Steel Druhm’s Top Ten(ish) of 2024

By Steel Druhm

Unlike some of my colleagues, I don’t have all that much to report regarding the past year. Life has been pretty consistent and mostly good, and for that, I’m grateful. Madam X keeps me sane and out of trouble, and most importantly, talks me out of slaughtering the AMG staff when they do any number of idiotic things to challenge my calm and nurturing management style. Entering 2024 I feared the added burden of becoming the new AMG Promo Sump Pool Boy1 would seriously impact my reviewing time. I’m glad to report that it did not, and my output was pretty close to past years. This year also saw me continuing to experience a shift in taste toward the brutish death end of the spectrum and I pray this isn’t the sign of a gradual de-evolution back to my apeish ancestors. If increasingly thick back hair is anything to go by, soon my reviews will consist solely of grunts and angry poo hurling.2

In site news, this year saw the unearthing of several long frozen and forgotten n00bs, a few of which clawed their way from the freezer into AMG staff glory, with a few more still working their way through the thaw. We also ran a casting call from which we intend to cull the best and brightest for this remorseless blog meatgrinder. MOAR blood for the Blood Godz will be the rallying cry for 2025!

I would like to thank the staff for their hard work and continued efforts to make this the best place in the metal interwebz. Your continued commitment to top-notch metal reviewing makes this a phenomenal workplace and I love most of you twice as little as you deserve. A special thanks to AMG Himself for continuing to stoke the flames of the site he founded way back in 2009. Though he isn’t as present as we all might wish, this place lives on in his frowning image.

Here’s to a brand new year and all the possibilities, opportunities, challenges, and wonders it holds for us. May it be a great one for all the writers and readers and may AMG live on in infamy and glory…forever.

(ish) The Eternal // Skinwalker – Australian Gothic doom act The Eternal know exactly how to pluck at the heartstrings of Steel, crafting long, winding odes to sadboi pathos that resonate even on the brightest summer day. Skinwalker is the second release in a row to impress and depress, with a sound merging My Dying Bride, Katatonia, Paradise Lost, and Lacrimas Profundere to form a trough of despair that runs a mile deep. There are major earworms here and some of the best writing of 2024. If it wasn’t for their constant battle with song lengths, this would have moved up the list considerably. Play this on a cold, gray day and marinate deeply in the sadz.

#10. Satan // Songs in Crimson – Satan has been the most dependable metal act around since 2013’s Life Sentence. Taking the same NWoBHM sound they helped pioneer and making it ever so slightly modern, they’ve churned out album after album of killer material, and Songs in Crimson doesn’t tweak the winning formula. It’s classic hard rock meets metal with guitar heroics in high supply and vocal hooks courtesy of metal legend Brian Ross lurking around every corner. This is a rowdy, raucous homage to all things metal with some of the year’s best guitar pyrokinetics and the fact it comes from a band so long in the tooth amazes me. Dark deals with the Devil were definitely made. Hail Satan.

#9. Nestor // Teenage Rebel – Sweden’s olde boy 80s retro rock act Nestor dropped an album so insidiously infectious and addictive, even Yours Steely was helpless in its sticky clutches. It’s so slick, so disgustingly sugar-coated and loaded with Survivor and Journey worship, but so so fun. Teenage Rebel takes me back to my own teenage idiot phase 3000 years ago when committing acts of antisocial hooliganism and making out with the Prom Queen under the school bleachers were the only pursuits worth pursuing. This thing has so many hooks, so much goddamn cheese, and almost too much 80s energy. Those were the best days, and this is a great album. Nestor is The Way.

#8. Laceration // I Erode – Pounding, punishing OSDM of the first order, Laceration flashes the blade of virtuosity as well, melding influences from various eras of Death, Morbid Angel, and Morgoth into a brutish meat stew of high-level compositional showmanship. The adroit marriage of caveman ugliness and refined guitar heroics is similar to James Murphy’s Disincarnate project and 2020s excellent Portraits of Mind by Plague and that makes for a compelling listen. I’ve returned to this many, many times in 2024 and it keeps its animal appeal every time. It’s also one of the few albums I wish was 10 minutes longer. I underrated I Erode when I reviewed it, so here is my heartfelt contrition and apology to them and you, the filthy, disgusting masses. Do not sleep on Laceration, folks. These cats are onto something special.

