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Ah, another riveting 2000-word #manifesto on creating the perfect tool to think about thinking 🤔🛠️! Because, clearly, scientists have been struggling all this time without the magical musings of Jon Sterling 🌟✨. Who knew the real barrier to scientific progress was the lack of a proper "information data model"? 🙄📊
https://www.forester-notes.org/tfmt-0001/index.xml #scientificthought #thinkingtools #datamodel #JonSterling #HackerNews #ngated -
Democratic leaders are telling their party's biggest donors that keeping Montana's Senate seat blue is a real challenge.
However, they are planning to go on offense in Florida to retain their majority.Why it matters:
Without Montana, the math for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to keep his job gets very difficult.But Democrats are signaling they want to expand the playing field and be in a position to steal Republican seats in states like #Florida.
-- Yes, it's still red, but former President Trump isn't expected to win by double digits.They are also eyeing #Texas, where a recent poll has Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) up by three points against Rep. #Colin #Allred (D-Texas).
Driving the news:
Officials acknowledged Sen. #Jon #Tester (D-Mont.) is down in the polls, but party strategists still see a path for him to defy the odds and win, just like Sen. Susan Collins of Maine did on the Republican side in 2020.
"It sounds like Gary Peters is thinking about abandoning Jon Tester," NRSC spokesperson Philip Letsou told Axios. "No matter what Democrats do, the NRSC will do whatever it takes to ensure Ted Cruz and Rick Scott defeat the radical liberals Chuck Schumer and his billionaire allies have propped up against them."
The intrigue:
Republicans held their donor retreat just up the coast in Sea Island, Georgia, where the National Republican Senatorial Committee explained why they are eyeing a 52-seat majority.At both events, there was a mixture of hope and fear.
In addition to Montana, there were concerns about #Ohio, where Sen. #Sherrod #Brown (D-Ohio) faces a tough re-election in a state Trump could carry by eight or nine percentage points.
The most optimistic pitch the Democratic donors received was from #Tennessee state Rep. #Gloria #Johnson, their party's nominee to defeat Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) in a race the Cook Political Report is rating a "solid R."
What we're hearing:
Democrats are contemplating a late blitz in the Florida Senate race, where Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla) has just a two-point lead over former Rep. #Debbie #Mucarsel-#Powell in the latest public poll.While air time hasn't been officially booked, Democratic sources tell us they expect the DSCC to make a splash in Florida in the coming weeks.
From Labor Day to Election Day, Democrats have spent or reserved some $5.6 million in advertising in Florida, according to AdImpact.
Over the same period, Republicans are at $4.4 million, but Scott's campaign likes to buy week to week, meaning they could pump more money into the race if they feel it's warranted.
https://www.axios.com/2024/09/25/senate-democrats-florida-rick-scott-mucarsel-powell
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Democratic leaders are telling their party's biggest donors that keeping Montana's Senate seat blue is a real challenge.
However, they are planning to go on offense in Florida to retain their majority.Why it matters:
Without Montana, the math for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to keep his job gets very difficult.But Democrats are signaling they want to expand the playing field and be in a position to steal Republican seats in states like #Florida.
-- Yes, it's still red, but former President Trump isn't expected to win by double digits.They are also eyeing #Texas, where a recent poll has Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) up by three points against Rep. #Colin #Allred (D-Texas).
Driving the news:
Officials acknowledged Sen. #Jon #Tester (D-Mont.) is down in the polls, but party strategists still see a path for him to defy the odds and win, just like Sen. Susan Collins of Maine did on the Republican side in 2020.
"It sounds like Gary Peters is thinking about abandoning Jon Tester," NRSC spokesperson Philip Letsou told Axios. "No matter what Democrats do, the NRSC will do whatever it takes to ensure Ted Cruz and Rick Scott defeat the radical liberals Chuck Schumer and his billionaire allies have propped up against them."
The intrigue:
Republicans held their donor retreat just up the coast in Sea Island, Georgia, where the National Republican Senatorial Committee explained why they are eyeing a 52-seat majority.At both events, there was a mixture of hope and fear.
In addition to Montana, there were concerns about #Ohio, where Sen. #Sherrod #Brown (D-Ohio) faces a tough re-election in a state Trump could carry by eight or nine percentage points.
The most optimistic pitch the Democratic donors received was from #Tennessee state Rep. #Gloria #Johnson, their party's nominee to defeat Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) in a race the Cook Political Report is rating a "solid R."
What we're hearing:
Democrats are contemplating a late blitz in the Florida Senate race, where Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla) has just a two-point lead over former Rep. #Debbie #Mucarsel-#Powell in the latest public poll.While air time hasn't been officially booked, Democratic sources tell us they expect the DSCC to make a splash in Florida in the coming weeks.
From Labor Day to Election Day, Democrats have spent or reserved some $5.6 million in advertising in Florida, according to AdImpact.
Over the same period, Republicans are at $4.4 million, but Scott's campaign likes to buy week to week, meaning they could pump more money into the race if they feel it's warranted.
https://www.axios.com/2024/09/25/senate-democrats-florida-rick-scott-mucarsel-powell
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Democratic leaders are telling their party's biggest donors that keeping Montana's Senate seat blue is a real challenge.
However, they are planning to go on offense in Florida to retain their majority.Why it matters:
Without Montana, the math for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to keep his job gets very difficult.But Democrats are signaling they want to expand the playing field and be in a position to steal Republican seats in states like #Florida.
-- Yes, it's still red, but former President Trump isn't expected to win by double digits.They are also eyeing #Texas, where a recent poll has Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) up by three points against Rep. #Colin #Allred (D-Texas).
Driving the news:
Officials acknowledged Sen. #Jon #Tester (D-Mont.) is down in the polls, but party strategists still see a path for him to defy the odds and win, just like Sen. Susan Collins of Maine did on the Republican side in 2020.
"It sounds like Gary Peters is thinking about abandoning Jon Tester," NRSC spokesperson Philip Letsou told Axios. "No matter what Democrats do, the NRSC will do whatever it takes to ensure Ted Cruz and Rick Scott defeat the radical liberals Chuck Schumer and his billionaire allies have propped up against them."
The intrigue:
Republicans held their donor retreat just up the coast in Sea Island, Georgia, where the National Republican Senatorial Committee explained why they are eyeing a 52-seat majority.At both events, there was a mixture of hope and fear.
In addition to Montana, there were concerns about #Ohio, where Sen. #Sherrod #Brown (D-Ohio) faces a tough re-election in a state Trump could carry by eight or nine percentage points.
The most optimistic pitch the Democratic donors received was from #Tennessee state Rep. #Gloria #Johnson, their party's nominee to defeat Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) in a race the Cook Political Report is rating a "solid R."
What we're hearing:
Democrats are contemplating a late blitz in the Florida Senate race, where Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla) has just a two-point lead over former Rep. #Debbie #Mucarsel-#Powell in the latest public poll.While air time hasn't been officially booked, Democratic sources tell us they expect the DSCC to make a splash in Florida in the coming weeks.
From Labor Day to Election Day, Democrats have spent or reserved some $5.6 million in advertising in Florida, according to AdImpact.
