Suffering so you don't have to!
Metalcatto
It’s time for children’s favorite sub-genre. The one that needs no introduction. The one with the dank memes. The one your grandparents think about when it comes to Metal representation. The most beloved and hated at the same time: Black Metal. Reducing this list to a handful of albums was an odyssey. With great releases from Necrowretch, or Hulder to Misotheist, or Vredehammer narrowing it down wasn’t easy. But enough with honorable mentions—let’s get to it!
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…
The Gothic Metalhead
My corpse-painted children! We have a special guest today—it’s The Gothic Metalhead, who will share their top 10 for 2024. So, in the spirit of this countdown, I won’t prolong this any longer. Let’s go!
Ixione
There are very few things on this planet that go together as well as Black Metal and Germany. As much as this may reflect my personal bias, I have yet to find a German Black Metal band that isn’t good—Morbus Dei is no exception. Its latest effort, The World We Left Behind, undoubtedly succeeds in delivering a freezing cold, razor-sharp sound that feels like a misanthrope’s greatest fantasy. At first glance, it may not seem like anything overly ambitious, but that is precisely where its strength lies.
SonikGoat
There are a couple of observations I can make about the albums I’ve chosen for my end-of-year lists. One relates to that most nebulous realm of terminology: the “progressive”. What this term means seems to vary from person to person and album to album, but the differences manifest in interesting ways. Take everyone else’s album of the year, Blood Incantation’s Absolute Elsewhere. The progressive element here lies largely in its bold combination of two distinct styles, blending Death Metal with what I’ll broadly call “vintage-flavored synth-driven Prog Rock”. Another album that adopts a progressive approach is Ontology of Nought by Ingurgitating Oblivion, but the results are markedly different. More on that below.
The other theme in my list this year is that several of the bands are well-established acts with multiple albums under their belts, yet I was either unaware of them or only barely familiar. I’m forever humbled by the sheer number of great musicians and bands I have yet to discover! Finding a band partway through their discography often feels like stumbling upon a treasure trove of musical riches.
Enough! On to the list. Eternal hails to the artists!
Lunart & Metalcatto
It’s time for yours truly to give you a proper top list of something! Since you’ve been asking for one a zillion times on social media, I couldn’t say no. However, being a fervent supporter of the division of labor and a total snob, I’ve teamed up with Lunart—someone with an actual arts degree—to judge the best album art of the year. So, this isn’t just my peasant opinion; it’s also supported by the refined taste of someone who knows the field. That means you’ve got to bend the knee, right?
Before you lose it, yes, we’re aware many of the best works this year are adaptations of classical paintings. But let’s be real—that doesn’t take away from the incredible worlds they transport us to, especially when combined with the music. Let’s dive in!
Did you think we were done with new releases? That we were just going to remember the highs and lows of this year? Well, let me surprise you with some Black Metal from the cave. I’m talking about Monte Penumbra’s Austere Dawning, an album that, while it feels Icelandic in many ways, continues to establish tiny (but mighty) Portugal as one of the powerhouses in this niche sub-genre. We’ve had an exhausting week when it comes to tremolo picking, so how can this release top that? Let’s find out.
Part three of the endless search for albums we missed. This is a bit of a mixed bag. We have huge omissions, but also some underground darlings that we couldn’t let pass—regardless of our excuses (usually staff shortages). I’m thinking about opening a review factory in some country with no workers’ rights, of course! So watch out, USA—here we come! But I digress. Let’s continue our dive into some albums worth remembering.
Let’s keep reviewing our greatest omissions of the year. Some of these are older than MER Industries itself, so you can’t blame us too much for missing them. However, I suspect that they’re are going to end up on a few end-of-the-year lists, so it would be criminal to let them slip by without glory—even if this moment of honor feels insignificant. Alright, so here’s part two of our redemption rounds. If your favorite album is missing, relax—there will be more parts.
Pegah & Metalcatto
It’s that time of the week when we raid the fridge for whatever leftovers we can find—because who wants to cook a lot on a Sunday? You do? Well, respect, I’ll give you that. But this time is different. I’m not alone in this section—Pegah has decided to join in and bring another band to your tearful eyes. So, here we have this week’s lucky picks:
Metal Eclipse Reviews 