I’m running out of witty quips or honourable mentions already, so instead I’mma take this time to say this: yes, I know the scoring is whack, especially in part 3. Higher scores are lower than others. But my scoring is based on not just my enjoyment, but the overall quality of the album, in general and in its genre. And while those two latter parts do factor into this list, it’s a lot more about my personal preference in here.
So, let’s dive into another 20 albums, shall we?
60 – Tom Killner: Borrowed Time
This pretty of our list opens on a one-two-punch of excellent, yet somehow completely different, blues albums. Honestly, I’ve loved this and the next entrant for months now and it’s been so hard picking which is better, so honestly this is more of a joint-59th position. However, my OCD won’t let me not have a #60 on this list, or have a top 100 albums have 101 albums, so this one took the hit and is the lower one. However, that shouldn’t in any way take away from this release; it’s incredible.
Tom has been a mainstay of the UK underground blues and NWOCR scene for a good few years now, and this is unquestionably my favourite release of his. It’s 36-minutes of soft-blues/boarding on easily-listening-and-gospel goodness and I love it now just as I did back in April when I reviewed it. It’s jam packed full of amazing tracks, most of which have made their way onto my personal playlist over the last eight months. His voice is incredible and the playing throughout from Tom and his band is insanely impressive, not to mention how top notch his songwriting is throughout. There’s a reason I gave it top marks in the review, and I still stand by that score now! It’s the best release in this sound of the year, hands down, and I’d recommend it to absolutely anyone!
Listen to: Devils Gate, Heart of Gold and Light it Up
59 – Troy Redfern: Invocation
The second half of the blues double entry is another British frontman who is a bit on the heavier side compared to Tom. Honestly, that’s probably why I’ve given him the slight edge, but both are utterly incredible albums in the genre. Troy is another name who’s been plugging away in the NWOCR scene for a good number of years now, and doesn’t get nearly the respect and push he should get, especially when he’s putting out releases of this quality! Much like Tom above, I do think this is my favourite album by him so far, too! And if any readers are as big fans of blues rock as I am, you’ll love this, too! It flows perfectly, and the 41-minutes goes by in a flash. There isn’t a bad track on it and it’s so easy to listen to in full, while there are plenty of highlight, stand-alone tracks too! It got an incredible 9.5/10 in our review, and I still fully stand by that score all these months later. If you’re a fan of rock, blues or sleaze, check this out immediately!
Listen to: Getaway, The Calling and All Night Long
58 – The Survival Code: Whispers of Woe
Nearly 11 months on, this is still an incredible, interesting, mind-blowing alt rock record. The fact that it’s just a duo still to this day baffles me; how they craft such a huge sound and play so technically with just two is amazing. The double-tracked vocals give everything such a huge, yet quirky, feel to it. I still definitely hear the early Biffy Clyro comparison I made when I reviewed this, and it really makes them stand out as no-one is doing stuff like this any more. It’s another album packed to the brim with awesome tracks too; even its 53-minute runtime somehow left me wanting more! I’ve been listening to this all year and it fully justifies the 10/10 I gave it, even if it’s just because of the sheet talent involved! No matter what sort of music you are into, I cannot recommend this album enough. I hated not being able to put it higher in this list, but it’s above a lot of incredible albums, and it really shows how insanely good the quality of music output we’ve had this year! I predict huge things for this band in the near future, and it can all be attributed back to this album!
Listen to: Never Knew You Existed, Built to Break and Waiting in the Wings
57 – Eminem: The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)
So, after three solid names in the UK underground NOWCR scene, it does feel like a bit of whiplash to go to a massive hip-hop name next. However, there was no way this album wasn’t making this list. Slim Shady returning was very much not on my 2024 bingo card heading into the year, but five months later I’m still loving it, and I really hope the title isn’t true and we get more of him moving forward. The fact that he’s not actually been cancelled for some of the stuff in this means that clearly people are in on the meta-joke, which is a good sign. Plus, ‘Houdini’ is his biggest hit in over a decade at this point, so the “walking parental advisory” must be here to stay, right?
It’s yet another album on this list that certainly isn’t for everyone. However, as a massive fan of The Eminem Show in my youth, I’m so glad he’s returned to this sound. And the release itself is fantastic, packed full of amazing hip-hop tracks that feel like the perfect modernisation of the early 2000s sound. The split personality theme throughout is amazing, and lead to some really incredible tracks. Heck, even some of the guests on it kill it, too. I’d be very surprised if you’re a fan of Em reading this and haven’t already checked out the album, but if you have even a passing interest in him, I can’t recommend this album enough. It got a solid 8.5/10 from me, and I stand by that still now, along with its placement on this list!
