Lord Sin : "Confessions"

 

I'm going to ignore the fact they are draped in black sheets for their album cover and focus on the music since that is what matters. The sophomore album from this duo opens up with a very deliberate creeping stomp that allows darkness to be the organic mood the music naturally creates rather than something they have to work at. Portugal has been pumping at decent metal and these guys are no exception. Falling in a weird middle ground between doom and black metal, they seem to care about songs so that works for me. There is a lot of sound coming from just two people. 

"The Presence" feels like Satyricon jamming with Cathedral. It indulges in more traditional metal moods. But this also shows how limited the vocals are so, it might take them out of their sweet spot slightly. "Living Sin" trods a darker road, that feels more fitting of the vocal delivery. The snarl can slither around this riff. I like that this throbs more than it chugs. The guitar parts make more sense, against the dense wall of fuzz coming at you. The more deliberate stomping shift of the guitar works well dynamically. 

"Negligent" is more like death doom in the melancholy manner it trudges on. However, I am not sure they need to drag it out for ten minutes. Granted it chugs along with a more forceful purpose. Eight and a half minutes in things ebb down a little to build into a more dramatic melody thanks to the layer of synths. "Guilt" is another tune that leans more into the doom side of what they do, which truth be told feels like who they are as a band. Less black metal than say Mortuary Drape, but they occupy similar sonic space at times. The vocals do go from spoken parts to the same kind of scowling that has dominated this album. "Regret" is a more sludge-driven dirge. Nothing new is introduced, it works off sounds they have already used with the slowed tempo being the main focus of the song, though the guitar melodies that crop up midway in are pretty cool. I will give this an 8.5, I like what they are doing here, though it's not something I would listen to a great deal, as the vocals could stand to be more dynamic, I know there are fans of this sort of thing that do not find them to be a sticking point so this will be a welcomed addition for fans of death doom or blackened doom. This Drops on Larvae Records

The Top 10 Death Metal Albums of 2024

There is no shortage of inspiration for death metal these days, as death is all around us. Perhaps that is why there has been such a huge outpouring of quality death metal this year. These albums celebrate annihilation in all of its forms.   These albums captured what death metal should be with very little compromise,  After I sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of 2024. The very fact these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all, we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Perhaps you can find your next favorite on this list; and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these guys. Anyway here are the top 10 Death Metal albums of 2024.

10-Living Gate-"Suffer as One" 

Here is another supergroup making old-school death metal, This one features members of YOB, Amen Ra, and Wiegedood. Some elements are not unlike 'Formulas Fatal to the Flesh " era Morbid Angel, as the riffs twist and turn with a great deal of technical prowess. They are not taking the easy way out by just dialing in a certain retro sound, as the guitar replicates the Trey chaos while the drums are prone to go off on their own path. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/living-gate-suffer-as-one.html

 

9-White Stones -  "Memoria Via" 

The band's 3rd album has all of the great t guitar playing with a progressive touch to their take on melodic death metal. Right from the start Opeth bassist Martin Mendez is bringing exotic chord progressions. When growled vocals come, there is more of a rock tone placed back further in the mix. Perhaps because this album is done in his native tongue, so he did not want that fact as prominent. It's way more progressive than the first two albums bringing them much closer to where he left off with Opeth,. It does get ambitious in the maze of twists and turns by the third track, though is still an interesting listen thanks to the prominence of riffs to hook you back into it. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/death-is-june-white-stones-memoria-via.html

 

8-Daath-"Deceivers" 

Returning from a 13-year hiatus, Eyal Levi is the sole original member, though Sean Z returns to lend his growl to the proceedings. The bigger more grandiose sound of this album is largely due to the addition of Jesse Zuretti who handled the orchestration, synths, and some additional guitar. Obscura guitarist Rafael Trujillo is also adding to the guitar fold. This album features a whos who of guest guitar spots from modern metal bands ranging from Ice Nine Kills to Archspire. Around here we place minimal emphasis on guitar solos, so not going into a breakdown of them for this review. Instead, we are focusing on the songwriting, things like hooks and dynamics.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/daath-deceivers.html

 7-Civerous -"Maze Envy" 

