Scuttlegoat’s Favorite Albums of 2024

2024, in my book, was an absolute win for heavy music. This might be because we are finally out of the time when a lot of releases were written during the pandemic and the bands that survived were confronted with a landscape that is even harsher to musicians than it was before. People have less money, costs have increased, and all that raises competition. Maybe musicians just need to work that much harder to get their music heard. Many acts that I felt had the potential to do great but never reached said potential finally pulled through. While others built on their great foundations to deliver work of unparalleled quality. Other acts arrived on the scene and delivered material that, while not reinventing the wheel, spun it much better than most. Metal music is still challenged by the divide between commercialization and a diaspora who troves the underground. While many labels and bands race to find profitability where there was not any before, mostly by utilizing masks, absurdly expensive stage shows and more pop oriented sounds, bands in the underground become weirder, more underproduced and less marketable, widening the gap between the two. Metal is splintering and I notice this in discussions on the web, at concerts and talking with friends. It is a sign of the times and probably a sign of an aging demographic — or rather, the divide between the aging demographic and the younger generation that follows it — that this divide is happening. I am trying hard to not become an elder grouch. So far I am succeeding. But I really hope there are fewer Ghosts and Arch Enemys in my future, and more Defeated Sanitys and Gigans.

HM
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Oranssi Pazuzu Nuclear Blast ~ Psychedelic Black Metal

Oranssi Pazuzu's last effort, Mestarin Kynsi, left me entirely cold. It was no surprise that a band whose songs are most likely written in extensive jam sessions will fall back on the same tropes if they don't actively question their own work, and it had felt like Oranssi had exhausted what they could do if they did not expand their sound. Muuntautuja is not a complete 180, but nonetheless feels like the band tries to explore different facets of their sound. Muuntautuja is darker, more electronic, and, dare I say, industrial sounding. While it does not reach the heights of their best material, it serves as an interesting re-interpretation of their toolkit, with Oranssi Pazuzu managing to highlight the rhythmic aspects of their sound stronger than before — less hypnosis, more foot tapping. And a lot of fun.

HM
Brodequin - Harbinger of Woe
Brodequin - Harbinger of Woe Season of Mist Underground Activities ~ Brutal Death Metal

“Meat and potatoes” can often be used derogatively, and, considering that many bands do not make up for their lack of frills, that instinct is certainly understandable. Brodequin however serves up some of the best meat and potatoes of the year — the Kobe beef ribeye with La Bonnotte potatoes dauphinoise of brutal death metal. The band focuses on fast, vicious riffs that only slow down to a groovy crawl so the next fast section can hit even harder. The gravy in this case is carefully chosen and masterfully integrated samples showcasing the bands obsession with medieval torture devices, which showcase a penchant for cruelty and a blunt, matter-of-fact attitude towards violence. Brodequin are not the band to turn skeptics into a camouflage pants wearing horror freaks. Rather, they are a band that make essential brutal death metal — the type that reminds you why you like the genre in the first place.

HM
Scumbag_Homicide Cult
Scumbag - Homicide Cult Sevared Records ~ Brutal Death Metal

New York death metal has always been one of my favorite scenes, but the meaning of the term has changed over the years. Originally mostly referring to the hardcore inspired, brutal variety, it refers to avant-garde leaning offerings nowadays more often than not. Scumbag are from Yonkers, and are indebted to the classic interpretation of Big Apple brutality. Fast, finicky riffs trade places with groovy, percussive slams and chugs. Yet, somehow, Scumbag can't seem to shake off the influence of their location and the time they live in, as the album becomes more skronky, dissonant, and weird as it goes along. Detuned guitars enhance the metallic clank of the saw-like sound and add an element of unusual color to an album that otherwise never forgets that the best thing in life is making music to get beaten up in the pit to.

HM
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Replicant - Infinite Mortality Transcending Obscurity Records ~ Avant-garde Death Metal

I remember when Replicant's debut came out. “Gym bro Gorguts”, we called them, poking fun at the unusual mixture of dissonant harmonic spice with a crowd-killing attitude. While this concoction found some fans, it never quite congealed into a cohesive whole. On Infinite Mortality, Replicant do however achieve this feat. Somehow going harder both on the intellect and the muscle, Replicant have crafted an album that never sacrifices the groove for avantgarde experimentation, yet manages to cram their album full of skronk, spice, and dissonance, making Infinite Mortality both appealing to actively listen to and to be swept away by virtue of its primal appeal. I sometimes bemoan that avant-garde bands lose the plot, forgetting to craft songs that activate the simian part of my brain. Replicant never forget that though, and they give me things to think about when my old ass heaves itself out of the pit.

