Mostly Metal's eoty countdown 2024
Since this year is coming to a close, list season is ahead ;-) And even though it is still too early to talk about any kind of aoty, I'd like to give this 31 days, music-related challenge another go to put some great songs, albums, videos artists... into the spotlight.
Starting on December 1st - Feel free to join (over on Twitter, Insta, Facebook, Bluesky), check out my picks, add yours or even start on your own - Looking forward to this :-)
Day 31 - If you could plan your own festival in 2025, which bands would we see there?
When I started to do this eoty challenge a few years ago, I thought this category would be quite some fun to close the game, not even thinking about it could become this realistic one day.
Prog Metal Mania is an absolute dream line-up for me - It's gonna be epic!!!
Who will we see there?
Learn more at progmetalmania.com
Day 30 - Most anticipated concerts in 2024
Excited to see soon
Obscura, Rings of Saturn & Gorod
Hippotraktor & Cobra the Impaler
Khirki
Rivers of Nihil, Cynic, Beyond Creation & Dååth
Day 29 - Most anticipated albums in 2025
From those that are already announced, I'm excited about new music from Prehistoria, Everon, Fractal Universe and Tiberius showing up on the horizon. And there are hints about something cooking at the Loch Vostok headquarter, as well as for Vulkan, Ihlo, Calyces... tbc
Day 28 - Songs (from 2024) for your late-night kitchen party
Here we go... Who's in? 🎶🍻🤘
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5qZdqowzgWKYlysH3mpewE?si=HDLo1PHlQI2Xcn00o4wyZg
Day 27 - Favorite albums by collaborations from 2024 (and that didn't in other categories yet. There's clearly some overlapping)
MAGORIA - Hollingsworth Mansion
RYDHOLM SÄFSUND- Kaleidoscope
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Day 26 - A special physical edition you got
Actually not what I intended with this category back then, but getting the original painting of the Prog Metal Mania artwork was very special for me this year. Thank you Ryan T. Hancock
Day 25 - An impressive playthrough video
TURBULENCE - Manifestations
Stunning keyboard playthrough by Mood Yassin
Day 23 - A mesmerizing song from 2024 calming you down
WILSON WAKEMAN - Turn your life around
https://damianwilson.bandcamp.com/.../turn-your-life-around
AMAROK - Stay human
https://amarokmusic.bandcamp.com/track/stay-human
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Day 22 - Favorite Festival 2024
ProgPower Europe
Happy times with marvelous music and wonderful friends. Can't wait for next year! 🎶💙🤘
Day 21 - An album that blew your mind at once
Dååth - The Deceivers
Technical wizardry and brutal intensity melted with beautiful melodies and mighty orchestration 💥
https://daathofficial.bandcamp.com/album/the-deceivers
Day 20 - Favorite concept albums
TURBULENCE - B1nary Dream
LOCH VOSTOK - Opus Ferox II - Mark of the Beast
DGM - Endless
HIPPOTRAKTOR - Stasis
ANUBIS - The Unforgivable
Day 19 - Shout-out to a music related content creator / webzine / blog
Today goes to the one and only KMänRiffs for delivering mind blowing tornados of riffs on a weekly basis straight to our Twitter and now also Bluesky timelines. He's not only a wonderful source for musical discoveries and discussions, but also the centre point of our community over there, as well as a huge inspiration for myself. Horns up!! 🤘
Day 18 - Favorite solo albums
AVNEYA - Road to I
ANDY GILLION - Exilium
BLIND EGO - The Hunting Party
ALMÖ - Reconciliation
FIERCE DEITY - A Terrible Fate
NINÉMIA - Weapons of Math Destruction
MARCO GLÜHMANN - A Fragile Present
JORDAN RUDESS - Permission to Fly
SGÀILE - Traverse the Bealach
Day 17 - A song that makes you dance
HIPPOTRAKTOR - Renegade
Let's go with this groovy beast today:
https://hippotraktor.bandcamp.com/track/renegade
Day 16 - Favorite Debut Albums
LAMENTARI - Ex Umbra in Lucem
BORROWED TIME - Though the Earth Gives Way
UBIQUITY - The Ascendant Travels Among the Stars
EXUVIAL - The Hive Mind Chronicles Part I: Parasitica
KOZORIA - The Source
ARIES DESCENDANT - From the Ashes of Deceit
DEFECTS - Modern Error
MUR - Múr
OBSERVERS - The Age of the Machine Entities
Day 15 - Shout-out to a cover artwork creator
Day 14 - An expressive music video
Love how music and video melt here:
TURBULENCE - Ternary
MOTHER OF MILLIONS - Magna Mater
Day 13 - Favorite instrumental records of 2024
SOLUM - Avlägsenheten
MONKEY3 - Welcome to the Machine
THE ARISTOCRATS - Duck
KIKO LOUREIRO - Theory of Mind
ROD RODRIGUES - Tales of a chenging life, Part II
Day 12 - Best pic you took at a show
Let's go with SYLVATICA. Was great to see the at Nastved Festival this year!
