Another year has passed us by and as always we've had some killer tunes, from various subgenres and styles of heavy music, to get us through it. This year gave a wide variety of classic bands (including some comebacks), as well as some younger ones and up and comers. As always, this list took a long time to take its final shape, though number one stayed at that top spot from the moment it came out. That being said I kept pushing this back from posting cuz I kept redoing the order, as I listened to albums more and more. Anyways, let's get to it already!
Honorable Mentions: Opeth- The Last Will and Testament Undeath- More Insane Boundaries- Death Is Little More New Years Day- Half Dark Heart Witch Vomit- Funeral Sanctum
20. Gatecreeper- Dark Superstition- Embracing a more melodic sound, Gatecreeper have achieved yet another winner of an album. Dark, heavy, and, at times quite catchy, this is one I listened to a lot. Especially the track "The Black Curtain", which was one of the best singles in extreme metal last year.
19. Amaranthe- The Catalyst- The reigning kings of symphonic metal return with another beautifully crafted, fun, and catchy work. Great to listen and sign along to it does everything you want a recording like this to do. This one features some of the most enjoyable and beautifully crafted songs of the year.
18. The Black Dahlia Murder- Servitude- After the loss of their front-man Trevor Strnad, I think didn't my all time favorite melodeath band would ever return. So imagine my pleasant surprise when not only did they do just that, but did it so successfully! Servitude is a great comeback, that sounds heavy, dark, and powerful. All the touches that make TBDM so awesome are here, with Brian Eschbach doing an amazing job taking over vocal duties. He gives you that feeling that Strnad did without sounding like a carbon copy or wanna-be, still managing to be his own man. As a matter of fact, every single time I put this one on, I am reminded of just fucking solid a record it is!
17. Necrot- Lifeless Birth- We've been champing death metallers Necrot since the beginning. here at Words from the Master. So. it kinda sucks that they are still so underrated. Especially when you hear how consistently good their output is. Case, in point, this overpoweringly heavy slab of death and gore. From the opening track to the end this one is filled with chainsaw guitars, pounding drums, unearthly growls, and a wonderfully evil feel and atmosphere to the sonic proceedings.
16. Aborted- Vault of Horrors- One of my favorite death metal acts, Aborted never fail to put out a killer release. And, even when I can say that I prefer the last couple ahead of this one, it's still light years ahead of much of the competition. Filled with guest stars galore (Shadow of Intent, Despised Icon, etc), this one revels in the all assault, groove, brutality, and love of gore and horror, that an Aborted album should.
15. Marilyn Manson- One Assassination Under God, Chapter 1- I honestly wasn't sure if Manson would ever return after all the controversary (which I am gonna avoid mentioning here). So, the fact he not only came back but came back with the best album since his classic heyday is one fuck of an achievement. This is honestly the first recording of his in ages where I can enjoy every single track, without skipping. Dark, haunting, evil, and catchy, with its mix if industrial and hook laden gothic metal, this is everything you want in a Manson album!
14. Nails- Every Bridge Burned- Powerviolence/ hardcore band Nails are back motherfucker! And, their return is filled with the most uncompromisingly heavy and brutal music imaginable. This sonic slab of piss and vinegar is one of the angriest fuckers committed to the soundscape of last year. It's mix of grindcore and hardcore punk infused metal shines on songs like incredible "Lacking the Ability to Process Empathy" which hit like a steel tipped kick to the fucking balls. In fact, this album is like 17 min plus ass kicking of the most brutal and vicious quality.
13. Fit For An Autopsy- The Nothing That Is- Fit For An Autopsy continue to prove that they are, with a shadow of a doubt. one of the absolute masters of deathcore. Featuring a heavy, crushing, melodic, and technically sound style, this is one adrenaline charged motherfucker. From the moment the opening track, "Hostage", starts this one will make you want to trash everything in fucking sight. A sure fire way to fuel the mosh pit this is hands down the best deathcore release of last year.
12. Knocked Loose- You Won't Go Before You're Supposed to- This feels like it was the year for groin kicking core music. And, perhaps none hit harder and more pissed off than this barnburner from Knocked Loose. They also had THE biggest and best moment for uncompromisingly heavy music of last year, when they performed their single "Suffocate", featuring the always awesome Poppy, on TheJimmy Kimmel Show. It was an awesome and absolutely ass kicking presentation that combined with the fact that it scared a bunch of housewives, grandmas, and whimps all the more better and legendary!
