Mantra – As We All Will
Perversity – Spiritual Negation
Ripped to Shreds – Sanshi
Terminal Nation – Echoes of the Devil’s Den
The Absence – The Absence
Tzompantli – Beating the Drums of Ancestral Force
Undeath – More Insane
Wingless – Ascension

MORE BRUTAL THAN BRUTAL

If you’re looking for Death Metal that’s even more brutal… say, something in the “Brutal Death Metal” area… then 2024 wasn’t shy about bringing the heaviest of the heavy, with the inhuman intensity of Monument of Misanthropy and Vomit the Soul being of particular note.

And if you’re not afraid of a little ‘core-influenced catastrophism, then you should definitely make some time for the back-breaking, bowel-loosening, balls to the wall brutality of Devine Defilement, To The Grave‘s vengeful (and visceral) vegan violence, and Vomit Forth‘s new neck-wrecker (which, along with Dukhka‘s debut, was one of my favourite new discoveries of the year).

Devine Defilement – Age of Atrocities
Dukhka – A Place You Can’t Come Back From
Fractal Generator – Convergence
Iniquitous Savagery – Edifice of Vicissitudes
Monument of Misanthropy – Vile Postmortem Irrumation
Starve – Life’s Promise Dies
Storm Upon the Masses – Crusher of Souls
The Last Ten Seconds of Life – No Name Graves
To The Grave – Everyone’s a Murderer
Vomit Forth – Terrified of God
Vomit the Soul – Massive Incineration

TECHNICALLY CORRECT (THE BEST KIND OF CORRECT)

If your tastes run more towards the technical… then you should already be aware of the riff-tastic new albums from Blasteroid, Exocrine, and Carrion Vael, since we covered all of them here at NCS this year, but you may have missed out on the newest Exuvial, Moss Upon the Skull, and Atræ Bilis records, as we didn’t have time to write about them unfortunately (though I will say that the latter band absolutely killed it at North West Terrorfest earlier this year).

And it would be remiss of me not to highlight how good the latest albums from The Last of Lucy and Vale of Pnath were, as both records (the latter especially) came very close to breaking into tomorrow’s “Great” list, as well as Interloper‘s proggy/riffy/techy brand of Death Metal-core (which put their new album, A Forgotten Loss into contention for my “Personal Top Ten”).

Abyssius – Abyssius
Apogean – Cyberstrictive
Atræ Bilis – Aumicide
Blasteroid – Crypts of Mind
Carrion Vael – Cannibals Anonymous
Cognitive – Abhorrence
Exocrine – Legend
Exuvial – The Hive Mind Chronicles Part I – Parasitica
Interloper – A Forgotten Loss
The Last Of Lucy – Godform
Moss Upon the Skull – Quest For the Secret Fire
Protosequence – Bestiary
Vale of Pnath – Between the Veil of Life and Death

A DISSONANT FUTURE IS BEING BORN

It was a great year for the booming Disso-Death scene (with even more deathly dissidents set for tomorrow’s list), with both the new Convulsing and Defacement records coming close to making it onto the “Great” list, while the new records from Teeth and Aseitas were both in contention for my “Personal Top Ten” (even if Eden Trough couldn’t quite live up to its mind-blowing predecessor).

The future of the style also looks to be in safe hands too, especially with the likes of Gorging Shade (whose new album was also very close to appearing on the “Great” list too), Hecatoncheir (a personal favourite of mine) and Kvadrat all making impressive opening statements of their own.

Aseitas – Eden Trough
Conglaciation – Conglaciation
Convulsing – Perdurance
Cosmic Putrefaction – Emerald Fires Atop the Farewell Mountains
Defacement – Duality
Gorging Shade – Inversions
Hecatoncheir – Nightmare Utopia
Kvadrat – The Horrible Dissonance of Oblivion
Ploughshare – Second Wound
Teeth – The Will of Hate
Thunraz – Incineration Day

THE RETURN OF THE BLACK DEATH

Of course, if your taste in darkness and dissonance errs more towards the “blackened” end of the spectrum, then once you’re done wallowing in the dissonant delights featured above you might want to carve out some time to get really nasty with the likes of Heresiarch, Nekus, and Deamonolith (especially considering the last one is a single thirty-five minute track which was definitely in contention for the “Great” list).