#7. Föhn // Condescending – I’ve never been a huge funeral doom fan, and it needs to check a bunch of boxes to click for me fully. Along came Condescending by Föhn and tossed my wussy checklist in the poser pyre. This Greek act have a knack for making their crushing compositions compelling and memorable, incorporating frenzied saxophone blasts at times to create a tense, unhinged vibe. Ambient droning segments and harrowing soundbites add flavors and texture to the massive soundscapes and the writing is consistently strong across the album. Condescending was one of the albums that came out of left field and slapped me silly in 2024. I can’t wait to see what comes next.

#6. Blazing Eternity // A Certain End of Everything – Along with Counting Hours, Blazing Eternity filled the sadboi Gothic doom compartment in my metal heart this year admirably. With a sound wrenched from the playbooks of Rapture and Katatonia and finding just the right melancholic mood, the songs on A Certain End of Everything cut deep and bring out the feelz. High-level writing and a commitment to deep despair make this a great companion piece to the Counting Hours opus with enough of a different approach to give it a unique identity. Blazing til the end.

#5. Stenched // Purulence Gushing from the Coffin – I enjoyed of deep death metal in 2024, but it was late-year entry Stenched that really throttled my crypt noodle. Created by one mysterious gent from Mexico, Purulence Gushing from the Coffin is like a romp through a septic tank without the benefit of waders or hazmat gear. It’s sticky, stinky, gross, and lurid, and you will learn to savor the flavor. With sub-basement, indecipherable croakals and slithering riffs, Stenched oozes with the same vicious viscousness as Cerebral Rot and Disma. It’s not for the squeamish or faint-hearted, and it packs a massive scuzz wallop. Just play “Suppurating Cranial Cavity” and you’ll know if you can stand the smell. Stenchmas is the real holiday!

4. Warlord // Free Spirit Soar – I loved Warlord since I was a young pup. Formed in the early 80s by Mark Zonder (later of Fates Warning) and guitar wizard Bill Tsamis, they delivered classy traditional metal with big hooks. Despite the massive talent involved, they missed their chance to realize their full potential. That all changed when the band released Free Spirit Soar following the death of Bill Tsamis. It’s everything Warlord did well but enhanced, enlarged, and made twice as epic. This is classic 80s trad metal that’s endlessly catchy, engaging, and polished to a gleaming chrome. Songs like “Conquerors,” “Worms of the Earth,” and the title track have shadowed my steps all year and I love this thing bigly. Long live the Warlord and R.I.P. Bill Tsamis.

#3. Endonomos // Endonomos – In a year with a few very bright moments for doom metal, Endonomos came out of nowhere and planted me in the cold, dark earth. Blending traditional doom with depressive post-metal, bits of sludge, and weepy sadboi melo-doom, Endonomos hit all the best parts of classic and modern doom, reminding of Ghost Brigade one moment and Fvneral Fvkk or Khemmis the next. The proprietary blend of styles is remarkable and the album simmers and crackles as it explores all the sounds of misery and woe. Songs like “Bereft” and “Resolve” are 2024 high points and the high-level compositions impress and stand up to endless spins, with little details emerging with every listen. So much feelz!

#2. Crypt Sermon // The Stygian Rose – This was the classic doom album that stole the Heart of Steel in 2024. Rebounding from a so-so sophomore outing, Crypt Sermon went back to the basics and reaffirmed their commitment to Candlemassive doom epics while smartly incorporating a ton of classic/trad metal ideas. The Stygian Rose finds them sitting directly in their sweet spot. Some of the best doom songs of 2024 reside here, and the writing is free of the glitches that plagued the prior release. Cuts like “Glimmers in the Underworld” and the massive “The Scying Orb” are pure doom magic with every bell and whistle included, and even the longest tracks flow effortlessly and sizzle all the way. The best pure doom release of 2024 hands down.

#1. Counting Hours // The Wishing Tomb – Readers of the site know I dearly loved the cold, melancholic sound of Finnish melodic doom-death act Rapture. They just had a special something and I always wish they had released more material. My prayers were answered when the guitarists from Rapture formed Counting Hours and dropped The Will debut in 2020. It was close enough in style to the Rapture days to satisfy without being a mere copy and the writing was top-notch. 2024s follow-up The Wishing Tomb took their sound, smoothed it out, polished it, and made it even more captivating. Bleak, somber doomscapes are woven, marrying heaviness with beauty, and touching on influences like early Katatonia, Dawn of Solace, and other equally downtrodden acts. The Wishing Tomb is such a success because the songs are filled with so much emotion and force the listener to feel things. It’s all beautifully grim and gorgeously dark and I keep returning time after time. Don’t let these Hours pass you by.

