The Top 10 Goth Albums of 2024

Having already started the End of the Year List season of with the Top 10 Post-Punk Albums of 2024, it's time to move in a darker direction with the Top 10 Goth Albums of 2024. If this seems premature,  record labels have already sent me most of what this year has to offer. After I sort through sorting through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of the year. 2024. Perhaps it was marginally better than the previous year, though given the current climate of the world, we are progressing on a downward spiral, making dark music more important as a soundtrack for this.  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 Goth albums of 2024.

10- Meldamor - "My Ode to You" 

Synths collide with militant chanted vocals, not aggressive enough to be industrial, however there are plenty of creepy sounds conjured here.  The smoky female vocals hold more in common with Boy Harsher when they are in the lower depths of her alto range. This dark wave is done in a manner that resonates with 2024

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/gothtober-meldamor-my-ode-to-you.html

 

9-Lila Ehja -"Clivota"

The darkness this delves into is a darkwave most fans of goth should find appeal. If inbut if you want a darkwave project not just trying to go for booty shaking but doing something with sonic depth this is it. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/gothtober-lila-ehja-clivota.html

  8-Cold Cave - "Passion Depression" 

 Coming off a stint opening for Depeche Mode, Wesley is even more committed to the 80s-styled synth wave grooves, though his haunting baritone allows the project to retain its sense of dark wave. The songs coast on a neon-laced synth bass line through the dark alleys of Hollywood.   Vocally his cold croon works well here. He becomes even more submersed in the 80's

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/gothtober-cold-cave-passion-depression.html

 

7-Aesthetic Perfection- "Bad Vibes" 

These guys have been around since the days of Myspace, and perhaps that is where you know them from. To their credit, they have kept their ears to pulse of where music was going and stuck to their guns to not lose a great deal of who they are in the process. Granted who they are is a Hot Topic marketing scheme to some extent. They carry a heavier thump to their sound and are equally parts driving and catchy, so songwriting for the win on this one. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/aesthetic-perfection-bad-vibes.html

6- Gvllow - "Twin Flames" 

He might be more well known for his work with sad boi hip-hop, but Gvllow is doing a pretty convincing job of working pop sensibilities in with post-punk. The first two songs owe as much to the Cure and Drab Majesty as it does to pop punk. It's catchy, with morose vocals that are more pop-inflected than say AFI's turn to similar moodiness. This is not as guitar-driven, though there are guitars present

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/gvllow-twin-flames.html

5- Cold In Berlin -"The Body is the Wound" 

These are tales of urban misgivings. What goes on in dark alleys behind dive bars. The band's sense of songwriting has become more refined on this EP. They are clearly the masters of their gloomy sonic domain here, and I can only hope they get more of the recognition they deserve.

     https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/01/cold-in-berlin-body-is-wound.html

 

4- Missiles - "Weaponize Tomorrow" 

This band from Sweden creates an alluring darkness with an almost punk drive. Guitars lurch into reverbed-out surf rock guitar tones, to sit over the bass player's dominant thump. These dystopian grooves are smoothed out by synth ambiance to set the apart from the pack.

 

ttps://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/missiles-weaponize-tomorrow.html

 

 

3- Astari Nite - "Resolution of Happiness" 

These guys were bound to evolve. I am glad they are. They have expanded their sonic palette, now drawing from dark emotive genres aside from death rock. The album at times touches on an almost Gary Numan-like take on New Wave If this is your introduction to the band it serves as a fine welcome into their majestic melancholy that is given more freedom here.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/astari-nite-resolution-of-happiness.html

 

2- Swan Wash- "Shadow Shadow" 

 This album packs a sonic punch, the band used to be members of a Siouxsie and the Banshees tribute, so this explains a great deal when it comes to the guitar tone. There are hints of death rock-flavored punk with an angular creepiness to it, This album feels  more urgent than Astari Nite's new one which gave these guys the edge for the number 2 spot.       

