2024 Albums of the Year

Another year is in the books, and it's been another embarrassment of riches for music fans. While my personal preferences are heavily biased towards metal, this list is not exclusively limited to the genre. The vast majority of the music taken into consideration for this year's list can be found here.

I've broken things down into 3 unranked categories: full-length albums, EPs of note and honourable mentions. I did not bother with any negative reviews or categories, not to say there isn't a lot of bad music out there, but I didn't invest significant time into documenting it this year.

Full-Length Albums

In order to qualify as a full-length album for my purposes, the release has to be a minimum of 22 minutes — or one whole side of a vinyl record. Aside from that, I don't care if it was released on a major label, an underground label or if it was completely self-released. As long as it was generally available, and not some cassette-only release sold in a limited number of handmade wooden boxes.

Blood Incantation — Absolute Elsewhere

Since I already rambled at length about this record in my review of it, I'll keep things a little bit brief and try to avoid completely repeating myself. Ever since I first encountered Blood Incantation, I have been enthralled with their music and the general aesthetic they've cultivated. I thoroughly enjoyed Hidden History of the Human Race and Timewave Zero for drastically different reasons, while Absolute Elsewhere progresses the band's sound even further as a synthesis of the two. I don't rank albums but, if I did, this would easily sit above the rest. My most anticipated release of the year delivered an experience well beyond my wildest expectations. This is a masterpiece from one of death metal's most intriguing up-and-coming bands.

» Listen

Judas Priest — Invincible Shield

Another album I have already rambled about at length; I'm genuinely surprised at the longevity this record has had in my regular rotation. I have had a healthy respect for Judas Priest for nearly two decades, but I've never been much of an active listener. Invincible Shield was a game-changer in that regard, and has prompted me to take another look at the band's back catalogue again. Rob Halford sounds as good as ever, the band is firing on all cylinders and the production keeps everything sounding like a classic metal record, just recorded with better mics. Whether or not you really can teach an old dog new tricks is irrelevant when it's still very good at the ones it already knows.

» Listen

Worm Shepherd — Hunger

A few years ago, I ended up developing a taste for deathcore bands — especially ones with a penchant for symphonic elements. Ritual Hymns, specifically its title track, instantly made me a fan of Worm Shepherd back in 2022 and I have enjoyed their prolific output since. Despite an ever-shrinking roster, the band has released at least an album a year, culminating in this year's late arrival, Hunger. The strings and synths are richer and fuller, while the riffs and breakdowns remain as punishing and abundant as ever. The band's homage to — and liberal borrowing from — Meshuggah's iconic song "Bleed," for the title track, is such a groovy headbanger, worth the price of admission alone. Deathcore often produces caricatures of itself and Worm Shepherd seem to lean into that: if you've ever wondered what a horde of feral pigs stampeding through a symphonic death metal performance might sound like, you are in luck!

» Listen

Apes — Penitence

I had a lot of grindcore-influenced records to choose from this year, but almost none of them met the running time requirements I set for full-length albums. Luckily for me, Apes managed to just make the cut with 24-minutes of blackened deathgrind, scratching much the same itch as bands like Full of Hell and Nails while also delivering a reasonable running time. Penitence is a furious record, but the material gives you enough time to settle in and maybe even hear a riff or two get repeated a few times. This album was also good enough to ease the memory of Apes bailing on a show last year, at the very last minute. (Not that I'm the kind of guy to be bitter about finding this out right before the last band played, at a venue I don't like that capped everything off by serving me a flat, disgusting beer. No, you must be thinking of some other guy named Derek.)

» Listen

Civerous — Maze Envy

This record came out of nowhere but made a very big impact early in the year. Sometimes hype is the result of industry machinations, or is otherwise undeserved but this is absolutely not the case here. Civerous crafted an exceptional doom / death metal record, complete with one of the most powerful and affecting engineering jobs I've heard on a modern record. The guitars and vocals are incredibly loud and thick, but the mix leaves plenty of room for the rhythm section as well as the frequent piano and string passages that dot the album. This album checks all the boxes for me: incomprehensibly heavy, illegible logo, nuanced song-writing, and a weird narrative — in this case, about a bizarre fixation on a maze.

