Contributors: Bia Cardoso , Daniel Dystyler , Erica Y Roumieh , Lucas David , Jéssica Marinho , Carol Candido , Paula Butter , Marcão Alves , Tommy Engel , and Harley
Text by: Bia Cardoso and Erica Y Roumieh
And in the blink of an eye, we've reached the halfway point of 2024. The year brought a lot of great music, many incredible shows and festivals, and promises much more.
As the first semester draws to a close, there is much to plan and look forward to in the second semester, but also much to look back on and reflect upon regarding everything that has happened so far.
With that in mind, the Wikimetal has compiled a list of the best rock and heavy metal albums of 2024 so far. There have been many releases, and here we have gathered the 30 best, in our opinion.
See the full list below and click here to check out the releases planned for the second half of the year.
30. Dead Fish – Labyrinth of Memory
Dead Fish's new album, Labirinto da Memória (Labyrinth of Memory ), was released in early 2024 and tells a narrative revolving around the life story of the band's vocalist, Rodrigo Lima . The group maintains its traditional hardcore sound with beautiful melodies, in a very successful work.
29. Marty Friedman – Drama
Well known for his years as the guitarist for Megadeth , Marty Friedman returns with his solo work entitled Drama . At almost an hour long, the musician presents a work with twelve songs that engage the listener with a series of melodic and well-executed arrangements and riffs.
28. Ihsahn – Ihsahn
Released in February 2024, Norwegian artist Ihsahn's eighth album proved, once again, the power of black metal in the heavy music scene. Highly praised by critics and fans alike, the work is quite experimental and creative while simultaneously reinforcing the musician's identity.
27. Liam Gallagher & John Squire – Liam Gallagher & John Squire
Two big names in Britpop came together on this project to deliver one of the best albums of the year. The partnership was a surprise for fans, but the result couldn't have been better. Liam's distinctive voice blended perfectly with Squire's guitars, creating a beautiful journey into the world of Britpop that many had been missing.
26. The Black Crowes – Happiness Bastards
The band's ninth album, Happiness Bastards, came after a long hiatus from the studio, following Before the Frost…Until the Freeze . Announcing the album, vocalist Chris Robinson commented that it's a "love letter to rock and roll." He also said that the entire period he and his brother and guitarist Rich Robinson spent without releasing albums didn't mean they weren't composing. "We're always composing and creating music; it never stopped for us, and it's always where we find harmony together. This record represents that."
25. Gatecreeper – Dark Superstition
Gatecreeper's third album, Dark Superstition, tackles supernatural themes and, according to vocalist Chase H. Mason , they are all inspired by his personal experiences. The album brings together the band's and the genre's most visceral characteristics, showing why Gatecreeper is one of the great names in modern extreme music.
24. Pearl Jam – Dark Matter
With a four-year gap between releases, Pearl Jam Dark Matter , their twelfth studio album, available to the public Andrew Watt worked with the band on both the recording and production aspects of the album.
23. High on Fire – Cometh the Storm
Released in April 2024, High on Fire's ninth album marks their first without co-founder Des Kensel , who left the band in 2019. On this album, the drums are played by Coady Willis of Big Business . Cometh the Storm follows Electric Messiah and blends the band's well-known sludge metal and stoner metal with a touch of Middle Eastern folk.
22. Laura Jane Grace – Hole In My Head
Laura Jane Grace's second album, Hole In My Head, brings together the singer's diverse influences, ranging from folk, pop, and rock, all filtered through the punk rock experiences she has always explored in past projects like Against Me!
21. Oath of Persistence – Fear of the Unknown
Formed in 2016 in Santa Catarina, Oath of Persistence released their first full-length album in February. Fear of the Unknown blends classic death metal with old-school hardcore.
20. Hatefulmurder – I Am The Power
The Rio de Janeiro-based band Hatefulmurder released their fourth album in 2024, reinforcing their strength in the national scene. I Am The Power combines death metal with old-school metal and adds modern characteristics to it.
19. Empiric – The Seven Laws
Inspired by Deepak Chopra's book The Seven Spiritual Laws, Empiric's second studio album incorporates elements from different styles and genres to deliver a great heavy metal and hard rock album.
18. Myrath – Karma
Myrath is a metal band originating from Tunisia that released the album Karma The band features a melodic sound, closely linked to progressive metal, as well as grandiose elements, with very well-constructed tracks, featuring good instrumentals and vocals.
17. Rage – Afterlifelines
The album comes three years after Resurrection Day in a double format – the first titled Afterlife , with tracks recorded only by the trio, and the second Lifelines , which features an orchestra with classical arrangements. The album also celebrates the band's 40th anniversary.