Over the same period, Republicans are at $4.4 million, but Scott's campaign likes to buy week to week, meaning they could pump more money into the race if they feel it's warranted.
https://www.axios.com/2024/09/25/senate-democrats-florida-rick-scott-mucarsel-powell
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Democratic leaders are telling their party's biggest donors that keeping Montana's Senate seat blue is a real challenge.
However, they are planning to go on offense in Florida to retain their majority.Why it matters:
Without Montana, the math for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to keep his job gets very difficult.But Democrats are signaling they want to expand the playing field and be in a position to steal Republican seats in states like #Florida.
-- Yes, it's still red, but former President Trump isn't expected to win by double digits.They are also eyeing #Texas, where a recent poll has Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) up by three points against Rep. #Colin #Allred (D-Texas).
Driving the news:
Officials acknowledged Sen. #Jon #Tester (D-Mont.) is down in the polls, but party strategists still see a path for him to defy the odds and win, just like Sen. Susan Collins of Maine did on the Republican side in 2020.
"It sounds like Gary Peters is thinking about abandoning Jon Tester," NRSC spokesperson Philip Letsou told Axios. "No matter what Democrats do, the NRSC will do whatever it takes to ensure Ted Cruz and Rick Scott defeat the radical liberals Chuck Schumer and his billionaire allies have propped up against them."
The intrigue:
Republicans held their donor retreat just up the coast in Sea Island, Georgia, where the National Republican Senatorial Committee explained why they are eyeing a 52-seat majority.At both events, there was a mixture of hope and fear.
In addition to Montana, there were concerns about #Ohio, where Sen. #Sherrod #Brown (D-Ohio) faces a tough re-election in a state Trump could carry by eight or nine percentage points.
The most optimistic pitch the Democratic donors received was from #Tennessee state Rep. #Gloria #Johnson, their party's nominee to defeat Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) in a race the Cook Political Report is rating a "solid R."
What we're hearing:
Democrats are contemplating a late blitz in the Florida Senate race, where Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla) has just a two-point lead over former Rep. #Debbie #Mucarsel-#Powell in the latest public poll.While air time hasn't been officially booked, Democratic sources tell us they expect the DSCC to make a splash in Florida in the coming weeks.
From Labor Day to Election Day, Democrats have spent or reserved some $5.6 million in advertising in Florida, according to AdImpact.
Over the same period, Republicans are at $4.4 million, but Scott's campaign likes to buy week to week, meaning they could pump more money into the race if they feel it's warranted.
https://www.axios.com/2024/09/25/senate-democrats-florida-rick-scott-mucarsel-powell
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"The real innovation, the sustainable progress, comes from maintaining deep understanding while embracing AI's capabilities."
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“The real reason I have been on the Linux Professional Institute (LPI) Board since 2015 (and helped create LPI in 1999) was to hear the words of people who say that #FOSS has created a good living for them.”
Read Jon maddog Hall’s reflections on what being the #LPI Board Chair meant to him, as he announces his 2024 retirement:
#tech #Linux #opensource #opensource #FOSSHC #freesoftware #BSD #maddog
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Peirce's 1885 “Algebra of Logic” • Selection 1.3
• https://inquiryintoinquiry.com/2024/03/24/peirces-1885-algebra-of-logic-selection-1/❝On the Algebra of Logic❞
❝A Contribution to the Philosophy of Notation❞❝§1. Three Kinds Of Signs❞ (cont.)
❝The third case is where the dual relation between the sign and its object is degenerate and consists in a mere resemblance between them.
❝I call a sign which stands for something merely because it resembles it, an “icon”. Icons are so completely substituted for their objects as hardly to be distinguished from them. Such are the diagrams of geometry.
❝A diagram, indeed, so far as it has a general signification, is not a pure icon; but in the middle part of our reasonings we forget that abstractness in great measure, and the diagram is for us the very thing.
❝So in contemplating a painting, there is a moment when we lose consciousness that it is not the thing, the distinction of the real and the copy disappears, and it is for the moment a pure dream — not any particular existence, and yet not general. At that moment we are contemplating an “icon”.❞
#Peirce #Logic #AlgebraOfLogic #RelationTheory
#Semiotics #Icon #Index #Symbol #Quantification -
The New York Times today called Prigozhin "the honest(ish) Russian warlord," which is fair. But let's not forget who the real hero is.
#prigozhin #chemistry #chemistrymemes #physics #physicsmemes #thermodynamics #history
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CW: TW: Red Tides A' Rollin CHAPTER 1, Off-screen Death, grief, alcohol use, hangover, mentions of violence and descriptions of injuries (Apoligizing in advance for the blocks of text but im copying this off of a PDF)
It was December 31st, 2041, ten years since the Spiker attacks. the sky was lit up by colorful
fireworks in the distance, and the little town of New Arabi was quiet, the only noise were the
sound of dogs barking, the far-away pops and bangs of the fireworks, and the whistling of the
cold winter wind.
"Olivia? Are you in there, Oli?" Fredrick called as he gently knocked upon a petal pink door that
was adorned with stickers of flowers, pictures of pop stars and little bunnies. He waited for a
minute until he heard the click of the door opening, and behind the door stood a yound girl- no, a
young woman, with platnium white hair in a pixie cut with colorful barrettes speckled across her
hair, eyes as green as a granny smith apple or the greenest blade of grass, wearing a white
button-up shirt and a loose black cardigan paired with a black pencil skirt and some white
knee-high socks and black shoes, completed with a green teardrop necklace that Fredrick had
given to her for her 13th birthday, an orange, white and pink kandi bracelet, and a pink and white
cane that stabilized her balance instead of her bad knee, which she had greatly injured in an
accident when she was 9. She looked at her father and smiled, to which Fredrick did the same
thing.
"You look beautiful, Oli! Are you excited for that party at that venue?" He asked her as he
pulled a sliver of hair off of her cardigan. Olivia smiled again and giggled, tapping her
pink-painted fingernails against the handle of her cane.
"Oh, I sure am, Pa! but.. I'm kinda nervous. See, theres this.. Boy.. at school, and i've been
wanting to ask him out for a while, and he's going to be at the party tonight, but im worried that
he'll think i'm weird, or that he'll call me a freak because of my cane.." she stuttered, looking
around the room briskly with her eyes darting from place to place. Fredrick sighed lightly, and
tried to comfort his daughter by gently patting her on the back.
"Hey, I believe in you. Even if he does say no, at least you know you asked him instead of living
the rest of your life asking yourself 'what if?', and if he does say something rude about your cane,
then he doesn't deserve you anyway, because if theres one thing I know, its that true love doesn't
care about canes or looks or anything like that." Fredrick tried to reassure her. Olivia nodded and
looked down, shaking ever so slightly.
"I-Its just.. all the popular girls keep staring at me and talking about me because of it, and my
hair, and my clothes, they think i'm a weirdo.." She whispered, choking back tears as she gripped
her cane tighter.