Despite the Morbid Angel-like album cover this band takes things in a more dismal direction. The growls are lower and make no attempt to form hooks. The vocals exist only to create a perverse layer of humanity being defiled with each wretched utterance. It is more of a vibration than anything that really bears being paid attention to. The way the riffs are phrased does have a machine-like grind similar but is balanced out by depressive melodicism. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/civerous-maze-envy.html

6-Gatecreeper - "Dark Superstition" 

Right out the gate, they are crept up with harder-hitting riffs, that carry a more hardcore influence punch to them. This is the band's third album and it sounds like not only are they coming into their own, but stepping into the spotlight to earn a larger metal audience. There is more of an Entombed-like grit at times, and a huge vocal sound that shows the benefits of bigger budget production. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/gatecreeper-dark-superstition.html

5-Ritual Fog-"But Merely Flesh" 

This band from Tennessee attacks with a very deliberate groove not unlike Obituary at times, with their more rabid moments reminding me a little of Rigor Mortis. The vocals are varied, sometimes more snarled, and others growled more with varied tones. The lyrics are articulated enough to know what the songs are about. These guys have not only captured the sound of the era they are paying homage to but also care about writing songs.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/ritual-fog-but-merely-flesh.html

 

4-Undeasth - "More Insane" 

Here is an album, that grew on me with each listen. It captures everything you could want from classic death metal and is a huge improvement when it comes to songwriting, and shows these guys can kick ass when they set their insane minds to it. It earned this spot due to how much I listened to it. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/undeath-more-insane.html

3-Deceased -"Children of the Morgue" 

Hailed as one of the longest-running death metal bands still kicking it, this band feels more like thrash on the opening track of their 11th album. With kinda of a Venom vibe lurking under the current. Harmonizing riffs add a melodic edge though the riffs are pretty catchy. They even allow themselves to go into a gallop that recalls early Iron Maiden.  At the end of the day, it was the end of the day it was hooky old-school metal songwriting that brought me back for more. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/death-is-june-deceased-children-of.html

        

2-Maul- "In the Jaws of Bereavement" 

This album clicked for me right away as it packs a powerful punch, yet does not shy from guitar melodies to show they care about writing songs. North Dakota is not where I would expect this to come from but here we are. There is no shortage of head-banging grooves. This album makes a strong argument for having the bass prominent in the mix when it comes to death metal. There are some technical thrashing riffs, that are balanced out by locking into chugs to bring a more deliberate attack that plays to their strengths. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/maul-in-jaws-of-bereavement.html

 

1-200 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

pst620

The Top 10 Black Metal Albums of 2024

It is not surprising that Black Metal's popularity has waned in the hipster metal scene. It's now called problematic by poseurs who were only into it for superficial reasons in the first place, as the genre has always represented misanthropic hate and nihilistic disdain for the world,  These albums captured what black metal should be with very little compromise. Black metal is a sub-genre of metal that is for the true outside. Here are the bands who captured that best. 

 After I sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of the year. 2024. The very fact these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all, we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Perhaps you can find your next favorite on this list; and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these guys. Anyway here are the top 10 Black Metal albums of 2024

10-Inquisition: " Veneration of Medieval Mysticism and Cosmological Violence"

The notorious Columbian black metal duo is back to bring the darkness in a manner more in line with their 2010 album "Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm".  Many of the songs are possessed by an eerie throb while Dagon gives his best croak. It sits more forward in the mix on this album and has a drier sound to it. At times a few phrases declared in a more spoken tone. The guitars are placed oddly in the mix, single not leads mixed to the front while the main riffs churn behind the crash of the drums. It is one of those odd mixes that creates an interesting effect that gives the overall sound of the album a unique charm. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/01/inquisition-veneration-of-medieval.html

 

9-Darkthrone - "It Beckons Us All" 

Thought of as one of the forefathers of second-wave black metal, it's been a minute since they conformed to any genre, and have been digging up the graves of 80s Celtic Frost for the past few albums which have done so with varying levels of nostalgia, Nordic atmosphere, and grimness. It takes what they have been going for on the past few albums and executes it in the most focused form yet. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/darkthrone-it-beckons-us-all.html

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8-Svoid- "Neptunian" 

The Hungarian back metal band pounds their sound into a dark manner respecting their signature mood. that respects the mood they are known to create. I do not remember the vocals having this much of a snarl, but here we are. They dialed in the guitar tones in a  more of a post-punk, manner, but lurch into the songs with brooding aggression that helps the focus stay firmly planted on songwriting rather than letting the momentum carry them away. This makes them a more original black metal band as they are working these elements in and doing their own thing.  There is a great deal of punk in their attack, even in the scowl of the vocals that are sometimes sung.  

