Your Albums of the Year 2024

[Power_Metal_Dom]

Another year, another round of releases from big to small, mainstream to underground, power metal to ...every flavour of metal under the sun

No matter who you listened to, who are your stand-outs and leave-outs from this year?

I don't have as much time to devote to listening as I used to but FWIW here's mine:

Top 10 Metal Albums 2024 (for me, some power metal & adjacent genres):

1. Fellowship - The Skies Above Eternity
2. Týr - Battle Ballads
3. Judas Priest - Invincible Shield
4. PowerWolf - Wake Up the Wicked
5. Freedom Call - Silver Romance
6. Orden Ogan - The Order of Fear
7. Accept - Humanoid
8. Ensiferum - Winter Storm
9. Sonata Arctica - Clear Cold Beyond
10. HammerFall - Avenge the Fallen

Honorable Mentions:

Saxon - Hell, Fire and Damnation (more of the same, you know what you're getting with Saxon)
Glyph - Honor. Power. Glory. (although fuck their ex-singer R.A. Voltaire)
Vhäldemar - Sanctuary of Death
Rhapsody of Fire - Challenge the Wind (not bad better than the last 3)
Dream Evil - Metal Gods (pretty good but pretty safe & predictable effort)
Galneryus - The Stars Will Light the Way (think this deserves more love, it's solid)
Wind Rose - Trollslayer (okay, not great, bit of a disappointment but worth a listen)
Brothers of Metal - Fimbulvinter (very meh, not great, no way near as good as their 1st and 2nd but worth a listen)
Bruce Dickinson - The Mandrake Project
Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere
Dawn Treader - Bloom & Decay
Frozen Crown - War Hearts
Riot V - Mean Streets

Dishonorable Mentions:

DragonForce - Warp Speed Warriors (boring, meme metal with few redeeming qualities but occasional fun moments)
Nightwish - Yesterwynde (forgettable and bland, big step down from the last 2 albums)

 

[Symphony]

Great to see this kind of thing again. I'v not listened to any of your Top 10 there Dom - I did try the Dream Evil one though, wasn't impressed at all.

Prior to this year I hadn't really bought many records since early 2020 - one of the many symptoms of a pretty poor opening third of the decade for me. Only really getting back into it this year but finding myself listening to Yes, Asia, Marillion, Fish - that kind of thing along with new stuff from Jadis, Vision Divine, Sunburst, Cemetery Skyline and Oblivion Protocol to name a few.

 

[Power_Metal_Dom]

It's been a year of releases for some of the current and a few stalwart power metal vanguard so it'd be a good shout to dip your toe in that top 10 if you get the chance as a litmus test for where modern metal is at and how classic bands are developing - both for better or worse!

Good to see a healthy dose of prog on your list, I'm inspired to check out Vision Divine and Cemetery Skyline

 

[Symphony]

I'll have a gander mate - my listening has definitely changed over the years, sat much more in the prog camp nowadays but I still love that early 2000's era of power metal when Strato were at their very best.