"Oli, in all the ten years that i've called you my daughter, I can say with utmost certainty that you
are not a weirdo. If anything, They're the weirdos for wanting to be like everyone else. I was the
weird kid too back in my day! Yeah, i was the kid who sat in the back of the library on his little
laptop laughing at memes with my best friend, your uncle Jonathan, and tinkering with robots
and all kinds of gizmos and gadgets and doodads! You wouldn't believe how many stares i got
from the jocks, and the teacher's pets, and the sporty girls- i hated it too! But i never let that get
in my way- and look at me now! Your old man used to be one of america's leading men in
science back in the 2020's!"
Olivia giggled.
"and think about it this way, You're 18 now, and soon, You'll be out of school and you probably
won't see any of them ever again-- You'll be running that soap and candle shop you always
wanted to run." Fredrick consoled as he looked into her eyes. Olivia smiled, and hugged her
father tightly with both arms, using the tippy-toes of her bad foot to balance herself as Fredrick
helped her keep balance. after around 3 minutes, Olivia pulled away, and Fredrick handed her
cane to her before looking over to the clock on the wall, which read half past eleven o'clock.
"Oh, Olivia, Its eleven thirty! That party should be starting soon-- You'd best be getting over
there!"
"Pa, don't you want to come? there's gonna be games and snacks and karaoke!" Olivia offered, to
which Fredrick grinned and shook his head.
"Oh, thank you, Oli, but I'll be just fine! I'm just going to be drinking some whiskey and
watching the ball drop on TV! Besides, I don't think your friends would want to see an old drunk
scientist bumbling around rambling about robots the whole time!" Fredrick chuckled. Olivia
snickered and playfully rolled her eyes.
"Alright, if you say so, Pa!" she giggled as she walked through the threshold of her door, fredrick
holding the door for her. they then walked into the living room, where the door that led out of the
Johanneson home lie.
"You have fun at that party now, Y'hear? don't worry about what those losers think!"
"Thank you, pa.." Olivia chirped as she got on her tippy-toes to give her father a familial peck on
the cheek. she then proceeded to open the door into the cold winter night, and as she walked
from the porch onto the sidewalk, Fredrick called out again.
"And No funny Buisness!" he shouted with a playful smile.
"No Funny Buisness here, Pa! Love you, I'll be back by one!" She called back before walking
down the sidewalk. Fredrick then closed and locked the door, and made way to the kitchen.
When he got to the kitchen, he pulled a liquor glass from the wooden cabinet above his head. It
was a crystal clear, round glass from before the war, with a black picture of a barn and the words
"Whiskey Co." stamped on the side. Of course, Whiskey Co. was not a real company, but the
nostalgia that the glass carried about it that screamed 1996 could almost convince you it once
was.
Fredrick then walked to another wooden cabinet that contained his liquors, and from the
selection he had of wines, scotches, gins and vodkas, he chose a bottle of Peanut Butter Whiskey,
with its dark amber substance encaged in its glass container, with an etching of a ram on the side
of the bottle.
Fredrick then closed the cabinet, satisfied with the selection he had made, and went back into the
living room to sit on his favorite chair, turning the television to channel 8, which was currently
running commercials such as New Orleans club singers singing about lawyers, folks selling
coffee and donuts, and other things. Fredrick, not paying attention to the senseless
advertisements on his screen, unscrewed the cap from the bottle of whiskey, letting the scent of
the dark liquid fill his senses before pouring a bit of it into his glass. He then took a sip before
quickly turning away, trying his best to not spit it out and ruin the rug. He succeeded, However,
and quickly swallowed.
"Agh, that isn't how i remember it tasting like.. oh well!" He mumbled to himself as the station
returns to coverage of the ball dropping in New York. He took another sip, this time not minding
the burning sensation that the whiskey created. as midnight drew closer, Fredrick drank more and
more, the warm burning sensation in his throat and stomach growing with each sip, until
eventually, he found himself becoming more tired and happy feeling. it felt as if he had just sat
down, but the clock read 11:58, 2 minutes to midnight. he then began counting down until the
final seconds of 2041.
3.. 2.. 1.
"H-Happy Neeew Year!!" Fredrick cheered as he took one last swig out of the bottle drunkenly,
cheering for the bright new year to come for him and his daughter. not a minute later, fredrick's
head began to feel swimmy as he began to see double from the unusual amount of alcohol he had
drank in such a short amount of time. in fact, he found that he could not even get off of his chair,
much less keep a grip on the bottle. it wouldn't be much time, before Fredrick had blacked out,
dropping the bottle.
After a while, Fredrick had finally reawakened. He slowly opened his eyes as to not blind
himself with the television, noticing that the station had gone off of the air for the night. He
looked down at his white tank top, which had been covered whiskey that had turned cold from
the winter air, and groaned to himself in misery, noticing how dry his mouth was.
"ugh.. d@mn it..!" he moaned and groaned as he got out of his chair, immediately catching his
balance on the armrest. His throat was so dry, it was a struggle to even speak. He walked to the
bathroom while leaning on the wall for support, and as he entered the room and trudged to the
sink, he looked into the mirror and was met by an older man in his early 40's, with hair as white
as powder, pine green eyes, a pointy nose that slanted down just a little, a white goatee, and
subtle frown lines and eye creases, wearing a whiskey-stained tank-top. He groaned in disgust at
his apperance, stroking his beard as he stared into the eyes of his reflection.
"Ugh, Fredrick, you look like h3ll! what happened to you, boy..?" he growled before filling a cup
full of water that came from a well. He drank it, beginning to feel better as the liquid coated his
throat. He then poured water upon his face, which woke him up almost immediately. He then
went into his bedroom, which was adorned with science awards given to him, CDs with punk
music within, and photos from his days as a robotical scientist, standing among his fellow
collegues, with light brown hair and goatee, and a smooth face. Not to mention photos of him
with his parents and his two brothers and one sister. He smiled to himself as he looked upon the
photos, and opened up his wooden closet to grab a clean tank top, taking off the dirty one and
throwing it into the dirty clothes basket. After that, he pulled it over his head and stretched his
back and arms. He looked over at the clock, and to his surprise, it was 2:12 in the morning. He
was surprised that he was only out for that long, as horrible as he had felt upon waking up. then,
he noticed that something did not feel right. the house felt emptier than usual...
Where was Olivia?
"Olivia? Oli, are you here?" He called out as he left his bedroom and turned the light off. he went
silent, expecting to hear a response, but only silence was heard.
"...Olivia!" He called again, only to be met with the same silence. His heart began to beat faster
as he made his way to her room, opening the door, anticipating seeing his daughter playing on
her pink handheld console or writing in her diary, but she was not there. In fact, the room looked
as if it had been untouched since she left. His heart dropped as he remembered that she said she
would be back by one, she usually made it a point to be at places at the exact time she said, and
this was very unusual for Olivia. He then ran into the living room to find that the television was
showing a breaking news story. "Breaking News, at this hour?", Fredrick thought to himself until he noticed the anxiety of the anchorman as he read the script, then, the header caught his eye,
and his heart sunk into the pit of his stomach.
"SPIKERS ATTACK WOODFORK VENUE NEW YEARS PARTY, 34 D3AD, 15 INJURED, 2
MISSING"
Fredrick then bolted for the telephone, his shaky hand slamming in the phone number- careless
as to whether or not the buttons would break, while the other hand held the reciever with an iron
grip that could possibly shatter the plastic if he was not careful.
