101010.pl is one of the many independent Mastodon servers you can use to participate in the fediverse.
101010.pl czyli najstarszy polski serwer Mastodon. Posiadamy wpisy do 2048 znaków.

Server stats:

513
active users

#Myrath

0 posts0 participants0 posts today
Angry Metal Guy<p><a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/kenstrositys-top-tenish-of-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Kenstrosity’s Top Ten(ish) of 2024</a></p><p><i>By Kenstrosity</i></p><p></p> <p>When I think back on this year, a year of unprecedented stress and struggle for this sponge, one predominant emotion rises above the rest. Gratitude. I went through hardships I couldn’t possibly have anticipated; watched as harrowing events, both global and domestic, rocked our world; and trudged through time-dilating frights that I only previously experienced in some of my worst nightmares. And yet, I persist! I found myself asking, once again, why I was spared a worse fate where others weren’t? What have I done in life to deserve the good fortune I’ve received? In time I’ve come to believe that understanding the why of it all isn’t always the most important part. In some ways, the pursuit of an answer to “why” even blinds us to more enriching lessons we can learn from the experiences we share, both mundane and extraordinary. These things teach us how to be human, how to grow, how to thrive, and how to come together as a community. So, for what must be the first time of my life, I stopped asking why anything happened, as tempting as that spiral always looked from outside. Instead, I spent all of my energy prioritizing the moment, experiencing it, allowing it to change me and mold me, and to be present in it not just for me, but for my friends, my family, and my neighbors.</p><p>Back to gratitude. More so this year than any other, I must express my deepest, most heartfelt gratitude for damn near everyone. When my roommate and I lost everything overnight, I felt completely and utterly overwhelmed by the response. Hands of friends, family, and community reached towards us, open to do whatever they could to help us up. <span><strong>AMG Himself</strong></span>,<span><strong> Steel Druhm</strong></span>, <span><strong>Sentynel</strong></span>,<span><strong> GardensTale</strong></span>,<span><strong> Twelve</strong></span>,<span><strong> Dolphin Whisperer</strong></span>, <span><strong>Maddog</strong></span>,<span><strong> Holdeneye</strong></span>,<span><strong> Cherd of Doom</strong></span>,<span><strong> Grymm</strong></span>,<span><strong> El Cuervo</strong></span>,<span><strong> Dr. Wvrm</strong></span>,<span><strong> Ferrous Beuller, Saunders</strong></span>,<span><strong> Eldritch Elitist</strong></span>,<span><strong> Doom_et_Al</strong></span>,<span><strong> Dear Hollow</strong></span>, <span><strong>Carcharodon</strong></span>, <span><strong>Felgund</strong></span>,<span><strong> Ferox</strong></span>,<span><strong> Thus Spoke</strong></span>,<span><strong> Iceberg</strong></span>, <span><strong>Mystikus Hugebeard</strong></span>, <span><strong>Itchy</strong></span>, the n00bs, a shit ton of Discord frens, all of my meatspace friends, Mom, Dad, my sister, some of my extended family, my work colleagues and acquaintances, random kind strangers, even <span><strong>Dr. A. N. Grier</strong></span> went above and beyond to help directly with our recovery. Every single member of staff here did whatever they could to give some relief, far beyond what I could’ve ever asked for, and it overwhelms my little heart to know they cared that deeply. My owlpal and great friend <strong>Rolderathis</strong>, writer and editor at <em>Toilet ov Hell</em>, unexpectedly swooped in via Discord to jump start our financial recovery by creating a crowdsourcing page for us—even as the admin for <strong>AMG</strong> planned to do the same. Instrumental to its dissemination and subsequent explosion,<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/kenstrositys-top-tenish-of-2024/#fn-206202-1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">1</a> both <span><strong>AMG</strong> <strong>Himself</strong></span> and <span><strong>Steel Druhm </strong></span>made sure to aggressively spread the word via an official post on this very site, and in their own circles public and private. Friends and family did the same, to great effect. <em>Toilet ov Hell</em> even posted their own article, too, and I don’t even fucking write there. Incredible. My aunt and her husband helped us replace two full rooms worth of furniture without hesitation, and another close friend of mine provided yet another room’s worth on top of that. Our friends reached far and wide to find opportunities to get us shelter, food, essential items, and vital emotional support. FEMA did more than their part for us as well, and they continue to help us as we navigate the next stages of long-term recovery. My therapist stuck with me through the storm, helped carry me through some concerning emotional blockages shortly after, and continues to guide me now. The continuous waves of support and outreach blew me away, and motivated me to pay it forward in whatever way I was capable for those who were going through hell with us. I thank you all, from the bottom of my heart.</p><p>As if a hurricane wasn’t enough to bear, Mom was diagnosed with lung cancer just ten days after the storm hit. Still, there shined small silver linings that kept me going. It was caught <em>very </em>early, and she has already returned home after a resoundingly successful surgery, where they removed the tumor in block.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/kenstrositys-top-tenish-of-2024/#fn-206202-2" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">2</a> As scary as the thought of losing my Mom right after everything else that’s happened was, I choose to emphasize the excellent treatment and attention to detail that allowed Mom to come home quickly and in decent health, all things considered. I choose to be with my family, to live in this moment through the pain, the fear, the uncertainty, so I can be there when the sun inevitably shines again, too. I want to extend a very special thanks to Dad, who remained constantly by Mom’s side and supported her through every stage of this development when I wasn’t able.</p><p>All of this merely scratches the surface of everything we’ve gone through in 2024. But we are still here!<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/kenstrositys-top-tenish-of-2024/#fn-206202-3" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">3</a> We are living the best we can, helping each other to survive, and perhaps soon to also thrive again. The sense of community I feel not just for my deeply wounded city, but also the people in my life, deepened significantly just in the last few months. These experiences have changed me, changed my outlook on life and on relationships. The fragility of life and the sheer power of the love that comes from the people in it sharpen my understanding of what’s really important. Life is about the people you have, the way you treat them, and how you conduct yourself in this world to try to improve it with your unique light, little by little. It’s about supporting your loved ones as they go through good times just as fiercely as when they go through hardship and change. It’s about growing every day into the very best version of yourself, and being there to witness and celebrate the same journey in those close to you. I understand that more today than ever before, and I am thankful that this lesson, above all else, is my takeaway from 2024.</p><p>It’s going to be a while before we can return home to AVL, but I’ve already returned full force to my home away from home, <strong>Angry Metal Guy</strong>! I’d like to thank <span><strong>Steel Druhm</strong></span> and <span><strong>AMG Himself</strong></span> again for keeping my spot warm for me and for being excellent taskmasters and blogrunners, to <span><strong>Sentynel</strong></span> for keeping things running smoothly on the back end and for being awesome in general at his job, to all the writers for continuously providing the internet with the best worst opinions on metal extant, and to <span><strong>Dr. A. N. Grier</strong></span> for deleting everything I’ve ever written so that nobody has to suffer my silly goofy ramblings.</p><p>With that said, everybody should probably snapshot this little Top Ten(ish) of mine before <span><strong>Grier</strong></span> deletes that, too. It looks mighty different to how it would’ve had the storm not happened, both because I couldn’t listen to any new music for a while and because the event itself ushered a sharp shift in my listening preferences. Regardless, I’m happy with my selections, and I fully expect the rest of you to rabble at my confounding omissions.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/kenstrositys-top-tenish-of-2024/#fn-206202-4" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">4</a> Let it commence!</p> <p>#ish. <strong>Elvellon </strong>// <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/elvellon-ascending-in-synergy-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Ascending in Synergy</em></a> – <strong>Elvellon</strong> holds a special place in my heart, and thanks to masterful songsmithing, <em>Ascending in Synergy</em> holds a well-deserved placement on my list. I simply haven’t been able to stop jamming it all year. <em>Ascending in Synergy</em> is everything I loved about metal when I first got into it, and it embodies much of what I love about metal today. It never hurts that the first eight songs are all megaton bangers. This record would have placed nearer the top if it weren’t for the monologue in the penultimate epic. Nonetheless, I love <em>Ascending in Synergy</em>.</p><p>#10. <strong>Madder Mortem </strong>// <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/madder-mortem-old-eyes-new-heart-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Old Eyes, New Heart</em></a> – Ever since <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/madder-mortem-marrow-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Marrow</em></a>, <strong>Madder Mortem</strong> successfully won me over where every other album in their back catalog failed to resonate. I can’t explain what exactly it was that captured my adoration all of a sudden, but <em>Old Eyes, New Heart </em>has my heart just as <em>Marrow</em> did before it. Smart compositions, earnest delivery, crystalline lyrics, lush sound, this record has it all. I’d be a fool not to award it placement on this list.</p><p>#9. <strong>Oceans of Slumber</strong> // <em><a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/oceans-of-slumber-where-gods-fear-to-speak-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Where Gods Fear to Speak</a> </em> – <strong>Oceans of Slumber</strong> carved out an ever-evolving, fearlessly creative, and unique sound for themselves since their inception, but always seemed somewhat inconsistent with the quality of their songwriting. Not so on their magnum opus <em>Where Gods Fear to Speak</em>. Immense, cohesive, and richly layered with detail and compelling songwriting, <em>Where Gods Fear to Speak</em> feels like the culmination of their entire career, fully matured and refined to peak form.</p><p>#8. <strong>Sunburst </strong>// <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/sunburst-manifesto-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Manifesto</em></a> – There was a point in time that I was confident <em>Manifesto </em>would top this list. That was largely due to sheer excitement that a new <strong>Sunburst</strong> album, which I never thought I would see in the first place, actually turned out to be great. Rich compositions, sharp hooks, and a masterful performance from everyone involved, <em>Manifesto</em> solidifies <strong>Sunburst</strong> as one of the best bands out of the Greek power metal scene. I just hope that I don’t have to wait another eight years for the next one!</p><p>#7. <strong>Scumbag </strong>// <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/scumbag-homicide-cult-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i>Homicide Cult </i></a>– This record is simply unfair. I had my Top 10 all sorted out, and then some bottle-nosed bastard with a dorsal fin and a propensity for beating up smaller mammals on the wrong side of the sea had me check this out, with the promise of killer riffs by the main <strong>Noxis</strong> guitarist. That bastard was right, this record absolutely rips. There are so many unbelievably filthy, stank-face inducing riffs on <em>Homicide Cult</em> that I had to get plastic surgery to look like myself again. Otherwise, I’d look more like my rotted-out friend on the cover.</p><p>#6. <strong>Noxis </strong>// <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/noxis-violence-inherent-in-the-system-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i>Violence Inherent in the System</i></a> – Death metal this good hits me in a special place. While embodying all of the skullcrushing ways of olde, <em>Violence Inherent in the System</em> represents one of the most creative, smart, and well-produced records in modern death metal currently. And while my review helped spike the hype, it still feels a bit like <strong>Noxis</strong> are running further under the radar than they deserve. Coming out of absolute nowhere and dropping the best straight-up death metal of the year? Unreal.</p><p>#5. <strong>Feind</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/feind-ambulante-hirnamputation-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i>Ambulante Hirnamputation</i></a> – Grind, and all of its hybrids, never once made it on my proper Top 10. I’ve written here for six years. That’s how powerful <strong>Feind</strong>’s <em>Ambulante Hirnamputation</em> truly is. Immense fun, more quality riffs stuffed into less than twenty minutes than some of the best records can fit into an hour, and cheeky to boot, <em>Ambulante Hirnamputation</em> proves that <strong>Feind </strong>mastered the grindset. Let’s hope this isn’t the last I get to hear of <strong>Feind</strong>.