(written by Islander)
We’re again including Rolling Stone‘s list of the year’s best metal albums because it has become a tradition, a largely comical tradition at this point which dates back to the halcyon days of 2013 when a commenter somehow just skipped past all our introductory text, looked at Rolling Stone‘s list, and chastised us for not naming Gorguts as AOTY instead of Deafheaven.
Of course, Rolling Stone hands-down qualifies as the kind of “big platform” site or zine that we pull from as part of our LISTMANIA orgy, as a way of getting a glimpse into what the top-side world perceives as great metal.
This year, Rolling Stone compiled a Top 20 list (the number seems to vary from year to year). As it often has in the past, it displays a lot of scatter, for want of a better term. There’s albums on the list (quite a few of them) you wouldn’t be surprised to see on one of the lists assembled by our own writers, and there’s others that will make you cringe, just like the ranking will.
As I worked through the list toward the top spot I found myself nodding my head more than shaking my head, even though it errs toward prominent names even from the start — and then the thing went off the rails.
One thing that can be said for the list is that it may succeed in opening the eyes of Rolling Stone readers to deserving bands they’ve never heard of before, and so may provide a bit of a boost to those bands. Another thing that can be said about the list is that it acclaims Kerry King‘s From Hell I Rise as a “masterpiece” and the best metal album of 2024. And Bruce Dickinson at the 5 spot? Really?
I think I’ll just stop there and let you look at the list and comment about it if you see fit. The full presentation by Rolling Stone‘s writers can be found HERE.
20. BODY COUNT, Merciless
19. TZOMPANTLI, Beating the Drums of Ancestral Force
18. BATTLESNAKE, The Rise and Demise of the Motorsteeple
17. DARKTHRONE, It Beckons Us All…
16. GOUGE AWAY, Deep Sage
15. WHORES, War
14. UNHOLY ALTAR, Veil of Death! Shroud of Nite
13. KNOCKED LOOSE, You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To
12. SUMAC, The Healer
11. PAYSAGE D’HIVER, Die Berge
10. THOU, Umbilical
09. CHAT PILE, Cool World
08. HUNTSMEN, The Dry Land
07. JUDAS PRIEST, Invincible Shield
06. BLOOD INCANTATION, Absolute Elsewhere
05. BRUCE DICKINSON, The Mandrake Project
04. HIGH ON FIRE, Cometh the Storm
03. CRYPT SERMON, The Stygian Rose
02. OPETH, The Last Will and Testament
01. KERRY KING, From Hell I Rise
2 Responses to “LISTMANIA 2024: ROLLING STONE’S LIST OF “THE 20 BEST METAL ALBUMS OF 2024””
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Not so bad choices, this year
That looks like a pretty even spread to be honest. Kerry King is questionable but hey, there’s a handful of strong songs on there. Bruce Dickinson’s solo one is better than his emphysema test on Senjutsu and kind of becomes a doom album at times. If you sort of file away the super-big names, there’s a solid representation for the underground/scraping against the ceiling of being huge bands.