"Pick up, pick up!" He cried as he heard the phone ringing, but the ringing was quickly cut short
by the busy signal, as the venue's phonelines were being jammed with calls. He redialed, but the
same 3-note oddity plaed over the speaker, sounding louder against the silence. He then
attempted to redial once again before he saw the flashing of red and blue lights outside the
window, and the knocking on the door a couple of seconds later. He opened the door slowly, to
find two police officers wearing tattered uniforms that were covered in bl00d, most likely their
own, and bandages.
"Excuse me, are you Mr. Fredrick Johanneson, Father of Olivia Johanneson?" one skinny cop
with a bandaged eye and leg asked, holding his arm.
Fredrick nodded. "Yes, I'm him." He responded as he looked over into the officers' patrol car,
hoping to see Olivia in the back, but the car was empty. he looked back at the officers, who said
not a word. all that could be heard was the blowing of the frigid winter wind against his ears.
"Where is she? is she alright?" He asked. The skinny officer looked at the other officer, who was
burly and had bloody bandages wrapped around his belly and forearms. they then both looked at
Fredrick with a look of horror in their otherwise stone-cold faces, and the one-eyed officer spoke.
"When we arrived on scene, we found her slumped against the enterance with a giant gash in her
chest and her cane through the door handles along with other people. the paramedics tried their
best, but she lost too much blood in a short amount of time. I'm sorry, Mr. Johanneson... Your
daughter is dead."
Fredrick's blood ran cold, and his heart almost stopped. he clutched his chest in horror as reality
set in, and within seconds he found himself fighting back terror, sorrow, and rage. he wanted to
wring their necks so badly but he know it was no use, all that would do is get him arrested. it
took all his strength to not lunge at the cops in front of him, but instead he barked:
"Well where is she?! Take me to her!"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Johanneson, but she was found to be contaminated with spiker venom, and she
was taken to the Carnagie Funeral Home in New Gonzales for decontamination." The burly cop
responded gently, noticing the animalistic rage in Fredrick's eyes. Fredrick said nothing, but
gripped one fist that was hidden out of sight until it was white.
"Mr. Johanneson, do you have any family you could stay with for support?" the bigger cop asked
as he checked his surroundings and handed Fredrick Olivia's death certificate. Fredrick shook his
head.
"No, not here. My family and older brother moved up to Gulfport after the war ended, and my
younger brother and sister were in Moscow when the bombs dropped and I haven't heard from
both of them since. Olivia was my only family." He responded, gritting his teeth.
"My condolences, sir. Do you have any friends that could stay with you?"
"....I have one best friend, Dr. Jonathan Min."
"Well do you think you could call them, ask him to come here?"
"Probably. He's most likely asleep, though." He growled as he went to the phone and dialed
Jonathan's number. after 10 seconds of ringing, a man in his late 30's with a slight Korean Accent
picked up.
"Min Residence."
"Hey, Jonathan. Its Fredrick."
"Oh H-Hey Fredrick! Whats going on? I just woke up to get some milk when you called!"
"Jon.. The Woodfork Venue was attacked by Spikers, and Olivia was one of the victims.."
Fredrick choked as he tried to keep his eyes from pouring tears. you could hear the sound of the
phone cord tapping the receiever rapidly from Jonathan shaking on the other end.
"Huh?! I-Is she okay?!" Johnathan asked with panic in his voice. Fredrick's then began to crack.
"No.. She's gone, Jonathan. Theres cops here and they won't leave until you come to the house."
Fredrick then heard nothing but silence on the other end, which was then inturrupted by the
sound of the reciever hitting the floor, and distant swearing and yelling in Korean, Jonathan's
first language. He then picked the reciever back up.
"Dear god... its all over the news! Its every station! 34?! ....Fredrick, I'm coming over. Don't go
with those cops! they'll probably try to do something to you, like put you in a nuthouse- so stay
where you are!"
"I wasn't planning on doing that, you know i don't like them any more than you do. I'll see you in
a bit."
click.
"He's on his way. Now, If you'll excuse me, I need to clean up. Good day."
"Sir, we need to stay with you until-"
"I said good day." he snarled as he picked up the whiskey bottle on the floor. after 20 minutes or
so, a dark brown car drove up into the drive way of the Johanneson Home, and out of the drivers
seat came a skinny, rectangle-figured korean man in his late 30's, with messy jet black hair,
coffee brown eyes, subtle dark circles under his eyes, thin blue round glasses, a thin
periwinkle-blue turtleneck, golden brown slacks, and a pair of black shoes. He walked up to the
house where the cops were standing outside talking.
"Are you Jonathan Min?" the one-eyed cop asked him.
"Yes, I'm Jonathan Min, Fredrick's Friend. He called me up here."
"Good. Well, we need to get back to the scene and notify other families. keep an eye out on Mr.
Johanneson, will you? Olivia's funeral is scheduled for noon tomorrow."
"Of course i will, he's my friend!" Jonathan responded as he walked away. The cops then got
back into their car and drove off, leaving Jonathan to open the door to find Fredrick sitting on his
couch, head in his hands.
"Fredrick..? I'm here..." Jonathan uttered in a gentle, soft tone that was reminiscent of a feather
brushing against skin. Fredrick said nothing, and instead waved, clearly still processing what
happened. Jonathan sat next to him, willing to offer an ear or a shoulder to cry on-- after all, thats
what friends do, they help their friends. He was there to let Fredrick let it all out, and by god, he
was going to be there for his childhood friend, just as he was there for him in their younger days.
some hours would go by where fredrick would say nothing, or sometimes he'd cry a waterfall,
other times he cursed Russia and spikers, and spouting profanities while doing so, and
eventually, they would be talking about their scientist days in the 2020's.
"I remember Project Prometheus like it was Yesterday. The fact that we made soldiers better,
gave veterans their limbs and life back, and even found out how to preserve memories and
consciousness in computers was amazing in and of itself!" Fredrick pondered with a wistful
smile on his face.
"I remember how excited you were when the first subject was successful. Heh, you became a big
household name within days, huh? you even got an award, and a cool little mug!"
"Yeah.. heh, sure did, Jon.. wait.. THATS IT!"
"Thats what?" Jonathan asked while tilting his head, startled at the sudden shift in Fredrick's
mood.
"THATS It! We can bring her back with cybernetics and computers! all we need is the memory
needles, cybernetic parts, computer parts, and other things! and where do we have those? The
Lab in Baton Rouge!"
"Y-You mean the one we used to work at 20 years ago? Fredrick, didn't Baton Rouge get
Cluster-bombed to hell and back? It should've been blown to smithereens!" Jonathan asked, both
terrified and intrigued by Fredrick's macabre idea.
"Ahh, thats where you're wrong, Jon! It was actually built to double as a fallout shelter too, so it's
resistant to blasts! at least, thats what the director said."
"Really? I didn't know that, and I worked there for about as long as you did!.. So what is your
plan, anyway?"
"The plan is that tomorrow after Olivia's funeral, we'll go to your house and get your shovels and
your big ice chest, i'll put it in my truck, and we retrieve her and drive all the way to baton
rouge!"