Day 11 - A song that tends to get stuck in your head
Since I already claimed F.K.Ü.'s "The Spawning" a hot "earworm of the year" contender (actually together with "You Are Who Ou Eat"), I'd like to bring another Swedish band to the party with Reach and their song "Save the World":
https://reachbandofficial.bandcamp.com/track/save-the-wold
as well as the master of stoner powermetal Fierce Deity and his mighty "LeviArak":
https://fiercedeitymetal.bandcamp.com/track/leviarak-2
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Day 10 - Favorite EPs of 2024
AXAMENTA - Spires
ETHOS - An Eye for an Eye
ANIMARUM - Machina
ADELON - Resurgence
ATOMIC GUAVA - Beach Episode
MANUEL BARBARA - Whisper in a Storm
PAEON - Push
HANNES GROSSMANN - Echoes of Eternity
WAXWOLF - The Golden Room
TOEHIDER deseves an extra mention for having released 7 great EPs this year! 🤘
Day 9 - Best epics (songs longer than 10 min)
TURBULENCE - Binary Dream
AEONS - Ghosts
SEVENTH DIMENSION - Black Sky: Final Frontier
KAIPA - Spiderweb Train
UBIQUITIY - Endless Depths
HAVEN OF ECHOES - It Walks Among Us
SOLUM - Luminance
NINEMIA - Weapons of Math Destruction
TOEHIDER - Toad Hirer
Find them all in this Playlist
Day 8 - Great concerts you attended
Was lucky to join a bunch of wonderful shows this year, but these come straight to my mind in this context. To see Symphony X & Defecto live is always a highlight for me. Also had a blast with Disillusion, Loch Vostok, Dark Suns & Waltari. The Anchoret at ProgPower Europe was very special. 🖤🎶🔥
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Day 7 - Favorite cover artworks from 2024
MORPHOLITH - Dystopian Distributions of Mass Produced Narcotics by Ryan T. Hancock
TOEHIDER - Space Famous by Andrew Saltmarsh
RITUAL FOG - But Metely Flesh by Juanjo Castellano
AMIENSUS - Reclamation Pt. II by Aria Fawn
KALANDRA - A Frame of Mind by Elen Alien
APOGEAN - Cyberstrictive by Mark Erskine
LOWEN - Do not go to war with the demons of Mazandaran
KVAEN - The Formless Fires
ARISTOCRATS - Duck by Lance Myers
Day 6 - A funny / entertaining video
F.K.Ü. - The Spawning
We all know that feeling, don't we? Could have been such a lovely day on the beach, but then there's a flying piranha attack... 🐟
With this catchy mosh tune, the Swedish Horror Thrasher also deliver a hot "earworm of the year" contender 🤘🔥🤘
Day 5 - An amazing opening act you saw, but weren't familiar yet
FRAGMENT SOUL
The Greek Progressive Doom Metal band opened for Nailed To Obscurity and Draconian, offering dense soundscapes to dive into, topped by two marvelous vocalists. While I had come across their name before, this was the first, intense contact with their music (but clearly not the last):
https://fragmentsoul.bandcamp.com/album/galois-paradox
Day 4 - A song from 2024 that rocked your socks off at first spin
ETHOS - Holy Water
Powerful and varied, with an expressive vocal performance that lifts the whole track on another level:
https://ethosatl.bandcamp.com/track/holy-water
Day 3 - An older album you just discovered
ANGERER - Multiple Tonality Disorder
This brilliant piece from 2021 came to my attention thanks to its re-release in October and caught me immediately, coming along cinematic yet playful, with a good pinch of craziness:
https://angerer.bandcamp.com/.../multiple-tonality-disorder
Day 2 - Some albums from 2023 you’re still blasting regularly
Tried to narrow it down to just four, but quickly ended up with nine, and there are still some missing. Have you heard them all? And which albums from 2023 stuck with you?
THE ANCHORET - It All Began With Loneliness
SCAR SYMMETRY - The Singularity (Phase II - Xenotaph)
NOSPUN - Opus
BLACKSCAPE - Suffocated by the Sun
DISSONA - Dreadfully Distinct
OBSIDIAN TIDE - The Grand Crescendo
THE ARCANE ORDER - Distortions from Cosmogony
NOVERIA - The Gates of the Underworld
TURRIGENOUS - Vesper, The Evening Star
Day 1 - A song that sums up 2024 for you
THE ANCHORET – All Turns to Clay
The past year felt like a wild wollercoaster ride on so many levels, difficult to narrow down, but this one captures the overall vibe very well
https://theanchoretofficial.bandcamp.com/track/all-turns-to-clay
