Top 20 Favorite Albums of 2024
The year 2024 has been a stellar year for heavy riff rock music. I have never had a more difficult time narrowing down my choices to twenty albums than I have this year. Granted, since I began my blog this past September, I have been following new album releases intently since the start of the year. I am still playing catch up on so many new discoveries of bands from 2024 and beyond. In the past, I mostly followed the bands that I was already into and was maybe exposed to a few new bands in any given year. However, the Jam Yeti Music Blog has forced me to stay current on new artists and discovering older ones too. There is definitely not a shortage of excellent stoner/ doom/ metal/ psych/ and heavy rock bands available today. This past year has opened my eyes and ears to exceptional talent from all over the world. I had to narrow down my list from around sixty albums that I reviewed, down to only twenty, which has been so challenging for me. So many great albums didn’t make my top twenty but I had to include an honorable mentions list at the bottom. Ultimately, the bands and records that made my top twenty were albums I repeatedly listened to. Unfortunately, many outstanding albums didn’t make my list because I discovered them too late in the year, in which my listening exposure was limited. So without further delay, here is my list of albums that really moved me and had a lasting impact on me in 2024. Thanks for reading!
20. ORANGE GOBLIN – SCIENCE, NOT FICTION
A new album from Orange Goblin is always a great thing. I have been a big fan of theirs since the early 2000’s. Science, Not Fiction (review here) showed us that the band were back with a new vigor and energy that was missing for some time. It’s a wonderful album and it just had to be on this list.
19. THE QUILL – WHEEL OF ILLUSION
Since the return of the original Magnus on vocals, Sweden’s heavy rockers The Quill have been on fire! Wheel Of Illusion (review here) is another banger of a record from the band and there’s no sign of them slowing down. The quality of material that The Quill continues to deliver is outstanding.
18. SERGEANT THUNDERHOOF – THE GHOST OF BADON HILL
Sergeant Thunderhoof is another new band discovery for me this year. I heard a lot of buzz about this band leading up to the release of The Ghost Of Badon Hill (review here). Once I heard this album, I understood why. This band is outstanding! The musicianship and fantastic vocals are all in huge abundance on this one. This is a band that I need to explore much further.
17. TEMPLE OF THE FUZZ WITCH – APOTHEOSIS
Temple Of The Fuzz Witch was a band that I heard at just the right time. The band was on tour and playing nearby to where I live just after discovering them two weeks prior. Apotheosis (review here) is an excellent and brutal album that mixes in a lot of great elements of stoner, sludge, doom, and even black metal. The live experience capped off my delight with this band and especially this album, in particular.
16. VALLEY OF THE SUN – QUINTESSENCE
Valley Of The Sun became one of my favorite bands a few years back and I have seen them live a few times now. I was very surprised when I found out that they were putting out a new album this year. At the end of last year, the second guitarist and drummer left the band and so I figured it would be awhile before I heard anything new from them. Lo and behold, Ryan Ferrier and company scaled back down to a three piece and got a new drummer. Quintessence (review here) was the result of that and it is another kick ass release from the band.
15. EMU – EMU
First there was Buffalo, then Bison, and now we have EMU! Australia’s heavy rock power trio destroyed on the scene with a massive self titled debut (review here) of classic rock sounding music. EMU delivers scorching guitar leads and devastating riffs with this six song behemoth of an album.
14. SPIRIT MOTHER – TRAILS
This band caught me by surprise and intrigued me to keep listening despite not being initially drawn in by this album. With repeated exposure to Trails (review here), I finally got sucked into the record. Spirit Mother was a band that I was unfamiliar with until this release and I became a big fan thereafter.
13. BLACK ELEPHANT – THE FALL OF THE GODS
Italy’s Black Elephant was another new band for me to check out. I really enjoyed their two prior releases and was really excited when this one came out. The Fall Of The Gods (review here) is a psychedelic rock record done right! The album sounds so good that it makes you want to listen to it regularly, which is what I did since it came out. Outstanding!
12. FU MANCHU – THE RETURN OF TOMORROW
Fu Manchu welcomed thirty years as a band and put out one of their best records in years. The Return Of Tomorrow (review here) is a fantastic album and really capitalized on everything that is so great about this band.
11. LUNA SOL – VITA MORS
Vita Mors (review here) is Luna Sol’s third album, in which I had never heard of them before. David Angstrom from Hermano plays guitar and vocals for Luna Sol and they sound amazing. Heavy blues and riff rock blended together in perfect sync! Vita Mors is a fuzz rocking wet dream of heavy riffs and catchy hooks. Fantastic album all the way!
10. HIGH DESERT QUEEN – PALM READER
High Desert Queen was another first time listen for me. Palm Reader (review here) blew me away! Everything good about stoner/ desert rock is infused on this record. Seeing the band perform a lot of these songs live was amazing and captured the energy of these awesome tunes.
9. BRANT BJORK TRIO – ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE DESERT
The new Brant Bjork Trio band is amazing! For me, this is my favorite stuff from the desert icon as a front man. Once Upon A Time In The Desert (review here) has a free flowing jam essence to it backed up by great song structuring too. Rock music never sounded so free, and great!
