HYLI - Andy's Best of 2024 (The Metal One)
Here are some of my favorite releases of 2024...they're mostly all metal! Sorry!
So, 2023 was undoubtedly the Year of Death Metal. 2022 was the Year of Hardcore, obviously. People have been wondering … what about 2024? The blogs are clamoring! Don’t worry, I figured it out: 2024 was the year of Myspace-core (Patrick: brutal). Yep, it’s confirmed, so sorry if you think otherwise. Might as well call this Year of 2008 Part 2. So much music dropped that sounds like it came straight from something in my Top 8. Do the youths even know what that means (Patrick: I don’t know what this means)? Anyway, it’s been a weird year for music. Here are some groups that made my favorite noises this year.
Andy’s AOTY List 2024
Killing of a Sacred Deer - Killing of a Sacred Deer EP
Peacemaker FL - First Degree EP
Rev3rent - Last Trace EP
Girl of Glass - Girl of Glass EP
Andy: As I mentioned before, 2024 saw a resurgence of 2008-style -core music. Violent breakdowns that have been boosted so loud they sound like your speaker is crumbling from the inside. A snare that sounds like a tin can. Nasty vocals. All the hallmarks of the genre. Girl of Glass, Peacemaker FL, Killing of a Sacred Deer, and Rev3rent make me feel 18 years old again. I actually got to see Peacemaker here in Orlando and it was the most violent show I’ve seen in a hot minute. Patrick hates Myspace deathcore, what’s new!
Patrick: My best friend Andy knows me so well. I do hate quote unquote MySpace Deathcore. I hated MySpace. Y’all remember that crap? Piece of shit website. I actually quite like (surprisingly so) a large chunk of Andy’s playlist this year but he backloaded the weakest albums IMO (Andy: you’re welcome). There’s something about deathcore that just sounds artificial to me. Like, it’s too heavy. It sounds the way watching CGI gobbledegook feels. Maybe I’ll get over this some day. Unlikely.
No Future - Mirror
Fentanyl - Fentanyl
Black Curse - Burning in Celestial Poison
Bloom Dream - It Didn’t Have to Be This Way
Andy: Bloom Dream has a killer Sopranos-style intro that transitions into some very fun screamo. The tones on that record are fantastic. Patrick texted me saying I was “holding out on him” for not sending him Black Curse’s album this year, but it turns out he sent it to me, so he’s actually the big dumb idiot (Patrick: true). They made some of the best black metal this year with some great riffs, as always. We also had some excellent punk from Fentanyl and No Future—this genre is in a great place.
Patrick: This bunch is great. I showed Andy the music of the band Fentanyl (saying “I got Andy hooked on Fentanyl” or “I made Andy a fan of Fentanyl” just makes me seem like a shitty friend) and, apparently, I showed Andy the Black Curse record. I’m such a good friend and I know Andy’s taste so well. No Future and Bloom Dream were both great, hardcore is in such a good place and I really enjoy the kinda industrial aspect No Future brought. I also love screamo and Bloom Dream is one of my favorite discoveries from Andy’s list, gonna check that album out for sure.
Civerous - Maze Envy
Tenue - Arcos, bóvedas, pórticos
PeelingFlesh - The G Code
Apparition - Disgraced Emanations from a Tranquil Existence
Carnwennan - Lotus
Andy: Civerous was a late-entry suggestion from a good friend. Great death metal—the drums here are fantastic. Tenue offers fantastic post-anarchopunk-metal from Spain. Look at us, being international! Great riffs, beautiful soft sections, and pained vocals—all the good ingredients. PeelingFlesh delivered an absolute heater of a slam record. Meaty riffs, great pig squeals and violent breakdowns. More metal songs should feature DJs—hip-hop influences are felt throughout their album and work perfectly. Apparition delivered striking death metal and continues to get better with each release. If you like death metal and missed this… here ya go! Carnwennan dropped the best doom metal of the year with Lotus. Long, hypnotic riffs paired with great vocals make the whole record feel massive.
Patrick: I really like that band Deadbody and two of their members are in Apparition so, of course, I really liked this record too. Tenue was another cool discovery for me, right up there with Bloom Dream. Insanely cool sound that kind of reminds me of old Envy but in a different language. I agree with Andy, Civerous is some cool death metal too and Carnewennan sounds absolutely massive and reminds me a lot of Old Man Gloom in a great way. I’ll be positive and just say I’m glad my friend Andy had a nice time listening to the band PeelingFlesh :)
10. Respire - Hiraeth
Andy: Longtime Respire truther over here. They’ve really carved out a great niche with trumpet-led-post-metal-screamo (or whatever amalgamation you want to use). Great stuff from the family in Toronto. Highly recommend.
Patrick: I’ve listened to some Respire before and I don’t remember trumpets at all. Were there trumpets before? Are the trumpets new? I like the trumpets. Another cool record from a very talented band (Andy: They’ve always loved trumpets).
Dreamless Veil - Every Limb of the Flood
Andy: Evil-sounding stuff from this Richmond duo. A black metal and death metal-inspired record that really nails both genres effectively.
Patrick: Wow, okay, extremely cool. Will definitely be checking this out. “Evil” is the perfect descriptor for music like this. I know dude on the kick drum’s leg day must be crazy.
Concrete Winds - Concrete Winds
Andy: Another fantastic death metal album this year. Just straight aggression. Relentless. It doesn’t give you any space to breathe. Someone on the internet called it “an audial carpet bombing,” which I’d probably use as branding if I were them.
