Written: Early December 2024
2024 was special for me in terms of music. It marks the first complete calendar year of the publication of articles on this website. I reviewed close to one hundred albums this year and have been sent and listened to many more.
Hotel Hobbies is a one man venture and is completed in spare time alongside a full time job and sometimes that slips away too quickly. As such, I would like to note that there are three albums in particular that I unfortunately have not spent nearly enough time with and therefore have not been placed in this countdown. They are the albums by Fit For An Autopsy, Nightwish and David Gilmour – all artists I have deep respect and a love for; it pains me that they do not feature below.
As is in the nature of the website, the albums included range from death metal to ethereal moments of serenity via progressive and melodic rock. Enjoy the journey and maybe try something new with my playlist at the end of this article.
40: Týr – Battle Ballads
Following the recording of the live album A Night at the Nordic House, with the Symphony Orchestra of the Faroe Islands, Heri Joensen wanted to bring together classical and folk in one album. Battle Ballads (full review here) adds some enthrallingly grandiosity to the music but this never threatens to overwhelm the metallic aspects of the band’s sound. From the beautiful Torkils Døtur to the rampaging Row, Týr show they still understand how to captivate fans.
Favourite track: Hammered
39: Infected Rain – Time
Raising the bar from their previous album - Ecdysis, Infected Rain produced an album full of soaring melody, uncompromising lyrics and soaring melody. With a significant number of live shows to support it, Time (full review here) welcomed new bassist Alice Lane to the line-up and saw Infected Rain defying simple genre classification, with the quartet traversing nu-metal, thrash metal, progressive metal and some interesting uses of electronica.
Favourite Track: Because I Let You
38: Final Coil – The World We Inherited
The culmination of the Persistence trilogy and with influences ranging from Tool, Pink Floyd, Alice in Chains, Katatonia and Massive Attack, The World We Inherited (full review here) is an album that fully rewards any time invested. With some of the most thought provoking lyrics of the year, Final Coil ask us to look internally towards our own values. Crammed with primeval emotions and a vast breadth of styles, it is a complex, bewitching but occasionally chilling album.
Favourite Track: By Starlight
37: Dark Tranquillity – Endtime Signals
Operating as a five piece once again, Dark Tranquillity prepared to begin a new chapter in their existence. Endtime Signals (full review here) is a thoughtful and varied release that plays with hostile, vulnerable, passionate and cinematic aspects. The band’s inherent melody may now be a greater part of their sound than the higher tempo, combative elements of their music during recent times, but this album is wonderfully played and innovatively crafted.
Favourite track: One Of Us Is Gone
36: FM – Old Habits Die Hard
Making up part of the melodic rock landscape since 1984, FM celebrated their fortieth anniversary with the release of this, their fourteenth album. Old Habits Die Hard (full review here) continues their tradition of dependably solid albums which pay homage to their roots while keeping their sound relevant to more modern times.
Favourite track: Black Water
35: Job For A Cowboy – Moon Healer
Almost ten years after the release of Sun Eater, Job For A Cowboy returned with an album that said to hell with anyone’s pre-conceived ideas of what a new album should be. This year's release expands even more deeply on the lyrical ideas of Sun Eater and heads even further into the abyss of experimentation, conceptual lyrics, volatility and aggression. Moon Healer (full review here) challenges and incentives the determined listener both musically and lyrically.
Favourite track: The Forever Rot
34: Bruce Dickinson – The Mandrake Project
Any release involving the Iron Maiden frontman is bound to attract attention but his first solo album in nineteen years was bound to garner more than most. With a substantial concept, accompanying comic books and some intriguing teases, Dickinson created quite a sense of anticipation leading up to the album’s release. It was good to see him making an album completely on his own terms again and the resulting album was one of the most re-listenable of the year. Read my review of his London show to promote the album here.
