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#32
Idiot Child – The First Breath Is The Beginning Of Death
Idiot Child, a noise rock band from Malmö, Sweden, blends aggressive, chaotic energy with a mix of sludge metal and hardcore. Their debut full-length album, The First Breath Is The Beginning Of Death, is 11 tracks that, by their own admission, deliver on “violent, nihilistic sludge metal / noise rock”. Recommended for fans of Eyehategod, Noothgrush and Dystopia.
#31
Hauntologist – Hollow
The product of two fairly well-known Polish musicians – drummer Darkside (of Kriegsmaschine and Mgła) and guitars, bass, keys, and vocalist The Fall (of Owls Woods Graves, Raventhrone and Over The Voids) – the connotations drawn from the album art and name make for an instructive introduction to Hauntologist’s first album. With cold, bleak, eeriness at every corner, Hollow is an intense and atmospheric debut album that blends post-black metal with elements of raw melancholy and haunting beauty.
#30
Rope Sect – Estrangement
Released on German black metal label, Iron Bonehead (interestingly), Estrangement by Rope Sect is a polished and melancholic goth rock album. Its hook-filled tracks, smooth production and somber atmosphere make for a decent listen, even if it plays things a little safe.
#29
Thief – Bleed, Memory
Inspired by the descent into dementia by the father of sole member, Dylan Neal, this little slice of dark experimental electronica makes for a personal listen. Hints of Depeche Mode, 90s industrial, and even dungeon synth find their way into the 40-odd minutes presented on Bleed, Memory.
#28
Darkthrone – It Beckons Us All…
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I love new Darkthrone. I love the punk records (F.O.A.D.), I dig the heavy metal revival (NWOBHM), and I applaud the doom worship (Eternal Hails). This time around on It Beckons Us All…, I’ll avoid using such a strong descriptor, but will say that I’m glad it exists nevertheless. While perhaps lacking in the groundbreaking spirit that once defined the mighty Darkthrone, there are still moments of glory to be found with tracks like “The Bird People of Nordland” and “The Lone Pines of the Lost Planet”.
#27
The Jesus And Mary Chain – Glasgow Eyes
Progenitors of shoegaze and obnoxiously loud noise pop have returned with their latest album (and cheeky bit of Scottish pride 🏴) for 2024, Glasgow Eyes. Coinciding with their 40th band anniversary, Glasgow Eyes is mostly what we expect from a Jesus And Many Chain record this end of their career, with a few obscure lyrics thrown in for good measure.
“I look like Americans / I talk like Americans“
“I pissed bleach to meet you / Crawled through broken glass to meet you / But I won’t just fucking die / No, I won’t give up and die“
Keep it up, JaMC.
#26
Vatican Shadow – Demolished Holy Sites (Redacted)
Three hours, 150 tracks (yes, 150). Demolished Holy Sites consists of off-cuts from Vatican Shadow’s mid-era hardware phase recordings, dating back to mid-2016. Serving as companion pieces to the classic release Media in the Service of Terror, each track runs for about a minute and is dedicated to one of 150 different ‘holy sites’—the only ones explicitly named being ‘WTC (North Tower)’ and ‘WTC (South Tower) 01:12.’ Drone, industrial techno, and fleetingly recognisable moments surface throughout these enjoyably lo-fi tracks, offering a fragmented yet compelling glimpse into half-formed ideas and sonic experimentation.
#25
Sumac – The Healer
The Healer, Sumac’s fifth album, continues to push the boundaries of heavy music with its raw psychedelia, unconventional structures, and emotional depth. With four tracks clocking in at 76 minutes, The Healer blends sludge, noise, and freeform improvisation, rejecting metal’s traditional forms to create a visceral, meditative, and utterly unique listening experience, all anchored by the signature rasp of vocalist, Aaron Turner.
#24
Uboa – Impossible Light
Melbourne’s Xandra Metcalfe releases her fifth album as Uboa, Impossible Light. Dutifully in-line with the haunting odyssey of sound found on flagship releases like The Origin of my Depression, Impossible Light oscillates between searing noise and eerie serenity. Dark ambient textures dominate, creating unsettling yet fluid soundscapes that are punctuated by bursts of harsh noise and layered, intense vocals. With its finale, featuring Otay:onii and Liturgy’s Haela Hunt-Hendrix, Impossible Light continues the frightening sonic journey into the abyss of mental health, neurodiversity and transness.
