As always, I'll begin with the personal highlights from the past year (the musical ones)...
THE SUN THROUGH A TELESCOPE - I managed to release some new music this year, that being the A CHASM / TURN ON YOUR LIGHT single. I thought I'd also get a full-length album in under the wire before the year was out but I just missed it. Anyways, the release is literally days away so stay tuned for that.
GREATHUNTER - We released the MOON single and re-released an updated mix of THE LONG HOLIDAY along with a remix of said song (done by me). Lots of works in progress as well, much of which should see the light of day in 2025 (I probably said the same thing about the same songs last year).
PALLBEARER INDUSTRY - The incredible WE, HERE AND NOW! label went WAY above and beyond by putting out a vinyl release of LIVE AT OTTAWA PSYCHFEST III 2023 (our set from last year's Ottawa Psychfest, in case that wasn't obvious). No gigs this year but hopefully we'll get a chance to hit the stage soon.
COASTAL PIGS - Pretty quiet year for us but we jammed off and on, hopefully we can get some momentum going again.
Myself and BLAKE aka NECROBURGER (of WORLD WAR 4) have been jamming on some sweet death metal riffs of his. Hopefully this will develop into some kind of "band" or "group" or "combo" at some point.
Another great year for concerts/gigs/shows! OTOBOKE BEAVER, COLIN STETSON & FUJITA, NECROT, SOUL GLO, EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY, THE WAR ON DRUGS & THE NATIONAL, KEN MODE, FULL OF HELL & BETTERS LOVERS, and ZEAL & ARDOR
And here are the albums that came out in 2024 that I enjoyed the most (in no particular order):
1) FULL OF HELL - COAGULATED BLISS "These guys just refuse to stop bringing it. And while I always appreciate their past albums being wall-to-wall grindcore noise with the occasional track deviating from this formula to introduce some variety - THIS album sees them making variety the name of the game! Oh sure, the brutal grindcore tunes are here in full force (I'd like to give a special mention to drummer DAVID BLAND's embracing of the old school MICK HARRIS style blast beat). But we also get treated to a nifty cross section of heavy music within the 12 tunes that make up this album (doom, industrial, post-metal, avant garde, and more). And at 25 minutes, these guys know how to NOT overstay their welcome! Keep it coming, fellas! *they also released a second full-length this year SCRAPING THE DEVINE which sees them collaborating with several industrial/noise musicians (mainly ANDREW NOLAN but JUSTIN BROADRICK is also in there) and it is also awesome."
2) ORANSSI PAZUZU - MUUNTAUTUJA "I'm so glad one of the weirdest bands in heavy music has chosen to rear its collective weirdo head again. I was super into this Finnish quintet's 2020 album MESTARIN KYNSI (I should probably work backwards from this album at some point - they've got a ton of releases!) and this one is no less of a devastating mish-mash of styles and moods. This is relentless fever dream music that leans heavily on distorted bass and incongruous keyboard/synth parts. The production is wild too - pretty slick but also way over the top at times, pushing the needles far into overdriven chaos. I have no idea what the songs are about. Probably something not very nice."
3) THE CURE - SONGS OF A LOST WORLD "Thank God they finally stopped messing around and put this album out (it had been sitting in the barn for a few years, I guess). They included a handful of songs from it in their set when I saw them last year and I was completely blown away at how good those songs sounded. This is basically DISINTEGRATION meets HEAD ON THE DOOR meets BLOODFLOWERS. Beautiful songs that take their time to develop. Every song is memorable in one way or another. And how is it that ROBERT SMITH sounds exactly the same as he did in the 80s? It's fucking unbelievable. I honestly think this album stands up with some of their best material. Well done, old guys."
4) ZEAL & ARDOR - GREIF "Probably the album I listened to the most this year. Kind of funny because my initial reaction upon hearing it was a little bit let down - I was super into their last self-titled release and felt like this one was slightly worse in every way. However, something about it made it impossible to dismiss. Repeated listens saw my appreciation for it grow to a point where I now think it's maybe their best one yet. Also funny that the first time I saw them (opening for DEAFHEAVEN and BARONESS a few years ago) my impression of them was "yeah, good not great". Cut to last month, got to see them again - easily the best show I'd seen all year. Probably in my top-10 best shows of all time! So yeah, I dig this."
5) BETTER LOVERS - HIGHLY IRRESPONSIBLE "This one kind of snuck up on me. I had tickets to see them and FULL OF HELL (the band I was really going to see [they did end up being the best band of the night]) with BETTER LOVERS being an added bonus (I liked the EP they'd put out last year). This new one came out leading up to the show so I figured I'd better check it out beforehand. And DAMN! This is a BURNER! Heavier than hell and a lot of fun. The band is made up of the singer from DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN (GREG P, not DMITRI M) and most of EVERY TIME I DIE and that's pretty much what you get. The best elements of late-90s metalcore/mathcore but coming from a group of seasoned musicians who've been at it for the past 20 years or so. Having said that - LOTS of breakdowns. Love it."