11. Nile- The Underworld Awaits for Us All- I have admit ably liked everything I have ever heard from Nile. But, I don't think I have really loved anything since Ithyphallic. That is until this fucking bone crushing release. Heavy and brutal, this audio assault is their best since then. Honestly, it really ranks among their best work, period. The single "Chapter for Not Being Hung Upside Down on a Stake in the Underworld and Made to Eat Feces by the Four Apes" gets my vote for not just the best (and certainly longest!) title in death metal (fuck that all of metal) last year but also as one of the best tracks in the extreme metal in 2024!
10. Fulci- Duck Face Killings- If you know me or follow me/ this website religiously you'll know of my love for both death metal and horror master Lucio Fulci. So, it comes as no surprise to anyone that I would love this Italian death metal band, who are inspired by the Italian master of hardcore splatter and horror. I actually only really got into them this year. But, fuck what an album to be introduced to them with! This fun, violent, and heavy as fuck recording is inspired by Fulci's gruesome. controversial, and sleazy giallo/ slasher The New York Ripper. Said flick tells the heartwarming tale of a crazed psycho who slices up women with a straight razor, razor blades, broken bottles and more, all while quacking like a duck! This fucker is every bit as wild and extreme as that flick, and the result is my favorite straight up death metal album of last year.
9. Escuela Grind- Dreams on Algorithms- The latest from Escuela Grind might just be their best. It's crushingly heavy, brutal, and yet, somehow, has some great hooks and grooves that makes kinda catchy. I say kinda cuz this is still an all out assault of driving and angry grindcore and hardcore. It also has what is my most listened to extreme metal song of 2024, in the fucking awesome "Turbulence". With vocalist, Katerina Economou, mixing clean vocals (for what is the first time ever in the band, I think) with her usual deep and menacing growls, really summing up that killer and unlikely mix of catchy and brutal that I mentioned before! Oh and, that guitar tone on it absolutely fucking kills!!
8. Poppy- Negative Spaces- Poppy continues to go further down the metal music hole, and the world is better for it! While there are still songs that fall under the electric pop sound of hers, there is a lot of metal here. Showing industrial, metalcore, and even some deathcore (she even does a blegh in the kick ass "They're All Around Us"!), gives it extra fucking kick to the teeth. She is a great signer, and her screams and growls continue to get more fucking awesome! The overall result is that the music is driving, fun, groove filled, melodic, and gets the blood going. In fact, between this album and her collabs with Knocked Loose and Bad Omens, Poppy was one of the most exciting and most attention worthy stars in all of metal from last year.
7. Body Count- Merciless- Body Count continues their continuous string of absolute fire albums. Merciless keeps that trend going with the added bonus that Ice T sounds pissed off as fuck! This makes for an album whose title fits it like a leather glove! Violent, badass, and a total ass kicking, adrenalized experience, I couldn't stop listening to it after it came out. There is even a fucking thunder and razor fast team-up with Corpsegrinder from Cannibal Corpse, in The Purge, which is inspired by the action horror movies of the same name.
6. Linkin Park- From Zero- The return of Linkin Park was one of the most unexpected and heavily discussed occurrences in hard music this past year. And, while there was a good amount controversy surrounding their new signer Emily Armstrong, who had a monumental task ahead of her replacing the late, great Chester Bennington. But, in spite of it all, they did some shows (with a full tour to come this year) and put out this spectacular comeback album. It mixes elements from many of the band's eras, while leaning heavily on the more metallic sound of the beloved first two records. Some of my absolute fav tracks of the year like "Heavy Is the Crown" and "Two Faced" are included here. And, despite my initial questioning and complaining, I can say that this is on the level of those classic two records. And, let's not bullshit, Emily is a great singer with some nice melodic voice and great screams. Destined to be seen as one of the greatest comeback records ever (cuz it is!), it has definitely returned Linkin Park to their place as one of the biggest bands ever in metal and hard rock.
