The Top 10 Metal Albums of 1994

Forty years later,  it's time to take a look and honestly assess what were the ten greatest metal albums from 1984. This is not being weighed on album sales, as some of these did not fare that well upon their release but gained ground over time. All of these have stood the test of time, but some are better than others, which is why the number one album is where it sits, and number ten is where it is. The ranking is based on two main factors I was listening to them back when they were released, the impact they had when I heard them, and how well they have stood the test of time for the past forty years. Unlike lists I make today where it;s based more on how much I listened to them over the year, the results here are more cumulative, though the album I listened to the most in 1984 is on here. 

10-The  Melvins - "Stoner Witch" 

Notorious for being a band that does not like being defined. If there was an album that was going to define them it would be their 1994 classic.  It is drenched and experimental in its weighty lumber, but, still has almost Kiss-like grooves giving the song ample swagger.

   

9-Machine Head- "Burn My Eyes"

They took thrash and gave it the 90s grooves it needed to survive the grunge era. Pummelling and catchy, in how they make freedom ring with a shotgun blast. The drumming is off the charts. Some songs are more bangers than others but this album held up over the years. 

   

8-Emperor- "In the Nightside Eclipse" 

This album introduced me to the second wave of black metal from the 90s. There was more orchestrated melody, than the more punk-sounding lo-fi blast fest that Darkthrone was dishing out at the time, and even in Europe bands like this were relegated to the backs of metal magazines. Not the band's best album but it sets the stage for what is to come while doing something more convincingly Satanic than what death metal bands were doing.

   

7-Tiamat- "Wildhoney

No longer just a death metal band this album is influenced by both Pink Floyd and Feilds of the Nephilim. It was ahead of its time. Listening back to it, you can hear where some of the production holds it back though this has aged well and gives the album charm.

   

6-Testament -"Low"

An underrated album by an underrated band. James Murphy had big shoes to fill when he stepped in and he brought a heavier sensibility to things, as well as Tempesta's playing dialing it in. Chuck Billy's voice sounds great and they managed to stay relevant past the 90s which is better than most of their peers were doing at this time. 

5-Pantera - "Far Beyond Driven" 

When this album came out I did not like it as much as "Cowboys" or "Vulgar", it's not as melodic and Phil's vocal delivery is more one-dimensional in comparison. It's heavy as all hell sure. The guitar playing is what grew on me over the years to hear how well-written this album is. This album is all Vinne and Dimebag.With Phil only shining on songs like "Becoming'. It holds up over time.

   

4- Korn -"s/t"

This album changed the game. It's taking the number 4 spot as it did not age as well as the top three albums. They brought groove up from the underground scene, when this album came out they were touching with Sick of It All in small punk clubs. They were onto something different. However this album just sounds like 1994 where the top 3 are more timeless, but this is still a great album, regardless of what this band turned into.

 

3-Kyuss-  Welcome to Sky Valley

The top 3 albums are all great in their own right. This is almost just grooving fuzzed-out rock,  it does not feel like metal until it's turned up loud enough. But by 1994's standards and underlying tension of the bass lines it qualifies and went on to influence the entire stoner metal genre.

   

2-Cannibal Corpse- "The Bleeding"

The best death metal album from one of the genre's best bands, perhaps the most defining of the current sound of death metal. The only reason it is not number one, is because the album in the number one spot might not be as heavy, but they are more dynamic, and melodic, and wrote two of the best metal albums of all time, so it's a close call be here we are, that does not take away from how great this album. The number one death metal album of 1994 for sure.

   

1-Acid Bath - "When the Kite String Pops" 

Swampy sludge metal would be an oversimplification as so many other elements are in play. dark and ominous, songs like "Dope Feind" have real menace as they are coming from a genuine place. The interplay of harsh to-sung vocals is great and there is not a band that ever did that sort of thing better. The songs have stood the test of time better than any other album on this list. Sure they can get some semblance of the band back together thirty years later ,, but it will never be what happened here in 1994.

pst666

King Diamond : "Spider Lilly'

 I rarely review singles, as I prefer hearing songs in the context of the album. However, I think most people know King Diamond is one of my favorite metal artists, who I am been listening to since even before 'Fatal Portrait" was released. I am also not going to just wait around for new music even when being baited by the fact that after an 18-year wait "Saint Lucifer's Hospital 1920" is supposed to be released this year.  Considering the last single "Masquerade of Madness" was supposed to have appeared on the album "The Institute" which had been due for a 2019 release that was pushed back to 2022, then re-conceptualized entirely until King said he was making a trilogy and not a two-part album.  I am not going to weigh "Spider Lilly" against "Give Me Your Soul Please" since 18 years have passed and King Diamond is now 68.

To give some context here, I went back to listen to "Masquerade of Madness" which was recorded in 2019, we can presume five years before the most recent release, as they do not sound like they were in the same session at all, much different mix and guitar placement. After listening to both songs several times, the conclusion I have drawn is that from a songwriting perspective "Spider Lilly" is a more nuanced song, with a great range of dynamics. The catch here is that while it sounds more like  "Puppet Master" era Diamond and more middle-of-the-road in terms of songwriting, his voice sounds better on "Masquerade of Madness". His high notes have a more piercing quality to them, not unlike what he did back on albums like "Them" and "Conspiracy". 

In the span of five years if we are seeing a decline in vocal power that I am hearing, here, and perhaps this was just a stylistic choice, I saw him live in 2019 and he knocked it out of the park which was when the first song was recorded. However, I did check out footage of the Nov 29th show and he hit the notes in "Sleepless Nights" and he hit all the notes. So it was a stylistic choice on his part, why write something that is going to be harder to sing in three years, I think releasing three more albums is a little optimistic on his part that the world is not going to end after this year, much less make it til when he is 71, which I prefer as I want to side with his legacy preserved and no live to see him struggling out there like Rob Halford is at 71. I will reserve final judgment for when I hear this one in the context of a full album. 

pst665

Looking Back at King Diamond @ the Tabernacle in 2019

Here's a live review from pre-COVID that I found never got published. This was the same set list, as the 2024 tour, the only changes being the addition of two new songs this time around, and Myrkur as a backing vocalist. Along with the fact he is now five years older, though all of us are as well. So wanted to go ahead and share these thoughts of that show, as they are still relevant, considering we are still waiting around for a new album 18 years since "Give Me Your Soul Please" was released, 

I caught the second date of King Diamond’s “Institute” tour and it was clear that the King is still reigning. Bands like Slayer are beginning to retire, yet the King is playing bigger venues than when I first saw him in 1988. He has a new album coming out on the first of the year and a Mercyful Fate reunion making rounds through European Festivals in the spring. Not bad for a 63-year-old who had triple bypass surgery ten years ago. He is certainly hitting his notes more consistently than when I last saw Rob Halford ten years ago, who was 55 at the time. What is it about the King that finds him contining to not only endure but find new success? 

