Extreme metal outfit Full of Hell once again appears on my year end list with this fantastic batch of songs. If you like many different forms of extreme metal, then you should enjoy the stylistic variety the band brings on Coagulated Bliss. You get a nice blend of death metal and grindcore on tracks like Half Life of Changelings and Vomiting Glass. There's elements of old school thrash on Transmuting Chemical Burns. If you're looking for some sludge and doom metal, my personal favourite element of their sound, it's wonderfully represented on Bleeding Horizon. No matter what angle the band is attacking from, they execute well. Spencer Hazard's death metal riff game has improved greatly since that disastrous EP I heard a couple years ago, the drumming continues to be exceptional, and the vocals are brutal. Dylan Walker remains one of my favourite harsh vocalists. With all this going for them, it's easy to conclude that Coagulated Bliss is my favourite metal record of the year.
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#4
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Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Political, anti-war sentiments are a common thread in the music of Montréal post-rock titans Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Their 2024 album is no exception as the collective makes a clear show of solidarity for Palestine in their ongoing violent conflict with Israel. Instead of creating the typical dystopian and apocalyptic soundscapes that GY!BE is known for, this record feels hopeful and triumphant. It serves as a rallying cry. Despite the music being purely instrumental, it's rather remarkable how potent and focused their messaging can be. You can hear the strong sense of conviction and you can feel how inspired the group was making this album. It made for one of the most powerful musical experiences of the year.
After a frankly lacklustre and unimaginative pop record, Charli XCX bounced back in a big way this year with the brilliant brat campaign. First Charli returned to a more forward-thinking, club-centric sound that was sonically much more engaging than her previous effort. It also continued this streak of incredibly vulnerable song writing that meditated on her career, the potential for motherhood, and trying to find or maintain some semblance of sisterhood in a highly competitive and patriarchal industry, among other things. This was just the beginning, however, as Charli followed this up not too long after with a truly revolutionary remix album that allowed Charli to dig deeper into the album themes while also giving her audience a timely response on life post-brat. It featured some surprising collaborations that gave us some iconic moments like girl, so confusing in which Charli and Lorde were able to come to a mutual understanding through song, as well as the Guess remix where a newly out Billie Eilish playfully flirts with Charli. All of Charli's output this year, the whole brat concept, felt meticulously crafted, was consistently executed, and left an undeniable cultural impact. Therefore, this number three spot goes not just to the brat album, but the entire campaign. Truly remarkable work, and deserving of every accolade it receives.
With their signing to Flying Lotus' Brainfeeder records, I wondered if the pressure of appeasing this influx of Western eyes would influence Hakushi Hasegawa to rein in their hyper eccentricities. Thankfully, that wasn't the case at all. In fact, Mahōgakkō sees Hakushi Hasegawa pushing forward with their most challenging material yet. The compositions are busier, more accelerated, and to the untrained ear, it could resemble the headache you get from a sugar rush. While a good chunk of the record can feel like overwhelming chaos played at two times speed, the album does manage to strike a balance with the occasional ballad. These moments are tender, beautiful, and really showcase their exceptional musicianship. Mahōgakkō is further evidence that Hakushi Hasegawa is a truly one-of-a-kind artist.
Melt-Banana's 3 + 5 feels like a seamless continuation of their sonic journey, as if eleven years had never passed since their last album, Fetch. The band incorporates even more hyper-electronic elements along with more densely packed guitar layering. The programmed drums are even taken to higher imperceptible levels of intricacy, creating patterns that are too complex for human hands to replicate. While some may be disappointed by the album's length, I think the streamlined, nine-track, twenty-four minute offering demonstrates how focused and disciplined the duo have become. Besides, with hardcore punk records as challenging and boundary pushing as this, erring on the side of shorter is a safe bet. When the songs are this good, you can always hit play on it again. While many bands in their thirties might settle into the comforts of nostalgia, Melt-Banana refuses to rest on their laurels. Instead, they continue to innovate and challenge themselves, delivering some of their best and most electrifying material to date.
