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. 

pst655

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. 

pst649

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, 

pst647

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

pst646

The Top 20 Albums of 2024 : 20 to 11

This year I have decided to expand what was once the Top 10 Albums of the Year to the Top 20. The Top 10  was a little limiting considering there are now 20 best-of-genre lists, so a Top 10 would leave off ten albums that captured the top spot for their respective genres.  In doing this it's expanded said list into two parts. This is the first part counting down from album 20 to 11.  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...

1-Iress -" Sleep Now, In Reverse" 

Taking the top spot is this beautiful wave of gloomy gazing from this  Los Angeles-based band.  It was a tough call between this album and Bleakheart, with the vocals of Michelle Malley being the tiebreaker as she delivers an emotionally stunning performance that creates a wonderful contrast to the storm clouds the band summons beneath her sublime melodies. The drumming gives this album a great deal of focused intention which in turn creates songwriting magic as they grow as songwriters. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/07/iress-sleep-now-in-reverse.html

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20-iRESS -

19-REZN - "Burden"

The new album from Chicago's Sonic Sorcerors found them expanding their minds and sound The dark groovin' drive that lurks as the heartbeat of this album, might not be metal, but it is aggressive enough to get the point across.  The plea of the vocals echoes out into the expansive place they have created here. It feels darker than the previous album, but darker in a more hazy moonlit manner. When it comes to making melancholy stoner rock that is heavy on the atmosphere this year these guys can not be beaten. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/rezn-burden.html

 

 18-Charli XCX -"BRAT" 

If you strip away the cultural marketing tactics that put her in the spotlight this year, she already has released an album of Strong Bangers, but she was not letting it just be a great album. It's the nature of the beast she is in the belly of, but that aside, these songs bump seriously, and I have been a fan of hers for some time now, so glad to see she is getting the recognition she deserves. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/charli-xcx-brat.html

17-Witnesses - "Joy" 

 Despite my preference for Kody Ternes as the vocalist, things changed, and  Bibby from Seventh Angel is handling the vocals this time around. He is more of a metal singer than Ternes, he does make melodic choices that think outside of the power metal box, some doom singers lean toward. His voice grew on me.  Not as dark as some of their previous work the album deals more with self -actualization. There is a highly emotive nature they invoke with the atmosphere. It is one of Greg Schwan's strengths as a songwriter. Things are very dynamic, with the vocals soaring above it all. They once again excelled, and if you are a doom fan who enjoys melody then this album is a must.  This band is onto something and it is one of the more original expressions of doom I have heard in a minute. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/november-is-doom-witnesses-joy.html

 

16-Crypt Sermon- "The Stygian Rose" 

Taking their  80s-flavored metal down its darker grittier path, not unlike Savatage or Metal Church, the songs benefit from more vocal colors going on this time around. The riffing carries more thrash, as they hit their stride as songwriters.  There are lots of tasteful guitar solos that relentlessly hit you with killer riffs. This album finds them coming into their own, and standing shoulder to shoulder with the albums these songs draw inspiration from.

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

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15-Planes Mistaken For Stars - "Do You Still Love Me ?" 

The late Gared O'Donnell recorded this album while undergoing Chemo, before succumbing to his chance at 44. They were always too gritty and real to break through to the mainstream. Their take on rock n roll still pounds the song into you. Unless you share in the inner darkness with which these songs were conceived you might not know what to make of the brooding. To my ears it's beautiful. Some brighter guitar tones on this album than in their previous work, it's clear he was ending things in a manner that still pushed their sound forward. Gared you are missed

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/planes-mistaken-for-stars-do-you-still.html

14-Chelsea Wolfe -"Unbound" 

 If She said the versions of these songs found on this EP were how they were originally written, before being re-mixed into what was presented on "She Reaches Out to, She Reaches Out to..." it would make perfect sense as this sounds more like who she is. This is emotionally powerful and feels like a true expression of who she is. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/chelsea-wolfe-unbound.html

 

13-Full of Hell-"Coagulated Bliss"

This album grew on me more than any other this year, partly due to catching these guys live where it all clicked. It's also a huge step of maturity in songwriting. From a production standpoint, it's more organic. They were not darker, but more punk than the sludge-tinged gnarliness that comprised their guitar tone on other albums. The guitarist claims that he learned how to serve the song during their sessions for the album with Nothing. Things here reflect that due to the fact it is angular and mathy, but not spastic. The vocals are more deliberate as well.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/full-of-hell-coagulated-bliss.html

