Below you will find some of my favorite albums of 2024.
Many of them are hardcore and metal records.
What can I say? I’m a fan of heavy fucking guitar (HFG), and 2024 was a good year for HFG.
That, and maybe I was angry this year…lol.
So with that said, let’s dig into my favorite records of 2024, ranked in some type of “best of,” because who doesn’t love a hierarchy list?
#15) Public Acid – Deadly Struggle
This is crust punk at its finest.
Blackened vocals? Check.
D-beat drumming? Check.
Heavy guitars? Double check.
More of this, please.
#14) Poppy – Negatives Spaces
I love Poppy. While Negatives Spaces isn’t quite the masterpiece that I Disagree was (that album was a 10/10), I still can’t stop listening to her newest record.
Negatives Spaces is synth-pop meets metalcore, in all the right ways. Good stuff.
#13) 200 Stab Wounds – Manual Manic Procedures
This is the way death metal should sound: fast, precise, and brutal.
One critique of heavy music is it can start to sound repetitive after a while.
200 Stab Wounds is aware of this, and keeps this album short, at only nine songs. Smart choice.
#12) High Vis – Guided Tour
Fuck… “Mind’s a Lie” is a great song (embedded above) and that alone would make it deserving of this list.
But the rest of the album is post-punk goodness, combining hardcore and Britpop (like Oasis or Blur) in a way that seems new.
#11) Gouge Away – Deep Sage
Continuing our post-punk trend, we have Gouge Away. While High Vis is bright, Deep Sage is dark. But also infectious and groovy.
#10) Bad Nerves – Still Nervous
I’m a sucker for catchy, garage punk.
Well, leave it to England to produce one of the more exciting bands to play the genre in the 2020s.
Also, their debut album is pretty choice too.
#9) Mean Jeans – Blasted
This record speaks to me.
A pop-punk concept album, about the opportunity cost of being “punk.”
As someone who has asked the question, “What am I doing here?” as I’m surrounded by drunks while watching some “eh” punk band, I’ve thought about the dangers of attaching yourself to a youth subculture.
But Blasted is so good, that the next time Mean Jeans rolls through town, I’ll likely find myself at some dive bar surrounded by drunk punks. Funny, that.
#8) Candy – It’s Inside You
Candy is arguably the most innovative band in modern hardcore, and this album shows why.
They mix electronics and other weird beats in a creative way, while still being 100% aggressive. The result is what they call “Hypercore.”
It’s Inside You shows there’s still new ground to be covered in hardcore music.
#7) Drug Church – Prude
Drug Church answers the question “What if the Pixies were a hardcore band?”
The answer: it would be loud, catchy, and smart punk rock.
Drug Church keeps getting better with each record, and Prude shows the boys aren’t stopping yet.
Also, if you see them coming into town, see their show. They’re truly an incredible act to see live.
#6) Dummy – Free Energy
I don’t even know what to call this album.
Shoegaze? Electronic? Jazz?
Fuck if I know. But let’s just call it “awesome” and move on.
#5) Denzel Curry – King of the Mischievous South
Honestly, I think everything Curry has put out has been great.
Ta13oo and Melt My Eyez See Your Future are some of the best hip-hop albums to come out in the last ten years, and Curry adds to his outstanding discography with this year’s release.
Also, this Tiny Desk Concert he did a few years ago is amazing.
#4) Mannequin Pussy – I Got Heaven
Mannequin Pussy is another act that keeps getting better with every album.
2019’s Patience was always going to be a hard record to top. Yet here we are.
I Got Heaven flips between indie rock, pop, and hardcore like it’s nothing. Yet it doesn’t sound schizophrenic. It sounds fluid.
Not an easy thing to pull off, but Mannequin Pussy does it with such power and emotion, they prove that punk still has new territories to explore.
#3) The Calamatix – The Calamatix
There was a time in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, when Hellcat Records was releasing some of the best ska, rocksteady, and reggae records.
And here we are in 2024, and Hellcat Records has released one of the best ska, rocksteady, and reggae records.
I fucking love this debut album from The Calamatix. I can’t wait for them to tour.
#2) Nails – Every Bridge Burning
Did anyone release an angrier record than Nails this year?
Don’t bother checking, the answer is “no.”
Every Bridge Burning flips between death metal, hardcore, grindcore, and well, just about every “core” I can think of.
Plus, some of it is REALLY catchy, like “Give Me the Painkiller.”
One of the best hardcore/metal albums of 2024, no doubt.
#1) Knocked Loose – You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To
Knocked Loose has made a lot of folks’ “best of 2024” lists.
And for good reason.
You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To (YWGBYST) is heavy, but sounds beautiful. The production really is top-notch. And at only ten songs, the album is short, with every song earning its place.
I know Bryan Garris’s high high-pitched vocals aren’t for everyone. But they’re for me.
While a lot of metalcore can fall into the “tough guy” category of frontmen, Garris’s vocals don’t make him sound like an aggressor. They make him sound like a victim.
Almost like he is being tormented by the music.
When this album came out, I listened to it once daily for over a month. For that reason alone, it needs to be at the top of this year’s list.
That’s all folks!
Goodbye 2024. It’s been emotional.
Love,
Paul