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/07/svoid-neptunian.html

7-Silhouette -"Les Dires de l 'Ame" 

This French band is back with their brand of haunting darkness. The languid wail of the female vocals haunts the gray haze of the ghostly guitar. Black metal elements crash in with female vocals serving as a counterpoint. Their take on black metal does not try to numb you out with a bunch of blast beats. Instead, they work with the mood. The drummer is very solid when it comes to setting the stage for this. When they slow down and let the chords ring out with a creepy throb it's even more effective and gives the female vocals room to slither in.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/silhouette-les-dires-de-l-ame.html

6-1349 - "The Wolf and the King"  

Back to hammer your ears as the defenders of what true Norweigan Black Metal should be. This lineup has been intact since  2001, so they've had nothing but time to perfect their purist definition of black metal that benefits from hooky songwriting without compromising the grimness. There are more deliberate moments on this album that succeed in being aggressive and dark without hitting you with a wall of blast beats.'

        

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/07/1349-wolf-and-king.html

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

This Canadian band brings the darkness again, ranging from a more sludge-like below to a traditional black metal rasp. The songs carry more of a throb, than the blast-beaten sound that typifies the genre. They hit you with a storm cloud of sound, and live up to the hype. If you want black metal that hits you with a tempest of apocalyptic darkness this album is for you. Out on Eisenwald. 

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

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4-Curse Upon a Prayer - "The Worship: Orthoprax Satanism" 

The angriest band on this year's list. This band from Finland has enough balls to refrain from attacking the low-hanging fruit, Christianity, instead, they nut up and attack Islam, whose followers are fanatical enough to come after you for being critical, just ask Salaman Rushdie, who is still in hiding. Rather than just relying on this as a gimmick these guys are legit and bring black metal better than most. Their sound carries all the venom they need to spew to convince black metal fans they are not going for a wider audience here,

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/08/curse-upon-prayer-worship-orthoprax.html

 

3-Vemod -"The Deepening" 

If you get stoned to a black metal album this is the one to do it to. They create an atmosphere that is very organic, jamming the songs out lush layers of hypnotic instrumentation. Not worried about being the trvest black metal band in Norway, played to their strengths as songwriters, and thus a stunning collection of songs was born. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/black-metal-history-month-vemod.html

 

2- Nachtmystium - "Blight Privilege" 

One of my favorite black metal projects is back. Blake Judd personifies inner darkness, which can create our darkness, legitimizing his work's melancholy. This new album picks up where they left off. The scathing rasp of his vocals sits back in the mix. The synths play a larger role in the overall sound which is carried by a great deal of drive, thanks to drummer Francesco Miato.  It's fine to welcome back to a band that is badly needed as the world becomes more miserable. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/nachtmystium-blight-privilege.html

1-Ellende -  "Todbringerin" 

 This explains the growth in the more melodic direction of their sound, and the pristine nature of the production that is organic enough to capture the spirit of the genre without being so polished they lose the black metal feel like say Behemoth. These Austrians are doing their own thing in the best way possible without turning off fans of the genre, as the scope of sound has changed but even with the jazzy guitar interludes nobody is going to doubt these guys are a black metal band even when they skimp on the blast beats. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/ellende-todbringerin.html

pst619

Trelldom : "...By the Shadows..."

 It can be hard to keep up with all of Gaahl's varied project's over the years, despite him being one of my favorite Black Metal vocalists. This project is more diverse than Gorgoroth, and I think makes excellent use of his voice. The members of this band have also played in God Seed, with the drummer Kenneth Kapstad having covered the most ground. I am not sure I would even call this band black metal, though they are dark, but a flowing progressive sense flows through them. The shadowy drone they sweep you away in is very cool. This is the perfect mood for me. 