 If you are a regular reader of my thoughts on spread throughout the internet then you might know the King is my favorite metal artist of all time. You would also know that instead of biased gushing, I hold my favorites up to mythically high standards that most at some point fail to meet leaving a select handful who never disappoint. When it comes to things like a new single dropping or a live show, my mind weighs it against when I first popped the cassette of “Abigail” into my Walkman or saw him on the “Them” tour. Like adidcts craving the nostalgia of the first high, juxtaposed against not wanting to rehash what you have already heard them do..

These might seem like impossible standards for artists to live up to, but the very best can sometimes in different ways. For example,  I saw Iron Maiden this summer and it was clear they are pros and have a big energy show. Though it was all business. King Diamond loves what he does and who he becomes. This shone through despite getting the news earlier in the day that his friend and former bass player Timi Hansen died. His production value has increased in terms of the spectacle. The stage was made to look like an asylum where his upcoming album "The Institute"; is set.; He did play the lead single from this album "Masquerade of Madness" which was pretty heavy and fits nicely alongside his other works, making me look forward to the new album. The bulk of the set drew from the first few albums of his solo career "Fatal Portrait", "Abigail", "Them", "Conspiracy" and "The Eye" along with the title track from "Voodoo". Not only does he go out on tour in his 60s, but picks his most vocally demanding work to sing. He knows the fans want his and delivered. I think his appreciation of his fan base and staying true to his brand creates a more fervent loyalty. He sticks to what works and doesn't tamper with that for the sake of mass appeal. 

The fact his imagery has been assimilated into modern metal culture he is revered within the community by metal heads who might not have listened to "Give Me Your Soul Please" . But if you ask them who inspired the look of their favorite Scandinavian black metal band they are not likely to say Gene Simmons. The gothic horror story-lines of the concept albums he has pumped out since "Abigail" has strayed from the Satanic overtones of Mercyful Fate and King is less vocal about his membership with the Church of Satan, but I have still admired him for being true to the what he sings about. For someone who delves into a great deal of fantasy, he is very real. 

Metal needs to have darkness, anger, or danger to it that you feel in its vibration. If not it comes across like they are trying to be something they are not. With King Diamond it's a sense of darkness, perhaps run through a filter of Hammer Horror, but he believes in it enough when he takes on these roles to really sell it to the audience.  Alice Cooper might do a similar,r but now it feels edited for Disney, where King Diamond takes that to 11 and does not apologize or blame it on his alter ego.  His legacy has all the signs of remaining intact and when the show is over in the next 7 years, he will most likely step from the spotlight with the grace and class his career has run off of. Until that day his most recent show is in the top 3 King Diamond concerts I have attended. If you have yet to see him, make this a priority.  

pst664

December's Top 10 Albums

 It's time for December's top 10 albums. Staying abreast of the month's highlights might help casual readers see what they missed and check these artists out. I am not writing little blurbs on them and just linking the reviews. Inclusion here does not mean that these albums have been released this month, but it is a list of new or upcoming albums I have enjoyed the most, I have albums in my in-box that are not coming out til next year so I am normally way ahead of the curve in this regard. They are ranked in order of what I have listened to the most. This month there is a wide variety from pop to black metal so you may find your new favorite among them. Here are the Top 10 albums of December.  

10-Justice - "Hyperdrama" 

Electronic / Pop / Dance

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/12/justice-hyperdrama.html

9- Lauren Mayberry - "Vicious Creature" 

Pop

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/12/lauren-mayberry-vicious-creature.html

8-Panzerfaust -'" Suns of Perdition IV :  To Shadow Zion" 

Black Metal- 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/panzerfaust-suns-of-perdition-iv-to.html

7-LEAVS - "Natura Universal" 

Shoe-gaze 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/12/leavs-natura-universal.html

6-Trelldom-"...By the Shadows..." 

Progressive Black Metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/12/trelldom-by-shadows.html

5- Hidden Mothers  - "Erosion / Avulsion" 

post-hardcore 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/hidden-mothers-erosion-avulsion.html

4-Boston Manor- "Sundiver"  

Rock

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/boston-manor-sundiver.html

3-Jerry Cantrell -"I Want Blood" 

Grunge 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/jerry-cantrell-i-want-blood.html

2-Pale Waves - "Smitten" 

Pop 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/12/pale-waves-smitten.html

1-Dax Riggs - "7 Songs For Spiders" 

Rock 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/12/dax-riggs-7-songs-for-spiders.html

pst663

' Top 10 Metal Albums of 2024 of the Music Press

To compile this data, I went through every big music website that has a top ten metal album list along with all the writer's lists from various websites to find who my peers in music journalists thought were the top 10 metal albums of 2024, so this compiles lists, from Stereogum, Metal Sucks, Rolling Stone, Revolver, No Clean Singing, Ghost Cult, Treblezine, Pop Matters, Metal Injection, Angry Metal Guy, Loudwire, Decibel,, Lambgoat and more.  

Only a few surprises, the top 5 should be expected if you see what albums are getting the most buzz and hype. I think the number one album is perhaps the most overhyped of the bunch, but it also won by the hugest margin, I think most of these albums were safe bets, by artists who do not push societies buttons making them pretty tame, which is not really what metal is about, it's a very controlled danger, is the overall tone of this list with a few exceptions to this rule

10-Couch Slut - "You Could Do it Tonight" 

This was a surprise as it's a great album that rides the line between noise-rock and sludge. It's dark and lyrically interesting, glad that it is getting recognition. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/couch-slut-you-could-do-it-tonight.html

9-Wormed - "Omegon" 

I heard this album and thought I would rather listen to the new Benighted. But impressed this once got so many mentions. 

8-Job For a Cowboy - "Moon Healer" 

Well-made, but I would rather listen to Carcass when it comes to this sort of thing. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/01/job-for-cowboy-moon-healer.html

7-Caligula's Horse - "Charcoal Grace" 

Was not impressed enough by the songs I heard from this one to review the whole album. It's more for the kinda kids who listen to Devin Townsend and proggy rock and get their over-produced guitar tones painted up like a metal band without actually being, one, they are talented enough players, this one just bored me. Not dark enough. 

