Written by: The Administrator
Whelp. Here I am once more, basking uncomfortably in the midst of list season, justifying why my year end lists are published a year behind schedule. If you've been around for a while, please feel free to skip ahead to the good stuff. If you're wondering why I do it this way, here's a brief explanation: I firmly believe that staying power is an important aspect of music appreciation. The ability of a project to outlast the narrow moment in time immediately surround release day is a testament to its quality. In deliberate spite of the inevitable industry churn, I enjoy the process of looking backwards to revisit old favorites at this time of year. But mostly, I started doing this because I got wildly off-schedule and found great value in committing to the bit. This is the way it is, now and forever. If you are at all interested, you can check out my Favorite Album Artwork of 2024 here, and my Favorite Albums of 2024 list will follow at, y'know, some random and inopportune point in the future. So: here are 20 EPs from 2024 that, given significant hindsight, are still my favorite EPs of 2024. They made an impact and stuck around in my rotation, and that's worth celebrating. As per established precedent, the following list draws from the assorted genres and subgenres that interest me, mostly within the sphere of metal and rap. I took some liberties with the "EP" label; some may technically be mini-albums, so apologies in advance. The list is alphabetical and unranked. Everything comes highly recommended. I'd also like to issue a massive umbrella "thank you!" to every artist who contributed to the releases contained within this list. And to you: thank you for your readership of this little music blog! You're very cool and I appreciate you very much.
0 Comments
Written by: Blackie Skulless
This past Halloween, a Philadelphia act that’s been dropping short releases for a few years now came forth with a full-length. Bastard Cröss are an act that take the relatively safe route of blackened thrash, one tough to screw up but also tough to stand out. If the band name didn’t make its style obvious, certainly knowing that the album title is Crossripper will, however, despite seeming rather on the nose, I think there’s a little more to what’s before us. In other words, don’t shy away from what seems like just more of the same on the surface. Despite the general aesthetic of aggressive artillery baked with speed metal ingredients and harsher vocal shrieks, you also find a healthy amount of defining characteristics with Bastard Cröss. The vocals miraculously stand out well, not only for the addition of death growls and a scratchier sense, but simply with how coarse and grating they sound against the cleaner background. Musically, there isn’t a lot in terms of blasting, tremolos, or atmosphere, opting instead for a cleaner veneer of more straightforward thrash riffs that combine rhythmic strength and a comprehensive finish. Such contrasts in the music and vocals makes for a hell of a combo; this isn’t to say the riffs themselves aren’t mean, but that they’re digestible compared to the frontman’s horrendous outcries. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
A few years ago, the Polish blackened speed metallers Gallower caught my attention with their short EP entitled Eastern Witchcraft. While it was nothing bad, it wasn’t impressive enough for me to work backwards and look towards their first full-length, feeling somewhat underwhelming. This year, the same label brought a follow-up to both, changing my entire perception. You might say they’re back for a vengeance due to my initial reaction, considering the aptly titled Vengeance & Wrath. One should note, Gallower is still rather familiar in their style and execution, but this time around feels far more complete as an idea, with an emphasis on the metal end of things. Punkier attitudes are now traded for focused leads that don’t let go of the grit but absolutely step up their game in terms of hooks. Moreover, emphasis on witchcraft and spookiness is let up a bit, allowing room for some looks at historical and mythical tints that definitely impacted and matched the sound. Thus, there’s far less in the blackened overlays that came before, maintaining a really gruff presence, especially in the vocals, but ultimately falling out of that camp save for the occasional blast-beat frenzy. It was already faint on former releases as is, and the emphasis on a touch more melody brought things to a steadier apex. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Perhaps one of my more anticipated albums of the year, Graveripper’s sophomore record took the very approach they hinted at the first time around the block and ran with it. Not only has the blackened aspect taken a deeper root in the construction, but the cleaner surface that presented the first record’s straightforward approach has been roughened up. From Welkin To Tundra even depicts this in its album art, always curating a sound that matches how it looks. Thus, I can confidently say their bare-bones foundation has evolved into something with more identity. For starters, Graveripper have always crafted a “warmer” sound, one I’ve in the past compared to Toxic Holocaust, but the emphasis on black metal tropes have cooled this entirely. Perhaps Cory’s vocals aren’t any harsher than they were, but there’s a filthier snarl to them to coincide with the less-than comforting surface, all playing into the cold atmosphere. Thrash riffs have now become an accessory, not a template, as the record is dominated by explosive drum pummels and rhythmic gradients that care less about melody and more about density. The hookier moments do add a little flare, but nasty motion holds everything together perfectly. 
