Best Albums of 2024 (Part 2)

Honorable mentions are listed down below.  I have to say, 2024 was an excellent year for heavy music in general.  And I'm probably forgetting a few records, but enough babbling.  Let's do this!

5. Sebastian Bach ~ Child Within the Man

I'm just as surprised as anyone that Baz made this list, but hey, I dig what I dig.  In June, I wrote that this album is a "sprightly, dynamic slice of hard rock that features as many memorable choruses as it does guest guitar solos."  I'd call it a guilty pleasure if I believed in such a thing.

4. Jerry Cantrell ~ I Want Blood

No surprise here, as I'm prone to advocate whatever Jerry decides to release, whether it's branded as Alice in Chains or solo material.  It didn't click with me at first, but as I stated in November, it should tide me over until AIC rises from the grave.

3. Blood Incantation ~ Absolute Elsewhere

I'm guessing that the average metalhead is sick of seeing this aural space probe on every year-end list.  As much as I'd like to buck the trend, I have to admit that it's virtually flawless.  The caveat being, if you don't enjoy the band's cosmic trimmings, this is not the album for you.  I did have initial reservations, but in the end, both "The Stargate" and "The Message" won me over.

2. Opeth ~ The Last Will and Testament

I mean, they're only one of my favorite bands of all time.  Of course, that alone wouldn't guarantee a cozy spot on my list.  Yes, the growls are back, but musically, this is easily the best Opeth album since Watershed.  In fact, I might prefer it to Watershed.  Standout cuts?  "§2," "§6," and the heartbreakingly beautiful "A Story Never Told."  Well done, chaps.

1. Endonomos ~ II: Enlightenment

I'll say it until I'm blue in the face...if you're into death/doom, you need to check out Endonomos yesterday.  Their debut was stellar enough, but when it's all said and done, this could be the superior slab of immense, melancholic...what's another word for "heaviness?"  It's all wrapped in a crisp production job.  Try "Hostile" on for size.  You won't regret it.

Honorable Mentions

Svneatr - Never Return

Void Witch - Horripilating Presence

1349 - The Wolf & the King

Scald - Ancient Doom Metal

Chelsea Wolfe - She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She

Severe Torture - Torn from the Jaws of Death

Kvaen - The Formless Fires