6-Replicant-"Infinite Mortality' 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/replicant-infinite-mortality.html

5-Crypt Sermon- "The Stygian Rose" 

Falling at the intersection where thrash, power metal and doom meet, this takes the best melodic elements from bands like Metal Church and takes them to work. The best album on this list. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/07/crypt-sermon-stygian-rose.html

4-Ulcerate - "Cutting the Throat of God' 

This album is good, and I am surprised it got so much recognition. It did not make my top 10 death metal albums as there were just more death metal albums that were better. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/ulcerate-cutting-throat-of-god.html

3-Chat Pile-"Cool World' 

This is one of the best sludge albums of the year. It's more accessible than a Neurosis album, and these guys are pretty clever so it's not surprising this album proved to be the one that broke them through to the metal mainstream. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/chat-pile-cool-world.html

2-Opeth-"The Last Will and Testament' 

They made number two on my prog-list. There is more of a metal touch to things, since he brings back the growl, and these are well-written songs so this is one of the few album's on here that warrants the hype. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/opeth-last-will-testament.html

1- Blood Incantation - "Absolute Elsewhere" 

This one won everyone over by a pretty huge margin. I was basically an honorable mention on my top 10 prog albums of the year. It's good, but not the best, however, the band has been a hipster favorite when it comes to death metal since they have mustaches and look like they work at a brewery rather than the bullet belt norm of the genre. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/blood-incantation-absolute-elsewhere.html

pst662

The Top 10 Metal Albums of 1984

Forty years later,  it's time to take a look and honestly assess what were the ten greatest metal albums from 1984. This is not being weighed on album sales, as some of these did not fare that well upon their release but gained ground over time. All of these have stood the test of time, but some are better than others, which is why the number one album is where it sits, and number ten is where it is. The ranking is based on two main factors I was listening to them back when they were released, the impact they had when I heard them, and how well they have stood the test of time for the past forty years. Unlike lists I make today where it;s based more on how much I listened to them over the year, the results here are more cumulative, though the album I listened to the most in 1984 is on here. 

10-Judas Priest - "Defenders of the Faith" 

When this came out it benefited from the momentum of "Screaming for Vengence" which achieved the perfect balance of great songwriting but being accessible enough to pack stadiums. Songs like "Rock Hard Ride Free" just did not age as well as "You've Got Another Thing Comin". When I was a kid and id not know any better I enjoyed it as this was the era that found Priest still on top of the world, but when I want to dig back and listen to a Priest album this is not the first one I reach for. However, it's good enough to belong here and beat out both Scorpion's "Love at First Sting' and Ratt's "Out of the Cellar' for its place here.

 

9-W.A.S.P- "S/T" 

This band found the sweet that was missing in music at the time to fall between what Motley Crue was doing on "Shout at the Devil" and what heavier bands like Priest and Saxon were cranking while adding a darker more theatrical element Kiss traded into blend-in with the hair metal scene. Sleazy anthem with the bite of Lawless' saw blade codpiece. It rocks with more earnestness than Priest had on the more contrived number ten ranking album.

   

8-Slayer - "Haunting the Chapel" 

There was a college radio station I listened to as Kid that has a metal night on the weekends, that played "Aggressive Perfector' which was the first Slayer song I ever hear, It sounded like Venom to me at the time, and it was not until I heard the song "Die By The Sword" on the "Live Undead' album that Slayer really clicked for me, though I was aware Kerry King played on the "Liscenced to Ill " album. These songs aged well.

                       

7-Dio - "The Last in Line" 

As a kid when this came out, I was reluctant to give this album a shot, as I only knew Dio from the two Sabbath albums he sang on, which I was surprisingly ok with given that I was such an Ozzy fan at the time. So "Holy Diver" was the first solo Dio album I bought, and then I went back to check this one out. The title track which he had a video for, I liked, but the album as a whole had to grow on me, and once I discovered Rainbow, then the more it all clicked into place for me.

6-Queensryche - 'The Warning" 

If this album came out today it would be called power metal. I like "Rage For Order' so much that I forget how great this album is. They brought all the elements of what we now think of as traditional metal into play in a manner that had both grace and balls to the songwriting, and Tate established himself as one of the best vocalists in metal at the time.

   

5-Twisted Sister- "Stay Hungry" 

The anthemic classics that everyone knows are not why this album ranks so high, but songs like "Burn in Hell" and "Captain Howdy" that are darker and carry more grit to separate them from the rest of the rising hair metal bands at the time,as they have more in common with Accept and Judas Priest. Great songwriting wins the day, they were not shredders but entertainers. 

           . 

4-Kiss- "Animalize" 

This is the most underrated album on the list, the opening track alone rocks harder than most of their peers at the time. If this was a list of the albums I listened to the most in 1984 this would be at the top of the list. The guitar attack on most of these songs should silence questions regarding if this is in fact a metal album. I would say "Asylum" that came out after this would be the turning point from metal. This is the best of the post-make-up years, and their last great album, as none of the other releases after this would ever measure up. Paul Stanley sounds great here.

   

3-Metallica - "Rider the Lightning" 

This might be the band's best album as it runs neck and neck against "Master of Puppets". I think the effects of touring and substance abuse were beginning to weigh on them when they made "Master of Puppets" and I might prefer this one as it's a darker album, and more refined than "Kill'em All" there is the perfect middle ground of thrashing and melody here. This album grew on me over the years as when this came out, I was not as into Metallica, as when I became more willing to give this one a more solid listen after getting hooked in by Puppets.

   

2-Iron Maiden- "Powerslave"

 I am not saying this is Maiden's best album, it's not. I am saying this album is better than the eight previous albums mentioned here they are all great in their own right. Any arguments against this fact can simply refer to "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" which is better than mosts band's entire careers . 

                  

1-Mercyful Fate- "Don't Break the Oath'' 

As a child, I did not have the musical vocabulary to explain what I wanted when I went into music stores, so when a tall skinny adult with long hair and a chain wallet started working at the record store my grandparents took me to, I did not know what I wanted to ask was 'What's the darkest metal album you have?" so instead I asked "What's the scariest metal album you have ?". The answers in 1984 would have likely been the same as he handed me this cassette. It blew me away, and scared me a bit, while I was more into Kiss and Ozzy IN 1984, I grew into this album, and it might be not only the best album of 1984 but the best metal album of all time. 

pst661

The Top 10 Albums Most Mistaken for Metal in 2024

Once upon a time, the battle cry championed by metal bands was "Death to False Metal", it's a sentiment going back to the earliest beginnings of the genre when it drew lines to separate itself from the bands of the Sunset Strip who wanted the look but were making glammed out pop music. Today kids are thin-skinned and take offense screaming out that this is gatekeeping rather than seeing it as quality control standards. Most of those people just need to feel like they belong wherever they want to go and call those who actually belong there elitists as a projection of their own insecurities. 