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/swan-wash-shadow-shadow.html

1-The Cure - "Songs Of a Lost World" 

If it was not for the Cure none of the other bands, on this list would be here. Though with that said, this album sounds like they picked up where they left off on "Wish". It is amazing 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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Gothtober - Cold Cave : "Passion Depression"

 Coming off a stint opening for Depeche Mode, Wesley is even more committed to the 80s-styled synth wave grooves, though his haunting baritone allows the project to retain its sense of dark wave. "Shadow Dance" stays on a darker path, as it coasts on a neon-laced synth bass line through the dark alleys of Hollywood.   Vocally his cold croon works well here. He becomes even more submersed in the 80's fixation with "Blackberries".  Lyrically he is playing off every dark wave cliche when it comes to being dramatic about relationships.  but overall, things flow together enough to deliver. 

"Hourglass' gives a lighter emotional shade than the first three songs that overtly lay on the darkness. Which works for, me but it also makes me more willing when he switches things up mood-wise with this one.  The vocal melody feels more like something a band like Modern English might do. Rather than attempt to go in a more pop direction with it, the song drones off a variation of the same melodic themes. The first song that strikes me as the song I would want on my "goth nite' DJ set from this album is "Siren Song".  It pulses with the kind of intensity you need to get the Vampira's twerking. He dialed in the production of his vocals perfectly here. 

The new wave radio nuance slips back into "Everlasting". His croon almost has more of an Ian Curtis feel here, though retaining enough of his personality to keep them from sliding into the post-punk revivalist hordes. Finally, a guitar riff plays a larger role in a song for "Holy Road" with Amy Lee's vocals coming to the forefront. Dark-driving synths take control of the last song. It is done in a way that has a heavier feel. His vocals drop down into a starker take on his baritone. I will give this one a 9.5, meaning it is better than most of the dark wave coming out these days but is not as iconic as "Cheris the Light Years ".  It will keep fans coming back for more. 

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Live Review : Cold Cave @ the Orpheum in Tampa

 My first time in the relocated Tampa venue that moved from Ybor City to the north suburbs. It falls at just under a 1000 in capacity. An out side bar to cater to smokers/ vapers  with a food truck in the back. This was the band's 6th stop on the first leg of this tour. Los Angeles based singer Riki opened , who performed her set with enthusiasm. She handled both cuing up her beats as well as providing a oddly choreographed performance, that she sold with her deliberate movements and the charisma in which they were delivered with, that compensated for her breathy singing that was somewhat pitchy, as the translation of her style that was weathered from the first week on the road. Sounds great in the studio, but translating to projecting it into a club PA is more demanding , which is why more belted rock singing works better in this environment. She was entertaining regardless. 

Cold Cave has come off high profile tours opening for the Cult, and Depeche Mode. They have had to prove themselves to much larger audiences than what was gathered this Wednesday night at the Orpheum, to crowds not familiar work their work, while this evening seemed to be largely fans who knew the words. They have not been the most ardent road warriors over the years, so this helped further refine their live show, so they took the stage with a professional attitude that still upheld the band's mystique. They opened with "Prayer From Nowhere" from their most recent 2021 album. They followed this up with the title track from their debut album. This showed the kind of balanced set list, more bands could learn from. The dished out their legacy in equal portions. In researching their set lists over this leg of the tour is is some variation but staples like "Glory" are pretty consistent, which kept the crowd dancing. 

The more obscure "People are Poison" did not diminish the energy, as Wesley's wife Amy Lee churned the song's bass play line.. They followed this up with " A Little Death to Laugh' to keep the cold wave vibes authentic and the mood bleak. The pulse of "Nothing is True But You" was crowd pleasing. Their older material like "Youth and Lust" holds up very well, and he sung it with compelling attitude. I have always felt that "Cherish the Light Years" is their best album, and a song like "Confetti" in the live environment  certainly supported this claim. It was also one of his best vocal performances of the evening. The live version of "Underworld USA" reminded me what a good song it is. 

