The list is starting to heat up now! Check out our 40-21st top albums of the year!
40: Soen – Memorial
The prog metal outfit really outdid themselves with their sixth album. I hadn’t heard of them until we checked out their incredible live album, Atlantis, last year, and I’ve been rather obsessed ever since. This album won me round even more to the band, as it’s truly fantastic. It’s a heavy, epic album packed to the brim with highlights and fantastic songs. The riffs and drumming are on point, the vocals are just as powerful and haunting as ever, and the whole thing has such an incredible atmosphere to it. I gave it a 9/10 when I reviewed it, but honestly it has continued to get even better and better with every listen!
Listen to: Unbreakable, Hollowed and Violence
39: Dog Eat Dog – Free Radicals
The hardcore punk/rap rock band released their first album in over a decade and a half this year. I loved it when I first checked it out, giving it a 9/10, and it’s just as enjoyable months later. On top of being a fun listen, it’s heavy and honestly really well written from a lyrical standpoint. It transported me right back to the late 80s, early 90s in the best possible way. I gushed all over it in my review and it’d be a similar thing here. It’s certainly not a sound for everyone, but I love it personally, and the band feel somehow right back at the top of their game, three decades after their first release. It was a no brainer for this spot on the list, as I’ve listened to it a lot since it came out!
Listen to: Lit it Up, Never Give In and @Joe’s
38: King Kraken – MCLXXX
Time for one of the stranger inclusions in the NWOCR scene, the incredible stoner/doom metal King Kraken. This band exploded onto the scene with this debut release, and my god is it fantastic. It’s got a real old-school 80s/90s metal feel to it and the band pull of the sound to perfection. It’s honestly one of the best debuts I’ve heard, and that’s saying a lot given how many are on this list. Every track is incredible, so if you’re into this sort of music this is very much a must listen. I gave it a 9/10 when it was released months ago, and after many, MANY listens it still holds up to that standard, if not higher. There are plenty of bands that they remind me of, from Black Label Society to Metallica, but if you are into the metal sound in any way, check these guys out. They’re going to be massive, and more than earned their spot on this list.
Listen to: Bastard Liar, Haddonfield ’78 and Green Terror
37: The Cat Empire – Where the Angels Fall
This was a surprisingly great year for interesting pop-bordering music. There have been some really cool albums from the likes of AJR and Daði Freyr this year. However, we don’t usually cover this type of thing, sadly, so I tried to limit myself to just one album from these on this list. As much as I LOVED the other two I mentioned, this one just edges it out for me. It’s an incredible blend of alternative, jazz, funk and pop, and is infectiously fun and catchy throughout.
It’s certainly an odd inclusion in this list, but it’s also my list and I can do whatever I want so… It got a 9/10 from me in my review, and a good few of the tracks have been on my pretty regular rotation since then. It won’t at all be everyone reading this’ thing, but if you give it a chance it may very easily surprise you. The way they arrange the sounds and instrumentation is captivating, and the vocals are so catchy. It definitely deserves to be on this list!
Listen to: Thunder Rumbles, Dance the Night Away and Money Coming my Way
36: In Flames – Foregone
After quite a few years away from their roots, it’s so damn good to hear In Flames back to their melodeath sound. Be it great riffing, fantastic drums, heavy screams or the catchiness and melody they’ve become known for, all of it is dialled up to 11 here. Every song goes just as hard as the last and feels both like classic In Flames and something modernized and unique. There truly isn’t a bad track on the release, and I’d put a couple of the songs up there with some of the very best of the band’s catalogue. It’s also a surprisingly dynamic album, with perfect pacing and feel throughout. We gave it a 9.5/10, and it’s very easy to hear why! If anyone was a fan and fell off as they got a bit lighter, you need to go and give this album a chance!