Honorable Mentions:

• Grand Magus // Sunraven – The lords of the sword return with their best album in years and you will feel embiggened
• Blitzkrieg // Blitzkrieg – Brian Ross does it AGAIN, keeping NWoBHM alive for another year single-handedly
• Cardiac Arrest // The Stench of Eternity – The world slept on this two-ton slab of OSDM and you’re all dumber for missing it
• Hands of Goro // Hands of Goro – Mortal Kombat-themed NWoBHM-inspired tomfoolery should not work, but by Kano’s red eye, work it does!
• Castle // Evil Remains – Gritty Sabbathian occult metal with dark edges and captivating vocals straight from the crypt coven
• Amethyst // Throw Down the Gauntlet– Old timey early 80s-style metal with hooks and a big dose of Blue Öyster Cult
  
• Tim Montana // Savage – A country rocker explores his metal/grunge/alt side and it ends up way more entertaining than it should
• SIG:AR:TYR // Citadel of Stars – The Canadian one-man epic Viking metal guru does it once more and sends you to the heavens via Valhalla
• Mother of Graves // The Periapt of Absence – Melancholic doom-death borrowing from all the best oldies and making it sound new and refreshing
• Cemetery Skyline // Nordic Gothic – When an all-star line of melodeath masters come out with a goth rock album, you fookin’ listen!

Song o’ the Year:

Crypt Sermon – ”Scrying Orb” – Classic doom perfection

Review Defense o’ the Year:

Look here, I love Judas Priest more than you and have for way longer too (because I’m olde). Invincible Shield is still a 3.0 though. Those saying otherwise are just babbling fools and they’ve built a temple to madness.

Steel Addendum: And now, as an extra special bonus feature, here’s Mark Z‘s goat vomit-filled Top Ten(ish) of 2024 in all its gruesome entirety!

#ish. Hellbutcher // Hellbutcher
#10. Antichrist Siege Machine // Vengeance of Eternal Fire
#9. 200 Stab Wounds // Manual Manic Procedures
#8. Vomitrot // Emetic Imprecations
#7. Bewitcher // Spell Shock
#6. Nails // Every Bridge Burning
#5. Diocletian // Inexorable Nexus
#4. Blood Incantation // Absolute Elsewhere
#3. Invocation // The Archaic Sanctuary (Ritual Body Postures)
#2. Mayhemic // Toba
#1. Coffins // Sinister Oath – Since their 1996 formation, these Japanese doom-death behemoths have been delivering riffs heavy enough to break the Richter scale. Yet with Sinister Oath, they may have just released their most accomplished album yet. More than almost any of their other works, this record deftly balances the band’s monolithic grooves and more atmospheric sensibilities, resulting in a diverse set of songs that gets better as it goes. While you still get the traditional Coffins fare in tracks like “Spontaneous Rot,” you also get chuggy onslaughts (“Sinister Oath”), stoner-doom forays (“Everlasting Spiral”), punky pummelings (“Chain”), and a final three-song run that might just be the best fifteen minutes of music in the band’s career. It’s all a rib-crushing good time that could please fans of everything from Cianide to beatdown hardcore, and—even in an already stacked year—it got more listens from me than almost anything else.

Honorable Mentions:

• Ripped to Shreds // Sanshi
• Adorior // Bleed on My Teeth
• Sabbat // Sabbaticult
• Destruktor // Indomitable
• Chapter // We No Longer Serve a Purpose

Song o’ the Year:

• Chapter – “A Decade of False Hope”

#2024 #BlazingEternity #Blitzkrieg #CardiacArrest #Castle #CemeterySkyline #CountingHours #CryptSermon #Endonomos #Föhn #GrandMagus #HandsOfGoro #JudasPriest #Laceration #MotherOfGraves #Nestor #Satan #SIGARTYR #Stenched #TheEternal #TimMontana #Warlord

