Black metal is well situated towards the end of our End of Year content, not because it's somehow lesser but because of its aesthetic and thematic connection with the minor, the sinister, and the hidden. As time goes on and I spend more time with this sub-genre, one to which I came to late but quickly grew to love, I am less and less interested in the big names it has to offer (or their style) and more fascinated with the endless blooming happening in its margins. The list below should show you this fact - black metal might be the most interesting, varied, and fractured of the metal sub-genres.
Which is as at it should be.
-Eden Kupermintz
Jonathan’s Top 10
Aquilus - Bellum II
In the realm of symphonic black metal, there are few (if any) voices that ring as clearly and powerfully as that of Australian one-man project Aquilus. Three full-length records in and the consistency in quality is altogether remarkable, and Bellum II, the second part of the Bellum cycle, is the project’s most bold and grand statement yet. A lush, fully immersive smorgasbord of orchestral black metal goodness, Bellum II is one of the best releases of the year and an easy inclusion on this list. Of particular note, it’s been truly impressive watching Waldorf expand his compositional repertoire in a way that still definitively feels like Aquilus but also shows marked advances in his ability to create new margins to the project’s pre-established sonic spaces. Each composition ebbs and flows brilliantly, but it doesn’t feel like a retread of previous territory. Each new addition to this project’s discography feels like an earned revelation, and I cannot wait to see what happens next.
Cave Sermon - Divine Laughter
Continuing the trend of one-person Australian black metal sensations, this list would be wholly incomplete without the inclusion of and an opportunity to gush about Charlie Park’s absolutely phenomenal sophomore outing as Cave Sermon. To put it bluntly, Divine Laughter is a beautiful abomination of a record. Blending astonishing passages of ethereal and eerie beauty with complete and total chaos, there are no records released in 2024 that feel even remotely similar to Divine Laughter. The songwriting range here is both absolutely absurd and deeply impressive, balancing what is perceivably a million different sounds and textures into a tumultuous multi-headed hydra of black and death metal avant-garde goodness. Park’s instrumentation is also sublime, pulling together one of the most impressive and unhinged overall performances of the year. There’s nothing about this record that isn’t spellbinding. My highest recommendation.
Dawn Treader - Bloom & Decay
I miss Deafheaven. I mean, I know they’re technically still around, but it just isn’t the same. I miss SunBatHer. I miss feeling blissful. Hell, I’ll occasionally jump back into Bosse-de-Nage for an occasional fix. No disrespect to the Bosse. They slap. But there’s an emotional connection I have with Deafheaven that I haven’t felt in quite some time in a comparable fashion, until I heard Bloom & Decay. Yet another one-person juggernaut (are there any black metal bands that involve more than one person anymore? Yeesh.), Narnia’s own Dawn Treader is a revelation of a post-black metal record. The songwriting is lush and languid, developing compositions slowly and with purpose to often absolutely devastating emotional effect. There’s an emotional undercurrent here that is second to none in the black metal landscape of 2024, reaching Astronoid levels of peak emotive performance. There are few records from last year that brought actual tears to my eyes while listening, and if black metal can still touch this darkened and broken soul there’s hope and light in the world. It may be cringe to the trve, but I am so glad this record exists. Fantastic stuff, and filling the Deafheaven-shaped hole in my heart.
Kanonenfieber - Die Urkatastrophe
There’s War Metal, and then there’s “war metal.” Whether we’re talking about 1914, Panzerfaust, or even cornball ish like Sabaton, the concept of war has been a staple thematic tradition within the metal world since “War Pigs” hit the airwaves. But of all the bands throwing around wartime themes lyrically and musically, there are few if any that hit the nail on the head quite like Germany’s Kanonenfieber. The project helmed by Noise (ONE-MAN AGAIN HAHAHA WHAT THE FUCK) has released a significant range of material since debut Menschenmüle dropped in 2021, but Die Urkatastrophe is definitively the project’s shining moment. Aggressive, interesting, straightforward, intense, and thematically rich, this record is a consistently vicious affair that matches the intensity of its WWI content. There aren’t many active bands that have dived this headlong into their chosen subject matter, and rather than a simple increase in cringe factor I definitively see it as a feature of what makes Kanonenfieber a special entity in the black metal landscape. Excellent work.
Kvaen - The Formless Fires
I’m going to keep this short and simple: Kvaen simply does not miss. Ever. Three full-length records in and there isn’t a single black metal project that has touched the insanely high and consistent quality of Kvaen. The Formless Fires is no different. If you loved The Funeral Pyre and The Great Below, you’ll love this. Period.