#23
Lord Spikeheart – The Adept
Martin Kanja, known as Lord Spikeheart, carves a singular path on The Adept, his debut solo album. Once the unhinged voice behind Duma’s abrasive grindcore, Kanja now fully commands the chaos, fusing serrated rhythms with global influences that span digital hardcore, noise, rap, and club beats. Collaborating with a diverse array of producers, he shapes a dense, unrelenting soundscape where guttural growls fuse with twisted percussion. Electrifyingly brutal, meditative and transformative.
#22
Iggor Cavalera & Vomir – Mox Cadaveri
Iggor Cavalera’s increasing affinity for noise art—evident in his collaborations with Dwid Hellion and his guest DJ set at the NWN/Hospital Fest in Osaka—culminates in Mox Cadaveri, a fierce partnership with harsh noise wall legend Vomir. Known for his “No Dynamics, No Change, No Development, No Ideas” ethos, Vomir surprisingly veers from rigidity here, allowing some textural shifts that complement Cavalera’s thunderous drumming. Across two tracks and 40 minutes, Mox Cadaveri is a thrashing maelstrom of percussion, unrelenting noise and harsh drone, bridging rhythmic brutality and sonic chaos with unexpected cohesion that will leave fans of either artist pleasantly surprised.
#21
Full Of Hell and Andrew Nolan – Scraping The Divine
Andrew Nolan’s industrial dub crosses paths with Full Of Hell’s unrelenting powerviolence for a bold fusion of abrasive genres. Moving between grinding chaos and textured dub elements, and complemented by contributions from artists like Justin Broadrick and Taichi Nagura, the distinct mix of artists, sounds and production expertise move Scraping The Divine from a casual collaboration (among serial collaborators) to a tour de force of our most relentless practitioners of sound.
View our Andrew Nolan interview for background on Scraping The Divine, working with Full Of Hell and plenty more.
#20
Lustmord – Much Unseen Is Also Here
“[The album] is meant to be listened to in a single, uninterrupted sitting; transporting listeners away to an uncompromising parallel world that only exists within the music, before casting them back out at the end, forever changed.” States the Bandcamp page of Lustmord’s Much Unseen Is Also Here. The advice is apt, as Lustmord’s grand releases demand nothing less than your full attention and compliance. Since being “urged by Cosey Fanni Tutti and Chris Carter of Throbbing Gristle to make music that captured his distinctive aura”, and after three landmark releases – Lustmørd, Paradise Disowned and Heresy – Lustmord is now a monumental figure in the world of drone, sound art and of course, dark ambient. Echoing the density and subtlety of artists like Sunn O))) and Klaus Schulze, Much Unseen Is Also Here pairs bleak, otherworldly soundscapes with subtle moments of humanity, culminating in a deeply immersive listening experience.
#19
Godspeed You! Black Emperor – “NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD”
Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s “NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD” showcases the Montreal band’s ability to blend ominous atmospheres with soaring, triumphant crescendos. Evocative guitar lines, lush strings, and moments of raw emotional intensity underpin overt references to Gaza. The album functions like a communal response to despair, offering glimpses of joy amidst the darkness.
#18
Chat Pile – Cool World
Chat Pile’s Cool World expands their sound with a heavier focus on sludge metal and industrial influences, blending melancholic anger and raw emotion into a refined sonic experience. Suffocatingly dense sludge sits beside Big Black-like noise rock for a general feeling of chest thumping overwhelmingness. Chat Pile’s first album, God’s Country, probably inches ahead ever so slightly for me. But regardless, I find that when I do listen to Chat Pile, I tend to find their music quite intoxicating and I can’t help but run through near everything they’ve released.
#17
Painkiller – Samsara
Painkiller, the experimental trio of John Zorn, Bill Laswell, and Mick Harris, continues to redefine boundaries with their latest record, Samsara. Blending harsh electronic loops, Zorn’s frenetic alto sax improvisations, and Laswell’s grounding basslines, the album offers a unique fusion of free jazzing industrial dub. Samsara is the first studio recording in 30 years to feature the original lineup, and was completed despite Laswell’s ailing health, so it goes without saying that this is a pretty special record.