I would have expected "the Great Pan is Dead' as the set's opener but it came late in the second half. It still worked in terms of delivery the intensity the song carries. They followed it up with another song from 'Cherish the Light Years" with "Villains of the Moon".   He was every ounce as emotive in his delivery live as on the album. "Promise Land" from their last EP worked well to close out their set, as it delivered the goth club vibes.  They left the stage briefly to play "Catacombs" that found the jangle of guitar cutting through more live. This was followed by the angular synths of "Life Magazine" found Amy taking over on vocals . The last song of the encore was the driving dance floor slapper "Icons of Summer".  If you have not yet seen Cold Cave live and like dark music of any variety, I strongly suggest catching them when they come your way. 

Gothtober-The Top Ten Goth Albums of 2021

It's that time of year again. It might seem early to start this, but record labels have pretty much sent me most of what this year has to offer already, by the time I am done sorting through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I will then compile the top 10 albums of the year. As I predicted last year 2021 was not much better than 2020, things continue on a downward spiral, making dark music more important as a soundtrack for this. As far as 2021 goes for goth there was so much to choose from I have to split things up and move some of the bands over to the electronic list,  as there was not as much  interesting electronic music this year and only three new bands on this year's list .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 audio on these guys. Anyways here are the top 10 goth albums of 2021

10-Lotus Thrones - "Lovers in Wartime" 

Another metal musician goes to the dark side. The trend of having a post punk project is one I am fond of despite the mixed results it sometimes brings, here everything works well.  This one comes from former Wolvhammer drummer Heath Rave. He recorded this during last year's quarantine. His self-isolation was not too strict as he is joined by Bruce from Yakuza who throws down some sax on a couple of songs. Andy from Feral Light also drops a guitar solo on the fourth song "the Quarry" .  Sanford Parker mixed this album, so few metal heads have their hands in this.

9-Moonspell- "Hermitage" 

Once upon a time this band from Portugal used to be at the forefront of the goth metal movement. This album finds them no longer trying to be Type O Negative . The vocals have improved over the years, their singer knows himself better and continues to improve. The most metal album on the list this year.  

Abysmal Hymns: Moonspell : " Hermitage"

 

8-Skold - "Die Irae "

I was surprised how mean and metal the guitars were going into the  album. There is more of a Marilyn Manson or Orgy , which considering he has played with both Manson and KMFDM this makes sense. At times falling ore in line with more typical industrial , electronic elements come in to move it in a more experimental direction.

Abysmal Hymns: Skold : "Die Irae"

7-Esses - "Bloodletting for the Lonely" 

Stormy foreboding tension from Oakland, where the bulk of this revivalist death rock seems to be coming from. Ok this is a little more on the Siouxsie side of things, perhaps a bit less manic than Miss Sioux’s more punk days. The bass is driving and more over driven which owes more to Bauhaus. The vocals are more aggressive than your typical Siouxsie worship

 

Abysmal Hymns: ESSES : " Bloodletting for the Lonely"

6-Kælan Mikla :" Undir Köldum Norðurljósum"

Darker than I remember these gals from Iceland getting before, but with a pulsing drive at time.  There are crazy layers of vocals in the background that sound like screaming witches , helping to make this a perfect Halloween album.

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- Kælan Mikla :" Undir Köldum Norðurljósum"

5-Clan of Xymox- "Limbo"

These guys are busting out lots of new music while their fires are still burning. Last year's "Spider on the Wall" made it onto the top 10 Goth albums of the year list, and now this one is too making them equally consistent since their 2017 album. "Brave New World " is more organic and guitar focused though they do step into the club enough for you to get your dance on as called for. 

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- Clan of Xymox : "Limbo"

4- Cold Cave- "Fate in 7 Lessons"

 10 years since the last full length from this "band" , so we will take what ever we can get. A step further in this progression into darkness chronicled in the 2018 ep . Thought there is a range of sounds dipping into more upbeat new wave not out of place on the soundtrack of a John Hughes movie and many a thick groove that is hard to resist being moved by.

