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The Year In Review – Top 10 Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Albums of 2024

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“Fans still compare me to Bruce Dickinson. I have people coming up to me and saying, Don’t you know that could’ve been you? And I tell them, That was me! I just didn’t want it..” – Paul Di’Anno

It’s hard to put into words the loss of our beloved Paul Andrews (17 May 1958 – 21 October 2024), better known by his stage name Paul Di’Anno, one of the most iconic musicians in the history of heavy music, helping Iron Maiden be what they’re today by giving that edgier vibe to the albums Iron Maiden and Killers, therefore influencing all future generations of musicians not only in Heavy Metal, but also in Punk Rock and Rock N’ Roll. He was a legend and will be sorely missed by anyone who loves good music. There’s not much we can do at The Headbanging Moose to honor his life and work, but we’ll keep celebrating heavy music in his name for as long as we can. I wish he could have played one final show in Toronto so Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I could have registered such a unique moment in the city, but unfortunately time is not always in our favor. Anyway, it might be a very sad year to the metal community worldwide with an irreplaceable loss like that, but heavy music lives on, and that’s why here we have once again The Headbanging Moose’s Top 10 Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Albums of 2024, excluding EP’s, best of’s and live albums, to keep the spirit alive and keep raising our horns to countless metal musicians like our great Paul Di’Anno.

1. Judas Priest – Invincible Shield (REVIEW)
Nothing can stand in the way of the Metal Gods as they raise the invincible shield of Heavy Metal.
Best song of the album: The Serpent and the King

2. Werewolves – Die For Us (REVIEW)
Australia’s most savage beast is back with their fifth studio opus, a lecture in Death Metal perfect for beating anyone back to life.
Best song of the album: Spittle-Flecked Rant

3. Aborted – Vault of Horrors (REVIEW)
These Death Metal and Deathcore beasts open their demonic vault of horrors to bring brutality, gore and evil to our damned souls.
Best song of the album: Death Cult

4. Necrowretch – Swords of Dajjal (REVIEW)
This French Blackened Death Metal horde returns blacker than ever with a magnificent opus dedicated to the Islamic Antichrist.
Best song of the album: Vae Victis

5. Gaerea – Coma (REVIEW)
The torchbearers of present-day Black Metal arise again, erupting with intensity, casting forth black ashes over the world.
Best song of the album: Coma

6. Blood Incantation – Absolute Elsewhere (REVIEW)
Blood Incantation offer us all two sensational compositions that are as confounding as they are engaging in their scope.
Best song of the album: The Stargate [Tablet I]

7. Benighted – Ekbom (REVIEW)
Let’s dive into the auditory abyss with this Brutal Death Metal and Grindcore entity armed with their newborn beast.
Best song of the album: Fame of the Grotesque

8. Fleshgod Apocalypse – Opera (REVIEW)
One of the torchbearers of Symphonic Death Metal worldwide returns with their strongest opus to date.
Best song of the album: I Can Never Die

9. Arhat – Secrets of Ancient Gods (REVIEW)
The newborn spawn by this Ukrainian horde will take you on a journey into the world of ancient gods and mysterious rituals.
Best song of the album: Abyss of Flame

10. Grand Magus – Sunraven (REVIEW)
Sweden’s own Heavy and Doom Metal institution is back with a new collection of battle hymns inspired by the tale of Beowulf and Grendel.
Best song of the album: Skybound

And here we have the runner-ups, completing the top 20 for the year:

11. Ecclesia – Ecclesia Militans (REVIEW)
12. The Last of Lucy – Godform (REVIEW)
13. Rotting Christ – Προ Χριστού (Pro Xristou) (REVIEW)
14. Rage – Afterlifelines (REVIEW)
15. Ingested – The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams (REVIEW)
16. Blaze Bayley – Circle of Stone (REVIEW)
17. Striker – Ultrapower (REVIEW)
18. Kerry King – From Hell I Rise (REVIEW)
19. Accept – Humanoid (REVIEW)
20. Hiraes – Dormant (REVIEW)

In addition, as I always like to say, sometimes a band doesn’t need to release a full album to kick some ass, and that’s why we also have our Top 10 EP’s of 2024 to show that sometimes less is more, or maybe I should say, less is heavier!

