2024 Album of the Year Contenders

We're deep into the final month-and-change of the year, and it has been a very good time to be a metal fan — although every genre has been spoiled in my estimation. The following is a list of albums currently under consideration for my annual Albums Of The Year round-up:

(The list will be updated periodically until the year's end.)

• Judas Priest — Invincible Shield
  As noted in my review, one of metal's longest running acts still has the capacity to write an album full of bangers.
  Listen: Spotify
• Necrophobic — In The Twilight Grey
  Another solid offering of blackend death metal. I've been a fan since 2002's Bloodhymns and their quality has never wavered.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Protosequence — Bestiary
  Alberta tech-death metal outfit returns with a crushing follow-up to 2020's A Blunt Description of Something Obscene.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Agriculture — Living is Easy
  An intriguing black metal outfit with a penchant for riffs I can only describe as "shiny" and "bright", a really unique take on a longstanding genre.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Krallice — Inorganic Rites
  New York's finest continue their synth-heavy evolution as a band, pairing dense atmospheric compositions with more traditionally aggressive sections. One of America's leading experimental metal bands shows no sign of losing their touch.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Ingested — The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams
  More brutal, slamming death metal from some of the UK's finest purveyors. A strong follow-up to 2022's Ashes Lie Still. Thick tones, crushing riffs, brutal grooves abound.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Defacement — Duality
  Simply put: one of the most intense, heavy death metal albums I've heard all year. The atmospheric segue tracks give you just enough time to catch your breath.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Scarcity — The Promise of Rain
  As a big fan of intensely caustic, dissonant sound, this album really hits the spot for me.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Ulcerate — Cutting the Throat of God
  While this is a death metal record, there are long instrumental passages that almost step outside the genre and display the band's diversity. Immensely technical, well-crafted; further proof the death metal scene still has a lot left to offer.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Alcest — Les Chants de l'Aurore
  Hard to believe it has been 5 years since Spritual Instinct. France's post-metal heavyweights are back with another finely crafted album, this time leaning deeper into their melodic side without losing their way.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Apes — Penitence
  These Montreal-based grindcore merchants are back with an 8-track album running 24 minutes and packed full of rage. Almost enough for me to forgive them for bailing on a live show last year!
  Listen: Bandcamp
• High on Fire — Cometh the Storm
  Matt Pike continues to deal in some of the heaviest sounding albums ever recorded, dropping this nearly hour-long collection of stoner metal which features the most devastating drum production you're likely to experience - period.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Vltimas — Epic
  As noted in my full review, this black / death metal supergroup is back with a new album and some subtle twists on their amalgamated sound. More melody than their debut, but still furious and heavy.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Aborted — Vault of Horror
  The band's 12th studio offering is rife with guest appearances that gel perfectly with the band's elite-level grindcore stylings. Skull-crushing riffs and deep, satisfying grooves aplenty.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Darkthrone — It Beckons Us All
  I wasn't nearly as excited for the band's last two records, but they've corrected course and issued another strong effort absolutely jam-packed with riffs. Mid-tempo classic metal with strong hints of the pair's black metal lineage.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Austere — Beneath the Threshold
  Modern black metal, which means it's properly recorded and even indulges in a sense of melody and dynamics. Lengthy 7+ minute tracks take their time developing an atmosphere of sanguine doom.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Necrot — Lifeless Birth
  No-frills blackened death metal that doesn't waste any time. I saw these guys live in 2018 and they've done nothing but improve with each passing year and new release.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Exhorder — Defectum Omnium
  Despite jettisoning the rest of the band's classic line-up, Kyle Thomas manages to keep things together and issue a damn good modern thrash metal album.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Deicide — Banished by Sin
  Glen Benton and company are back with another strong death metal opus. Even the AI-generated cover can't take away from the sonic achivements contained within. Drums sound a little stiff, but the riffs are fantastic and sharp as ever.
  Listen: Spotify
• Civerous — Maze Envy
  One of the biggest surprises of the year, a crushingly heavy progressive death metal record with one of the best production jobs I've ever heard. I can safely say this record will be making the year-end list.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Kittie — Fire
  While I haven't heard any of the band's albums after Oracle, the reunited line-up did a great job blending melodic singing with some truly heavy riffs and strong hooks. A strong blend of the band's widely acclaimed debut and pivot to harsher metal.
