This is becoming a yearly tradition here at MetalBite - we had the top 22 of '22, top 23 of '23 and...well, you know. If we keep this going until 2099 it's going to be a nightmare.

I read somewhere that more albums are released in one day than the entire year of 1989. Music is easier to make and release than ever, and it's easy to get lost in the deluge of year-end lists. But as reviewers, we're compelled to join the craze nonetheless!

I do make a point of only posting these in January, because even though we get access to promos ahead of time, there are always last minute releases that fall through the cracks. When people post their lists in mid-December it confuses me a bit.

Anyhow, on to what you're here for. If you want a more detailed breakdown month-to-month, be sure to check out our Top 10 AOTM column! Hope you had a safe and happy new year, and may you discover some of your all-time favorite albums in 2025.

 

RAPHAEL'S TOP 24 OF 2024

24. Apogean - Cyberstrictive
Toronto tech death that is progressive and brutal but with some earworm melodies thrown in the brutality.

23. Lord Dying - Clandestine Transcendence
It's a refreshing take on sludge in a real progressive form, with a lot of variety and is without a doubt their best album to date!

22. Undeath - More Insane
It's at times fast, at times brutal but also groovy and melodic but always technically proficient, high quality pure death metal.

21. Vitriol - Suffer & Become
A dizzying vortex of brutality and technicality with that thick and menacing atmosphere. Pure designed chaos.

20. The Black Dahlia Murder - Servitude
This record is very special, it's a testament of resiliency, the ultimate proof that humans can adapt and transform tragedy into something beautiful.

19. Necrophobic - In The Twilight Grey
Sinister and catchy melodies, pure and raw aggression, fast and precise drums, this perfectly homogeneous blend of black and death is more formidable than ever.

18. Gatecreeper - Dark Superstition
The best Swedish death metal album from Phoenix, Arizona. Clearly inspired by In Flames from the 90s, it gives an album where each song is a hit!

17. Dool - The Shape Of Fluidity
An album with multiple influences and sounds but that remains completely fluid (sorry), emotionally authentic and coherent. The album navigates between more accessible rock, heavier and more complex riffs with a dark atmosphere.

16. Ihsahn - Ihsahn
Ihsahn is a grandiose work of art! Cinematic, progressive, complex yet musical and emotional, and proudly avant-garde. The metal is in perfect symbiosis with the orchestration and if you're tired of sick riffs, you can listen to the orchestra alone on the second disk.

15. Immortal Bird - Sin Querencia
Immortal Bird are fully embracing their progressive side, with complex songwriting and musicianship with a wide array of styles and influence. For fans of dissonant style death and black with a big hardcore influence.

14. Dvne - Voidkind
Heavy, grandiose, aggressive yet melodic, with a sublime production. Everything sounds modern yet completely organic. Voidkind is an hour of music that goes by so quickly, with their progressive sludge mixed with post -metal, full of atmosphere and that gets better with each listen.

13. Chapel Of Disease - Echoes Of Light
Progressive rock with death growls? Yes please! But it's more than just prog rock, there's heavy metal, hard rock with a touch of death metal. This makes it super dynamic. Awesome discovery!

12. Borknagar - Fall
Epic is a word a bit weak to describe this album. I can say that ICS Vortex has never sounded so good! Musically, we are treated to a masterful performance, sometimes folkloric, sometimes black metal but always Viking!

11. Traveler - Prequel To Madness
Prequel to Madness is an awe-inspiring work of art, with lyrics that tell fascinating stories, masterful songwriting and a fantastic cover art. It has been on my playlist non-stop since February! For fans of REAL heavy metal.

10.5. Esodic - De Facto De Jure
The fact that this is only a 12 minutes, 4-song ep, is a crime against humanity! In the sense that it leaves me wanting SO much more and will be torture to wait for more material.

10. Alcest - Les Chants De L'Aurore
This album is all about warm atmospheres and melodies, that heals the soul, with a touch of extremity, provided by Neige's powerful, howling screams and the occasional blackened blast beats.

9. Kanonenfieber - Die Urkatastrophe
The melodies on Die Urkatastrophe will take you on a journey, through a wide range of emotions, all surrounding heartbreaking stories of war and its devastating effects. It's "accessible", blending black and death but in their more melodic forms.

8. De Mal En Pire - Sã Mo
Entirely written in French poetry, it not only sounds good when sung but the texts in themselves are beautiful. It has been such a joy to dive in the world of De Mal En Pire. A dark and gloomy world but still filled with beauty. If you like proggy post-metal and post-hardcore, you would be foolish not to give this band a listen.

7. Ulcerate - Cutting the Throat of God
Continuing where Stare Into Death And Be Still left off their signature dissonance and technicality, enveloped in mesmerizing atmospheres are still very much present, but this time, with a dash of melody, peeking out of this hypnotizing miasma of sounds.