Abysmal Hymns: Cold Cave: "Fate In Seven Lessons"

  3-Deathsomnia- "You Will Never Find Peace" 

 This gem blends darkwave , shoegaze and industrial in a manner not unlike the old roster of 4AD, these days indie rock bands are on the label but it used to mean something to be released by them. These guys are not on the label , but should be as they deserve it more. We have ethereal vocals with memorable melodies . We have solid percussive grooves. We have a band that can capture the sound and still write songs. Grows on me with each listen.

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober -Deathsomnia - "You Will Never Find Peace"

2-Gary Numan- "Intruder"  

At 63  who would have guessed Numan would be making some of the best music of his career at this late in the game. I really liked his last album "Savage" it was less future pop and more industrial. The same can be said of this one , but the mood is darker and compositions more lushly colored.  His voice sounds great, granted he using a more nuanced and softer approach. Though he never really flexed his pipes a ton on his more classic stuff. The album hits  more power balladry feel in the second act but still stronger than most everything else that came out this year.

Abysmal Hymns: Gary Numan : "Intruder"

 

1- Bloody Hammers - "Songs of Unspeakable Terror"

 It was a tough call between this one and Gary Numan, but what gave these guys the edge is that this album came out back in January and hung tough as an album I would return to at least once a week or so. An impressive feat when you consider how much new music I ingest . This time the band leaned into the punk side of their influences and it works much better. It is not total Danzig as the Elvis side of the coin is toned down. The vocals are great and very catchy. I can appreciate how this is married to an almost edgy cock rock side of 80s metal, but all horror anthems which earned their place at the top of this list.

Abysmal Hymns: Bloody Hammers : "Songs of Unspeakable Terror"

Cold Cave: "Fate In Seven Lessons"

 

It's been 10 years since the last full length from this "band" , so we will take what ever we can get. The opening track leads you to believe we are one step further in this progression into darkness chronicled in the 2018 ep . "Night Light" has a more more upbeat new wave feel to it that would not have sounded out of place on the soundtrack of a John Hughes movie. "Psalm 234" comes back stronger with a thick groove that is hard to resist being moved by and is the strongest of the first three songs. Despite being aided only my multi instrumentalist Amy Lee, this album has a more organic feel to it and at times fools you into thinking this might be the work of a full band. 

The strum of guitar on " Love is All " creates a feeling of the Cure mixed with Death In June. The synth melody that floats in the background being the Cure like element of this . The guitar and vocals the more Death in June like portion of the equation, though in fairness to  Wesley his voice lends itself to a more accessible melody.  The first moment that does not feel as inspired as the first 4 songs is " Happy Birthday Darkstar" is feels like color by numbers dark wave  that just kind of  drones on the beat which sounds a Yahama darkwave preset, if such a preset were to exist. It is not a bad song, I just hold the bar a little higher for this project, it is not like there has not been ten years for the best of their inspiration to ferment.  I am not asking for a lot here, because, "Honey Flower" does use some of the the stock and trade goth standards of songwriting and his vocal melody twists them into  the for of his own personality enough to make it something more worthwhile .  

Um the choir synth patch kind of makes " Promised Land " sound like Dollar Store Sister's of Mercy, until his vocals come in  and while they do not veer wildly from the Sister's template they are infused with enough of who he is to work for me.  I will give this album a 9.5 , it is strong enough to make it worth the wait. Not perfect only because the bar is held high for what I expect from this project to the moments it lapses into what every other retro goth grab would go for it distract me, you might be young enough to not know any better then this might be the album of the year. I might be nit picking and my expectations after looking forward to this one might have flared a little but I think this album will grow on me and I love the fact it is darker more often than not .

