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Top 10 Black Metal Albums of 2024

This year we had tons of excellent Black Metal releases so we decided to make this list dedicated to this genre. It was quite hard to decide on a certain order, but we managed to reach a consensus:

Honorable Mention: Tsatthoggua - We Are God (2024)

Returning after 26 years, these crazy Germans return with their sleazy take on the genre and deliver one hell of an engaging release.
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Top 5 Symphonic <something> Metal releases of 2024

In order to not have a billion different lists, this year we are merging anything that has to do with Symphonic elements into one single category. One thing to be sure about, all these releases have some killer symphonic arrangements regardless of the genre:

Honorable Mention: Torn from Existence - Hearken the Darkened Skies ((2024)

Hailing from Denver, Colorado, this outfit delivered one of the most engaging and fun Symphonic Metal releases of 2024 and it was just their first release. Please be sure to keep an eye out for these guys.
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Top 5 Atmospheric, Dreamy, and weird Metal-ish releases of 2024

Top 5 Atmospheric, Dreamy, and weird Metal-ish releases of 2024

2024 was a very interesting year with tons of very dreamy and highly atmospheric releases that dabbled into some dark corners of music:

Honorable Mention: Whispering Void - At the Sound of the Heart (2024)

Very unique Dark Rock music from this stacked Norwegian outfit. Definitely one of the more different releases of 2024.
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Helloween - Live at Budokan (2024)

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Keeping up with the tradition of epic live releases recorded at Budokan in Tokyo, Japan, today we have Helloween and their intense show of September 16, 2023. Featuring over 2 hours of music, the live album part of this release, is a must have for any fan of the band as the pumpkins show up in full-force with Andi Deris and Michael Kiske on vocals, alongside Kai Hansen and company, belting out the band’s classics.

Perfectly capturing the band’s high-octane live shows, this release wastes no time to warm-up and kicks off with the 12-minute epic “Skyfall”. The (mostly) reunited band has been making waves in the last few years, both with their eponymous 2021 release and a series of tours. This magical energy is very well captured as the rip through pieces like “Eagle Fly Free”, “Future World”, and “Save Us”, some of our favorite tracks.

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Aara - Eiger (2024)

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Swiss Atmospheric Black Metal outfit Aara continues their desolate path, after completing their “Triade” trilogy, they now take on “Eiger”. In this release the band’s masterminds got inspiration in the book “The White Spider”, which tells early stories of attempts to climb this famed mountain. The music, as expected, is both chilling and highly emotional, crafting eight dramatic tracks filled with raw intensity and harrowing melody. As one of the best Atmospheric BM releases, this is one hell of a frosty journey to close out the year.

Opening with blowing wind atmospherics, the release quickly sets a very frosty and desolate vibe as it slowly builds up with crafty percussions and intense riffs. The band’s signature style of perfectly pacing their songs, be it unleashing furious onslaughts or bleak slow passages, makes songs like “Die das wilde Wetter fängt”, “Senkrechte Welten”, and “Felsensang” very cinematic. The way the album develops, with ebbs and flows, allows the listener to really feel the story.

  • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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KIR - L’appel du vide (2024)

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Unleashing a fierce brand of Black Metal that combines the ferocity of Behemoth and the grittiness of Mgła, the enigmatic KIR sets a very high bar with their debut release “L’appel du vide”. With such a vicious sound that is both polished and commanding, this outfit is definitely one of the most unexpected surprises of 2024. Just scratching the surface of this release with a couple of spins, detailed attention and repeated listenings are needed to fully digest the album.

After a mood setting instrumental intro, the band comes at the listener in full force with the piercing “Monument”. Mixing hellish deep screams with a barrage of BM riffs, the album quickly sets a relentless tone. The drumming in this release is quite polished, keeping a blistering pace as tracks like “Znów” and “Eter” blast away. The Mgła style riffing creates very dynamic and melodic passages, while still not sounding like a copy-cat and greatly enhancing the band’s explosiveness.

  • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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Kildonan - Embers (2024)

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As a continuation of Vostok, Hamish MacKintosh returns with “Embers”, the debut release of Kildonan. With a very emotionally charged Black/Doom Metal style, this release features six tracks and nearly 40 minutes reminiscent of a mixture of Bethlehem on their “Dictius Te Necare” era, and Death/Doom Metal musings. Creating a very deep and powerful atmosphere, this is one of those sleeper releases that we found ourselves enjoying a lot more than we expected.

Opening with the dreamy atmospherics of the title track, we are treated to dramatic clean vocals, harrowing harsh screams and a very Doomy vibe with Black Metal infused riffs. Kind of similar to Déhà and his exploits on his solo project as well as some Acathexis thrown into the mixture. We particularly love the piercing atmosphere created by the heavy Doom riffs of songs like “Ioliar-Bhuidhe” and “A Desperate Leap for Salvation” and their contrast with heavier and more brutal tempos.

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