That's Not Metal

For our last show before Christmas we arrive at the TNM Awards for 2024, as we gather to end the year with the successes, stories, downfalls and villain arcs that defined the year in heavy: Most Improved Band Song of the Year Worst Song of the Year Hero of the Year Villain of the Year Best New Band Biggest Disappointment Gig of the Year EP of the Year Artwork of the Year Movie of the Year Comeback of the Year Surprise of the Year Outstanding Achievement Worst Band of the Year Unsung Heroes Story of the Year Band of the Year

We round off the best rock and metal albums of 2024 with lists from Sam and Mark, plus the all important and really incredibly great this year listener poll from all of you to really see who gets crowned.

The That's Not Metal Albums of the Year for 2024 begins, with Perran and Elliot giving their lists of so much that the best in metal, the underground and beyond had to offer.

Our final reviews bag of 2024 happens to feature the biggest rock comebacks of the year and underground heroes, with Linkin Park, The Cure, Opeth, Better Lovers, Many Eyes, Tribulation & Neon Nightmare getting discussed. Linkin Park 31:45 The Cure 1:01:04 Opeth 1:25:59 Better Lovers 1:49:56 Many Eyes 2:09:03 Tribulation 2:20:08 Neon Nightmare 2:41:53

2025 singles really start coming with Spiritbox, Architects, Killswitch Engage, Machine Head, and Coheed and Cambria, W.A.S.P. go full mental, and we talk the "bad" albums we got into bands on. Releases: Opeth - The Last Will and Testament Body Count - Merciless Kim Deal - Nobody Loves You More Ocean Grove - Oddworld Polar - Nova Fellowship - The Skies Above Eternity Coilguns - Odd Love Múr - Múr Defeated Sanity - Chronicles of Lunacy Gutless - High Impact Violence Ante-Inferno - Death’s Soliloquy Panzerfaust - The Suns of Perdition - Chapter IV: To Shadow Zion Kruelty - Profane Usurpation Mallavora - Echoes Doro - Rock ‘N’ Roll Xmas Party

We hit that point of the year where we have Grammy nominations and Download headliners to either complain about or debunk complaints about, and a mega live review as Sepultura's farewell tour finally arrives on UK shores. Releases: Linkin Park - From Zero As I Lay Dying - Through Storms Ahead Poppy - Negative Spaces Full of Hell / Andrew Nolan - Scraping the Divine Primal Code - Opaque Fixation Thy Catafalque - XII: A Gyönyörü Álmok Ezután Jönnek Spider God - Possess the Devil Chelsea Wolfe - Unbound Less Than Jake - Uncharted Mammoth Grinder - Undying Spectral Resonance Deadbody / Tribal Gaze - Deadbody / Tribal Gaze Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come Obliterated

We once again convene for a review of the UK’s biggest underground event at Damnation Festival and witness legendary returns from Dragged Into Sunlight, Nails, Cradle of Filth, Bleeding Through, Inter Arma, and so many other TNM faves absolutely tearing it up. Elliot's audio is beaming in through the internet on this one, but we'll be back sounding proper soon. Releases: Make Them Suffer - Make Them Suffer Sólstafir - Hin helga kvol State Champs - State Champs The Arrival Note - …Home is So Far From Here The Body - The Crying Out of Things Thank - I Have A Physical Body That Can Be Harmed Klone - The Unseen Massacre - Necrolution Yoth Iria - Blazing Inferno Paysage d’Hiver - Die Berge Counterparts - Heaven Let Them Die

We convene on Halloween night to talk yet more big reunions at big American rock festivals, the news that Ithaca are calling it a day, and give the definitive answer on whether bands wearing their own shirts is cool or not and whether we're too focused on the size of bands in appreciating their art. Releases: Jerry Cantrell - I Want Blood Japandroids - Fate & Alcohol Pinhead Gunpowder - Unt Grand Magus - Sunraven Ensiferum - Winter Storm Swallow the Sun - Shining Harvestman - Triptych: Part Three Serpent Column - Tassel of Ares Better Lovers - Highly Irresponsible Devin Townsend - PowerNerd Pixies - The Night the Zombies Came Kids In Glass Houses - Pigs In Glass Houses Amyl and the Sniffers - Cartoon Darkness Meryl Streek - Songs for the Deceased Pom Pom Squad - Mirror Starts Moving Without Me Fit for an Autopsy - The Nothing That Is Pøltergeist - Nachtmusik Butcher - On Fowl of Tyrant Wing Gaerea - Coma Schammasch - The Maldoror Chants: Old Ocean Black Curse - Burning In Celestial Poison Living Gate - Suffer As One Bunuel - Mansuetude Behemoth - XXX Years Ov Blasphemy Enforced - A Leap Into the Dark Pest Control - Year of the Pest Fifteen Rhema - Drawing Upon Lost Time A Year Ago Today - A Year Ago Today The Cure - Songs of a Lost World Cane Hill - a piece of me i never let you find Planes Mistaken for Stars - Do You Still Love Me? Thirdface - Ministerial Cafeteria Tribulation - Sub Rosa In Aeternum Neon Nightmare - Faded Dream Bombus - Your Blood Nachtmystium - Blight Privilege New Skeletal Faces - Until the Night Mitochondrion - Vitriseptome