  Listen: Spotify
• Coffins — Sinister Oath
  If you like no-frills death metal and also have a penchant for a massive wall of sound in the vein of Entombed, this is the album for you.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Static-X — Project Regeneration: Volume 2
  I already wrote a lengthy review of this record, and I keep coming back to it months later. A fitting final set of tracks featuring deceased frontman Wayne Static.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Lupe Fiasco — Samurai
  All killer, zero filler; 8 songs clocking in at just over a half-hour, demonstrating Lupe Fiasco's status as one of the rap game's most gifted MCs.
  Listen: Spotify
• Vince Staples — Dark Times
  I'm terrible for keeping up with rap records, but I always make time for a Vince Staples release. An even more personal affair this time out, Staples manages to bare his soul and still drop legit bangers like "Étouffé" and "Little Homies." Another entry in a nearly flawless discography.
  Listen: Spotify
• Charli XCX — Brat
  I found her last album, Crash, sorely lacking with the only noteworthy track coming in the form of an interpolation of "Rhythm is a Dancer." Brat course corrects and delivers a near-pefect follow-up. ("I Might Say Something Stupid" grates on me.)
  Listen: Spotify
• Dödsrit — Nocturnal Will
  Epic, symphonic black metal with a pair of 10+ minute compositions that don't feel anywhere near that long. The back half of the album opens up into more melodic territory without losing the heaviness.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• 200 Stab Wounds — Manual Manic Procedures
  Straight-up no-frills death metal with a great sense of atmosphere and melodic flourishes. A strong live act that translates very well to the recording studio.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Full of Hell — Coagulated Bliss
  The only thing that will likely keep this record off the year-end list is its brevity, as the running time is a mere 25 minutes (over 12 songs). Still, the intensity of this record cannot be denied and the band are a tremendous live act.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Wormed — Omegon
  Taking technical death metal to the limit, the compositions on this record defy the listener's capacity to predict where the material will go next. Brutally heavy and packed full of riffs that will melt the mind of any aspiring guitarist.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Darkest Hour — Perpetual Terminal
  Reactivated melodic death metal veterans prove they haven't lost a single step on their hiatus. Tracks like "Prayer to the Living Death" are every bit as engaging as the band's past work and they sound hungrier than ever.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Job For A Cowboy — Moon Healer
  It's been a great year for technical death metal fans, and this record also highlights the added value of a virtuoso bassist as the low-end beautifully accentuates these incredibly nuanced compositions.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Denzel Curry — King of the Mischevious South Vol. 2
  After initially feeling lukewarm about this record, it's grown on me a lot. Denzel Curry remains my favourite modern rapper and this album of grimy beats and copious guest appearances is another strong entry on the man's already impressive resumé.
  Listen: Spotify
• Orange Goblin — Science, Not Fiction
  If you're looking for a nice big slab of loud-as-hell, fuzzed-out stoner metal, then look no further. The riffs are so good, I'm even willing to overlook the dumbass anti-vax message in "False Hope Diet."
  Listen: Spotify
• Frail Body — Artificial Bouquet
  Violent, discordant post-hardcore exactly the way I like it: loud and featuring a prominent bass guitar in the mix. This record does not feel like it is 40 minutes in length.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Suicide Boys — New World Depression
  While this record is anything but a departure from the group's established sound, there is some maturity in the song writing; they finally broke the 3-minute mark with standout track "Burgundy" and the rest of the album delivers the expected dose of brooding southern rap with hints of Bone Thugs-esque vocal harmonies.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• JPEGMAFIA — I Lay Down My Life For You
  Easily one of the most creative forces in the hip-hop world today, 'Peggy is back after a successful collaboration with Danny Brown in Scaring the Hoes and continues to be an innovator in his field. Frenetic beats and live drums paired with guest appearances from the likes of Denzel Curry and Vince Staples hit the mark squarely.