Oranssi Pazuzu - Muuntauntuja
Ooooooh boy is this even black metal anymore? Finnish fiends Oranssi Pazuzu have built themselves a reputation as psychedelic black metal masters who shapeshift and contort their sound in ways that are wholly unique yet somehow exactly and only like themselves. I know that’s a convoluted sentence but, to be fair, this is a convoluted band. In the best way possible. Muuntauntuja is the Oranssi Pazuzu record that strays the furthest from the black metal path, but is also surprisingly one of their very best. Blending trip hop, noise, distinct electronics, and black metal, Muuntauntuja is a record that sounds literally like nothing else in music. It’s a spooky, haunting, horrifying, deeply weird, and sometimes elegant affair that, if there is a topper for this list, serves as the crowning achievement of what black metal-adjacent music is able to accomplish in 2024. Superb.
Paysage d'Hiver - Die Berge
Wintherr is an absolute legend in the black metal world. If you’re into atmospheric dalliances in this space at all, it’s almost impossible to not have been influenced by his work in Darkspace and Paysage d’Hiver in some fashion. While both projects released records in 2024, the latter had a much more profound impact on me. Originating from a state with big winters, Paysage d’Hiver has always held a special place in my heart, in a similar vein to my effusive praise of Unreqvited. Atmosphere is the name of the game here, and I don’t think there’s a project in black metal that serves up as much genuine immersion in a particular theme as Wintherr’s solo work. Die Berge is winter incarnate, instrumentally and production-wise. The riffs are potentially his most brutal to date, and their repetition hammers home a truly immersive experience that sucks you into the storm and never lets you go. A worthy entry into his decades-spanning body of work, Die Berge is a journey well worth taking. Succumb to the frostiness.
Sacrificial Vein - Black Terror Genesis
Some records are nasty. Others are NASTY. Sacrificial Vein’s scintillating debut Black Terror Genesis falls squarely into that category. Holy HELL does this thing rip and tear. Founding members J.U. and Elegist (of Nothingness and Aegaeon) have here crafted an avant-garde masterpiece that has been criminally underrated by the metal blogosphere this year, and I’m here to correct that industry-wide mistake. This record is good. Very good. Shockingly good. Especially for a debut. It honestly feels a bit like a spiritual sister in the black metal world to Black Curse’s latest record, replete with jagged edges and whiplash detours. It’s a veritable smorgasbord of delicious riffs and slippery hooks that sink themselves into you thoroughly and won’t let go. Just a fucking brilliant record. Stop procrastinating and give this thing a listen.
Saidan - Visual Kill: The Blossoming of Psychotic Depravity
In the world of black metal, craftsmanship doesn’t always feel like a particularly important trait. Sure, sheer aggression and chilly tremolo riffs are staples of the genre, but is it always, I don’t know… artful? That question is one of the reasons Nashville’s finest Saidan’s third record is such a sublime experience. Visual Kill: The Blossoming of Psychotic Depravity, despite its absolutely horrific thematic and lyrical content, is a deeply artful and well-constructed experience, hitting all of the emotional highs and playing all of the right notes. The songwriting here is absolutely phenomenal, with each track naturally progressing seamlessly and beautifully to the next. It’s a strangely exquisite experience layered over the darkest possible themes, and one I cannot recommend highly enough. This band will absolutely own USBM sooner rather than later, if they don’t already.
Sun Worship - Upon the Hills of Divination
I’ll let my previous words on this record stand pat, because not a single thing has changed:
“All one need do to fully digest the band’s general philosophy is give opening track “Within the Machine” a listen. An absolute high point in the band’s career thus far, the composition blends intensity and melody with delicious and vicious glee, building the entire track around a central riff that is one of my favorites that I’ve heard so far this year. It’s chock full of strange electronics, brutal instrumentation, and an inexplicable catchiness that shines through the madness. Of particular note is Hagedorn’s performance on the kit, which feels reminiscent of Mgła’s post-verse work on “Exercises in Futility V.” It’s perfect from top to bottom, and a perfect example of the general delights Sun Worship have to offer on their latest LP.
It’s hard to imagine anyone other than the trvest of the trve not enjoying at least something about Upon the Hills of Divination. It’s a record showcasing a band at the peak of their creative and performative powers and a truly fantastic listen from start to finish. I cannot recommend it highly enough.”
Go listen. Now.
Eden’s Top 10
Cave Sermon - Divine Laughter
There is only one album on my list and it is this one. Being serious for a second, there were other great black metal albums in 2024 (e.g. the rest of my list) but Divine Laughter was by far the best one. That’s not a knock on the other releases but rather an indication of just how good this album really is. Beyond the superlatives I could amass on it, the descriptions of its compositions and sounds, I just want to impress upon you one moment, or series of moments, around the three minute mark of the first track. The sounds there, the disturbing lows and then explosive highs, are, for me, the distillation of the power and artistic intent of black metal. The scraping sounds that run across your heart; the black pit of silence that then blows up into the energy of the rest of the track; the unbridled coldness of the sound. Good god (get it) this album is amazing.