I'm here to say fuck your feelings. In the interest of this blog's mission statement pledging to always tell it like it is easy even if you can't handle the truth. After seeing albums like those represented here appearing on metal top ten lists, I think it fair to set the record straight and have some truth in advertising to pick out the top ten offenders in this regard. Four of these entries are great albums, they just are not great metal albums. They are great rock, shoe-gaze, and trip-hop albums, just not metal. There are a few that are terrible, but they are also not metal so here we go setting the record straight for you.  

 10- Unto Others - "Never Neverland" 

These guys used to make cock rock dressed up as goth, but now they are applying that template to pop music, it's catchier than their previous work, Wish it was darker than it is. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/08/unto-others-never-neverland.html

9-Haunted Plasma -"I' 

This album features members of Oranassi Pazuzu, but that doesn't make it metal. It does carry a great dark throb to it and has Mat McNeary lending his voice to this album, so it sometimes sounds like Grave Pleasures on acid. Lots of metal comes from Finland, this project is not counted among that. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/haunted-plasma-i.html

8-Dool- "The Shape of Fluidity" 

There were once doom metal elements to what they did on their previous album. This more rock n roll approach to things works as they are appearing on more end-of-the-year lists, which means they are getting more recognition, which works for me, as they deserve it even if they are growing away from metal. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/dool-shape-of-fluidity.html

7-Bring me the Horizon - ""Post Human -NeX GEn" 

This is a fun pop album, Pierce the Veul might do it better, but kids seem to like this, though kids don't know any better as they are young and dumb, we know better, making it our job to set the record straight, distortion or the occasional scream does not make things metal, even pop bands throw temper tantrums from time to time. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/bring-me-horizon-post-human-nex-gen.html

6-Devin Townsend- "Powernerd" 

Here is a good case in point of an artist who was in a metal band (Strapping Young Lad) branching off to play other kinds of music, Sure the influence of their metal past is there, but that does not make their current project metal. What this album proves is Def Leppard would be fools for not asking Devy to produce their next album as he sounds more like them than they have in decades. If you are tempted to say Def Leppard is metal then you should keep your mouth shut before you embarrass yourself. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/devin-townsend-powernerd.html

5-Pallbearer - "Mind Burns Alive" 

It was not so long ago these guys were a doom-metal band. People change and artists grow out of genres and do other things, I can accept that. These guys made one of the year's best shoe-gaze albums, so at least if they are no longer a metal band they are good at what they are doing. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/pallbearer-mind-burns-alive.html

 

4-Zeal & Ardor-"Grief" 

This one made it onto my worst albums of 2024 list. This project has a long history of being mislabeled thanks to the wishful thinking of the music press. They were first called black metal when they had more in common with ni-metal, and now they are just a shitty rock band who might as well be Breaking Benjamin or some other radio shit. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/08/zeal-ardor-grief.html

3-Poppy-"Negative Spaces" 

I like this album, and while Poppy has appropriated metal in the past, this album kind of splits the difference between her flirtations with nu-metal and the pop of her previous album. There is a mainstream radio rock formula on most of these songs that she makes work thanks to her quirky charisma. I think the guest appearance she did with Knocked Loose this year has made people unable to compartmentalize her from her own career, but this is not a metal album, industrial-influenced pop at best. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/poppy-negative-spaces.html

2-Linkin Park -"From Zero"

Lumped in with nu-metal, but they have never been a metal band. This album brings that fact to the forefront. It's not a bad album though unable to live up to its hype, this is a fun lighthearted pop album that its fans are taking way too seriously. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/linkin-park-from-zero.html

1-Chelsea Wolfe -" She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She"

She's never made a metal album, there are albums where that is used as a dynamic in a few songs, but never throughout. This is more of a trip-hop album it is closer to Portishead than Motorhead, and yet it keeps appearing on metal lists because people are well ...stupid. I prefer the acoustic episode to this one , as it sounds more like her, but it continues to grow on me.  Regardless of how good it is, if you think this is metal, you clearly don't know what you are talking about. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/chelsea-wolfe-she-reaches-out-to-she.html

pst660

ILS : "To End Is To Begin"

 

Continuing my streak of reviewing albums my peers in the inner webs chose as their number one picks, this one is coming from Dead Air at the Pulpit, whose list shared some common ground with mine. This album is like an angrier less hip version of Chat Pile with more explosive vocals. They lean more toward noise rock than sludge. The first track is cool, and the second song finds the vocals talking through it a little more. However, the screamed vocals do need something to contrast them. By the time we get to "Don't Try Me" it's clear some of these songs sound the same with this formula, as I thought I was on the third, not the fourth song. 

"Fallen" the more punk-spoken vocal is the main narrative where the screaming is relegated to the periphery.  Works well enough, but when you compare it to a band like Glassing or Crippling Alcoholism falls short from a songwriting perspective. They catch onto the slinkier Tool groove, with palm-muted guitars by the time we get to "Sate". It's darker so I appreciate that. This carries over into the song after, though to a lesser extent. They are back to business as usual for  "Hail Mary" which is angular the vocals play less of an intentional role and feel more incidental. 

There is more redneck speculation to the punk lumber of "Let the Blood Pour Out" . The last song stomps with more of a punk feel than metal, as it has a purpose but still carries wreckless abandon in its veins. I'll give this album an 8.5, as it's fun. I could stand to have more dynamic vocals, but that is my personal preference, I think these guys made the album they set out to make, even if it is not the most original thing I have heard this year. 

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The Top 10 Most Disappointing Albums of 2024

Here's a new edition to the end-of-the-year traditions that makes more sense this year than in the past. I've already warned you there would be end-of-the-year lists not only with perhaps albums from my worst-off list but also trying to make a bigger deal out of albums that are more hype than substance for various reasons we can see here, ranging from nostalgia to wanting to offer a diverse or inclusive list rather than just focusing on which albums have the best songs. People live in such a warped reality bubble they can not handle disappointment and would rather pretend the emperor is wearing clothes than admit their favorite artists are falling short. My role has always been to call out things for what they are, as a form of quality. These are not bad albums, but they did not live up to what these artists did in the past, except for one entry that improved but was never that great and got a critical pass from mainstream music media for reasons that have nothing to do with music.  There are only three artists  that are favorites of mine that missing the mark stung a bit, but in the interest of honest journalism those are the ones I must draw the most attention to so here are the top 10 Most Disappointing albums of 2024

10- Tribulation - ''Sub Rosa In Æternum"

