It's that time of year again: people reflecting on the last 12 months; companies pushing their fifth sale of the month; turkey being considered an acceptable choice for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's that weird limbo period between Christmas and New Years where nobody really knows what to do with themselves. As such, I'm in a contemplative mood myself, thinking about the year and the top quality music that has been released.
I haven't listened to a lot of new music this year, I will be honest - looking through lists posted on sites like Metal Hammer and Loudwire has made me realise the sheer amount I've either ignored or been oblivious to - but I've still consumed a plentiful amount of good quality tuneage.
And so, in rough release order, here are 4 of my favourite albums of 2024.
"The Mandrake Project", Bruce Dickinson // March 2024
It's a Bruce Dickinson solo album. 'Nuff said. It's an occasion I was never really expecting to experience. Dickinson's last solo album before that, 'Tyranny of Souls' released when I was just about able to stand up (i.e. 2005 - I would've been 2), so to be listening to new Bruce Dickinson music almost 20 years later is fantastic. Nostalgia plays a big factor here, but so does the idea of Bruce Dickinson playing the bongos.
"Volume 1", Tellers Scribe // March 2024
"Dickensian gothic metal." What's not to love? Fresh out of the Hertfordshire metal scene, 2024 has seen the Scribe Tribe (?) release their debut album and play their first shows, taking these old and often twisted tales and blending them with melodic metal riffage. Whatever shape their follow-up will be, it's already one of my most hotly anticipated local releases.
"Rite Here Rite Now: The Motion Picture Soundtrack", Ghost // July 2024
Does this count? Yeah this counts. "Rite Here Rite Now" is probably one of my favourite things to come out of 2024, and so the soundtrack being on this list should be no surprise. The production and sound quality is excellent, adding a live slant to tracks like Kaisarion and Rats ("Rrrrrrats!"), and new track The Future Is A Foreign Land is absolutely perfect, almost enough for me to forgive the glaring omissions on the soundtrack album. Year Zero is perfect in the film - there better be a good reason for its exclusion off the soundtrack Mr Forge.
"From Zero", Linkin Park // November 2024
Prior to the hype around this album, I would have considered myself, at most, to be a casual fan. However, The Emptiness Machine sparked something in me. I quickly fell in love with the track, and whilst the album has gone on to be a bit divisive in the fandom, the only fault I have with it is it's too short. It might not be on the level of "Hybrid Theory" or "Meteora" for some people, but nothing ever would. "From Zero" is a solid album, and if this is what brings Linkin Park to a new generation, it's a great way of doing so.
Whilst I'm not one for New Year's Resolutions, I am one for broadening my listening habits and music catalogues. I look forward to seeing the high calibre of music released in 2025.
What are some of your favourite albums of 2024?
Got an album or a single releasing next year? Let me know!
Kommentare