We face some of our toughest Album Club challenges yet: Matchbox 20's Ken anthems Yourself or Someone Like You, ponder how Attila's About That Life achieved some kind of longevity, cheer originality in hardcore on Twitching Tongues' In Love There is No Law, and the troubling eternal mystique of Acid Bath's When the Kite String Pops. This episode was originally published July 2023 on patreon.com/thatsnotmetal.

We convene for conversations on 2024's most monolithic potential landmark records, reviewing Blood Incantation, Undeath, Balance and Composure, High Vis, Touché Amoré, Oranssi Pazuzu, and Chat Pile, as well as scratching our heads at festival clues and Acid Bath(?!), and a toast to the late Paul Di'Anno. Blood Incantation 45:58 Undeath 1:22:56 Balance and Composure 1:45:20 High Vis 2:00:55 Touché Amoré 2:19:41 Oranssi Pazuzu 2:42:46 Chat Pile 3:09:54

On this Album Club episode we return to the scene of the crime to again preview some of the must-see sets at this year's Damnation Festival: Cradle of Filth's old school origins with The Principle of Evil Made Flesh, Ne Obliviscaris' Citadel, Discharge's Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing, and Dragged Into Sunlight's terrifying Hatred for Mankind.

We've got a big catch-up chat talking about Sam's trip to a Tokyo hardcore show, tours from Orange Goblin, Cannibal Corpse, and Frank Carter fronting the Sex Pistols, leading into a discussion of the surprising news around The Rattlesnakes calling a hiatus and their potential future, and questions around nostalgia festival booking double standards and which band we'd want to see "do a Wintersun". Releases: High Parasite - Forever We Burn Weather Systems - Ocean Without a Shore Origami Angel - Feeling Not Found Adorior - Bleed On My Teeth Spite - The Third Temple Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere Undeath - More Insane Fever 333 - Darker White Trash Boat - Heaven Can Wait Balance and Composure - With You In Spirit Drug Church - Prude Chubby and the Gang - And Then There Was… Godspeed You! Black Emperor - No Title as of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead 1349 - The Wolf and the King Lowen - Do Not Go to War With the Demons of Mazandaran Cosmic Putrefaction - Emerald Fires Atop the Farewell Mountains Maul - In the Jaws of Bereavement Motley Crue - Cancelled Sylosis - The Path The Offspring - Supercharged Myles Kennedy - The Art of Letting Go Real Friends - Blue Hour Touche Amoré - Spiral in a Straight Line Envy - Eunoia The Linda Lindas - No Obligation Chat Pile - Cool World Oranssi Pazuzu - Muuntautuja Doedsmaghird - Omniverse Consciousness The Crown - Crown of Thorns Vomit Forth - Terrified of God De Mannen Broeders - Sober Maal

Autumn releases arrive with the album for the season, a huge return, and several much hyped debuts to assess, from Unto Others, The Black Dahlia Murder, Nightwish, Zetra, Heriot, Vended, Vicious Blade, & The Jesus Lizard. Unto Others 21:45 The Black Dahlia Murder 57:55 Nightwish 1:19:30 Zetra 1:37:58 Heriot 1:52:42 Vended 2:08:41 Vicious Blade 2:27:34 The Jesus Lizard 2:38:44

Album Club is back with Slayer's sunset on their imperial era Seasons in the Abyss, My Bloody Valentine's shoegaze starting gun Loveless, a comprehensive look back on the divisive effect of Cancer Bats' Searching for Zero, and Blood Incantation's Starspawn blasting death metal through the stargate. This episode was originally published July 2023 on patreon.com/thatsnotmetal.