"Alright, not going to lie, that is a pretty nice plan for being pulled out of the blue, but Fredrick,
are you sure you want to do this? its going to be really grisly, and we'll be doing things that most
normal wouldn't even think about doing.. like graverobbing. You'll be robbing your own daughter's
grave." Jonathan whispered.
"Yes, i'm very sure! I'm going to bring her back one way or another!" Fredrick nodded.
"Alright then.. its late, and they said that her funeral is at noon tomorrow.. Man, I hate those cops
and their "Common Law" Bullcrap! We can't even plan our own folk's funerals on our own now!
cops were never good, but dear lord, they weren't THIS bad!"
"Oh trust me, i do too.. I miss Pre-apocolypse America. suprising, i know... Well, I suppose i'll
get a shower and change into something presentable for the funeral. I'll be right back." Fredrick
said before heading to his bathroom to take a shower and change. To past the time, Jonathan
picked up a book off of his coffee table titled "The History of Robot Dogs".
it would be 30 or so minutes before Fredrick returned, wearing a yellow dress-shirt and espresso
brown slacks paired with a tie as red as blood and dark brown dress-shoes. Jonathan smiled at the
choice of his attire, as nowdays it was discouraged to dress in black to a funeral because you
could be confused for a spiker, especially at night, when spikers like to dig up graves to eat the
remains.
"Hey, Nice outfit. Haven't seen you wear that shirt and tie since my Aunt Juno's wedding!"
Jonathan chuckled.
"Thank you. I'm suprised it still fits me!" he responded with a grin as he dusted off his chest and
stretched his back until it popped. He then looked out the window through the curtains, the sky
still dark as pitch, only lit by the streetlamps and the moon up above. Jonathan, however, was
still unsure of whether fredrick's grand plan was a good idea. While the thought of cybernetic
ressurection was fascinating, he pondered if it would help them or lead them to ruin.
"Fredrick... before we carry out that plan, are you sure you want to do this? What if we get
caught, or what if we make some mistake that ends up k1lling people? And wouldn't people
wonder where we are?" He asked, trying to keep his inner fear hidden. Fredrick huffed, and
turned towards him, nodding.
"Jonathan, I assure you that we will not get caught. Besides, we'll only get olivia from the
graveyard, no one else. We'll also need subjects, and I know the Carnagie brothers in New
Gonzales will help. they have to, they were our collegues!" He reasoned with a stern whisper.
Jonathan nodded, accepting this strange answer out of his friend.
"Now, all we do is wait, and it will all fall into place." Fredrick Sighed.
#Red-Tides-A'-Rollin' #RTAR #Book #Novel #Chapter-1 -
Would of, could of, might of, must of
When we say would have, could have, should have, must have, might have, may have and ought to have, we often put some stress on the modal auxiliary and none on the have. We may show this in writing by abbreviating to could’ve, must’ve, etc. (Would can contract further by merging with the subject: We would have → We’d’ve.)
Unstressed ’ve is phonetically identical (/əv/) to unstressed of: hence the widespread misspellings would of, could of, should of, must of, might of, may of, and ought to of. Negative forms also appear: shouldn’t of, mightn’t of, etc. This explanation – that misanalysis of the notorious schwa lies behind the error – has general support among linguists.
The mistake dates to at least 1837, according to the OED, so it has probably been infuriating pedants for almost 200 years. Common words spelt incorrectly provoke particular ire, sometimes accompanied by aspersions cast on the writer’s intelligence, fitness for society, degree of evolution, and so on. But there’s no need for any of that.
Usage authorities unanimously call it a mistake, though some allow for its deliberate use (more on that below). Many associate it specifically with children and other less educated writers. For example, Garner’s Dictionary of Modern American Usage finds it a practice of ‘semiliterate writers’, and accepts no excuses: ‘the word is have, or a contraction ending in ’ve, and it should be written so.’
Merriam-Webster’s Pocket Guide to English Usage says ‘children and those who have not completed grammar school may have an excuse for making this mistake, but most others do not.’ What’s meant by that most is what we’ll now consider: that the misspellings don’t always indicate carelessness or relative illiteracy.
The Columbia Guide to Standard American English finds room for the anomalous forms as a stylistic device:
substituting of for ’ve in writing can be an example of eye dialect, which deliberately misspells words to suggest Nonstandard or dialectal speech. . . . The important thing is to correct it when it isn’t intentional.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary of English Usage elaborates on this, saying writers use the spelling ‘to create an unlettered persona’. It cites several examples, including a ‘he’d of got me’ from F. Scott Fitzgerald, who ‘used the spelling to represent the speech of a woman who was not overeducated’, as MWDEU politely puts it.
Here is must of in an intertitle in the Buster Keaton film Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928):
And in Josef von Sternberg’s 1928 The Docks of New York:
Over the last number of years, I’ve seen the non-standard of-form in many books by authors who presumably knew what they were doing:
‘I could of sworn I’d run into you some place before.’ (Carson McCullers, The Member of the Wedding)
‘Oh Miz, oh Miz,’ he moaned, rubbing his leg. ‘You shouldn’t of done that, you shouldn’t, you reely shouldn’t.’ (Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar)
‘All bloody and mucked up, with figuring away aboard the Vénus, when two minutes would of changed it.’ (Patrick O’Brian, The Mauritius Command)
‘I’d of liked to be stabbed – and have lashings of red paint.’ (Agatha Christie, Dead Man’s Folly)
‘Never should of married‘ (Dylan Thomas, Under Milk Wood)
‘See, they must of had them already saddled.’ (Elmore Leonard, The Law at Randado)
‘If I hadn’t of got my tubes tied, it could of been me, say I was ten years younger.’ (Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale)
‘You could of just told him.’ (Raymond Chandler, The Long Good-bye)
‘You could of said no and I could of not believed you.’ (Raymond Chandler, The Long Good-bye)
‘She must of grabbed some pills.’ (Raymond Chandler, The Long Good-bye)
‘You ought to of asked for me in the first place.’ (Raymond Chandler, ‘Trouble Is My Business’, in Trouble Is My Business)
‘Maybe I had ought to of gone to the servant’s entrance.’ (Raymond Chandler, ‘Trouble Is My Business’, in Trouble Is My Business)
‘Youve never seen anything so mad, the lassie couldnt of known what kind of nut house she was in.’ (Alan Warner, Morvern Callar)
‘I don’t suppose he would remember you,’ the woman said thoughtfully. ‘Seems like he would of mentioned you sometimes if he did.’ (Shirley Jackson, ‘The Lie’, in Let Me Tell You)
‘He shouldn’t of done it, that’s all’ (Shirley Jackson, ‘Root of Evil’, in Let Me Tell You)
‘My wife,’ he said, putting his elbows on the counter and still watching Judith, ‘my wife, you ought to of heard her when she thought I was going.’ (Shirley Jackson, ‘Homecoming’, in Let Me Tell You)
‘If he’d of been a friend of mine you would have said plenty, believe me,” Mrs. Royster said darkly. (Shirley Jackson, ‘The Daemon Lover’)
‘She sure must of been glad to see him, the way he looked,’ the old man said. (Shirley Jackson, ‘The Daemon Lover’)
‘I never saw him,’ the clerk in the drugstore said. ‘I know because I would of noticed the flowers.’ (Shirley Jackson, ‘The Daemon Lover’)
‘If you had of been dead, you’d of had a funeral. I only just thought a that now. I’d of went along.’ (Claire Kilroy, The Devil I Know)
Mabey I shoudnt of let them oparate on my branes like she said if its agenst god. (Daniel Keyes, Flowers for Algernon)
Now that makes me feel bad because I would never of hurt the baby. (Daniel Keyes, Flowers for Algernon)
‘I should of had my head examined.’ (Daniel Keyes, Flowers for Algernon)
‘She should of got it lit before we arrived.’ (Terry Pratchett, Wyrd Sisters)
‘Maybe you should of shot us when we was far away.’ (Chris Cleave, The Other Hand)
‘If he’d been an animal, he’d of been the runt of the litter and we’d of put him down.’ (Gillian Flynn, Dark Places)
‘I could of used the money,’ Donna said. ‘That’s what I was thinking.’ […] ‘It’s true,’ she said. ‘I could of used the money.’ (Raymond Carver, ‘Vitamins’, in Cathedral)
‘And here I’d of sworn…’ He took another try at the coffee cup, registered surprise to find it empty. (James Sallis, Drive)
‘Figured they must of took you when they took Ellis.’ (James Sallis, Bluebottle)
Must of been May 14 as May 12 is my birthday and it was by way of a late present. (Minette Walters, The Ice House)
‘You could of got it from the paper.’ (Minette Walters, The Sculptress)
‘You should of shown me this last time.’ (Minette Walters, The Sculptress)
‘She went guilty so she must of done it.’ (Minette Walters, The Sculptress)
Yorkin cringed. ‘Me. Pierce told me to clip him. I shouldn’t of done it by the drop.’ (James Ellroy, L. A. Confidential)
‘That sure could of been true,’ says the clerk at the Salon City store (Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild)
‘I must of fell asleep, eh?’