Listen to: Brand New Dance, Antichrist and Houdini
56 – Rhapsody of Fire: Challenge of Fire
Yet another album I love more and more with each subsequent listen. The Italian band may very well be the peak of the power-symphonic-heavy metal combination, and this album is fantastic evidence of that. The talent of playing and songwriting is off the charts, much like it is with all of the bands albums, but this is certainly up there with some of their best! It’s an hour of fantastic metal from front to back, and a must for any fans of any of the genres I listed previous. Sure, the length is a touch daunting for some, but it’s well worth it! There’s a reason it got a stunning 10/10 in our review, and after revisiting it all these months later it more than certainly deserves that ranking. The album takes you on a fantastic journey, and is a must for metal fans!
The Bloody Pariah, Vanquished by Shadows and Mastered by the Dark
55 – The Red Clay Strays: Made By These Moments
One of the many big breakout country groups of the last couple of years, it resulted in this being a very highly anticipated release. And, somehow, it lived up to said lofty expectations! There is a LOT to love on this album! The band have upped the ante from their previous release in terms of songwriting, and the result was a fantastic blend of neo-traditional country and more modern southern rock. And it is packed to the brim with highlights too, with almost every track having radio-hit potential, and a good few living up to it! And whether it’s the slower, radio-ballad style or the more foot-stomping rock, Brandon and co do it all so damn well. I gave it a solid 9/10 when I reviewed it, and it may get an even higher ranking after months of spinning it. Heck, it was even just as incredible live! I can’t recommend this album enough to country fans, and I think they’re going to be an absolutely massive name in the near future!
Listen to: Wanna Be Loved, Drowning and On My Knees
54 – Gangstagrass: Blackest Thing on the Menu
This album just had to make it onto this list somewhere. Ever since I found them a couple of years ago at The Long Road, I’ve been obsessed, and this was a hugely hyped album for me since the moment it was announced. And while I agree with my original review in that I’m disappointed there isn’t slightly more country/bluegrass on here, it’s an incredibly solid release and the high points more than outweigh the occasional low. The band’s infusion of bluegrass and 90s-style hip-hop is and will always be so unique and incredible, and if you are a fan of either wide-spreading genre, I can’t recommend this album and band enough! It got a 9/10 from us and I still agree with that, but it gets this high up the list because of just how damn good half the songs are. The band don’t get nearly the credit they deserve, but at least they have this… right…?
Listen to: Good at Being Bad, Up High Do or Die and Obligatory Braggadocio
53 – My Dying Bride: A Mortal Binding
The doom metal legends released one hell of an album earlier this year! If you know the band you’ll know roughly what to expect, and being a big fan of them personally of course I loved it! Whether clean, catchy vocals or brutal screams, both were great in equal measure and fit the amazing instrumentation perfectly each way. It’s no wonder we gave it a 9.5/10 when we reviewed it back in April. If you’re a fan of the more epic, darker side of metal, this one is certainly one more than worth checking out. There isn’t a bad track on it and there is plenty to love when listening!
Listen to: Her Dominion, The 2nd of Three Bells and The Apocalyptist
52 – The Exile Club: Chained to the Ruin & Rust
A band new band to me this year, so much so that I didn’t even hear the album upon its release, going back to check it out after seeing them live. So, to have them this high up the list is a true testament to how amazing the band and this release is! It’s like the UK’s answer to American roots music, adding in some jazz and swing and blues elements, and it really is fantastic from start to finish! It’s an amazing, chilled-out release just brimming with awesome playing, catchy vocals and some amazing emotional moments. The band are set to go very far if this album is anything to go by, and I already can’t wait to hear more from them. It’s an amazing, relaxing listen that gets an easy 9/10 from me and more than earns its spot on this list!
Listen to: Got to Be More, Ticket Home, Some of That Sweat Tea
51 – Pokey Lafarge: Rhumba Country
Somehow another new discovery for me this year, we checked him out at The Long Road back in August and I’ve been obsessed ever since! It does mean that somehow I missed it for NMM when it released back in May, though. The mixture of old-school swing, blues, jazz, mambo, samba and mid-century rock n’ roll is amazing and it’s another album that it’s impossible not to have a good time listening to! It’s an album celebrating life, and it’s a fun, chilled-out 35-minute listen. Add to that the fact that not only Pokey, but the rest of his band too, are all insanely talented and have worked together to craft something truly special with this release. It’s certainly not going to be for everyone reading this, but I loved it so of course it made it onto this list! After spinning it a good few times over the last few months, it gets a solid 9/10 from us!