16. Aborted – Vault of Horrors
Inspired by the horror film of the same name, Vault of Horrors features a guest vocalist on every track, resulting in one of the most compelling and powerful death metal albums.
15. Saxon – Hell, Fire and Damnation
Hell, Fire And Damnation is the twenty-fourth studio album by one of the leading names of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, Saxon. Featuring a very sharp sound, the inspiration for the album title came from a phrase that vocalist Biff Byford used to say when he got angry.
14. Sebastian Bach – Child Within The Man
After a ten-year hiatus, legendary former Skid Row Sebastian Bach released Child Within The Man . The album featured guest appearances by John 5 , Steve Stevens , and Orianthi .
13. Amaranthe – The Catalyst
By powerfully blending different vocals and creating significant contrast between them, the Swedish melodic metal band Amaranthe released The Catalyst . The album features electronic elements in a conceptual work that spans thirty-eight minutes and includes twelve well-crafted and performed songs.
12. Evergrey – Theories Of Emptiness
Released in June, the band's fourteenth studio album, Theories Of Emptiness, follows its critically acclaimed predecessor, A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament), from 2022. With the success of the previous work, expectations for this one were high, and the band delivered what fans expected: power and a lot of heaviness.
11. Green Day – Saviors
Green Day's fourteenth album is Saviors , released in January 2024. Featuring the band's characteristic political themes, they reunited with producer Rob Cavallo , with whom they had previously collaborated on the 2012 ¡Tré!.
10. The Troops of Doom – A Mass To The Grotesque
On their second album, the Brazilian group works with a cleaner, more organic sound than what we're used to in death metal, while still highlighting the genre's aggression. The combination of these elements results in one of the best albums of the year so far.
The Wikimetal editorial team has reviewed the album. Click here to read it.
09. Linkin Park – Papercuts (Singles Collection 2000 – 2023)
Linkin Park released the compilation album Papercuts (Singles Collection 2000 – 2023) , which even featured the vocals of the late vocalist Chester Bennington on the track "Friendly Fire." Another novelty that came with the release was the fact that the song "QWERTY" was made available for the first time on digital streaming platforms.
08. Bring Me The Horizon – POST HUMAN: NeX GEn
As a sequel to the highly acclaimed album POST HUMAN: Survival Horror , Bring Me The Horizon released the album POST HUMAN: NeX GEn . There is a whole concept that involves these two works and that will be further developed in the group's future works, which are estimated to include five more releases.
07. Knocked Loose – You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To
This album is for those who truly appreciate heaviness. The American band's third album doesn't give you a second of rest – it's a relentless fusion of elements from the most diverse genres and subgenres of extreme music all at once.
06. Kerry King – From Hell I Rise
With his first solo album, Kerry King released From Hell I Rise , bringing in well-known musicians from the metal scene to be part of his band. With a sound quite similar to what his former band, Slayer , did, the guitarist created a work that easily pleases any and all thrash metal fans.
The Wikimetal editorial team has reviewed the album. Click here to read it.
05. Black Panther – Perpetual
Black Pantera is one of the main highlights of the national metal scene in recent years. Gaining considerable recognition, the trio released their newest studio album, PERPÉTUO . With black ancestry and spirituality as its main themes, they delivered a heavy album with lyrics addressing important topics.
The band gave an interview to the website about the album. Click here to check it out.
04. Slash – Orgy Of The Damned
With an album that features exclusively blues covers, Slash released Orgy Of The Damned . The record features a series of excellent reinterpretations of songs from the genre, with various guests who brought a very interesting new feel to the music.
03. Bruce Dickinson – The Mandrake Project
The wait was long, almost twenty years, until Bruce Dickinson returned with some solo work. The wait was worth it, and the Iron Maiden vocalist released The Mandrake Project . Touring Brazil to promote the album, the musician showed that the tracks on the new record are even more powerful and present live.
The Wikimetal editorial team reviewed the album. Click here to read it. The Mandrake Project is available on the Wikimetal Store. Click here to check it out .
02. Lucifer – Lucifer V
Promising that this would be Lucifer's best album to date, the band released Lucifer V, their fifth studio album. Meeting expectations, they delivered a work that showcases Lucifer's evolution as a band, featuring great songs and a true highlight within their discography.
01. Judas Priest – Invincible Shield
Making their long-awaited return after more than five years without releasing new material, Judas Priest released Invincible Shield in early 2024. The band delivered a top-notch work, with precise and sharp compositions, with special mention to Rob Halford's voice, which sounds impeccable in all the songs.
Bringing all the essence of the 1980s, the British group delivered the best album of the first half of 2024, in the opinion of the Wikimetal .