Favourite track: Fingers In The Wounds
33: Rotting Christ - Pro Xristou
Continuing with the melodic gothic sound that has inhabited their last few albums, Rotting Christ remain one of the most respected bands within the metal community. With lyrical depth, and dusky magnificent and tenebrous elegance, Pro Xristou (full review here) is a complete realisation of Rotting Christ’s most recent evolution, which ranges from the sweeping cinematic nature of Saoirse to the colossal riffs of La Lettera Del Diavolo.
Favourite track: Like Father, Like Son
32: Leprous – Melodies of Atonement
In a deliberate attempt to remove the orchestral elements of their sound and in the words of Einar Solberg, to “focus everything more around the actual members of the band,” Leprous combined an increased amount of electronic embellishments with some of their heavier elements. Covering a vibrant spectrum of sounds and featuring another mind-blowing performance from Solberg, Melodies of Atonement (full review here) is another bold stride forward.
Favourite track: Starlight
31: Attic Theory – What We Fear The Most
Crammed with memorable post-grunge and melodic alt-rock tracks, What We Fear The Most (full review here) is the result of several years of hard work from the band including the recovery of vocalist Lewis Wright from throat surgery. It ranges from the barbed lyrics of Sweet Parasite to the more reflective Million Little Things and the haunting final track The Legacy. An album on which almost any track could be released as a single, Attic Theory fully harness their ability to write irresistibly catchy music.
Favourite track: Papier-Mâché
30: Vanden Plas – The Empyrean Equation of the Long Lost Things
Following the first line-up change in the band’s forty year history, keyboardist Alessandro Del Vecchio made his debut appearance for Vanden Plas. Making an immediate impact, he plays beautifully throughout the album (full review here). By its very nature, it is expansive, cinematic and epic; however, the care given to the sumptuous arrangements and inviting production is such that the band have found the perfect equilibrium between their melodic, progressive and metallic elements.
Favourite track: My Icarian Flight
29: 200 Stab Wounds – Manual Manic Procedures
Taking a significantly upward trajectory in terms of song writing and structure, Manual Manic Procedures (full review here) blends old-school death metal influences and modern sonic innovation to create a relentless auditory assault that remains uncompromising in its intensity, while being varied and far from one-dimensional. The album’s raw, unfiltered aggression is complemented by sophisticated but not overly clinical production.
Favourite track: Hands of Eternity
28: Tribulation - Sub Rosa In Æternum
Far removed from the rampant death metal of their early days, Tribulation make no apology for this and as such, Tribulation’s sixth album Sub Rosa In Æternum (full review here) blends a fascinating combination of gothic rock, post-punk and electronic elements with compelling melodies and haunting textures. Encompassing moments of opulent splendour to sections of understated simplicity, Tribulation deliver an enigmatically alluring album.
Favourite track: Murder In Red
27: Winterfylleth – The Imperious Horizon
Approaching their twentieth year as a band, Winterfylleth are now true veterans of the atmospheric black metal genre. With the longest gap between their studio albums to date, the quintet spent time honing The Imperious Horizon (full review here) and it shows. From elongated, vigorous passages to moments of almost regal radiance and segments of monumental scope, there is enough variety within the album (and often within tracks) to maintain the listener’s interest. Quite possibly the best album they have ever made.
Favourite track: In Silent Grace
26: Magnum – Here Comes The Rain
I was lucky enough to review this album before the sad and untimely passing of Tony Clarkin and I will be forever grateful that I had that privilege. Commercially, the band’s premier league days may be behind them, but that should in no way be taken as a reflection of the standard of music Magnum produced in recent years. Much like a master’s football team, they showed younger players that class is permanent - they have been remarkably consistent and Here Comes The Rain (full review here) is a worthy addition to their legacy.
Favourite track: The Day He Lied
25: The Cure – Songs Of A Lost World
For some reason, The Cure are a band that have largely passed me by, the odd single aside. However, several friends were keen to point out that watching the band’s livestream gig on the day of this album’s release would be a good idea. It was a scintillating performance and as such, I have begun a deep dive into their back catalogue. A moody, atmospheric gem full of stately and enthralling tracks, Songs Of A Lost World, has opened a significant rabbit hole for me.