Satan – Songs in Crimson Review

By Steel Druhm

One of the great mysteries in life is how an 80s NWoBHM act with limited success in their heyday could become such a reliable source of righteous metal thunder 40 years later. Satan was an original member of the British metal explosion, but despite a solid debut and follow-up, greater glory eluded them. after 1987s Suspended Sentence, they folded up shop and moved on. It wasn’t until 2013 that Satan rose again with a shockingly vital and all-around badass opus called Life Sentence. It sounded like a NWoBHM product but everything was dialed to 12 and the writing and playing were razor-sharp and uber-infectious. Thus began one of the greatest comebacks of all time. Killer album after album followed, delivering exemplary retro metal with polish, class, and brass balls. 2022s Earth Infernal was one of the year’s best metal albums and it seemed Satan could do no wrong. Now comes album five of their unholy comeback campaign. Can Songs in Crimson keep their unnatural late-career resurgence going?

There’s no cause for a Satanic panic because Songs in Crimson is the same hard-rocking retro metal attack we’ve heard since 2013, though this time the band sounds more raw and rough. Slashing opener “Frantic Zero” is indeed frantic and hard-charging, bordering on early days speed metal with furious fretboard slinging and thunderous drumming. NWoHM’s hardest-working man Brian Ross roars and croons his way through the maelstrom with grace and poise and everything feels like 1983 (as it always should). There’s been a touch of Hammers of Misfortune in their sound on the last several albums, but it’s more pronounced this time, with cuts like “Era (the Day Will Come)” reeking of their handiwork. An early high point is the gobsmacking tumult of “Sacramental Rites” which sounds like Satan cross-pollinated with Hammers and Wytch Hazel1 for a rowdy monster sure to bludgeon your delicate sensibilities. The chorus hits harder than a dump truck full of concrete, and Ross is in a very high feather.

Song after song comes out to smack your arse in the dirt and Satan’s approach holds up remarkably well. Yes, it’s NWoBHM at its core but it sounds fresh and interesting rather than old and moldy. There’s a vitality and raw power to this that’s often lacking in traditional metal styles. “Turn the Tide” is a world-beating tune full of wild guitar pyrotechnics and dazzling musicianship with a chorus that sticks like Gorilla Glue. “Curse in Disguise” leans into vintage Mercyful Fate-isms while incorporating some Dave Mustaine-esque riffs for extra spice. No songs here qualify as filler or bunk, though the back end is less propulsive and sticky-addictive than the first half. “Captives” is fun but hits a bit less intensely and closer “Deadly Crimson” goes for an epic sound but doesn’t fully connect all the dots on the yarn wall. The tight 44-plus minute runtime and the refusal to let any song run into the fifth minute make for a fast-paced stream of metallic aggression that can be digested quickly with no reflux. The production is rougher than before, giving the material a live vibe and intensity that suits the band down to their cloven hooves.

As with all the late-career Satan platters, the guitars are the main attraction. Original Satan axe slingers Russ Tippins (Tanith) and Steve Ramsey (Skyclad) bring the heat relentlessly with more ace leads in any 3 songs than you get over all 65 hours of Senjutsu. They live on that bleeding edge between traditional metal and speed and throw caution to the wind in the name of MOAR. Every song has killer moments and their solos are just so damn tasty. Brian Ross is a metal legend who gave us a lovely Blitzkrieg album this month, and now he shows us how it’s done again here. The man may not be blessed with the crazy pipes of Halford or Dickinson, but he knows how to drive a metal song with commanding vocals and can still hit some shockingly high notes when needed. He’s metal royalty and imparts a classy gloss to every track. The backline is also top-notch with Graeme English (Skyclad) thumping along expertly on bass and Sean Taylor (ex-Blitzkrieg, ex-Raven) pounding away like a man half his age. This is the fountain of youth in album format.

The sounds of Satan continue to compel me and though Songs in Crimson is a slight click down from Earth Infernal, the quality is still sky-high. Every time Satan drops a killer album, I go back to their early stuff to see if I missed the signs of future greatness. Each time I find solid if not exceptional NWoBHM fare. Thus the mystery of where these last 5 albums come from. We may never know, but we should praise Satan for them. Hails and Devil horns!

