Top 12 of 2024, the hateful twelve!

Here is my top 12 albums and other dirty notes from the last year in alphabetical order!

Departure Chandelier - Satan Soldier Of Fortune CD (Zero Dimensional Records)
What a great idea was when Akitsa & Ash Pool masterminds formed a band DC with French history, war themes! Both bands are my all time favorites and their debut album in 2019 is a modern classic, after 5 years we can say this easily! "Antichrist Rise To Power" with that very nice cover art and interesting lyrical themes put the band on the metal map. Last year in Osaka they made their first live performance. "Satan Soldier of Fortune" continues in the same vein as the debut, with the band laying down raw sounding black metal riffs that still come across as remarkably melodic despite this rawness. The riffs are overlaid with ancient sounding synths, which are well-used as they don't swamp the riffing, despite being given equal standing to the guitar work. Napoleonic Black Metal, raw and melodic. French history and the influence to the European history, in the years immediately following the French revolution is a very interesting era, the border line between the traditional era and the modern new world order! The intro & outro amazing, my favorite song and one of the best DC song is "Hard as a Coffin Nail".  

Furze - Caw Entrance LP (Devoted Art Propaganda/PolyTriad Fingerprints)
Furze came from Trondheim, Norway and playing Black Metal since 1996, but not true BM just experimental, avant-garde type of BM. In 2024 Woe J. Reaper released 2 albums, but not in the same time like the Transylvanian Siculicidium. The another Furze album "Cosmic Stimulation of Dark Fantasies" I didn't listen, so I can't make a comparison with “Caw Entrance”. If you like the first traditional black metal era of Furze (Trident Autocrat, Necromanzee Cogent) or the mid era with doom metal influences (Reaper Subconscious Guide) probably you will not like this album, but if you prefer something original, unique & strange type of black metal music you will be a great fan of “Caw Entrance”! My main observation is that you put the record on the player and you'll know right away that it's Furze. The underground sound and how Reaper's playing the riffs is totally Furze and instantly recognizable. The absolute highlight of the album is the almost 11 minutes playing time track "Post Mortem Trippin'" (what a song title!).

Haunt - Dreamers CD (Church Recordings/Iron Grip Records)
I really like US Heavy Metal, the new wave too! The band came from Fresno, California, 10 albums in few years sounds a bit more, but the band leader and main song writer Trevor William Church (son of Bill Church of Montrose, Van Morrison & Sammy Hager) is a very talented and creative musician. Trevor also playing in Beastmaker a real heavy doom metal band too! So back to the Haunt, I saw the band in Italy, Trezzo last year at Metalitalia, from that concert I'm their die hard fanatic, they bought me, they fed me from their palms. If you do not see this band on stage, you need to see, that kind of easy playing style and tightness but also looseness is absolutely amazing! Dreamers is not their best album, we have here some real heavy hits, but we have some boring songs as well, the “Golden Arm” from 2023 is better, but still!  

Holdlajtorja - Arcana Et Tenebrae CD (Sun & Moon Records)
The best debut album of 2024, a strange and very unique mix of atmospheric black metal, avant-garde metal, doom even progressive rock? The vocals and the sound of the whole album just fly me back to an ancient era of early metal music. Not an easy listening, and you need to listen the whole album to get into in. Beautiful and bizarre, abstact & naive like a Csontváry Kosztka Tivadar painting! In a special mood, this album is a perfect soundtrack!

Flamekeeper - Flamekeeper CD (Invictus Production)
Heroic heavy metal originally from Italy, now relocated in Sweden. Marco Salluzzo's solo band from the now defunct Demonomancy. A real muscle metal, much better than late Manowar, Marco's voice very interesting, it's recognizable, but it could be better & stronger. I really enjoyed their live performance at Old Grave Fest in Bucharest last October. Lots of great Heavy Metal hits like “The Golden Spark”, “Raise The Banner”, or “Us And Them”, you can sing all those songs together with Marco. The album is only half an hour long, so no bullshit just epic, heroic Heavy Metal with the best traditions!  

Inquisition - Veneration Of Medieval Mysticism And Cosmological Violence CD (Agonia Records)
After 4 years from the amazing "Black Mass for a Mass Grave" album here is a new Inquisition album. The same formula, but a bit different, more organic and raw. Ice cold riffs but still melodic with Dagon's great vocal performance again with great, melodic guitar solos. Lots of keyboards on the new songs which gave a very special nostalgic mood. The drums are another highlight of this album, not too complex, but every bit is on the right place, and Incubus drums sounds like real drums! Without a doubt, one of the most notable black metal releases of 2024, atmospheric, real traditional black metal with real song writing skills, enjoyed every minute! “Infinity Is the Aeon of Satan” is one of the best and powerful Inquisition's song ever.  

