Ray’s Favorite Releases of 2024

Cool World marks a turning point for Chat Pile, who already shocked the world of heavy music with their absoutely grim-filled 2022 full length debut God’s Country. With Cool World Chat Pile take their already established Noise Rock mixed with Extreme Metal sound to new heights as they manage to incorporate several unique twists and some sort of pop sensiblities in their music as well which leads to a more well-rounded product that sounds like Nirvana meets Daughters meets Korn (weird, right?).

This wild mix works exceptionally well. The obvious hits on here are “Shame” and “Masc” which both serve as rather classically structured crossover hits, while transporting haunting lyrics about war cult and questioning its own sexual identity as well as toxic masculinity. Other cuts like the bouncy “Frownland” or the sinister “Camcorder” provide infectious grooves and air cutting atmosphere. What makes Cool World so great as a complete experience however, is its cohesive flow and desperate atmosphere which ultimately serves as a sarcastic comment on the global cultural and political state of fear we currently live in, making the record as hard-hitting and important as it is enjoyable.

As expected, Blood Incantation merge their previously established progressive death metal elements with their ambient and lounge leanings demonstrated on their controversial ambient LP Timewave Zero. Although the bands general development should be no shock to devoted long-time fans, the way the band manages to weave all their different influences into one cohesive story on Absolute Elsewhere (I use that term intentionally) is as bold as it is astounding. Offering two 20 minute tracks which are sequenced into three plateaus each, the band creates an absolute rollercoaster ride for fans of progressive and genre defying music that should further cement their status as of one of the best an most important bands in heavy music in recent history. Absolute Elsewhere is a masterpiece and instant classic which will be hard to top and should be listened to by basically anyone who is interested in heavy music, no matter what specific sub-genre.

In this digital age where attention spans are close to non existing and musical success is simply measured in streaming counts (that are also easy to manipulate as well) a screamo record with 14 tracks and a runtime of 62 minutes is a bold move. But State Faults did just that. While the ingredients such as melodic chord progressions, high register screams and the occasional blast sections generally apply to a vast amount of the genres contemporaries as well, State Faults somehow manage to combine those familiar elements into one piece of art that could easily be described as progressive screamo. One should just listen to the monstrous 10 minute epic “No Gospel” or the phenomenal closer “Bodega Head” which might be the first (if not maybe the best) screamo ballad ever. But beneath these penultimate tracks, there are tons of ideas and emotionally charged standout moments as well as an exceptionally well flowing tracklist on Children Of The Moon that make this record a mission statement. Not even for State Faults. But for the genre itself.

These finnish maniacs were not really on my radar this year but Muuntautuja really caught me off-guard. While being familiar with the bands name I never managed to check them out before this years release of their sixth album. And this is a record that is so dense in its science fiction horror aesthtetic that it might actually scare you if you’re faint-hearted. Somewhere between Nine Inch Nails and adventurous black metal akin to Blut Aus Nord the band hits you with dissonant and highly distorted riffs, weird industrial synth loops and terrifying vocals that sound like hell really just opened up before you. There is a sort of sinister brooding coldness to this record that simultaneously frightens but also encompasses you the more you listen to it. It’s almost like a disgusting car crash where you can’t help but being fascinated by it. To highlight certain songs on this would be a disservice to the general experience and holistic soundscape the band created here. If you’re looking for something truly unique and unconventional on the ugly side of things, it will be hard to find something better than this.

Another more surprising entry in the essential death metal records of the year list is the second full length LP Maze Envy by the relatively young Civerous. Hailing from the city of Angels, the band clearly knows their death-doom 101 as they portray sharp and stomping riffs and grooves that might literally shake your speakers on considerable volume. But what separates this from a lot of other genre tropes is the amount of atmosphere and dynamics the band injects into their aural assault. May it be tasteful lead sections, black metal sections, string arrangements or sludgy grooves, the record seamlessly transitions between genres and never overstays its welcome as every element is cleverly woven into this disgusting and punishing record that should satisfy every death metal afficionado that is looking for something as dynamic as it is heavy.