</p><p>#4. <strong>Brodequin </strong>// <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/brodequin-harbinger-of-woe-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i>Harbinger of Woe</i></a> – In contrast to grind, I almost <em>always</em> have a brutal death metal record on my Top 10. It’s a style that resonates with me very easily, and there’s never a shortage of it for my personal enjoyment. <strong>Brodequin</strong> won the day in a year chock full of great options, with the immensely accessible <em>Harbinger of Woe</em>. The sheer level of groove brimming from this torture chamber sends my booty into overdrive, and the thick, nasty production only serves to enhance the entire experience. There’s very little else I could ask for to sate my brutal death cravings.</p><p>#3. <strong>Iotunn</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/iotunn-kinship-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Kinship</em></a> – It’s been a banner year for our friend Jon Aldará. Where <strong>Iotunn</strong>’s <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/iotunn-access-all-worlds-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Access All Worlds</em></a> interested, but did not woo, me, follow-up <em>Kinship</em> absolutely rocked my socks. Every single track is a celebration of epic, melodic, and deeply immersive extreme metal. Gorgeous compositions, ascendant guitar work, ridiculous replay value, and stellar vocals propelled <em>Kinship</em> way up on my list of favorite records at a blistering pace, leaving me revelling in an idyllic honeymoon period. Even after investing more time marinating in its wondrous environs, I’ve only fallen deeper and deeper in love with it. I just can’t imagine how <strong>Iotunn</strong> are going to top this.</p><p>#2. <strong>Replicant </strong>// <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/replicant-infinite-mortality-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Infinite Mortality</em></a> – This is the year for records that floored me where their predecessors didn’t. <strong>Replicant</strong>’s <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/replicant-malignant-reality-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Malignant Reality</em></a> was enjoyable, but couldn’t touch my Top 10 in its year. <em>Infinite Mortality</em>, on the other hand, made a valiant bid for Album o’ the Year from the very first riff kicking “Acid Mirror” into the stratosphere. Hardcore-tinged technical death metal for fans of the discordant and the unorthodox, <em>Infinite Mortality</em> is supremely memorable not just for its sound, but for its infallible, hook-laden construction. <em>Infinite Mortality</em> may not be the only record of its kind released this year, but it’s without a doubt the greatest.</p><p>#1. <strong>Myrath</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/myrath-karma-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Karma</em></a> – Hurricane Helene took my home. It changed the ecology, geology, and pedology of the entire Asheville region, likely for all time. But one thing it couldn’t take from me is my spirit, my drive to survive, and my determination to thrive. Even during a long period where access to music was a rare luxury, <em>Karma</em> remained at the forefront of my mind. It held me from giving up and reminded me of the strength that burgeoned not just in myself, but also in my friends, family, and greater community as we rebuilt our lives together. If there was ever a record released this year that embodies that spirit of triumph over adversity, it’s <strong>Myrath</strong>’s incredible <em>Karma</em>. It was always going to be high on this list, thanks to its insanely memorable songwriting and passionate performances of univerally great songs. However, it wasn’t until I personally resonated with its empowering message in the context of a devastating natural disaster that I knew this would be, unquestionably, my Album o’ the Year.</p><p></p><p><strong>Honorable Mentions</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Amiensus</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/amiensus-reclamation-pt-ii-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Reclamation Pt. II</em> </a>– Thoughtful, dynamic, and immersive, <em>Reclamation Pt. II</em> represents the pinnacle of what I like in progressive black metal.</li><li><strong>The Flaying</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/stuck-in-the-filter-august-and-september-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Ni dieu ni maître</em></a> – Unsung melodic death metal heroes <strong>The Flaying</strong> offer up nonstop hooks and a crazy bass performance delivered at a feral pace.</li><li><strong>Hamferð</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/hamferd-men-guds-hond-er-sterk-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Men Guds hond er sterk</em></a> – Empotionally compelling and monstrously heavy, <em>Men Guds hond er sterk</em> is death doom at its peak form.</li><li><strong>Khirki </strong>// <em>Κ​υ​κ​ε​ώ​ν​α​ς </em>– Massively dynamic hard rock that comes from the heart and the head, not the butt.</li><li><strong>Saidan</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/stuck-in-the-filter-may-2024s-angry-misses/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Visual Kill: The Blossoming of Psychotic Depravity</em></a> – Fun, fast, ferocious, <em>Visual Kill</em> is an unqualified blast of killer hyper-melodic black metal.</li><li><strong>Unhallowed Deliverance</strong> // <em>Of Spectres and Strife</em> – Deathcore rarely offers this level of dynamics and quality in songwriting, and it hits like a runaway train full of unstable nuclear warheads.</li></ul><p><strong>Non-Metal Album o’ the Year</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Kali Uchis </strong>// <em>Orquídeas – </em>Simply put, this album is pure sex. Period.</li></ul><p><strong>EP o’ the Year</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Glassbone </strong>// <em>Deaf to Suffering – </em>Far and away the slimiest, crustiest, and bestest slam of the year. Absolute <em>filth</em>.</li></ul><p><strong>Song o’ the Year</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Elvellon</strong> – “A Vagabond’s Heart” – Easily my most listened to song of the year, “A Vagabond’s Heart” strikes a special chord in my spirit that embodies everything I used to love and everything I love today. Furthermore, it leaves me hopeful and excited for what the future holds. As a delightful bonus, it’s catchy as all get-out. I couldn’t ask for a better song to fit this slot.</li></ul><p></p><p><strong>Surprise o’ the Year:</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Nightwish</strong> // <em>Yesterwynde</em> – My original intent was to place this somewhere on my list proper, but the storm foiled that aspiration, as I rarely got to listen to any new music that came out in late September and pretty much all of October until it was way too late. But when I did get to spend time with <em>Yesterwynde</em>, it continually impressed me. Songs that felt novel and exciting, performances that brimmed with new life, and wonderful pacing from start to finish, <strong>Nightwish</strong>’s latest record feels like a return to form. I’m excited to follow them on this latest arc in their career.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/kenstrositys-top-tenish-of-2024/#fn-206202-5" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">5</a></li></ul><p><strong>Disappointment o’ the Year:</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Vredehammer</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/vredehammer-god-slayer-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>God Slayer</em></a> – The riffs are there, that’s for sure. But the album just doesn’t come together in a way that scratches my brain at all. Therefore, I had the most difficult time sitting through <em>God Slayer. </em>Shame, especially considering how much of a banger each of the previous two records were…</li></ul><p><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2024/" target="_blank">#2024</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/amiensus/" target="_blank">#Amiensus</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/brodequin/" target="_blank">#Brodequin</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/elvellon/" target="_blank">#Elvellon</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/feind/" target="_blank">#Feind</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/glassbone/" target="_blank">#Glassbone</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/hamferd/" target="_blank">#Hamferð</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/iotunn/" target="_blank">#Iotunn</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/kali-uchis/" target="_blank">#KaliUchis</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/kenstrositys-top-tenish-of-2024/" target="_blank">#KenstrositySTopTenIshOf2024</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/khirki/" target="_blank">#Khirki</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/madder-mortem/" target="_blank">#MadderMortem</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/myrath/" target="_blank">#Myrath</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/nightwish/" target="_blank">#Nightwish</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/noxis/" target="_blank">#Noxis</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/oceans-of-slumber/" target="_blank">#OceansOfSlumber</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/replicant/" target="_blank">#Replicant</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/saidan/" target="_blank">#Saidan</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/scumbag/" target="_blank">#Scumbag</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/sunburst/" target="_blank">#Sunburst</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/the-flaying/" target="_blank">#TheFlaying</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/unhallowed-deliverance/" target="_blank">#UnhallowedDeliverance</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/vredehammerd/" target="_blank">#Vredehammerð</a></p>
Angry Metal Guy<p><a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/el-cuervos-gardenstales-and-eldritch-elitists-top-tenish-of-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">El Cuervo’s, GardensTale’s, and Eldritch Elitist’s Top Ten(ish) of 2024</a></p><p><i>By El Cuervo</i></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong><span><strong>El Cuervo</strong></span></strong></p><p>After more than a decade in this job, the years start to blur. While there may be an almost imperceptible feeling that some years are musically stronger than others, I’ve started to reach the realization that they’re all basically the same. 99% of heavy metal spawned into the world is destined to be forgotten or disparaged.</p><p>That’s not to say I’m bored of this state of affairs. The metal community, and in particular its underground, remains in a robust position to peddle the best non-mainstream music in the world, boasting a wide array of sub-genres from all over the globe. Just look at my list below: nine of the selections are from the atypical regions of Northern Europe and North America, hitherto unknown for their metal output.</p><p>Nonetheless, it’s the year-to-year consistency that highlights the importance of gathering our thoughts at annual intervals to assemble a list of real quality. This process reminds me why I still spend hundreds of hours each year consuming and reviewing new music. These stand-outs justify my decision and I deeply enjoy commemorating them in this ranking extravaganza. Revel in the albums that most excited me in 2024.</p> <p>#10. <strong>A Burial at Sea</strong> // <a href="https://aburialatsea.bandcamp.com/album/close-to-home" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Close to Home</em></a> – As much as music may impress you with its technical chops or hook you with its bold melodies, it’s music that makes you feel something that endures. The idiosyncratic brand of post-rock heard on <em>Close to Home</em>, dipping into brassy jazz and techy math rock as much as it does shoegaze, always prioritizes its emotive impact above all else. I love the gentle lilt, the crashing apices, the shimmering walls of noise, the orchestral edges. <strong>A Burial at Sea</strong> ebbs with slow rhythms and delicate chords, but flows with heavy drums and tremolo-picked melodies. The natural cadence across tracks makes the album feel complete. Each year yields one or two ‘mood’ releases for me to savor in a dark room with my headphones and my thoughts; 2024’s is <em>Close to Home</em>.</p><p>#9. <strong>Kanonenfieber</strong> // <em><a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/kanonenfieber-die-urkatastrophe-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Die Urkatastrophe </a></em>– As much as I initially enjoyed <em>Die Urkatastrophe</em> as a studio album, it took the <strong>Kanonenfi</strong><strong>e</strong><strong>ber</strong> live experience to really get its hooks into me. This isn’t just blackened death metal. It’s theatrical, energetic, and catchy, without devolving into something as simple as ‘meloblack’. The shout-along choruses and grooving leads were accentuated in a live setting, and I was incentivized to dig back through the <strong>Kanonenfieber</strong> back catalog. But the gig wouldn’t have been as entertaining as it was without the underlying music being of high quality. I’ve been to plenty of shows which have encouraged me to revisit an artist – but where the studio release is far less potent. <em>Die Urkatastrophe</em> has the chops and power to excel in both formats.</p><p>#8. <strong>Aquilus</strong>// <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/aquilus-bellum-ii-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Bellum II</em></a> – Lots of black metal adopts the adjective of ‘atmospheric’ but few come as close to this as <strong>Aquilus</strong>. Horace Rosenqvist forges music that harmonizes but transcends classical and black metal, beguiling and terrifying in equal measure. <em>Bellum II</em> may be marginally the lesser of <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/aquilus-bellum-i-things-you-might-have-missed-2021/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Bellum I</em></a>, but it’s still among the best music released this year. Its compositions are extraordinary, as they subtly and satisfyingly transition from delicate piano and strings to towering black metal blasts. This is the prime example of the album’s devastating dichotomies that I previously described (“<em>elegance and savagery; serenity and chaos; airiness and crunch</em>”). Rosenqvist is a singularly mesmerizing instrumentalist and composer, able to pull contrasting music into a brutal but beautiful whole.