SECTION TWO: End Of Year Pt2 Matt's Top METAL MUSIC of 2024! TOP ALBUMS
Here's the second section of the END OF YEAR MATT'S TOP METAL MUSIC for 2024! This has the TOP VIDEOS, and TOP ALBUMS!
The waning days of 2024 are upon us, so it’s time for #TeamINSYM’s BLOG OF DESTINY to share our thoughts on the previous twelve month’s consumption! We’ve already shared PART 1: STEPH’S TOP AUDIO BOOKS she listened to this year, now its time for PART 2: MATT’S MOST NOTABLE METAL MOMENTS, SONGS, VIDEOS and ALBUMS OF 2024!
NOTE: Because of space limitations on Substack articles, I’ve had to split this up into two sections - THIS THE SECOND SECTION has the most memorable VIDEOS and ALBUMS of 2024! So let’s get BACK to it!
The top ALBUMS of the year paint a super wide swath across the entirety of the metal landscape. What do I mean by this? If you were ever in a music store (do those things still exist?) and you headed over to the rock / metal section, you’d find some releases that would surprise you were there. Folk music? Yep. Soundtracks? Yes sir. Instrumentals? Affirmative. I say this to prime you for a top albums list that’s all over the place. If you are a fan of only ONE genre, then this list ISN’T for you.
So here we go. I’m not ranking any albums other than my top one, the others are simply: “TOP ALBUMS OF 2024":
FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE: OPERA
A little over a decade ago, I was blown straight out of my seat by FA’s album Labyrinth. Any occupant of my vehicle for approximately the next 12-18 months was bludgeoned by their unrelenting onslaught. Over the years, FA has released many albums, but none have had the same impact on me as the aforementioned. The band has gone through many lineup changes, theft of nearly their entire live setup, and even the near death after a mountain-climbing mishap of the frontman Francesco Paoli.
When Opera was announced, and after the departure of the bassist and clean male vocalist Paolo Rossi, I didn’t have much anticipation for the new release. Much to my surprise, Opera is not just a return to form, this may be their best release yet! Instead of replacing Rossi’s signature sound, they instead allowed female vocalist Veronica the ability to more step into the limelight. Morphine Waltz is the first time she’s been front and center for the group and she displays a stylistic range like never before.
By far this is one of my most pleasant surprises of the year.
FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE: I CAN NEVER DIE
FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE: MORPHINE WALTZ
THE OLD DEAD TREE: Second Thoughts
Thank the heavens above for Youtube recommendations. This masterpiece was placed into my feed a mere 20 minutes after it was released, just three weeks ago. Smooth, clean progressive metal hailing from France that’s been a daily ‘must-listen’ for me since then. The first two tracks are more than enough to carry this release and get it onto my list.
LISTEN TO THE OLD DEAD TREE: SECOND THOUGHTS
ELDRVAK: SHADOW AND ASH
Hailing from the cold and mystical mountainscape of… IOWA USA (are you kidding me?!) comes one of the best folk / soundtrack releases to cross my ears in quite some time. The medieval instrumentation used by ELDRVAK will make you feel like an unexpected journey to Helm’s Deep might be your next adventure. Every single song is top notch, not a single drop in quality or songwriting prowess throughout. An ABSOLUTE keeper.
LISTEN TO THE ALBUM ON BANDCAMP
THE DREAD CREW OF ODDWOOD: RUST AND GLORY
In one of the biggest surprises of the year, THE DREAD CREW OF ODDWOOD dropped some heavy mahogany upon us with RUST AND GLORY. Some of the best pirate metal this side of ALESTORM, and some of the coolest dudes you’ll ever meet. I’d given up hope on ever hearing another release from these guys, so when it was announced, with little advance notice, that there would be some new DREAD CREW, my shivers were timbered!
There are some absolute classics on this release. My favorite of which is TAVERN BRAWL.
WINTERSUN: TIME II
Unlike the aforementioned DREDD CREW album, TIME II couldn’t have taken a more opposite route prior to release. TWELVE YEARS of promotion, TWO crowdfunding campaigns, over half a MILLION USD raised, countless excuses, and consternation of the entire metal community precipitated this release.
