Last playlist of the year is all metal. On Thursday I released my Nine Circles Honorable Mentions, and it’s a beast: 25 albums that moved and rocked me in some way. So similar to last week’s (Un)Focused Definition this is going to focus on those albums, with the final, “official” best of metal list coming in the first year of January, and then my “all-in” playlist accompanying the year-end round up post here, sometime in mid-January. I want to say I’m looking forward to getting back to older albums again, but the truth is there were so many great records released this year I’m having a blast going back and revisiting them all. So grab your denim vest, don your spikes, and let’s get heavy for round #2 of great 2024 metal.

• Boris – “Luna”
• Anciients – “Melt The Crown”
• Black Sites – “World On Fire”
• Coffin Storm – “Over Frozen Moors”
• Cognizance – “The Towering Monument”
• Deceased – “Children Of The Morgue”
• Devin Townsend – “Jainism”
• DVNE – “Plērōma”
• envy – “Piecemeal”
• Escuela Grind – “Toothless”
• Farsot – “Nausea”
• Hail Spirit Noir – “The Temple Of Curved Space”
• Ihsahn – “The Distance Between Us”
• Judas Priest – “Invincible Shield”
• Mastiff – “Bite Radius”
• Mean Mistreater – “Razor Wire”
• Melt-Banana – “Scar”
• Ryujin – “Saigo No Hoshi”
• Selbst – “La Encarnación de Todos los Miedos”
• Touché Amoré – “Hal Ashby”
• Ubiquity – “Red Moon”
• Umbra Vitae – “Belief Is Obsolete”
• Undeath – “Disputatious Malignancy”
• Whores – “Quitter’s Fight Song”

Like last week, commentary on each band/album can be found over at Nine Circles. YouTube above, Spotify below. Bndcmpr in between because if you dig the music, support the band! Next week we hit the jackpot with the “official” Best of 2024 Metal…whatever that means…

Be safe, be good to each other. Happy New Year! See you next week.