</p><p>#7. <strong>Hamfer</strong><strong>ð</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/hamferd-men-guds-hond-er-sterk-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Men Guðs hond er sterk</em></a> – It’s hard to conceive of a more metal homeland than the Faroe Islands. Cold? Dark? Remote? Check, check, check. This results in <strong>Hamfer</strong><strong>ð</strong>’s frigid, towering block of death-inflected doom metal that owes as much to its isolated island roots as it does to any other metal band. <em>Men Guðs hond er sterk </em>is a crushingly heavy album, but one gilded with a hopeful edge derived from its concept wherein a survivor of a whaling accident emphasizes the miracle of his life. While prioritizing the sheer weight of mass and exquisitely despondent leads, the album also benefits from one of metal’s most talented vocalists in Jón Aldará, who runs the gamut from bellowing growls to melancholic croons. Though it runs out of steam by the gentle acoustic conclusion, the preceding thirty-nine minutes are monumental.</p><p>#6. <strong>Blood Incantation</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/blood-incantation-absolute-elsewhere-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Absolute Elsewhere</em></a> – <strong>Blood Incantation</strong> is plainly an excellent band. But I’m struggling to explain why <em>Absolute Elsewhere</em> became the underground cross-over metal album of the year, favored by big and small publications alike. Perhaps it’s the savage but technical riffs that make you mosh and think simultaneously. Perhaps it’s the <strong>Floyd</strong>ian approach to song structures. Perhaps it’s the penchant for meandering, <strong>Tangerine Dream</strong>y interludes. Perhaps it’s the sophisticated fusion of something heavy so listeners feel edgy, with something chill so listeners feel safe. Perhaps it’s the conspiratorial orientation around our alien overlords building the pyramids. Perhaps it’s all of these and more. Hmm. On reflection, I think I do understand why everyone loves <em>Absolute Elsewhere</em> as much as they do.</p><p>#5. <strong>Crypt Sermon</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/crypt-sermon-the-stygian-rose-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>The Stygian Rose</em></a> – We all know that doom is the worst core metal sub-genre. To my abject horror, 2024 saw not one but two excellent examples of it. <strong>Crypt Sermon</strong> stormed the top five of my list, folding excellent leads and engaging solos into some of the most captivating metal of the year. While the front half is good, it’s the back half where things hit another level. “Heavy Is the Crown of Bone” until the title track exemplifies the best of the sub-genre through their epic proportions, memorable melodies and fat, crunchy guitar tones. While the riffs have immediate impact, the detailed compositions give the songs real staying power. Layers of guitars, a tempo that eschews dirge speeds, varied vocals and progressive song constructions march the album to a conclusion that comes too quickly.</p><p>#4. <strong>Syst3m Glitch </strong>// <a href="https://newretrowave.bandcamp.com/album/the-brave-ones" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>The Brave Ones</em></a> – The remainder of this list documents my love for heavy metal and all things progressive. But synthwave is the third pillar of my music library and the most joyous. The best of the year comes from Florida’s <strong>Syst3m Glitch</strong>. He’s not always been my first pick for synths, but <em>The Brave Ones</em> dramatically outperformed his prior output and muscled its way into my favorite albums from 2024. It’s stuffed full of catchy, memorable tunes that traverse the synthwave soundscape, from the pop-laced sweetness of “California,” to the pulsing rhythms of “Thrill Ride,” to the darksynth pastiche of “Tommy Danger,” and finally to the smooth retrowave of “Raining in Tokyo.” It’s rare for one release to cover this much territory, and rarer still that it’s so successful in doing so.</p><p>#3. <strong>Dissimulator</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dissimulator-lower-form-resistance-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Lower Form Resistance</em></a> – February is early in the year but I knew then that <em>Lower Form Resistance</em> would be high on my list. <strong>Dissimulator</strong> inherits death metal traits from the members’ other bands (including <strong>Beyond Creation</strong> and <strong>First Fragment</strong>) but builds these into uber-tight, technical thrash metal. The excellence of the riffs here is fucking relentlessness; no other 2024 release can boast such a fine repertoire. From the ridiculously good “Neural Hack” until the closer, the album generates such entertainment value that it feels half as long as it is. The exemplary instrumentation, chaotic energy and technological feel make <em>Lower Form Resistance</em> sound like <strong>Voivod</strong> reinvented for the 2020s. In a sub-genre so preoccupied with rehashing old ideas – I do not accept that thrash metal <em>must</em> sound like 1986 – <strong>Dissimulator</strong> thrives by looking forward.</p><p>#2. <strong>In Vain</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/in-vain-solemn-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Solemn</em></a> – It’s no secret that I’m a prog nerd. While <strong>In Vain</strong> has always been plenty progressive through varied and unpredictable songwriting, what I envy most is the knack for incorporating myriad styles into one cohesive sound. <em>Solemn</em> follows two prior records demarcated by their fusions of melodic death metal, black metal, progressive rock, and Nordic folk music. This fusion has never been more seamless than it is in 2024. The expansive songs feel like they should be extremely long and complex but in reality, they hardly exceed seven minutes and utilize powerful melodic anchors. As if all this wasn’t enough, the quintessential <strong>In Vain</strong> guitar and vocal harmonies, and orchestral pomp, elevate the songs into metal magic. <em>Solemn</em> is pure <span><strong>Cuervo</strong></span> catnip.</p><p>#1. <strong>Opeth</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/opeth-the-last-will-and-testament-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>The Last Will and Testament</em></a> – It feels like I’ve spent much of the <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/opeth-the-last-will-and-testament-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">last</a> <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/yer-metal-is-olde-opeth-still-life/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">few</a> <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/opeth-from-worst-to-best-13-9/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">months</a> describing just how much I admire <strong>Opeth</strong>. This year-end list is no exception as I properly rank <em>The Last Will and Testament</em> as 2024’s best release. With the <strong>Opeth</strong> ranking articles so recent, I think it would fall into the upper half of their work. In a discography littered with records revered by both metalheads and prog nerds, this demarcates a record of rare quality. Though – yes – Åkerfeldt returns to growled vocals here, this is just a small piece of what makes <em>The Last Will and Testament</em> so good. From the sophisticated compositions to the entertaining story, and the exemplary instrumentation to the immaculate production, its knotty harmonization of death metal with progressive rock has the aura of perfection. No other record from 2024 can make such a claim.</p><p></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Honorable Mentions</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Beardfish</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/beardfish-songs-for-beating-hearts-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Songs for Beating Hearts</em></a> – The unheralded return of these Swedes yields a shockingly vital slice of prog rock, boasting tidy riffs, folksy warmth, and engaging song-writing.</li><li><strong>At 1980</strong> // <a href="https://newretrowave.bandcamp.com/album/forget-to-remember" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Forget to Remember</em></a> – While predictable,<strong> At 1980 </strong>remains an interminably satisfying retrowave artist through their smooth synths, melodic guitar solos, and easy vocals.</li><li><strong>Morgul Blade</strong> // <a href="https://morgulblade.bandcamp.com/album/heavy-metal-wraiths" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Heavy Metal Wraiths</a> – <strong>Morgul Blade</strong> forms a destructive harmony between three of my favorite things: razor-sharp classic metal leads, harsh vocal,s and Tolkien nerdery.</li><li><strong>Kalax</strong> // <a href="https://kalax.bandcamp.com/album/lost" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Lost</em></a> – While bloated and meandering – <em>lost</em>, perhaps – the return of Liverpool’s premier retro synth act finds a delicate dichotomy between frigidity and comfort.</li></ul><p><strong>Songs o’ the Year</strong></p><ol><li><strong>Unto Others </strong>– “Never, Neverland”</li><li><strong>Syst3m Glitch </strong>– “Raining in Tokyo”</li><li><strong>Iotunn </strong>– “Iridescent Way”</li><li><strong>Opeth </strong>– “A Story Never Told”</li><li><strong>Lebrock </strong>– “Goliath”</li><li><strong>At 1980 </strong>– “Your Secret”</li><li><strong>Nestor </strong>– “Caroline”</li><li><strong>Crypt Sermon </strong>– “The Stygian Rose”</li><li><strong>Dissimulator </strong>– “Neural Hack”</li><li><strong>Winterun </strong>– “Silver Leaves”</li></ol> <p><strong><span><strong>GardensTale</strong></span></strong></p><p>Fucking hell, what a year. Ordinarily, I’d try and wax poetically on the passing of time or some shit here. Looking back with melancholy and whatnot seems to be the intention for opening paragraphs to arbitrary lists of what music this one rando that I happen to be got the most enjoyment from this year. But I think this time, I’ll try some brutal honesty instead. It’s not been a great year overall. I won’t bore you with a tedious list, numbering my shades of the various common mental issues people my age and disposition face, but suffice it to say I’ve closed out most prior years in better spirits. But I’m getting help, I’m fighting it, and I’m learning. Learning to give myself grace, to step back when I need to. And if that sometimes means slowing down on a review, well, it’s a small price to pay.</p><p>One consequence is that I have spent less time listening to music I wasn’t reviewing. That shows below because this list will look like the most self-congratulatory thing I ever wrote. The vast majority of entries I penned myself, be it as a full article, a TYMHM or even a filter entry. But the funny part is, I thought it was a really strong year! I had quite a sizeable shortlist to whittle down. But then I was done whittling and discovered I’d almost exclusively cut albums I did not review, like <strong>APES</strong>, <strong>Crypt Sermon</strong> and <strong>Hamferð</strong> for instance. Additionally, I find I’ve added less to the list in the second half of the year, and my sullied brain has questioned myself many times: was autumn weaker than usual, or is my growing ennui obstructing my ability to like things as much as they deserve?</p><p>I don’t know, to tell the truth. And I’m unlikely to find out, because time marches on and new releases darken the horizon of January even now. There are only so many hours in the day, so much music hitting the virtual marketplaces and streaming colossi. To give each year its proper due would take 5 years, or having no job or other hobbies. So I can’t give you a fair, balanced and complete list of the best records of the year, because I do have a job and other hobbies, and no time machine. I can only give you the records that made me feel good. I hope they made or will make you feel good, too.</p> <p>(ish). <strong>Dool</strong> // <em>The Shape of Fluidity</em> — I’ve been aware of <strong>Dool</strong> for a while now, even before vocalist Raven van Dorst became a national television personality. But it wasn’t until I caught “Venus in Flames” on the metal radio station in the car that I became interested in their music. <em>The Shape of Fluidity</em> crystallizes Van Dorst’s lifelong struggle with identity into a fierce, defiant, and intensely personal album. The androgynous vocals sizzle with raw emotion, and the instrumentation is likewise fluid in its presentation, swaying from almost post-punk energy to <strong>Anathema</strong>-adjacent prog and dipping into epic doom. An excellent album that really puts <strong>Dool</strong> on the map.</p><p>10. <strong>Alcest</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/alcest-les-chants-de-laurore-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Les Chants de l’Aurore</em></a> — Here’s a fun fact: I always thought <em>Souvenirs d’un Autre Monde</em> wasn’t<strong> Alcest</strong>’s first album. It was the first album of theirs I heard, but since about 97 out of 100 bands that evolve their sound go softer rather than harder, I assumed there was something more extreme preceding it. <strong>Alcest</strong> tends to do things differently, though, changing things up rather radically from album to album. <em>Les Chants de l’Aurore</em> has elements from many of its older siblings, but the mood it sets is such a beautiful warm summer melancholy, it sets it apart in a very special way. And seeing it performed live a few weeks ago was a very special experience that seared the album in my mind.</p><p>9. <strong>Madder Mortem</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/madder-mortem-old-eyes-new-heart-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Old Eyes, New Heart</em></a> — No, I’ll never stop proselytizing <strong>Madder Mortem</strong>, why do you ask? <em>Old Eyes, New Heart</em> wasn’t what I expected, yet in many ways was just what I needed, and was strangely prophetic at times. It’s the most intensely personal album from the Norwegians (which is saying something) and through the healing power of shared misery, sitting down with it is like a good session with a therapist.