And then you should definitely move on to the metallic malevolence of Hadit‘s fittingly crushing Metaphysical Engines Approaching the Event Horizon (which found the band getting even closer to achieving their ultimate form) and the blistering nihilism of Homo Homini Lupis by Keres – both of which come with my personal recommendation.

Clarion Void – Failure In Repetition
Deamonolith – The Monolithic Cult of Death
Exhumation – Master’s Personae
Hacavitz – Muerte
Hadit – Metaphysical Engines Approaching The Event Horizon
Heresiarch – Edifice
Keres – Homo Homini Lupis
Mallephyr – Ruins of Inner Composure
Necrowretch – Swords of Dajial
Nekus – Death Apophenia
Pneuma Hagion – From Beyond

NONE MORE BLACK

There were so many good Black Metal albums (many of them borderline “Great”) released this year that trying to pick a handful of them to highlight here was an almost Sisyphean task unto itself.

That being said, if you’re looking to get blasted into submission then you should make sure to give the merciless new Merrimack, the punishing (yet also subtly progressive) new one from Pyra, and Deus Mortem‘s surprisingly melodic Thanatos a listen ASAP.

If, however, you’d prefer to get your grim groove on, than you might find Horned Almighty or Khold more your speed, while those who prefer a more atmospheric style will probably find Hell Is Other People, Limbes, and Verwoed more to their liking.

And if you’re interested in what almost made the cut for the “Great” list? Then check out Chotza‘s latest and Solbrud‘s ambitious double-disc adieu when you get chance!

Aethyrick – Death Is Absent
Agrypnie – Erg
Avexia – Fyrst Waelm
Blaze of Perdition – Upharsin
Bonjour Tristesse – The World Without Us
Chotza – Pachschwarz
ColdCell – Age of Unreason
Deus Mortem – Thanatos
Eldingar – Lysistrata
From the Vastland – Tenebrous Shadow
Halphas – Sermons of the Black Flame
Hell Is Other People – Moirae
Horned Almighty – Contagion Zero
Houle – Ciel Cendre et Misère Noire
Inherits the Void – Celestial Antler
Jours Pales – Dissolution
Khold – Du Dømmes Til Død
Krater – Phrenesis
Lhaäd – Beneath
Limbes – Liernes
Merrimack – Of Grace and Gravity
Misotheist – Vessels By Which The Devil Is Made Flesh
Ordinul Negru – Dodekatemoria
Other World – Tenebrous
Oubliette – Eternity Whispers
Pyra – Those Who Dwell in the Fire
Raat – Enchantment
Solbrud – IIII
Sordide – Ainsi Finit Le Jour
Sun Worship – Upon the Hills of Divination
Vemod – The Deepening
Verwoed – The Mother
Walg – IV
Whoredom Rife – Den Vrede Makt

BLACKENED BLASPHEMY AND RAMPAGING RIFFS

If you like your Black Metal focussed even more on razor-sharp riffs and red-hot hooks… Black Metal that’s made by, and made for, the Thrashers, the Punks, the leather rebels… then you were also in luck this year, with the uber-aggro new one from Antichrist Siege Machine, the savagely psychedelic swansong from long-time NCS favourites Feral Light, and the pure badassery of Mayhemic‘s explosive Black Thrash thrill-ride.

Of course, there’s no way I could have written this article without giving an extra special mention to some of our favourite guitar-centric solo-projects in the shape of Kvaen, Infestus, and Uprising (whose latest came very close to ending up on tomorrow’s list), as well as the recently released news one from Serpent Column and Gravenchalice (which I’ll be aiming to review sooner rather than later, along with the latest from Satanic speed-lords Filii Nigrantium Infernalium, so keep your eyes open).

Antichrist Siege Machine – Vengeance of Eternal Fire
Dödsrit – Nocturnal Will
Feral Light – A Reckoning With the Intangible
Filii Nigrantium Infernalium – Pérfida Contracção Do Aço
Gravenchalice – Eschelon
Haust – Negative Music
The Howling Wind – Through the Eyes, Past the Sun
Infestus – Entzweiung
Kvaen – The Formless Fires
Mayhemic – Toba
Praise the Plague – Suffocating in the Currents of Time
Serpent Column – Tassel of Ares
Theophonos – Ashes In The Huron River
Uprising – III
Vimur – The Timeless Everpresent
Wormwitch – Wormwitch

THE WICKED AND THE WEIRD

On the other hand, if you like your Black Metal a little harder to grasp and more difficult to define – Black Metal that’s a little more artsy (Æthĕrĭa Conscĭentĭa), progressive (Sear Bliss), or just plain weird (Scarcity) – then this year also had a lot to offer you, with special mention reserved for Ponte Del Diavolo‘s esoteric Blackened Doom, Silvaplana‘s abrasively atmospheric, long-form soundscapes, and the metaphysical madness of Sjálfsmorð af Gáleysi.

Oh, and it may be more “Brass Metal” than “Black Metal”… but I couldn’t think of anywhere else to highlight the ever-unique, always outlandish, work of Ottone Pesante!

Æthĕrĭa Conscĭentĭa – The Blossoming
Cosmic Void – Subterranean Rivers
Farsot – Life Promised Death
Lascar – Equinox Flower
Ottone Pesante – Scrolls of War
Perchta – D’Muata
Ponte Del Diavolo – Fire Blades From the Tomb
Scarcity – The Promise of Rain
Sear Bliss – Heavenly Down
Silvaplana – Limbs of Dionysus
Sjálfsmorð af Gáleysi – Astral Abstractions
Vanta – Kollapsar

THE DARK IS RISING

Sticking to the darker end of the spectrum, but shifting towards the moodier, doomier, and more melodic side in the process, I can heartily recommend the gothic gloom of Catalepsia, the mournful majesty of Ecclesia, and the grungy, psychotropic grooves of Sunnata.

I’m also willing to admit that I’m still not sure about having Qaalm and Tethra on the “Good” list, rather than the “Great” one… but hopefully they’ll both get some much-needed extra attention either way!

Catalepsia – Pavisam
Ecclesia – Ecclesia Militans
Lucidity – Escherian
Qaalm – Grave Impressions of an Unbroken Arc
Rituals of the Dead Hand – The Wretched and the Vile
Sunnata – Chasing Shadows
Totengott – Beyond the Veil
Tethra – Withered Heart Standing

A HOT CUP O’ SLUDGE

At least three of the album’s highlighted in this section – which focuses on some of the gnarliest, grimiest releases of the year – were in consideration for my “Personal Top Ten”, namely Aseethe‘s absolutely soul-crushing, The Cost, the latest, more Hardcore-leaning album from Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean (whose previous record was absolutely one of the best of last year) and the swaggering space-sludge of Dö‘s Universum.

And whether you’re looking for the latest stuff from already established names like Demande à la Poussière (who I wrote a full Synn Report about earlier this year) or The Weir, or something from fresh new faces like Private Prisons or Autolith I’m sure you’ll find something to really sink your proverbial teeth into here.

Aseethe – The Cost
Autolith – Artificial Heaven
Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean – Sisyphean Cruelty
Demande à la Poussière – Kintsugi
Dö – Universum
Offernat – Where Nothing Grows
Partholón – The Ocean Pours In
Private Prisons – Excommunication
Subterraen – In the Aftermath of Blight
The Weir – Grasping

HAUNTING (AND HAUNTED) HEAVYWEIGHTS

Looking for some new music that’s more about atmospheric weight and emotional intensity? Then you’ve come to the right place, as I fully recommend making time for the subtly blackened, post-metallic magic of Defying, the dreamlike Doom-gaze of Leaving, and the artfully orchestral post-genre stylings of Respire (another band I have written quite a bit about this year).

And, of course, it would be a failing on my part if I didn’t encourage you to check out some of my personal favourites in this particular area, which include the dense, synaesthetic soundscapes of Locrian, the mood-heavy self-titled debut from Modern Witchcraft (who I still absolutely love, and can’t wait to hear more from), and Minuala‘s ongoing evolution into more of a Post-Black form.

Also, I have to issue a major apology to both Mother and Longhouse, as I really meant to write about their new albums… although hopefully I still will do at some point in the future!

Anomalie – Riverchild
Bipolar Architecture – Metaphysicize
Defying – Wadera
Distances – Abstruse
Glare of the Sun – TAL
Kollapse – AR
Leaving – Liminal
Locrian – End Terrain
Longhouse – III: Nijwaswe
Minuala – В Агонии
Modern Witchcraft – Modern Witchcraft
Mother – II
Oh Hiroshima – All Things Shining
Respire – Hiraeth
Yanos – Elysium

PROGRESSIVE PRODIGIES AND CREATIVE CATHARSIS

Grouped together here you’ll find a bevy of bands who could all be described, in their own way, as “Progressive”, pulled from across a variety of different genres. But what they all have in common – from up-and-comers like Cobra the Impaler and Hippotraktor to established legends like Evergrey and In Vain (whose new album finally recaptures much of the same magic as their career-defining 2013 opus) – is that they have a distinctive style and voice of their own.

So whether you’re after a taste of “Progressive” Death Metal from the likes of Eternal Storm and The Mantle (which definitely have some “Great” moments), some shamelessly proggy technicality (Ever Forthright, Exist) or sumptuous melody (Klone, Madder Mortem) there should be something for you here.

Cobra the Impaler – Karmacollision
Eternal Storm – A Giant Bound to Fall
Ever Forthright – Techinflux
Evergrey – Theories of Emptiness
Exist – Hijacking the Zeitgeist
The Flight of Sleipnir – Nature’s Cadence
Hippotraktor – Stasis
In Vain – Solemn
Klone – The Unseen
Lascaille’s Shroud – Wyrmfire and Starlight
Madder Mortem – Old Eyes, New Heart
Maladie – Symptoms IV
The Mantle – Violent Cosmic Fortune
Moonloop – Fate In Motion
Oceans of Slumber – Where Gods Fear to Speak

HARDCORE NEVER DIES

Last, but by no means least, I’ve continued to enjoy the ongoing Hardcore renaissance (though is it really a “renaissance” if the scene never really went away?), which has included both long-time favourites of the site like Ancst and CLEARxCUT (with the former compacting their sound into an even more lethal, explosive form) and new discoveries such as Demersal‘s scalding Screamo, Gvillotine‘s Blackened Grindcore assault, and the latest from Thrash-core thrill-seekers Extinction A.D. (who I’m shocked we haven’t written about before).

You also probably won’t be surprised to learn that some of the artists/albums mentioned here were in the running for my “Personal Top Ten”… though you’ll have to wait a little longer to see whether savage supergroup Umbra Vitae, Blackened Hardcore bruisers Sibiir or mosh-metal monsters Underneath (who will, spoiler alert, be making another appearance in tomorrow’s list) ended up making the cut!

Ancst – Culture of Brutality
Bloom Dream – It Didn’t Have to be This Way
CLEARxCUT – Age of Grief
Demersal – Demersal
Extinction A.D. – To The Detested
Glass Ox – A Celebration of Death
Gvillotine – Hell Is Other People
Othismos – Sottrazione
Sibiir – Undergang
Umbra Vitae – Light of Death
Underneath – It Exists Between Us