Before we get into this, as I did a dishonorable mention last time, let’s do an honourable one this time…
A Whole New Sound – The pop-punk Disney covers album.
It’s an incredible album, but we only really focus on original releases for this list. Still, I’d recommend it to anyone though, and every band smashes their cover!
80 – Sergeant Thunderhoof: The Ghost of Badon Hill
Starting off this section of the list with a bag is the proggy-doom epic fifth album from the Somerset band. It’s another pretty recent release, but there was no way this wasn’t making the list! The atmosphere created by this album alone is utterly incredible, and that’s before we get onto the amazing riffing and pretty catchy melodic vocals throughout. I’ve loved it since the first moment it came out and it’s really no wonder it made waves, charting here in the UK. I listened to it through in full again while writing this up and somehow fell in love with it even more! It’s definitely made to be consumed in that capacity, and easily earned our 8.5/10 rating! If you like more slower, atmospheric stuff but still with plenty of awesome riffing and rocking, I cannot recommend this album enough!
Listen to: The whole thing from front to back, trust me!
79 – Steal the City: Road to Nowhere
Even more NWOCR on this list, it really goes to show how strong said scene is currently! STC are on the heavier end, incorporating some metalcore into the hard rock sound, and I think it’s why I loved this so much! I’ve always loved this band and the album’s been a long time coming, so to finally have it and having listened to it over the last couple of months, there was no way it wasn’t going to end up on this list! It’s somehow continued to grow on me more with each listen, too! From the incredible A7X-style guitaring to the heavy riffing to the incredibly catchy choruses, it has everything I love in this type of music! This is an incredibly strong debut album that got a very easy 9/10 from me when we reviewed it. The band are set for big things in both the rock and metal scenes in the UK, and this album is a fantastic jumping off point for that!
Listen to: Drag me to Hell, Knight the Unholy and Tomorrow’s Another Day
78 – Sweet: Full Circle
Y’all know how much of a sucker I am for a big chorus, and this album has them in spades! The legendary British glam band have no right being this good over half a century into their career, and it’s so sad that this will be the last studio release we get from them. Still, as I said in our review, the band are very much going out in style! This is just a good fun listen from front to back by a band that are so incredibly professional they could probably pump out a great album in their sleep! Don’t get me wrong, this certainly won’t be for everyone, but if you like an old-school 70s/80s glam rock sound, it doesn’t get much better than this album! I’ve listened to it multiple times now since it came out, and I doubt I’ll stop any time soon! It got a solid 9/10 in the review, and I stick to that here!
Listen to: Don’t Bring me Water, Everything and Rising Up
77 – Rotting Christ: Pro Xristou
Clearly 2024 is the year where my musical evolution has completed, because when I started Overtone I never expected a black metal album to end up on one of these lists! This, however, is a phenomenal release, from a songwriting, atmospheric and playing perspective. It has a truly epic feel and some incredible production, which is probably why I favour it over a lot of other black metal. It’s genuinely interesting, and fits around the subject matter perfectly. I just love the almost power metal blend it has with the darker, heavier baseline, and I think it would win more than a few unsuspecting people over in the sub-genre! I gave it a solid 8.5/10 when I reviewed the release back in May, and I’ve listened to it multiple times since and loved it just as much every time! It’s a damn good metal album overall that I would recommend to any fans of the genre!
Also, somehow the deluxe edition is even better, so check that out if you can!
Listen to: The Apostate, The Farewell and Saoirse
76 – Drew Holocomb and the Neighbours: Strangers No More Vol. 2
This is an amazing, chilled-out album that has stayed just as good with age. I wasn’t too familiar with them before this year, but have become a big fan of their particular brand of pop-leaning Americana. This album is the perfect example of that, and a fantastic follow-up from Vol. 1 last year. It’s a fun, relaxing 38-minute journey through some amazing songwriting and playing that it’s almost impossible to not love. Even if you aren’t necessarily a fan of this type of music, I’d recommend checking it out for Drew’s powerful vocals, catchy choruses and great lyrics, as well as the band’s pretty amazing playing throughout. There really isn’t a bad track on the album and it easily earned the 9/10 from us! I think it’s so hard to discern which part is better, but both volumes fit together perfectly; last year’s output somehow making this one even better!