</p><p>8. <strong>40 Watt Sun</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/40-watt-sun-little-weight-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Little Weight</em></a> — Patrick Walker could sing me The Cat In The Hat and I’d still feel like weeping. I’m not sure the man could earn anything below a 4.0 from me if he tried. That being said, <em>Little Weight</em> still takes a spot by the sunny window that <strong>40 Watt Sun</strong> hasn’t explored before. Where <em>Perfect Light</em> and <em>Wider Than the Sky</em> were steeped in sadness, <em>Little Weight</em> expels it. It might be the most hopeful album I’ve heard this year, a return to the light from the deepest darkest places. It’s been a comforting hug on bad days, a warm blanket to fight the cold.</p><p>7. <strong>Walg</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/walg-iv-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>IV</em></a> — The second year in a row I get to feature this duo. <strong>Walg</strong> is quickly becoming one of my favorite black metal bands. <em>IV</em> fits any mood, really. It’s got anger, it’s got despair, but it also has enough catchy tunes and energy for when you’re in a good mood. You can play the whole thing start to finish, and you can pick out your favorites and stick ‘em in a playlist. As such, it’s been this year’s ol’ reliable, the album to return to when nothing else sparks joy.</p><p>6. <strong>Kanonenfieber</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/kanonenfieber-die-urkatastrophe-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Die Urkatastrophe</em></a> — If I had a nickel for every time an acclaimed blackened death metal band exclusively used historically accurate World War I accounts and even performed in uniform, I’d have two nickels. It’s kind of difficult for me to mentally separate <strong>Kanonenfieber</strong> and <strong>1914</strong> for obvious reasons. Luckily there is space for both in the trenches because Noise’s project has become a mean Menschen mühling machine. “Der Maulwurf” grabbed me by the throat from the first spin, and everything else followed over and over again. Epic, bludgeoning and harrowing.</p><p>5. <strong>Labyrinthus Stellarum</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/labyrinthus-stellarum-vortex-worlds-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Vortex of the Worlds</em></a> — I can’t stop playing this album. It is stuck in my algorithm. The bleeps and bloops that summon Hastur from the depths of space and time live in my head and they do not pay rent. How did two kids<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/el-cuervos-gardenstales-and-eldritch-elitists-top-tenish-of-2024/#fn-207883-1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">1</a> from a war-torn country manage this? <strong>Labyrinthus Stellarum</strong> is so goddamn good at composing addictive melodies in 4 dimensions it should be considered unfair. The only reason it’s not higher is because at this point the competition becomes even more unfair.</p><p>4. <strong>Iotunn</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/iotunn-kinship-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Kinship</em> </a>— A lot of people told me in the comments that the closing track on <em>Kinship</em> is a great song and shouldn’t have affected my rating of the album as a whole. They are wrong on both counts. This is a shame because up to that point, this is the album of the year. Earning what amounts to a 4.495 despite a disappointing closer is an incredible feat, but the songwriting on the best couple of tracks here is simply unparalleled. “Mistland,” “The Coming End” and especially “Earth to Sky” are just <em>massive </em>in a way few bands ever achieve, and Iotunn make it seem effortless.</p><p>3. <strong>Vredehammer</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/vredehammer-god-slayer-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>God Slayer</em></a> — One improvement to my life is that I am returning semi-regularly to the gym these days. I’ve struggled with working out consistently, but I can usually get a session a week in these days. And my number one companion for these outings has been <em>God Slayer</em>. The bridge in the title track alone gives me enough energy to break whatever personal record I’ll be working on at the time. Just looking at the album art gives me an extra pound of gains for the week.</p><p>2. <strong>Meer</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/meer-wheels-within-wheels-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Wheels Within Wheels</em></a> — Yeah, it’s not really metal, but it’s proggy and it’s fucking gorgeous so up yours, elitists! I’ve come to the opinion that Norway is simply the best country for prog in general, and <strong>Meer</strong> is just another notch in that belt. Whereas <em>Playing House</em> didn’t really grab me at the time, I couldn’t stop spinning <em>Wheels Within Wheels</em>. I had to start every day with “Come to Light” for a while, and the climax of that track is so uniquely empowering it’d help beat down whatever funk I found myself in at the time. The symphonic composition and multi-vocal approach are just beautiful and it truly does not get old. <strong>Meer</strong> has outdone itself.</p><p>1. <strong>Huntsmen</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/huntsmen-the-dry-land-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>The Dry Land</em></a> — I’ve had multiple comeback stories this year. Outside of metal, both <strong>Elbow</strong> and <strong>That Handsome Devil</strong> returned with fantastic albums after the last was simply disappointing. The biggest comeback and biggest surprise was, without a doubt, <strong>Huntsmen</strong>. <em>Mandala of Fear</em> was such a slog, I could never have expected the perfect tight flow of <em>The Dry Land</em>. Every track is a journey in and of itself, and the diversity is immense. <em>The Dry Land</em> has become one of those albums where I can’t put it on without finishing it entirely; I’ll just keep going ‘Oh yes the next song has these awesome mournful vocals’ or ‘Ah here comes that mindblowing transition.’ It’s been a great year for metal and music in general, but the way <strong>Huntsmen</strong> returned from the grave and far surpassed even their vaunted debut was the absolute peak for me, and it has not since been surpassed by any other release.</p><p></p><p><strong>Honorable Mentions</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Sleepytime Gorilla Museum</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/sleepytime-gorilla-museum-of-the-last-human-being-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>of the Last Human Being</em></a> — Considering how thrilled I was to get a new <strong>SGM</strong> album I expected this to wind up higher, but it’s still a great and unsettling resurrection for one of the true premier avant-garde collectives.</li><li><strong>Selbst</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/selbst-despondency-chord-progressions-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Despondency Chord Progressions</em></a> — There’s been plenty of emotionally grabbing black metal of various sorts this year, but <strong>Selbst</strong> had the coolest take out of them all, with a melodic sense that felt almost trad metal without losing edge or impact.</li><li><strong>Monkey3</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/stuck-in-the-filter-february-2024s-angry-misses/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Welcome to the Machine</em></a> — Easily the best instrumental album of the year. Tasteful nods to <strong>Pink Floyd</strong> wrapped in a massive maelstrom of heavy psych that gets the balancing act of repetition and evolution precisely right.</li><li><strong>The Vision Bleak</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/the-vision-bleak-weird-tales-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Weird Tales</em></a> — An even tighter and more cohesive album than its excellent predecessor. <em>Weird Tales</em> is like an amazing haunted house ride.</li><li><strong>Sidewinder</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/sidewinder-talons-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Talons</em> </a>— I really wanted to have this in the main list, because you don’t get stoner this great very often. Alas, the competition was too strong. But listen to it anyway if you haven’t!</li></ul><p><strong>Non-Metal Albums</strong></p><p>This is a metal blog, despite our occasional forays into tangential material like <strong>Meer</strong>. But several of my favorite non-metal artists all released some excellent albums, and considering the year I’ve had and the state of the world, I’d rather end with some positivity for the open-minded among you, who are secure enough in their trveness to partake in some decidedly vntrve yet excellent releases.</p><ul><li><strong>Man Man</strong> // <em>Carrot on Strings</em> — The quirky and rambunctious <strong>Zappa</strong>-in-the-Bayou outfit led by the enigmatic Honus Honus kills it with this eclectic and introspective release. Everything from pulsing club EDM to mellow country and various mixtures further off the musical maps, it’s a wild and engaging odyssey.</li><li><strong>That Handsome Devil</strong> // <em>Exploitopia</em> — After the disappointing <em>Your Parents Are Sellouts</em>, these weirdos blew off the barn doors with this comeback. Best described as alternative gypsy surf jazz rock hip-hop, <em>Exploitopia</em> gushes anti-consumerism and anti-capitalism with sardonic humor and biting sarcasm.</li><li><strong>Elbow</strong> // <em>Audio Vertigo</em> — The most commercially successful band on this list, but I still feel like many metalheads aren’t aware of how good these Brits are. And <em>Audio Vertigo</em> is one of their best albums to date: versatile, infectious, with a warm melancholy and wry camaraderie. Beautiful.</li><li><strong>Future Islands</strong> // <em>People Who Aren’t There Anymore</em> — A breakup album, filled with aching loneliness and longing, yet a strange sense of hope winds through the pulsing synth-pop. Frontman Samuel Herring is an absolute king of emotive, raspy crooning, and his performance brings a ton of personality to the album.</li></ul> <p><strong>Songs o’ the Year</strong></p><ol><li><strong>Huntsmen</strong> – “Rain”</li><li><strong>Meer</strong> – “Come to Light”</li><li><strong>Iotunn</strong> – “Earth to Sky”</li><li><strong>Tom Cardy</strong> – “Transcendental Cha Cha Cha”</li><li><strong>Walg</strong> – “Als een Korrel Zand”</li><li><strong>Vredehammer</strong> – “God Slayer”</li><li><strong>Tribulation</strong> – “The Reaping Song”</li><li><strong>Madder Mortem</strong> – “Towers”</li><li><strong>Kanonenfieber</strong> – “Der Maulwurf”</li><li><strong>Iotunn</strong> – “The Coming End”</li><li><strong>Selbst</strong> – “Chant of Self Confrontation”</li></ol> <p><strong><span><strong>Eldritch Elitist</strong></span></strong></p><p></p><p>Huh. It’s apparently been <i>four fucking years</i> since I last penned a proper <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/el-cuervos-gardenstales-and-eldritch-elitists-top-tenish-of-2024/#fn-207883-2" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">2</a> Records o’ the Year list for Angry Metal Guy. This time last year, I wasn’t sure whether I’d be contributing such a list ever again. I still love this blog and the music we celebrate, but making regular contributions to AMG requires a not-insignificant time investment, and I’ve found myself spread ever-thinner over the years. And then January happened, in which a startling number of fantastic releases in that month alone resulted in the crystallization of a single goal: To make 2024 my most complete year of musical indulgence to date. If there was an album released that even slightly piqued my interest in a given week, I was going to find time to listen to it, ideally to completion. This resolve resulted in so many discoveries that I could have penned Top Ten Records o’ the Month articles for multiple months of 2024.</p><p>When I say “multiple months,” I really mean “January through March”, as my momentum dwindled when mid-April rolled around. Compounding factors between life and work suddenly left me with much less time in which to indulge in new music. Once I fell behind, I quickly realized that it would be virtually impossible to keep up the listening schedule I had set for myself, and subsequently gave up the ghost. As badly as I wanted to contribute the most confidently comprehensive year-end list possible, this list might as well be titled “Eldritch Elitist’s Top 10 Records o’ Q1 2024 &amp; Friends”. Lopsided though it may be, that’s no excuse to not take a legitimate stab at a list at all, especially not when comments like <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/necrot-lifeless-birth-review/?commentID=90b00f0d-13ba-4c67-b255-a15acc04bc84" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">this</a> keep rolling in… Wait, why the hell has that guy been hanging around the AMG break room? Christ, I really need to work on staying in the loop around here. Anyway, here’s some albums I like; no -ishs, HMs, or <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/metalite-expedition-one-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">butts</a> about it.</p> <p>#10. <b>Cruce Signatus</b> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/cruce-signatus-cruce-signatus-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i>Cruce Signatus</i></a> – While <i>Cruce Signatus</i> sits at the bottom of my top 10, I have listened to it more than any other record this year outside of my number 1 pick. It’s become a go-to record to throw on thanks to its instrumental nature and soundtrack-like ebb and flow. More than that, <b>Cruce Signatus</b>’ unique blend of metal and synthwave is legitimately compelling, feeling distinct from similar acts as an actual soundtrack to an in-progress animation project. The downside is that this record feels partially complete because it <i>literally</i> is. The upside is that the experience of listening to this record will surely evolve retroactively as this project continues, and in the meantime, I’ll remain content to absorb one of the most ambitious cross-media offerings of 2024.</p><p>#9. <b>Myrath</b> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/myrath-karma-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i>Karma</i></a> – The release of <i>Karma</i> marked my first prolonged exposure to <b>Myrath</b>, and while I don’t adore it as heavily as some of my AMG colleagues, it remained in heavy rotation throughout 2024 all the same. <i>Karma</i> is an uncommonly proficient slab of pop metal, one that smartly leverages its latent progressive and folk metal leanings in sublimely bombastic fashion. It lacks variety, but <b>Myrath</b> navigates <i>Karma</i>’s narrow aesthetic with such precision as to maximize its scope, resulting in an album that compels through efficiency. Ultimately, the most important quality of any pop record is its ability to lodge its hooks into my brain, and I have had every single one of these songs stuck in my head many times throughout the year. If that kind of recurring impact isn’t worthy of a spot on this list, I don’t know what is.</p><p> #8. <b>Soulmass</b> // <a href="https://soulmass.bandcamp.com/album/principality-of-mechanical-violence" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i>Principality of Mechanical Violence</i></a> – Despite <b>Soulmass</b>’ previous LP basing its concept on my favorite video game, <i>Principality of Mechanical Violence</i> hit me way harder despite unfamiliarity with its source material. My knowledge of <i>Gundam</i> may only go so far as that handsome blonde fellow in red who apparently did nothing wrong, but I do know that this <i>Gundam</i> concept album rocks unlike any other <b>Soulmass</b> record. It largely culls the band’s moodier death/doom passages in favor of concise riffage, yet is also densely melodic, neatly slotting melancholic guitar leads alongside meaty riffs that echo <b>Bolt Thrower</b> and <b>Cannibal Corpse</b>. The resulting listening experience is equally absorbing and exhilarating, enticing me to get in the robot time and time again.</p><p>#7. <b>Mega Colossus</b> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/mega-colossus-showdown-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i>Showdown</i></a> – <b>Mega Colossus</b> just gets it. Not once in my years of listening to this band have I gotten a sense that they are trying to recapture the heyday of traditional metal, or otherwise be anything in the moment other than themselves. <i>Showdown</i> further cements my impression, as it sees <b>Mega Colossus</b> reaching ever further into their bottomless bag of nerd fixations. The resulting songs cover topical ground ranging from <i>Porco Rosso</i> to <i>Mad Max: Fury Road</i>, but more importantly, they masterfully weave inspirations as far-reaching as <b>Kansas</b> and <b>Megadeth</b> into their core aesthetic of <b>Iron Maiden</b>-inspired trad metal. Combine the playfully loose hold on genre convention with <b>Mega Colossus</b>’ ever-effusive lyrics, and you have one of the most purely entertaining records of the year from one of the best modern bands in the genre.</p><p>#6. <b>Black Curse</b> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/black-curse-burning-in-celestial-poison-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i>Burning in Celestial Poison</i></a> – Unlike other albums on this list, I have not returned to <i>Burning in Celestial Poison</i> to reconfirm its standing. Call me irresponsible, but I must emphasize that my memory and impression of this record – one formed after multiple days of consecutive spins – remains fully crystalized in my mind. <b>Black Curse</b>’s sophomore outing is one that continues to linger in the darker corners of my mind, a wholly unique vision of blackened death metal that, while not as traditionally thrilling as the band’s debut, is more than the sum of its parts. That “more” manifests as an incorporeal malefic entity seemingly possessing motives independent of the artists who spawned it. <i>Burning in Celestial Poison</i> feels like a living, breathing work, one which unsettles as much as it entices.</p><p>#5. <b>Oak, Ash &amp; Thorn</b> // <a href="https://oakashandthorn.bandcamp.com/album/our-grief-is-thus" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i>Our Grief is Thus</i></a> – <i>Our Grief is Thus</i> is one of those albums that feels made specifically for me, with power metal vocals and melodeath riffage wrapped in an overarching aesthetic of black metal, folk metal, and crust punk. Beyond gifting me the forbidden knowledge that power metal with d-beats can and does work, it’s also a generally excellent example of effective genre splicing, feeling as though it belongs in both all and none of the styles from which it cleverly pulls inspiration. What <b>Oak, Ash &amp; Thorn</b> has accomplished with this sophomore outing is an explosively energetic yet cohesive record, and one so melodically effervescent as to be compulsively replayable. <i>Our Grief is Thus</i> is the most surprising record of 2024, and I am firmly seated on the <b>OAT</b> boat for whatever comes next.</p><p> #4. <b>Madder Mortem</b> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/madder-mortem-old-eyes-new-heart-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i>Old Eyes, New Heart</i></a> – <b>Madder Mortem</b> is a name I’ve heard tossed around since 2009, and who I never bothered to check out because I thought they were some sorta high falutin’, artsy fartsy doom metal band. That may have been the case once upon a time, but at some point they evolved into the accessible sort of dark progressive metal showcased on <i>Old Eyes, New Heart</i>. Immediately gripping and heavy yet disarmingly vulnerable, this record converted me to <b>Madder Mortem</b> fandom almost instantly. Its songs wormed their way under my skin with atomic precision and never left; as early as my third listen, they felt like old friends, albeit ones prone to trauma dumping. There may be records I liked more in 2024, but none moved or shook me quite like <i>Old Eyes, New Heart</i>.</p><p> #3. <b>Galneryus</b> // <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcl5PUzqcNU&amp;list=OLAK5uy_mvTS0ydzb9_FfLEmaA0KWFPh30oIIEyhc" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i>The Stars Will Light the Way</i></a> – I’ve read dozens of comments all parroting a mildly irksome take: <i>The Stars Will Light the Way</i> feels like <b>Galneryus</b> on cruise control. While this has mostly been opined through a positive lens, it still feels unfairly reductive when considering the sheer quality and consistency of this album. Sure, Sho’s voice is notably strained at this point, but he excels at utilizing his current strengths in the strongest collection of Galneryus tracks since 2014’s <i>Vetelgyus</i>. It’s also the most straightforward record <b>Galneryus</b> has released since <i>Vetelgyus</i>, nixing much of the experimentation and darker leanings of recent offerings (“In Water’s Gaze” notwithstanding) in favor of unbridled jubilance. So yeah, sure, <i>The Stars Will Light the Way</i> is a “safe” record if you want to call it that. It’s still one of the best records from the best power metal band in the world.</p><p>#2. <b>Nemedian Chronicles</b> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/nemedian-chronicles-the-savage-sword-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i>The Savage Sword</i></a> – I can hardly believe that <b>Nemedian Chronicles</b> is not a Greek band. They sound so in step with acts like <b>Sacred Outcry</b> that I can practically feel the lamb and tzatziki sauce falling out of an overloaded gyro and onto my lap. Yet the appeal of <b>Nemedian Chronicles</b> is singular. There is a lot of love for <b>Blind Guardian</b> and <b>Sacred Outcry</b> on <i>The Savage Sword</i>, but there is also a distinctly epic, cinematic quality that hearkens back to <b>Bal-Sagoth</b>’s overwrought storytelling. Between the propulsive riffs and sweeping melodies, I’m immediately absorbed into the experience with every listen, and that’s to say nothing of the engaging and often unpredictable songwriting. In most years, <i>The Savage Sword</i> would handily take the crown for best power metal release. However…</p><p>#1. <b>Fellowship</b> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/fellowship-the-skies-above-eternity-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i>The Skies Above Eternity</i></a> – You know that little bit of text under my review of <i>The Skies Above Eternity</i> that says “<b>Rating: 4.0/5.0?</b>” That number is <i>technically</i> correct per the AMG style guide, but what that number can’t account for is the fact that <i>The Skies Above Eternity</i> is a record I’ll be listening to for the rest of my life. 2022’s <i>The Saberlight Chronicles</i> is a true 5.0/5.0 by any objective or subjective metric, and while <i>The Skies Above Eternity</i> is not as good from a technical standpoint, it fully recaptures the strengths that made its predecessor a modern power metal icon. <b>Fellowship</b>’s debut may have had higher and more frequent peaks, but <i>The Skies Above Eternity</i> excels through consistency and conciseness. The band’s trademark earnestness, vulnerability, and impeccable sense of melodic craft can be felt in every second of the experience. It doesn’t matter whether this record is the best material <b>Fellowship</b> is capable of producing because it warms me in the exact same way they’ve been doing since their first EP, making <i>The Skies Above Eternity</i> one of my most treasured records by default. This album may be a 4.0 in my brain, but it’s a 4.5 in my heart and a 5.0 in my soul.</p><p></p><p><b>Song o’ the Year</b></p><p><b> Fellowship</b>’s “Hold Up Your Hearts (Again)” – I was present in the audience when <b>Fellowship</b> debuted this song live, and everyone was so on board with the silliness of its title that we enthusiastically welcomed it into the <b>Fellowship</b> canon with a communal sea of heart hands. It doesn’t top “Glint” as my favorite <b>Fellowship</b> song, but its concentrated formula of speedy Euro-power metal and the lyrics’ pitch-perfect shonen anime energy handily clear second place status.</p><p></p><p><b>Disappointment o’ the Year</b></p><p><b>Various “Artists”</b> – <i>The Continued Proliferation of Crappy AI Album “Art”</i> – This blog has not adopted a formal stance on albums featuring generative AI artwork, nor do I feel it needs to. But this is <i>my</i> list, and I’m taking the opportunity to say that if I get so much as a whiff of AI coming off of an album going into 2025, I won’t be giving it the time of day, much less a review. It is unfathomable to think some musicians can devote so much time and creative energy into creating an album, only to hold zero value in the image that is supposed to be introducing that album to the world. In fact, if an album features an AI-generated cover, I automatically assume that the devaluation of art permeates the music itself in some form. Either pay a fucking artist to create an album cover for you, or go outside to take a picture of a cool tree or something and slap a Photoshop filter on it. If that proves too difficult, the public domain is your friend. If it’s good enough for <b>Bolt Thrower</b>, it’s sure as hell good enough for your shitty bedroom black metal project.</p><p><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2024/" target="_blank">#2024</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/40-watt-sun/" target="_blank">#40WattSun</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/a-burial-at-sea/" target="_blank">#ABurialAtSea</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/alcest/" target="_blank">#Alcest</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/and-eldritch-elitists-top-tenish-of-2024/" target="_blank">#andEldritchElitistSTopTenIshOf2024</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/aquilus/" target="_blank">#Aquilus</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/at-1980/" target="_blank">#At1980</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/beardfish/" target="_blank">#Beardfish</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/black-curse/" target="_blank">#BlackCurse</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/blood-incantation/" target="_blank">#BloodIncantation</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/cruce-signatus/" target="_blank">#CruceSignatus</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/crypt-sermon/" target="_blank">#CryptSermon</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/dissimulator/" target="_blank">#Dissimulator</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/dool/" target="_blank">#Dool</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/el-cuervos/" target="_blank">#ElCuervoS</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/fellowship/" target="_blank">#Fellowship</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/galneryus/" target="_blank">#Galneryus</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/gardenstales/" target="_blank">#GardensTaleS</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/hamferd/" target="_blank">#Hamferð</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/huntsmen/" target="_blank">#Huntsmen</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/in-vain/" target="_blank">#InVain</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/iotunn/" target="_blank">#Iotunn</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/kalax/" target="_blank">#Kalax</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/kanonenfieber/" target="_blank">#Kanonenfieber</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/labyrinthus-stellarum/" target="_blank">#LabyrinthusStellarum</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/lists/" target="_blank">#Lists</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/listurnalia/" target="_blank">#Listurnalia</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/madder-mortem/" target="_blank">#MadderMortem</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/meer/" target="_blank">#Meer</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mega-colossus/" target="_blank">#MegaColossus</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/monkey3/" target="_blank">#Monkey3</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/morgul-blade/" target="_blank">#MorgulBlade</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/myrath/" target="_blank">#Myrath</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/nemedian-chronicles/" target="_blank">#NemedianChronicles</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/oak-ash-thorn/" target="_blank">#OakAshThorn</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/opeth/" target="_blank">#Opeth</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/selbst/" target="_blank">#Selbst</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/sidewinder/" target="_blank">#Sidewinder</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/sleepytime-gorilla-museum/" target="_blank">#SleepytimeGorillaMuseum</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/soulmass/" target="_blank">#Soulmass</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/syst3m-glitch/" target="_blank">#Syst3mGlitch</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/the-vision-bleak/" target="_blank">#TheVisionBleak</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/vredehammer/" target="_blank">#Vredehammer</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/walg/" target="_blank">#Walg</a></p>