6. Job For A Cowboy - Moon Healer
What an incredible comeback! 10 years after the excellent Sun Eater, Job for a Cowboy are back with a masterpiece of progressive death metal! Complex but musical and catchy rhythms and melodies, a bass always present in the mix, a modern production that makes the album sound immense, Moon Healer is a mature album that is peak artistic expression.

5. Oceans Of Slumber - Where Gods Fear To Speak
Striking, cinematic, grandiose, powerful, sorrowful, moving, vulnerable, emotional. There aren't enough words to describe Cammie Gilbert's voice. It's a voice you can feel, deep in your soul. This album is a remarkable work, every single song is unique, all with their own twists and turns, making the 57 min runtime a journey full of surprises and beauty.

4. Lowen - Do Not Go To War With The Demons Of Mazandaran
I can't find the words to describe the effect Nina Saeidi's voice has on me, it brings an authenticity, a soul, a character, it's so refreshing! She pays a touching tribute to her Persian ancestors, using traditional Iranian singing techniques, called tahrir. Her powerful voice is accompanied by heavy, melodic and complex riffs that sound very modern, perfectly contrasted by the divine light that is her voice. A wonderful discovery, for fans of all things “oriental” and progressive metal.

3. ANCIIENTS - Beyond the Reach of the Sun
It's rare an album leaves you speechless after your first listen. It feels like entering a special place, beyond this plane of existence, looking at vast cosmic entities. Sonically, it's like Mastodon and Opeth had a child, who is completely high. Each song stands out, while still being an inseparable part of the whole, making you want to restart the journey again and again.

2. Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere
What to say about this new Pink Incantation record, or is it, Blood Floyd? The album is essentially two songs, each divided in three segments for a total runtime of 44 minutes and let me tell you, few things can make time pass this quickly! This is a trippy voyage, inside the darkest corners of space and the human mind, questioning the very bases of what life is. Musically, the darkness is embodied by crushing death metal with touches of dissonance, that shifts quite dramatically and abruptly to straight Pink Floyd-esque psychedelic prog rock or even spacy ambient. Blood Incantation managed to combine all of their eclectic influences into a single masterful album that still, at least for me, feels coherent.

AOTY: Opeth - The Last Will and Testament
This is not Opeth going back to an older sound, I don't think Mikael is physically capable to move backwards. Musically the band never sounded so good, they continue to expand their prog rock sound but do it with that metal sensibility and heaviness that was missing. Mikael's growls are the best in all of metal and he continues to explore his clean vocals that sound better than ever! experience Incredible from start to finish.

 

BENJAMIN'S TOP 24 OF 2024

24: Winterfylleth - The Imperious Horizon 

23: Primordial - How it Ends

22: Nails - Every Bridge Burning

21: Vitriol - Suffer & Become

20: Antichrist Siege Machine - Vengeance of Eternal Fire

19: Mayhemic - Toba 

18: Julie Christmas - Ridiculous and Full of Blood

17: Concrete Winds - Concrete Winds

16: Pyrrhon - Exhaust

15: Gjendod - Livskramper

14: Cistvaen - At Light's Demise

13: Slift - Ilion

12: Spectral Wound - Songs of Blood and Mire

11: Full of Hell - Coagulated Bliss

10: Inter Arma - New Heavem

9: Black Curse - Burning in Celestial Poison

8: Hemotoxin - When Time Becomes Loss

7: Nile - The Underworld Awaits Us All

6: Ripped to Shreds - Sanshi

5: Demon Bitch - Master of the Games

4: Hamferd - Men Guds Hond Er Sterk

3: Thou - Umbilical

2: Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere

AOTY: Vemod - The Deepening

 

ADAM'S TOP 24 OF 2024

24: Vltimas - EPIC

23: Evergrey - Theories of Emptiness

22: The Vision Bleak - Weird Tales

21: Gaerea - Coma

20: Iotunn - Kinship

19: Myrath - Karma

18: Turbulence - Binary Dream

17: Necrophobic - In the Twilight Grey

16: Attic - Return of the Witch

15: Job for a Cowboy - Moon Healer

14: Vicinity- VIII

13: Darkest Hour - Perpetual Terminal

12: Judas Priest - Invinsible Shield

11: Ihsahn - Ihsahn

10: Eternal Storm - A Giant Bound to Fall

9: Aborted - Vault of Horrors

8: Hideous Divinity - Unextinct

7: Deception - Daenacteh

6: Blood Red Throne - Nonagon

5: Bruce Dickinson - The Mandrake Project

4. Bornakagar-Fall

3: Caligula's House - Charcoal Grace

2: Big Big Train - The Likes of Us

AOTY: Madder Mortem - Old Eyes, New Heart

 