» Listen

Opeth — The Last Will and Testament

While I rate Opeth very highly, and loved Mikael Åkerfeldt's work with Bloodbath and the Roadrunner United project, I honestly have not followed his main band since they released Deliverance and Damnation in 2003. The band's prog rock experimentation did not draw me in. I can't even critique it, I just haven't been interested enough to give it any attention. The only reason I checked out The Last Will and Testament was due to the copious media attention paid to Åkerfeldt adding harsh vocals to the band's music again. After hearing the album, I was so thoroughly impressed that I will have to revisit all the albums I missed because this album seems to fuse everything I loved about the Blackwater Park era with the type of growth and variance I love to see in long running bands. Whereas Blood Incantation released a death metal record with prog elements, I feel like Opeth took the opposite tact: they made a prog rock record with death metal elements. Both albums are astonishingly good and worlds apart.

» Listen

Undeath — More Insane

Every now and then "the algorithm" suggests something I actually like, in this case Undeath. After seeing recommendations on several platforms, in addition to completely unsolicited recommendations from people I know, I had to check them out. The laziest way to describe this band is if Cannibal Corpse opted to write somewhat catchier songs and eschew the overt technicality. Don't get me wrong, these guys can play, they're just not flauting it quite as much. More Insane blends the brutality of death metal standards with the sing-along quality and groove of thrash metal. This is the sort of album I will hit 'play' on again, right after it finishes the first spin.

» Listen

$uicide Boy$ — New World Depression

I only came upon this rap duo earlier this year. I was stunned to find out they have been extremely prolific for the last decade, often dropping multiple EPs and full-length albums in a single year. Their material is very narrowly focused: songs about getting absolutely messed up on drugs and / or self-harm and suicide. If nothing else, there are no pulled punches or surprises. While New World Depression breaks no new ground for these Atlanta rappers, the record is their tightest collection of material yet and demonstrates growth within their narrow niche. This is everything these guys do well, made all the better by the inclusion of "Burgundy" — one of my absolute favourite songs of the year with its rumbling bass and sociopathic delivery.

» Listen

JPEGMAFIA — I Lay Down My Life For You

JPEGMAFIA is an artist who I tend to enjoy more in concept than in practice. Even when I don't particularly like what 'Peggy is doing, I'm always happy to see someone so resolutely doing their own thing. It wasn't until his collaboration with Danny Brown, on Scaring the Hoes, that I really felt his style clicked with me. That he managed to do this on a record that features a rapper whose voice I can barely tolerate, well... that only adds to his intrigue I suppose. I Lay Down My Life For You keeps things gritty and weird while containing enough hooks to hold my interest. The distorted guitar and live drum samples mesh perfectly with Peggy's sometimes frantic delivery, hitting on many of the elements that made Death Grips one of my all-time favourites. An album like this is even more refreshing when contrasted with a rap scene that has become saturated with sparse, minimalist beats.

» Listen

Wintersun — Time II

This is one of those albums that I thought may never end up seeing a release. The predecessor, Time I ended up taking 6 years to see the light of day, while the sequel was long-delayed, and embroiled in a crowdfunding situation that I won't re-litigate here. (For what it's worth, I really liked The Forest Seasons and gave it a positive review.) While there is a tendency for long-delayed projects to produce disappointing results, a Chinese Democracy scenario was avoided here. In fact, Time II perfectly lived up to my expectations. The songwriting is classic Wintersun, made even more grandiose by engineering and production so massive and layered that Jari Mäenpää's years-long claims of technological setbacks seem much more believable now. Long instrumental runs, extravagant solos, harsh black metal vocals and soaring clean singing — everything you would expect from a Wintersun record but with a decade-plus of polish and refinement. Considering how Time II makes its predecessors sound like budget demos recorded in a closet, it's no wonder those efforts have been remixed and remastered as well.

» Listen

Chat Pile — Cool World

The illegible logo got my attention, but the thick, churning basslines at the forefront of each song got my interest. For a band that I would not classify as nu metal, Chat Pile borrows more from the genre than almost any other band I've heard in the past few years. The upfront, commanding bass presence in the material evokes Korn and Mudvayne, as the low-end anchors each song but rises above the nearly atonal plunkety-plunk of Fieldy's playing. The guitars and vocals add an additional layer of menace to these midtempo dirges, hinting at melacholic melody before resuming the sonic beatdown. Chat Pile give me the impression that their potential for success is effectively limitless.