Written by: The Administrator
I know you're here for the kickass music, dear reader, but allow me this brief preamble. As a so-called "big feeler," I tend to experience emotions in a fairly extreme sense. There exists insufficient equilibrium 'round these parts: happiness trends towards ecstasy, sadness is crushingly morose. Emotions are a lot to contend with, and, as such, I spend a lot of time with art that grapples with emotional extremity. I seek out music that explicitly explores and captures the essence of a particular feeling. I am also drawn, consistently and magnetically, to the musical output of one Alicia Cordisco, riff-queen extraordinaire. I've been a huge fan of her work since bearing witness to Judicator's classic run, and have followed her musical output with a certain zeal ever since, be it the bombast and adventure of Project: Roenwolfe and Justicar, the righteous death/thrash fury of Transgressive, or the epic funereal strains of Wraithstorm. No metal genre has yet seemed beyond her reach, as evidenced by this new excursion into the dark-lit mire of black metal. The Burden of I melds an old-school blackened bite with somber atmosphere and a whole lot of melodic inclination. It is an album that displays its emotional current openly: in the description, Alicia writes that The Burden of I contends with her "struggles with isolation, identity, trauma driven despair, and ultimately a reason and purpose to keep going." In other words, when it comes to my particular interests in music, The Burden of I promised to represent the perfect storm. The project's potential alone was enough; I was hooked before hitting play, and wasn't worried in the slightest about the execution. After all, if I know one thing about metal music, it is this: Alicia Cordisco executes. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Like I always say, discovering a blackened thrash band from South America is a fast way to grab my ear by the lobe, being an easy sell. Yet, some do just a little (or a lot) more than others, and Mayhemic is a fantastic example. Having formed in 2018, last year saw the Chileans’ first full-length hit the ground, entitled Toba. Considering this is named after a massive volcano in Indonesia, the music couldn’t be more fitting. At first glance, one could lump Mayhemic into the endless sea of bands that go for this exact same style. It’s a swift blow around the thirty-five minute mark, making speed and aggression its main aims, coated in a finish that’s just the tiniest bit clear without ruining the dirty foundation. Yet the delivery alone goes the extra mile, crushing up some of the meanest outbursts into tiny, dense, riff-sandwiches that hold the weight of an anvil. Pairing with that is a vocal snarl sounding like Millie Petrozza, but perhaps even nastier, to complete the general feeling of being trapped under smoldering hot magma. 
Written by: The Administrator
As documented here and anywhere else I spill my unsolicited opinions about music: I love a split. I love the complexity of interaction, I love shared environments, I love the spirit of collaboration, I love how they represent mutual beneficiality in such clear and concise form. I love the interplay and inherent differences between styles and personalities that become apparent when viewed not in isolation, but rather in community. Splits are special and all-too-oft underappreciated, and no one shall convince me otherwise. And while nothing in the world of underground black metal feels particularly inevitable, a split project between Kentucky's Wolven Daughter and Scotland's Order of the Wolf feels like a natural meeting of minds. Both lupine monikered solo acts can be identified by a shared outspoken leftism and antifascism, but sonically, this split is an exercise in aesthetic contrast. As a result, both shine brightly in their own lanes--neither steps on what the other is accomplishing, and the three tracks from each band give good insight into their respective sounds. The overall listening experience feels textured and full. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
The Norwegian extreme metal act Nithe took formation a few years ago, but never saw themselves with label representation until their third outing appearing on Caligari Records, my favorite tape slingers. Their catalog already consists of a demo and an EP, making Funeral Death their third outing. The truth is, I think all three of them could have been labeled either or. The band is rather tough to label other than somewhere within the black and death realm, perhaps with a thrashy attitude. Much of this is due to the fact that the coarse and mean production with such attitude in presentation somewhat dances all over the place, but those very things help keep it together. Consisting of four songs, we start on a blistering note with “Chains Of The Abyss,” loaded with blast beats and harsh shrieks before breaking into a punkier stomp. “Primordial Ooze (Mother Of Woe)” follows up with a thrash driven approach, not only sneaking some clear leads into the main riffage, but even allowing some gang chants in the chorus. It’s rather unorthodox amidst the ugly and unforgiving atmosphere, especially with the tremolos worked in, but I can’t complain (especially with that slow bass bridge connecting everything). 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
We love when I can stumble on something that crosses off two interests in one, that being extreme metal and China. Though I’ve been through my share of heavy metal that’s been cooked up in the Sinosphere, Shenyang’s Acherozu strikes a chord like none I’ve yet encountered. Having been around for over a decade, they have few releases to their name, but the latest, 2019’s 萬劫之海 / Vendetta Ocean is what sold me on them. Mythology under a black/thrash scope is the name of the game, and I’m here to play. For starters, it’s almost uncanny how clean things come off despite the nasty style and the intimidating artwork. Typically I shy away from that, but thankfully it’s not overdone, and it instead helps the best parts stand out. Acherozu has a keen ear for melody at just the right spots in an otherwise dark and desolate setting, typically with lead guitars working in a side lick that rides parallel with the vocals. Similarly, those come through comprehensively because of the mix, coating a throaty snarl of ancient Chinese poetics beside mean but steady riffage. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Oh man! Talk about a record that catches your attention from the logo alone, if not the album artwork as a whole. Considering that it’s the side-project of the ax-master in Worm, and that it claims influences ranging from Greek black metal to traditional heavy metal, it could have been anybody’s guess as to how this is going to sound. Zeicrydeus is a Canadian project that only has one full-length record with no demo history, just dropping last month. Titled La Grande Heresie, it somehow manages to literally sound like all of those things at the same time. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that Zeicrydeus utilizes the tactic of running with many moving parts in motion at once. If you peel back all of the layers, you find that the gist is a foundation of dirty but ultimately very melodic traditional metal riffing that mixes in blackened ingredients, namely blast beats and the occasional tremolo, topped with harsh black/death growls that also somehow swing the tiniest dash of melody. If that’s not enough, all of the instruments seem to take turns in the forefront, with bass solos being a regular occurrence, and explosive drum-fills engulf the entire gradient from time to time. Occasionally, synths might combine with one thing or the other to emphasize the atmospheric element, complete with dramatic shifts in tone under longer song runtimes. |
WELCOME!We provide thoughtful reviews of the music that wakes us from slumber. Archives
October 2025
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed