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Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/steel-druhms-top-tenish-of-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Steel Druhm’s Top Ten(ish) of 2024</a>By Steel Druhm Unlike some of my colleagues, I don’t have all that much to report regarding the past year. Life has been pretty consistent and mostly good, and for that, I’m grateful. Madam X keeps me sane and out of trouble, and most importantly, talks me out of slaughtering the AMG staff when they do any number of idiotic things to challenge my calm and nurturing management style. Entering 2024 I feared the added burden of becoming the new AMG Promo Sump Pool Boy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/steel-druhms-top-tenish-of-2024/#fn-208879-1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">1</a> would seriously impact my reviewing time. I’m glad to report that it did not, and my output was pretty close to past years. This year also saw me continuing to experience a shift in taste toward the brutish death end of the spectrum and I pray this isn’t the sign of a gradual de-evolution back to my apeish ancestors. If increasingly thick back hair is anything to go by, soon my reviews will consist solely of grunts and angry poo hurling.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/steel-druhms-top-tenish-of-2024/#fn-208879-2" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">2</a>In site news, this year saw the unearthing of several long frozen and forgotten n00bs, a few of which clawed their way from the freezer into AMG staff glory, with a few more still working their way through the thaw. We also ran a casting call from which we intend to cull the best and brightest for this remorseless blog meatgrinder. MOAR blood for the Blood Godz will be the rallying cry for 2025!I would like to thank the staff for their hard work and continued efforts to make this the best place in the metal interwebz. Your continued commitment to top-notch metal reviewing makes this a phenomenal workplace and I love most of you twice as little as you deserve. A special thanks to AMG Himself for continuing to stoke the flames of the site he founded way back in 2009. Though he isn’t as present as we all might wish, this place lives on in his frowning image.Here’s to a brand new year and all the possibilities, opportunities, challenges, and wonders it holds for us. May it be a great one for all the writers and readers and may AMG live on in infamy and glory…forever. (ish) The Eternal // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/the-eternal-skinwalker-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Skinwalker</a> – Australian Gothic doom act The Eternal know exactly how to pluck at the heartstrings of Steel, crafting long, winding odes to sadboi pathos that resonate even on the brightest summer day. Skinwalker is the second release in a row to impress and depress, with a sound merging My Dying Bride, Katatonia, Paradise Lost, and Lacrimas Profundere to form a trough of despair that runs a mile deep. There are major earworms here and some of the best writing of 2024. If it wasn’t for their constant battle with song lengths, this would have moved up the list considerably. Play this on a cold, gray day and marinate deeply in the sadz.#10. Satan // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/satan-songs-in-crimson-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Songs in Crimson</a> – Satan has been the most dependable metal act around since 2013’s Life Sentence. Taking the same NWoBHM sound they helped pioneer and making it ever so slightly modern, they’ve churned out album after album of killer material, and Songs in Crimson doesn’t tweak the winning formula. It’s classic hard rock meets metal with guitar heroics in high supply and vocal hooks courtesy of metal legend Brian Ross lurking around every corner. This is a rowdy, raucous homage to all things metal with some of the year’s best guitar pyrokinetics and the fact it comes from a band so long in the tooth amazes me. Dark deals with the Devil were definitely made. Hail Satan.#9. Nestor // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/nestor-teenage-rebel-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Teenage Rebel</a> – Sweden’s olde boy 80s retro rock act Nestor dropped an album so insidiously infectious and addictive, even Yours Steely was helpless in its sticky clutches. It’s so slick, so disgustingly sugar-coated and loaded with Survivor and Journey worship, but so so fun. Teenage Rebel takes me back to my own teenage idiot phase 3000 years ago when committing acts of antisocial hooliganism and making out with the Prom Queen under the school bleachers were the only pursuits worth pursuing. This thing has so many hooks, so much goddamn cheese, and almost too much 80s energy. Those were the best days, and this is a great album. Nestor is The Way.#8. Laceration // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/laceration-i-erode-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">I Erode</a> – Pounding, punishing OSDM of the first order, Laceration flashes the blade of virtuosity as well, melding influences from various eras of Death, Morbid Angel, and Morgoth into a brutish meat stew of high-level compositional showmanship. The adroit marriage of caveman ugliness and refined guitar heroics is similar to James Murphy’s Disincarnate project and 2020s excellent <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/plague-portraits-of-mind-things-you-might-have-missed-2020/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Portraits of Mind</a> by Plague and that makes for a compelling listen. I’ve returned to this many, many times in 2024 and it keeps its animal appeal every time. It’s also one of the few albums I wish was 10 minutes longer. I underrated I Erode when I reviewed it, so here is my heartfelt contrition and apology to them and you, the filthy, disgusting masses. Do not sleep on Laceration, folks. These cats are onto something special.#7. Föhn // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/fohn-condescending-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Condescending</a> – I’ve never been a huge funeral doom fan, and it needs to check a bunch of boxes to click for me fully. Along came Condescending by Föhn and tossed my wussy checklist in the poser pyre. This Greek act have a knack for making their crushing compositions compelling and memorable, incorporating frenzied saxophone blasts at times to create a tense, unhinged vibe. Ambient droning segments and harrowing soundbites add flavors and texture to the massive soundscapes and the writing is consistently strong across the album. Condescending was one of the albums that came out of left field and slapped me silly in 2024. I can’t wait to see what comes next.#6. Blazing Eternity // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/blazing-eternity-a-certain-end-of-everything-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">A Certain End of Everything</a> – Along with Counting Hours, Blazing Eternity filled the sadboi Gothic doom compartment in my metal heart this year admirably. With a sound wrenched from the playbooks of Rapture and Katatonia and finding just the right melancholic mood, the songs on A Certain End of Everything cut deep and bring out the feelz. High-level writing and a commitment to deep despair make this a great companion piece to the Counting Hours opus with enough of a different approach to give it a unique identity. Blazing til the end.#5. Stenched // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/stenched-purulence-gushing-from-the-coffin-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Purulence Gushing from the Coffin</a> – I enjoyed of deep death metal in 2024, but it was late-year entry Stenched that really throttled my crypt noodle. Created by one mysterious gent from Mexico, Purulence Gushing from the Coffin is like a romp through a septic tank without the benefit of waders or hazmat gear. It’s sticky, stinky, gross, and lurid, and you will learn to savor the flavor. With sub-basement, indecipherable croakals and slithering riffs, Stenched oozes with the same vicious viscousness as Cerebral Rot and Disma. It’s not for the squeamish or faint-hearted, and it packs a massive scuzz wallop. Just play “Suppurating Cranial Cavity” and you’ll know if you can stand the smell. Stenchmas is the real holiday!4. Warlord // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/warlord-free-spirit-soar-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Free Spirit Soar</a> – I loved Warlord since I was a young pup. Formed in the early 80s by Mark Zonder (later of Fates Warning) and guitar wizard Bill Tsamis, they delivered classy traditional metal with big hooks. Despite the massive talent involved, they missed their chance to realize their full potential. That all changed when the band released Free Spirit Soar following the death of Bill Tsamis. It’s everything Warlord did well but enhanced, enlarged, and made twice as epic. This is classic 80s trad metal that’s endlessly catchy, engaging, and polished to a gleaming chrome. Songs like “Conquerors,” “Worms of the Earth,” and the title track have shadowed my steps all year and I love this thing bigly. Long live the Warlord and R.I.P. Bill Tsamis.#3. Endonomos // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/endonomos-endonomos-ii-enlightenment-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Endonomos</a> – In a year with a few very bright moments for doom metal, Endonomos came out of nowhere and planted me in the cold, dark earth. Blending traditional doom with depressive post-metal, bits of sludge, and weepy sadboi melo-doom, Endonomos hit all the best parts of classic and modern doom, reminding of Ghost Brigade one moment and Fvneral Fvkk or Khemmis the next. The proprietary blend of styles is remarkable and the album simmers and crackles as it explores all the sounds of misery and woe. Songs like “Bereft” and “Resolve” are 2024 high points and the high-level compositions impress and stand up to endless spins, with little details emerging with every listen. So much feelz!#2. Crypt Sermon // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/crypt-sermon-the-stygian-rose-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Stygian Rose</a> – This was the classic doom album that stole the Heart of Steel in 2024. Rebounding from a so-so sophomore outing, Crypt Sermon went back to the basics and reaffirmed their commitment to Candlemassive doom epics while smartly incorporating a ton of classic/trad metal ideas. The Stygian Rose finds them sitting directly in their sweet spot. Some of the best doom songs of 2024 reside here, and the writing is free of the glitches that plagued the prior release. Cuts like “Glimmers in the Underworld” and the massive “The Scying Orb” are pure doom magic with every bell and whistle included, and even the longest tracks flow effortlessly and sizzle all the way. The best pure doom release of 2024 hands down.#1. Counting Hours // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/counting-hours-the-wishing-tomb-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Wishing Tomb</a> – Readers of the site know I dearly loved the cold, melancholic sound of Finnish melodic doom-death act Rapture. They just had a special something and I always wish they had released more material. My prayers were answered when the guitarists from Rapture formed Counting Hours and dropped The Will debut in 2020. It was close enough in style to the Rapture days to satisfy without being a mere copy and the writing was top-notch. 2024s follow-up The Wishing Tomb took their sound, smoothed it out, polished it, and made it even more captivating. Bleak, somber doomscapes are woven, marrying heaviness with beauty, and touching on influences like early Katatonia, Dawn of Solace, and other equally downtrodden acts. The Wishing Tomb is such a success because the songs are filled with so much emotion and force the listener to feel things. It’s all beautifully grim and gorgeously dark and I keep returning time after time. Don’t let these Hours pass you by.Honorable Mentions:<ul><li>Grand Magus // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/grand-magus-sunraven-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Sunraven</a> – The lords of the sword return with their best album in years and you will feel embiggened</li><li>Blitzkrieg // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/blitzkrieg-blitzkrieg-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Blitzkrieg</a> – Brian Ross does it AGAIN, keeping NWoBHM alive for another year single-handedly</li><li>Cardiac Arrest // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/cardiac-arrest-the-stench-of-eternity-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Stench of Eternity</a> – The world slept on this two-ton slab of OSDM and you’re all dumber for missing it</li><li>Hands of Goro // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/hands-of-goro-hands-of-goro-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Hands of Goro</a> – Mortal Kombat-themed NWoBHM-inspired tomfoolery should not work, but by Kano’s red eye, work it does!</li><li>Castle // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/castle-evil-remains-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Evil Remains</a> – Gritty Sabbathian occult metal with dark edges and captivating vocals straight from the crypt coven</li><li>Amethyst // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/amethyst-throw-down-the-gauntlet-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Throw Down the Gauntlet</a>– Old timey early 80s-style metal with hooks and a big dose of Blue Öyster Cult </li><li>Tim Montana // Savage – A country rocker explores his metal/grunge/alt side and it ends up way more entertaining than it should</li><li>SIG:AR:TYR // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/sigartyr-citadel-of-stars-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Citadel of Star</a>s – The Canadian one-man epic Viking metal guru does it once more and sends you to the heavens via Valhalla</li><li>Mother of Graves // <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> – Melancholic doom-death borrowing from all the best oldies and making it sound new and refreshing</li><li>Cemetery Skyline // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/cemetery-skyline-nordic-gothic-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Nordic Gothic</a> – When an all-star line of melodeath masters come out with a goth rock album, you fookin’ listen!</li></ul> Song o’ the Year:Crypt Sermon – ”Scrying Orb” – Classic doom perfection Review Defense o’ the Year:Look here, I love Judas Priest more than you and have for way longer too (because I’m olde). Invincible Shield is still a 3.0 though. Those saying otherwise are just babbling fools and they’ve built a temple to madness.    Steel Addendum: And now, as an extra special bonus feature, here’s Mark Z‘s goat vomit-filled Top Ten(ish) of 2024 in all its gruesome entirety!#ish. Hellbutcher // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/hellbutcher-hellbutcher-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Hellbutcher</a> #10. Antichrist Siege Machine // Vengeance of Eternal Fire #9. 200 Stab Wounds // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/stuck-in-the-filter-june-2024s-angry-misses/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Manual Manic Procedures</a> #8. Vomitrot // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/vomitrot-emetic-imprecations-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Emetic Imprecations</a> #7. Bewitcher // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/bewitcher-spell-shock-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Spell Shock</a> #6. Nails // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/nails-every-bridge-burning-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Every Bridge Burning</a> #5. Diocletian // Inexorable Nexus #4. Blood Incantation // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/blood-incantation-absolute-elsewhere-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Absolute Elsewhere</a> #3. Invocation // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/invocation-the-archaic-sanctuary-ritual-body-postures-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Archaic Sanctuary (Ritual Body Postures)</a> #2. Mayhemic // Toba #1. Coffins // Sinister Oath – Since their 1996 formation, these Japanese doom-death behemoths have been delivering riffs heavy enough to break the Richter scale. Yet with Sinister Oath, they may have just released their most accomplished album yet. More than almost any of their other works, this record deftly balances the band’s monolithic grooves and more atmospheric sensibilities, resulting in a diverse set of songs that gets better as it goes. While you still get the traditional Coffins fare in tracks like “Spontaneous Rot,” you also get chuggy onslaughts (“Sinister Oath”), stoner-doom forays (“Everlasting Spiral”), punky pummelings (“Chain”), and a final three-song run that might just be the best fifteen minutes of music in the band’s career. It’s all a rib-crushing good time that could please fans of everything from Cianide to beatdown hardcore, and—even in an already stacked year—it got more listens from me than almost anything else.Honorable Mentions:<ul><li>Ripped to Shreds // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/ripped-to-shreds-sanshi-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Sanshi</a></li><li>Adorior // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/adorior-bleed-on-my-teeth-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Bleed on My Teeth</a></li><li>Sabbat // Sabbaticult</li><li>Destruktor // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/destruktor-indomitable-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Indomitable</a></li><li>Chapter // We No Longer Serve a Purpose</li></ul>Song o’ the Year:<ul><li>Chapter – “A Decade of False Hope”</li></ul><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/blazing-eternity/" target="_blank">#BlazingEternity</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/blitzkrieg/" target="_blank">#Blitzkrieg</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/cardiac-arrest/" target="_blank">#CardiacArrest</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/castle/" target="_blank">#Castle</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/cemetery-skyline/" target="_blank">#CemeterySkyline</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/counting-hours/" target="_blank">#CountingHours</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/endonomos/" target="_blank">#Endonomos</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/fohn/" target="_blank">#Föhn</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/grand-magus/" target="_blank">#GrandMagus</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/hands-of-goro/" target="_blank">#HandsOfGoro</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/judas-priest/" target="_blank">#JudasPriest</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/laceration/" target="_blank">#Laceration</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/nestor/" target="_blank">#Nestor</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/satan/" target="_blank">#Satan</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/sigartyr/" target="_blank">#SIGARTYR</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/the-eternal/" target="_blank">#TheEternal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/tim-montana/" target="_blank">#TimMontana</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/warlord/" target="_blank">#Warlord</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/carcharodon-and-cherds-top-tenish-of-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Carcharodon and Cherd’s Top Ten(ish) of 2024</a>By CarcharodonCarcharodonI’ve been writing here since 2018. This has been the hardest year to date. I feel like I say this every year right around this time but, for whatever reason, I’ve really struggled this year to find the motivation and inspiration to write. Indeed, I’ve often felt that I lacked the passion for the music. Rather than exploring the murkier depths of Bandcamp, I was often to be found in the company of old, non-metal friends like Nick Cave, 16 Horsepower and Tom Waits.Despite my disappointment with the world, most of which is on literal or metaphorical fire, and my disillusionment with people, whose choices have caused most of that, there were bright glimmers. The phenomenal response to our <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/kenstrosity-needs-our-help-after-losing-home-in-hurricane-helene-related-flooding/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Gondor-esque call for aid</a>, when Kenstrosity‘s life was ripped apart by Hurricane Helene, reassured me there are still a few good people out there, a good number of whom read this blog.Still, I managed to turn out a few reviews this year, including my first ever 5.0—more of which below—which was worth it for the Steel Ire it evoked alone. And there was the <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/category/blog-posts/amg-turns-15/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Fifteenalia</a>, a celebration the like of which we will not see again (for obvious reasons), which I had the honour of steering from questionable inception to creaky delivery.Ironically, despite my struggles on the writing front, This Place has played a significant part in keeping me sane. It’s been tolerable to welcome a few new staffers—some even raised up from the awful Place Below—to our serried ranks, while the older hands feel almost like family at this point, with everything that that entails. As ever, particular thanks go to Steel Druhm for his tireless intimidation, which just about keeps us honest, while Dolph, Dear Hollow, El Cuervo, Grier, Maddog, Sentynel and Thus Spoke, among others, have proved adequate companions for banter and gigs.And with that, I wish you all the happiest of Listurnalias. #ish. Pillar of Light // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/pillar-of-light-caldera-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Caldera</a> – A very late entry to this list, Pillar of Light should be a cautionary tale to bands and labels: release your shit earlier! With more time, the stunning Amenra-meets-Cult of Luna post-misery of Caldera could easily have placed in the top half of this list. While I know this is an album I will come to love and fully expect to regret not placing it higher here, the reality is that other entries have had longer to sink their hooks into me. I will just say that, for me, the apparently divisive vocals are a perfect fit for Pillar of Light’s style.#10. Seth // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/seth-la-france-des-maudits-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">La France des Maudits</a> – Way back when,<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/carcharodon-and-cherds-top-tenish-of-2024/#fn-207473-1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">1</a> French black metallers Seth snuck onto my list of Honorable Mentions with La Morsure du Christ, a fantastic return to form after a lengthy absence. After a short gap, they’re back and this year’s La France des Maudits has cracked the list proper. Melodic, bordering on symphonic with the keys and choral arrangements, but also visceral and feral, Seth dropped an absolute banger. It doesn’t hurt that, as Thus Spoke pointed out in her review, it’s “downright impressive how rich and dynamic this sounds.”#9. The Vision Bleak // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/the-vision-bleak-weird-tales-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Weird Tales</a> – The Vision Bleak is not, to paraphrase Dr Grier, a band that has ever ‘got’ me. Or perhaps, I’ve never got them. But Weird Tales resonated with me enormously. And perhaps that’s because it’s not really like anything The Vision Bleak has done before. Structuring their gothic black metal (or should that be blackened goth metal?) into a single, flowing song (albeit one broken into parts) got my attention. But they held my attention because they actually managed to pull off this very-hard-to-execute vision. Weird Tales’ Type O Negative / Moonspell-inspired blackened sound clicked into place almost instantly for me and now I need to go back to TVB’s discography with newly-opened eyes.#8. Necrowretch // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/necrowretch-swords-of-dajjal-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Swords of Dajjal</a> – The first 4.0 I delivered in an alarmingly high-scoring year, Necrowretch’s black-death fusion is something that I have returned to again. Hiding beneath the vicious, downright nasty surface of Swords of Dajjal, is a surprisingly subtle and well-crafted concept album. As I said in my review, there is zero bloat or filler on this record, which blazes with intensity, driven as much by the scything, razor-sharp riffs as the rasping, sepulchral vocals. The range of influences cited, both by me and by impressed commenters, shows how many different aspects there are to this killer record.#7. Panzerfaust // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/panzerfaust-the-suns-of-perdition-chapter-iv-to-shadow-zion-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Suns of Perdition – Chapter IV: To Shadow Zion</a> – After Chapter III: The Astral Drain, I was worried that Panzerfaust were running out of steam and inspiration to close out The Suns of Perdition saga. Thankfully, my concerns were misplaced. To Shadow Zion reeks of doom and destiny. Huge, brooding and intense, it is a captivating listen, with the stunning “The Damascene Conversions” sitting at its heart. From the sulfuric vocals to the masterful drumming, this was a worthy final chapter for The Suns of Perdition, which must go down as one of the best executed, most consistent multi-album concept pieces in metal.#6. Spectral Wound // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/spectral-wound-songs-of-blood-and-mire-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Songs of Blood and Mire</a> – Spectral Wound just can’t miss. For a band that, superficially at least, plays fairly old school black metal, songwriting chops paired with brilliant execution mean these guys are anything but derivative. My favourite album of theirs to date, Songs of Blood and Mire is just tons of wicked, nasty fun. It’s hard to say exactly why, but I feel like everything Spectral Wound does has a slight knowing wink to it, which suggests that the band doesn’t take itself too seriously. For me, this is a huge positive, as a lot of black metal is so tediously earnest, where this is unflinchingly harsh, surprisingly melodic and drowning in swaggering groove. Great stuff.#5. Mother of Graves // <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> – I’m a sucker for death doom. And The Periapt of Absence is some fucking great death doom. Mother of Graves were unknown to me before I stumbled across this album but their blending of old school Opeth (think somewhere between Morningrise and Orchid) with early Katatonia and Paradise Lost, plus a sprinkling of Clouds is stunning. All wrapped up in a pleasingly tight package, Mother of Graves smother the listener in unflinching, heartwrenching misery. And I love every minute of it. It’s that Peaceville Three sound we love, but feeling fresh, vibrant and vital.#4. Devenial Verdict // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/devenial-verdict-blessing-of-despair-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Blessing of Despair</a> – Me and death metal don’t always see eye to eye, and the last Devenial Verdict left only a passing impression. But Thus Spoke‘s tireless <del>tongue-bathing</del> promotion of Blessing of Despair convinced me to give it a chance. While I enjoy the stomping thuggery of Devenial Verdict’s dissonant death well enough, it’s the sudden mood swings into what TS described as “lethally graceful restraint” that really hooked me. Although worlds apart stylistically, on Blessing of Despair DV achieved what Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean did on Obsession Destruction: knowing precisely how far to push the suffocating, claustrophobic heaviness, before taking their foot off your throat for a minute. Then stamping on it again.#3. Julie Christmas // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/julie-christmas-ridiculous-and-full-of-blood-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Ridiculous and Full of Blood</a> – Maddog predicted that I would lambast him as an underrating bastard for the 3.5 he deigned to award Ms Christmas. And he was quite correct. He’s a charlatan of the highest order. However, even I’m surprised by how high Ridiculous and Full of Blood has landed here. But, as someone not given to overly emotional reactions to music, I’m continually stunned by the reactions Julie—Can I call you Julie? No? Ok—extracts from me. I’m often on the edge of tears by the end of “The Lighthouse,” just like that cad Maddog, while the likes of “Not Enough” and “End of the World” (the latter with CoL’s Johannes Persson) have a scary edge to them, with Christmas at her maniacal, crooning, possessed, unpredictable best.#2. A Swarm of the Sun // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/a-swarm-of-the-sun-an-empire-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">An Empire</a> – Speaking of emotional responses, A Swarm of the Sun’s stripped back melancholy is right up there. If I say that An Empire is brighter and more uplifting than previous efforts The Rifts and The Woods, understand that this is a very relative statement. An Empire is drowning in sorrow and misery, and yet there is just a hint of brightness that shimmers and hovers around the edges, like a lunar halo. Slow and deliberate, haunting and cathartic, A Swarm of the Sun’s latest outing is just beautiful. End of. No discussion.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/carcharodon-and-cherds-top-tenish-of-2024/#fn-207473-2" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">2</a>#1. Kanonenfieber // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/kanonenfieber-die-urkatastrophe-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Die Urkatastrophe</a> – Y’all know I dropped a 5.0 on Die Urkatastophe, so it’s no surprise to find it here, sitting pretty, atop my list. There’s not much more praise that I can heap on Kanonenfieber’s sophomore record than I already did in my review. For me, it has everything and is more than I dared hope for as a follow up to my beloved Menschenmühle (my album of the year for <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/thekenwords-and-carcharodons-top-tenish-of-2021/#:~:text=%231.%20Kanonenfieber,is%20a%20masterpiece." rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">2021</a>). It is brutal and vicious (“Panzerhenker” and “Ausblutingsschlacht”), anthemic (“Der Maulwurf” and “Menschenmühle”) and more. Crafted—and yes, that is the correct word—with huge skill and attention to detail, it is the storytelling, based on original source materials, that elevates this record to the next level for me. And if you don’t speak German, or are simply not into narrative in your metal, just go bang your fucking head to “Gott mit der Kavallerie”!Honorable mentions In alphabetical order by band:<ul><li>40 Watt Sun // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/40-watt-sun-little-weight-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Little Weight</a> – Little Weight actually carries a lot of emotional weight. Melancholic, beautiful post-doom and shoegaze, rife with a rough honesty.</li><li>Anciients // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/anciients-beyond-the-reach-of-the-sun-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Beyond the Reach of the Sun</a> – Long-form (arguably too-long-form in some respects) progressive death, which is wonderfully ambitious and overblown in its scale and delivery.</li><li>Crypt Sermon // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/crypt-sermon-the-stygian-rose-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Stygian Rose</a> – Fantastic trad doom, channeling heavy doses of Candlemass. Early in the year, I thought this was top-5 material but it’s uneven, with the back half much stronger than the front, and I’ve cooled on it a touch.</li><li>Nyktophobia // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/nyktophobia-to-the-stars-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">To the Stars</a> – Just great, stomping melodeath. As I said in my review, it’s not massively original but it’s tight and well written, and easy to just kick back to. Sometimes, I don’t need more.</li><li>Silhouette //<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/silhouette-les-dires-de-lame-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"> Les Dires de l’Âme</a> – This fantastic post-black album had a place on the list proper until Pillar of Light bulldozed its way in there very late in the day. Haunting, harrowing and beautiful, Silhouette’s debut is Great!</li><li>Sumac // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/sumac-the-healer-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Healer</a> – Nothing about The Healer makes it an easy listen but Sumac’s fifth record is curiously beautiful for all its wandering, free-form abrasiveness.</li><li>Vorga // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/vorga-beyond-the-palest-star-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Beyond the Palest Star</a> – While it’s hard to disagree with Kenstrosity‘s criticism of the production on Beyond the Palest Star, what can I say? I still love it. It’s chunky, well written, well paced and powerful.</li></ul>Surprises o’ the Year Ordered by most astounding first:<ul><li>Opeth // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/opeth-the-last-will-and-testament-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Last Will and Testament</a> – It’s been a long time since I was last genuinely interested in an Opeth album (2005’s Ghost Reveries, in case you were wondering). But, wouldn’t you just know it, Mikael Åkerfeldt and co are back (roars and all). I’m not ready to commit to a score for The Last Will (though I think El Cuervo‘s was possibly a smidge high) as I’ve not been able to spend enough time with it. But the fact I want to spend more time with it is, after 19 years of having no interest in Opeth’s output, a surprise. And a welcome one.</li><li>Grand Magus // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/grand-magus-sunraven-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Sunraven</a> – Another Swedish favourite of old, which I’d all but given up on, Grand Magus roared back this year with Sunraven. As an equally surprised Steel Druhm said in his review, this was the album he “feverishly hoped to get from Grand Magus … a grand return to prime form with the fire firmly back in the Balrog … the best Magus outing since 2012’s The Hunt”.</li></ul>Disappointment o’ the Year Limited to a single musical disappointment, to avoid submitting a lengthy thesis:<ul><li>Zeal & Ardor // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/zeal-ardor-greif-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">GREIF</a> – I’m not angry, or even very surprised, just disappointed.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/carcharodon-and-cherds-top-tenish-of-2024/#fn-207473-3" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">3</a> While I accept that this is the album of a band in transition, there’s no getting away from the fact that it was a hugely disappointing album from a band that has abandoned the sound that made it what it was. And for what? They have not transitioned to something new and exciting, but with kinks to be worked out. Rather, on this record, Zeal & Ardor became something so pedestrian that any number of post-rock bands could’ve written it and, probably, done a better job. I may have overrated it.</li></ul>Songs o’ the Year <ol><li>Julie Christmas – “The Lighthouse”</li><li>Kanonenfieber – “Der Maulwurf”</li><li>Selbst – “The Stench of a Dead Spirit”</li><li>Panzerfaust – “The Damascene Conversions”</li><li>Kanonenfieber – “Gott mit der Kavallerie”</li><li>Devenial Verdict – “Garden of Eyes”</li><li>Spectral Wound – “Aristocratic Suicidal Black Metal”</li><li>Silhouette – “Les Dires de l’Âme”</li><li>Blue Heron – “Everything Fades”</li><li>Zeal & Ardor – “Hide in Shade”</li><li>Glare of the Sun – “Rain”</li></ol> CherdTwenty-twenty-four was certainly a year that followed previous years and will precede still others. When I look back, I’ll likely remember it as the year I discovered the wonders of ADHD medication after decades of non-treatment, the difficult transition my poor Cherdlet experienced from kindergarten to first grade, and the incredible bucket list trip my wife and I took to Toronto to watch our favorite TV franchise filming new content courtesy of my very important Hollywood connections. No, not Robert Downey Jr. Much more important and better-looking. Hmm? Margot Robbie? She wishes. I also had the pleasure of meeting several of my fellow writers in person, and they are all much homelier than they let on with the exception of Madam X, who is a goddamned ray of sunshine.On the musical front, I was able to check two bands off my “need to see live” list in Judas Priest and Archspire, whereby I discovered that Halford does exactly zero audience banter, and Archspire do nothing but. Fun shows, both. I didn’t listen to as much new music by volume this year than I have in previous years when I’d log between 200 and 400 releases, and that was largely due to my kid’s age and the level of interaction he needs. I have a feeling, however, that 2025 will see an uptick thanks to the new Heavys headphones I got for Christmas this year. As always, I want to thank the editors, particularly Steel Druhm and Doc Grier, for not sending me a mailbomb after all the late reviews I turned in (I’ll work on that in 2025), and the man himself, AMG, for building this community and for agreeing that Deep Space Nine is the best Star Trek show.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/carcharodon-and-cherds-top-tenish-of-2024/#fn-207473-4" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">4</a> (ish) Chat Pile // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/chat-pile-cool-world-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Cool World</a> – This is what it sounds like when Chat Pile make a “mature” record. As I noted in my October review, some of the most glaring weirdness and black humor the band is known for is missing in Cool World, which is why it’s here on my list instead of matching the lofty heights of my 2022 AOTY<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/chat-pile-gods-country-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"> God’s Country</a>. That said, this is consistently bleak in a way I like, and it boasts what are in my opinion the two best–if not most memorable–songs the band have written to date in “New World” and “Masc.” I’m a sucker for these Oklahomans and look forward to how their sound evolves from here.#10. Glacial Tomb // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/glacial-tomb-lightless-expanse-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Lightless Expanse</a> – I’ve had an up and <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/contrite-metal-guy-its-beginning-to-look-a-lot-like-wrongness-volume-the-first/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">down</a> journey with Glacial Tomb’s sophomore record, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still view this as one of the best things I’ve listened to this year. To consider a record this closely means you have to listen to it a lot, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I logged more hours with Lightless Expanse than with any other album. I’ve made a big deal about the one-three punch of “Voidwomb/Enshrined in Concrete/Abyssal Host”, but it bears repeating since it’s my favorite consecutive stretch of death metal in 2024.#9. Replicant // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/replicant-infinite-mortality-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Infinite Mortality</a> – If you peel back the veneer of disso-death and blackened blasts on Infinite Mortality, you’ll find a pounding hardcore heart comprised of equal parts beatdown and Converge. As technical as this music gets, and there is a lot going on here, Replicant never forget their primary duty as a metal band: snapping necks. On their third album, they’ve exquisitely composed a missive to unbridled aggression. I completely missed their previous albums, so I’m glad our Kenfren wouldn’t shut his excitable yap about this one.#8. Spectral Voice // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/spectral-voice-spargamos-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Sparagmos</a> – “Alright skaters! This is the end of our free skate period. We’d like to once again thank you for spending your Saturday with us here at Family Fun Roller Rink and Arcade. It’s time to slow things down, down, way down, and you know what that means. That’s right, it’s couples’ skate. So, find that special someone you want to be interred on a cold stone slab with, gaze into each other’s empty eye sockets, and make your way around the rink as wave after wave of Spectral Voice’s death/funeral doom forcefully separates you from any light, hope, or happiness this wretched world might have accidentally given you. Remember, those who survive the next 45 minutes of tectonic plates colliding will get the chance to compete in roller limbo!”#7. Crypt Sermon // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/crypt-sermon-the-stygian-rose-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Stygian Rose</a> – Despite being one of the biggest doom apologists on this site, Crypt Sermon failed to grab me with their highly acclaimed debut nearly ten years ago. I chalk this up to my unfamiliarity with the traditional doom style at the time. In recent years, I’ve binged large amounts of Candlemass, Saint Vitus, Cathedral, Solitude Aeturnus et al., so I finally have the frame of reference to see just how well Crypt Sermon’s third LP captures the swagger, majesty, and grit of a style few contemporary bands seem interested in playing. After the growing pains displayed on The Ruins of Fading Light, these Philly natives have worked out the kinks and delivered an air-tight slab of doomy goodness.#6. Full of Hell // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/full-of-hell-coagulated-bliss-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Coagulated Bliss</a> – I regret waiving my seniority claim to Full of Hell releases, thus allowing Dolph to snap up review duties for Coagulated Bliss. It’s not that he did a bad job of reviewing the prolific experimental grind outfit’s latest. He did great, and he awarded it a deserved 4.0. But then he had the cheek, the nerve, the gall, the audacity, and the gumption to incorrectly <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/contrite-metal-guy-its-beginning-to-look-a-lot-like-wrongness-volume-the-second/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">lower his score</a>. To make matters worse, it appeared nowhere on his year-end list. Not even a goll dern honorable mention. I’ve told him to his cetacean face that he’s wrong and I’m likely to do so again because this is Full of Hell’s best work since Trumpeting Ecstasy. In fact, it might be better.#5. Ulcerate // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/ulcerate-cutting-the-throat-of-god-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Cutting the Throat of God</a> – For most of their existence, Ulcerate was a highly acclaimed band that I just couldn’t get into. That changed four years ago with the release of Stare into Death and Be Still. Little changed in their intricate approach to dissonant death metal, but there was something warmer and more human to what I had previously considered a rather detached style. That trend continues with Cutting the Throat of God. I find this record best when taken as a whole, letting the experience unfold over the full runtime, like dream-walking through a hedge maze or being trapped in a velvet sack and discovering it’s much larger on the inside.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/carcharodon-and-cherds-top-tenish-of-2024/#fn-207473-5" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">5</a>#4. Thou // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/thou-umbilical-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Umbilical</a> – I waited a long time for a chance to review a new record by Thou, and when it finally came, they did not disappoint. As I said in my June review, “Like their chimerical American metal brethren Inter Arma, it doesn’t matter how many influences the band stuff into one album. They are all unified in sound under Thou’s banner. Bryan Funck’s acid-bit vocals are unmistakable and apparently unchangeable after 20 throat-shredding years. Also unchangeable? Thou’s ability to craft the most metallic-sounding guitar tone out there. As the standard bearer for…hell, as the entire sum of the second generation of Louisiana sludge, the sound they’ve forged isn’t the kind of sloppy muck you may associate with the term. It’s certainly thick, but it has a quality like two enormous steel I-beams violently striking each other.” If that doesn’t sell Umbilical for you, then here is where our paths diverge.#3. Devenial Verdict // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/devenial-verdict-blessing-of-despair-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Blessing of Despair</a> – I didn’t listen to Blessing of Despair for several weeks after it came out in October despite the fact Devenial Verdict’s previous record, Ash Blind, made my year-end list in 2022. When I finally got around to it earlier in December, it threatened to blow the doors right off my still nebulous list, climbing fast and high until ultimately landing here at number three. There is more immediacy than on Ash Blind, which took me a while to warm up to. That doesn’t mean the band skimps on the kind of thoughtful transitions and atmospherics they’ve come to be known for. It’s just that Blessing of Despair HAZ THE RIFFS, including my favorite death metal riff of the year in “Solus.”#2. Void Witch // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/void-witch-horripilating-presence-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Horripilating Presence</a> – When I revisited Horripilating Presence with the purpose of sorting out this list’s pecking order, I expected death-doomers Void Witch to fall mid-to-late top 10. Obviously, the opposite happened. For the life of me I don’t understand how this album didn’t gain more traction amongst the other writers and you, the unwashed commentariat. As I said back in July, “…the material on Horripilating Presence is Mohamed Ali levels of confident. The editing of ideas in each song and across the album’s taut 39 minutes is masterful, especially for a debut. No song hews too closely to any of the others, but all are of a piece, locking comfortably into place like an intricate puzzle box, and Void Witch have such sights to show you.”#1. Inter Arma // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/inter-arma-new-heaven-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">New Heaven</a> – Inter Arma never miss. Aside from being one of the best live acts in metal, every album they’ve released going back to 2013’s Sky Burial has been one successful evolution after another. As a very wise reviewer once said, “They’re the same shaggy beast as ever, but beneath that matted, coarse coat is a rippling form mid-shape shift, stretching, pulling, and crossing back on itself constantly over the course of New Heaven’s shockingly concise 42 minutes…If being all over the musical map sounds like a negative, you’ve probably never heard an Inter Arma record before. It seems whatever they throw at the wall sticks, and the listening experience across their (usually much longer) records never feels uneven. This is because they play everything with the same smoldering intensity and volatile mean streak.” What a record.Honorable Mentions:<ul><li>Convulsing // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/convulsing-perdurance-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Perdurance</a> – I like this quote from Dear Hollow‘s review, so I’ll let him do the talking: “…Convulsing explores every nook and twist of a rhythm and melody until its inevitable conclusion is happened upon in tragic and fatal fashion.”</li><li>Spectral Wound // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/spectral-wound-songs-of-blood-and-mire-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Songs of Blood and Mire</a> – Pound for pound, Spectral Wound are probably the most consistent no-frills black metal band currently in operation. Songs of Blood and Mire is another rager that’s as melodic as it is acidic.</li><li>Lord Buffalo // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/lord-buffalo-holus-bolus-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Holus Bolus</a> – This record was one redundant instrumental away from landing higher on this list. Looking forward to where these gothic country rockers go next.</li></ul>Songs o’ the Year:In alphabetical order by band: <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-swarm-of-the-sun/" target="_blank">#ASwarmOfTheSun</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/anciients/" target="_blank">#Anciients</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/blog-posts/" target="_blank">#BlogPosts</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/blue-heron/" target="_blank">#BlueHeron</a> <a 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Angry Metal Guy<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>By Dolphin Whisperer Dolphin WhispererEvery year, its end becomes more shocking and swift. Once, some guy told me, simply, “it only gets worse.” 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.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.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 Ferox‘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. #ish. Kalandra // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/kalandra-a-frame-of-mind-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">A Frame of Mind</a> – At my core, I consider myself a Norwegian sad girl. Usually, this manifests in some sort of weepy, melancholy prog, the likes of Age of Silence or <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/madder-mortem-old-eyes-new-heart-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Madder Mortem</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 Kalandra’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, Kalandra knows that suffering is just a step on the path of growth and happiness, which is a message that inspires me every day.#10. Dawnwalker // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dawnwalker-the-unknowing-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Unknowing</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. Dawnwalker 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">In Rooms</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 Twelve‘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>#9. Lizzard // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/lizzard-mesh-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Mesh</a> – Lizzard’s 2021 opus <a href="https://lizzardband.bandcamp.com/album/eroded" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Eroded</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. Mesh doesn’t present any differently in that regard. But its wrinkles on Lizzard’s timeless yet ’90s alternative-rooted oeuvre fuel Mesh’s inherent melancholy with a hope that’s jubilant, like a cracked smile on an overcast day.#8. Dissimulator // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dissimulator-lower-form-resistance-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Lower Form Resistance</a> – [INCOMING TRANSMISSION.] “My name is Clyde, and I arrive from beyond with wonderful news. My good friend Ferox 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 Dissimulator’s effortless strides, but Ferox is my everything nonetheless.” [END TRANSMISSION.]#7. Mamaleek // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/mamaleek-vida-blue-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Vida Blue</a> – I couldn’t begin to tell you what has never landed about Mamaleek’s works before with a weird precision. As an act dedicated to sounding only like Mamaleek, 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 Vida Blue 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, Mamaleek has clinched a campaign for my attention.#6. Defeated Sanity // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/defeated-sanity-chronicles-of-lunacy-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Chronicles of Lunacy</a> – As an apex predator in the brutal death metal world, Defeated Sanity’s appearance arouses not questions of competency but rather calculations of the carnage wrought. Chronicles of Lunacy does not mark a turning point or novel twist in the Defeated Sanity 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, Defeated Sanity need not surprise to strike mortal wound. Chronicles’ fangs glisten with an aged-imbrued tarnish, tearing at my flesh in every way I would expect. And I want more.#5. Orgone // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/orgone-pleroma-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pleroma</a> – Meticulous and constructed as a master-work, Pleroma’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, Pleroma’s effortless realization of Orgone’s peerless vision never feels like the epic journey its runtime suggests. Were my time truly infinite, Pleroma would be even harder to rip away from the queue.#4. Julie Christmas // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/julie-christmas-ridiculous-and-full-of-blood-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Ridiculous and Full of Blood</a> – A lady screaming bloody murder shouldn’t go down this smooth, but that’s always been the promise and success of Julie Christmas. Few vocalists leave me slack-jawed and ear-shaken in the wake of piercing cries, raw-throated shrieks, and impassioned lyrical slather. Yet, Ridiculous and Full of Blood 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 Christmas 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. Christmas has earned from a life hard-worn.#3. Ingurgitating Oblivion // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/ingurgitating-oblivion-ontology-of-nought-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Ontology of Nought</a> – Though born of minds unrelated, Ontology of Nought exists as an esoteric companion to the Pleroma embodiment. Orgone 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. Ingurgitating Oblivion, 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. Ontology of Nought deserves each of its over-budget minutes. Invest time in the freedom that it promises… “and cease to be.”#2. OU // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/ou-%e8%98%87%e9%86%92-ii-frailty-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">蘇醒 II: Frailty</a> – The casualness of OU’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 蘇醒 II: Frailty over the pages of Angry Metal Guy, it’s OU’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 OU release at a time, I’m content to sit here and yell their praises at anyone who will listen.#1. Pyrrhon // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/pyrrhon-exhaust-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Exhaust</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 Pyrrhon stealth-bombed my aging metalhead mind with a tech-dial riff barrage of noisy and shouting proportions, I had no choice but to surrender. Exhaust 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 Pyrrhon uses simpler blocks, their construction here defies convention at every step. One fine commenter summed up Exhaust in the most succinct manner in that regard: “<del>Death Metal, Hardcore, Noise Rock, Technical Death Metal</del>. It’s just mathcore.” Except they took away the wrong message from that distillation. The verdict, in fact, is fuck you.Honorable Mentions:<ul><li><ul><li>Inner Strength // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/inner-strength-daydreaming-in-moonlight-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Daydreaming in Moonlight</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>Dysrhythmia // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/dysrhythmia-coffin-of-conviction-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Coffin of Conviction</a> – Instrumental progressive music should be as exciting as Dysrhythmia. Comes for the Martyr riffs. Stay for the Metheny floating.</li><li>Beaten to Death // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/beaten-to-death-sunrise-over-rigor-mortis-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Sunrise Over Rigor Mortis</a> – Beaten to Death 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">Dødsfest!</a>, but that’s OK. Their discography is now about two hours total. Go listen to it if you haven’t.</li><li>Stygian Crown // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/stygian-crown-funeral-for-a-king-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Funeral for a King</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>Kollapse // <a href="https://kollapse.bandcamp.com/album/ar" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">AR</a> – I didn’t know KEN mode had a Danish doppelgänger with a frightening, large pink face. But they do, and boy does Kollapse know how to yell and riff.</li><li>Sleepytime Gorilla Museum // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/sleepytime-gorilla-museum-of-the-last-human-being-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">of the Last Human Being</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 SGT does.</li><li>Defying // <a href="https://defying.bandcamp.com/album/wadera" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Wadera</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 Wadera’s unbreakable spell.</li><li>Arthouse Fatso // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/arthouse-fatso-sycophantic-seizures-a-double-feature-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Sycophantic Seizures: A Double Feature</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>Concrete Winds // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/concrete-winds-concrete-winds-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Concrete Winds</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>Disappointments o’ the Year:<ul><li>Myrath // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/myrath-karma-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Karma</a> – I love Shehili so much. My love for power metal isn’t what it used to be, but Myrath’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 Karma, despite Myrath’s still life-affirming messages, do absolutely nothing to bolster that same joy for me. Karma sinks my listening brain. And that hurts.</li><li>Pallbearer // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/pallbearer-mind-burns-alive-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Mind Burns Alive</a> – The continued non-success of Pallbearer and their sleepy-toned take on creaky prog rock hurts the Dolph who fell in love with their weepy doom classic (and still controversial to true doomsters) Heartless. And yet the general blogging population seems to praise them for trying to reinvent sadboi roots rock with worse lyrics. And, for my money, Pallbearer is sounding increasingly thin live. If a return to glory is in store for Pallbearer, it will begin with them finally playing a riff again.</li><li>Polterguts // Nobody Likes You – Okay, this EP actually rips because <a href="https://polterguts.bandcamp.com/album/gods-over-broken-people" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Polterguts</a> rips. Hard. But, Polterguts, if you’re reading this, please put it on Bandcamp so I can link the shit out of it and give you money. 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>Songs o’ the Year: 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. Coconut (left), Kiwi (right) in a stylish Adidog sweater. FeroxI 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.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: Steel Druhm, Madam X, Cherd, Twelve, Dr. Wyrm, Thus Spoke, El Cuervo, Doom et al, and Holdeneye. 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>I’m grateful to Steel Druhm and Angry Metal Guy 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. #ish. Mother of Graves // <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> – 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 Mother of Graves, which landed on my radar by way of Carcharadon‘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,” The Periapt of Absence guides the listener through the stages of grief with varied compositions that maintain a consistent mood throughout. Classic death doom is alive and well.#10. Wormed // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wormed-omegon-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Omegon</a> – Maddog‘s compelling rave for Omegon is my personal Review o’ the Year; fortunately, the prose was well spent on this efficient and brutal riff delivery system. Wormed has been creating slam-adjacent otherworldly death metal for a good while now, and Omegon 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,” Wormed 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.#9. Ripped to Shreds // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/ripped-to-shreds-sanshi-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Sanshi</a> – The already impressive Ripped to Shreds leveled up with Sanshi, 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 R2S sounds are more prevalent on Sanshi, 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">Horrendous</a> did with their last killer slab.#8. Scumbag // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/scumbag-homicide-cult-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Homicide Cult</a> – Scumbag! 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 Ferox 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">Wormhole</a> managed to last year: brutal but somehow cheerful, and stoopid without being remotely dumb. Dylan Cruz, of this band and Noxis, came out of nowhere to occupy a huge chunk of my limited listening time this year.#7. Black Curse // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/black-curse-burning-in-celestial-poison-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Burning in Celestial Poison</a> – With Burning in Celestial Poison, Black Curse stages a forty-five-minute takeover of your central nervous system. Eldritch Elitist 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 Black Curse 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.#6. Spectral Wound // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/black-curse-burning-in-celestial-poison-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Songs of Blood and Mire</a> – The hot streak continues; Songs of Blood and Mire, Spectral Wound’s fourth album, is their best effort yet. Carcharadon 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, Spectral Wound recalls Watain without so much distracting ooga-booga. Songs of Blood and Mire finds them continuing to refine their sound and grow in confidence.#5. Endonomos // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/endonomos-endonomos-ii-enlightenment-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Endonomos II – Enlightenment</a> – Endonomos carried the torch for doom in 2024. Enlightenment is a stately procession, its six long tracks blending influences from all across the doom spectrum. This is music that soars as it plods. Steel Druhm noted similarities to both Khemmis and Fvneral Fvkk. Those comps are perfect; not since Carnal Confessions has a doom album so effectively cut through the clutter of genre tropes to evoke genuine emotion.#4. Pyrrhon // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/pyrrhon-exhaust-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Exhaust</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 Exhaust arrived with heavy-handed descriptions of process and what Pyrrhon went through trying to make the album happen, I bristled and stopped reading. Fortunately, the music on Exhaust 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 Pyrrhon, but I’ve never connected with their music as immediately as I did on Exhaust.#3. Defeated Sanity // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/defeated-sanity-chronicles-of-lunacy-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Chronicles of Lunacy</a> – Defeated Sanity has had quite the AMG 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 Potato Jim 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 Dolphin Whisperer and Maddog. Chronicles of Lunacy finds Defeated Sanity 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">The Sanguinary Impetus</a>. It takes extreme skill to weaponize the base and the stoopid this effectively. Defeated Sanity is more than up for the job.#2. Inter Arma // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/inter-arma-new-heaven-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">New Heaven</a> – 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. Inter Arma never repeats themselves, but each of their albums could only come from them. Hot take: Sky Funeral has remained my favorite Inter Arma album even as they’ve racked up an epic run of excellence. New Heaven 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.#1. Noxis // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/noxis-violence-inherent-in-the-system-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Violence Inherent in the System</a> – This is my third time publishing a list at AMG; each previous year, I had clear Album o’the Year winners in Immolation’s Acts of God and Afterbirth’s In But Not Of. 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: Noxis 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 Noxis weeded out that deeply rooted prejudice with their inventive and fresh take on death metal. Every track on Violence Inherent in the System 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 Noxis firmly entrenched as the winner of 2024.Honorable Mentions:<ul><li><ul><li><ul><li>Stenched // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/stenched-purulence-gushing-from-the-coffin-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Purulence Gushing from the Coffin</a> – This one-man outfit captured that elusive filthy magic and spewed out the annum’s premiere filthy wallow.</li><li>Aborted // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/aborted-vault-of-horrors-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Vault of Horrors</a> – These Belgian veterans, long under-appreciated in the Hall, finally found their champion in Grier. 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>Vitriol // <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/vitriol-suffer-become-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Suffer and Become</a> – 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>Disappointment o’the Year:Ferox! 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 Dolph and Maddog and Thus become AMG institutions, even as I mostly watch from the sidelines and come out to play when I can.Song o’the Year: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><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/" 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Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/mother-of-graves-the-periapt-of-absence-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Mother of Graves – The Periapt of Absence [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]</a>By CarcharodonIf, like me, you’re a sucker for classic death doom and The Periapt of Absence is a Thing That You Did, in fact, Miss in 2024 then you’ll want to remedy that. Now. The second full-length by Indianapolis quintet Mother of Graves, it channels all those sweet, sweet sadboi vibes from early Katatonia, Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride, or even classic Swallow the Sun. Huge, melancholic riffs roil like cloudbanks, always shifting and subtly changing shape, but never less than grey and brooding. This façade of misery and loss seems appropriate, since a periapt, as all you D&Ders out there<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/mother-of-graves-the-periapt-of-absence-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/#fn-207825-1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">1</a> will know, is an item worn as a charm or amulet, meaning that the band is presenting a physical representation of absence and loss. And boy can you feel it. Whether it’s the keening, drawn out guitars that open the title track, or the sonorous keys that launch “As the Earth Fell Silent,” on each track Mother of Graves drink deep of their torment.As Grymm—who’s fast becoming a <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/a-swarm-of-the-sun-an-empire-things-you-might-have-missed-2024/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">feature</a> of my TYMHM pieces this year—observed in his <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/mother-of-graves-where-the-shadows-adorn-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">review</a> of Mother of Graves’ debut, Where the Shadows Adorn (2022), the influence of the Peaceville Three (and other 90s death doom stalwarts) is so strong here that it’s almost hard to believe you’re listening to a new band. As Grymm also opined, however, that is neither a putdown nor a suggestion that Mother of Graves are simply aping what has gone before. If that was true of Where the Shadows Adorn, it goes doubly for The Periapt of Absence, which marks a significant step up in quality for an already very good band. For all that they lean into that classic sadboi sound, Mother of Graves should be thought of as the heirs to that scene, rather than imitators of it. From the graceful incorporation of the keys (Brandon Howe) and strings, which at times recall Clouds, to Don E.’s excellent drumming, the songwriting feels fresh and vital, for all the heart-wrenching loss on show. For a band this early in their career, Mother of Graves display not only incredible songwriting skill but also confidence. The backbone of their sound is Howe’s deep, tortured roars, which are both rich and crushing, paired with the bright guitar harmonies (Ben Sandman and Chris Morrison) that dance playfully around him. However, not only does this description suggest there is some element of levity or hope to The Periapt of Absence, but it also undersells the rest of what the band does. Their willingness to stop on a dime, mid-blast beat and drop down into delicate synth and organ work (“Apparition”) or to tease with stripped-back, percussive guitar lines and stark keys (back third of “As the Earth Fell Silent”), shows that Mother of Graves is willing to take some risks to evolve. Where Grymm bemoaned the lack of smooth build-ups or progressions on Where the Shadows Adorn, this thing is like quicksilver. It flows, thick and viscous, its gleaming surface belying its deadly depths. From the ponderous slow burn of opener “Gallows,” through the delicate, percussion-free first half of “A Scarlet Threnody” to the thunderous closer “Like Darkness to a Dying Flame,” which draws on early Opeth, the record is killer start to finish.With Dan “the Fucking Man” Swanö back on mastering duties, The Periapt of Absence sounds gorgeous and I can find absolutely nothing to complain about on the sound front. Every element of Mother of Graves (including Corey Clark’s strong work on bass) exactly where it should be, each having room to breathe and complement everything else, with nothing dominating, nor going AWOL. This is so rare that it deserves an extra call-out. I really feel I’m struggling to do justice to what Mother of Graves have achieved with this album, which will undoubtedly occupy a high spot on my list. Suffice to say, if you like any of the many classic influences I’ve cited, but want a fresh and bold take on them, you need The Periapt of Absence in your life.Tracks to Check Out: “Shatter the Visage,” “As the Earth Fell Silent,” “Upon Burdened Hands” and “Like Darkness to a Dying Flame.”<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/american-metal/" target="_blank">#AmericanMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/cloud/" target="_blank">#Cloud</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/death-doom/" target="_blank">#DeathDoom</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/doom/" target="_blank">#Doom</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/katatonia/" target="_blank">#Katatonia</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/my-dying-bride/" target="_blank">#MyDyingBride</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/paradise-lost/" target="_blank">#ParadiseLost</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/profound-lore-records/" target="_blank">#ProfoundLoreRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/swallow-the-sun/" target="_blank">#SwallowTheSun</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/things-you-might-have-missed-2024/" target="_blank">#ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/tymhm/" target="_blank">#TYMHM</a>

Your Future ExFor <a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/ThursDeath" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ThursDeath</a>:<a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/MotherOfGraves" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MotherOfGraves</a>: Shatter the Visage<a href="https://song.link/bkwvj7cfftkg2" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://song.link/bkwvj7cfftkg2</a><a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/MelodicDeathDoomMetal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MelodicDeathDoomMetal</a>FFO &CountingHours <a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/DreamUnending" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#DreamUnending</a> <a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/Worm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Worm</a>

Your Future ExFor <a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/ThursDeath" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ThursDeath</a>:<a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/Ve" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Ve</a>: A Tale So Hollow<a href="https://song.link/t293tb6cwxmsb" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://song.link/t293tb6cwxmsb</a><a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/MelodicDeathMetal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MelodicDeathMetal</a> <a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/MelodicDoomMetal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MelodicDoomMetal</a>FFO <a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/EyeOfPurgatory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#EyeOfPurgatory</a> <a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/GreySkiesFallen" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#GreySkiesFallen</a> <a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/MotherOfGraves" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MotherOfGraves</a>

🤘 The Metal Dog 🤘<a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/TheMetalDogArticleList" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TheMetalDogArticleList</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/BraveWords" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BraveWords</a> MOTHER OF GRAVES - Death / Doom Outfit To Release The Periapt Of Absence Album In October; "Upon Burdened Hands" Single Streaming<a href="https://bravewords.com/news/mother-of-graves-death-doom-outfit-to-release-the-periapt-of-absence-album-in-october-upon-burdened-hands-single-streaming" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://bravewords.com/news/mother-of-graves-death-doom-outfit-to-release-the-periapt-of-absence-album-in-october-upon-burdened-hands-single-streaming</a><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/MotherOfGraves" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MotherOfGraves</a>

Your Future ExFor <a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/ThursDeath" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ThursDeath</a>:<a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/MarcheFun%C3%A8bre" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MarcheFunèbre</a>: After the Storm<a href="https://song.link/wqfcchxvs6gkn" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://song.link/wqfcchxvs6gkn</a><a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/DeathDoomMetal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#DeathDoomMetal</a>FFO <a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/Calliophis" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Calliophis</a> <a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/EtMoriemur" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#EtMoriemur</a> <a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/MotherOfGraves" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MotherOfGraves</a>

Your Future ExFor <a href="https://metalhead.club/@lpl" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@lpl</a>'s <a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/SaturDoom" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SaturDoom</a>:<a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/IllusionsPlay" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#IllusionsPlay</a>: Morning Dew<a href="https://song.link/ntrn2pr5hz7bs" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://song.link/ntrn2pr5hz7bs</a><a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/SymphonicFuneralDoomMetal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SymphonicFuneralDoomMetal</a>FFO <a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/IdolThrone" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#IdolThrone</a> <a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/Mortual" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Mortual</a> <a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/MotherOfGraves" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MotherOfGraves</a>

Your Future ExThe last one for <a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/ThursDeath" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ThursDeath</a> for this week is <a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/FromTheVaults" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#FromTheVaults</a>:<a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/SwallowTheSun" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SwallowTheSun</a>: With You Came The Whole Of The World's Tears<a href="https://song.link/2swzcthnb5v4v" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://song.link/2swzcthnb5v4v</a><a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/MelodicDoom" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MelodicDoom</a>FFO <a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/MotherOfGraves" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MotherOfGraves</a> <a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/TombMold" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TombMold</a> <a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/TreesOfEternity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TreesOfEternity</a>

choppsmother of graves – sunset (decibel flexi series) <a href="https://framerate.de/2023/09/30/mother-of-graves-sunset-decibel-flexi-series/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://framerate.de/2023/09/30/mother-of-graves-sunset-decibel-flexi-series/</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/motherofgraves" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#motherofgraves</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/decibelmagazine" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#decibelmagazine</a>

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