This album is an honorable mention, as it's not bad. It's decent for what is it, in fact in my original review I gave it a 9, but the more I listen to it the more lackluster it feels, some of the gloom is more genuine than others, I think the fact they have strayed so far from their death metal beginnings is part of the problem here, if I reviewed this album today it would have gotten an 8, which would not make it contender for any top 10 lists, aside from this one since this band is capable of greatness. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/gothtober-tribulation-sub-rosa-in-ternum.html

9-Dool- "The Shape of Fluidity" 

Another case of a band whose previous work was certainly better. This one scored an 8, on my initial listen, which still put it ahead of most radio rock, but unlike their previous album failed to inspire me to give additional listens , so if I had to rate it today would give it a 7.5, a far cry from a top 10 contender. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/dool-shape-of-fluidity.html

8-Body Count- "Merciless" 

This is a band that was never any good, and this album is actually an improvement. At least that is what I thought upon listening to the first few songs then it got worse the deeper into the album you go. I don't care how much they paid David Gilmore to be on this album it's the worst cover of "Comfortably Numb" I've heard. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/body-count-merciless.html

7-Oranssi Pazuzu : "Muuntautuja" 

In my review of this album, I first said they must be growing killer shrooms in Finland. It's a drugged-out mess of an album that captures cool sounds, they never are woven into being cool songs.  They have proven they can balance the two and it's not the case here. If I had to review this one today I would have given it a 7, clearly not best of material. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/oranssi-pazuzu-muuntautuja.html

6-Linkin Park- "From Zero" 

This one is more of a matter of all the hype and buzz around it, there was no way it could live up to the hype, it also highlighted the fact that Linkin Park has always been a pop band despite getting lumped into nu-metal. A few catchy pop songs do not equate to the best of 2024 material. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/linkin-park-from-zero.html

5-Oceans of Slumber - 'Where Gods Fear to Speak" 

Their previous material was doomier and made better use of her soulful voice, this feels rushed and uninspired, well-produced but also very bland. If you think this is the best of anything you did not listen to enough music this year, plenty of bands even did this better than this band. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/oceans-of-slumber-where-gods-fear-to.html

4-Lowen - "Do Not Go To War With The Demons Of Mazandaran"

This album was so bad I could not get through it to review it just felt like a waste of time. It was a flowery mess of symphonic pop rock. The only reason it was disappointing was because it was a shame the album title was so cool, and the music sounded like nothing that should be described like that. 

3-Nightwish- 'Yesterwynde"

Much like the number four I could not get through this album to review it, it's a shame as I liked both "Once" and "Dark Passion Play", there is no backbone driving these songs the attempts at metal sound empty, they would have been better off putting this band to rest. 

2-Unto Others -"Never Neverland" 

I had hoped they would have gone in a more goth direction, but they went in a poppier direction. It sounds like Billy Idol b-sides at times, a great deal of hair metal mixed in but with none of the metal edge.  The pop hooks lured me into giving this album a 9, but if I went back to review this album again I would give it an 8, as the pop hooks did not work to make me want to listen to it again. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/08/unto-others-never-neverland.html

1-Judas Priest - "Invincible Shield" 

Judas Priest is one of my favorite bands from my teen years, age has not been kind to Halford's pipes, though "Nostradomus" was a great album, perhaps I am in the minority in this regard, but it was more inspired than what they have put out since. This album might fool many people just hungry for Priest as it sounds good from a production stand point, though the original members are beginning to dwindle. At the end of the day if we are being honest this album sounds like the record label asked AI to write what it thought a Judas Priest album should sound like and this is what happened. I gave this a 9, when I first reviewed it but the more I listened to it the more I disliked it so I would give it a 7 today.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/judas-priest-invincible-shield.html

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Dax Riggs : "7 Songs For Spiders"

Here's my first review of a 2025 release.  It's been 13 years since his last release. This time around  Dax is backed by a three-piece band of grooving Cajuns, they slither with a melancholy pulse, that takes things back to his darker roots. The opening track"deceiver" finds a dream-laden haze hovering over his soulful speculation. It's almost like gospel music for someone whose acid trip has been tempered by opiates. It feels like it picks up closer to what 'We Sing of Only Blood or Love" let off, though more sonically layered. His trademark croon sounds as good as ever. 

The synths going into "sunshine felt the darkness smile" create an almost Beatles-like vibe. Lyrically brilliant, he continues to ponder with his surreal phrasing the duality of Jesus, and Lucifer, amid musing issues of mortality. The fuzzed-out bass line occupies the space guitars normally fill in rock music. This allows the ambiance to breathe. "even the stars fall" is more rock than the previous two songs, as the guitar begins to provide more of a drive, while Riggs throws his croon around.  There is some ebb and flow, where previous releases felt like he was wrestling with depression, this time around you suspect that perhaps marijuana is helping elvate him from the emotional morass, and more hopeful in his esoteric questioning 

'blues for you know who" feels only marginally influenced by the actual blues, though given his cultural background it's enmeshed in his DNA, no matter where he goes sonically, as he continues to give a more soul performance than any of his previous projects. It drones off the bass line and slowly builds rather than winding around a verse-chorus arrangement. "ain't that darkness" is a wandering jam, that is hard to complain about as it flows like syrup. "pagan moon" might have the most blues in its DNA. There is a steamy tension that he makes the most of. He has always been one of the most underrated singers, he knows where to put each note and pours the right amount of emotive despondency behind them. 

The bass lines of this album put more rock into the sound than the guitars, and this is perhaps most displayed in how it drives the last song.It has a surreal grunge feel, with Riggs' emotive croon doing what he does.  Sure it's only seven songs, but he got them pretty perfect for what they are and it's a welcome return for him preceding his reunion with Acid Bath, if you were going into this album expecting metal then you really not are familiar with anything he's done since Agents of Oblivion. I'll give it a 10 and see how it grows on me. 

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Hässlig :"Apex Predator"

Ok now we get into the time of year when I review albums that might have slipped by or been promoted in a way that caught my attention, however, they were number one on the lists of my peers so I am seeing if they are worth their praises. In this case, it's Cvlt Nation's number-one-ranked Black Metal album. A band from Spain, which is whatfirst made me skeptical, also, this is a black metal-punk rock hybrid, which could mean they just can't play their instruments. The first track sounds good. Here we get into the crux of what this album is about which I am not surprised, that it's a band that captured a raw grimy sound that is angry enough to work. 

This album turns into the issue of sound vs songs. Anyone can get a found it's about turning the dials of the right equipment. Not everyone can write a song. The problem with this is when you are four songs in and it still sounds like it's the second song, which was not as good as the first song. The vocals and the production are the most black metal thing about these guys if you had a punk yelling it would be punk. There is a little more chaos in the title track, but sounds like a mushy jumble of distortion with incomprehensible singing over it. What's the replay value of that? There is a descending pattern that breaks things up but it's too little too late and just goes back into what they have already done. 