Mütiilation - Black Metal Cult CD/LP (Osmose Productions)
A bit surprised the non-existent Black Metal scene with this come back, but we know after the last Mütiilation album (Sorrow Galaxies 2007), Meyhnach was active with his solo releases, the first album "Non Omnis Moriar" was a very sick, depressed release with lots of Mütiilation vibes (what else?). In 2015 Mütiilation played at Hellfest so, so the band was an undead status, in the end of 2018 came out “The Lost Tapes” rehearsal release. And now we have this killer new album with this stupid title and very lame cover art, but the music is great again. If you wait for a Vampires or Remains style LLN release, this album is not for you. For this album Meyhnach recruited a real drummer (Camille Lecup), so if you are a great fan of “Rattenkönig”, “Majestas Leprosus” style of drum programmed Mütiilation this album will be a disappointment. BMC is a very dynamic BM release with lots of great songs, riffs, the typical Mütiilation guitar style and sound is on, Meyhanch vocals are killer as fuck and this very punkish, dynamic drumming style pushing Mütiilation to a new level just listen "Into the Cursed Necropolis". 6 new songs on the 7th album, "The Fall of Islam" is one of the best from this new album! More than 30 years after its infamous creation, the black heart of Mütiilation is still pumping its poison.

Sabbat - Sabbaticult CD/LP (Iron Pegasus Records)
Japanese Black Metal legends Sabbat return to celebrate their 40th anniversary with this brand new and final full length studio album! One of the most unique and interesting blacking metal band ever without doubt, Sabbat never made a weak album, all of their discography are great, of course from this huge discography we have some real masterpieces like my personal all-time favorite concept album "The Dwelling", or the absolute classic “Evoke” album, or their carrier total highlights “Karisma” & “Karmagmassacre”. The album presents all the trademarks that Sabbat stood for during their four decades of existence, evil tempos, real metal guitar solos and perfect old school attitude! This version is with English lyrics, NWN! released the Japanese version. I just feel a sense of loss, if this is the last album, I would have been very happy if Temis Osmond had been on it in some form.

Siculicidium - Az elidegenedés melankóliája CD/LP (Sun & Moon Records)
2 different albums in a same time to release in 2024, it's a real unique, brave and strange thing. Not a double album, or part 1 & part 2, album nr4 and album nr5. "Az elidegenedés melankóliája" (The melancholy of alienation) is the H418ov21.C album of Siculicidium, some people say the Siculicidium's Recipe Ferrum...Not an easy listening, but Siculicidium never easy entertainment... Dark-folk, country, experimental, electronics, blues even black-doom in some parts, but the true spirit of Siculicidium is on. One of the best and original release of this Transylvanian band! We will still be talking about this album years from now I’m sure about this!

The Cure - Songs Of A Lost World CD (Polydor/Fiction Records)
After the "Wish" album from 1992 I don't listen any new The Cure albums...Last November I have seen the concert online streamed where the band played the whole new album entirely. After I listened few times this new album and I really like it, sad, deep and dark! I need to listen the rest of the albums between the “Wish” and this new one!

The Obsessed - Gilded Sorrow CD (Ripple Music)
The first 3 The Obsessed albums are doom metal masterpieces! Wino is the doom metal living legend, doom metal is Wino and Wino is doom metal doesn't matter if he playing/singing in Saint Vitus, Place of Skulls, Shrinebuilder, Spirit Caravan, The Hidden Hand, etc. His original band The Obsessed was kept in undead status until 2015/2016, when Wino reactivated with Spirit Caravan members, the comeback album from 2017 “Sacred” just wasn't in my radar (I need to re-listen) and here is the new album. The first 2 tracks just OK songs, but after came the Realize a Dream with a DOOM riff which is absolute Wino's trademark, like Tombstone Highway on the first album! Stoned Back to the Bomb Age another fantastic song, the main riff is absolute stellar, what a wall of sound! I need to see this band on stage! Long live Mr. Wino!

Nestor - Teenage Rebel CD (Napalm Records)
First I thought not as good as the debut album was from 2021, but after more than a half year constant listening I consider an amazing album with full of great songs, real hits! The intro and the album's artwork is super and the whole album fly me back to my childhood, when we have had a great long summer vacations with endless football games, long walks and tape trading. The title track is all about that era, carelessness and youth.
"I've always been a dreamer a believer
I'll set the world on fire, I don't care if I go down alone in burning flames
Like a teenage rebel"
80's early 90's real rock-metal hits, amazing choruses, melodic hits, guitar solos, but the whole sound, album is real hard rock, and natural! Tobias Gustafsson is an AOR/hard rock genius, his songwriter style and amazing voice is so fantastic. Absolute favorite track is “Victorious”.
"I know one day, we will be victorious
And I know one day, we'll make it to the top
So have a little faith and don't stop believing in us
We've come too far to give it up".

best EP:
Peste Noire - Dieppe - Livre II CD (La Mesnie Herlequin)
From the Livre I, Antîoche is one of the best PN song ever and it's almost 19 minutes! I don't care about the PN ideology, and those 2 books, here is the second part, again with a book full with French lyrics, I don't know French and I'm not interested in Famine's poetry & literature but the music on this second part is again high class, stellar! 2 songs 30 minutes of playing time, so, so, this 2 Eps could be a nice full length album. If you like PN, this Ep and the first part is for you, the same formula just a bit more pro on sound, on songwriting and on everything, I think it's time for a new album!

best re-issues:
Necromantia / Varathron - The Black Arts / The Everlasting Sins LP (Hell's Fire Records)

best live:
Beherit in Prague, the concert of my life.

best music related book:
Into the void by Geezer Butler

best compilation:
Edelweiss - E jelben győzni fogsz DLP

best record label:
Norma Evangelium Diaboli

by Mirgilus, 2025 February