The Top 10 Rock / Pop Albums of 2018...so far

O.k it's already June so we are half way into 2018, so here's a progress report to take a look at what the best albums of the year are so far.I sorted them by score and then let Last FM tell me what I've listened to the most. After all I can think an album is great on first listen, but if it doesn't keep me returning to it then how great can it be ? This seems less pre-mature than past years, as I think I am caught up on everything coming out before August with all the promos in my in-box. So Rock and pop is a broad term for any album that is not metal though a few come close, it ranges from stoner rock to goth electro. Rather than include audio samples, I put links to the original reviews where those can be found. Six months will tell how these pan out come December.



10-Psychedelic Witchcraft : " Sound of  the Wind"


Female fronted "occult rock" or "vest metal" bands almost became a thing back in 2012. Here is a band from Italy we have covered before that still carries that torch. After an acoustic intro the band is back their brand of occult tinged stoner rock. The crunch of the guitar's organic warmth is what contributes most to the retro core of their sounds. Virgina Monti proves right from the opening track that she is not to be relegated to sultry and is a capable rock singer of her own merit, with vocal melodies that are more biting. The Sabbath influence lingers at some of the songs edges more vividly in some places than others.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/03/psychedelic-witchcraft-sound-of-wind.html


 

9-Cold Cave : "You & Me & Infinity"

 Wesley is back with the second ep since 2011's "Cherish the Light Years " was released.  Things have change since then and the dark wave dance anthems we found seven years ago on that full length have given way to something with a more stark outlook. The vocals feel darker and have more of a traditional goth croon. Musically it's also not as upbeat and dancey. This is fine with me. Lyrically the romance gone wrong theme is far from new, I think the dry bleak delivery is the strength of the song mood wise.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/cold-cave-you-me-infinity.html

8-Sleep : " the Sciences"


 If you are new to stoner metal and just crawling out from under a mushroom, then you might know guitarist Matt Pike from this other band called High On Fire. Al Cisneros who handles the vocals has also played in OM and this time they have the drummer from Neurosis sitting behind the drums. I'll go ahead and warn you that the first song is just feed back and distortion and not really a song at all, though it might scare you. However they have been kind enough buds to let you known when it's safe to listen by including the sound of a water bong being fired up. The vocals come across a little different than I remember. They are lower and not as soaked in effects. They keep proving themselves capable of sitting along side the like of Kyuss in the smoky halls of stoner rock royalty.< 


http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/sleep-sciences.html

7-Messa : "Feast For Water"

My first thought when I heard the beginning moments of  "Snakeskin Drape" was this is like a metal version of Lana Del Ray. The tempo picks up and finds them falling closer in line to other "occult" rock of their ilk like Christian Mistress. There is more raw rumble going when they gain speed that what their peers typically muster. The over driven roar is more of a production choice as cleaner mixed guitar play around it. There are plenty of guitar  solos that give it a more jammy feel.


 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/messa-feast-for-water.html

6-Hilary Woods : "Colt"

 Hilary Woods would not be out of place on the Twin Peaks soundtrack. Less fey sounding than the Cocteau Twins, yet it occupies a similar sonic space as an album like "Treasure". These ballads are haunting, yet invoke spirits of inner space rather than from beyond the grave. Hazy not dark would be the best way to describe the sound. There is a jazz like minimalism, though unlike 90s acid jazz, it serves the melody rather than the beat. The percussion on these songs is incidental.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/hilary-woods-colt.html

5-Chvrches : " Love Is Dead" 


 So this band was my methadone to ween me off a violent addiction to Taylor Swift's "1989" album. For the most part it worked only to get me hooked on their sugary electro pop. Things are only getting worse in the best possible way from there. Lauren Mayberry has lost the goth trappings of her look, and this album might not be the same shade of gray we have heard from them previous. The chorus to "Get Our" busts out and grabs your ear. The synths have a shinier sheen of plastic to them. The vocals are well layered and produced. Less dripping with effects than Taylor Swift's last album. 


http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/05/chvrches-love-is-dead.html

4-The Weeknd : "My Dear Melancholy" 


 I was afraid that he might have become too preoccupied with being a TMZ personality and consumed with the celebrity of being a celebrity or trying to make comic books to focus on music. He has had enough in the way of personal drama to fuel a song or two , but would this happen. If he pushed the pop envelope further I felt he was going to lose what set him apart from the other mainstream r&b singers, though artist could apply to him the same can't be said of his peers who are closer to being entertainers than musicians. My fears were laid to rest as picks up where he left off before "the Beauty Behind the Madness" .