"Abgrund" is back into the cacophony. It's raw but in a way that makes it just noise. You can hear a bass trying to fight its way through this mess. Feedback is the only thing that clues you into the fact that you are not still listening to the previous song. This album gets worse in this regard, sometimes the drums are not blasting at you but there is never anything to hook you in or make this memorable. "Raping the Exoskeleton of Life" is a great song title, but it sounds like everything else on this album. The fact they stretch that out for four minutes is just a waste of time. This would not make my best of black metal list , but it is worthy of my worst albums of 2024 list, as you can hear the first thirty seconds of almost every song and get the gist of what they are doing here, which is making thirty minutes of my life that I am never getting back after listening to this piece of shit. I'll give this album a 3. This is a lower score than Beyonce who claimed the number one spot on my worst of 2024, but she remains the champion of suckage since it took a assembly line of producers and songwriters in the most expensive studios to put out trash while these guys did it with dignity in their basements playing their own instruments.  

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Traveler " Prequel to Madness"

This Canadian band has received great recognition at the end of the year when it comes to a band holding down heavy metal. "Take the Wheel" kicks off the album with an "Aces High" like energy, though the vocals do not have as much grit and guts as Bruce.  Not the most original thing I have heard, but they are good at what they are doing. The Maiden riffs as "Two Minutes to Midnight" are up next, so they might have tried to cover "Powerslave" from front to back. The vocals show a little more guts on this one. I think what is happening here is that an audience is so hungry for new music like this that they do not care how original it is. 

The first song we get that is not trying to rip off Maiden is "The Law", which is as anthemic as any power metal song you might hope for, but mainly empty calories for your ears. The first song that I feel is well-written is 'Rebels of Earth". The riff has a more Dio-like feel to it. "Heavy Hearts" is when things started to fade into background noise and I had to go back and give it another listen to wrap my head around it, this song feels rushed though the chorus works. When their signer tries to belt from his chest voice in a lower register it sounds awkward on "No Fate".

There is a more solid take on traditional metal with "Vagrants of Time".  Though the vocal phrasing could use some work, it's common for these types of singers to try to cram too many words into a verse. Dio seldom did this which is why he is so revered. Despite this being a fact the average listener might not pick up on.  The last song is more of the same, falling along the more typical power metal lines, and too happy for my tastes. I will give this album an 8, they are great at capturing this sound and can pull it off which earns then such a high score since it's not an easy genre to tackle if so more bands would be doing it. 

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Lifeless Dark : "Forces of Nature's Transformation"

 This Boston band takes British crust sounds and fuses them with thrashing aggression. This manages to not sound like early Carcass. They use more punk speed when the song throws itself into the pit. Their vocalist gives more of a punk yell to things. I prefer the more deliberate chug of "Cryptic Remains" over the more rushed punk explosion of the second song. While it retains the raw urgency needed to get the point across this album is well-recorded. Perhaps the drum could come up a little in the mix but aside from that the powerful guitar tone works well. 

"Radition Sickness" has an effective moshing groove, until they pour the speed on, this is the creative battle this band fights with itself. The chorus could stand a little more hook. "Medusa' is not as catchy as the Anthraxz song with the same name. It is more deliberate which works better than most. "Fear No Evil" works as a hyper-aggressive thrashing, her vocals continue to cry out with a uniform abandon. "Chalice of Vision" raced by with angry guitars in such a manner that it blurred into the background so I had to give it a second listen. The same could be said for "Broken Mirrors". At first, the riff has more bit until they give in to their need for speed. There is a cool riff amid the blitzed chaos, but the rule here is "Cool riffs alone does not a good song make" 

The last song opens with a burly bass line. They bust into the kind of raw thrash-tinged punk that has dominated this album and it works well enough. Overall this album could have stood to have had a little more melodic layer to keep the songs from bearing such a uniform feel, but instead, they opt to work off the angry energy alone which is pretty effective in its own right so I will give this album an 8.5

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Night Laser : "Call Me What You Want"

 Catching up on some of the genres that fall outside of my normal listening these days like cock rock, hair metal, and power metal. The lines that separate these genres have grown more blurred as this German band proves. Bands like the Scorpions, Accept and Helloween all had a legitimate hard rock history before they began cranking out arena anthems. These guys are yodeling their way straight to it. Steel Panther seems a fair frame of reference sonically, there is also Guns n Roses-like swagger in what they do. Their accent put a funny twist on this, that was more subtle for Klaus Mien. 

I at least appreciate the fact that someone is still making this kind of music since it is what I grew up on. Granted my musical diet at the time was also supplemented by lots of Ozzy, Maiden, Alice Cooper, and Kiss. The guitar solos are impressive which they have to be, though the riffing to the second song reminds me a little of "Dr. Feelgood" at times. The falsetto screams more often than not hit their mark. The guitar tone leading into "No More Changes" nails the sound they are paying homage to. It does seem like a great deal of this is coming from Germany these days.  "Don't Call Me Evil" takes a marginally darker more serious tone. Lyrically the bulk of the band pumping this sort of thing out in the day was not that great so they are in line with that. 

"Law of the Vulture" shows more of their musical prowess, and gives them room to jam a little. This crosses over more into metal. On the other side of the coin "Laser Train" plays off of the sillier points of the genre that I never liked about this kind of music, think Alice Cooper covering "Unskinny Bop". Then comes the obligatory ballad that is their "Every Rose Has Its Thorn". There is a more metal leaning to "Captain Punishment".  Halfway into the song, there is the feeling you have heard everything thing they are going to do with it. The last song takes a more folk metal direction, in its power balladry. I will give this album an 8.5, as it is a great deal of fun. 

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Seven Spires : " A Fortress Called Home"

 

This came out in June, I have caught some of the singer's YouTube videos, which are cool enough. There are some brighter more symphonic passages, but they are not as gleeful as most bands doing this sort of thing. The chorus for the opening track works well enough and the use of harder vocals on the verse, makes them sound more modern than most. The guitar solos do what they are supposed to do on this kind of thing, They are not excessive, and not yet get the feel that the songs are just bookends for the guitar solos. Do the symphonic elements take some of the edge off? Yes. 

The second song reminds me of a Dimmu a little. But more like Temu Borgir as it does not hold all the heft of the Norweigan band. It makes sense these guys are from Boston. There is a smoother vocal to "Almosttown". It's interesting how she separates herself from the corset-wearing singers of this metal subgenre. The pop hooks she uses are more subtle, and while she's attractive there is no sense of sexuality being projected from the music. 

