Written by Kirk
What’s shakin’ loyal Noob Heavy reader! Guess what? We’ve crossed the halfway point of December, which means it’s officially LIST SEASON. And believe me when I tell you these are gonna be some killer lists; the team has been hard at work polishing them up for all y’all to dive into with gusto. You may also notice some changes with my picks this year: I rolled them all into one article. No separate lists for singles, EPs, and albums, plus I decided to give some of my picks awards because…well, they deserve it. This is your one-stop shop for my favorite releases of 2024, so let’s get to it!
MOST UNEXPECTED: Amiture – Mother Engine
When I got the promo email for this album, I thought it had been misrouted. Trip-hop? In 2024? But then I listened to it and absolutely melted. Some albums we choose to write about, and others we need to write about. This one was the latter.
MOST UNIQUE: Commander 🙂 – Starrberry Perzervz
I listened to a lot of metal this year, but I also listened to a lot of noise rock. This album was a little bit of everything, blending tons of different elements not commonly found in noise rock or rock-adjacent music and coming up with something brilliantly unique.
MOST RIFFTASTIC: Clouds Taste Satanic – 79 A.E.
I fucking love Clouds Taste Satanic. Seriously, this band is beyond outstanding. They release an album, and you say, “Man, there’s no way they’ll top this,” and they say, “Here, hold my bong,” and then do just that. Inject this directly into my veins, please.
MOST OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD: Justicar – Outbound Flight
Alicia Cordisco is a national treasure. There, I said it. She couldn’t make bad music if she tried. Two songs, and I love them both.
MOST UNHINGED: Cell Press – Cages
Have you ever listened to an album and feel like you’ve been driving down the highway at 150 mph (or 241 kmh) when it’s finally over? That’s what listening to Cages feels like, or stage-diving directly into the middle of the mosh pit. Utterly wild and insane but in the best way imaginable.
MOST ON-REPEAT: Castle Rat – Into the Realm
I took my oldest to see Castle Rat in the fall for their first concert experience, and both of us have been listening to this album a lot. It’s just some good, solid, doomy fun. For the realm!
MOST HISTORICALLY ACCURATE: Fire at the Plantation House – Southampton Insurrection
Look up “Nat Turner’s rebellion” when you get the chance. Read about the events that transpired in August 1831, then listen to this album and say, “Hell yeah.”
MOST EMOTIONAL: Whettman Chelmets – A New Place
Look, I listen to a lot of music all the time. No, like, all the time. Some stuff you absorb, and some stuff you internalize. Spend the time with this record, and then try to tell me you don’t identify with it in any way. I DARE YOU (p.s.: you can’t).
MOST FUN: Mothman and the Thunderbirds – Portal Hopper
A lot of metalheads will tell you you can’t have fun while listening to metal. Mothman and the Thunderbirds will tell you you can. Listen to Mothman and the Thunderbirds. Literally and figuratively; this album is tons of fun. Suck it, metalheads!
MOST ON-BRAND: The Jesus Lizard – Rack
I did two dives into The Jesus Lizard’s catalog this year—one for fun and one to help write my review of this album—and both made me realize this album was everything we could have wanted or needed from that band. Perhaps not their best work (Goat is GOAT) but infinitely better than what you’d expect from a band that hadn’t written, recorded, or released new material in almost 30 years.
MOST INSANE TITLE: Xiu Xiu – 13” Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips
I don’t know the inspiration behind this album’s title, and I genuinely don’t care. It’s so hilariously over-the-top that I love it. Plus it’s a really good album from a really good band. But please don’t ask me to remember it word-for-word, because that’s not happening.
I LOVED THESE RELEASES:
- Knoll – As Spoken
Interstice was great, Metempiric was really good, but these cats are really onto something with this one. Saw them on tour, too, and they killed it.
- BLACK BAND SHIRT – Proud Filth
I can’t explain exactly what it is about this EP that I love so much; I just love it. It’s so earnest and heartfelt that you can’t not love it.
- Stormland – The Altar of War
I may not be a death metal guy, but I do love me some good techdeath, and Stormland is good techdeath. The fact that it’s all Gundam-themed doesn’t hurt, because I also love me some giant robots. And it’s nice when two of your favorite things play well together.
- Burial Beyond the Sea – Smoldering Remains
I listen to a lot of doom metal throughout the year because I’m a sad, miserable bastard who loves big, heavy riffs. This album has those in spades, but instead of lyrics it has these deep, hypnotic spoken word passages, and it’s a completely different experience than any other doom record I’ve ever listened to. But please don’t put this on unless you can give it your full attention, because you won’t get the full impact.
- Marche Funèbre – After the Storm
Few bands can do death/doom quite like Marche Funèbre, which is probably a good thing. They’re an insanely amazing band who just keep getting better with each record. And, like, I knew I was gonna like this one before I hit play, but I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did. IT’S REALLY GOOD, YOU GUYS.
I ALSO REALLY LIKED THESE RELEASES:
Zireael – Brokilon
18 Slashes – Epilogue
Tangled Horns – Lighter
Lotus Thief / Forlesen – Lotus Thief – Forlesen (split)
Dead Runes – Raidho
Tidal Wave – Manuscript 512
Scrape – Shake the Nation
Samsara Joyride – The Subtle and the Dense
Beyrevra – Echoes: Vanished Lore of Fire
Angmodnes – Rot of the Soul
Krystal Swords – Hold Your Breath
Late Bloomer – Another One Again
Goat Major – Ritual
Bitterdusk – Guardián del Valle
One Eyed Ancestor – Binate
GAIVS / spaceseer / Heaven — Realms of Antiquity (split)
King Volume Records – Bear Witness (compilation)
Hekseblad – Kaer Morhen
Through Mists – Prolific
Darius – Murmuration
Limbolic Scythe – No Light Shall Save Me
Subverge – Xoubec
Through Mists – Branches
Anna Pest – You and Me at the End of the Fucking World
Negative Bliss – Everything Hurts and I’m Dying
Witnesses – Joy
Jacob Panic – Endless Bleedings