In all honesty, I was not prepared for 2024 to be a year with such a great number of amazing new releases. In a way, it was great timing professionalizing the website halfway through a year with this release schedule, though it would be a blatant lie to chalk that up to anything other than dumb luck. Some years, it’s a struggle to even come up with fifteen deserving titles. This time, there were nearly fifty albums on my longlist for Best of 2024: The Albums, and I can’t remember any year that had so much to offer in terms of quality hard rock and metal releases since starting this website back in late 2011. Unusually, that wave of excellent releases continued even into December.
The bigger European metal labels are still a bit too obsessed with putting distorted guitars underneath Eurovision-style pop songs, making the musicians wear all black, and passing it off as metal. Such acts dominate the European metal festival bills, and they don’t excite me much, save for a few exceptions (no spoilers!). However, a lot of exciting things are happening in the underground scene. Labels like High Roller, No Remorse, Cruz del Sur, and Dying Victims are releasing so much great music, not to mention some of the excellent self-released material. And I’m excited to see where these bands will go in 2025 and beyond.
My top five for this year has been shifted around to hell and back, but it was always between these five titles, and although I am fully behind the order I put them in, literally every single one of them would have deserved the number one spot. However, there can be only one…
Purely in terms of what I would like to hear from a metal release, there was only one 2024 release that deserves to be my album of the year. Jenner’s combination of biting thrash riffs with classic heavy metal melodies and harmonies is exactly how I want the genre to sound. Add that to the fact that Aleksandra Stamenković is an expert at constructing a song – as well as a guitar solo – and you have a winner of an album on your hands. Stamenković also surprises on lead vocals. Her cleans are just as good as her predecessor’s, while her rough-edged snarl might just give her the edge. Simply excellent stuff.
Recommended tracks: ‘Laws of the Weak’, ‘No Time for Prayer’, ‘Eye for an Eye’
2. Dolmen Gate – Gateways of Eternity
Throughout the year, I found myself randomly humming riffs or vocal melodies from the first album of Dolmen Gate frequently. Also, I somehow can’t listen to ‘Gateways of Eternity’ less than twice in a row. If that isn’t the mark of a great album, I don’t know what is. The Portuguese quintet plays old school heavy metal of the epic variety, though largely through relatively short songs and, despite the generally subdued tempos, not quite as doomy-sounding as most of their peers. The interaction between the first-generation heavy metal riffs and Ana’s melancholic, almost ethereal vocals makes Dolmen Gate sound fairly unique, and it’s a sound I happen to love. Best debut album of the year.
Recommended tracks: ‘Rest in Flames’, ‘Betrayal’, ‘Chambers of Magic’
3. Unleash the Archers – Phantoma
Brittney Hayes is one of the greatest singers in heavy metal. I have thought so for many years, but I also thought her band Unleash the Archers used to cram their songs too full with conflicting ideas to faciliate her incredible voice. ‘Apex’ (2017) and especially ‘Abyss’ (2020) were giant leaps in the right direction, but ‘Phantoma’ shows the Canadian quintet making much better use of space in their music than ever before. The album contains some of the best modern melodic metal songwriting I have heard in a long time, and is my favorite Unleash the Archers album by a country mile. This is the standard the bigger European metal labels should be chasing instead of whatever the hell they do now.
Recommended tracks: ‘Ghosts in the Mist’, ‘The Collective’, ‘Blood Empress’
4. Capilla Ardiente – Where Gods Live and Men Die
Capilla Ardiente is my favorite doom metal band in the world right now, and ‘Where Gods Live and Men Die’ does nothing to change that. Once again, bassist Claudio Botarro Neira has constructed four long songs that – more akin to symphonic poems than traditional song structures – move through multiple powerful movements. Felipe Plaza Kutzbach is still the perfect singer for a vocal melody that needs to sound mournful and powerful simultaneously. According to Botarro, ‘Where Gods Live and Men Die’ wraps up the story that started on the band’s 2009 debut EP ‘Solve et Coagula’. We can only hope he has another story to spread out over four incredible releases ready to go.
Recommended tracks: ‘Envenomed’, ‘Now Here. Nowhere.’