6) MIDWIFE - NO DEPRESSION IN HEAVEN "Ugh! Get outta here with this stuff! Too good, too sad, too achingly beautiful! Minimal, atmospheric, lo-fi...it's funny, these songs would work equally well as tight-knit indie rock or all-out post-metal. As they are, it is a very extreme version of shoegaze. KILLDOZER is the top track on here - kind of reminds me of the BREEDERS first album a little bit."
7) DIIV - FROG IN BOILING WATER "I've been vaguely aware of this band's existence for a little bit but never thought to check them out. I'm glad I was urged to by a friend of mine because this album ticks a ton of boxes at once! Shoegaze, check! 90s, check! ......okay, two boxes! Still, this stuff is both amazingly catchy and super weird - a nice combo when you can get it! Definitely in the same vain as the semi-current crop of the more "rockin" shoegaze bands (NOTHING, WHIRR, GLEEMER, etc) but, like I said, there's more at play here. Very odd chord progressions that shouldn't work until the vocals come in, which turn them into the catchiest pop songs you've ever heard. Getting some FAILURE and MEDICINE vibes from this album as well (90s)."
8) ANCIENT TEETH - HUMANIZER "This band's debut album (last year's DEATHBED) snuck up on me and totally blew me away. This one is more of the same good stuff. Somewhat 90s, somewhat grungy, somewhat shoegazing, a little bit of post-hardcore thrown in as well. Great hooks and great vocals. Great!"
9) BIG BRAVE - A CHAOS OF FLOWERS "And another band who put out an album last year (NATURE MORTE) which knocked my socks off. And another case of "more of the same good stuff". Actually, one major change here - ALL clean vocals this time out. Which is surprising since vocalist/guitarist ROBIN WATTIE has an incredible voice for screaming. But an equally incredible voice for singing so no complaints from me. I must try and apply myself a little harder in 2025 to actually catch this band live (they're from Montreal after all, can't be that hard). I'm thinking it'll bury the intensity needle. Anyways, this is atmospheric, experimental doom metal or post-metal or something and it rules."
10) THE BUG - MACHINE I-V "KEVIN MARTIN has been on my radar ever since I was bowled over circa 1994 by the album ANATOMY OF ADDICTION by his then project GOD (heavy involvement by JUSTIN BROADRICK on that album). On and off my radar, more like it. I really dig some of his stuff and some just isn't for me (which is not to say it isn't all great or worthwhile, just a preference thing). So glad it occurred to me to check in with his latest output because this collection of EPs or whatever it is (5 separate releases compiled onto a compilation) is just right up my alley. Dark and ugly ambient dub. Heavy on the atmosphere. Nightmare chillout music for a dystopian future."
11) ALCEST - LES CHANTS DE L'AURORE "Uplifting shoegazing black metal, innit?! From FRANCE! The main guy in the band named himself NEIGE! That's french for snow. What are you waiting for!??!"
12) BLOOD INCANTATION - ABSOLUTE ELSEWHERE "This death metal band has been piquing everyone's interest for a few years now. Not least of how by releasing a fully ambient synthesizer album a couple of years ago (we're talking no guitars, no drums, no vocals). There's clearly more at play here than your typical death metal offering. On their latest album, they decide to go all-in on the diversity. This is pure death metal one minute and PINK FLOYD the next. This kind of variety is prevalent throughout the album (death metal, post-metal, psychedelic, prog rock, and back to death metal) and it could be an absolute mess but these guys know just how to rein it in."
13) REZN - BURDEN "I decided to check in with the latest offerings from SARGENT HOUSE (a record label with an extremely high level of excellent output) and discovered this band. They've been putting stuff out since 2017, this album being their first SARGENT HOUSE release, and ALL unbeknownst to me. This is doom metal with strong doses of spacey psychedelic derivations. Almost like a much darker (all male) version of HELMS ALEE (another SARGENT HOUSE band). Very cool indeed."
14) THOU - UMBILICAL "Oh THOU. Will you ever end up letting us down? Not for the foreseeable future, it would seem. One never knows what one will get on any given THOU release. Could be super heavy, could be super mellow, and it could be all BLACK SABBATH covers (okay, that happened once and probably never again)! In this case, it is pure sludge metal delivered with a magnum dose of intensity. Thank you, THOU!"
15) JON HOPKINS - RITUAL "Came across this completely randomly thanks to our friend The Internet. This guy has been active for about 25 years, tons of albums, soundtrack/film score stuff, lots of collaborations. I'm sure I'll do some digging into that stuff cuz I really like what I hear on this album. It's a little similar to the film and television score stuff that TRENT REZNOR and ATTICUS ROSS have been doing as of late (which I'm also super into) albeit with an almost complete absence of the cold/dark vibes. One song flows into the next, making everything a bit of an aural journey as one mood transitions into another. This is lovely, dreamy, atmospheric, electronic, ambient explorations is what it is."