5. The Warning- Keep Me Fed- The Warning, one of my favorite acts to come down the pike in the last few years, put out their best record yet with Keep Me Fed. The album rocks hard and some amazing hooks. It's filled from top to bottom with great songs that are fun and catchy as hell. Tracks like "Six Feet Deep", "Que Mas Quieres", "MORE", and lots others will ear worm into your head. And, I fucking challenge you to not sign along to just about every freaking song in here! On a side note, I was suppose to see them for a second time last year (my first being two years ago) in Brooklyn, but I got sick. Cuz life loves to kick me in the balls.
4. Lucifer- Lucifer V- I have been a HUGE fan of this band since the beginning. And, it always boggles my mind just how under the radar they remain. Even though every album they put out is a fucking banger. This fifth one is no different. It's catchy, haunting, and filled with great hooks, melodies, and atmosphere. As soon as, I put this one on, I always get totally sucked in. And, with tracks like "At the Mortuary" and "Riding Reaper" how can I not be?
3. Job For A Cowboy- Moon Healer- Look another awesome return, this being the one I anticipated the most! Job For A Cowboy continue their progressive death metal sound that they started on their incredible last release Sun Eater way back in 2014! And, they actually manage to top that master work with this one, which is in my very humble opinion, the best extreme metal release of last year.
2. Chelsea Wolfe- She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She- The runner-up position goes to the latest from the amazing Chelsea Wolfe who continues to be one of the most exciting artists in all of of music. Haunting, dark, and beautiful tunes highlight this release that is yet another complex mix of influences and styles. Dripping in atmosphere and emotion, this is an album that sucks you in from the very second that it starts.
1. Judas Priest- Invincible Shield- And, the top spot goes to the latest from one of the godfathers of metal: Judas fucking Priest! I don't know ow they do it, but at over fifty years of making metal music, they still put out great albums. Not just great, but best of the year great, as is the case here! The songs are catchy, fun, and hard. They get you headbanging and signing along. Soaring riffs, driving drums, and Rob Halford still belting out like no one's goddamn business! Priest top both their contemporaries and the modern flock of metal bands. This is classic Priest at their best! Put it this way. Invincible Shield was my favorite album from the moment I first heard it. And, while many albums moved up and down this list, it always remained at the top spot of my list, with not even an inch of a doubt in my mind.
And, those are my picks for my list. What were your favorite metal and hard rock albums of last year? Let me know in the comments section below.
San Diego, California deathgrind outfit CATTLE DECAPITATION will support Dark Funeral on the tenth annual Decibel Magazine Tour! The journey will commence on May 11th in Santa Ana, California and run through June 10th in Los Angeles, California. Additional support will be provided by 200 Stab Wounds and Blackbraid.
Comments CATTLE DECAPITATION vocalist Travis Ryan, “Excited to be hitting the USA again and playing more than just one new song this time! Dark Funeral are great guys and we look forward to jamming alongside them and Metal Blade Records told us many good things about labelmates 200 Stab Wounds so it will be good to finally meet and see them! What Blackbraid is doing is super sick and we do love our black metal so all in all it's looking to be quite an awesome run!”
Tickets go on sale this Friday, February 3rd at 10:00am local time. See all confirmed dates below.
CATTLE DECAPITATION w/ Dark Funeral, 200 Stab Wounds, Blackbraid:
5/11/2023 The Observatory - Santa Ana, CA
5/12/2023 The Nile Theater - Mesa, AZ
5/13/2023 El Rey - Albuquerque, NM
5/15/2023 Granada Theater - Dallas, TX
5/16/2023 Empire Control Room - Austin, TX
5/17/2023 The Warehouse - Houston, TX
5/19/2023 The Orpheum - Tampa, FL
5/20/2023 Variety Playhouse - Atlanta, GA
5/21/2023 The Underground - Charlotte, NC
5/23/2023 Baltimore Soundstage - Baltimore, MD
5/24/2023 Irving Plaza - New York, NY * No Blackbraid
5/26/2023 Club Soda - Montreal, QC
5/27/2023 Phoenix Concert Theatre - Toronto, ON
5/28/2023 Crofoot Ballroom - Pontiac, MI
5/30/2023 The Metro - Chicago, IL
5/31/2023 First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN
6/02/2023 The Summit - Denver, CO
6/03/2023 The Complex - Salt Lake City, UT
6/05/2023 El Corazon - Seattle, WA
6/06/2023 The Vogue Theater - Vancouver, BC
6/07/2023 The Roseland Ballroom - Portland, OR
6/09/2023 The Regency Ballroom - San Francisco, CA
6/10/2023 Regent Theater - Los Angeles, CA
The Decibel Magazine Tour begins on the eve of the official release of CATTLE DECAPITATION’s tenth studio album, Terrasite. The band’s follow-up to 2019’s critically adored Death Atlas full-length was again produced by Dave Otero (Allegaeon, Khemmis, Archspire) with startling new artwork by longtime collaborator Wes Benscoter (Vader, Kreator, Bloodbath, Hypocrisy) and will see release on May 12th via Metal Blade Records. Stand by for additional album details to be unveiled in the coming weeks.