HM
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Diskord / Atvm - Bipolarities Transcending Obscurity Records ~ Avant-garde / Progressive Death Metal

While I was a fan of both bands going in, I would be hard pressed to claim that either band has ever reached their full potential before. Diskord was able to sound fascinating from moment to moment, but their songs often seemed too linear and individual sections too disconnected. Atvm had in the past both had an issue with bloated writing and on a production level. This split album sees both bands perform on a higher level than before, possibly because each band only had to supply half an album, thus leaving much room for finetuning. Diskord even more so sound like a groovy, jazzy version of Demilich, now with songs that go somewhere. Atvm might still sound a tad underproduced, but their organic sound now recalls a session in a rehearsal room – although I am pretty certain that these songs are not improvised, but fully written out.

#10
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Concrete Winds - Concrete Winds Sepulchral Voice Records ~ Blackened Death Metal / Grindcore

War Metal is a genre whose definition has often been heavily debated. While it is easily defined as a barbaric, often sloppy version of blackened death metal the question which bands in specific qualify and which don't can often lead to arguments. In my opinion, Concrete Winds are a war metal band and one of the best examples, at that. Concrete Winds are often noisy, wild, and chaotic, but it is they who are in control of the chaos. Concrete Winds feels like the uncomfortably mechanistic advance of the machinery of war and it makes sense that the band does not only double down on the chaos on this self-titled album, but double down on their industrial leanings, devoting significant amounts of this short album to the noise of pumping machinery. Yet, their core sound of grindcore leaning, treble-oriented blackened death metal remains intact; now even more ferocious, distilled to a violent and virulent brew.

#9
cancer christ_god is violence
Cancer Christ - God is Violence Sweatband Records ~ Metallic Hardcore

Rock 'n' roll is dead. Rock does not get any airplay any more, unless a band is willing to debase themselves by turning into a pop act. But what is worse is that bands are not angry anymore, yet it feels like anger is what these times need. I personally don't want to put on a hardcore band's album and be hit with the feels. I want the communal experience of being pissed at the state at the world. It has been a while since I heard a band that sounded so honestly angry and deranged as Cancer Christ. Cancer Christ are the ideal band for 2024, pure sickos shaped by the worlds misery, lashing out against the establishment. In Cancer Christs communion, we are all sinners, baptized in piss and shit and this can be the soundtrack to our collective misery.

#8
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Castle Rat - Into the Realm King Volume Records ~ Doom Metal / Traditional Metal

When I first reviewed Castle Rat, I gave it a favorable score but ultimately dismissed it as a guilty pleasure. However, I found myself returning to the album again and again. Given, the album is quite listenable and not very challenging – which was the very reason I deemed it a guilty pleasure in the first place. However, the things I deemed flaws at release, like the rough production and the at times confused references to musical and visual tropes of the past, annoyed me less and less. What started out as a flaw became a charming quirk and as familiarity with the release grew, I appreciated it more and more for how unique it sounded. Castle Rat sound like Joan Jett singing over Sabbath's most hard rocking material. That's not anything I ever asked for, but it is what I got. And eight months later, it is suddenly on my end of year list.

#7
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Ataraxie - Le Déclin Ardua Music ~ Funeral Doom Metal

Ataraxie don't reinvent the wheel on Le Déclin. Neither do they trump what they did before. Their previous record, Résignés, can easily be considered their magnum opus, a monument to desperation and the blunt cruelty of death. However, Ataraxie still operate on an immensely high level and in a year where funeral doom did barely anything of note — maybe excluding Föhn's latest offering — I am not ashamed that I am simply turning to what I know. This familiarity would not be enough for me to list an album, however, and Ataraxie still serve up some of the best dirges in metal. This time, there is maybe a tad more hope, a tad more emotion to the sound – maybe Résignees was our death, our lowest point that we resigned to. A decline at least implies that not all hope is lost — yet.

#6
2 PAGE SPREAD for CD BOOKLET (9.5 x 4.71875) (Page 1)
Gigan - Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus Willowtip Records ~ Technical / Avant-garde Death Metal

Gigan, in the past, have been a frustrating act that I wanted to like rather than actually enjoying them. For a sound so dense, complex and experimental, they sure ruined it with a production that was tinny, overly crowded and compressed. On this album, Gigan got rid of their production woes and for the first time, I can not only parse what Gigan are doing but appreciate it. Gigan are frankly one of the most creative death metal acts out there, serving up unusual mixtures of noise, electronica, skronk, and unbridled noise for the unsuspecting listener. Combining all of this with the campy lyrical approach that can't make up its mind if it wants to be Lovecraftian or themed around Godzilla, Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus somehow ends up combining the two into a horrific cosmic Kaiju monstrosity. Gigan is a joy to listen to as a band that take their musical exploration seriously, but never forgets how absurd extreme metal can be without ever cracking a joke.