‘I guess you must have,’ said Isserley. (Michel Faber, Under the Skin)Then one day, it must of rained, and man discovered a new place: indoors. (Philomena Cunk, Cunk on Everything)
And where that monkey might of come from. (Philomena Cunk, Cunk on Everything)
I would of put loads more dinosaurs in. (Philomena Cunk, Cunk on Everything)
‘Donnie, we’d of finished this Betamax deal in ten days. And we’d have had winter money, all three of us.’ (Joseph D. Pistone with Richard Woodley, Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia)
‘And who else could of built it?’ Mr Madden shouted. (Brian Moore, The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne)
Sheila, the woodshed, should of paddled you sooner. (Brian Moore, The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne)
‘You went had in there. Stark mad. You’d have raped her if . . .’
‘I’d of what?‘ (Brian Moore, The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne)‘I never should of come here.’ (Brian Moore, The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne)
‘Whether Miriam would of been any different, I don’t know, but I’d say she’d of been worse.’ (Patricia Highsmith, Strangers on a Train)
‘I’d of thought Mrs Herman was the last person in the world to—’ (Dashiell Hammett, The Dain Curse)
…the marshal hadn’t taken any of the Collinsons’ property though of course he might of. (Dashiell Hammett, The Dain Curse)
‘I wouldn’t of flagged that taxi if the For Hire flag hadn’t been up.’ (Dashiell Hammet, ‘Fly Paper’, in The Big Knockover and other stories)
”F he’d of been a man I’d of seen him in hell ‘fore I’d of gave it to him.’ (Dashiell Hammett, ‘Corkscrew’, in The Big Knockover and other stories)
‘They may of gone,’ he said slowly. (Dashiell Hammett, ‘The Golden Horseshoe’, in The Continental Op)
‘But he must of gone through the house and out front . . .’ (Dashiell Hammett, ‘The Girls with the Silver Eyes’, in The ContinentalOp)
‘Anybody could of got in them with a ladder.’ (Dashiell Hammett, ‘The Farewell Murder’, in The Continental Op)
‘Well, we would of if she hadn’t put the two X’s to me the same as she done to you’ . . . ‘but if my rod hadn’t of got snagged in my flogger you wouldn’t have seen nothing else.’ (Dashiell Hammett, ‘The Whosis Kid’, in The Continental Op)
‘If I’d known you five years ago I’d of given it to you.’ (Sara Paretsky, ‘The Maltese Cat’, in Windy City Blues)
‘Mate, I’ve probably said enough already. More than I should of (taps nose) . . . Professional conduct an’ all that.’ (Nicola Barker, Darkmans)
‘Yes, and if the bastard hadn’t of moved I’d have got him, too.’ (Alexander Masters, Stuart: A Life Backwards)
‘I’m Billy Baker. Your Daddy might of talked about me, called me Space?’ (Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, Preacher) (pictured and quoted below: Preacher no. 2: Proud Americans)
”Cause I hope I ain’t outta line here, but I think he’d of been cool about you hearin’ it…’ (Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, Preacher)
‘He was stupid an’ clumsy an’ kind of a weakling, an’ he wouldn’t of lasted a fuckin’ day over there if it hadn’t been for one thing’ (Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, Preacher)
‘See, we’d of done Murphy there an’ then, we’d of had to do Van Patten as well — an’ I knew your Daddy didn’t really wanna do that.’ (Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, Preacher)
The Dunns must of felt this when Tracy vanished. (Octavia E. Butler, Parable of the Sower)
‘She must of really gotten knocked out.’ (Jonathan Lethem, Girl in Landscape)
‘He’s not around now, or you’d of met him.’ (Jonathan Lethem, Girl in Landscape)
‘They could of just been losing us,’ said Coney. (Jonathan Lethem, Motherless Brooklyn)
‘Your parents must of been hippies,’ he’d tell me. (Jonathan Lethem, Motherless Brooklyn)
‘He might of been a little impatient for his date with Frank.’ (Jonathan Lethem, Motherless Brooklyn)
‘If it weren’t for Gilbert I would of told him to stick it—’ (Jonathan Lethem, Motherless Brooklyn)
‘Oh, I’d of straightened it out,’ Tony said. (Jonathan Lethem, Motherless Brooklyn)
‘Each one of them, he says it might of been you, it might of been two other guys.’ (Robert Anton Wilson, The Universe Next Door)
‘You must of been back on the reservation eating peyote again.’ (Robert Anton Wilson, The Universe Next Door)
‘And it wouldn’t of mattered to me whether you did or did not like women.’ (George Pelecanos, Drama City)
‘I wouldn’t of thought of such a thing in a million years.’ (George Pelecanos, The Big Blowdown)
‘If you hadn’t of stepped in the middle of everything—’ (George Pelecanos, The Big Blowdown)
It would of done no good gettin’ somebody else te scratch it for me because that was a sin as well. (Frances Molloy, No Mate for the Magpie)
‘Been calling all night. Four, five calls, must of been.’ (Lawrence Block, A Ticket to the Boneyard)
‘Six-thirty or so, you must of just got on your way to Maspeth, guy goes out back with a load of kitchen garbage.’ (Lawrence Block, A Dance at the Slaughterhouse)
‘Another minute and I would of made it, you rats.’ (Lawrence Block, No Score)
‘Now if you would of done this we wouldn’t have any trouble.’ (Lawrence Block, No Score)
‘Need a social security card,’ he said. ‘You must of had one, I guess.’ (Lawrence Block, Chip Harrison Scores Again)
‘Guess they must of been chafing you some on that bus ride.’ (Lawrence Block, Chip Harrison Scores Again)
‘You might not of noticed yesterday but he’s only got one hand.’ (Ron Rash, The Cove)
‘Would he of died?’ (Alison Bechdel, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic)
‘Pete should of told me,’ he said. (Donald Westlake, Good Behavior)
‘Okay,’ Dortmunder said. ‘Could be worse. She could of been wearing her habit, right?’ (Donald Westlake, Good Behavior)
‘Wound up, it took him forty-eight years to serve a ten-year sentence that he should of got out in three.’ (Donald Westlake, Good Behavior)
‘She has on a pair of bikinis I couldn’t of got into when I was ten years old.’ (Elmore Leonard, Mr. Paradise)
‘We could’ve settled, the city pays out a few bucks, it wouldn’t of cost you a dime.’ (Elmore Leonard, Mr. Paradise)
‘You know what I sor?’ said the child patiently. ‘Well, the train must of stopped, see, and some little men with bundles on their backs got on.’ (Mavis Gallant, ‘Up North’, in The Omnibus of 20th Century Ghost Stories, edited by Robert Phillips)
‘You two might of settled down and had a nice baby or something.’ (John Kennedy Toole, A Confederacy of Dunces)
‘Maybe you should of looked around some more.’ (John Kennedy Toole, A Confederacy of Dunces)
‘He must of gone to the show.’ (John Kennedy Toole, A Confederacy of Dunces)
‘I shouldn’t of toog you id,’ Angelo breathed. ‘I got nerbous.’