Musician: Unborn Suffer Album Title: Commit(ment To) Suicide Genre/ Subgenre: Death Metal/ Grindcore Label: Selfmadegod Records Release Date: June 26, 2020
Unborn Suffer are one of the heaviest and most brutal bands out there. And, on their sixth full length release, Commit(Ment T) Suicide there is not a single hint of them slowing their shit down. In fact, this is one of the most savage releases of 2020, a true fucking face ripper.
Their death/ grind sound is on full display in this album. It packs a walloping 27 songs in a mere 36 minutes! The music is intense and head crushing, as their playing combines with a battery of blast-beats and low end growls, screaming, and pig squeals. Songs range in length between 8 seconds and 2.16 minutes. Meanwhile, the production is dirty and helps to make the music sound as chaotic and unrelenting as possible,
"Cardboard Box" is blast-beat filled attack with pig squeals and enough viciousness to leave you battered and bloodied. "Solutions" opens up with a sample saying that there is "too many people on this Earth. We need a new plague", which is strangely chilling in our current world. The song, itself, has this really cool groove and striking drum sound that makes it both catchy and uncompromisingly ferocious, at the same time. The unbelievably barbaric "Point Zero" is a nasty and violently angry track that is probably my favorite. It's hammering blast-beats, slicing guitar riff, razor fast speed, and merciless breakdown leaves everything in its path in complete and utter destruction.
Unborn Suffer's Commit(Ment To) Suicide is committed to true brutality. It is one of the heaviest and most unstoppable releases of the year. Fans who love grindcore and their extreme metal as extreme as fucking possible take heed to this one!
American grindcore legends Terrorizer are back with their latest work, Caustic Attack, their first in six years. The resulting album is a blistering and breakneck paced killer. It has a full frontal attack that is the musical equivalent to pure and total Armageddon.
Mixing a dark and menacing feel with unrelenting blast beats, "Invasion" is a searing bombardment of pummeling power. "Devastate" sounds and feels like a fighter jet coming in shooting and bombing the shit out of everything in site. The changing between blast-beats and a pummeling sound does what it's title says. "Crisis" has this cool Slayer-like beginning that is both catchy and heavy as fuck. Then the machine gun like blast-beats come in with the growling vocals and simply explodes with brutality! "The Downtrodden" has a slow and brutal intro and wastes no time into beating the shit out of you. "Terror Cycles" truly highlights extreme metal drumming legend Pete Sandoval (who since leaving Morbid Angel has decided to dedicate his time entirely to Terrorizer) incredible drumming with insanely fast and unrelenting blast-beats. By the time closing track "Wasteland" comes on, you will swear that an atom bomb has come down and its nuclear winds are destroying everything in site.
The album and the band have amazing musicianship throughout. Beyond Sandoval's incredible drumming, there are the searing guitar riffs from Lee Harrison and a pummeling bass and menacing growls from bassist/ vocalist Sam Molina.
The production from Jason (All That Remains, Deicide, Kataklysm, etc) Suecof is heavy, thick, and clear. The bass and drums sound full, while the riffing and vocals sound perfectly and clearly mixed in. The apocalyptic artwork by Timbul (Rotting Christ, Pyrexia) Cahyono is not only perfectly fitting to the album's theme and feel but is also cool as fucking hell.