Listen to: Meet Your Maker, Foregone, Pt. 2 and The Great Deceiver
35: Restless Road – Last Rodeo
A country newcomer this time, as the trio put out one hell of a great modern album in the genre. And it’s yet another phenomenal debut album from a year full of them. Don’t get me wrong, it is very polished and radio-based, so definitely isn’t going to be for everyone. However, it’s packed full of catchy, massive vocals and some pitch perfect harmonies, as well as some really well put together music. Clearly I’ve been suckered in by ‘big music’ and I don’t even care, I love this.
So, why is it at 35? Because of the same issue I’ve had with multiple country albums on this list: it’s too fuckin’ long. The first like 10 tracks are perfect. They’re radio-country awesomeness, having ballads and more fun, up-tempo stuff. If they had just stopped there, awesome. There’s another eight tracks after that. And said eight don’t do as much for me, it felt like the album ran out of steam by that point. It’s a damn good album that we still gave 9/10, but if it was just a little shorter it would have been perfect.
Listen to: Head Over Heels, Bar Friends and Could Have Been a Love Song
34: Creeper – Sanguivore
Man, this album has grown on me massively since its release. I checked out a couple of tracks when they were first starting to get big and wasn’t too into them so didn’t give them much of a chance. However, after sitting down with this album to review, I have since become a little obsessed. It’s an epic, 80s-inspired, symphonic rock opera, and it’s incredible. It takes guts to open on a nine minute track, but it’s honestly my favourite song on the album, and is the perfect starter. It’s very Meatloaf, and fuck does it want me to see it made into a stage-show.
That’s definitely not to take away from the rest of the album, either. Every song on this is incredible. Whether it’s Meatloaf, Billy Idol, Danzig or even Ghost, the band wear their inspirations on their sleeves. However, it also feels like something rather unique and original, at least these days, which I love. I gave it a 8.5/10 when I first reviewed it, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t up to at least a 9.5/10 now for me!
Listen to: Further Than Forever, Sacred Blasphemy and Teenage Sacrifice
33: Killhall – Skullsplitter
More melodeath for this list, and another fantastic debut album. It’s a tight, heavy, and incredibly concise album at only eight crushing tracks. Every single one is incredible, too. It wears its inspiration on its sleeve, taking everything that In Flames did this year and that Machine Head did last year (not to mention also Children of Bodom influences) and then pushes it in their own direction. If you are fan of atmospheric melodic death metal with hints of both black metal and even a faint hint of early 2000s industrial, this is most certainly the album for you. It’s actually our first 10/10 on this list, and for very good reason! Check this out if you like it heavy!
Listen to: Delirium Tremens, Fear Shaped Man and
32: Empyre – Relentless
What a fantastic, atmospheric album this is. It pains me not to put this higher as it’s an incredible release. Honestly, this is where my rankings got nigh impossible, and any of them could jump up or down massively on any given day. This album is perfect for what it is; a moody, dark, brooding, almost proggy rock album. Every track on it is amazing, Hendrik’s vocals are absolutely incredible and the whole band plays their part to perfection. It simply comes down to me enjoying the other albums higher up on this list just a slight bit more. Or not even more, per say, just more regularly. We gave it a 9/10 upon release, but I definitely think it’s higher than that now. Go and check this out immediately!
Listen to: Relentless, Waking Light and Hit and Run
31: The War & Treaty – Lover’s Game
Just listen to the video below. Listen to it and try and tell me they don’t deserve this high a spot on this list. You can’t. It’s impossible. This pair are fucking incredible, and it’s beautiful to watch and listen to. Two of the best vocalists not just in country/soul, but in the world today, and they write some incredible songs to boot. ‘Yesterday’s Burn’ is still one of the most beautifully performed traditional ballads I’ve ever heard, and still gives me chills to this day (and live, holy fuck, nearly tears). However, every track is absolutely amazing, both in terms of writing and performance. I don’t know how I only gave this a 8/10 back in March, but it is certainly more like a 9/9.5.