Another UK live event hits with Cosmic Void Festival and Cirith Ungol's UK date on their final tour, Iron Maiden announce their huge 50th anniversary tour, The Cure start to finally tease new music, and there's the unfortunate Jane's Addiction punch-up implosion to deal with. Releases: Nightwish - Yesterwynde Unto Others - Never, Neverland Vended - Vended Crimson Veil - Hex Charlotte Wessels - The Obsession Kublai Khan TX - Exhibition of Prowess Regional Justice Center - Freedom Sweet Freedom Giant Walker - Silhouettes Alunah - Fever Dream Demon Head - Through Holes Shine the Stars Dungeon Crawl - Maze Controller Glacial Tomb - Lightless Expanse Coffin Rot - Dreams of the Disturbed Kanonenfieber - Die Urkatastrophe Mork - Syv Dreamless Veil - Every Limb of the Flood Esoctrilihum - Döth-Derniàlh Deathless Void - The Voluptuous Fire of Sin

We take a trip to No Play Festival to see SeeYouSpaceCowboy and a day of UK hardcore bands, and follow up on last week's Linkin Park announcement with, well... all of that. Not the conversation we imagined having last time. Releases: Pyrrhon - Exhaust Man’s Gin - The Reprobate The Jesus Lizard - Rack Cursive - Devourer Nada Surf - Moon Mirror Chastity - Chastity Zetra - Zetra Oceans of Slumber - Where Gods Fear to Speak Satan - Songs In Crimson Wolfbrigade - Life Knife Death Slomosa - Tundra Rock Torus - Torus Dale Crover - Glossolalia Winterfylleth - The Imperious Horizon Trelldom - …by the Shadows… Taur-im-Duinath - Verso casa NightWraith - Divergence

The fruits of Linkin Park's rollout emerge with all of the details of their reunion and return, Slam Dunk leads with its first announcements for 2025, there's trouble in the W.A.S.P. camp, and there's a live report from NWOBHM cult legends Satan. Releases: Rat Lord - Blazed in the Northern Sky Enumclaw - Home In Another Life Boston Manor - Sundiver 40 Watt Sun - Little Weight Molchat Doma - Belaya Polosa Aluk Todolo - LUX Blitzkrieg - Blitzkrieg Helvetets Port - Warlords God is an Astronaut - Embers God Dethroned - The Judas Paradox PeelingFlesh - The G Code Bodysnatcher - Vile Conduct Laura Jane Grace & The Mississippi Medicals - Give An Inch

Album Clubs kick off with an EP that set it all alight with Nine Inch Nails' Broken, Baroness make modern rock's great double album Yellow & Green, The Hotelier hit an emo revival high Home, Like Noplace Is There, and Satyricon take black'n'roll to the mainstream with Now, Diabolical. This episode was originally published May 2023 on patreon.com/thatsnotmetal.

The big reunion the world was apparently waiting happens with Oasis, but it was nearly two in week with Deryck Whibley finding himself at the centre of a storm of confusion, plus talk on the comedy metal albums we actually like. Releases: Stand Atlantic - Was Here Simone Simons - Vermillion Within the Ruins - Phenomena II Uniform - American Standard Melt-Banana - 3+5 Fleshgod Apocalypse - Opera Spectral Wound - Songs of Blood and Mire Koldbrann - Ingen Skansel Gravenoire - Devant La Porte Des Etoiles Black Birch - Black Birch Demiser - Slave to the Scythe Nil / Castle of the Winds - Bastard Sons of Tyranny Mark Lanegan - Bubblegum XX Wintersun - Time II Nails - Every Bridge Burning Leprous - Melodies of Atonement Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Wild God Thrown - Excessive Guilt Oceano - Living Chaos Satan’s Satyrs - After Dark Phaëthon - Wielder of the Steel Teeth - The Will of Hate Anciients - Beyond the Reach of the Sun Deceased - Children of the Morgue Concrete Winds - Concrete Winds Avmakt - Satanic Inversion of… Copse - MMXXIV Cutdown - To the Grave Chelsea Wolfe - Undone Hellripper - Fork-Tongued Messiah

Actual mythical albums lead this month's album reviews, as we discuss the actually real Wintersun album Time II, the comeback of Nails, Zeal & Ardor, Twin Atlantic, Four Year Strong, Leprous, & Nile. Wintersun 40:06 Nails 1:21:18 Zeal & Ardor 1:50:16 Twin Atlantic 2:06:28 Four Year Strong 2:24:22 Leprous 2:37:44 Nile 2:51:32