Listen to: Run Run Run, So Long Chicago and It’s Not Over
50 – Ice Exiled: Reset the Sky
Another new band for me this year, and one that just barely made the cut for this list as it came out on the 29th of November! However, this absolutely blew me away and more than earned its spot here. Somehow being technical-power metal with some prog thrown in for good measure, it’s 42-minutes of 8-tracks of pure awesomeness. It’s epic in every sense of the word, and there really isn’t a as track on it! I’ve already spun it a handful of times since its release just a couple of weeks ago, and still can’t get enough. Some of the guitaring honestly blew my mind, while the drumming, screams and catchy vocals are also phenomenal. If you are into metal in any way I can’t recommend this enough; there really is something for everyone! It was another one that got a whopping 10/10 from us, and I fully stand by that perfect mark today! It’s an amazing debut that would have made it higher on this list if it was a weaker year!
Listen to: Civilisation Zero, Reapers Feast and Anthropcentrum
49 – Mad Caddies: Arrow Room 117
Somehow, for the longest time this album was a lot lower on this list. I absolutely adore this band have done for years, so I think the more relaxed, less punk-focused sound from them always takes a bit of getting used to. However, now I am used to it and revisiting it, it’s a truly incredible soft-ska album. The band have been criminally underrated for years at this time, and this is yet another example of a stellar album from them that should be bigger than it is! Every song is amazing and has some of the best, catchiest choruses the band have produced. It’s truly impossible to have a bad time listening to the album, and it got a very easy 9/10 from us, though I may even put it higher than that now! After a decade of waiting, Mad Caddies proved that they can still write incredible albums, and more than earned their slot on this list!
Palm Trees and Pines, Baby and Backroads
48 – Crobot: Obsidian
More genre hopping from the PA hard rock band, as this added a lot more stoner, doom and heavier metal into their sound. I loved it, and still do now! It released in a STACKED week of plenty of awesome music too, so for it to make this much of an impact on me and still be something I revisit regularly three months later is a true testament to the awesomeness of the album. Heck, it’s no surprise, I loved this band, but this release for me felt like a step up from their previous stuff, even. From the ch0nky riffs to the catchy vocals throughout, there is so much to enjoy and it’s packed full of highlights. As I said in my review and I’ll say again, there truly isn’t a bad song on this album. It more than deserves the 9.5/10 I gave it, and deserves so much more credit than it’s gotten so far since its release. I’m desperate to see it all live, so if by some miracle the band are reading this, c’mon lads, do this album in full on a UK tour… It’s another album I really wish I could put higher, but this album got almost impossible to rank by this point!
Listen to: Obsidian, Nothing and Head of the Beast
47 – Mother Mother: Grief Chapter
Releasing way back in February, I’ve had a very up-and-down relationship with this odd, quirky slab of alt-rock. Before revisiting all these albums in preparation for this list, I’d honestly thought this would be up much higher. However, I then came across the same sort of issues I had from my review; the tracks that I like I LOVE (and have listened to a lot in the last 10 months), but there’s some tracks I’m certainly not into either. However, I did enjoy them more than I remember doing, and as an album as a whole it flows amazingly. The mix of Mica and Muse and hopping between pop and folk and hard rock is awesome through, and still makes for an enjoyable album for me to listen through all these months later. I absolutely love a sold 2/3+ of this release, and it deserves higher than the 8.5 from the review; it’s a solid 9/10! It more than deserves this slot on the list!
Listen to: Explode!, Normalize and The Matrix
46 – The Mourning: Hush
This scratches my techy, proggy metal itch perfectly every time I listen to it. Somehow the perfect blend of Coheed and Cambria, Tool and Motanka, I somehow missed this album upon its release, but have made up for that by spinning it a bunch recently! The whole atmosphere created throughout is incredible. The band are so amazingly talented for crafting an album of this calibre, and something that’s like this that holds my attention for a full 52-minutes! From the riffing to the insane drumming and time signatures to some utterly amazing vocals, it really had it all. Much like the rest of this list from now on, there isn’t a bad track throughout the album, and it all flows together perfectly! It’s certainly not going to be for everyone, but if you’re a fan of any of the bands or styles above, I can’t recommend this album enough! It gets a solid 9/10 from me and easily justifies to place on this list!
