Simon’s 2024 In Review

That was quick…

Already the End of the Year, 2024.
Many, many, things occurred this year.
Personally, celebrated my daughters First birthday, and my Son’s First Football season!
It was another fantastic year married to the Love of my Life.

Recapping 2024?
We witnessed the rebirth of several things, including Marvel Jesus! We also saw dividers of many kinds.

Musically? I’m constantly growing. I’ve never known a swell of music like there is currently going on in the world of metal. Throw a dart and I bet you’ll hit a band melting faces.

The staff here at HarshVocals.com were given the quest of creating their album of the year list. Seemingly an easy task, my barely lit candle isn’t quite the roaring Bonfire of passion that can be found in the depths of our ever growing staff. I feel, maybe, naive in some of the ways of Metal, or Harsh Vocals at times – and it appears that my list cannot be compiled of just 2024 releases.

Over the past few years, I’ve never paid as much attention to NEW music. Much of it has just been NEW TO ME. While wrangling my normal day to day or weekly life, a new chapter was added in by often catching up on episodes of the Harsh Vocals Podcast, where I founds lots of “new to me” music. I often try to leave comments on the Spotify episodes and also on the Discord. ( Dont forget we have a Discord Channel!)

So before I continue to ramble, I’m going to compile a list of my Most Influential albums over say… the last 30 years. I wanted to go with a theme of an album a year, but…Late 80’s and some other areas were too stacked for my comfort. Kudos to episodes #21 through #24 of the HarshVocals podcast, where the guys talked about what they consider the most influential albums. It inspired my direction for the list!

Down below, I will link a Playlist compiled of my favorite track from each of the listed albums. With that, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Years! All the goods. Lets get it!

LAMB OF GOD – AS THE PALACES BURN – VIGIL
OPETH – DAMNATION – HOPE LEAVES
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE – ALIVE OR JUST BREATHING – FIXATION ON THE DARKNESS
SLAYER – DIABOLUS IN MUSICA – BITTER PEACE
METALLICA – …AND JUSTICE FOR ALL – BLACKENED
PANTERA – VULGAR DISPLAY OF POWER – FU*KING HOSTILE
MUDVAYNE – L.D. 50 – INTERNAL PRIMATES FOREVER
SHADOWS FALL – THE ARE OF BALANCE – THOUGHTS WITHOUT WORDS
KORN – FOLLOW THE LEADER – RECLAIM MY PLACE
DIMMU BORGIR – DEATH CULT ARMAGEDDON – PROGENIES OF THE GREAT APOCALYPSE
HATEBREED – PERSEVERANCE – YOU’RE NEVER ALONE
SLIPKNOT – SELFTITLED – LIBERATE
LAMB OF GOD – ASHES OF THE WAKE – ONE GUN
OPETH – MORNING RISE – BLACK ROSE IMMORTAL
INFLAMES – REROUTE TO REMAIN – TRIGGER

GROZA -NADIR – EQUAL. SILENT.COLD.
MORDKAUL – FEEDING THE MACHINE – CROWN OF WORMS
GAEREA -COMA – THE POET’S BALLAD
ABORTED – VAULT OF HORRORS – DEATH CULT
ALLEGAEON – APOPTOSIS – TSUNAMI AND SUBMERGENCE
CRYPTA – SHADES OF SORROW – LULLABY FOR THE FORSAKEN
FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE – LABYRINTH – MINOTAUR (THE WRATH OF POSEIDON)
KUBLAI KHAN TX – ABSOLUTE – HIGH HOPES
DECAPITATED – CANCER CULTURE – ICONOCLAST
HAVOK – TIME IS UP – SCUMBAG IN DISGUISE
EXUVIAL – THE HIVE MIND CHRONICALES, PT. I: PARASITICA – HYPERMANIPULATION
ARCHSPIRE – BLEED THE FUTURE – DRAIN OF INCARNTION
KATAKLYSM – GOLIATH – GOLIATH
HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY – HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY MMXXII – FROM YESTERDAY TO ASHES
HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY – AOKIGAHARA MMXXII – GALLOWS(GIVE ‘EM ROPE)
MØL – DIORAMA (BOTH REGULAR AND INSTRUMENTAL) – SPIN THE ENTIRE DISC(S)

AOTY- OPETH – THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT – No surpise – seeing as how the band is on the list a few times. A great culmination of music from the band that encompasses everything their long career has done – progressing and exploring with every single record, as it should be!

Hope everyone is safe and has a great holiday season.
Remember, Time is Undefeated. Make the memories while you can.

From myself To the HarshVocals crew – Thank you for having me, can’t wait for 2025!
To the head honchos, Getting my radio voice ready.. LOL

Cheers!
\m/

Simon H.