» Listen

Vince Staples — Dark Times

Due to my primary fixation on metal and its hundreds of sub-genres, a lot of great rap records end up not getting much attention. That said, I will always make time for a new Vince Staples album, as the man's discography is nearly flawless. Dark Times continues Vince's evolution as a storyteller and artist, furthering his departure from the gangster-centric material of his early and mid-career. Songs like "Étoufé" and "Little Homie" stand out as some of the catchier tracks — and ended up stuck in my head all summer — but the whole record is full of introspective gems with slick, complementary instrumentals.

» Listen

Living Gate — Suffer as One

The debut full-length from an underground 'supergroup' consisting of members of Yob, Wiegedood, Amenra and Oathbreaker hits like a ton of bricks. This is one of the few times "the algorithm" actually recommended something both good and previously unknown to me. Suffer as One is no-frills death metal with modern sensibilities; the production is both massive and extremely clean, so the sick riffs and discordant backing instrumentation all get an opportunity to shine. Ten songs and a brief instrumental interlude comprise a tight 40 minutes of elite death metal. Everything from the tone selection to the creative song writing grabbed my attention; a standout album in a year overstuffed with great death metal records.

» Listen

Darkest Hour — Perpetual Terminal

Darkest Hour is one of those band that I didn't give enough respect when they first broke out. I remember dismissively reviewing some of their early work and paying little-to-no attention to the band after ~2005. As time has passed and my tastes have matured, I've come to appreciate the band for what they are. Their At The Gates influences are unmistakable — with frontman John Henry even sporting a Slaughter of the Soul shirt when I saw them live this year — but their sound is so much more nuanced than that. Perpetual Terminal did a lot to elevate my opinion of Darkest Hour, from simply being "good" to a band I will be seeing live for the second time in as many years. The fusion of melody and groovy death / thrash riffs on this record is impressive, and "A Prayer to the Holy Death" is easily one of the band's best songs to date.

» Listen

EPs of Note

I don't always do a separate category for EPs, but this year was so abundant with quality albums that there were more than enough to merit the distinction between full-lengths and these shorter offerings.

Salem Trials — Rot

My first exposure to Salem Trials was seeing them headline a show that I only attended to see Extinction AD. I was instantly hooked by the groove-heavy brand of deathcore the band had on offer. I awaited the release of this EP with baited breath and even availed myself of the opportunity to see them live a second time. Rot is the band's third EP and showcases them reaching a new level of maturity in their songwriting and production. With so many deathcore bands opting to go the symphonic route, it's nice to get some genre staples done really, really well. Hopefully we will get a full-length effort at some point.

» Listen

Extinction AD — Ruthless Intent

This has been a busy year for the band, as they not only released this EP but also an excellent full-length effort in To The Detested. Both albums were great, but I ended up spending more time with this EP. "Prodigal Scum" is not only a truly great song title but it's got an opening riff that has been stuck in my head long enough that I should probably start thinking about charging rent. Ever since I found Extinction AD via their 2022 release, Culture of Violence, I have been a huge fan of the band and their blend of thrashy, hardcore metal. This band remains criminally underrated, both in the studio and tearing up the live stage.

» Listen

Aseitas — Eden Trough

I have to thank Metal Music Theory for highlighting this incredible EP in his own year-end list. Aseitas bring an incredible array of metal sub-genres together in this EP that runs just shy of 30 minutes. Every flavour of extreme metal is represented with breaktaking technicality and really clever songwriting; the ebb and flow of the album is truly impressive, with the 10-minute "Tiamat" veering into acoustic territory and demonstrating the band is just as adept at crafting beautiful melodies as they are devastating off-time riffs.

» Listen

Agriculture — Living is Easy

The American black metal scene saw a huge explosion in popularity over the past 10 years, although that has started to slow. Agriculture didn't get the memo, however, as they quickly followed-up last year's self-titled full-length — which drew widespread critical acclaim — with a tight 15-minute EP. This album reminds me of my favourite elements of Deafheaven: blending bright, beautiful riffs with harsh and strained vocals. (I'm glad someone is filling that void, since Deafheaven seemingly opted to become a nondescript shoegaze band.)