MICHAEL'S TOP 24 ALBUMS OF 2024

24: Svarttjern - Draw Blood

23: Lucifer - V

22: Necrophobic - In The Twilight Grey

21: Witchtrap - Hungry As The Beast

20: Kvaen - The Formless Fire

19: Drowned - Procul His

18: The Vision Bleak - Weird Tales

17: Ungfell -De Ghörnt

16: Vorga - Beyond The Palest Star

15: Necrot - Lifeless Birth

14: Spectral Wound - Songs Of Blood And Mire

13: Chaos Invocation - Wherever We May Roam

12: Temple Of Dread - God Of The Godless

11: Mayhemic - Toba

10: Vircolac - Veneration

9: In Aphelion - Reaperdawn

8: Yoth Iria - Blazing Inferno

7: Flotsam And Jetsam - I Am The Weapon

6: Saxon - Hell, Fire And Damnation

5: Judas Priest - Invincible Shield

4: Bruce Dickinson - The Mandrake Project

3: Kerry King - From Hell I Rise

2: Hellbutcher - Hellbutcher

AOTY: Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere

 

VLADIMIR'S TOP 24 ALBUMS OF 2024

24: Amethyst - Throw Down the Gauntlet

23: Apocalypse - Pandaemonium

22: Voha - Majestic Nightsky Symphonies

21: Coldborn - The Unwritten Pages of Death

20: Nadsvest - Slovo meseca i krvi

19: Vanhelgd - Atropos Doctrina

18: Early Moods - A Sinner's Past

17: Iron Curtain - Savage Dawn

16: Hexenbrett - Dritte Beschwörung: Dem Teufel eine Tochter

15: Prognan - Sjene nad Balkanom

14: Morgul Blade - Heavy Metal Wraiths

13: Lord Goblin - Lord Goblin

12: Yoth Iria - Blazing Inferno

11: Oathbringer - Tales of Glory

10: Old Wainds - Stormheart

9: Borknagar - Fall

8: Necrowretch - Swords of Dajjal

7: Lucifer - Lucifer V

6: Vulture - Sentinels

5: Devastator - Conjurers of Cruelty

4: Hellbutcher - Hellbutcher

3: In Aphelion - Reaperdawn

2: Necrophobic - In Twilight Grey

1: Sear Bliss - Heavenly Down

 

NATE'S TOP 24 OF 2024

24: Uttertomb - Nebulas of Self-Desecration
Putrid old-school death metal vibes but feels fresh and novel. Dead Congregation fans will dig this one

23: Gatecreeper - Dark Superstition
I liked the shift to old In Flames / Edge of Sanity type melodeath, works really well with the "stadium death metal" thing they're going for

22: Exocrine - Legend
First time really diggin into this band, sounds like a mishmash of Archspire, Soreption and Beyond Creation

21: Misanthropy - The Ever-crushing Weight of Stagnance
There's like 87 riffs per song and they all bamboozle you

20: Ulcerate - Cutting the Throat of God<
Not their best album (that's a high bar to clear, tbf), but I don't hate that they're going down a more melodic path

19: Gaerea - Coma
Cathartic and powerful post-black, they just keep getting better

18: Devenial Verdict - Blessing of Despair
Nightmarish yet catchy dissodeath

17: Theurgy - Emanations of Unconscious Luminescence
All-star lineup and riffs for days. beat Malignancy at their own game (their new album just missed the cut)

16: Pillar of Light - Caldera
Like The Ocean's last gasp before they succumb to the elements. poignant and resonant

15: Bedsore - Dreaming the Strife for Love
Death metal meets 70s prog and the results are delicious. Blood Incantation who?

14: Engulfed - Unearthly Litanies of Despair
Mustafa is a RIFF KING, this is not up for debate

13: The Flight Of Sleipnir - Nature's Cadence
The "we have Agalloch at home" band does not miss. your soundtrack for dancing naked in the woods

12: Defeated Sanity - Chronicles of Lunacy
Lille Gruber is, and continues to be, the best drummer in extreme metal right now

11: Gigan - Anomalous Absractigate Infinitessimus
Like Hate Eternal in space. Seriously underrated band

10: Hemotoxin - When Time Becomes Loss
If an album with thrash elements is this high on my list, you know it's good

9: Vile Rites - Senescence
First full-length and they've already found their voice and know how to keep you coming back. proggy but still riffs hard

8: Hulder - Verses in Oath
Impeccable second wave vibes and earworm riffs

7: Job For A Cowboy - Moon Healer
The album that Sun Eater should have been, although at the same time this made me appreciate it more. Their best album yet, sounds like they're finally making the music they always wanted to

6: Vitriol - Suffer & Become
Batshit crazy. In a time where it feels like extreme music has gone as far as it can go, it's inspiring to find bands that can still push the envelope

5: Givre - Le Cloitre
Catholic DSBM? It would be silly if it didn't work so well.

4: Skagos - Chariot Sun Blazing
Cascadian black metal band spontaneously emerges after 12 years and drops an AOTY contender with no promo whatsoever. Unreal

3: Wounds - Ruin
Gets stuck in my head when I think about it. shit. now i gotta listen to this again

2: Obsidian Tongue - The Stone Heart
Makes you feel the presence of something greater than yourself

1: Adversarial - Solitude With the Eternal
Their riff style has always given them unlimited potential, and now they're finally hitting it. A career-defining album for an inimitable band.

Entered: 1/10/2025 4:02:15 PM

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