Wandering Oak - Resilience
Resilience wins this year’s award for the “Wait, is this even black metal?” category and that’s because this album is everything. It’s heavy metal, death metal, progressive metal (and rock) and, yes, a lot of black metal. Which is also why we were proud to support its release with some of our Patreon funds (hey, remember that?) this year. We got exactly what we were bargaining for, which is an unleashed, unapologetic, and extremely wild release, just like Wandering Oak’s previous efforts. Listen to this to go “huh?” and also “OK, wow” and just have a grand old time.
Olhava - Sacrifice
My relationship with blackgaze and post-black metal is a fraught one. Mostly, it depends on my mood and whether I have the desire, and the patience, for the drawn out, rarified, and melancholic attitudes of the sub-genre. However, while my own disposition is always the main cause, a band that dedicates itself to really understanding what makes blackgaze is always able to worm itself into my heart. Olhava’s Sacrifice is perhaps one of the best examples of what that sounds like and how different it is from the rest of the entries in this style. It is an expansive album, centered around four tracks that are over fifteen minutes long and joined together by interludes. But it’s also a deeply moving one, cutting to the core of the cold majesty, stark soundscapes, and somber themes of post-black metal.
Vale of Pnath - Between The Worlds Of Life And Death
I’m sure a lot of people will take chagrin with me including this album on a black metal list but there is no denying that Vale of Pnath have thoroughly “blackened” their death metal for this one. While still mainly dominated by the coiling and groovy riffs of death metal, there is no denying the buzz-saw blastbeats, ethereal atmosphere, and haunting vocals which punctuate Between The Worlds of Life and Death to its core. If you really want to hear what “true” blackened death metal sounds like, that is death metal with black metal elements, this is the album for that.
Givre - Le Cloitre
I really don’t want to write much about this release because it has, at its core, the mystical experience and its relationship with music. Suffice it to say that this is the most underrated release on my list and one you seriously owe to yourself to listen to and try to grapple with.
Vanesse Funke - Void
If Olhava is the main blackgaze entry of my list, Vanesse Funke’s enchanting and ethereal release is the atmospheric one. I don’t really have much time or patience for atmospheric black metal anymore but this is one of the most touching and enchanting albums I’ve heard this year. Channeling deeply the connection between black metal and gothic art, it is a towering, melancholic, and extremely touching release, centering around Funke’s beguiling voice. I haven’t spent a lot of time with it this year but only because it takes so much to listen to, mainly emotionally. But I am confident that, over the years, I will return to it again and again, to sojourn in its undulating, fog covered richness.
Diva Karr - Hardly Still Walking, Not Yet Flying
This album is the biggest “black metal as in fuck you” entry on this list. Instead of the ethereal, atmospheric, or “post”, it channels the cold, hard steel aggression inherent to black metal into something truly ruthless and pissed off. It is wont to collapse into earth shattering noise, always circling around the haggard-yet-powerful vocals to reach back into the center of its aural mayhem for a sharp edge. Vociferous. Uncompromising. Wholly black metal.
I’ve written about the last three of the albums on this list extensively elsewhere, some of them in many places. Listen to these albums; they are among the best that 2024 had to offer.
Amiensus - Reclamation: Part II
The Flight of Sleipnir - Nature’s Cadence
Caelestra - Bastion
Bridget’s Top 10
Dimmu Bongir - Dark Medieval Hash
The punnily-named Dimmu Bongir unites heavy metal, black metal, and even a little dungeon synth for an album that sounds like the soundtrack to long-lost 80s fantasy/sci-fi movie. Mournful synths set a wintery stage for adventure, taking us back in time to a snowy forest in a faraway land where magic bleeds from every stone and tree. Infectious melodies are wrapped in the icy chill of black metal and sharpened by harsh, raspy vocals. Dark Medieval Hash leans into the melodic side of the genre, evoking crisp breezes swirling through dark nights with energetic songwriting and sparkling synths. Softly haunted and eerily rollicking, the album stands alone for its adventurousness.
Fiori del Male - Con un grido entrerò nell’ombra
Con un grido entrerò nell’ombra seems designed to overwhelm and confuse the mind, delivering a vision of aggression so fine-tuned that it almost (almost) warps back into beauty. Precisely calculated melodies create a suffocatingly dissonant soundscape, crushing and pummeling the ear. Unlike other dissonant albums that offer atmospheric reprieves, Fiori del Male is dangerously present. Yet the onslaught is cut with melody, a soft warmth that echoes under the discordance. Even at its most aggressive, Con un grido entrerò nell’ombra vibrates with a carefully nurtured delicacy that rises to the surface in classical interludes. As the album progresses, these interludes break into deconstructed noise that still retain their elegance. This is black metal at its most carefully crafted and intense.