» Listen

Honourable Mentions

Last but not least, we have the records that caught my interest but not enough to get a slot in the main list.

Indricothere — Extruded Nonlocality Immersion

Colin Marston has been responsible for a lot of my favourite music —in both the role of composer and producer — over the past decade. Ever since his main band, Krallice, started incorporating an ever increasing amount of synths in their genre-defying metal experiments, I've been intrigued by this side-project of his. When I saw the running time for this album — a slim, trim 14 hours — I simply had to pick it up. At $7, that's less-than 50 cents an hour; you can fill your hard drive up and disassociate while a medley of vintage synthesizers drones off into infinity. I dare you to find a better value!

» Listen

Ka — The Thief Next to Jesus

I will profess that I had never listened to Ka's work until after his sudden passing in early October. He was a name that got thrown around by many influential rappers, but I never got around to giving him a look. I really enjoyed what would end up being his final release, although I would be lying if I included it among my top albums. I appreciated the cleverness and wordplay in the man's rhymes, and was inspired to check out his other releases as well. Ka is the sort of artist that I absolutely respect for his dedication to following his own creative path and ability to tell a story with his music. Keeping this off the full-length list is mostly Ka's limited variety in his flow; at times it feels like a spoken word album that happens to have an instrumental record playing in the background.

» Listen

Nails — Every Bridge Burning

In all honesty, this album would be listed with the other full-length records, but it's less-than 18 minutes long! If you can fit your entire release on one side of a 12" vinyl LP, and still have room for more songs, that's a problem. Every Bridge Burning disqualifies itself solely due to the brief running time, as the music itself absolutely rips. Ten tracks of exactly the sort of menacing, abrassively loud deathgrind mixed with hardcore that we've come to expect from Nails — there just isn't enough of it. Maybe it's part of the anti-social leanings of the record itself, taunting us after waiting 8 years for the follow-up to You Will Never Be One of Us, I don't know...

» Listen

Charli XCX — brat

In spite of my preference for aggressive, violent music, I also have a soft spot for well-crafted pop bangers. Charli XCX has always been a reliable source of the type of pop songs I like, even if I have mixed opinions on her last two records. Brat gets everything back on track, although two issues really hurt what would have otherwise been a guaranteed AOTY-quality release. "I Might Say Something Stupid" is extremely irritating, and there are a small number of instances where the AutoTune and studio processing are excessive. That, however, is less of a concern than Charli's decision to enter the political arena (sort of). Celebrity endorsements don't normally bother me, but trying to force the "brat summer" meme into an excruciating election really hit a sour note with me. The reality of Democratic Party staffers referring to noted war criminal and slime incarnate, Dick Cheney touring around the United States with Bernie Sanders as "brat" was nauseating and utterly disqualifying. The album's still damn good ("B2b" is easily one of her catchiest songs), so it's very unfortunate that I now link it with the mishandled presidential campaign of a vacuous genocide enabler.

» Listen

Denzel Curry — King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2

I had a very mixed reaction to this album after my first listen. You're never going to convince me that we need to do skits in on an album in the 2020s — and I don't care how brief they are. Still, Denzel Curry is my favourite modern rapper; I gave this record a few more listens and it really began to grow on me. This is a much simpler set of tracks, both in terms of production and lyrical content, than past efforts but it's gritty and very catchy. In most instances, a new Denzel Curry record is an auto-include on the AOTY list, but this one didn't quite hook me enough. I can appreciate what Curry went for here — and how forthright he is about 'dumbing things down' — but I have to rate it below each of his previous albums.

» Listen

Wrap up

And that concludes my round-up of this year's best releases. Anything released after the tail-end of November either got missed or did not have enough time to make an impact on me. So, if you're shocked the new Ulver record didn't make an appearance, maybe stay tuned for next year's list... Or not; who knows!

If you feel there were any errors or omissions, I can assure you that you are mistaken. However, I'm always keen for more music recommendations, so if you have any suggestions that did not appear in this article, or the lengthy list of AOTY contenders, then check the About page for my contact details and let me know.

—by Derek

Published: December 27th, 2024.