‘It was all my fault,’ Mrs Reilly said, ‘for trying to protect that Ignatius. I should of let you lock him away, Angelo.’ (John Kennedy Toole, A Confederacy of Dunces)‘I don’t think I’d of wanted to go down there even for the Grape-Nuts. But maybe if we’d’ve gone real fast . . .’ (Harlan Ellison, ‘Sensible City’, in The Dead that Walk, edited by Stephen Jones)
‘You could of killed someone!’ (Neil Gaiman, Death: The High Cost of Living)
‘There’s a lot of places round here you could of bin.’ (Neil Gaiman, Death: The High Cost of Living)
‘If she’d stuck around, I could of asked her advice. I bet she could of come up with somewhere to put you that no one would think of lookin’, not if you paid them ready money.’ (Neil Gaiman, Death: The High Cost of Living)
‘If you’d gotten into a fight with that swordarm of yours, there’d of been bodies all over’ (Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima, Lone Wolf and Cub, vol. 2: The Gateless Barrier, translated by Dana Lewis)
‘It ain’t right I wasn’t there because if I had of been there I would of known.’ (Flannery O’Connor, A Good Man is Hard to Find)’The other vics probably would have lived if Lewin hadn’t of made that play.’ (George Pelecanos, Shame the Devil)
‘I should of thought of that my own self.’ (George Pelecanos, Shame the Devil)
‘If you’d gone in right away, you would of got him, none of this would of happened. . . . I’d of got off! You think I’d of stood around that roadblock for seven hours?’ (Richard Stark, Slayground)
‘That guy talks pretty big, Cory. We should of called his bluff right there.’ (Richard Stark, Ask the Parrot)
‘Everything screws up, it just gets worse and worse, we should never of got into this, we’re fuckups, that’s all, we’re just fuckups.’ (Richard Stark, Comeback)
‘Might of slipped in and out, nobody the wiser, except we were already on the scene, account of Parmitt being gone.’ (Richard Stark, Flashfire)
‘Couldn’t you of – oh, he was ignorant in his speech – couldn’t you of prevented it?’ (Hilary Mantel, Beyond Black)
‘I should of thought to bring a sun lounger, from the garden centre,’ Mart said. (Hilary Mantel, Beyond Black)
‘He could of been,’ her mother said vaguely. (Hilary Mantel, Beyond Black)
When she provoked him and he was in a temper with her, he would say, count your blessings, girl, you fink I’m bad but you could of had MacArthur. You could have had Bob Fox, or Aitkenside, or Pikey Pete. You could have had my mate Keef Capstick. You could of had Nick, and then where’d you be? (Hilary Mantel, Beyond Black)
He shouldn’t of been near enough . . . (Donal Ryan, ‘Aisling’, in A Slanting of the Sun)
Stupid idea anyway I dont think he ever wud of really done it. (Paul Murray, The Bee Sting – this example is from a teenager’s text message)
But if she hadn’t of drank she would never have seen him at all and better that she was there she thought where she could at least try to keep some grip on him before he lost the run of himself completely (Paul Murray, The Bee Sting)
Lar thought about it They must of gone out on a job he said (Paul Murray, The Bee Sting)
I wonder what kind of life you might have had, if you hadn’t of been dragged back here. (Paul Murray, The Bee Sting)
I paid a man to write it he says He must of never sent it at all (Paul Murray, The Bee Sting)
I wish someone had of told me you croak into his shoulder (Paul Murray, The Bee Sting)
Lars frowns Choosing his words He didn’t think you should of married Dickie he says (Paul Murray, The Bee Sting)
U SHUD OF TOLD ME I CUD OF SHOWD U AROUD!!!! (Paul Murray, The Bee Sting, text message)
‘Hell, if I knew I was sitting on a gold mine, I’d of sold ’em a long time ago.’ (Jim Dodge, Not Fade Away)
‘And he couldn’t of loved me because he took away my kid, he’s off someplace where I can’t never see him.’ (James Baldwin, Another Country)
‘But I would of died for my kid, I wouldn’t never of let anything happen to him.’ (James Baldwin, Another Country)
‘I couldn’t of done nothing else,’ he cried, ‘what else could I of done? Where could I of gone with Esther, and me a preacher, too? And what could I of done with you?’ (James Baldwin, Go Tell It on the Mountain)
‘Must of had a heart attack or something!?’ (Jamie Hewlett and Alan Martin, Tank Girl One):
A curious example in Jim Nesbit’s novel Lethal Injection, where a character says “would’ve of”. My first thought was that it was a copy-editing or proofreading fix that stopped halfway: changing “would of” to “would’ve” and neglecting to delete the “of”. But a search online shows occasional analogous examples in unedited writing, and adjacent discussion on Language Log, so it may well be authentically dialectal:
The example below, from alt-manga historian Ryan Holmberg’s The Translator Without Talent, is from The Marvel Times, a pretend-newspaper about comics that he created on his twelfth birthday. So its must of is probably not deliberate and also completely forgivable:
Such phrases appear often in Cormac McCarthy’s novels. Here are some from Cities of the Plain, all used in dialogue:
You’d never of knowed it though.
I wouldn’t of wrote home for nothin.
Looks like they’d of learned to stay out of it.
Johnny if he hadnt of found that girl would of found somethin else.
And there was nothin any mortal man could of done to of stopped it.