#16
Thurston Moore – Flow Critical Lucidity
From Sonic Youth maestro to noise aficionado to nine solo releases and a new life in London, Thurston Moore’s life and legacy is looking rather full. On his most recent solo effort, Flow Critical Lucidity, the record offers a restless blend of experimental soundscapes and introspective grunge, exploring themes of nature, art, and renewal across its seven tracks.
#15
Kim Gordon – The Collective
I have to admit, I didn’t see this record coming. Yet, as surprising as it was, it turned out to be incredibly bold and refreshing. Admittedly, I seem to be in the minority of those who genuinely enjoy the heavily experimental sounds of Body/Head and Sonic Youth’s more abstract moments, and I would have welcomed another round of single-chord meditations and droning chants. Alas, that was not to be. Instead, we got a (very) contemporary blend of trap and electronica—and honestly, I’m not complaining.
#14
Xiu Xiu – 13″ Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips
Eclectic as ever, XIU XIU returns with their latest mouthful of an album title, 13″ Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips. On this release, the experimental trio blends their signature intensity with a more grounded, rock-oriented approach, offering some of their most straightforward and accessible material. Mixing noisy, lo-fi tracks with moments of reflection, 13″ makes for a record that feels like both a nod to their past and a step forward for the group.
#13
The Jesus Lizard – Rack
The Jesus Lizard return with their newest album, Rack on Ipecac records. After a 26 year hiatus, somehow it feels like no time has passed at all. The raw intensity and give-it-all delivery remain in-tact, particularly so in tracks like “Grind” and “Alexis Feels Sick”. Seamlessly revisiting their chaotic yet masterful sound, Rack is essential for old fans and new.
#12
Drew McDowall – A Thread, Silvered and Trembling
Coil ended a long time ago now, and so did the lives of John Balance and Peter ‘Sleazy’ Christopherson, but the experimental grace of Drew McDowall has lived on. On his latest album, McDowall weaves a haunting and intricate tapestry of electro-acoustic sounds, blending strings, harp, and ghostly voices with subtle electronic processing. The result is a profound and captivating meditation on mortality and dissonance, where delicate structures give way to an immersive, unsettling grandeur that rewards full, attentive listening.
#11
Aluk Tododo – Lux
Blackened occult krautrock from France? Yes, please. Aluk Todolo’s fifth album, Lux, features a hypnotic blend of blackened krautrock, reminiscent of Skullflower’s darker excursions. Having collaborated with Der Blutharsch, the French trio delivers a captivating, ritualistic performance that bridges black metal philosophy with motorik grooves and space-rock atmospheres.
#10
Cold Cave – Passion Depression
Clocking in just over 30 minutes, Cold Cave’s Passion Depression is a concentrated burst of darkwave and synth-pop brilliance, marking their most potent release since Cherish the Light Years. Eight tracks range from pulsating club anthems like ‘Shadow Dance’ to introspective, ethereal pieces like ‘Octavia,’ the album explores themes of despair, longing, and transcendence, and solidifies Cold Cave’s legacy as some of the best goth/darkwave out.
#9
Pharmakon – Maggot Mass
On Maggot Mass, Pharmakon blends her abrasive power electronics with structured, almost melodic elements to create a confronting meditation on death and humanity’s destructive impact on the environment. The album’s tribal percussion and deep bellowed vocals evoke the primal intensity of Cop/Young God era Swans, while its layered noise and visceral clarity make it one of her most cathartic works yet. Other times, Margaret Chardiet’s vocal delivery approaches the closest thing to singing we’ve heard from the project (bar a Nancy Sinatra cover on Bestial Burden). With five tracks that jump between oppressive chaos and grim reflection, it’s a chilling exploration of decay, both personal and ecological.
#8
Black Curse – Burning in Celestial Poison
In the words of staff writer, Anthony Cooley:
“Fully expected this to be normie and dud. Surprisingly good“.
Agreed, Anthony. Agreed.
#7
Bongripper – Empty
As far as I’m concerned, Bongripper sit among the linchpins of modern doom metal. Known for their humorously grim titles (Satan Worshipping Doom, Heroin, Terminal…) and unrelenting heaviness, they craft instrumental doom that marries crushing repetition with intricate grooves, layering influences from post-metal, black metal, and more. Their latest album, Empty, exemplifies this mastery, with sprawling compositions like ‘Nothing’ and the title track blending oppressive riffs, dynamic pacing, and cathartic climaxes. It’s a dense, evocative journey that reaffirms Bongripper’s status as innovators in the genre.