"Love's Souvenier" sounds more like a show tune than a metal song, even with growled vocals and guitar solos. This is darker than say Night Wish though that is not really saying much as I could only get a couple songs into their new album and I gave up. This fact is highlighted in 'Where the Sorrows Bear My Name". The Chorus is not as strong as some of the earlier songs, and it meanders a tad. Adrieen Cowan is a great vocalist for this sort of thing, however some songs flow better than others. Technical singing ability is great, but it has to be tempered with the ability to write great vocal lines. 

"Songs Upon Wine Stained Tongues" has a more romantic baroque that recalls Nightwish.  There is not anything hooking you into this bardic tale. "House of Lies" benefits from better songwriting. "Portrait of Us" is a more straightforward power metal style, but without the thrash influence. It works well enough, but typically speaking the major key chord progressions sound like anime anthems and are not normally my thing, as I prefer darker heavier music. 

 "Emerald Necklace" which is a ballad that sets us back in the land of show tunes. It is the kind of flowery melodrama that I do not like about this genre. If you drool over guitar solos then they threw one in for good measure, but it's mainly fluff. "Architect of Creation" is one of the album's heavier songs, but the symphonic element works against it. The last song is way too happy for my taste. The scowled vocals on the verse do not help with this. I will give this an 8, they are sharper than most of their peers, making it something that is easier for me to listen to than most of this sort of thing. 

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Svarttjern : "Draw Blood"

Another band flying the flag of true Norwegian Black Metal. This album just came out a few weeks ago and moves at a more thrashing speed. When I say this album is well produced, I am talking about a black metal band, not well produced like a Slipknot album or even Behemoth. They do care about writing songs which works for me. A great deal of Slayer influence in their musical DNA works for me. The title track is closer to what you expect from run-of-the-mill black metal as it's eager to storm the gates.  At least the bass line is present enough to provide the needed muscle. 

If Watain were big partiers they might write an anthem like "Don't Contain Your Lust" It has a catchy stomp to it and is a great deal of fun."Erect Your Congregation" races along faster and is not as fun. Then the album begins to lose a little momentum creatively on "Lick My Flesh' despite dropping down to a bass groove, there is still just a uniform feel to things. Almost more like a blackened version of Motorhead by the time it gets to "Chop, Slit, Flay". Though the more rock n roll moments are fun. "Aluminum Bat Domina" finds them busting out a guitar solo along the punk-drenched thrashing.

I was not expecting a cover of the Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb". The vocals make no attempt to Jagger things. Thanks to the guitars you can at least tell what the song is. The last song is not the strongest, but it works for what they do and does not suck either, overall this is highly enjoyable, it might have been a contender for top ten black metal albums like the 9th or 10th spot if it came out earlier, as it's more raw and rock n roll than the kind of experimental darkness I prefer, but ever efficient. I will give this one a 9. 

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Witch Club Satan : "s/t"

Something about X-mas makes me go on a black metal tangent, so I am catching up on some of the albums I missed earlier in the year. I am sure this album did not get a lack of coverage in their efforts to over compensate most metal press these days is quick to want to push an all female band with the fervor of a horny teenager. These gals pretty much sound like a more punk version of Windir. Nothing new happening here, but that is just one song into the album. "Fresh Blood, Fresh Pussy" is a more entertaining song title that the actual music which they just band their instruments .

 This more punk possessed take on rawer chaotic black metal has never been my favorite and I am not anymore impressed when a band like Midnight does it. Four songs in and they begin working atmosphere into things. The vocal become tiring at this point as it's the shrieking for all four songs, and I doubt it's going to change that much . "Reverse This Fuck' is more punk than black metal. I like that the songs are typically around three minutes long as they are not dragging this out and get to the point more often than not. "Mother Sea" is one of the exceptions. Actually singing occurs on the drone of ambiance that is more in line with Myrkur. This brings out a more folk side from them.

"Hysteria" is more deliberate and at first lumbers toward a more Celtic Frost sound before they throw themselves to the same sloppy blasting that propels the bulk of the album. Their attempts at infusing a witchy empowerment into what they do , the problem being they work more of energy than songwriting. I'm not sure what their abilities as musicians are and I am over halfway into this album. "I Was Made For Fire" might be the best song because the vocals have more purpose. The music also moves at a creepy pulse rather than just blasting at you. While "Salvation" is also more deliberate the vocals are not and the song suffers because of this. The single not guitar melodies do not attest to the question this album often poses of ...can they actually play their instruments . "Mother" is not a Danzig cover, which might be out of their ability level. They do sing, but the guitar playing is rather amateurish. There are some decent ideas and they have potential, it's hard to believe that they went into a studio and these were the best takes. I'll give this album a 7. If you see this album on any best of lists, disregard everything else they have to say.

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Whoredom Rife : "Winds of Wrath"

 

The band's third album finds their take on trve Norwegian Black Metal, gaining some ground when it comes to having a bigger more refined sound. It holds more in common with Immortal than Darkthrone. Following a more predictable trajectory, they do not waste time getting to the blast beat. They also care about songwriting so there is some substance here. Things have a cold raging speed to them. "A Thousand Graves Endured" just kind of blasts down a well-worn sonic highway. Some of the vocal layers work really well despite the vocals typically being in a midrange rasp.

"the Gospel of Hate' carries a familiar buzzing of guitars. The pulse is a little more purposeful than the previous song.  Fans of the Marduk or 1349 school of Black Metal will enjoy this one. All of the songs are near the seven minute mark of over, which is better than if they were at the ten minute mark or over. Things are still songs rather than sprawling oceans of angry sounds. The vocals are really well produced which makes their scowling more interesting.  "Sea of Diseased Blood" blasts forward in a thundering manner than conforms closer to the template for this style of black metal. It sounds good and is well done , though halfway into the song I can't imagine them dragging for another four minutes in this manner. 

The title track has a more deliberate throb. It works for what they do, though the wheel is not really being re-invented here. "Einride" churns with more heft, the bass tone being more present to hammer things home. Often black metal works off the buzzing speed, and tends to not feel as heavier so it's good to hear a bass being used to do this. The vocals take on a more strangled anguish as the song progresses. I'll give this one an 8.5, really well done, playing into the tropes of black metal, but presenting them bleak majesty, if you want a cut and dry black metal album this is for you. 

