You might not have noticed, but our annual LISTMANIA extravaganza at NCS has begun, as evidenced by this post from last week. But we didn’t really give this project a proper introduction, so we’re doing that now. For those of you new to the orgy, our LISTMANIA blockbuster comes in four parts:
First, like that post linked above, we re-print assorted lists of the year’s best albums, leeched from other big web sites and magazines. Second, we will provide a post in which our readers can share their lists of the 2024 albums and shorter releases they enjoyed the most (we’ll be asking for those on December 2nd, so get ready). Third, we will post the year-end lists of our own staff and assorted guest writers, and that will begin whenever Andy Synn gets his week-long series of lists ready, since that’s how we always begin.
And fourth, I’ll again roll out my list of the year’s Most Infectious Extreme Metal Songs — though it’s a tradition I failed to honor last year. That list is the subject of this request for help.
Yeah, last year I didn’t do that list. My day job crushed me during December 2023 and January/February of this year, and I just didn’t have time for it, though our contributor Vizzah Harri made a valiant attempt to fill the void.
In case you’ve become an NCS reader since this time I did it, here’s what this Most Infectious Song list is all about:
This is about individual songs, not albums, EPs, demos, etc. It’s also not our list of the best individual extreme metal songs of the year — though some of the songs might actually be among the best of the year. Instead, this will be a list of the most infectious extreme metal songs I’ve heard this year. Yes, it’s my list, but I do take into account ideas from others.
The idea here is to think of songs that might produce involuntary physical movement, songs that have got catchy melodies or irresistible grooves, or anything else that sticks the song in your head and makes you want to keep listening to it.
To be one of the most infectious songs of the year, it should be something that you revisit often, something you put on playlists, something you mentally replay at unexpected times — songs you go back to repeatedly for listening. “Most played” might be a good synonym.
As is true every year, I do already have my own working list of candidates — and as in every other year, there are a ton of songs on there already. I’ll get more ideas from some of our other writers. But I have no doubt we’ll overlook some songs we really liked, especially from earlier in the year, and there are inevitably a lot more that we just never heard at all. And so here’s where I’m asking for your help:
Please leave Comments to this post with your own lists of Most Infectious Songs that you think ought to be on our list — or if you’re bashful, you can e-mail your ideas to me at: islander@nocleansinging.com
I’ll then pick what I think are the most infectious tracks of the year and start posting about those songs for you in groups of two or three as we get closer to year-end. The first year I did this (in 2009), I limited the list to 10 songs. In 2010, I expanded it to 30. In 2011 it grew to 39. In 2012 it topped out at 56. In 2013 I worked really hard and got the list all the way down to.. gulp… 73. In 2014, life got in the way and I never finished the complete rollout, though I announced 62 songs before I gave up.
In 2015 I stopped at 75. The list for 2016 included 71 tracks, and I included 78 of them in 2017. In 2018 I stopped at 99 (double-gulp!), and in 2019 I partially came to my senses and stopped the list at 60 tracks. In 2020 I stopped at 47 tracks — again because I simply ran out of time. In 2021 the list swelled again, to 99 tracks, tying the 2018 record. And in 2022, my list included 66 songs.
As you can tell, I have a really fuckin’ hard time making lists. Of course, as usual, I have no idea how many songs we’ll feature this year, because I tend to make it up as I go along and because I can’t foresee the extent to which outside interferences in my work or personal life might distract me.
So, please reflect on the songs you’ve found most addictive this year and let us hear from you. By leaving your list in the Comments, you’ll also help make this post a way for other metalheads to find good music from the year that’s now rushing to an end. Thanks for your help.
16 Responses to “THE MOST INFECTIOUS EXTREME METAL SONGS OF 2024: OUR ANNUAL APPEAL TO READERS FOR HELP!”
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The Horror-LLNN
Amargor-Svdestada
The Paint of an Invader-Cave Sermon
Another Cycle-Infant Island
Stigma-Misotheist
Built to Suffer-Shock Withdrawal
Spark-Above Aurora
Σηπτική ανυπαρξία-Kvadrat
Brute Fact-Weston Super Maim
Sisera-Antichrist Siege Machine
Leave of Absence-Umbra Vitae
Pillars-APES
Spurious Ovation-Wretched Blessing
Name an Ulcerate song from the new album
Maze of Phobetor-Akhlys
The Crown with Silver Thorns-Zorza
Becoming-Modern Rites
At Wine-Dark Midnight…-Spectral Wound
Immaculate Pain-Father Befouled
Waffenbruder-Kanonenfieber
The New World-Chat Pile
Flail, Faexregem!-Mitochondrion
Urgrund-Paysage d’Hiver
Autotomy-Hauntologist
The two 2024 songs I keep getting stuck on are “Holmgang” by Mork and “At Wine-Dark Midnight” by Spectral Wound.