16) SLEEPYHEAD - GJENFØDELSE "Another happenstance discovery. Don't really know anything about this other than it's UK based (but the song titles and lyrics are in Norwegian), possibly one person or maybe 2 or maybe one person collaborating with others? Who cares! It's fantastic. Basically, super dreamy post-rock traversing the SELECTED AMBIENT WORKS VOLUME 2 dimension."
17) MOLDER - CATASTROPHIC RECONFIGURATION "Now this is my kind of death metal. Ugly, brutal, and straight to the point. Some serious DEATH - LEPROSY vibes! Very old school (like me)."
18) NALA SINEPHRO - ENDLESSNESS "Discovered this at the same time as the JON HOPKINS and SLEEPYHEAD releases (trolling the internet for current ambient releases). Another artist I know nothing about but I'll definitely be paying attention moving forward. This is laid back funky jazz (or jazzy funk) interwoven with ambient electronic music. You're either in or you're out, based on that description."
19) CHAT PILE - COOL WORLD "This is yet another CHAT PILE album that sees CHAT PILE doing their thing with pumping noise rock through a weird 80s new wave/cold wave filter. There's some grunge in there, some sludge metal. More of the same great stuff, in other words. I have to give extra props to the vocalist for keeping things interesting. Not easy when you only have a few things in your arsenal (screaming/yelling/rambling) but this guy really knows how to make things memorable! His name is RAYGUN BUSCH."
20) TYCHO - INFINITE HEALTH "Awesome, ambient, instrumental post-rock from these guys (or this guy - it was a solo project but I think it's been a band for a while). A sweet blend of electronic and analogue instruments. Like a more upbeat, less weird version of BOARDS OF CANADA."
21) JORDY WALKER - GIFTED WITH FICTION "JORDY and I played music together throughout high school. Even back then, he was a gifted musician and songwriter. My knowledge of musical theory is very limited but, what little I have can be traced back to our experiences playing and writing music together. I'm excited that JORDY has released some of his music again, especially since it's really good. It has, of course, evolved leaps and bounds since the 90s. And yet, I can hear traces of those formative days in there. YOU ARE A WILD ANIMAL is the top track on here."
22) JK FLESH - PI11 "Ugly, minimal dub care of JUSTIN BROADRICK. Very much in the same vain as the previously praised THE BUG album (unsurprising as, like I said, there is a connection there). So, basically everything good that I had to say about THE BUG album also applies here."
23) GLEEMER - END OF THE NAIL "Their last full-length (2020's DOWN THROUGH) really knocked me out. After not having listened to them for quite some time, I decided to check in on any GLEEMER updates (right after I namechecked them in the DIIV writeup within this post), only to discover that they had released their new album that very day!!! How's that for serendipitous? What I was hoping for was another collection of GLEEMER sounding songs (ie: dreamy indie rock/shoegaze) and that's exactly what I got. No complaints!"
24) CHOIRZ - ECDYSIS "An excellent EP of coldwave/darkwave bangers. This group features BRANDON WARS who used to front the amazing FLYING FORTRESS as both lead vocalist and lead bassist. He's been doing the CHOIRZ thing for a few years now and it is amazing to hear his amazingly catchy songwriting skills within a totally different cadence than his previous stoner/doom outfit."
25) THE SMILE - CUTOUTS "This is the second of 2 albums released this year by THE SMILE - the first being WALL OF EYES. While I did enjoy the former (not overly), for some reason, CUTOUTS is much better. An awesome blend of everything I enjoy about this band with many standout tracks. And again, both of these albums are essentially RADIOHEAD albums in all but name (and a few missing band members)."
HONOURABLE MENTIONS - REDD KROSS, EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN, THE JESUS LIZARD, MELVINS, DARKTHRONE, MELT-BANANA, MOUSE ON MARS, JAPANDROIDS, UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS, SUMAC, J MASCIS, HIGH ON FIRE, METZ, NECROT, CROSS DOG, THE COSMIC TONES RESEARCH TRIO, UNIFORM, PISSED JEANS, CELL PRESS, ACXDC, SQUAREPUSHER, IDAHO, ZOMBI, AMEN DUNES
My "honourable mentions" contains quite a few bands that have blown me right away at some point or another (MELVINS, SQUAREPUSHER, JESUS LIZARD, DARKTHRONE, MELT-BANANA, and more!). Ya can't stay on top forever, right? But all of those bands continue to keep the fire burning and we love them for it. Speaking of older music, here's some older stuff I enjoyed for the first time this past year - THE BLACK DOG, SUSUMU YOKOTA, LUDICHRIST, LOS JAIVAS, VOX DEI, THE POP GROUP, PYLON, HIGH RISE, INDEX, SHOP ASSISTANTS. I dig music!