The Egyptian gods of death graced us with their 10th record this year and surprisingly managed to also drop their best album in at least 15 years as well. With a once again, re-structured line-up Karl Sanders and his teammates sound as technically proficient and lightning fast as ever but somehow even more revitalized than on their last few records. This results in a greater emphasize on really fun and catchy riffing and a way more digestible track and album structure, where speedy and straight-forward cuts such as “Chapter” and “To Strike With Secret Fangs” are juxtaposed with epic Doom inspired cuts such as the discography highlight “True Gods of The Desert” or even sing-along moments such as in “Naqada II“. Nile really seem to be having a lot of fun lately and that clearly shows on The Underworld Awaits us all, resulting in maybe their most dynamic and accessible record in years, proving once again why they’ve earned their reputation as one of the most well-known death metal household names.

Knocked Loose are quite an anomaly when it comes to heavy music and the genres dippings into mainstream territory. On paper their sound is so abrasive and radical that casual music listeners should put this into the “unlistenable” shelf of their minds. But despite the non-stop beating of dissonant palm muted chugging and ear-piercing, genuinely suffocating (see what I did there?) screams of frontman Bryan Garris, the band somehow managed to even being featured on national television and became the hottest export of heavy music since Slipknot in their heydays.

The surprising thing is that You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To might even be their heaviest and most umcompromising record to date. During its 27 minute runtime, the band is absolutely unhinged and relentlessly beats the listener unconscious with a beatdown metalcore sound that is condensed to its bare minimum, resulting in a record that arrives with the maximum of impact. And while the usual pit fuelers such as “Suffocate“, “Don’t Reach For Me” or “Blinding Faith” stand out as possibly the biggest hits on here, the band also shows that there is much more to them than plain brutality in the phenomenal atmospheric closer “Sit & Mourn“. With their third full-length Knocked Loose dropped a statement record that will be very hard to top going forth.

The Nashville duo graced us with their third LP Visual Kill this year and delivered their most complete and cohesive album to date. While their aesthetic about Japanese horror stories might be a bit goofy, it should not take away from the fact that Saidan are fairly gifted musicians. This is demonstrated by the all around fantastic guitar work that offers many breath-taking melodies and solos that greatly enrich their punkish black metal foundation. In fact, ripping tracks like “Sick Abducted Purity” or “Veins of The Wicked” could even be described as uplifting. And that somewhat positive energy the music transports throughout the albums runtime, makes for a very engaging and fun listen if you like your black metal fierce, fast and melodic. “Veins Of The Wicked” for instance showcases brilliant lead work throughout its chorus section, heading back into a galopping punk beat before the track picks up its blast-laden pace again, culminating in a triumphant mid section that will get stuck in your head in no time. And thankfully there are no fillers to be found here either and as the general quality is extremely high, Visual Kill serves as a stellar entry into this years best black metal releases.

Germanys hardest return with one of the most uncompromising brutal death metal records of the year (sorry Wormed, you’re at no.2). With their seventh full length the Berlin based maniacs once again demonstrate, why they are at the top of the game in their respective sub-genre. While being insanely brutal and heavy, the technical proficiency of all musicians involved (special credits once again go to Lille Gruber on drums) helps the band to showcase a creative framework many other bands in brutal death metal just miss. The songwriting somehow manages to cleverly balance insanely technical blast sections, gut-wrenching slam parts and, similar to the greats in Suffocation, a dynamic within the songs which keeps preventing them from becoming stale. Highlights are the two pre-released singles “Accelerating the Rot” and “Temporal Disintegration” as well as the absolutely disgusting “Condemned To Vascular Famine“.

The growls are back! But more importantly, Opeth are back. The prog metal superstars returned with their 14th record this year and fans as well as critics were shocked when first single §3 arrived as it was the heaviest the band sounded in a long ass time. Now looking at the latest addition into the highly lauded Opeth cannon, it seems the band found a successful way to reconcile their 70s prog rock tendencies with their more brutal death metal past. While the concept record is not Opeth returning to progressive Death Metal completely, it is more a Progressive Metal record with Death Metal elements that shall enhance the albums patriarchal story mood shifts. While it should be obvious for long-term fans, the bands latest outing should be consumed and viewed in full to be completely appreciated. Like most Opeth releases, it is strongly advised to give the album some time to grow as it’s song structures clearly focus on building a thematic journey rather than delivering the directly appealing sing-along or headbang moments as say Ghost of Perdition partially did. However way you look at it, the condensed mix of organ and flute (Ian Anderson anyone?) induced 70s progressive metal and long-time gone death metal offers Opeth a great way to look back into the past while simultaneously walking some steps forward.