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12-Death Killer -"Total Destruction of the Entire Universe" 

Here is the kind of industrial album I was waiting for. It is both pissed and heavy as hell with a fair dose of chaos in its veins. There is a great balance of instrumentation and programming/ electronic elements. It is not industrial music to dance to it is industrial music that is going to kick your face. Not unlike Ministry's "Filth Pig" album in that regard though this is heavier. It blasts at you like a jackhammer, as it sonically fucks your brains out right from the first song

 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/gothtober-death-killer.html

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11-Nails - "Every Bridge Burning" 

It's been 8 years since the last album from this California-based hard-core band. They are just as angry as they were on "You Will Never Be One of Us".  The grind-core influence on the band has them spitting out minute-and-a-half songs propelled by an unrelenting momentum. The faster moments that create a frenzied wall of sound are balanced out by the intentional songwriting masterstrokes delivered here, and find this album to be worth the wait and put the band on the top of the hard-core heap. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/nails-every-bridge-burning.html

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The Top 10 Metal Albums of 2024

As the world finds itself coming closer to critical mass, We need heavy music more than ever. This is the culmination of all the other metal lists. Yes, I have done other metal lists for other blogs, and I see them as being a refining process for when I make this list. The results might vary to at the end of the day I checked my Last FM to see what I actually listened to the most and here we are with these results. Truth be told this still included most of the number-one picks from the varied sub-genre lists, though other albums that ranked maybe two are three on their respective lists, also earned a place here, due to growing on me or replay value of their albums. While results may have varied, this is the final word. 

The very fact these bands made it to this list means they are cream of the crop 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. You can bitch and complain about your favorite band not being on the list. However, I listen to over six hundred new albums this year, so chances are  I heard your favorite album and was not impressed.  I hope you can find your next favorite on this list and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out audio on these guys. Anyway here are the top 10 Metal albums of 2024

10-Deadform - "Entrenched In Hell" 

This is the first full-length from this Oakland-based crust trio which features Dino Sommese from Dystopia on drums as well as sharing vocal duties with Brian Clouse from Stormcrow, who is also playing bass in this project. The furious sounds unleashed on this album highlight the things I love about the Crust genre. It's heavy, yet grooving in its pummeling. There is also a dark apocalyptic mood churning from the songs. The tones coming from their blown-out amps are burly enough to belong to a sludge band, but they are played with more of a punk attitude. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/deadform-entrenched-in-hell.html

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9-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

8-Witnesses - "Joy" 

 Despite my preference for Kody Ternes as the vocalist, things changed, and  Bibby from Seventh Angel is handling the vocals this time around. He is more of a metal singer than Ternes, he does make melodic choices that think outside of the power metal box, some doom singers lean toward. His voice grew on me.  Not as dark as some of their previous work the album deals more with self -actualization. There is a highly emotive nature they invoke with the atmosphere. It is one of Greg Schwan's strengths as a songwriter. Things are very dynamic, with the vocals soaring above it all. They once again excelled, and if you are a doom fan who enjoys melody then this album is a must.  This band is onto something and it is one of the more original expressions of doom I have heard in a minute. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/november-is-doom-witnesses-joy.html

 

7-Crypt Sermon- "The Stygian Rose" 

Taking their  80s-flavored metal down its darker grittier path, not unlike Savatage or Metal Church, the songs benefit from more vocal colors going on this time around. The riffing carries more thrash, as they hit their stride as songwriters.  There are lots of tasteful guitar solos that relentlessly hit you with killer riffs. This album finds them coming into their own, and standing shoulder to shoulder with the albums these songs draw inspiration from.

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

6-Full of Hell-"Coagulated Bliss"

This album grew on me more than any other this year, partly due to catching these guys live where it all clicked. It's also a huge step of maturity in songwriting. From a production standpoint, it's more organic. They were not darker, but more punk than the sludge-tinged gnarliness that comprised their guitar tone on other albums. The guitarist claims that he learned how to serve the song during their sessions for the album with Nothing. Things here reflect that due to the fact it is angular and mathy, but not spastic. The vocals are more deliberate as well.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/full-of-hell-coagulated-bliss.html

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5-Death Killer -"Total Destruction of the Entire Universe" 

