Top 5 On Friday – Magnetic Eye Records: 5 Favorite Albums From 2024
Welcome back to another week of the Top 5 On Friday feature. Last week I ranked my favorite albums of 2024 from Heavy Psych Sounds (review here) and two weeks ago from Blues Funeral Recordings (review here). This week I’ll be posting my favorite five from Magnetic Eye Records. Three of my top twenty albums of year came out on the acclaimed label.
5. HEAVY TEMPLE – GARDEN OF HEATHENS
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s Heavy Temple released a colossal album with Garden Of Heathens (review here). The record came out on April 12th 2024. Unfortunately, I heard the album late in the year and didn’t get to really listen to it a lot early on. The riffs are devastating and all the songs are well written and executed. I also think the vocals of High Priestess Nighthawk sound great with all of these songs.
https://heavytemple.bandcamp.com/album/garden-of-heathens
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4. LEATHER LUNG – GRAVESIDE GRIN
Leather Lung from Boston, Massachusetts, delivered their first full length album with Graveside Grin (review here). The band did a great job transitioning from releasing a slew of EPs to delivering their debut. Their heavy and sludgy sound mixed with a little doom and boogie rock, really made a big statement this year. I was lucky enough to see Leather Lung live this past September (review here). They are a great live band too and witnessing some of these songs played out in a live setting, further drilled them into my head. Graveside Grin was officially released on March 15th 2024.
https://leatherlungcult.bandcamp.com
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3. HIGH DESERT QUEEN – PALM READER
High Desert Queen from Austin, Texas is in the new breed of excellent stoner rock. The band’s sophomore album Palm Reader (review here) was my first taste of the band and I was very impressed! They also give it their all live (review here) and witnessing that was amazing. High Desert Queen are the real deal and I can only see this band continuing to expand on their sound. Palm Reader was released on May 31st 2024.
https://highdesertqueen.bandcamp.com
2. PSYCHLONA – WARPED VISION
England’s Psychlona released an exceptional album in Warped Vision. Released on September 27th 2024, Warped Vision (review here) was my number two overall pick for my favorite top twenty albums of the year. The album was voted number one on the Doom Charts and number five on The Obelisk polls. Psychlona is making a huge impact in the heavy rock music world and I am completely on board. The band just seems to keep getting better with every album and I don’t see them slowing down anytime soon.
https://psychlona.bandcamp.com
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1. GREENLEAF – THE HEAD AND THE HABIT
Sweden’s Greenleaf have never released a less than stellar album, in my opinion. I have been a fan for over two decades now and The Head And The Habit delivered, once again. This was my favorite album of 2024 and it was ranked number three on the Doom Charts and voted the number two pick on The Obelisk. The Head And The Habit (review here) proved that Greenleaf is still relevant and still a dominating force in the stoner rock genre today.