Patrick: I wouldn’t say this one is quite my tempo but I get the appeal and why Andy/other metalheads like him would be into it. Divebombs galore, man, sheesh. Cool guitars. The rest doesn’t move me much.
heresiarosegoodluck - Nothing to Write Home About
Andy: I already wrote about hereisaropegoodluck recently but you should listen to them again cause they’re great.
Patrick: I also wrote about them recently at the same hyperlinked post and I think you should check them out if you aren’t listening to anything else and they’re pretty cool.
Replicant - Infinite Mortality
Andy: I almost forgot about Replicant until a good friend reminded me (Patrick: who are these other good friends you keep mentioning???)(Andy: They’re literally both Spencer). Death Metal as a genre definitely has a case to win back-to-back “Best Genre of the Year” awards. Dissonant yet catchy riffs. Great record.
Patrick: Damn they really produced the hell out of this one. So much death metal sounds like it was recorded inside of a tin can (which has its appeal) but this sounds like a Big Ass Rock Record with some sick riffs to boot. Cool stuff, will be adding to the list to check out.
Wormwitch - Wormwitch
Andy: Wormwitch have grown a lot as musicians since 2019’s Heaven That Dwells Within. Their self-titled is more aggressive, more evil and has more riffs. Our favorite stuff here at HYLI!
Patrick: Man now we are cooking! Evil used again properly to sell this record! This reminds me of a (slightly) better version of the Nails record (Andy: I forgot NAILS!) that came out this year. Again, one I’ll be checking out in January when there are fuck all new albums to listen to.
Spectral Voice - Sparagmos
Andy: “Sinew Censer” has as good a claim to “Best Song of 2024” as anyone this year. Nightmarish and haunting, Spectral Voice has truly mastered the death/doom combo. This album leans more into ‘blackened’ and ‘atmospheric’ elements than their previous releases. They’re also one of three bands from Denver on this list (Black Curse, Spectral Voice, and our #1). What’s in the water in Denver and how do I get it (Patrick: ask Nikola Jokic, not me)?
Patrick: Truthfully speaking, the intro really really really had me but I just don't really love the vocals. Andy will say I’m a baby that needs to grow up. I feel like I’ve grown so much! These super deep kind of vocals still don’t move me though. I’m sorry.
3. Kaonashi - The 3 Faces Of Beauty: A Violent Misinterpretation of Morgan Montgomery / A Second Chance At Forever: The Brilliant Lies from Casey Diamond
Andy: Yes, I picked two EPs by the same band for my 3rd album of the year. Call the cops? I don’t care. Put them together, and it’s one album. Shut up. I originally had this much lower, but I would have been lying to myself. Kaonashi is some grade-A emo-metalcore. Peter has one of the most unique voices in the scene today and Pao is one of the most underrated drummers going right now. It took me a spell to fully understand it, but now I’m captivated by them. They’re definitely a band you need to see live to fully appreciate what they’re doing (Patrick: will not be doing this). Once you do, it all clicks into place. I ended up seeing them three separate times in 2024! Lots of progressive and verging-on-djenty influences that rule.
The 3 Faces EP is the ‘heavy’ one while the Second Chance EP is the ‘clean’ one—and they nail both perfectly. The ending breakdown of “I Hate The Sound of Car Keys” is corny on its surface but, when you’re in a venue with 50 other people screaming it at the top of their lungs, it’s hard not to be entranced. I’m not embarrassed to show my love for them.
Patrick: “Straycations” was a cool track and, to Andy’s point, I enjoyed the sort of proggy influences there. “I Hate the Sound of Car Keys” reminded me of … System of a Down (Andy: absolutely wild sentence you just typed)? But heavier? I fully get why Andy likes it based on that but it doesn’t really work for me.
Sabella - Easy
Andy: This could easily (and maybe should?) be my Album of the Year, as we kind of discussed previously. It came out at the end of October and is probably nearing my most-listened-to album. Music that is just straight-up made for me. The album is way too long, but all the songs are so good. Easy really hammers home that the guitar tone is as important as the riff. Simple songs with a good chug and straightforward drums that just get you moving. Brother, the riffs here? Most are just a simple chug at their root, but they hit so hard.
Some of the slower songs have such a great emotional pull, like “twelve” and “seven.” Lyrics never matter, but they’re pretty great here (Patrick: retire this bit). “fourteen” might be the best song on the album? I’m not sure—it honestly switches every day. The vocals are just perfect for what they’re trying to do. Dog Daze was such an important and influential record for both the scene and for myself and this surprise drop record was Extremely Andycore. Long live Sabella.
Patrick: Not to rehash my thoughts from the previous volume of the newsletter but I feel the same, relistening now a month or so later. Some great guitar tones, for sure, and I like the vocals in small doses but they’re so one-note that I don’t fully love them. Cool record though, for sure.
Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere
Andy: Pretty much hit my Album of the Year the moment it was released. Really just one of the most impressive technical death metal records that you’ll ever hear? Like, literally in your whole life? Great prog-space-rock influence with some massive riffs. Brother, what are we doing here? Absolute Elsewhere takes you on a journey. You’ll experience something new with each listen. “The Stargate [Tablet II]” features Tangerine Dream and the audio from some 1980s sci-fi B film and just sucks you right in. Just some fantastic riffs here. Riffs on riffs on riffs on riffs on riffs on riffs on riffs…
Patrick: Yeah, I’ll provide my in-depth thoughts on this one with my AOTY list dropping tomorrow but I’ll just say I fully agree with everything Andy said here. Incredible record.