Listen to: Green Light, Suffering and Burn
75 – Earthtone9: In Resonance Nexus
This was a return I was not expecting to be so amazing! Over a decade after the UK underground metal legends’ last album, they returned out of nowhere with this utterly amazing alt-metal release. It’s the perfect mix of heavy and melodic too, combining elements of metalcore and industrial perfectly. I’m shocked that nearly six months later this album hasn’t pushed the band to a bigger crowd, as I have listened to it so much in that time! Everything from the riffing to the drumming to the clean and harsh vocals are insane, and really top-notch stuff. If you’re into early 2000s metal with a modern twist, you’ll be as obsessed with this as I am! We gave it 9/10 when we reviewed it, and it fully holds up still all these months later! It more than deserves its place on this list, and I urge you to check it out immediately!
Listen to: Navison Record, Under the Snake and Black Swan Roulette
74 – Opeth: The Last Will And Testament
I know I know, I’m gonna get a LOT of hate from fans of the band for putting this album so low. Don’t get me wrong, it is a fantastic and incredibly interesting prog metal album, incorporating many different styles and constantly keeping me guessing. The talent to write and perform it all is off the charts. But it is still a huge, overblown prog album that I do find my tiny attention span wandering away from when trying to listen to in full. I’m a sucker for a big chorus as much as I love technical brilliance, and I’m afraid I got one without the other here. Still, I can’t help but appreciate just how amazing this is, and a real return to form for the band. It’s heavy, quirky and insane, and I’d recommend it to anyone who’s a fan of the band, the heavier side of metal or just odd music in general! It got a 9/10 from us and for very good reason, and it more than deserves to be here on this list!
Listen to: §2, §5 and §7
73 – Nightwish: Yesterwynde
The masters of symphonic metal returned this year with their first release in four years, a spiritual successor to that 2020 album. Somehow, it seems to have flown relatively under the radar, as I see very few people still taking about it yet it only came out in September. I have a feeling it’s because, while it is still an incredibly good release, it doesn’t quiet live up to the calibre of some of their other albums. However, the fact that I say that and it still lands this high on the list is a true testament to the sheer amazingness of this band. The riffing and playing overall is still incredible, Floor’s vocals are as good as ever, and the epic writing leads to some utterly huge, stadium-filling choruses. Plus, all the orchestral elements are just as amazing as they always are.
It’s an incredibly fun album to listen to if you like this sort of music, which I most certainly do. I do think it’s missing one big track like the other albums do though, to kinda set it apart from the pack. Though, as an album as a whole, it’s phenomenal. It got a solid 9/10 from us still, and I can safely say I do love this album!
Listen to: The Antikythera Mechanism, Perfume of the Timeless and The Children of ‘Ata
72 – Post Malone: F1 Trillion
It pains me to put this album so low. There’s on main reason for me doing so, though; it’s too damn long. And that’s just the standard version too, we ain’t even including the Long Bed extra tracks! Don’t get me wrong, there are a LOT of great tracks on this album. However, there are also a lot of track that, despite the huge names attached to them, are kinda mid and almost filler. I respect and admire the hell out of Post for all of the genre’s he’s dipped into and done well, but I really wish he’d have taken his time with his country stage and made this two separate albums. Having said that, though, the good stuff on this is so good that it more than earned its spot on this list. It was another album on this list that I gave a pretty easy 9/10 to, and I 100% stand by that all these months later. It’s a fun pop-country album with a lot of highlights, it’s just too bloated.
Listen to: Finer Things, Pour Me a Drink and Nosedive
71 – Skam: From the Depths
The grungy, stonery NWOCR legends returned this year with album #5, and somehow upped their game once again. Every track on this release is just as good as the last one; it’s 45-minutes of hard rock excellence. The band don’t get nearly as much credit as they deserve, and even though this album is only a couple of weeks old the same can be said here! It’s such a strong album packed full of awesome riffing and arena-filling, catchy choruses, and I can’t rave about it enough! If you’re a fan of anything from QOTSA to Those Damn Crows, you need to listen to this like yesterday. Anyone who listens to this can easily tell why I gave it a 9/10, it’s amazing, and another album I have listened to a lot over the last couple of weeks that it’s been out. I really wish I could put this higher but, as I said, there was so much awesome music released this year!
