OpEd
Diamond’s Mine: The Best Albums, Live Acts And Newcomers Of 2024
Band Photo: Judas Priest (?)
2024 is finally pinched off from our collective sphincters and as is becoming a far too familiar gripe by now, the state of the world is akin to a two day old Big Mac; neglected, unappealing and probably infested by vermin. However, we once again have been able to rely on the music we love to get us through this dumpster fire of an existence and were given some treats too, not just in the form of incredible albums but also the Acid Bath reunion we all thought would never happen, as well as the equally surprising comebacks of Nevermore and Nailbomb, not to mention The Sword and Slayer. Of course, we also said goodbye to such bands as UFO, Misery Signals and Twelve Foot Ninja and sadly dealt with the passings of former Iron Maiden frontman Paul Di’anno, ex Great White singer Jack Russell and Blake Harrison of Pig Destroyer and Hatebeak, to name only three dearly missed comrades. Time and metal marches ever on though and as always, we begin this recap by welcoming some new names into the fold.
Best Newcomer
Though it’s becoming ever more difficult for new bands to make a name for themselves, there were quite a few who were able to put themselves on the map this year. One early example would be Hellman, from the Chilean capital city, Santiago, who unleashed their debut full length, “Born, Suffering, Death” at the beginning of the year, a very good example of death n’ roll, recommended for those of who miss Entombed. There were quite a few bands who released their first albums this year but for me, there was one clear winner…
Alterium
Two things have been on my mind a lot this year; 90s PC games and power metal. While I haven’t been able to get my hands on any copies of Dark Seed or Phantasmagoria over the past twelve months, I have been treated to a lot of power metal, Alterium’s debut, “Of War And Flames” stands tall as one of my favourites in the genre this year. Fronted by the superb Nicoletta Rosellini, the Italian outfit took the excitement and majesty of the sub-genre and crafted a real treat that really rocked hard. Songs like “Drag Me To Hell” and “Siren’s Song” really stood out on this excellent first taste of Alterium and I can’t wait to finally hear them in person. Great stuff.
Best Live Band
Having been lucky enough to attend no less than three festivals this year, I’ve got plenty to choose from when it comes to my pick for best live band. In fact, I can choose from 151 bands so competition is fierce. Anyone who’s seen Suicidal Tendencies, Napalm Death or Municipal Waste will know that they all belong in the conversation and sure enough, each of them tore through the stages I saw them on this year, no matter how big or small. Sepultura and Obituary were also fantastic in London (as well as Bristol in Obituary’s case,) and while we’re on the subject of veterans, Judas Priest continued to amaze on their headlining tour, which also featured exciting sets from Saxon along the way.
The younger bands also gave a great account of themselves, particularly Crypta, who finally made it to the UK this year and thrilled fans by performing their sophomore album, “Shades Of Sorrow” in full (albeit out of order.) Elsewhere, Greek nu metal band Project Renegade were one of the undisputed highlights at Swindon’s Depravation Festival, where punk icons Discharge also put on a typically storming show. Ultimately though, three of the best performances took place at The Underworld in London, which saw Mantar dominate the first day of Desertfest, as well as Firewind fly the power metal flag high, but it was only two days after Mantar that this year’s winner took to the stage…
Nightstalker
Desertfest London was truly excellent this year, providing the British capital with not just great bands from the stoner and doom metal scenes, but also the aforementioned crossover legends Suicidal Tendencies and industrial metal pioneers Godflesh. It was on the last night though attendees got to witness the best atmosphere of the weekend, as Greek veterans Nightstalker sent the Underworld into a frenzy. Within seconds of “Trigger Happy” the place erupted, with fans crowd surfing, climbing the pillars, singing, dancing and jumping as Nightstalker effortlessly shook the foundations. Lead singer Argy Galiatsatos cut a calm, relaxed figure in the midst of the chaos that he was helping to create and hearing beloved songs like “Baby, God Is Dead” and “Children Of The Sun,” live was simply incredible. The band will soon be releasing their first album since 2019, “Return From The Point Of No Return” and with that comes live shows, so don’t miss them if they come anywhere near you.
