Metalcatto
There’s no question that this has been an amazing year for Death Metal. Specifically, it’s been the year when Disso-Death totally took over. Though there were lots of enjoyable old-school albums, the level shown by the biggest innovators just couldn’t be matched. I know what you’re thinking looking at this list: “Where’s Pyrrhon? Where’s Blood Incantation?” To which I say, wait until tomorrow and the day after tomorrow! Today, we stick to the more death-focused material. It’s time for the best of the best!
6. Hell:On – Shaman
I wanted to talk about Shaman because I suspect that it hasn’t had the love it deserves. An album that, in the sea of dirty and dissonant Death Metal, decided to take almost a Folk approach to its music—and wow! It’s so interesting! Hell:On has been at it for a while, but only now has its strange, brutal, and mysterious ritual music caught my attention. It’s nasty but, at the same time, wraps you in an atmosphere so dense that you feel like you’re in a trance. If anything, Shaman is Death Metal’s response to The Ruins of Beverast‘s Exuvia. You can’t help but get lost in.
5. Mitochondrion – Vitriseptome
Vitriseptome isn’t for the faint of heart! It’s neither the most accessible album out there. It’s a long and decadent quest through everything that makes us fascinated about Death Metal. Obviously, it’s heavier than a black hole, but what I found great here is that Mitochondrion explores everything it can. There are moments of violence, darkness, horror, peace, and experimentation. Honestly, if the band had gone into weirder places by just a nudge, I’d be putting this album in the Avant-Garde top that’s coming up soon. You won’t process this thing in one go, maybe not in two, but if you keep working through it, you’ll be rewarded.
4. Devenial Verdict – Blessing of Despair
A band that already made waves with its debut continues to explore Disso-Death in a way no other band does. It’s harrowing how Devenial Verdict can mix the most disharmonious themes with the feeling of sitting alone in the dark. Blessing of Despair has a constant interplay between the calm and the storm. The album has taken some of the most common tropes of the genre and twisted them so much that it all feels fresh. Devenial Verdict is interesting at any speed or intensity, and in this album, the band shows so much control over its craft. You should get to it already!
3. Wormed – Omegon
There have been a lot of competent Brutal Death Metal albums this year (looking at you, Defeated Sanity), but I wanted to pick the one that felt like it took things beyond in a style that can feel all too overplayed sometimes. It’s evident that Omegon is a merciless work of art that just pummels you out of existence from beginning to end. Yet, it offers more than that: it has a story (yes, it’s hard to believe, I know), and the way it combines its ridiculous musicianship with excellent songwriting needs to be acknowledged. At first, I wasn’t fully on board with Omegon, but with time, it convinced me violently!
2. Replicant – Infinite Mortality
It took a while for any album to come close to how Infinite Mortality made me feel. I’d like to call it a symphony of the grotesque. In this album, Replicant takes everything great from its debut and pushes it to the most ambitious levels. This is the album that makes Disso-Death sound so unrelenting, so disgusting, that whether you love or hate the style, you’re just in awe of the sheer level of obscenity it can display. Infinite Mortality feels like it has not a single note in key, and yet it crushes you in all the right ways. Plus, it feels like one single track, that’s always a plus in my book!
1. Ulcerate – Cutting the Throat of God
Despite having so many excellent albums to choose from, my number one was never really in danger once Ulcerate dropped Cutting the Throat of God (the most Metal album title of 2024, hands down). There will be eternal debates about whether this album beats Stare into Death and Be Still, but what can’t be denied is that Ulcerate takes Disso-Death and Tech-Death to new places every time. In a genre that tends to feel cold, Cutting is emotionally deep, vulnerable, and visceral, while still being one of the most brutal and subversive listens out there. Ulcerate has been murdering Death Metal for years, but now it’s decided to rebuild it in its image and resemblance.
That’s it! That’s the top many of you were waiting for. I won’t make this long. Just let me know what your favorites were and stay tuned for my last two tops of 2024.
Metal Eclipse Reviews 