Listen to: Rising Fever, Fate of the Souls and The Grind
70 – Marianas Trench: Haven
The sheer epicness of a lot of this pop-rock album boosted this much higher than I was expecting on this list. The dramatic, almost Broadway-esque arrangements throughout were incredible, and made me instantly obsessed with this release. Heck, three-and-a-half months on and the opener still blows my mind every time I hear it. Don’t get me wrong, it certainly won’t be for every reader of this list, and is somehow maybe the most out-there entry on it, but I’d certainly recommend anyone with an open mind checking it out, because it is truly amazingly written. Yes, it’s a bit Jonas Brothers at times, but it’s also very Panic! My Chemical Romance, Set it Off etc, so make of that what you will! I’m sure this will shock no one by this point, but it got another 9/10 from me when I did my review! It’s an infectiously fun album that never fails to make me smile, so it easily made this list!
Listen to: A Normal Life, I’m Not Getting Better and Ancient History
69 – Devin Townsend: Powernerd
I never thought I’d end up with a Heavy Devy album on a list like this but here we are. I feel like I finally ‘get’ him. Well, at least this side of him, those ambient electro albums can get in the bin. But yeah, this is a fantastic alt-metal album! From his heavy riffing to his powerful, amazing vocals and the steady pace throughout, this is easily one of my favourite releases Devin has put out, and that’s including SYL too! I feel like it’s going to be another criminally underrated album that makes it onto this list. It’s pretty well put together too, with some more atmospheric bits spread through, giving plenty of dynamics across its 44-minute runtime. I feel like this is somehow a culmination of his last few years of work, it all combining perfectly together to form something truly great and interesting, and has won me over onto the guy even more. It’s another that I somehow missed for New Music Mondays, but the more I listen the more it grows on me. It gets a solid 8.5/10 from me, though lands this high up on our list for being such a surprising change of pace for my taste, and because I can appreciate it is generally an even better album than even that!
Listen to: Powernerd, Knuckledragger and Glacier
68 – Black Lakes: Dead Gods
I’ve loved this band since I reviewed their debut album a couple of years back, and I’m so glad they’ve made it onto this list with their sophomore release! This one ups the ante of that release in every way, not only continuing the band’s niche carving in the local scene and their sound, but creates one of the most interesting albums of the year. The band manage to combine early 2000s radio metal and metalcore with the current hard rock scene in the UK to create something truly unique and special, and I have listened to it a lot since early September when it was released! Honestly, it’s still growing on me more with each listen somehow, too! Everything from the track on it is amazing, and the album itself is arranged perfectly! Whether it’s the melodic, catchy vocals, amazing, ch0nky riffs, impressive guitaring or the surprising yet amazing screams, there is so much to love, and makes every track stand out as a highlight in its own highlight. We gave it a 9/10, but that may even be a little too low for this. No matter what you’re into check this out ASAP, you won’t be disappointed!
Listen to: Hurricane, Dead Gods and Dark Glass
67 – Asomvel: Born to Rock ‘n’ Roll
I fucking love this band. They are a no nonsense, straight-to-the-point hard rock band who own their Motörhead-like sound on their sleeves and do so fantastically. The band are big dumb fun and this is 44-minutes of boot-stomping, head-banging greatness. If you are in any way familiar with this band you know exactly what to expect with this album, and they deliver exactly that in spades. If you’re a fan of the style of music I cannot recommend the album enough (or them live too, as we got the chance to see them earlier this year!). I’ve listened to this album a lot over the last few months, be it in full or individual tracks, and no matter what it’s impossible not to have a good time when it’s on. It got another massive 9.5/10 from our review, and I still stand by that today! I’d definitely recommend giving it a spin!
Listen to: Born to Rock ‘n’ Roll, Outside the Law and When You’re Dead Lie Down
66 – Fellowship: The Skies Above Eternity
One of my best finds of this year, the power metal Brits put out one hell of a sophomore album this year! I usually find the genre vaguely average, loving it but never having much come out that blows me away. This certainly bucked that trend. The overall feel is hugely epic, but the instrumentation is utterly phenomenal, giving Dragonforce a run for their money. Meanwhile, the vocals give enough huge melodies and choruses to make anyone sing along! I know it is certainly not everyone’s favourite genre, but it’s worth checking out from a sheer musicianship standpoint alone. Every track slaps and, at only 40-minutes, it’s a pretty easy listen! And this humble writer absolutely loved it, hence why it got 9/10 and this specific spot on his list of top albums of the year!