The reason this is here and not higher is a little easier an answer than Empyre, though. Outside of the opener, it’s a pretty subdued tempo. I completely understand that it’s the style of the music, but it’d have been perfect if we’d have gotten even just one more dancing song! Still, this isn’t the last time we’ll see them on this list…
Listen to: Lover’s Game, Yesterday’s Burn and That’s How Love Is Made
30: Fall Out Boy – So Much (For) Stardust
The band not only returned to rock, but returned to form in 2024. This is easily the best album the band have put out since their 2013 reunion, as much as I love Save Rock and Roll. You can feel the passion and the drive that has returned to the band with this release, too. After Pete Wentz’s recent words, it’s hard not to see why, too. The tracks are catchy, guitar-driven, and everyone plays their parts perfectly. Pat’s lyrics are back on top form for the first time since Infinity on High, too.
There isn’t a bad track on the album, and it really has a great feeling of nostalgia for me, having very much grown up with the band. Good Fall Out Boy are finally back, and no wonder I gave them 9/10. I still can’t stop listening to this album!
Listen to: Lover’s from the Other Side, Hold Me Like a Grudge and I Am My Owen Muse
29: Escape From Wonderland – Pieces
Some more metalcore now, and yet another insanely impressive debut album. Anyone who’s into heavy music will find it hard not to love the band’s crushingly heavy screams and riffs, while their melodic side will surely hook in new listeners. Being a big fan of the genre, of course I loved this, but the 9/10 we gave it should really reflect how high quality it all is. Every track is incredible and it really feels like it draws in the best sounds of modern metal music. I have to see these guys live soon; these songs would be incredible. It easily deserves this spot on the list!
Listen to: Eyes Wide Shut, Silver Lining and Devil’s Witness
28: Megan Moroney – Lucky
Oh look, it’s yet another incredible debut album. Clearly there’s been something in the water this year, as it’s not just one genre or one area. From metal to rock to country like this, it’s all gotten so many awesome newcomers the last 12 months.
Being a fan of practically all styles of country music, I find it hard to think of someone not liking this album. It’s got traditional sounds, stadium-country and more up-tempo blues-rock stuff too. From Shania Twain to Dolly Parton to Keith Urban, there is a bit of everything in this album, and it’s awesome. Much like a lot of the stuff this late on the list, every track on here is amazing, and it’s no wonder Megan has had one hell of a year and gotten as big as she has. This album (as well as her amazing feature on that Old Dominion song) have made her one of the biggest, fastest-rising new stars in the genre. We gave her a very easy 9/10. Check this out!
Listen to: Lucky, Tennessee Orange and Another on the Way
27: Polaris – Fatalism
More metalcore, and this time the last album featuring their late guitarist, released not long after his passing. Despite the sombre cloud that it leaves over the album, it’s a truly incredible release. It’s heavy, catchy, and full of emotion. And not to mention filled with modern metalcore bangers. Whether it’s crushingly heavy, synth lead parts or slower, more introspective stuff, they do it all so well. I honestly believe this is the best work the band have ever produced, and it’s bittersweet that it is released now. I can see them going very far in the next couple of years if their live show lives up to the quality of this album, and I honestly believe they can be up there with the heavy-hitters in the genre. It was another incredibly easy 9/10 from us!
Listen to: Nightmare, With Regards and Harbinger
26: ONI – The Silver Line
This is an incredible album, and I’m so shocked that ONI went completely under my radar until its release. It’s right up my street; the perfect combination of metalcore, industrial and early 2000s radio metal. And it’s also packed to the rafters with incredible guest appearances from the likes of Jared Dines, Sueco and the legendary Howard Jones. If you like incredibly polished metal, even when it gets heavier and has some screams, this is very much the album for you. I truly feel like we’re hearing the future of mainstream metal with this release. And if that’s the case, we are in for an awesome few years, and ONI is one hell of a good flag-bearer. It was yet another easy 9/10 from us, but honestly on repeated listens over the last two months it could be even higher!