 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-weeknd-my-dear-melancholy.html

3-Black Salvation : "Uncertainty is Bliss" 


Former In Solitude and Grave Pleasures drummer Uno Bruniusson. But each member of this trio is highly talented. The guitarist Paul Schlesier handles the vocals. He gives the band a darker sound with a croon not unlike that employed on In Solitude's "Sister" album though more Jim Morrison than King Diamond. I am glad the fact the In Solitude connection caught my eye. While these guys are not metal, fans of In Solitude will find enough common ground to enjoy this one.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/03/black-salvation-uncertainty-is-bliss.html

2-Iceage-"Beyondless" 


I was worried the boys from Denmark would stray to far from punk after their last album and the funky Rolling Stones like side project of their singer . The first song holds roots in the early days of punk, but is just good fucking music.I am glad the gray clouds close in over the second half of the album, though none of it is sunshine and puppies. This preserves the growing legacy of this band


http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/05/iceage-beyondless.html

1-Strvngers - "Amor Noir"

 Dripping with a sex fueled rock edge to the vocals this is a departure from the tired dark wave of the 90's though still pays enough homage to that era so at times find grooves that remind me a little of Orgy.  Plenty of samples that sound like they could have been lifted from a porn help give the album's narrative. More layered and nuanced than their earlier work that owed more to bands like Aesthetic Perfection.t went straight to my iPod ,which is as big of a compliment as I can give any band. The real estate of gbs in my iPod is pretty competitive considering the amount of music I consume on any given day. When I had to restore my lap top to factory setting and all my music was erased, this was the main album I freaked out about. Though I grew up a poor goth child so that factors into my love affair with album too.


http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/03/strvngers-amor-noir.html

Cold Cave : "You & Me & Infinity"

Wesley is back with the second ep since 2011's "Cherish the Light Years " was released.  Things have change since then and the dark wave dance anthems we found seven years ago on that full length have given way to something with a more stark outlook. The vocals feel darker and have more of a traditional goth croon. Musically it's also not as upbeat and dancey. This is fine with me. Lyrically the romance gone wrong theme is far from new, I think the dry bleak delivery is the strength of the song mood wise. The doubled up vocals grow more desperate on "Nothing is True But You", yet side from the droning synth grows more generic. Musically hings get happier with the peppy on the song "Glory". The beat  reminds me of "Just Can't Get Enough" . It's the vocals that save this one for me and turn the mood around . Their is a depth of feeling in them. The melody is not unlike something Gary Numan might do, but delivered in a lower baritone with a brooding maturity that elevates beyond the average future pop.


The synths are darker in the pulse of "My Heart is Immortal". The vocals provide a more dystopian narrative . The futuristic movement of the beat falls somewhere between the 80s chic of "Stranger Things" and "Tron" or "Blade Runner".  The sparse female vocals that double his voice are nice touches and the passing buzz of noise provides a swathe of abrasion. I have considered if this is just something he wanted to put out so he would have something to go on tour for, but the sound of these songs is a logical progression and keeps up with where this sort of thing is heading. I'll give this a 9. I don't think it's perfect as the drone keeps things dynamically flat in a very robotic sense. I think this is a success in terms of what they set out to do and how he is meeting the expectations of his fan base. So this is very consistent. I hope this doesn't mean I am going to be forced to wait another 7 years for new music from this project as they would lose me at that point point.