Listen to: He Cries, Hush and My Own Hell
45 – Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts: Rouge to Redemption
Another album that never fails to make me smile and I fall in love with a little more every time I listen to it. Somehow the perfect blend of glam (plenty of Bowie), hard rock and also bands like Wildhearts, E’Nuff Z’Nuff and Quireboys, it’s right up my street and I love every send of it. It’s 70s/80s rock anthem after rock anthem, yet still also feels updated for a modern audience. There are so many highlight tracks throughout, the album being practically perfect. It’s very easy to see why we gave it 9.5/10 when we reviewed it. I hadn’t checked it out much since its release, but revisiting it it blew me away all over again! If you’re a fan of any of the band’s or styles listed above, I truly can’t recommend this album enough! It more than earns it’s spot on this list, and is another one that could easily be higher on any given day!
Listen to: Take the Long Way, Glorybound and Little Renegade
44 – FEVER 333: Darker White
It pains me to put this band this low. Back in 2020, WRONG GENERATION was one of my favourite albums (still not an EP) of the year and is an album I still regularly revisit. And don’t get me wrong, this album is amazing, hence why it is sat so high up this list. But man, I really thought this would be top 10 when it was announced. But damn, there are so many amazing tracks on this album, like the ones mentioned below. It simply drops off a little towards the end, for the most part. It’s not as solid throughout as their previous album, or the albums later in this list, hence why it’s a touch lower down. Jason and co are still one of the most creative and interesting bands around today, and one of the few that still have a genuinely dangerous-feeling edge to them. It’s another fantastic addition to their truly stellar discography, and I think it deserves the solid 8.5/10 we gave it! It’s a fun listen all the way through with some incredibly strong moments, but a couple of certain lulls. Still, it more than deserves this slot, as I love a huge amount of it!
Listen to: NEW WEST ORDER, NO HOSTAGES AND NOSEBLEEDS
43 – South of Salem : Death of the Party
One of the fastest rising underground rock bands in the UK returned with their highly anticipated sophomore album way back in January. Given that it’s here on the list, it was clearly damn good! It builds on the sound of the debut perfectly, and is packed full of some more incredible tracks that fit right alongside the others in their so-far incredible discography. Plus, the 10 tracks go by in a storm, it not feeling like 42-minutes at all. If you’re a fan of the gothic rock kinda sound, or any hard rock from this millennium, NWOCR or the more early 2000s US style, you’ll love this just as much as I do! The only reason it’s not a touch higher up is because it does play just slightly safe; it’s very close to the debut album sonically. However, it’s only their second album, and the formula certainly isn’t broken so doesn’t need fixing! It got a solid 9/10 from us, and is definitely deserving of being high on this list!
Listen to: Static, Jet Black Eyes and A Life Worth Dying For
42 – Alien Ant Farm: ~mAntras~
This had no reason being this phenomenal. 13 years after they put out their highly acclaimed debut, they put out this absolute beast of an alt-rock album and reminded everyone how incredible they are. I’ve seen nothing but praise for it, and it’s very easy to see why we gave it 9/10, and honestly listening back to it yet again it may be even higher than that! Every track is amazing, and feels like they get better and better with every listen. The band have always been criminal underrated, but this is a perfect example of them still releasing incredible music despite that. Regardless of if you usually dismiss them as ‘that band that covered Smooth Criminal’ or if you aren’t typically into this style of rock, check this out, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. It very easily made it onto this list, and it’s yet another one that would have been higher if it was a weaker year!
Listen to: Last dAntz, Fade and So Cold
41 – Mister Misery: Self-Titled
Rounding out this section of the list is an awesome release from the Swedish horror metalcore outfit. We gave it 9.5/10 in our review and it’s pretty easy to see why! It’s packed full of great tracks; 46-minutes of melodic, heavy, catchy metal. Sounding like a melting pot of Ice Nine Kills, Falling in Reverse, Motionless in White and Black Veil Brides; everything from the riffing to the massive drums to the catchy cleans and brutal screams is awesome. Plus, the production on it is top notch, really adding to the epic, horror atmosphere throughout. If you are into this end of the metal spectrum, I can’t recommend this enough! It’s an excellent album and more than earned its place this high in the list!
Listen to: Erzébet, Crooked Man and Until the End