Listen to: Aura, Silence in a Room of Lies and Spark
25: Cattle Decapitation – Terrasite
Minor spoiler alert, this is the heaviest album on our list. Deathgrind isn’t typically my sort of music, in all honesty. So, if anything, that should really show just how good this album is, that it is so high up the list. I honestly haven’t been able to get enough of it since its release in May. It’s crushingly, unapologetically heavy, and yet still somehow has some groove and bounciness throughout. There isn’t a bad track on the album and I have multiple full listens under my belt at this point. It’s a regular work-out album, though I must look like a murderer at the gym with the faces I pull to it!
I’ve seen a lot of love for this album, too, whether it was upon release or on lists similar to this. It got an incredibly deserving 9.5 from us when I reviewed it, and that score most definitely holds up after multiple listens. It is a HEAVY masterpiece of an album, and has honestly opened my eyes to a new style of music that I wouldn’t have otherwise given the time of day to. It’s most certainly not for everyone, but fuck, if you’re a metalhead you’ll love this.
Listen to: We Eat Our Young, Scourge of the Offspring and …and the World Will Go On Without You
24: Foo Fighters – But Here We Are
The first album since the sudden, devastating loss of Taylor Hawkins, the album was expected to be emotional but damn, it had me in tears in the first track and throughout. The whole album feels like a tribute to their fallen brother, their way of coping and trying to come to terms with their loss. What’s amazing is that it’s the most Foo Fighters-feeling album in years, too. I’ve rather publicly not been the biggest fan of the last few albums the band put out before this, and I still stand by my belief that this is their best release since 2011. It feels like the perfect blend of their debut, In Your Honor and Echos, Silence… and I can’t get enough of it. It’s old school Foos in all of the best ways, yet still has a modern tinge to it that keeps it feeling fresh.
Given the circumstances, it was going to be hard to review. However, it was one of the easiest 10/10‘s I’ve given since I started this. If you are a rock fan at all (why would you be here if you weren’t?), you have to check this album out!
Listen to: Rescued, Under You and Nothing at All
23: NOPROPHECY – As the Bridge Collapses
Another band that I didn’t know existed until I reviewed them, another killer album, and another high-ranking melodeath album. Released on the last week before the cut-off, it’s hard to even argue recency-bias as I’ve listened to this a lot since then. 2023 has been my rediscovery of my love for death metal and its sub-genres, and this album very much feels like one of the highlights of that journey. Their sound is incredible, the riffs are great and the dynamic between the clean and harsh vocals are amazing. Honestly, my only complaint is that it’s only half-an-hour long; I want so much more of this! If you’re a fan of In Flames or Children of Bodom, this album is a must for you. I gave it a 9/10, but it definitely deserves this spot on the list! I cannot wait to hear where the band go from here!
Listen to: Ghost of Yesterday, Burn it Down and Broken
22: She Burns Red – Out of Darkness
A slightly controversial one, this one, as I know a lot of people who have this in their number one spot. It’s most certainly a fantastic album, and another awesome debut one. From early-2000s radio rock to punk to even bordering on metal and grunge at times, the band certainly keep it interesting throughout the listen. And the songs are amazing, as well as all being played exceptionally well. Unfortunately, it simply didn’t hold my attention as much as a few of the other bands on this list. They have a MASSIVELY bright future ahead of them, and certainly have the backing of a growing fanbase and the local industry. And it still got a huge 9.5/10 from us! You need to check out this album immediately.
Listen to: Touch, Killing Time and Crosshairs
21: Skindred – Smile
It honestly pains me that this just fell below the cut-off for the top 20. I LOVE this band, and I LOVE this album. It is easily the best they have ever released, and deserved the top spot on the charts, though settling for #2 is hardly a bad thing! It’s the first album that I’ve enjoyed front to back by the band, too, as I usually felt like they were more of a singles band. Every track is at least a fun listen, with some being up there with the best the band have ever put out. It’s the perfect Skindred album from cover to cover, hence why it got 10/10 from us. Regardless of what sort of music check this out, there will be something for you on it, I’m sure. There were unfortunately just a few albums that I enjoyed more this year…
Listen to: Gimme That Boom, Set Fazers and This Appointed Love