Listen to: Victim, Eternity and A New Hope
65 – Amongst Liars: By Design
Another album that we somehow missed for NMM, but one that I loved from the moment I listened to it. I’ve loved the guys for a while, being obsessed with their last album a couple of years ago and even seeing a couple of these tracks live last year. The band have certainly managed to keep developing their sound over the last two years, and what they put out back in July is utterly phenomenal. Still having that indie edge but leading into the heavier side of their sound, going much more radio-friendly alt-rock, it’s an amazing album! It’s another release that’s got plenty of highlights tracks, while there isn’t a bad song in sight! The band already done some huge stuff in their short time together, and this release will surely set up even more of that moving forward. I’ve listened to it a lot over the last few months and would easily recommend it to anyone reading this; there really is something for everyone! It gets an easy 9/10 from me, and easily earned its place on this list.
Listen to: Read for This?, The Shameful and Alibi
64 – Judas Priest: Invincible Shield
19 albums in and after half a decade, the NWOBHM have no right putting out an album this damn good. Not that I expected it to be bad, of course, but they have to slow down and chill out eventually, right? That time clearly wasn’t this year, as they put out another awesome heavy metal album that is packed full of amazing tracks. Honestly, as I said in my review of it, it’s pretty akin to Painkiller, in both sound and quality. It’s been out months so I really shouldn’t have to gush over it as much as you should have already checked it out by now, but if you haven’t go and do that immediately! The legends got a whopping 9.5/10 from me and honestly after all this time and all these listens, it’s impossible to disagree with that. It’s arguably in their top 10 albums easily, and is a true testament to just how incredible the band are as players and songwriters. It only didn’t get higher because of how many other amazing releases also came out this year!
Listen to: Panic Attack, Devil in Disguise and Trial by Fire
63 – Skarlett Riot: Caeleste
The fourth album from the UK metalcore/alt metal powerhouses is my favourite album from them. It’s taken me two months of sitting on it to decide that, but it really is that awesome! Not only is every track on it amazing, but it does every element of their craft so well. You want heavy riffing and some breakdowns? Check. You want soaring, catchy vocals, as well as some heavy and harsh and incredible screams? Check. And overall epic feel akin to something more power/symphonic metal-based? All of the check. The whole band are extremely talented players, vocalists and songwriters, and they have crafted something truly special with this release. There’s no wonder they’ve steadily build themselves up in the UK scene and are already playing some pretty big venues after this album. We gave it a 9/10, but honestly the more I listen to it, the more I think it could be even higher! I’d recommend this to any metal fan at all reading this, and it easily made it to this slot on the list!
Listen to: Run, Limits and Shatter
62 – Lainey Wilson: Whirlwind
The modern queen of country herself put out a followup to her 2022 breakout album, and somehow build and improves in that stellar release! And, as is a common theme for this part of the list clearly, it grew on me more and more with each passing listen. It just kept creeping higher and higher up as I wrote this and listened to it. There truly isn’t a bad song on the release. Don’t get me wrong, there are certainly tracks I prefer to others, usually the more upbeat and interesting ones. However, Lainey is so talented that even the half the album that is slower stuff is fantastic, and a really great listen. There is much more than the three tracks named below that you should check out, and I’d easily recommend the entire album if you have even a passing interest in country. There’s a reason why she is one of the biggest names in country currently, and why I gave her a solid 9/10!
Listen to: Country’s Cool Again, Broken Hearts Still Beat and Hang Tight Honey
61 – The Browning: OMNI
Time to get heavy now, as we have the tech deathcore titans’ new blistering album scorching its way onto our list. The mixture of the band’s insane heaviness and industrial-synth elements have crafted something super interesting and wholly unique. It certainly won’t be for every reader of this list, but it’s an incredibly well crafted album that goes by in a flash and has a fantastic flow to it. It’s also packed full of highlight tracks, wigh me loving every single song on the album. Even with their massive heaviness, this band should be bigger than they are, and I truly believe that this album is the one to finally push them higher after all these years. I somehow only gave it 8/10 the other week when I reviewed it, but after another couple of listens that easily goes up another point. I’d honestly recommend it to any heavy fans out there as it has some of the best riffing, drumming, breakdowns and screams in the game currently.
Listen to: FED UP, OMNI and Deceiver