5. Dool – The Shape of Fluidity
Dool is the rare example of a gothic(-ish) rock band with more than one amazing album. ‘Summerland‘ was my album of the year in 2020, but ‘The Shape of Fluidity’ is nearly as good. In fact, it goes even further into finding a unique identity within the darker side of rock music. Which is appropriate, given the fact that struggling with identity is the album’s main theme. ‘The Shape of Fluidity’ is probably Dool’s most riff-driven album, despite toning down the doom metal aspects of their sound ever so slightly. It also strengthens the collaboration between the guitar trio of Raven van Dorst, Nick Polak and Omar Iskandr. The title track is so good that it needs to be heard to be believed.
Recommended tracks: ‘The Shape of Fluidity’, ‘Evil in You’, ‘Self-Dissect’
6. Jerry Cantrell – I Want Blood
After the more acoustic-based ‘Brighten’ (2021), Jerry Cantrell fortunately is back to massive, heavy riffs, dissonant chords, and twisted melodies on ‘I Want Blood’. Most of the album ends up sounding like a mixture between ‘Degradation Trip’ (2002) – my favorite album of all time – and Alice In Chains’ most recent ‘Rainier Fog’ album (2018). No one does this type of intensely dark, yet surprisingly accessible and hard rocking material better than Jerry Cantrell. As was to be expected, ‘I Want Blood’ is an immaculately arranged album as well, with some of the greatest guitar sounds I have heard in a while. Jerry Cantrell is one of the great songwriters of our time. Everyone thinking differently is simply wrong.
Recommended tracks: ‘Echoes of Laughter’, ‘Throw Me a Line’, ‘Vilified’
7. Joanne Shaw Taylor – Heavy Soul
‘Heavy Soul’ is the album I’ve been wanting Joanne Shaw Taylor to release for the better part of a decade. It’s the album that brings together her immense skills as a songwriter with her awesome blues guitar playing best since 2012’s eclectic ‘Almost Always Never‘ album. Right off the bat, opening track ‘Sweet ‘Lil Lies’ may just be my favorite rock song of the year. But it’s hardly the only great song on ‘Heavy Soul’. Every song is filled to the brim with awesome grooves, memorable hooks, and spirited playing. Taylor’s warm alto ties everything together. ‘Heavy Soul’ is proof that Taylor is best when she doesn’t have to choose between a songwriting album and a guitar-focused album. It’s the best of both worlds.
Recommended tracks: ‘Sweet ‘Lil Lies’, ‘Wild Love’, ‘Heavy Soul’
8. Miserable – Al Abismo de la Libertad
Too many thrash metal bands feel like they have to choose between the riff refinement of Bay Area thrash metal, the blunt, punky attitude of East Coast thrash metal or the blunt aggression of Teutonic thrash metal. Peru’s Miserable proves that it’s perfectly possible to bring all these influences to the table, add some old school death metal to the riff work and some classic heavy metal to the guitar melodies, and end up with something awesome. ‘Al Abismo de la Libertad’ sounds slightly more old school than the previous Miserable albums, but that actually works in the band’s favor. It also sports what is most likely my favorite album cover of the year. Thrash metal needs more bands like Miserable.
Recommended tracks: ‘Pasión Eterna’, ‘Voluntad de Poder’, ‘Euforia’
9. Vision Divine – Blood and Angels’ Tears
What is it about concept albums that makes Olaf Thörsen rise above his already lofty songwriting standard? ‘Stream of Consciousness‘ (2004) is arguably the best product of the Italian progressive power metal scene, but ‘Blood and Angels’ Tears’ gives it a serious run for its money. And it’s only the first part of a diptych, so there is something to look forward to. ‘Blood and Angels’ Tears’ is full of great riffs, massive hooks, exquisite melodies, and it has an excellent flow as well. I used to think that Vision Divine would never get over the departure of Michele Luppi, but Ivan Giannini is an extraordinary singer that exactly fits what the band is going for on this fanatastic album.
Recommended tracks: ‘Once Invincible’, ‘Preys’, ‘The Ballet of Blood and Angels’ Tears’
10. Throne of Thorns – Converging Parallel Worlds
Another spectacular debut album. Granted, all members of Throne of Thorns are veterans of the Belgian metal scene, but none of them are primarily known for making this sort of hyper-melodic, yet forceful progressive power metal. It is quite rare that progressive metal bands look to the pre-Dream Theater prog of the likes of Crimson Glory for inspiration, but to then add these massive hooks without getting sucked into the AOR-isms that water down so many prog bands these days is simply a mark of Thomas Jethro Verleye’s excellent songwriting. ‘Converging Parallel Worlds’ is bombastic without being overblown, melodic without losing its bite, and catchy without becoming predictable. Great stuff.