Angry Metal Guy<p><a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dolphin-whisperers-and-feroxs-top-tenish-of-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Dolphin Whisperer’s and Ferox’s Top Ten(ish) of 2024</a></p><p><i>By Dolphin Whisperer</i></p><p></p> <p><strong><span><strong>Dolphin Whisperer</strong></span></strong></p><p>Every year, its end becomes more shocking and swift. Once, some guy told me, simply, “<em>it only gets worse</em>.” Not life though—attributing a better or worse or any sort of constant determination of our passage leaves a lot of room for falling into a void of enjoyment—life is, after all, a constant until its not. But time, or our sense of being in its too ever-present stream, flows at a rate that changes in ways to which we never quite catch up.</p><p>As such, there’s a comfort in knowing how much time an album, particularly one you enjoy will take. For the ten-to-twenty minutes it takes for grindcore proper to slap me silly or the forty-to-eighty minutes that it takes for my deepest progressive loves to wring out a moaning confession, I know where my attention lies, even if it’s only half there and half on a task at hand. Time and tasks, day to night, play to stop, music makes my world a better place. And entering my now third year at Angry Metal Guy, an institution that has been a fixture of my musical journey for even longer, I continue to hold a profound gratitude and excitement for another year of discovery.</p><p>2024 has had its challenges professionally and personally. 2025 will be no doubt the same, even if some trials we can see forming in the distance. But you want to know about the music, right? On that end, 2024 has yielded a heaping trove of great albums. Heck, even a <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/amgs-unsigned-band-rodeo-save-this-utility-%e4%ba%a1%e5%a4%b1-deprivation/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Rodeö pick</a> scratched at the rungs of an honorable mention. The below list barely scratches the surface of the breadth that the year has offered. Further down you will see <span><strong>Ferox</strong></span>‘s list, which captures a different collection equally rooted in joy. He might be more right than I am. But that matters little. Celebrate with us, your favorite collective of writers on the world wide web! Come hang with some of us on <a href="https://discord.gg/ZvDvua9" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Discord</a> too if you’d like. Most of the people there are certified flea-free. And don’t be too upset if 2025 doesn’t hit you the same at first. It’s just another year, and it’ll be over before you know it.</p> <p>#ish. <b>Kalandra</b> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/kalandra-a-frame-of-mind-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>A Frame of Mind</em></a> – At my core, I consider myself a Norwegian sad girl. Usually, this manifests in some sort of weepy, melancholy prog, the likes of <b>Age of Silence</b> or <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/madder-mortem-old-eyes-new-heart-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><b>Madder Mortem</b></a>.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dolphin-whisperers-and-feroxs-top-tenish-of-2024/#fn-208005-1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">1</a> But <b>Kalandra</b>’s enfolkened an impassioned take on an artsy, progressive collection of empowering tunes hit me square in my aching heart from the moment I heard it. Most importantly, though, <b>Kalandra</b> knows that suffering is just a step on the path of growth and happiness, which is a message that inspires me every day.</p><p>#10. <strong>Dawnwalker</strong><b> </b>// <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dawnwalker-the-unknowing-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>The Unknowing</em></a> – The power to dream and envision a world driven by mysticism has an allure that’s hard to ignore. And while we know that more determinable laws guide the happenings of our daily lives, a glimpse of the unknown will always find its way into sequence. <b>Dawnwalker</b> putting this esoteric but ever-present concept into an atmospheric, genre-warped, playfully progressive package hardly surprises me, though. The British troupe has had my number since their unsung classic <a href="https://ampwall.com/a/dawnwalker/album/in-rooms" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>In Rooms</em></a>,<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dolphin-whisperers-and-feroxs-top-tenish-of-2024/#fn-208005-2" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">2</a> so I’m doing my last in continuing to love them despite <span><strong>Twelve</strong></span>‘s best efforts to underrate them.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dolphin-whisperers-and-feroxs-top-tenish-of-2024/#fn-208005-3" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">3</a></p><p>#9. <b>Lizzard </b>// <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/lizzard-mesh-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Mesh</em></a> – <b>Lizzard</b>’s 2021 opus <a href="https://lizzardband.bandcamp.com/album/eroded" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Eroded</em></a> is my favorite album of this decade so far. The French trio’s ability to warp deep, rhythm-tricky layers into driving and emotional rock songs his me at the core of my musical desire for cathartic hope expressed in an unassuming and lush framework. <em>Mesh</em> doesn’t present any differently in that regard. But its wrinkles on <b>Lizzard</b>’s timeless yet ’90s alternative-rooted oeuvre fuel <em>Mesh</em>’s inherent melancholy with a hope that’s jubilant, like a cracked smile on an overcast day.</p><p>#8. <b>Dissimulator </b>// <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dissimulator-lower-form-resistance-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Lower Form Resistance</em></a> – [INCOMING TRANSMISSION.] <em>“My name is <span><strong>Clyde</strong></span>, and I arrive from beyond with wonderful news. My good friend <span><strong>Ferox</strong></span> has survived this timeline after all, having learned to navigate the Lower Form Resistance assault of fast-twitch rhythms and slow-twitch death metal punctuation. His head, fully intact, sways wildly in its hairless glory—big dives for big skanking breaks, snappy rolls for whiplash accelerations. He may not be as rhythmically gifted in pit-galloping cadence as the virtuoso drum and bass duo that provides life to <strong>Dissimulator</strong>’s effortless strides, but <span><strong>Ferox</strong></span> is my everything nonetheless.” </em>[END TRANSMISSION.]</p><p>#7. <b>Mamaleek </b>// <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/mamaleek-vida-blue-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Vida Blue</em></a> – I couldn’t begin to tell you what has never landed about <strong>Mamaleek</strong>’s works before with a weird precision. As an act dedicated to sounding only like <strong>Mamaleek</strong>, their singular expression of tortured black(ish) metal warped by jazzy and slogging attitudes has manifested quite the take-it-or-leave-it musical experience. And while you, dear reader, may assume this is firmly up my alley, it has not been. At least not until <em>Vida Blue</em> served a bottom of the ninth heart-shaker as an ode to a departed friend.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dolphin-whisperers-and-feroxs-top-tenish-of-2024/#fn-208005-4" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">4</a> With a soulful swing, a tortured connection, and an exit velocity powered by equal parts loss and love, <strong>Mamaleek</strong> has clinched a campaign for my attention.</p><p>#6. <b>Defeated Sanity </b>// <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/defeated-sanity-chronicles-of-lunacy-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Chronicles of Lunacy</em></a> – As an apex predator in the brutal death metal world, <strong>Defeated Sanity</strong>’s appearance arouses not questions of competency but rather calculations of the carnage wrought. <em>Chronicles of Lunacy</em> does not mark a turning point or novel twist in the <strong>Defeated Sanity</strong> timeline—its finely tuned lashings hit as inescapable all the same. When neither a beast’s reach, nor mass, nor attack speed goes contested, an exhibition of its might will flash with morbid glee. As such, <strong>Defeated Sanity</strong> need not surprise to strike mortal wound. <em>Chronicles</em>’ fangs glisten with an aged-imbrued tarnish, tearing at my flesh in every way I would expect. And I want more.</p><p>#5. <b>Orgone </b>// <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/orgone-pleroma-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Pleroma</em></a> – Meticulous and constructed as a master-work, <em>Pleroma</em>’s opening notes signal a trance. Acoustic twang and chamber instrument-fueled swoon build an atmosphere of wonder against a fervent and languished march of post-genre swells and death-fueled crescendos. Cycling through its many shades feels less like a fever dream and more of a trial-filled journey. Wielding a demure grandeur, <em>Pleroma</em>’s effortless realization of <strong>Orgone</strong>’s peerless vision never feels like the epic journey its runtime suggests. Were my time truly infinite, <em>Pleroma</em> would be even harder to rip away from the queue.</p><p>#4. <b>Julie Christmas </b>// <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/julie-christmas-ridiculous-and-full-of-blood-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Ridiculous and Full of Blood</em></a> – A lady screaming bloody murder shouldn’t go down this smooth, but that’s always been the promise and success of <strong>Julie Christmas</strong>. Few vocalists leave me slack-jawed and ear-shaken in the wake of piercing cries, raw-throated shrieks, and impassioned lyrical slather. Yet, <em>Ridiculous and Full of Blood</em> cuts track after track out of sonic patterns that do exactly that, all while empowering a full band expression of alternative-laced grooves, post-informed climbs, and punk-tied sneer. The <strong>Christmas</strong> season sums a flurry of inspired performances under the banner of a madwoman. And I stand at the ready to fray my vocal cords in attempt to crack with the same battle-tested precision that Ms. <strong>Christmas</strong> has earned from a life hard-worn.</p><p>#3. <b>Ingurgitating Oblivion </b>// <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/ingurgitating-oblivion-ontology-of-nought-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Ontology of Nought</em></a> – Though born of minds unrelated, <em>Ontology of Nought</em> exists as an esoteric companion to the <em>Pleroma</em> embodiment. <strong>Orgone</strong> is the twin that went to conservatory, graduated with honors, and holds an honorable performing chair, all while remembering its young love for death metal. <strong>Ingurgitating Oblivion</strong>, on the other hand, dropped out, spiraled into entheogenic dissociation, earns a living gigging at jazz clubs—also maintains its youthful lust for the clamoring riff and hammering blast. Maximalism oozes a frothing wonder in the hiss of distorted chatter and rhythmic mastery. An imperfect and breathing construction rises and falls in ethereal inhales and vision-spinning mantras. <em>Ontology of Nought</em> deserves each of its over-budget minutes. Invest time in the freedom that it promises… “<em>and cease to be</em>.”</p><p>#2. <b>OU </b>// <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/ou-%e8%98%87%e9%86%92-ii-frailty-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>蘇醒 II: Frailty</em></a> – The casualness of <strong>OU</strong>’s inception belies its profound leap into my necessary rotation. No incumbent love ever has a defined position in the halls of end-of-year accolades,<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dolphin-whisperers-and-feroxs-top-tenish-of-2024/#fn-208005-5" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">5</a> and even more so when the act’s very presence rang suspicious in its finely-tuned invasion to my critical wiles. But, as I noted when I first blew my love for <em>蘇醒 II: Frailty</em> over the pages of Angry Metal Guy, it’s <strong>OU</strong>’s “idiosyncratic atmosphere” that pulls from a “polyrhythmic hypnosis” and masterful “energetic flow” that continues to chart them deservedly high in the annals of ’20s progressive music. And while this collision of classically-minded, <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/vvon-dogma-i-the-kvlt-of-glitch-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">synth-addicted</a> madness slowly expands its universe one <strong>OU </strong>release at a time, I’m content to sit here and yell their praises at anyone who will listen.</p><p>#1. <b>Pyrrhon </b>// <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/pyrrhon-exhaust-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Exhaust</em></a> – You know you’re getting old when an album about modern burnout and the pains of traffic resonates with you all the way from frozen shoulder to radiating lower back to cold-groaning knee. But when <strong>Pyrrhon</strong> stealth-bombed my aging metalhead mind with a tech-dial riff barrage of noisy and shouting proportions, I had no choice but to surrender. <em>Exhaust</em> demands attention from its initial irony-laced lift-off to its closing brutalist clock-out, swinging skronk-enabled splatters and ache-addled vituperation around every faded line and pothole in its death metal architecture. Though <strong>Pyrrhon</strong> uses simpler blocks, their construction here defies convention at every step. One fine commenter summed up <em>Exhaust</em> in the most succinct manner in that regard: “<em><del>Death Metal, Hardcore, Noise Rock, Technical Death Metal</del>. It’s just mathcore.