Here is the kind of industrial album I was waiting for. It is both pissed and heavy as hell with a fair dose of chaos in its veins. There is a great balance of instrumentation and programming/ electronic elements. It is not industrial music to dance to it is industrial music that is going to kick your face. Not unlike Ministry's "Filth Pig" album in that regard though this is heavier. It blasts at you like a jackhammer, as it sonically fucks your brains out right from the first song

 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/gothtober-death-killer.html

4-Nails - "Every Bridge Burning" 

It's been 8 years since the last album from this California-based hard-core band. They are just as angry as they were on "You Will Never Be One of Us".  The grind-core influence on the band has them spitting out minute-and-a-half songs that are propelled by an unrelenting momentum. The faster moments that create a frenzied wall of sound are balanced out by the intentional songwriting masterstrokes delivered here, and find this album to be worth the wait and put the band on the top of the heap. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/nails-every-bridge-burning.html

3- 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

 

2-200 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

1-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

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The Top 10 Hard Rock Albums of 2024

Hard Rock is defined here as being, more aggressive than rock n roll,, but not dark or mean enough to be considered by Metal, by anyone who knows anything about metal.  These are not the coolest albums, but the best, fuck what other blogs say,   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 Hard Rock albums of 2024.

10-Bokassa - "All out of Dreams" 

This Norweigan band occupies a similar place as Kvelertak. But are more stoner rock and not black metal at all, They have a healthy love of punk rock, so much so that Lou Koller from Sick of it All joins in on the second song. The riffing at times has a hint of 80s metal which works for me. Think Judas Priest or Accept here.  The raspy vocals prove capable of holding melodies down. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/november-is-doom-bokassa-all-out-of.html

9-Silly Goose - "Bad Behavior" 

At first listen, it might be easy to write this Atlanta band off as a Limp Bizkit tribute act, but there is more under the surface. The zany rapped delivery of Jackson Foster, does lend Fred Durst comparisons to his suburban white boy approach. But these kids are hard-working and that extends to their songwriting which is pretty hooky, while they might not be skinning your ass raw like a chainsaw, they do bring enough of themselves into the mix. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/08/silly-goose-bad-behavior.html

 

8-Abrams-"Blue City" 

This time around there is a heavier more grunge-tinged aggression that sometimes reminds me of Filter and makes me think of Soundgarden. The big guitar sound swirls around the songs. They are big and anthemic in their attack with nuanced verses that groove while leaving enough room for the vocals to howl and croon around . It's when they reach the balance of melody, groove, and dynamics that the band really shine

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/07/abrams-blue-city.html

 

7-Falling in Reverse- 'Popular Monster'

This album is obviously nu-metal for the post-Myspace generation. Not sure why Radke gets under people's skin, his rap skills are on par with his singing voice, and while this does not ever hit like metal it does have more balls than most rock music earning it's place here. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/08/falling-in-reverse-popular-monster.html

 

6-Modern Witchcraft -"S/T"

 These guys play an ethereal style of atmospheric doom that owes more to The Cure than Black Sabbath. At times this puts them closer to Deftones. The melody is given more emphasis. The emotion of the song washes over you. Sounds swirl around you. It is heavier in feel than it is heavy metal.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/modern-witchcraft-st.html

5-Hidden Mothers  - "Erosion  / Avulsion" 

This band combines elements of sludge with the hard-hitting post-hard core that is balanced out by melodic passages that create a somber dreaminess. The arrangements are almost progressive. It all falls together in a very organic fashion to find a happy middle ground. 

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

 

4-Boston Manor- "Sundiver" 

This band can switch things up from emo-tinged pop punk to a moody melodic nu-metal explosion that should appeal to fans of Deftones. They write catchy songs that stick to you which at the end of the day is what matters. 

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

                      

3- Fatima -'Eerie" 

This French band made the year's most haunting grunge album with urgent vocals and an ominous ambiance, all works perfectly. The guitar carries the needed metallic punch to drive the point home as the bass anchors this down, with a unique songwriting approach. Some 90s elements are lurking under the surface here, and perhaps this is the icing on the cake for me. They bring plenty of power to the overdriven wall of fuzz

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/november-is-doom-fatima-eerie.html

2-Jerry Cantrell- "I Want Blood"  

I've heard some of his solo work before, but it's this album that makes it clear he is Alice in Chains, and Layne was just part of the window-dressing to give their early work added darkness thanks to his junkie charm.  This should have been the album that came out after "Black Give Way to Blue" as it's way better than "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here". His guitar playing remains iconic, as his solo is in every note.  

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

 

1-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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