Nythgraph - Entombed Ardor
Synthy DSBM project Nythgrapth’s 2024 album Entombed Ardor feels like a blustery walk through the snow on a quiet winter night. On one hand, the stillness of the winter wonderland feels restorative, a rare moment of peace in nature. On the other, the stark landscape serves as a grim reminder of isolation as a cutting wind chills the bones.
Glimmering synths create a soothing and meditative soundscape juxtaposed against snarling vocals, transporting the listener to a distant realm of myth and magic. The pacing is deliberate, echoing a march to a battle already lost. Nythgraph never seeks to overwhelm with a rapid-fire assault on the senses, but rather invites the listener on a somber journey with echoes of medieval melodies and sorrowful howls. With fantastical synths, Entombed Ardor manages to find a surprising new level of darkness for black metal.
Dreamless Veil - Every Limb of the Flood
With members of Inter Arma, Artificial Brain, and Psycroptic, Dreamless Veil is the essence of black metal and death metal, fusing the most extreme aspects of both genres into an unholy blast of sound. Every Limb of the Flood is a grotesque vision of madness that can only stem from overwhelming grief. Cutting riffs are sharpened by discordant atmospheres charged by vocals that sound like screams from the void. Not for the faint of heart and not to be missed.
Morningstvr - In Memoriam of the Blvck Wind
A soundtrack for your bleakest nights, In Memoriam of the Blvck Wind marries harsh black metal with cold synth rhythms. Eerie electronics cascade over almost-industrial beats with hypnotic grace, capturing darkened nights in grimy neon-lit streets. Witch house meets distant memories that howl with unhealed wounds. Dance, scream, cry, or do all of the above to this enchanting dance in the graveyard.
Mamaleek - Vida Blue
With Vida Blue, black metal mad scientists Mamaleek have transformed once again. Dark jazz and lounge influences that emerged on their 2020 album, Come and See, take center stage on their eighth studio album. Grounded in the band’s grief following the loss of keyboardist Eric Livingston and inspired by the story of Oakland A’s legend Vida Blue as the formerly beloved baseball team departs the Bay Area, Vida Blue explores loss, grief, and acceptance on personal, social, and societal levels. Discordance and melody exist side-by-side, cutting against each other in an uneasy coexistence. Echoing the messy range of feelings that must be processed in grief, Mamaleek’s signature devastation of genre delivers an emotional gut-punch.
Diva Karr - Hardly Still Walking, Not Yet Flying
In the face of right-wing extremist attacks on transgender rights, Diva Karr is more essential than ever. The noise-meets-black-metal fury of Hardly Still Walking, Not Yet Flying is a sonic monument to trans liberation. Spinning a claustrophobic wall of sound and aggression, Diva Karr infuse crushing harsh noise with burning dissonance that entangles listeners in a web of angular riffs, haunted vocals, and hypnotic synths.
Malconfort - Humanism
Pseudonymous trio Malconfort feature a name inspired by Deathspell Omega and members of Sea Mosquito and Amaltheia. Unsurprisingly, their sound is deeply unsettling, taking the jagged edges of free-form jazz and mummifying them with atmospheric black metal. Like a restless spirit returned from the grave, Humanism bristles with agitation and aggression, flickering across uneven rhythms, howling vocals, and brooding melodies.
Melancholic guitars wrapped in a chilling atmosphere swirl through the haze, never lingering long enough to become fully known or understood. But their icy bite contains all the power of traditional black metal songwriting, deliberately juxtaposing themselves against glimpses of warm jazz. Malconfort’s dueling vocalists, known only as Nuun and Kopczak, heighten the unnerving sensation of Humanism by alternating between mad laughter, frighteningly calm muttering, and haunting screams.
The chaos feels tightly controlled and deliberately executed in a grandiose design we can never truly understand.
Whorl - Abschwörzunge
Black metal written as brutal death metal, or brutal death metal via black metal? Either way, Abschwörzunge is one of the most intense releases of 2024. The chugging, pummeling structure of brutal death metal becomes stretched and mutated with the mechanical precision of black metal, transforming a chainsaw into a scalpel. Gurgling vocals exchange blows with razor-sharp riffs, adding an element of gory disgust to a surgical performance of icy discordance and angular atmosphere. Pure nightmare fuel.
Abyssal - Glacial
With just one 43-minute track, Glacial is truly a sonic black hole. Funeral doom directors Abyssal take their gloomy sounds to new depths with this massive, monolithic exploration of death doom. Freed from the bounds of traditional album structures, Glacial reveals Abyssal at their most unhinged, gradually drawing the listener in with devastating riffs that crush everything in their path. As intensity builds, nihilistic minimalism gives way to a grand vision that feels like an ecstatic final gasp before surrendering to the black sea.