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.
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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
The California thrash act Doomsday has been around for a little while, dropping only EPs for the better part of a decade. They reached my radar with the latest release, combining their hints into a full idea that piqued some serious interest immediately. Never Known Peace is the name of this full realization, feeling extremely refreshing. As a huge fan of the genre, it isn’t lost on me how redundant it can be these days, so finding something that breaks that mold is no minor feat. Not to say that Doomsday is overly unique, but everything they do on their debut full-length is not only performed wonderfully but is topped with nasty grit of its own, tapping into several different frequencies. With a very heavy hardcore influence, this record takes the crossover path while avoiding the “party” aesthetic that has a short shelf-life, trading it for a more serious tone that injects immense levels of attitude. Harsher vocals boosted by a mean snarl pair wonderfully with both the most basic aspects and the more intricate ones. Strong solos are not skipped for simplicity, the basslines further enhance the explosive nature of the riffs, and dramatic jumps in pace feel organic on every track. 
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: Blackie Skulless
Ohio’s Vindicator have been around the block a few times since their formation in the mid-2000s, staying relatively consistent in releases. As they approach the beginning of their third decade of existence, 2025 saw the return of frontman Marshall Law, allowing former replacement Vic Stown to return to full-focus on the axe. It’s been four years since the last full-length and fifteen since this vocal-guitar duo, leaving plenty of room for anticipation. The outcome would be the fresh and refined Whispers Of Death, seemingly reflecting the earlier days under a tighter complexion. With a tighter complexion comes a cleaner approach and slightly more elaborate songwriting, neither of which dip into technical wankery or overly shiny surfaces. Despite these changes, I’d argue that Vindicator has crafted even heavier cladding, with vocal approaches feeling harsher and rhythms raking in thicker trembles. “Charnel Pastures” is the obvious example, dropping a payload of blast beats and aggressive artillery on the guitar, while the shorter “Exhaustion” deals this deck emphasizing breakneck speeds and fret-happy solos. We also get a taste of that in “Ripper Attack” near the end, pairing well with a bouncy chorus. Such approaches could potentially appeal to the death metal crowd, especially with the growling snarl in the vocals. 
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
Welcome back to AMPWALL Roundup, our (unfortunately infrequent) column dedicated to shining a little light on the music we slumbering scribes find whilst trawling through the explore page over on Ampwall. It's been a little while since we checked in, but rest assured: Ampwall is still cool. They have also updated the embed display since the last Roundup, which is exciting and much appreciated. As far as introductory fluff goes, I've written myself into a bit of a corner here at this stage in the game, so let me quote the intro from Volume II: "If you don't know what this whole Ampwall thing is all about, please take a quick gander at Volume I, where we get a little more in-depth regarding the many virtues of the new platform/marketplace/community. We here at ye olde Sleeping Village are big advocates for the integration of additional resources into the independent artist's promo toolkit. To that end, having more music-purchasing people become aware of Ampwall's existence will only help it grow as a viable option moving forward." Let's get to the music, shall we? Below are 6 (more!) bands I recommend checking out! 
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. |
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