8. CORTEZ – THIEVES AND CHARLATANS
Boston’s Cortez returned with their best album to date. Thieves And Charlatans (review here) has a perfect blend of hard rock and heavy metal, crafted with brilliance. Seeing the band perform this album live in its entirety, really solidified my feelings for the record as a whole. It’s fantastic!
7. DEER LORD – DARK MATTERS, PT. 2
Despite the short, just over thirty minute album, Deer Lord really impressed me with Dark Matter, Pt. 2 (review here). The six tracks cover a lot of ground and the band dish out a non polished sound that is so enticing and engaging. This band should be on a label like Heavy Psych Sounds or Ripple Music.
6. SLOMOSA – TUNDRA ROCK
Slomosa delivered an outstanding sophomore album with Tundra Rock (review here). The Norwegian based band connected all the right riffs and hooks and showed the world that they might be the next big thing. This is a band to look out for and it’s my wife’s favorite album of the year.
5. ELEPHANT TREE & LOWRIDER – THE LONG FOREVER
The four Lowrider tracks are so amazing that it carries the album in a huge way. Nothing against Elephant Tree, I am not as familiar with the band but I have been a big Lowrider fan since the band’s early days. They always deliver! The Long Forever (review here) is a great album but if the record would have been strictly a Lowrider release, then it would have been my number one pick for the year, hands down.
4. FREE RIDE – ACIDO Y PUTO
From Madrid, Spain, Free Ride really surprised me on how great they sound! I hear early Nebula for sure and I love it! The band has three longer and jamming psychedelic songs and six shorter ones that complement everything nicely. Acido Y Puto (review here) has grown on me with every listen and became a favorite in short time.
3. DUEL – BREAKFAST WITH DEATH
Another new band discovery for me and Breakfast With Death (review here) was actually the first album I heard from Duel. In my teen years, I was hooked on heavy metal and thrash music and Breakfast With Death satisfies all those cravings for me. From the raw sound quality of the recording to the sheer execution of the songs, I am completely hooked! I then revisited the band’s back catalogue and couldn’t believe the change in their sound, from the excellent proto metal to now. Most bands tend to shift in a more progressive and softer direction musically but Duel did the opposite. The best part is that they have the talent and chops to really bring out the authenticity in their sound with Breakfast With Death. I applaud Duel for this and revisit the album frequently.
2. PSYCHLONA – WARPED VISION
I only discovered Psychlona last year and what a great band they are! I was eagerly awaiting the release of Warped Vision (review here) with each single they dropped prior to the album being released. I was enthralled with how outstanding the whole album is and so it deserves to be #2 on the list.
1. GREENLEAF – THE HEAD AND THE HABIT
I have been a huge fan of Sweden’s Greenleaf for over two decades now. They have never put out a less than stellar album in my opinion. So when The Head And The Habit (review here) came out earlier this year, I couldn’t stop listening to it! Every song is outstanding and the album as a whole, is put together perfectly, with everything in the right place. I knew early on that this would probably be my #1 pick.
The honorable mentions to this list are all the reviews that I have posted this year. I really agonized over this top twenty, for no good reason really. My tastes in music can change from week to week and this is the best I can do for now, in this current moment in time. I only review albums that I enjoy so any one of these could have made it on this list. Some releases I had just heard a couple of weeks ago so it wasn’t fair to include those. I did my best and appreciate all the fantastic bands and artists that are creating their own style of music.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Abrams – Blue City, Acid Mammoth – Supersonic Megafauna Collision, Aeternal Chambers – Self Titled, Baardvader – When The Stars Arrive, Big Scenic Nowhere – The Waydown, Black Tusk – The Way Forward, Blue Heron – Everything Fades. Curse The Son – Delirium, The Electric Mud – Ashes And Bone, Excel – Seeking Refuge (Reissue), Fostermother – Echo Manor, Geezer & Isaak – Interstellar Cosmic Blues & The Riffalicious Stoner Dudes, Gnome – Vestiges Of Verumex Visidrome, Hashtronaut – No Return, Heavy Temple – Garden Of Heathens, Hermano – When The Moon Was High, High On Fire – Cometh The Storm, Iota – Pentasomnia, Leather Lung – Graveside Grin, Legions Of Doom – The Skull 3, Love•Love•Love – First Love EP, Mammoth Volume – Raised Up By Witches, Mario Lalli & The Rubber Snake Charmers – Folklore From The Other Desert Cities, Monkey3 – Welcome To The Machine, MOOCH – Visions, Nebula & Black Rainbows Split – In Search Of The Cosmic Tale:Crossing The Galactic Portal, The Obsessed – Gilded Sorrow, Rifflord – 39 Serpent Power, SALTPIG – Saltpig, Shun – Dismantle, Slower – Slower, Slower – Rage And Ruin, Sons Of Arrakis – Volume II, Sun And Sail Club – Shipwrecked,Vessel – The Somnifer,Volume – Joy Of Navigation, Wizzerd – Kronia,Young Acid – Murder At Maple Mountain, 1000mods – Cheat Death, 10,000 Years – All Quiet On The Final Frontier