Favourite track: Endsong
24: earthtone9 – In Resonance Nexus
After an eleven year hiatus, earthtone9 returned with an album (full review here) that inhabits a range of metal sub-genres. A band that deserve to be far bigger than they are, In Resonance Nexus ensures the distinctive earthtone9 sound remains intact, while embracing the varied and vibrant musical evolution that is abundantly evident throughout these ten songs. It was wonderful to see such an inventive band return with an incredibly strong album.
Favourite track: Black Swan Roulette
23: Belore – Eastern Tales
Belore (one-man project of French vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Aleevok) seeks to create imaginary natural landscapes in which epic medieval adventures take place. With excellent use of tempo, dynamics and timbres, Aleevok completely reflects each element of his portrayal with unerring accuracy. Simultaneously cinematic, imposing, pastoral and dark, Eastern Tales (full review here) ranges from atmospheric black metal to music that reflects the more bucolic moments of Mike Oldfield or even Enya.
Favourite track: Storm Of An Ancient Age
22: Stryper – When We Were Kings
Having followed Stryper as a non-Christian since 1986, it has been fascinating to witness the band’s journey, from their classic 1980s albums, the controversial (but brilliant) Against The Law, their hiatus and their triumphant return. When We Were Kings (full review here) finds each and every member of the band on stunning form. Perfectly sequenced, the album flows wonderfully, balancing the metallic tracks with the ballads. Continuing their string of great albums, this is their best since the virtually flawless Fallen.
Favourite track: Trinity
21: Saxon – Hell, Fire and Damnation
Hell, Fire and Damnation (full review here) finds Saxon continuing their excellent run of form. One of the most consistent bands of the last forty years, they continue to defy time and Biff Byford remains as formidable as ever. Having seen them headline Stonedead Festival in August this year, I can confirm they still put on a spectacular live show. The introduction of Brian Tatler must be one of the smoothest handovers in the band’s history and here he creates an energetic partnership with Doug Scarratt.
Favourite track: Fire and Steel
20: Disconnected Souls – Fragments of Consciousness
With a musical world traversing the genres of techno, EDM, pop and metal – from symphonic to djent to industrial – Disconnected Souls set no limits. Fragments of Consciousness (full review here) is an album which dares you to throw away your pre-conceptions of genre, your wish for traditional song structure and to embrace the unexpected and uninvited. Lyrically, the album is a triumph asking us to examine our inner psyche and re-evaluate the world around us. It will delight many, confuse some and horrify others.
Favourite track: Fragments
19: Wheel – Charismatic Leaders
On their third album, Wheel further investigate the weightier side of their music. “This is our heavy album,” James Lascelles stated. “For the people who like metal and are into Wheel music, this is the one for them.” With Charismatic Leaders (full review here), Wheel built spectacularly on everything that has come before while simultaneously maintaining the core of their identity and developing the ambit of their musical palette.
Favourite track: The Freeze
18: Hideous Divinity – Unextinct
On Unextinct (full review here), Hideous Divinity stepped up another level with their songwriting, their technicality and their production. Further developing the blackened death metal part of their sound has allowed for a little more variety during recent years and here, they embrace it more fully. There is a rich tapestry of dynamic wizardry, powerful performances and all out brutality waiting to be discovered, along with deep lyrical concepts and subtle musical and vocal nuances.
Favourite track: The Numinous One
17: Luna Sees – The Darkness and The Light
Extending from alternative, pop rock, folk and progressive rock, The Darkness and The Light (full review here) explores a rich vein of emotions: love, loss, pain, joy, depression, recovery, hopes and fears. With some exquisite instrumentation and vocals, it is an album that fans of Pink Floyd, Marillion, Fleetwood Mac, All About Eve and Nine Stones Close (amongst others) would enjoy.
Favourite track: Circles
16: Forndom – Moþir
Firmly rooted in the genre of Nordic Folk, Forndom consistently produces beautiful and intoxicating music. A sister album to his previous release Faþir, it is clear how well they work as a pair, favouring mood and atmosphere over theatrics and fireworks. With a layered tapestry of sound that often borders on the cinematic, Forndom has produced another remarkable album (full review here).