</em>” Except they took away the wrong message from that distillation. The verdict, in fact, is <em>fuck you</em>.</p><p></p><p><strong>Honorable Mentions:</strong></p><ul><li><ul><li><strong>Inner Strength</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/inner-strength-daydreaming-in-moonlight-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i>Daydreaming in Moonlight</i></a> – Another way you know you’re getting old is that you love an album that sounds like it should have released in 1995. Alas, here we are.</li><li><strong>Dysrhythmia</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dysrhythmia-coffin-of-conviction-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i>Coffin of Conviction</i></a> – Instrumental progressive music should be as exciting as <strong>Dysrhythmia</strong>. Comes for the <strong>Martyr</strong> riffs. Stay for the <strong>Metheny</strong> floating.</li><li><strong>Beaten to Death</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/beaten-to-death-sunrise-over-rigor-mortis-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i>Sunrise Over Rigor Mortis</i></a> – <strong>Beaten to Death</strong> is still the best grindcore band on the planet. They probably won’t ever release a better album than <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/beaten-to-death-dodsfest-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>D​ø​dsfest!</em></a>, but that’s OK. Their discography is now about two hours total. Go listen to it if you haven’t.</li><li><strong>Stygian Crown</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/stygian-crown-funeral-for-a-king-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i>Funeral for a King</i></a> – Doom should always have a guitar tone that feels equally powered by swords and beer alongside vocals that feel soft like bar-stained leather stools.</li><li><strong>Kollapse</strong> // <a href="https://kollapse.bandcamp.com/album/ar" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i>AR</i></a> – I didn’t know <strong>KEN mode</strong> had a Danish doppelgänger with a frightening, large pink face. But they do, and boy does <strong>Kollapse</strong> know how to yell and riff.</li><li><strong>Sleepytime Gorilla Museum</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/sleepytime-gorilla-museum-of-the-last-human-being-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i>of the Last Human Being</i></a> – Had I infinitely more listening time, I may have been able to parse better this deeply cinematic and wacky slab of no wave emboldened prog. Most don’t actually earn the avant-garde tag the way <strong>SGT </strong>does.</li><li><strong>Defying</strong> // <a href="https://defying.bandcamp.com/album/wadera" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i>Wadera</i></a> – Hour-long albums based on old Polish werewolf stories and horror movies shouldn’t be this easy to repeat, but I find myself often falling into <em>Wadera</em>’s unbreakable spell.</li><li><strong>Arthouse Fatso</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/arthouse-fatso-sycophantic-seizures-a-double-feature-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i>Sycophantic Seizures: A Double Feature</i></a> – I didn’t have radically-minded industrial deathgrind about the frustrated escapades of a fictional Orson Welles life on my 2024 bingo, but here I am telling you to listen to it anyway.</li><li><strong>Concrete Winds</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/concrete-winds-concrete-winds-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i>Concrete Winds</i></a> – <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If7f6wO20yY" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Just this</a>. And shitloads of riffs.</li></ul></li></ul><p><strong>Disappointments o’ the Year:</strong></p><ul><li><b>Myrath </b>// <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/myrath-karma-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Karma</em></a> – I love <em>Shehili</em> so much. My love for power metal isn’t what it used to be, but <strong>Myrath</strong>’s exuberance while staying rooted in both the trickier waters of prog and the anthemic cries of power metal gave me hope both that I’d continue to latch on to the kind of playful love it can offer. But the arrangements on <em>Karma</em>, despite <strong>Myrath</strong>’s still life-affirming messages, do absolutely nothing to bolster that same joy for me. <em>Karma</em> sinks my listening brain. And that hurts.</li><li><b>Pallbearer </b>// <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/pallbearer-mind-burns-alive-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Mind Burns Alive</em></a> – The continued non-success of <strong>Pallbearer</strong> and their sleepy-toned take on creaky prog rock hurts the <span><strong>Dolph</strong></span> who fell in love with their weepy doom classic (and still controversial to true doomsters) <em>Heartless</em>. And yet the general blogging population seems to praise them for trying to reinvent sadboi roots rock with worse lyrics. And, for my money, <strong>Pallbearer</strong> is sounding increasingly thin live. If a return to glory is in store for <strong>Pallbearer</strong>, it will begin with them finally playing a riff again.</li><li><strong>Polterguts</strong> // <em>Nobody Likes You</em> – Okay, this EP actually rips because <a href="https://polterguts.bandcamp.com/album/gods-over-broken-people" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><strong>Polterguts</strong></a> rips. Hard. But, <strong>Polterguts</strong>, if you’re reading this, <em>please put it on Bandcamp so I can link the shit out of it and give you money</em>. I am disappointed that I have no way to contribute currency to your cause. “Ricky Has a Knife2” is worth the price of admission alone.</li></ul><p><strong>Songs o’ the Year:</strong></p> <p>Why give you one when I can give you twenty-seven? Why twenty-seven? That’s my secret. Now, I’ve talked enough, go out there and enjoy some music, friends. And enjoy this photo of my dogs.</p> <p></p><p class="">Coconut (left), Kiwi (right) in a stylish Adidog sweater.</p> <p></p> <p><strong><span><strong>Ferox</strong></span></strong></p><p>I worked way too much in 2024. I can’t complain; it was meaningful work that I chose to take on, and it got me that much closer to not having to work at all if I don’t want to. Still, that’s what I’ll think of when I think of 2024: lots and lots of work. That had a knock-on effect, especially when it comes to hobbies like lifting, getting out to national parks, and writing here. I did very little of any of that. I kept up with metal as best I could, and embarked on a big end-of-year listening push to have an accurate picture of what came out in 2024. I’m grateful that I got to do a list at all this year, so I took the responsibility seriously… but I’d be lying if I said I was buried in the scene all year.</p><p>One of the highlights of my 2024 was meeting a whole slew of staffers in person. I traveled a bunch this year, both for work and for my daughter’s ballet pursuits, and with that came the chance to hang with some of the people who make this place go. My body count of staffers met this year: <span><strong>Steel Druhm</strong></span>, <span><strong>Madam X</strong></span>, <span><strong>Cherd</strong></span>, <span><strong>Twelve</strong></span>, <span><strong>Dr. Wyrm</strong></span>, <span><strong>Thus Spoke</strong></span>, <span><strong>El Cuervo</strong></span>, <span><strong>Doom et al</strong></span>, and <span><strong>Holdeneye</strong></span>. It was a veritable orgy of almost entirely chaste fellowship, and only one (1) bad hang among the lot!<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dolphin-whisperers-and-feroxs-top-tenish-of-2024/#fn-208005-6" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">6</a></p><p>I’m grateful to <span><strong>Steel Druhm </strong></span><span>and <span><strong>Angry Metal Guy</strong></span></span> for indulging my schedule, and for the real leadership they provide at my fake job. I found this unique community because it had the best music writing on the internet, and that remains true today thanks to the talented people who contribute their time and enthusiasm to keeping the machinery humming. I’m lucky to be a small part of it, and hopeful that 2025 will give me more time to spend in the Hall.</p> <p></p><p>#ish. <strong>Mother of Graves</strong> // <em><a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/mother-of-graves-the-periapt-of-absence-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Periapt of Absence</a> – </em> My “-ish” spot typically goes to an album that might have listed if I just had more time with it. That holds true of the sophomore effort from Indianapolis’s <strong>Mother of Graves</strong>, which landed on my radar by way of <span><strong>Carcharadon</strong></span>‘s excellent TYHMHM piece. This slab of classic sadboi death doom transcends any tribcore concerns through sheer quality of execution. From opener “Gallows” through final track “Like Darkness to a Dying Flame,” <em>The Periapt of Absence</em> guides the listener through the stages of grief with varied compositions that maintain a consistent mood throughout. Classic death doom is alive and well.</p><p>#10. <strong>Wormed</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wormed-omegon-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Omegon</em></a> – <span><strong>Maddog</strong></span>‘s compelling rave for <em>Omegon</em> is my personal Review o’ the Year; fortunately, the prose was well spent on this efficient and brutal riff delivery system. <em>Wormed</em> has been creating slam-adjacent otherworldly death metal for a good while now, and <em>Omegon</em> is a distillation of everything the band has learned over the past two decades. 2024 is the year I realized I’ve been a brutal death metal guy all along. With songs like “Pareidolia Robotica” and “Virtual Teratogenesis,” <strong>Wormed </strong>took me by the hand and guided me through this journey of self-discovery… all while the people in the offices around me called in noise complaints.</p><p>#9. <strong>Ripped to Shreds</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/ripped-to-shreds-sanshi-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Sanshi</em></a> – The already impressive <strong>Ripped to Shreds</strong> leveled up with <em>Sanshi</em>, a blast of aggressive but technically adept death metal that never left my rotation after its release. The guitar hero shredding plays like a release valve to the vicious and punky energy that Andrew Lee injects into his compositions. This cycle of tension and release makes for an addictive listen that feels like it ends mere moments after you hit play. The thrash elements of the <strong>R2S</strong> sounds are more prevalent on <em>Sanshi</em>, meaning the band now scratches the same itch for me that <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/horrendous-ontological-mysterium-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><strong>Horrendous</strong></a> did with their last killer slab.</p><p>#8. <strong>Scumbag</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/scumbag-homicide-cult-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Homicide Cult</em></a> – <strong>Scumbag! </strong>SCUUUMMMMBAGGGG. This nasty bit of business, with its deathgrind touches and morbid sense of humor (“Pure Adrenaline Hard-On,” “The Meating”), was tailor-made for the <span><strong>Ferox </strong></span>sensibility. Herein lie twenty-eight minutes of death metal that never slams but still walks the same line that <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wormhole-almost-human-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><strong>Wormhole</strong></a> managed to last year: brutal but somehow cheerful, and stoopid without being remotely dumb. Dylan Cruz, of this band and <strong>Noxis</strong>, came out of nowhere to occupy a huge chunk of my limited listening time this year.</p><p>#7. <strong>Black Curse</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/black-curse-burning-in-celestial-poison-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Burning in Celestial Poison</em></a> – With <em>Burning in Celestial Poison</em>, <strong>Black Curse </strong>stages a forty-five-minute takeover of your central nervous system. <span><strong>Eldritch Elitist </strong></span>captured the elemental power of these five compositions better than I ever could, but this album gave me exactly what I needed in a 2024 that was characterized by an extreme lack of work-life balance. Metal can provide a safe outlet for less-than-savory feelings, and <strong>Black Curse</strong> expressed a lot of things for me that I couldn’t express myself and stay employed. Lose yourself in these five tracks and emerge scoured but smarter.</p><p>#6. <strong>Spectral Wound</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/black-curse-burning-in-celestial-poison-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Songs of Blood and Mire</em></a> – The hot streak continues; <em>Songs of Blood and Mire,</em> <strong>Spectral Wound</strong>’s fourth album, is their best effort yet. <span><strong>Carcharadon</strong></span> capably cataloged crisp new cross-currents in the band’s sound, but the song quality remains the same. Tracks like “At Wine-Dark Midnight in the Mouldering Halls” and Song o’ the Year “Aristocratic Suicidal Black Metal” showcase the band’s gift for coupling aggression with sweeping melody. In this way, <strong>Spectral Wound </strong>recalls <strong>Watain</strong> without so much distracting ooga-booga. <em>Songs of Blood and Mire</em> finds them continuing to refine their sound and grow in confidence.</p><p>#5. <strong>Endonomos</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/endonomos-endonomos-ii-enlightenment-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Endonomos II – Enlightenment</em></a> – <strong>Endonomos</strong> carried the torch for doom in 2024. <em>Enlightenment</em> is a stately procession, its six long tracks blending influences from all across the doom spectrum. This is music that soars as it plods. <span><strong>Steel Druhm</strong></span> noted similarities to both <strong>Khemmis</strong> and <strong>Fvneral Fvkk</strong>. Those comps are perfect; not since <em>Carnal Confessions</em> has a doom album so effectively cut through the clutter of genre tropes to evoke genuine emotion.</p><p>#4. <strong>Pyrrhon</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/pyrrhon-exhaust-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Exhaust</em></a> – I hate it when the promotional push for an album ties a record too strongly to the narrative of its creation. It’s like the record company is trying to force a reaction that the album itself might or might not evoke. So when <em>Exhaust</em> arrived with heavy-handed descriptions of process and what <strong>Pyrrhon</strong> went through trying to make the album happen, I bristled and stopped reading. Fortunately, the music on <em>Exhaust</em> speaks for itself. This is a bitter and blistering record that finds the band raging against their rage’s inability to change even a single thing. I’ve always appreciated <strong>Pyrrhon</strong>, but I’ve never connected with their music as immediately as I did on <em>Exhaust</em>.</p><p>#3. <strong>Defeated Sanity</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/defeated-sanity-chronicles-of-lunacy-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Chronicles of Lunacy</em></a> – <strong>Defeated Sanity </strong>has had quite the <strong>AMG </strong>journey. They’ve gone from being <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/defeated-sanity-passages-into-deformity-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">brushed aside</a> by a n00b named <span><strong><strong>Potato Jim</strong></strong></span> to being on the receiving end of a <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/defeated-sanity-chronicles-of-lunacy-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">double-4.0 fellating</a> from the tenured likes of <span><strong>Dolphin Whisperer</strong></span> and <span><strong>Maddog</strong></span>. <em>Chronicles of Lunacy</em> finds <strong>Defeated Sanity </strong>extending the Colin Marston-enabled peak that they hit on 2020’s <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/defeated-sanity-the-sanguinary-impetus-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>The Sanguinary Impetus</em></a>. It takes extreme skill to weaponize the base and the stoopid this effectively. <strong>Defeated Sanity</strong> is more than up for the job.</p><p>#2. <strong>Inter Arma</strong> // <em><a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/inter-arma-new-heaven-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">New Heaven</a> – </em>Here’s another band that could be wrestling with The Law of Diminishing Recordings by now, but instead persists with quality release after quality release. <strong>Inter Arma </strong>never repeats themselves, but each of their albums could only come from them. Hot take: <em>Sky Funeral</em> has remained my favorite <strong>Inter Arma </strong>album even as they’ve racked up an epic run of excellence. <em>New Heaven</em> makes a run at unseating it. This is a slab that rewards the many repeated listens I gave it in 2024; it sat in my top slot for much of the year until a late-breaking favorite pushed it aside.</p><p>#1. <strong>Noxis</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/noxis-violence-inherent-in-the-system-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Violence Inherent in the System</em></a> – This is my third time publishing a list at <strong>AMG</strong>; each previous year, I had clear Album o’the Year winners in <strong>Immolation</strong>’s <em>Acts of God</em> and <strong>Afterbirth</strong>’s <em>In But Not Of</em>. 2024 marked the first Listurnalia that began with an opening for my top slot. But as I weeded through my favorite music of the year, I realized: <strong>Noxis</strong> drew me in with the bass flourish at the beginning of album opener “Skullcrushing Defilement,” and they still haven’t let go. The Pittsburgher in me hates to credit anything from Cleveland, but <strong>Noxis</strong> weeded out that deeply rooted prejudice with their inventive and fresh take on death metal. Every track on <em>Violence Inherent in the System</em> is a wild ride that alternately crushes, challenges, and tickles. The only break from the madcap pace comes on mid-album interlude “Excursion,” but that just prepares you for the utter barking lunacy of “Horns Echo Over Chorazim.” That song incorporates strange arrangements that include various woodwind instruments, and somehow they do it with zero pretension and abundant commitment to brutality. Listurnalia may have begun with a blank space atop my list, but it ended with <strong>Noxis </strong>firmly entrenched as the winner of 2024.</p><p></p><p><strong>Honorable Mentions:</strong></p><ul><li><ul><li><ul><li><strong>Stenched</strong> // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/stenched-purulence-gushing-from-the-coffin-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Purulence Gushing from the Coffin</em></a> – This one-man outfit captured that elusive filthy magic and spewed out the annum’s premiere filthy wallow.</li><li><strong>Aborted</strong> //<em> <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/aborted-vault-of-horrors-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Vault of Horrors</a></em> – These Belgian veterans, long under-appreciated in the Hall, finally found their champion in <span><strong>Grier</strong></span>. They hooked themselves up to the juvenation machine by leaning into the melodeath that has been creeping into their sound, and cranked out their best set in years.</li><li><strong>Vitriol</strong> // <em><a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/vitriol-suffer-become-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Suffer and Become</a></em> – Here’s a mean and heavy slab that seemed to fade from the general consciousness as the year wore on, but remains worthy of note.</li></ul></li></ul></li></ul><p><strong>Disappointment o’the Year:</strong></p><p><span><strong>Ferox</strong></span>! I just didn’t have time to make a meaningful contribution here this year. It has been a pleasure to watch other members of my n00b class like <span><strong>Dolph</strong></span> and <span><strong>Maddog</strong></span> and <span><strong>Thus</strong></span> become <strong>AMG </strong>institutions, even as I mostly watch from the sidelines and come out to play when I can.</p><p><strong>Song o’the Year:</strong></p><p>Imagine being asked to name your favorite song of the year, and responding with a twenty-seven song playlist!<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dolphin-whisperers-and-feroxs-top-tenish-of-2024/#fn-208005-7" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">7</a></p><p></p><p><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2024/" target="_blank">#2024</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/a-frame-of-mind/" target="_blank">#AFrameOfMind</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/aborted/" target="_blank">#Aborted</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/ar/" target="_blank">#AR</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/arthouse-fatso/" target="_blank">#ArthouseFatso</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/beaten-to-death/" target="_blank">#BeatenToDeath</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/black-curse/" target="_blank">#BlackCurse</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/burning-in-celestial-poison/" target="_blank">#BurningInCelestialPoison</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/chronicles-of-lunacy/" target="_blank">#ChroniclesOfLunacy</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/coffin-of-conviction/" target="_blank">#CoffinOfConviction</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/concrete-winds/" target="_blank">#ConcreteWinds</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/dawnwalker/" target="_blank">#Dawnwalker</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/daydreaming-in-moonlight/" target="_blank">#DaydreamingInMoonlight</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/defeated-sanity/" target="_blank">#DefeatedSanity</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/defying/" target="_blank">#Defying</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/dissimulator/" target="_blank">#Dissimulator</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/dysrhythmia/" target="_blank">#Dysrhythmia</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/endonomos/" target="_blank">#Endonomos</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/endonomos-ii-enlightenment/" target="_blank">#EndonomosIIEnlightenment</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/exhaust/" target="_blank">#Exhaust</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/funeral-for-a-king/" target="_blank">#FuneralForAKing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/gods-over-broken-people/" target="_blank">#GodsOverBrokenPeople</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/homicide-cult/" target="_blank">#HomicideCult</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/horrendous/" target="_blank">#Horrendous</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/ingurgitating-oblivion/" target="_blank">#IngurgitatingOblivion</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/inner-strength/" target="_blank">#InnerStrength</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/inter-arma/" target="_blank">#InterArma</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/julie-christmas/" target="_blank">#JulieChristmas</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/kalandra/" target="_blank">#Kalandra</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/khemmis/" target="_blank">#Khemmis</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/kollapse/" target="_blank">#Kollapse</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/lists/" target="_blank">#Lists</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/listurnalia/" target="_blank">#Listurnalia</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/listurnalia-2024/" target="_blank">#Listurnalia2024</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/lizzard/" target="_blank">#Lizzard</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/lower-form-resistance/" target="_blank">#LowerFormResistance</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mamaleek/" target="_blank">#Mamaleek</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mesh/" target="_blank">#Mesh</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mother-of-graves/" target="_blank">#MotherOfGraves</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/myrath/" target="_blank">#Myrath</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/new-heaven/" target="_blank">#NewHeaven</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/nobody-likes-you/" target="_blank">#NobodyLikesYou</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/noxis/" target="_blank">#Noxis</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/of-the-last-human-being/" target="_blank">#OfTheLastHumanBeing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/omegon/" target="_blank">#Omegon</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/ontology-of-nought/" target="_blank">#OntologyOfNought</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/orgone/" target="_blank">#Orgone</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/ou/" target="_blank">#OU</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/pallbearer/" target="_blank">#Pallbearer</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/pleroma/" target="_blank">#Pleroma</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/polterguts/" target="_blank">#Polterguts</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/purulence-gushing-from-the-coffin/" target="_blank">#PurulenceGushingFromTheCoffin</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/pyrrhon/" target="_blank">#Pyrrhon</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/ridiculous-and-full-of-blood/" target="_blank">#RidiculousAndFullOfBlood</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/ripped-to-shreds/" target="_blank">#RippedToShreds</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/sanshi/" target="_blank">#Sanshi</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/save-this-utility/" target="_blank">#SaveThisUtility</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/scumbag/" target="_blank">#Scumbag</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/sleepytime-gorilla-museum/" target="_blank">#SleepytimeGorillaMuseum</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/songs-of-blood-and-mire/" target="_blank">#SongsOfBloodAndMire</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/spectral-wound/" target="_blank">#SpectralWound</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/stenched/" target="_blank">#Stenched</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/stygian-crown/" target="_blank">#StygianCrown</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/suffer-and-become/" target="_blank">#SufferAndBecome</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/sunrise-over-rigor-mortis/" target="_blank">#SunriseOverRigorMortis</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/sycophantic-seizures-a-double-feature/" target="_blank">#SycophanticSeizuresADoubleFeature</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/the-periapt-of-absence/" target="_blank">#ThePeriaptOfAbsence</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/the-unknowing/" target="_blank">#TheUnknowing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/vault-of-horrors/" target="_blank">#VaultOfHorrors</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/vida-blue/" target="_blank">#VidaBlue</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/violence-inherent-in-the-system/" target="_blank">#ViolenceInherentInTheSystem</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/vitriol/" target="_blank">#Vitriol</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/wadera/" target="_blank">#Wadera</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/watain/" target="_blank">#Watain</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/wormed/" target="_blank">#Wormed</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/%e8%98%87%e9%86%92-ii-frailty/" target="_blank">#蘇醒IIFrailty</a></p>