Stargazer Scholar
While I would insist that some aspects of music are quantifiable and (oh! the horror) objective, art is not a competition, and the massive undertaking of compiling a year-end list should be all about fun and discovering new bands together. Right?
Right…
It seems I can turn even the most fun affair into a binge of overthinking. Sifting through all the wonderful records that made my 2024 a little more bearable was a bittersweet endeavor, since I knew that only 10 could remain in the end. The fact that a considerable chunk of my year was devoured by old favorites (which included a still-ongoing Bowie phase) didn’t help either. What with me being a responsible reviewer, I spent the entire December revisiting all the recent releases I had shortlisted and trying to redefine my relationship with them. I am a staunch defender of giving albums multiple chances, and many a slow burner managed to regain my affections after an impressive number of listens. So, let’s proceed—but allow me to drop a few honorable mentions first.
The bigger names had a terrific 2024, as Judas Priest showed that Firepower wasn’t just a late-career fluke and hit another home run with Invincible Shield, Bruce Dickinson outshined his main band with the exciting The Mandrake Project (those two closing tracks are spectacular), Ihsahn created an intricate and beautifully deranged tapestry, and Necrophobic delivered another scorcher with In The Twilight Grey. Deeper underground, Black Metal enjoyed a strong year as Firtan continued to walk the fine line between catharsis and unease, Weltenbrandt offered a dark romantic journey, and Walg showed us once again how Symphonic Black Metal is done in the 21st century.
Finally, I was almost physically tormented by having to omit the majestic Borknagar, the monolithic Modern Rites, and the exquisite concoction of Doom, Black, Folk, and Psych brewed by The Flight Of Sleipnir. I’m sorry, guys.
On to the list itself.
First, the most honorable of the honorable mentions:
Aara – Eiger (Debemur Morti)
Aara has always been a favorite of mine, and the new record sees the band on a path to reinvention, as the reinforced Metal segments find their counterpart in beautiful acoustic guitars. These purveyors of everything baroque almost made it to the list, but the album’s recent release date didn’t allow me to spend enough time with this hour-long leviathan to make a fully conscious decision. So here Aara stops for now, on the very precipice of my list. (See what I did there?)
10. Whoredom Rife – Den Vrede Makt (Terratur Possessions)
Whoredom Rife is phenomenal. The band achieves depth and replay value without doing anything complex. The melancholic streak that underlies its ferocity is now more prominent than ever before, and melody reigns supreme. If someone asks you what Black Metal is all about, refer them to the Norwegian duo.
9. Oranssi Pazuzu – Muuntautuja (Nuclear Blast)
The Finnish conjurers of deranged Black psychedelia strike again. The electronic flourishes and jazzy rhythmic and piano explorations add an extra dimension to an already multidimensional band, and that’s exactly what we needed. The sweet disquiet of their magic will draw you in again and again, as Muuntautuja keeps revealing new facets with every revisit.
8. Cantique Lépreux – Le Bannissement (Eisenwald)
Poignantly breathtaking guitar orchestration (to call it anything else would be an understatement) and intense elegance with unmistakable Blut Aus Nord influence (think the melodic atmospheric polyphonic Memoria Vetusta BAN) shake up the habitual AtmoBlack formula and make this record a standout. The true magic of Le Bannissement only reveals itself after a few attentive listens, but the effort will be repaid a thousandfold.
7. Deception – Daenacteh (Mighty Music)
Alternating between belligerent sandstorms and Arabian fairytales, Norway’s Deception delivered a bombastic slab of symphonic Progressive MeloDeath. Crushingly heavy yet somehow airy at the same time, Daenacteh is a masterclass in dynamic songwriting and gripping atmospherics, and the epic closer, “Daughters of the Desert”, alone is worth the price of admission. Too bad so very few people are talking about the band. Let us not be like them.
6. Silhouette – Les Dires De L’âme (Antiq Records)
It would be easy to describe these French enchanters as a mix of Sylvaine and Regarde Les Hommes Tomber with a hefty pinch of Dead Can Dance, but Silhouette‘s sophomore effort offers so much more than the mere sum of its parts. Mesmerizing, bewitching, entrancing. A compelling, ritualistic plunge into the uttermost twilight. The Black Metal shrieks are very convincing, but it’s the clean vocals and melodies of the magnificent Ondine that truly take the album to the next level.
5. Crypt Sermon – Stygian Rose (Dark Descent)
Adding stylistic diversity and imagination to the stale Epic Doom genre is already quite a feat that needs to be celebrated. Despite coming dangerously close to quoting Candlemass on the opener, the band delivers a self-sufficient grimoire of poetic, adventurous, and high-energy Heavy Metal that was a pleasure to return to throughout the year. Gorgeous guitar solos, textured instrumentation with atmospheric keys, powerful raspy vocals, and riveting romantic lyrics come together in a highly addictive album.
4. Vredehammer – God Slayer (Indie Recordings)
An instant favorite of mine that courageously withstood multiple re-examinations without losing its proud sheen, this fourth offering by the Norwegian Black/Death phenomenon is brimful of attitude and bite. Riffs for days! If you thought that Black Metal and groove don’t belong in the same sentence, think again.
3. Ulcerate – Cutting The Throat Of God (Debemur Morti)
These New Zealanders have always been fearless in their exploration of Technical Avant-garde Death Metal, and it is only natural that their current iteration is oozing even more melody and yearning than ever before. Yet it is still undeniably Ulcerate. The slithering tectonic grace of those riffs may not be as heavily dissonant as the band’s past creations, but it is still just as crushing and cathartic. Ulcerate is unique and breathtaking.
2. Chapel Of Disease – Echoes Of Light (Van Records)
The runner-up… An album that hasn’t relaxed its grip on me despite its early release date. A disappointment to a few fans who wanted the band to remain true to its Death Metal roots, but a delight to some others, including yours truly. Instead of continuing to sound like an extreme Metal band with Progressive Rock elements, Chapel Of Disease is now a hard-rocking combo with extreme leanings, and I refuse to see it as a downgrade. Kings of satisfying build-ups and fiery emotional guitar solos, Chapel Of Disease delivered my second favorite record of 2024. By the way, if you don’t go crazy to “Selenophile”, we can’t be friends. (OK, I’m just kidding.)
1. Iotunn – Kinship (Metal Blade)
I have a lot to say about this band, yet I’ve been barely able to scratch the surface in my full review here at MER. So don’t expect the succinct format of this list to render me eloquent. Just listen to Kinship if you still haven’t. And if you have—listen to it again. Let the music speak for itself. Let the best singer in the game take you to the magnificent Mistland of Prog. And marvel at Iotunn and the power of its imagination.
Metal Eclipse Reviews 