Favourite track: Den kärlek som vi gav
15: Jon Anderson and the Band Geeks – True
True (full review here) stands as testament to the enduring appeal of Jon Anderson, his voice and his lyrical philosophies. Along with each member of The Band Geeks, he is on exceptional form throughout and they have produced an album which captures the essence of the music for which Anderson is best known. Sitting somewhere between the sound of Yes from the early 1970s and 90125, it is an outstanding progressive rock album.
Favourite track: Counties and Countries
14: Public Service Broadcasting – The Last Flight
While I fully enjoy every album by Public Service Broadcasting, The Last Flight (full review here) is probably my favourite since The Race For Space. This is more an indication of the truly remarkable quality of The Last Flight than a reflection on the interceding releases. Amelia Earhart is the perfect subject for the band and they produced a musical journey of inherent beauty and tasteful elegance. Their unswerving ability to capture and illustrate historical events through music continues to entrance, which it certainly did at their concert in Aylesbury in October (reviewed here).
Favourite track: The South Atlantic
13: Judas Priest – Invincible Shield
Needing no introduction to any metal fan, Judas Priest continued the excellent form they produced on Firepower with another album full of ready made anthems. Rob Halford still sounds incredible, especially considering his advancing years, and is showing no sign of slowing down; the band have just announced more live dates for next year. Invincible Shield is a defiant, blistering retort to anyone who feels the band should call it a day.
Favourite track: As God Is My Witness
12: Evergrey – Theories of Emptiness
Defined by Tom Englund’s emotive vocals and their atmospheric blend of guitars and keyboards, Evergrey have maintained a core sound even when they explored different facets of metal and progressive rock. On Theories of Emptiness (full review here), Evergrey more than delivered on Tom Englund’s promise to avoid stagnation. It is, without doubt, worthy of a place amongst the very best of their albums. With some delightful vocal contributions from Jonas Renske of Katatonia and Tom’s daughter Salina, Evergrey investigate themes of displacement, loneliness and the struggle to find one’s place in the world.
Favourite track: Falling From The Sun
11: Blaze Bayley – Circle Of Stone
Blaze Bayley is one of the most hardworking and most likeable characters in music today. He has a true passion for what he does and Circle of Stone (full review here) is amongst his best studio albums. Although he recorded the album in 2023, it was not released until after he successfully recovered from a quadruple heart bypass operation. He toured the album and it remains one of my favourite gigs of the year (review here). He exemplifies the never say die attitude of rock and heavy metal.
Favourite track: Rage
10: Steve Hackett – The Circus and The Nightwhale
The legendary Steve Hackett is one of the most loved characters and guitarists in the history of progressive rock and his prolific output during the last decade continued with one of the strongest albums of his career. Embracing the blues, searing progressive rock and gentle ballads, The Circus and The Nightwhale (full review here) is a partially autobiographical tale. It was an absolute pleasure to interview him (read here) about the album and his career back in the early part of 2024.
Favourite track: Ghost Moon and Living Love
9: Nine Stones Close – Diurnal
In 2024, Nine Stones Close released two albums, their first since 2016. Diurnal - the first of the pair and the band’s fifth full length album – was released in July (full review here). Another magnificent release, the album is full of careful, nuanced and understated performances. Lyrically - although he remains very self-conscious about them - Adrian Jones continues to employ powerful meaning and interesting cadence arrangements, rather than an overwhelming number of words; he is one of the most unique lyricists of recent years.
Favourite track: Angel of Flies
8: Opeth – The Last Will and Testament
On their first new music in five years, Opeth returned with an album that tells a fascinating tale. Much has been made of the return of growling vocals; Mikael Åkerfeldt shows that he is just as adept at delivering moments of genuine passion and intrigue as he ever was. Personally, I never had a problem with Opeth’s deep dive into progressive rock over their previous four albums (although Heritage still has never fully clicked with me); nevertheless, this is their strongest material since the underrated Watershed. Due to its fairly recent release, the albums above it in this list have had more time to fully work their way under my skin and given time, it may well rise higher.