  Listen: Spotify
• Extinction AD — To The Detested
  Following their Ruthless Intent EP with a new full-length, Extinction AD have a worthy successor to Culture of Violence, one of my favourite albums of 2022.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Dark Tranquility — Endtime Signals
  Not sure where to rank it, the band reached perfection with Character in 2004. My initial lack of enthusiasm might have something to do with YouTube butchering metal tracks with their compression algorithm.
  Listen: Spotify
• Nile — The Underworld Awaits Us All
  Karl Sanders and co. are back with another album packed full of riffs and song titles so long they probably make post-rock bands envious.
  Listen: Spotify
• Wintersun — Time II
  The long, long awaited follow-up to the band's cult classic Time I. Well worth the build-up; a series of massive compositions that are sure to put any serious stereo setup through its paces.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Nails — Every Bridge Burning
  Although not formally labelled an EP, this record is just under 18 minutes in length. It's a raging good time, but it's exceedingly short given the 8 years since their last record.
  Listen: Spotify
• Tycho — Infinite Health
  An electronic artist I kind of forgot about after his Awake album — one of my favourite albums period. I have no idea what he was up to in the intervening years, but this new album picks up where we left off and I'm loving it.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Fleshgod Apocalypse — Opera
  Symphonic death metal that perfectly blends soaring strings and soulful female vocals with abject brutality and guttural roars. A perfect 43-minute running time and zero filler.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Vitriol — Suffer & Become
  Indescribably punishing and equally technical black / death metal. At times the guitar tones remind me of Emperor and Zyklon, which is never a bad thing. Tremendous live act, great album.
  Listen: Spotify
• 1349 — The Wolf and the King
  Straight up no-frills black metal from the frozen depths of Norway.
  Listen: Spotify
• The Black Dahlia Murder — Servitude
  The band's first album since the death of vocalist Trevor Strnad. It's taking a bit to get used to slightly different vocals, but the band can still write devastating and catchy riffs.
  Listen: Spotify
• Sumac — The Healer
  A massive slab of sludgey doom metal. Tracks heavier than a hundred tonnes of metal, running either ~12 or ~25 minutes in length.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Cosmic Putrefaction — Emerald Fires Atop the Farewell Mountains
  Somehow these death metal records keep getting more and more intense. Cosmic Putrefaction drop a 43-minute collection of 7 utterly devastating songs that don't feel anywhere near their actual length.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Godspeed You! Black Emperor — NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD
  Canadian post-rock heavyweights return with a beautiful record whose title not-so-subtly alludes to the ongoing genocide being committed in Gaza.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Undeath — More Insane
  Algorithms seemingly conspired to ensure I heard this band, and I can honestly say I am glad. I really like this band; it's like Cannibal Corpse appreciated groove a lot more and also dabbled in black metal.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Ingurgitating Oblivion — Ontology of Naught
  This is a vast, genre-defying record with deep roots in technical death metal. One of the most sonically dense, unique records I've heard all year. Multiple listens are needed to really parse all of the insanity contained in this 73-minute epic.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Blood Incantation — Absolute Elsewhere
  It feels lazy to say Blood Incantation are death metal's Pink Floyd, but then they go and release a tremendous conceptual record like this, complete with psychadelic synth interludes and interwoven sonic textures. This could very well be my favourite release of the year.
  Listen: Spotify
• Chat Pile — Cool World
  This noise-rock outfit has been garnering a lot of press and this record delivers on the hype. Weird, catchy and heavy as a bag of hammers.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• The Crown — Crown of Thorns
  With guitarist Marcus Sunesson returning to the band, we've got 10 new tracks (and 3 bonus cuts) of ferocious death thrash from these 30-year veterans.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Living Gate — Suffer As One
  Crushing, riff-heavy death metal from members of Yob, Wiegedood and others. This release came out of nowhere and impresses me more with each listen.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Fit For An Autopsy — The Nothing That Is
  I've always been a fan of this band's blend of technical and melodic metal, but this year's release really nails their sound perfectly. Where the last full-length felt a little sterile, this new collection of tunes hits harder and the sparing use of clean vocals have their maximum effect.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Replicant — Infinite Mortality
  High-quality death metal courtesy of this New Jersey 4-piece. Clean production, brutal riffs - what more could one ask for? They were also my first purchase on Bandcamp alternative Ampwall.