Recommended tracks: ‘Fire and Ice’, ‘Storm Maker’, ‘Converging Parallel Worlds’
On their first album of all-original material since 2018’s ‘Obscure Diversity‘, Saber Tiger takes a sligthly more straightforward and old school approach than on most of their recent albums. “Old school” being relative, since Saber Tiger has always been ahead of its time in terms of heavy, mildly progressive, but always melodic and memorable songwriting. While the riffing of Akihito Kinoshita and Yasuharu Tanaka can still get quite dense at times, it feels like they deliberately left more space for beefy choruses and Takenori Shimoyama’s passionate as ever lead vocals. Though I slightly prefer the overt melodicism of ‘Obscure Diversity’, ‘Eliminated’ sounds like no one but Saber Tiger, and the latter half of the album in particular contains some downright fantastic material.
Recommended tracks: ‘Ayazaka na Kiseki’, ‘From the Past to Tomorrow’, ‘Strike Back’
12. Witherfall – Sounds of the Forgotten
Witherfall is easily my favorite metal band that debuted in the last ten years. Their dark, theatrical and often unpredictable sound resonates with me more than anything else in the post-Nevermore metal landscape. ‘Sounds of the Forgotten’ sees Witherfall returning to the more exploratory, somewhat progressive sound of their 2018 masterpiece ‘A Prelude to Sorrow‘ after attempting a more streamlined production on 2021’s ‘Curse of Autumn‘. And it’s as dark and emotionally intense as I would want it to be. The only reason why I don’t rank ‘Sounds of the Forgotten’ higher is because it doesn’t flow quite as well ‘A Prelude to Sorrow’, which may be a result of the placement of the more introspective pieces.
Recommended tracks: ‘They Will Let You Down’, ‘Ceremony of Fire’, ‘Insidious’
13. Mysterain – A Thousand Dusts
Mysterain was always one of the more promising Chinese metal bands to me, but ‘A Thousand Dusts’ is the first album on which they fully live up to their potential. While Mysterain’s songwriting isn’t particularly complex, it is highly adventurous in how it explores its dynamic possibilities, and I think the band truly shines in the brilliance of its clean guitar parts. ‘A Thousand Dusts’ features a streamlined Mysterain in every sense of the word. The transitions are smoother, the mix is very pleasant and the compositions are given more room to unfold naturally. ‘A Thousand Dusts’ truly establishes Mysterain’s own identity within symphonic metal. Also, Páng Yuè is one of the best and most expressive singers in the style.
Recommended tracks: ‘Guī Yàn’, ‘Yún Yān’, ‘Shí Sān’, ‘Mù Yún Wǔ’
14. Casandra’s Crossing – Garden of Earthly Delights
Hearing ‘Garden of Earthly Delights’ for the first time made me realize two things. First off: George Lynch’s internal quality control department has made some improvements since he got involved with frankly too many projects. But perhaps more importantly: Casandra Carson is one of the greatest hard rock singers of the current era. Her main band Paralandra isn’t exactly a household name here in Europe, so her incredible powerful belt blew me away, and it has clearly inspired Lynch to write some of his best songs to date to suit her voice. Sure, his creative, Van Halen-esque guitar work is everywhere on the album, but it’s an album primarily focused on its fantastic songwriting and cathartic choruses. Hopefully this won’t be just a one-off project.
Recommended tracks: ‘Devastating Times’, ‘Stranger’, ‘Ring Me Around’
15. Matenrou Opera – Mutsu no Hana
A December surprise. I honestly did not expect Matenrou Opera’s new album to be their best since ‘Avalon‘. After nearly a decade of identity crises, ‘Mutsu no Hana’ is the sound of Matenrou Opera finally realizing what they do best, which is power metal with the melodic sensibilities of J-rock. The fact that they gave their relatively new guitarist Yusuke Hiraga a little more space than the guitar has had for a long time in Matenrou Opera’s music also makes ‘Mutsu no Hana’ the band’s most muscular album thus far. Add that to some of the best songwriting in the career of lead singer Sono and his men, and you have a winner of an album on your hands.
Recommended tracks: ‘Incessant Snow’, ‘Blood’, ‘Yoake ha Yuki to Tomo ni’
16. Flotsam and Jetsam – I Am the Weapon
While I don’t think Flotsam and Jetsam were ever as bad as many people who wrote them off in the nineties, the band has been on fire for the last five years. 2021’s ‘Blood in the Water‘ isn’t their best album since their late eighties heyday, it’s their best album full stop. ‘I Am the Weapon’ is almost as good. Flotsam and Jetsam these days isn’t concerned about which subgenre they fit best. Instead, they found the perfect middle ground between the guitar melodies of classic heavy metal, thrash metal’s intense riffs, and the catchiness of contemporary power metal. Eric A.K. may not reach into his upper registers as much anymore, but his powerful, expressive mid-range is still among the best in metal.
Recommended tracks: ‘The Head of the Snake’, ‘Black Wings’, ‘Gates of Hell’
17. ADX – L’Empire du Crépuscule
ADX has been aging more gracefully than many of its peers, releasing crunchy, powerful heavy metal albums with a thrashy bite ever since reuniting in 2006, but the songwriting on ‘L’Empire du Crépuscule’ is just the slightest bit better than on any of their other post-reunion albums. For those unfamiliar: twenty-first century ADX lives in the grey area between the most aggressive side of European power metal and the more melodic end of the thrash metal spectrum. ‘L’Empire du Crépuscule’ excels at combining the best aspects of both, making it easily their best album since their eighties heyday, possibly ever. The album is exactly as dynamic, as aggressive, and as melodic as a heavy metal album should be.
Recommended tracks: ‘Paradis Royal’, ‘Paris un 13’, ‘Tout en Puissance’
18. Pokolgép – Vissza Sose Nézz
Speaking of aging gracefully: 2016’s ‘Metálbomba‘ proved that Pokolgép is still as relevant and powerful as they ever were, and its follow-up ‘Vissza Sose Nézz’ does just that. Despite having a new singer in the shape of Richárd Bánhegyesi – whose lower range sounds eerily similar to that of original singer József Kalapács in his younger years at times – ‘Vissza Sose Nézz’ is a logical continuation of the ‘Metálbomba’ sound. The band’s sound – a blend of traditional heavy metal and early power metal – is polished and melodic, but without losing its raw, ballsy low-end. The band’s trademark bombastic backing vocals are all over ‘Vissza Sose Nézz’. A must-hear for fans of contemporary Accept, if only because Pokolgép guitarist Gábor Kukovecz generally writes better melodies.
Recommended tracks: ‘Áldomás’, ‘Ég Veled’, ‘Fogadj El’
19. Stygian Crown – Funeral for a King
Stygian Crown plays some of the heaviest doom metal with clean vocals since Reverend Bizarre broke up. In fact, Nelson Tomas Miranda’s riffs give some of the darkest doom-death bands a run for their money. Some of these riffs would have been right at home on an old Bolt Thrower album, were it not for Melissa Pinion’s fairly atypical, deep alto. ‘Funeral for a King’ is a great example of fantastic doom metal songwriting – as opposed to just riff writing. Often, it’s not even that difficult, just a matter of having a crushing riff, a haunting lead guitar theme, a tortured vocal melody and cavernous-sounding, hard-hitting drums. Easily the best new doom metal band since Capilla Ardiente.
Recommended tracks: ‘Beauty and Terror’, ‘Strait of Messina’, ‘Where the Candle Always Burns’
20. Triumpher – Spirit Invictus
Last year’s debut album ‘Storming the Walls’ showed Triumpher as a promising band that could take extremely obvious ‘The Triumph of Steel’-era Manowar influences – heavily enhanced by singer Mars Triumph sounding a lot like Eric Adams in his prime – to a new era by adding more elements. But while that album occasionally bit off a bit more than it could chew, the streamlined version of Triumpher on ‘Spirit Invictus’ is more guitar-focused, combining the proud, heroic sound of Manowar with more atmospheric black metal chords and tremolo picking parts. Despite all those elements having been around for decades, Triumpher manages fresh and inspired on ‘Spirit Invictus’, and well on the way to having their own signature sound.
Recommended tracks: ‘Hall of a Thousand Storms’, ‘Athena (1st Chapter)’, ‘Spirit Invictus’
If you want to listen to what these bands are doing immediately, check out this playlist I put together featuring one song of each of the twenty bands above, plus ten songs from albums that almost made the list:
Kevy Metal 
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