Favourite track: §5
7: Blood Incantation – Absolute Elsewhere
Blood Incantation have been building towards an album like Absolute Elsewhere for several years. An amalgamation of the captivating ambience of Timewave Zero and the pummelling death metal of Hidden History of the Human Race, Absolute Elsewhere is a triumph of genre-blending, conceptual narrative, lush textures, progressive elements and atmospheric soundscapes. Listeners are taken on a journey through the cosmos, experiencing both brutality and ethereal beauty - a testament to Blood Incantation’s ability to push the boundaries of their sound.
Favourite track: The Stargate (Tablet II)
6: Eivør – Enn
As one of the most unique artists of her generation, Eivør has established herself in the hearts and minds of a wide range of music fans – from pop to folk to metal - due to her crossing of musical genres and pushing the boundaries of the expected. Sung entirely in Faroese, Enn (full review here) confirmed her status as one of the most gifted vocalists of her generation. It leaves the listener utterly spellbound and each track resonates with a radiantly divine energy, a confluence of ancient tradition and contemporary artistry. Having seen her perform the entire album, I can confirm it is even more spellbinding in the live arena.
Favourite track: Enn
5: Anciients – Beyond The Reach of the Sun
On Beyond The Reach of the Sun (full review here), Anciients exude self-assurance without ever becoming self-indulgent. Jesse Gander’s superb production is sympathetic to the melodic and heavier aspects of the album - every instrument and vocal inflection can be individually heard. It blends the pummelling dimensions of earlier releases with increasing nods to their progressive rock attributes and a willingness to afford the songs greater aural expansiveness.
Favourite track: Is It Your God
4: Suldusk – Anthesis
Originally a solo project conceived by Australian Emily Highfield, Suldusk now features a full-band line-up. Dark folk, blackgaze, post-rock, doom and black metal all feature within the music. Characterised by the balance of light and shade, darkness and hope, spirit and suffering, Anthesis (full review here) is a statement of intent by Highfield (who was great fun to interview - read it here) and her band. Through its forty six minutes, the album takes the listener on an exceptionally affecting odyssey of emotions.
Favourite track: Crowns Of Esper
3: Ihsahn – Ihsahn
Put simply, Ihsahn is a musical genius. Combining elements (both musically and lyrically) from different genres that others would not dare to meld, he has trodden a unique path throughout his career and explored any element of actuality that has captured his interest. Released in two editions (both reviewed here), the metal version is as astonishingly intense and momentous as any fan could hope for, while the orchestral version is enigmatic, bold and at times stark, yet never less than enthralling.
Favourite track: At The Heart Of All Things Broken
2: Nine Stones Close – Adventures In Anhedonia
Following an avalanche of creativity from main songwriter Adrian Jones in 2023, rock band Nine Stones Close released their second album of the year (full review here) in November. It is an experience so electrifying, it ensnares the senses and leaves one utterly spellbound. As a collective, Nine Stones Close have produced the best album of their career (no mean feat considering the standards they have set) and as a songwriter, lyricist and guitarist, Adrian Jones has produced his masterpiece.
Favourite track: Hole
1: Borknagar - Fall
Fall (full review here) is a natural progression from True North, using the tones and colours for which the band have become known but also expanding their lyrical approach to encapsulate the depth of experience and understanding of the true nature of life that comes with age. Speaking with Øystein G. Brun was one of my most enjoyable interviews of the year (read it here). Thoughtfully combining their black metal heritage with pastoral, progressive and neo-folk influences, Borknagar have added to their string of consecutively strong albums. An impressive and worthy album of the year; I could have chosen any track as my favourite for inclusion on my playlist below.
Favourite track: Moon
Listen to my Top 40 Albums of 2024 sampler (my favourite track from each release) below - with the exception of Circles by Luna Sees as the album was not released on Spotify but can be heard here. https://lunasees.bandcamp.com/album/the-darkness-the-light