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Metal Blade
Websites: satanuk.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/officialsatanpage | instagram.com/officialsatanpage
Releases Worldwide: September 13th, 2024

#2024 #35 #Blitzkrieg #EarthInfernal #HammersOfMisfortune #MetalBladeRecords #NWOBHM #Review #Reviews #Satan #Sep24 #SongsInCrimson #UKMetal #WytchHazel

Blitzkrieg – Blitzkrieg Review

By Steel Druhm

In the pantheon of influential NWoBHM acts, Blitzkrieg often get overlooked. Though present at the beginning along with Iron Maiden, Diamond Head, and Saxon, Blitzkrieg suffered lineup issues and broke up before releasing their debut album. Frontman Brian Ross went on to join Satan and Blitzkrieg didn’t get a full-length out until 1985, by which time the NWoBHM had crested and metal had moved on to thrashing and bashing. Their much-delayed debut, A Time of Changes is a classic (featuring their legendary calling card track which Metallica famously covered)1 and stands as a shining moment in NWoBHM history. The band’s had an uneven history ever since, falling victim to revolving lineups with Ross as the sole constant. As an unexpected bounty for NWoBHM aficionados, 2024 sees both Blitzkrieg and Satan releasing albums a week apart, both helmed by Brian Ross. Blitzkrieg opted to go with an eponymous title for their 10th album, suggesting the band feels this represents what they’re all about after 45 long years of existence. So what can you expect on Blitzkrieg? The classic sounds of the musical movement that birthed them with a few surprises included.

This is 100% early 80s music, with sharp riffs driving anthemic rock-based songcraft designed to snag the ear. Opener “You Won’t Take Me Alive” is a straight-up rocker with burly leads and Ross’ vintage vocals crafting an ode to living on the edge. It’s instantly likable and could have appeared on the debut (or any Saxon album). Better still is “The Spider” with its slick, pulsing riffage and the extra oomph Ross puts in his vocals. I’ve had this one on steady replay for a week and I don’t get tired of it. Ross and crew prove to be seasoned songwriters and cut after cut offer moments that stick to the roof of your brain. “If I Told You” is an anthem for conspiracy theorists with clever lyrics covering history’s mysteries, and “Vertigo” is a riff-first beast with clever and unusual vocal tricks from Ross.

Even the epic 8-plus minute closer “On Olympus High – Aphrodite’s Kiss” maintains that hooks-first hard rock writing even as it goes for grand storytelling of lost love and grief. The guitar work is beautiful and you don’t notice the protracted runtime much. “Above the Law” is another winner, with an extra dark vibe and tales of brutal vigilantism. The only cut that feels underwhelming is “The Night He Came Home,” which goes for an eerie, macabre vibe but falls a bit flat. At a concise 48 minutes, Blitzkrieg is the classic NWoBHM opus that goes for the throat and leaves before getting tiresome. Most songs sit in the 4-5 minute window and fly by, and the longer ones manage enough magic to keep you locked in. The production sounds like it came from the early 80s, with a warm, guitar-forward mix that leaves ample room for everyone else to shine.

As the only member left from the band’s early days, Brian Ross is the caretaker of the Blitzkrieg legacy. He obviously loves the band and he’s labored to keep it going for decades. It’s also clear he’s taken pains to make Blitzkrieg a love letter to the band’s history and sound. You get a nice sampling of their various periods, with tight, hard-rocking cuts and a few longer more epical pieces that remind of their The Mists of Avalon era. Ross does a fine job vocally, offering a more versatile, emotional performance than we hear from him on the Satan albums. His singing on “On Olympus High – Aphrodite’s Kiss” is touching and emotive and honestly, it surprised me with its depth. Along with Bruce Dickinson and Biff Byford, Ross is the voice of the NWoBHM and it’s amazing how good he still sounds. Brian’s son Alan Ross acquits himself very well too, delivering rousing riffs to punch the songs into your head while showcasing truly exceptional ability on the slower, softer moments. Metal is in this family’s DNA for sure.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Blitzkrieg and had concerns it would be seriously overshadowed by the new Satan album dropping next Friday. I’m happy to report that this is one of the better releases in the Blitzkrieg discography and a fine addition to the band’s legacy. If you never bothered with Blitzkrieg before, this is a good place to start indeed. TLDR: Brian Ross is the fookin’ boss.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Mighty Music
Websites: facebook.com/blitzkrieguk | instagram.com/blitzkriegnwobhm
Releases Worldwide: September 6th, 2024

#2024 #35 #Blitzkrieg #DiamondHead #HeavyMetal #MightyMusic #NWOBHM #Review #Reviews #Satan #Sept25