Best Albums Of 2024
It’s been another really good year for albums and once more, there are so many great ones to choose from. Acid Mammoth unleashed their fourth album, “Supersonic Megafauna Collision,” to rave reviews, and rightly so, as it was one of the best doom metal releases of the year. Meanwhile, Hiraes massively improved on their debut album “Solitary” with their excellent follow up “Dormant,” while The Crown continued to demonstrate why they belong in the category of Sweden’s best death metal bands with “Crown Of Thorns.” When it comes to picking a top five, Rotting Christ only just missed out, so I’ll take this moment to strongly recommend “Pro Xristoy,” as I would the latest Midnight album, “Hellish Expectations.” Undoubtedly, there’ll be some itchy keyboard fingers after reading my personal top five, but remember, if I haven’t heard the album, I can’t honestly praise it, let alone judge it. So with that in mind, number five…
5. InnerWish – Ash Of Eternal Flame
The most recent release on this list and the first of three Greek bands to make it on. As mentioned, power metal has been big for me this year and there’s been no shortage of quality to choose from. It’s also been a long wait for a new InnerWish album, eight and a half years in fact, but the veterans finally reared their heads again with an astonishing sixth album. The song writing, the singing, the drumming, all of these of these things and more helped make “Ash Of Eternal Flame” perhaps the best InnerWish album thus far and, for me at least, one of the albums of the year.
4. Yoth Iria – Blazing Inferno
Our second taste of the Mediterranean is something completely different from the one before. Led by former Rotting Christ bassist Jim Mutilator, the black metal beast had the challenge of replacing an excellent frontman, namely The Magus of Necromantia fame, but found a worthy successor in He (aka Rustam Shakirzianov of Rakoth.) Their debut album, “As The Flame Withers” was very enjoyable but they were able to eclipse it this year with this vicious and scorching output, sure to delight fans of extreme metal the world over, whether they’re familiar with the members previous work or not.
3. Dragony – Hic Svnt Dracones
Staying in Europe but moving away from the Balkan area, Austrian symphonic power metal band Dragony has been steadily making a name for themselves over the past fourteen years, but “Hic Svnt Dracones” is of such high quality that the band deserves to explode in popularity from here on out. The record takes an existing mystery and creates an intriguing fantasy story that’s perfect for power metal. Like all good power metal albums, it offers a lot of fun and excitement, but also crafts enrapturing atmospheres and wonderful epics. There’s so much to unpack when it comes to this album, far more than can be included in one paragraph, so it might be worth finding a full write up instead, say by heading to our reviews section…
2. Firewind – Stand United
Returning to Greece for the last time in our countdown, Firewind has a catalogue to rival any of power metal’s biggest names and this year, they may well have released their most complete album to date. “Stand United” is almost like a Best Of, taking everything Firewind has done so well over the years and channeling it all into new material, which is absolutely exhilarating and contains anthems that fans will be singing along to for years to come. Again, you can find a more detailed analysis in our reviews section, but it was undoubtedly my most played album this year. Well, except for…
1. Judas Priest – Invincible Shield
After a six year wait following the excellent “Firepower,” Judas Priest unleashed (in the East and elsewhere) their nineteenth studio album, “Invincible Shield,” which was teased the Summer before a huge live performance. It didn’t disappoint and it didn’t take any short cuts. The energy and thrills of “Firepower” are still here, along with more memorable choruses, absolutely gorgeous melodies and, as if you’d expect anything less, 100% pure heavy metal. I’ve heard it played at plenty of gigs I’ve been to this year, then after the show I put my earphones in and listen to it again. There’s just so much to enjoy and all of it points to why Priest are still held in such regard. It doesn’t feel like retreading old ground, like some legends I could mention, it doesn’t try to recapture an old sound, like some other legends I could mention and best of all, they haven’t become bogged down in pretension and self importance, like – OK, that one is just Iron Maiden. What a beast of an album!
2025
And that’s that. There was a lot to enjoy about metal in 2024 and I’m sure 2025 will have plenty in store for head bangers too. Hell, just look at the upcoming releases and in the first few months we’ll have new records from Dream Theater, Grave Digger, Mantar, Lacuna Coil, Jinjer and Pentagram to enjoy, just to name a handful. One thing that does concern me about the future of metal is live music and its costs. Fans are being priced out of attending the shows they want to, but bands can’t reduce ticket and merchandise prices any lower thanks to corporate greed and extortionate fees they have to pay. I’m honestly worried about where this will go, and how much longer the live music industry can sustain itself. I’m going to take a deeper dive into this topic in a future article but for now, let’s just enjoy metal wherever and whenever we can. It’s done right by us so far.
Ollie Hynes has been a writer for Metal Underground.com since 2007 and a metal fan since 2001, going as far as to travel to other countries and continents for metal gigs.