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Marasm : "Keine Erde"

 

This German band offers an interesting late entry in 2024's releases. They open things up in a more post-rock fashion. Then blast off into a crusty take on black metal that is not unlike what Ragana does.  Their layered vocals bring out the more well-encrusted edges of their sound and give it more punk roots. Melody is retained in the process that pays off in the songwriting dept. The second song finds them angrier. It launches into a more feral blast of black metal, with the vocals arranged in more of a call-and-response fashion with hard-core punches accenting things. 

Not the best production I've heard on an album this year, but that gives it some of its charm. They get a great deal of credit for being willing to break away from the rowdy hard-core punk throwdowns to use atmosphere and nuanced guitar to create more dynamics than most bands doing this sort of thing. The subtle use of samples works well. "Drexekutive" finds them sonically touching on screamo, which is not far removed where the sounds they work with. When they are at their most explosive as a band the results are not as impressive, as they sound more like everyone else than when they think out of the box and allow things to simmer 

The band's female singer, makes her most noteworthy performance on the last song, as she sings with a more emotive intensity to her voice leading into the song, before it erupts into the screaming this album has conditioned you to expect from it.  These guys have a great deal of potential, I find the female vocalist the most interesting of the two, and the guitars are very well thought out, I will give this album an 8.5, 

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The Top 20 Albums of 2024 : 10 to 1

 

This year I expanded what was once the Top 10 Albums of the Year to the Top 20. The Top 10  was limiting considering there are now 20 best-of-genre lists.  a Top 10 often left off ten albums that captured the top spot for their respective genres.  So we are continuing the countdown here in this second part to the top 10 albums  These are the albums I listened to most. When you take into consideration the fact I listened to over 900 albums this year, it's impressive for these albums to have endured the influx of new music that hit My inbox every morning and made me want to hear them again and again. Yes, this is the culmination of all the other lists done up to this point for other blogs and was refined down to this master list of all genres.; So here ya go...

10- Weston Super Maim- "See You Tomorrow Baby"

This band is out to crush you with their industrial-strength metal, possessed by chaotic outbursts of jarring mathematics like a grind-core version of Meshuggah. This album proves you can go to the extremes of heaviness while still having a huge sound. At times electronic sounds enter the fray. Impressive guitar work does not hinder the sheer weight this album hits you with while writing memorable songs. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/08/weston-super-maim-see-you-tomorrow-baby.html

 

 

 

9-O Zorn !- "Vermillion Haze" 

On the darker side of 90s grunge reviving, these guys kept the anthemic slant minimal, and instead cut themselves and allowed the songs to bleed from it. It is heavy with mood rather than hammering at you. This album took me by surprise and exceeded any hopes I had for it, It grew on me more than any other album becoming a staple of my weekly listening due to the honest melancholy that seeps from its pores. If you like grunge, but not the kind for jocks then this will be up your alley. Really can not sing its praises enough. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/o-zorn-vermillion-haze.html

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8-200 Stab Wounds - "Manual Manic Procedures" 

. Less than a year after the previous release, the guys have worked hard to perfect their craft, as this is more nuanced and dynamic songwriting. My only complaint about the first album was that it was so straightforward that there was little to separate it from veterans like Cannibal Corpses. Now they are really bringing it hard this time around. They give the oppressive pounding. Plenty of syncopated punches and little nuances make it clear that this operation is meticulous. Perfect blend of creepy melodic parts, and aggressive hooky riffs. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/death-is-june-200-stab-wounds-manual.html

 

             

7-DEHD - "Poetry" 

Over the years this band continued to grow on me until with this album everything clicked into pace. Their finely tuned garage pop is hookier than most pop on the radio. Some of the songs feel like long-lost classics from the early days of California garage rock, despite this band not being from California. At times this finds Beach Boys sounds colliding with the Velvet Underground. The hooks kept me listening which secured them at the top spot. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/dehd-poetry.html

  

6-Snow Strippers -"Night Killaz 2" 

Producer Graham Perez, and singer Tatiana Schwaninger. have totally killed it here, sonically it's almost like a cross between Charli XCX and Grimes, but on old-school techno drugs. This glitched-out more experimental take on electronica finds the emphasis is on the beats and soundscapes being woven here. Tatiana is not the greatest singer, but the secret to this album lies in how her voice is presented. She has her own charisma in her persona. An infectious listen that got as much playtime as faves like the Cure and Taylor Swift. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/snow-strippers-night-killaz-vol-2.html

 

 

5-Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - "Of the Last Human Being" 

When I place one of my favorite bands on the pedestal of what other bands should aspire to, said band must then meet these exalted expectations. If they are one of the best bands I have ever seen live then expectations are even higher. If they are coming back 17 years later, after you lived thinking their last album was the final chapter, then you can only hope for the best album ever. Sleepytime Gorilla Museum reopened in an attempt to make their best album yet. 2007's "In Glorious Times" is a perfect album, so they were wise not to take it head on but in a more mature step forward, emphasizing more of the chamber music side, while employing all the creepy dissonance they are known for. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/sleepytime-gorilla-museum-of-last-human.html

 

 

4- Crippling Alcoholism - "With Love From a Padded Room" 

This band beautifully captures a darkly honest misery. The singer's raspy voice makes you imagine what it might sound like if Tom Waits fronted Interpol. It took the top spot because the songs are uniquely engaging and this album can be played countless times without getting tired of it. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/crippling-alcoholism-with-love-from.html

 

3-Taylor Swift - "The Tortured Poets Department" 

She managed to beat Crippling Alcoholism, based on this album just being marginally more dynamic and a little hookier, as lyrically the two albums were neck and neck.  There is a reason she has a fantastical cult of fans. If we weigh her other albums again this one there might be more debate, but that is where she is as an artist, Swift only has her own work to measure things against. I think this is at least as strong as her more recent work.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department.html

2-Glassing-"From the Other Side of the Mirror" 

 This band has a history of ruling, and it's not stopping. This album was darker and more melodic, giving me more of what I wanted from them. At times, the screamed vocals offset what might otherwise be creepy bass-driven shoegaze. They get feral and deface your eardrums with their tangible sense of anguish. Though none of this is contrived or thought out from a marketing perspective by a record label this is just where they are, perhaps even angrier than the previous album though there is a wide range of emotional colors being used here making them the best metal album of the year with the inner apocalypse they project outwardly. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/glassing-from-other-side-of-mirror.html

 

 

1-The Cure - "Songs Of a Lost World" 

It's no secret these guys are one of my favorite bands, but that means my expectations were higher. While Smith and friends claiming the top spot will not be a surprise to regular readers or people who know me, they earned this one.  This album sounds like they picked up where they left off on "Wish". Amazingly, they are still inspired to create something so perfect 14 albums later. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/the-cure-songs-of-lost-world.html

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