All this being said, over a decade of delays, WINTERSUN finally released the second half of their masterpiece, TIME. I have to give credit where credit is due, this release is technically incredible, and has oh so many memorable musical moments. If not for the twelve years that preceded it, I may have considered it for my top album of the year. I could not in clear conscience do so, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t an absolute banger worthy of recognition.
WINTERSUN TIME II (The Lyric Videos)
FELIX MARTIN: THE GATHERING
Your eyes do not deceive you. Yes that IS a 16 string guitar and a 10 string bass, both designed for tapping. The last time I saw something this outlandish, it was the WARR GUITAR using Behold The Arctopus. That band, however, was much more noise oriented, whereas Venezuelan born Felix Martin’s ensemble is an absolute master class of prog metal tapping prowess. There are so many INCREDIBLE songs on this release, but I think TRESNOID is probably at the top of he double-necked crop.
LISTEN TO TRESNOID HERE
LISTEN TO MOONHIKE HERE
LISTEN TO THUNDERTAP HERE
I was SURE this was going to be my album of the year, until what’s below was unleashed upon us…
ALBUM OF THE YEAR:
KANONENFIEBER: Die Urkatastrophe
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT. 1917. We’ll watch and revere movies based on the horrors on World War I. This is exactly what KANONENFIEBER is focused on: The plight of the hapless German trench fighters, sent into battle by the war machine that had no care for their well being or survival.
I always have to offer a disclaimer when promoting this band: This band is completely AGAINST any of the atrocities Germany is known for in war time eras. I even confirmed with their frontman, NOISE, their disdain and opposition to that era through a personal conversation. There is no tolerance for that propaganda, so you can feel free to listen to (and like) the band without concern over their message.
They are also masked individuals (similar to Gaerea) and dress in WW1 attire.
As for this album, top to bottom, absolutely incredible. Menschenmuhle, Sturmtrupp, Lviv Zu Lemberg, Panzerhenker, and Ritter Der Lufte are absolutely masterpieces. The subtle sound effects that are added throughout just add to the that disturbing finish touches. I cannot recommend this album highly enough.
LISTEN TO KANONENFIEBER: DIE URKATASTROPHE
…BUT WAIT, what about your top videos?!
I have two to share, that both are from bands we already covered. Both videos are set in wartime Europe, and are cinematic achievements.
KANONENFIEBER is back with a song I didn’t mention above, WAFFENBRUDER, which is about two young friends who fantasized and romanticized being involved in the war, all the way up through their time IN the war, and one of them perishing.
WATCH KANONENFIEBER: WAFFENBRUDER here
And lastly, we’re back to HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY and the song we previously mentioned WITH AUTUMN I’LL SURRENDER.
WATCH HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY: WITH AUTUMN I’LL SURRENDER
One thing that cannot be questioned is the quality of HFTS’s video production. This is the next in a long line of incredible compositions over the years by this group. This video tells the story of a young couple in war time, an artist trying to capture some specific imagery, and the relationship between the two.
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So there you have it. #TeamINSYM’s top metal songs, videos, and albums for 2024! We hope you’ve enjoyed this fresh take, and if you’ve heard anything you dig, we hope you’ll go support them!
If you missed THE FIRST SECTION, YOU CAN READ IT HERE
We’d be remiss to not mention that we released TWO songs this year (one orchestral and one metal) that go along with our COMIC / GRAPHIC NOVEL titles that we produce. We hope you’ll check them out here:
HEIRS OF ISILDUR: Supernatural Sabbatical
I AM QIDO: Spiral Into Madness (Orchestral Version)
And lastly, we have a KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN for our next COMIC / GRAPHIC NOVEL release happening on January 14th 2025, for HEIRS OF ISILDUR: The Perilous Prospects #’s 1-4. We hope you’ll check out the promo page for it here!
If you don’t hear from us before then, we hope you have a safe and happy new year’s celebration!
Matt & Steph
#TeamINSYM
www.linktree.com/insymmetrycreations
It's your "fault," I'm obsessed with Kanonenfieber! \m/
Now I shall have to carve out some time to explore the rest...