  Listen: Ampwall
• Ka — The Thief Next to Jesus
  The final release from underground legend, Ka following his sudden death at the beginning of October. You're not going to find any club bangers on here, just densely packed lyrics and metaphors.
  Listen: Spotify
• Elucid — Revelator
  A really intriguing abstract hip-hop record. Another record on this list that is eschewing an attempt at top 40 placement to experiment and do its own thing.
  Listen: Spotify
• Mork — Syv
  The brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Thomas Eriksen, this album blends old school black metal atmosphere with a touch of melody and proper audio production.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Disembodied Tyrant x Synestia — The Poetic Edda
  Symphonic deathcore in the vein of Lorna Shore. This EP is ridiculously heavy, mixing elements of shred / neoclassical and all the usual sub drops and breakdowns one would expect. A concise, banger of an EP, although it's difficult to differentiate this collaboration from both bands' solo efforts.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Leprous — Melodies of Atonement
  This band used to be a lot heavier, so their more recent material's power-prog leanings came as quite a shock. Still, a very engaging band with a really slick, well-composed metal record.
  Listen: Spotify
• Oxygen Destroyer — Guardian of the Universe
  Were it not for someone else pointing out this record, I would have skipped right over the name that seems almost AI-generated. It's actually a reference to a weapon that killed Godzilla in the 1954 movie, and this record is a really tight 33 minutes of death / thrash metal.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Hulder — Verses in Oath
  Meat and potatoes modern black metal, right down to the windy, frostbitten intro track. Clean, but not too clean production, synths and the occasional choir section elevate this above the hundreds of other one-man black metal projects.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Hekseblad — Kaer Morhen
  There are, generally, two kinds of black metal: virtuosos leveraging the most modern gear and production techniques and bands that max-out the recording budget at a single microphone laying in a metal trashcan. Hekseblad compromise, although they're closer to the low-fi side while still managing to convey a sense of melody at times.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• They Came From Visions — The Twilight Robes
  When it started off with blowing wind and the sound of a blacksmith hammering away, I expected another raw, noisey black metal project with zero budget. Instead, I was impressed with the folk / medieval influences blended with the traditional black metal fare.
  Listen:
• My Dying Bride — A Mortal Binding
  I had initially forgotten this album came out as the band imploded and went on indefinite hiatus before their live touring cycle began. At least we got another full-length album of exquisite death / doom metal out of the band before they got sick of eachother.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Worm Shepherd — Hunger
  This prolific deathcore two-piece continues their run of strong album releases. The symphonic elements sound more detailed and well integrated with brutally downtuned riffs and sick grooves. Initial gut reaction tells me this is their best work to date.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Vomit Forth — Terrified of God
  Nasty gore-themed death band that I recently became aware of thanks to local live show listings. I figured there was a low chance a band with a name like that is going to let me down and I was not disappointed. Sharp, crunchy production highlights some really polished death metal.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Full of Hell x Andrew Nolan — Scraping the Divine
  A surprise second release from Full of Hell this year. This project leans more in the noise rock direction, but still retains a lot of familiar sonic elements and Dylan Walker's vocals. "Irradiated Sand" has strong Death Grips vibes which means I can't help but like this.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Spectral Wound — Songs of Blood and Mire
  I don't know what "aristocratic depressive black metal" is, but this album delivers a quality black metal experience with adequate production and some epic riffs.
  Listen: Bandcamp
• Opeth — The Last Will and Testament
  I have not paid much attention to Opeth since the early 2000s, and their prog metal dalliances didn't resonate much at the time. That's all changed after this powerful acknowledgment of their roots without abandoning years of evolution in their sound. A masterpiece.
  Listen: Spotify
• Panzerfaust — The Suns of Perdition - Chapter IV: To Shadow Zion
  The fourth installment in the band's World War 1 themed tetrology, distilling the band's intense live experience into a really engaging record.
  Listen: Bandcamp

—by Derek

Published: August 13th, 2024.
Updated: November 22nd, 2024.