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The Unsung and Unstoppable: 2024’s Metal Revelations

It’s time to talk about those bands and albums that ended up in my inbox, coming from the depths of the internet. These are bands that, with talent, sweat, and humility, have worked hard to surprise listeners this year. I truly hope they keep growing to gather the cult following they deserve. Some of these bands are just debuting or don’t even have a promoter—an injustice that needs to change as soon as possible. So here they are, in no specific order because they all deserve your attention: the revelations of the year.

Pillar of Light – Caldera

Pegah

“Man is wolf to man. Who in the face of all his experience of life and of history, will have the courage to dispute this assertion?“

– Sigmund Freud

Pillar of Light’s debut album, Caldera, weaves a rich tapestry of themes through its Post-Metal and Sludge Doom Metal lens. The album’s title and cover imagery suggest a potent exploration of destruction and renewal, evoking transformation both in the world and within the human spirit. The interplay between light and darkness—embodied by the stark, illuminated gate set against a shadowy background—serves as a metaphor for hope versus despair, life versus death, and the dualities that shape our existence.

Kir – L’appel du Vide

Polish Black Metal has already established itself as its own school of thought in our small community. It’s hard to define it precisely. However, the sound of human decadence is the first thing that comes to mind. Kir is trying to portray that, but from an urban perspective in L’appel du Vide. You’d think that with such a title, this would be a mellow Post-Rock album, but no—this is as dirty as it gets. Still, it would be good to know more about the quality of the work itself, right? Stick around, kid.

Mörk Gryning – Fasornas Tid

If Disso-Death has taken over Death Metal this year, I think it’s fair to say that MeloBlack is becoming the new meta within Black Metal. More and more bands are jumping on the sad but angry bandwagon that Dissection pioneered so long ago. Enter Mörk Gryning, a project that has been away for a while but promises to continue this newly rediscovered tradition. With Fasornas Tid, the band promises to stick to what it’s done but also adapt to these enigmatic times. Will it manage to stay on the bandwagon? Let’s find out.

Adamantra – Act III: Pareidolia of Depravity

Elyna Kahn

Are you familiar with the words “Pareidolia” and “Depravity”? Pareidolia refers to a psychological phenomenon where the human mind perceives faces in random images, lights, and shadows. A good example is the classic emoji, known worldwide due to social media. When keyboard characters combine, we see a face expressing a specific emotion, though it is merely signs arranged in a certain manner. We attribute that combination of signs to a particular facial expression and emotion.

Svarttjern – Draw Blood

Stargazer Scholar

Let us play a little game, shall we? I’m going to name a subgenre of Metal and you will quickly come up with three associations it evokes. Ready? Just promise not to overthink it, OK? Great, I knew I could count on you!

And our genre is… ‘Black Metal!’

True kvlt -In God’s Way, Vrag, Foretold, Magefa & Dark Shadow

Hi there! This is going to be a short introduction. We’ve got way too many EPs and singles from you to discuss this week, and I don’t want to waste precious time. We have bands from all over the Metal spectrum—Death, Black, Doom, even a Symphonic band. You can’t complain there’s no representation at MER. Let’s go!

Panzerchrist – Maleficium Part I

It’s time to return to no-nonsense, unapologetic Black Metal that can tear us a new one any day of the week. So, I bring you Panzerchrist (ask the AI to draw this name, please!) and its new album Maleficium Part I, which promises a level of fury and hysteria that many of you have been missing. You know Black Metal these days—it can get a bit complicated. Don’t you miss some meat and potatoes? Well, I think that’s what we’ve got here—or maybe not? It’s time to find out. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you about this album’s approach.

Remade, Reworked, Resurrected: The Best Metal Re-releases of 2024

It’s that time of the year when you, me, and every Metalhead feel this irrational urge to declare certain random works of art better than others. It’s a depressing attempt to find identity and meaning through the cultural products we consume (enjoy capitalism, kiddo!). This year, we’ve had some interesting “remakes”, and I have, as any benevolent tyrant would, decided to share my favorites with you. It’s not exactly a ranking, but I’m placing them from “Oh, that’s a lovely change” to “Wow! This album went from sounding like chimp noises to La Traviata“. Extreme? Yes, that’s the name of the game. So, without further ado, here are my favorite re-whatevers of 2024.

Againt I – Songs for the Dying

It’s tricky to pick the last album to review this year before we all dive into top lists and rankings for the holidays. This is the perfect chance to explore some of the more discreet releases that might otherwise get drowned out by the noise. When I first checked out Against I‘s Songs for the Dying, two opposing thoughts crossed my mind: “It looks like Brave Murder Day, but it can’t be that good”, and also, “It can’t be produced that poorly either”. With that calculated, almost sociopathic train of thought, I put Songs for the Dying on. Let me tell you if it delivered.