#6
Ben Frost – Scope Neglect
Released on Mute, Ben Frost’s Scope Neglect marks the first album in 6 years from the Iceland-based Australian expat. Featuring Greg Kubacki’s abrasive, deconstructed metal riffs and Frost’s meticulous production, the album shifts between pulverizing force and unsettling quiet. With its mix of cinematic textures, arrhythmic beats, and ambient interludes, Scope Neglect offers a dark, unsettling journey that challenges conventional sonic wisdom and delivers some of Frost’s most intense and intricate work to date.
#5
Diocletian – Inexorable Nexus
Celebrating 20 years of relentless brutality, latest album Inexorable Nexus from New Zealand’s Diocletian is a masterclass in war metal ferocity. Blending raw blackened death metal riffs with precision-crafted percussion and scathing vocals, the band delivers an unrelenting sonic assault. With contributions from extreme metal luminaries (Ryan Forster of Conqueror / Death Worship and Caller Of The Storms of Blasphemy) and a return to their primal roots, the album cements their status as one of the genre’s most formidable forces.
#4
The Cure – Songs of a Lost World
It’s been 16 years since The Cure’s last album, 4:13 Dream, but somehow Robert Smith’s vocal sounds basically unchanged since Pornography. Their long-awaited return, Songs of a Lost World, features lush instrumentation and a pace that feels unhurried yet purposeful. Smith’s haunting voice footholds the album, creating a dark, atmospheric journey of brightness and melancholy, proving the band’s timeless ability to craft deeply affecting music.
#3
Shellac – To All Trains
Steve Albini died this year. I say that bluntly, so as to match the suddenness of said news. So shocking was his death, I still don’t think it’s been fully processed by the wider music community. It happened 10 days before the release of Shellac’s sixth album (seventh if you’re counting the hyper exclusive The Futurust), To All Trains. The album concludes with the track, ‘I Don’t Fear Hell’ and lyrics “Something something something when this is over/Leap in my grave like the arms of a lover/And if there’s a heaven, I hope they’re havin’ fun, ’cause if there’s a hell I’m gonna know everyone.” As far as last words to your fans go, surely they can’t get much more real than this, delivered with Albini’s characteristically sardonic wit. Overall, To All Trains is a lean, uncompromising 28 minutes of sharp, caustic tracks. Classically, unmistakably, Shellac.
RIP Steve Albini.
#2
Consumer Electronics – Surge
Philip Best owns a publishing house (Amphetamine Sulphate) and has a PhD in English Literature, so it’s only fitting that his music verses carry the following eloquence:
“She worked in the Red Light District in Swindon and Bristol, she told me they had made her take off her cardigan, put it in dog mess, and put it back on, she became withdrawn, and made cut marks up her arms, I wrapped her arms in towels, her voice increasingly shrill and brittle“
Surge‘s raw, abrasive soundscapes, courtesy of Russell Haswell, amplify Best’s grim observations of societal collapse, with lyrics that vividly detail sordid realities and psychological torment. Through its mix of noise, techno, and dissonant rhythms, Surge captures a visceral, almost voyeuristic examination of a crumbling world. Delivered by one of the greatest observationists ever to have yelled his way through the experimental world.
#1
Departure Chandelier – Satan Soldier of Fortune
Hot off the back of an absolutely epic performance on the Saturday of the Nuclear War Now / Hospital Fest in Osaka earlier this year, Departure Chandelier’s first performance (yes, the first) was a fitting crown to this superb piece of Napoleonic war black metal.
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Their second full-length channels raw, distorted guitar tones, melodic keyboards, and intense, unhinged vocals. The album explores themes of war profiteering and the aftermath of Napoleon’s rise to power, portraying the exploitation of the fallen and the rise of a tyrant amidst decay and corruption. Departure Chandelier’s raw and stripped-down black metal, original themes, and blistering performance in Osaka (if you were there, you know) make Satan Soldier of Fortune one of the most exciting and most impactful releases of the year.
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