Tops

My Top 5 Albums of 2024: Another Amazing Year

Joshe Onate

• 2 min read
My Top 5 Albums of 2024: Another Amazing Year
Photo by Blaz Photo / Unsplash

This year, 2024, has been a whirlwind for new releases in the Rock and Metal scene. From beloved bands making triumphant comebacks to unexpected genre shifts and highly anticipated albums, the landscape has been anything but predictable.

Here are my personal top 5 Rock and Metal albums that stood out to me in 2024. While I may have missed a few gems, I believe this list highlights the best the industry has to offer this year. Stay tuned—later this week, I'll be sharing a comprehensive list of all the albums I listened to this year, complete with my ratings.

Let's dive in!

5. Weather Systems - Ocean Without a Shore
95

Daniel Cavanagh comes back with this new project, Weather Systems, a name based on a previous Anathema album and certainly not disappointing with an emotive and atmospheric work of art honouring the style of Anathema's legacy perfectly.

4. Judas Priest – Invincible Shield
95

Rob Halford and company's natural transition from the highly successful Firepower, is demonstrated this year with a mix of classical heavy Judas Priest with some reminiscent of previous albums, especially for Glenn Tipton's guitar sections and an extremely well-produced record.

3. Vola – Friend of a Phantom
97

The Danish of Vola surprised everyone this year with an album that despite having songs shorter in length compared with previous years, still delivers complexity and catchy lyrics not without making us journey through some atmospheric tracks along the way.

2. Frost* – Life In The Wires
98

After the success of Day and Age, Jem Godfrey's project returns with a direct sequel about artificial intelligence and deep thoughts about a dystopian alternate universe. The result is a record that tries to return to the first album Milliontown with a more modern vibe, continuing the storytelling that started with Day and Age.

1. Opeth – The Last Will and Testament
100

The highly anticipated album from the Swedish, alongside one of the best collaborations yet with the addition of Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) in the flute and voices, shows why Opeth is a staple in the progressive metal scene. It's probably the best Opeth album since Blackwater Park. It's an extraordinary story, with an ominous and dark atmosphere, one of the main characteristics that sets Opeth apart from most bands of the same genre. Without a doubt the best album of 2024 and a true masterpiece.

Honorable Mentions