#5
Slimelord_Chytridiomycosis Relinquished
Slimelord - Chytridiomycosis Relinquished 20 Buck Spin ~ Death Metal

Death metal has been changing. Extreme murk was originally only resigned to the fringes but has been becoming more and more what fans turn to death metal for. A lot of “caverncore” bands sadly have very little to offer beyond the production — a band like Cabinet would be nothing if the production did not sound like their album covers look. Slimelord, however, have managed to find opportunities for great songwriting within their sound. Slimelord serve up a great variety of riffs and moods, exploring melody and harmony in subtle ways and never stop sounding dark and primal. Furthermore, Chytridiomycosis Relinquished feels like it tells a story. From the subtly unhinged animal quacking that opens the album to the strangely melancholic and purely instrumental closing track, the album feels like a journey, a quest through a murky bog that, ultimately, just ends in our hero getting trapped and perishing.

#4
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Inconcessus Lux Lucis - Temples Colliding in Fire I, Voidhanger Records ~ Progressive Black Metal

I should really just save some phrases in a word document to paste into my reviews at this point, but I'll say it yet again: black metal is best when it contains the least amount of elements possible that are actually black metal. Temples Colliding in Fire is many things, wearing traditional metal riffing and veering into melodeath tropes in some moments. It has long form songs that tell musical stories in long arcs. It has that faux-goth melancholy that has been creeping into extreme metal more and more. What it does not have is horrendous production, an overuse of tremolo picking or blast beats. Inconcessus Lux Lucis are never lazy and manage to give their epic, long form songs structure, momentum and interest. None of this is rocket science, but it is still apparent that most acts that share Inconcessus Lux Lucis' black metal veneer are not willing to go the extra mile. Most aren't even willing to get off the couch.

#3
Crypt Sermon_Stygian rOSE
Crypt Sermon - The Stygian Rose Dark Descent Records ~ Epic Doom Metal

I championed Crypt Sermon since their 2015 debut Out of the Garden, which was a uniquely dark, yet energetic piece of epic doom that never forgot its roots in traditional metal. Their follow-up, The Ruins of Fading Light, however left me supremely cold with its attempts to subtly weave black metal influences into a sound that never required nor wanted it. Going from what was likely an overcorrection to their new album, it seems like Crypt Sermon has found the sweet spot. There is more texture to The Stygian Rose compared to the debut, but it never devolves into texture for its own sake. Rather, the mood is enhanced. The Stygian Rose feels more tortured at times, bittersweet at others, and is chock-full of memorable moments, always coated in just the right amount and type of cheese.

#2
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Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere Century Media Records ~ Progressive Death Metal

Blood Incantation is the little train that could, even though it should not. The rough transitions between death and prog are amplified here, fully leaning into worship, homage, and imitation of '70s prog greats. I can easily spot the references; references that are made very deliberately and authentically. Multiple times per song, I turn into that meme of Leonardo di Caprio pointing at the screen, spotting another little snippet that sounds like a snippet from Pink Floyd, Tangerine Dream or King Crimson. Yet, somehow, this does not lead to a derivative album. Somehow, Blood Incantation sound fresh, new even. Somehow, the jarring stylistic shifts do not hurt the album, but rather enhance it. Somehow, Absolute Elsewhere is just that — a vast, varied, different universe of sound. Otherworldly and strange despite sounding familiar, Absolute Elsewhere sounds like passing through a vortex of vibrant colors before entering a classically styled room and watching ourselves die. Simply superb.

#1
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Defeated Sanity - Chronicles of Lunacy Season of Mist ~ Brutal Technical Death Metal

As one of the forebears of the brutal tech sound, it was not surprising that Defeated Sanity made another good album. How good it would be was surprising, however, as I did not expect Defeated Sanity to produce such a milestone of brutality and creativity alike. Every section, every riff is imbued with unique approaches to what us slammers know and love. Defeated Sanity lean both into the smartest and the dumbest what the genre has to offer, jerking us around with hairpin turns, making us tap our feet and bang our heeds to their massive grooves and giving us stank faces when a particularly effective drum fill happens. I heard this album first in an advance listening party, moshing in my office as I could not contain the energy anymore. The only gripe I have with Chronicles of Lunacy is that I can never hear it for the first time ever again.

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