Caustic Attack is as great a grindcore release as you are likely to hear this year. It is a truly devastating attack, with unrelenting ferocity. Feeling like absolute nuclear destruction, this one of fucking hell of an extreme metal release!
Musician: Unborn Suffer Album Title: Nihilist Genre/ Subgenre: Brutal Death Metal/Grindcore Label: Selfmadegod Records
Polish band Unborn Suffer are back with their fifth album, entilted Nihilist. It's certainly a fitting title for this pummeling release. This is without a shadow of a doubt the most savage releases, that I have heard thus far this year.
There are seventeen tracks in total. Most of the songs are very short in nature. The shortest one is "Post Aburtom pt 3" at 8 seconds, while the longest, "Life Is a Lie" clocks in at just 3:06 minutes. As such the songs come fast and furious, and the album never lets up.
Musically it is as if your being bludgeoned to death by Flash nemesis the Reverse Flash. There are blastbeats galore and guitars that go between lightning fast and crunching viciousness. They accompany vocals (from signer/ bass Piotr "Bexdreadrock" Wisniewsk) thatrange from inhuman screaming to low guttural growling.While there isn't a throwaway track to be found here, some really standout. Songs like the aforementioned "Life Is a Lie", "Extorted Humanity", the vicious "Destroy What Destroy Us" and the piss and venom filled "Self Purification" are true experiences in uncompromising brutality. Yet, the band isn't above having a sense of humor, as evident by the track "Grind Until I Die" with it's fun title and the ending where Wisniewsk coughs from signing in the way that he does. Nihilist puts the brutal in brutal death metal. It's grindcore at it's fastest and most face bashing. If your looking one of the heaviest and most barbaric new albums out there, then look no further than this one. Oh and extra points for the cool, old-school style, death metal cover artwork!***1/2 out of *****
We are now in the top 50 album covers! And, here we go:
50. Anthrax-We've Come for You All- The ninth studio album, and last one with John Bush, by one of thrash metal's Big Four has comic book artist Alex Ross art with the band surrounded by arms with the Anthrax pentagram behind them.
49. Morbid Angel- Altars of Madness- The debut album by these Floridan death metal masters has a very cool cover of "a flat disk made of a fossil material, that has captured souls" by Dan Seagrave.
48. Bleeding Through- The Truth- The fourth album by this American metalcore band is probably their best and most popular. It also has their best cover art. It's a photographic cover of a ripped out jaw. Bloody and in black and white, this is a striking and awesome image!
47. Def Leppard- Pyromania- The third album by this British hard rock act is my personal favorite of theirs. It also has their best, and most controversial, cover: that of a bullseye on a building top set ablaze. It was enough to have some stores refuse to carry it, and music censorship loving Tipper Gore flash it during the PMRC trials.
46. Danzig- III: How the Gods Kill- The third and highest charting album by Danzig has a magnificent cover taken from H.R. Giger's Meister und Margeritha (The Master and Margarita). Giger modified it, so that the erect penis in the painting became a dagger with the Danzig skull, which in turn was used on the cover to the single, "Dirty, Black Summer".
45. Cattle Decapitation- Monolith of Inhumanity- The sixth, and so far best album, from these American deathgrinders has a Simian humanoid ripping out the flesh from his face on the cover. He is surrounded by bones and garbage and in the background, a monolith and other simians. It's gory and cool and recalls a nightmarish take on Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey.
44. Entombed- Clandestine- The second album by this Swedish death metal act features a beautifully unusual cover of some other worldly place.
43. Motorhead- Rock 'n' Roll- The eighth album by these British metal masters, had a very different and intricate idea by it's artist Joe Petagano for it's cover. But, the band went with this cool take on Snaggletooth, instead. It looks awesome, so that's all that matters. right?
42. Dio- Holy Diver- The classic debut album by Dio has one of metal's most iconic covers: in it, their mascot Murray has a broken chain and there is a priest chained up with his head sticking out of the water. Dio has said don't "judge a book by it's cover" on the meaning of this amazing piece of art.
41. Death- Leprosy- The second album by Death is an out right classic of the subgenre. As is its' awesome cover of a cloaked man suffering from leprosy.
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