1. Rifftera – Coda (REVIEW)
2. Trollwar – Tales from the Frozen Wastes (REVIEW)
3. Atavistia – Inane Ducam (REVIEW)
4. Ways. – Are We Still Alive? (REVIEW)
5. Enforced – A Leap Into The Dark (REVIEW)
6. Gutvoid – Breathing Obelisk (REVIEW)
7. Onslaught Kommand – Visions of Blood and Gore (REVIEW)
8. Golgothan Remains – Bearer of Light, Matriarch of Death (REVIEW)
9. Infernalivm – Conquering the Most High (REVIEW)
10. Dragoncorpse – Fall of House Abbarath (REVIEW)

Do you agree with our list? What are your top 10 albums of 2024? Also, don’t forget to tune in every Tuesday at 10pm BRT on Rádio Coringão to enjoy the best of classic and underground metal with Jorge Diaz and his Timão Metal, and every Thursday at 8pm UTC+2 on Midnight Madness Metal e-Radio for the best of underground metal with The Headbanging Moose Show!

Metal Xmas and a Headbanging New Year! See you in 2025!

In the end, there’s no Christmas-inspired song this year, nor anything festive like that, but I’ll leave you with the official video for one of the most important songs ever recorded by Iron Maiden, one with a strong punk and thrash vibe, with the one and only Paul Di’Anno on vocals. Let’s raise our horns to him forever and ever, my fellow metalheads! RIP legend!

Album Review – Rifftera / Coda EP (2024)

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This striking melodeath band from Finland is back with an amazing four-track EP that’s a straight continuation to their previous albums.

A straight continuation to their 2015 debut Pitch Black and their 2019 album  Across the Acheron, the short and sweet Coda is the brand new four-song EP by Finnish Melodic Death/Thrash Metal Rifftera, offering more of their mixture of melodeath and thrash as their foundation, in which the combination of tasty riffs and catchy melodies are added on. Produced, engineered, recorded and mixed by Janne Hietala, with additional recording by Mikko Kuoppamaa, mastered by Sami Koivisto at Biotech Audio Solutions, and displaying a futuristic artwork by Greek graphic designer Leon, the new EP by vocalists and guitarists Janne Hietala and Mikko Kuoppamaa, keyboardist Antti Pöntinen, bassist Jupe Karhu, and drummer Ville Härkönen consists of three electrifying original songs, plus a very special cover version for an all-time metal classic, keeping the band alive and kicking in the metal scene while they (most probably) work on their upcoming third full-length album.

And just like their previous creations, the opening track Carved in Skin presents a cinematic and dystopian atmosphere before Janne and Mikko begin their guitar and vocal attack for our total delight, showcasing an amazing balance between their caustic riffs and the whimsical keys by Antti while Ville shows no mercy for his drums. Quicksand then offers a striking, headbanging blend of their trademark Melodic Death and Thrash Metal, this time with the clean vocals by Janne and Mikko bringing a touch of finesse to their heavy and piercing sounds. Not only that, once again the keys by Antti sound truly embracing amidst the rumbling kitchen by Jupe and Ville. No Turning Back, the third original song of the EP, is just as exciting as its predecessors, sounding utterly heavy and hammering thanks to Ville, resulting in another great candidate to feature on their live performances. And lastly, we’re treated to their killer cover version for Iron Maiden’s Moonchild, which was originally released in their 1988 masterpiece Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, and the band was not only capable of keeping the core essence of the original song intact but also of adding their own Melodic Death Metal twist to it, with the final result sounding simply fantastic.

“Over the years we have been discussing the possibility of recording a cover song. Some of us have been listening to a lot of Iron Maiden and Moonchild has popped out as a song that has the right atmosphere and is fun to play. Of course, there’s a difference compared to our own songs – less brutality and more 80’s & well, Maiden-feel, but the result fits into Coda surprisingly well. Our vocal abilities are pretty damn far from Bruce Dickinson’s, but it was a good challenge to handle Iron Maiden song in our way. We actually might have even learned something in the process,” commented Janne, and you can experience all that, plus of course enjoy their awesome original songs from Coda, by streaming the EP in full on Spotify, and by purchasing it from this location. Don’t forget to also follow the band on Facebook and on Instagram, hopefully catching them on tour, and to keep waving the flag of Melodic Death and Thrash Metal together with one of the most electrifying bands of the current Finnish scene, always banging your heads to awesome releases like their newborn Coda.

Best moments of the album: Quicksand and Moonchild.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2024 Inverse Records

Track listing
1. Carved in Skin 5:36
2. Quicksand 5:35
3. No Turning Back 6:32
4. Moonchild (Iron Maiden cover) 5:15

Band members
Janne Hietala – harsh & clean vocals, guitars
Mikko Kuoppamaa – clean vocals, guitars
Antti Pöntinen – keyboards
Jupe Karhu – bass
Ville Härkönen – drums