"Return the Distance' finds the saxophone taking a more prominent and chaotic role in creating a dissonance backdrop to the song's pulse. It's almost an interlude but enough of a complete thought for me to count it as a song. The more Swans-like "Between the World" is a darker heavier sonic monument. Though "I Drink Out of My Head"  it is not metal the drumming leans on their past in the genre. It is the song most Gorgoroth fans are most likely to connect with. Gaahl sings with a Jello Biafra-like vibrato to his voice. 

"Hiding Invisible" is more like a simmering cauldron of free jazz for Halloween. Interesting sounds not so much on songwriting. There is more of a Swans-like jangle for the more driving uptempo closing song. It's a big sonic swell and more punk than what Swans typically do in the pace with which it hammers at your ears.     While it does drift off into some chaotic sounds at times when they do lock into the songs it's dark and powerful, so I will give this album a 9. 

pst618

VOLA : "Friend of a Phantom"

 

This kind of pop-tinged metal is a production of the djent phase of music that has evolved into metal core to remain relevant, though given that this band is from Denmark there is less of a pressure to conform to the standards of the music machine. This is not our first time with this band as their 2021 album scored 8.5, though this feels like a slicker affair.  This leads to more progressive nuance being present though they are pulling from a lot of places here. "Break My Lying Tongue" sounds like if Porcupine Tree made theme songs for My Hero Academia. "We Will Not Disband' has a very similar vocal phrasing to the previous song, It almost feels like the same same song. 

"Glass Mannequin" is an even more timid ballad, that finds them heading toward Sleep Token's zip code, but they do it with more grace. "Bleed Out" has more of a groove, as the vocals take on a more robotic cadence. This album is very well produced. Almost to a fault. The vocals get more aggressive, but in a more djent fashion, as the synths feel like they are on equal footing with the guitars. "Paper Wolf" works off the momentum already built in the previous song. The singer's voice at times reminds me of the guy from Dredg. 

"I Don't Know How We Got Here" is a more relaxed ballad with a bubbling pop beat under it. Lyrically things are a little more interesting than most of this kind of modern prog pop. "Hollow Kid" rocks out a little more and feels darker in its groove. I like the effects on the vocals as it feels like they are another instrument. This might be my favorite song on the album. The last song is a little more chill than I expected them to end things with given the trajectory. I will also give this album an 8.5, which makes these guys consistent and more interesting than your average prog band these days, as they care about song writing and not just out to wank around. 

pst617

Winterfylleth : "The Imperious Horizon"

 Catching up buzzed about albums that slipped under my radar. I have reviewed most of their previous album, the earlier work is better. This album opens with the intensity you want from black metal It storms along like Immortal, though the vocals are shouted out in a very staccato manner. The song after this just kind of blasts along a similar current that does not do as much for me, as I am not a big fan of when all of a band's songs sound the same. Is their drummer a machine, able to keep up with the guitars? Sure. The album has a massive sound so that might impress you. If you begin skipping a little on the song to see if it goes anywhere, it does not seem to be heading away from this buzz. There are many guitar parts piled on top of one another, so maybe you are in very subtle difference.

The same blasting buzz kicks in for "Upon this shore' and it bores me. There are some guitar melodies but it feels like a mute point if it is layered over the same tempos as the other songs. The first real change happens at about four and a half minutes in but it's woefully short-lived. The title track does find things dropping down midway into the song. But these songs are really long for them to just blast off one theme. Maybe things are going to take a turn at this point.  The 11-minute song  "the Silent Grace' opens with clean guitar offering a more melancholic turn. We are not midway into the album, so they took their time getting here., The singer from Primordial joins in on this one. Making it the album's best song, 

"To the Edge of Tyranny" is more straightforward and in your face which is an improvement, as it's not just blasting you into a coma. The last song "In Insurrection" snarls with conviction as they attack in a more deliberate yt blackened manner. I will give this album an 7.5, as it gets better midway through and the overall sound of the album compensates as a whole. 

pst616