The Sun Gave Me Ashes so I Sought Out the Moon – Job For A Cowboy
Bastard of the East – The Infernal Sea
No Reform – Terminal Nation
The Graves of the Nameless – Dodenkrocht
Upon Burdened Hands – Mother of Graves
Curse You, Entropia – Hail Spirit Noir
Black Feathers – Vananidr
Unknown – GAEREA
Dishonour Enthroned – Winterfylleth
Endless – Modern Rites
Mistland – Iotunn
Dunkles Geleit – Sturmwächter
Insurrection – Seth
Der Maulwurf – Kanonenfieber
Nocturnal Fire – Dödsrit
Anciients – Beyond The Reach Of The Sun – Melt The Crown
Brodequin – Harbinger Of Woe – Vredens Dag
Chainsword – Born Triumphant – Wrapped In Barbwire And Yellow Fog
Dvne – Voidkind – Abode Of The Perfect Soul
Earth Ship – Soar – Soar
Ghoul – Noxious Concoctions – Shotgun Gulch
Neck Of The Woods – Luxury Trap EP – It’s What Follows
Oubliette – Eternity Whispers – Primordial Echo
Saidan – Visual Kill- The Blossoming Of Psychotic Depravity – Genocidal BloodFiend
Ulcerate – Cutting the Throat of God – Cutting The Throat Of God
Alluvial – Fogbelt
Abhorration – Ai Apaec
Crypt Crawler – Forced Metamorphosis
200 Stab Wounds – Release the Stench
Ripped to Shreds – Sacrificial Fire
GIGAN – Trans-Dimensional Crossing Of The Alta-Tenuis
VITRIOL – Shame And It’s Afterbirth
INGURGITATING OBLIVION – To Weave The Tapestry Of Nought
ULCERATE – Further Opening The Wounds
CONVULSING – shattered temples
ASEITAS – Tiamat
TEETH – Devour
REPLICANT – Acid Mirror
KNOCKED LOOSE – Sit & Mourn
PEACEMAKER – Five Ways To Hide A Dead Body
KILLING OF A SACRED DEER – Mangled Flesh Cathedral
LARCENIA ROE – ONLOOKER
SCARLET ROT – Hades Rising
MIRAR – Rose Bonbon
WESTON SUPER MAIM – Autistic Kill Trance
HEREISAROPEGOODLUCK – DOWN WITH THE SNAKES
DARKO – Death Charge
BRING ME THE HORIZON – darkside
Thy Catafalque – Babylon
Saidan – Genocidal Bloodfiend
Pyrrhon – First As Tragedy, Then As Farce
Panzerfaust – When Even The Ground is Hostile
Malignancy – Oppositional Defiance
Defeated Sanity – Accelerating The Rot
Koppernigk – Think
Altar Of Oblivion – Nothing Grows From Hollowed Ground
“Labyrinth Charm” – Civerous
“Tidal Slaughtermarsh” – Slimelord
“I Have Become The Sun” – Devenial Verdict
“Helgrindur” – Vafurlogi
“Fire, Glory and Thinking” – Vimur
“Saturnism” – Dreamless Veil
“Armageddon Patronage” – Strychnos
“They Fell Under Blackened Skies” – In Aphelion
“Godmaegen” – Wormwitch
“Hunting Maggots” – Living Gate
Oranssi Pazuzu ‘Bioalkemisti’
Here’s My List Of 20 Infectious Songs For This Year 2024…
1. Kvaen / The Formless Fires
2. Amiensus / The Distance (feat. Lars Nedland)
3. Firtan / Wermut hoch am Firmament (Ethos)
4. Gaerea / Hope Shatters
5. Cold Cell / Dead To the World
6. Vredehammer / The Joker
7. Crypt Sermon / Glimmers In The Underworld
8. Necrophobic / In The Twilight Grey
9. Carnosus / Worm Charmer
10. Hellon / Wild Wind
11. DVNE / Pleroma (Voidkind)
12. Blaze Of Perdition / Przez Rany
13. Selbst / Chant Of Self Confrontation
14. Hamfero (The Faroe Islands) / Marrusorg
15. Organectomy / Tracheal Hanging
16. Zwielicht / Stench Of Rotten Deities
17. Drowned / Star Tower
18. Paysage d’Hiver / Urgrund
19. Time Lurker / Cavaliere De Feu
20. Rotting Christ / Hail Freedom
“Unto Works and Days” Serpent Column
“III – Le grand hyver” & “V – Rêve de nos ancêtres” Conifère
“Rats of Black Death” Bloody Keep
“For the Blood Made Ruins” Gråt Strigoi
“Switchblade Paradise” Saidan
“Sinew Censer” Spectral Voice
“Echoes of Light” Chapel of Disease
Darkthrone – Black Dawn Affiliation
Deicide- Sever the Tongue
High on Fire – Burning Down
Kerry King – Toxic
Kittie – Eyes Wide Open
Perversity – Spiritual Negation
A good year with alot of great songs. I have to narrow my list down to songs from Nordic countries. I am a Swede living in Denmark, so most bands are from DK or SWE.
Demersal (DK) – Som et barn mod dit bryst
Lömsk (SWE) – Shovels and Ropes
Förfallet (SWE) – Obotlig
Dödsrit (SWE) – Nocturnal Fire
Black Birch (SWE) – Fallen
Alas (FIN) – Tunti on Sininen
Kōya (DK) – Mountain
Together to the Stars (SWE) – Mercury
Vægtløs (DK) – Tag dit knuste hjerte og lav det til kunst
Lysbærer (DK) – Dråbens rejse
Solbrud (DK) – Aske
SYL (DK) – stor dreng
SIBIIR (NO) – The Famine
Djevel (NO) – Bespottelsen
Völva (SWE) – The Tower
Kollapse (DK) – Form
Sólstafir (ICE) – Hin Helga Kvöl
Hamferð (FO) – Ábær
Blasphemous Mausoleum for thr Wicked – Noxis
Beyond Recognition – Cave Sermon
Brandish the Blade – Undeath
Shrine to the Incomprehensible – Replicant
Nocturnal Fire – Dõdsrit
Suffer As One – Living Gate
At Wine-Dark Midnight in the Mouldering Halls – Spectral Wound
Sacred Apple – Vomit Forth
Don’t Reach For Me – Knocked Loose
A Chilling Aura – Gatecreeper
殭屍復活 (Horrendous Corpse Resurrection) – Ripped To Shreds