And from Blood Meridian:
No, No, he said. I mean ye was lost to of come here.
It might of been a mule.
Somebody ought to of pickled it a long time ago.
Must of been a thousand indians in there all settin around.
He appears to of spoke for hisself.
I couldnt of learned it off ten dutchmen.
Him and the governor they sat up till breakfast and it was Paris this and London that in five languages, you’d of give something to of heard them.
Don’t you know he’d of took you with him? He’d of took you, boy.
Glanton spat. Ort to of shot that one too, he said.
Well, he said. I’d of thought any damn fool could saw the barrels off a shotgun.
That old boy you bought them off of might of said they was injins but that dont make it so.
The man didnt answer.
Them ears could of come off of cannibals . . .You wouldnt of lived anyway, the man said.
And from All the Pretty Horses:
They might as well of, he said.
Otherwise I’d of been born in Alabama.
…it was a mistake not to of told you.
But if it hadnt of been for her I wouldnt of made it.
He might well could of
Might well could of is also a nice example of a double modal. The [modal]-of construction is used frequently throughout Chris Cleave’s remarkable novel Incendiary:
She was like that was Mena. Philosophical. I’d definitely of killed myself if it hadn’t of been for her.
If you could of looked in my eyes you’d of seen the same thing I shouldn’t wonder.
I wouldn’t of come near you I’d never of let you touch me you should be ashamed.
Most notably in this exchange between two people only one of whom uses it dialectally:
– He would of said something.
– Maybe he wouldn’t have.
– Wouldn’t you of?A remarkable example in A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore uses it without a preceding modal, in the speech of a young child:
‘You got brown eyes,’ she said. ‘I of brown eyes.’
Searching the Corpus of Contemporary American English for the string would of [v*], where [v*] is a verb, produces the graph below. It shows that the of-form’s predominant setting is fiction, usually ‘would of been’, and it also shows up in transcription of actual speech, as in the academic and newspaper instances. You can click through the image to view examples, sources, and further information at COCA.
The magazine data are false positives (‘we’d have a better chance of achieving a breakthrough in quantum gravity than we would of figuring out how to reliably connect with teenagers’), but you get an idea of the construction’s low frequency and particular genre distribution.
Plotting could of [v*] usages over time, using the related Corpus of Historical American English, suggests the construction may have peaked. Or is that just wishful thinking? Again, you can click on this graph for details, or open it in another tab.
Of 1000 occurrences of could/would of in the Oxford English Corpus, about 850 are from ‘representations of direct speech (mostly from the Fiction domain, but also from interviews and courtroom transcripts)’. That leaves 150 genuine written instances of could/would of, compared with 4 million examples of standard could/would have. I can’t help picturing a global battalion of editors keeping it firmly at bay.
The of-form is not frequent in edited prose, but it appears quite often in casual writing and it has been around a while. Does that count for much? MWDEU says its prolonged use has ‘not made it respectable’, and recommends avoiding it – including in transcriptions of real speech, since ’ve serves the purpose equally well. I agree, and I think if someone explicitly says of, and stresses it, that might warrant a ‘[sic]’.
Regular readers know I like to make room for literary effect and poetic licence, but I have never warmed to this mistake. Every time I see it – be its use naive or intentional – I want to fix it. Authenticity of dialect and character are all well and good, but I think the main effect of the deliberate usage in edited prose is further uncertainty and error (not to mention irritation, in some quarters). What do you think?
Updates:
Years after writing this, I’ve softened considerably on the modal-of construction. This is partly because of exposure to its use by so many great writers, and also because it’s a good example of language change – a natural, essential characteristic of a living language. See my post on reconciling descriptivism with editing for more discussion.
I’ve come across many more examples in books, and have added them to the sets above and below. @desktopenglish on Twitter drew my attention to this BBC article that quotes a footballer saying he ‘Shouldn’t of reacted the way I did’.
What sounds to me like a good audio example comes from author Zadie Smith on the Adam Buxton Podcast. This link should cue the player automatically at 15:50, but if it doesn’t, that’s the time stamp. The relevant exchange is as follows, discussing Smith’s father:
Smith: He was very uptight about time, yeah.
Buxton: It rubbed off on you.
Smith: It must of, yeah.
Medievalist Lucy Allen found the line ‘For methowte I wold not for my life a sen it fallen’ in a 14thC religious text, The Shewings of Julian of Norwich. Translating it as ‘I thought I would not for my life of seen it fall’ [underlines mine], she writes: ‘it’s always fun when you notice something in a medieval text that is a dead ringer for one of the “modern” mistakes that horrify the pearl-clutchers’.
David Crystal adds further historical commentary in his book Making Sense: The Glamorous Story of English Grammar:
On 5 September 1819 the poet John Keats sends an apologetic letter to his publisher John Taylor, in which he writes:
Had I known of your illness I should not of written in such fierry phrase in my first Letter.
‘Should not of written’? From such a great poet? It must have been just a slip, because later on in the same letter he writes ‘You should not have delayed.’ What interests me is to find this confusion 200 years ago. It isn’t just a modern thing, as some critics say. That identity in pronunciation between the preposition of and the unstressed form of the auxiliary verb have has been around a long time.
Morph, a linguistics blog by the Surrey Morphology Group at the University of Surrey, has a great post on different aspects of the modal-of usage: ‘What’s the good of “would of”?’
Lots of examples in Anne Tyler’s If Morning Ever Comes, spoken by several different characters (of different ages, backgrounds, and ethnicities):
‘You mustn’t of been but twelve or so but I remembered.’
‘You shouldn’t of mentioned breakfast, boy,’ he said.
‘Course I think he could of made a better choice in wives, but then Sally’s right pretty and I reckon I can see his point in picking her.’
‘You know, when I was a boy we’d of been plumb through town by now.’
‘If we’d of known,’ she said, ‘I’d of cleaned up house a little.’
‘Folks tell me I take too good care of him, so it can’t of been that he got too cold. Though he is right much of a puddle-wader, that could’ve done it.’ [Note nearby use of could’ve.]
‘I don’t guess my letter would of made any change in him one way or the other.’
‘If I’d of married Jamie,” she said, “I would of had a different family.’
‘Well, if it hadn’t of been her, it’d been someone else.’
‘She mustn’t of seen us.’
Ross Macdonald also makes regular use of the construction:
‘If they knew they had a buyer, they might of stayed in business to accommodate you.’ (Ross Macdonald, The Blue Hammer)
‘I wish I could of died instead of him.’ (Ross Macdonald, The Blue Hammer)
‘The other man took them, he must of.’ (Ross Macdonald, The Galton Case)
‘He must of got away.’ (Ross Macdonald, The Galton Case)
‘He must of fell down on the knife and stabbed himself.’ (Ross Macdonald, The Galton Case)
‘He would of killed him too.’ (Ross Macdonald, The Galton Case)
‘When Culligan came marching out, armed up to the teeth, you could of knocked me over with a ‘dozer.’ (Ross Macdonald, The Galton Case)
‘Lucky for him I was out, or I’d of shown him what’s what.’ (Ross Macdonald, The Galton Case)
‘You were just a tiny baby, but that wouldn’t of stopped him.’ (Ross Macdonald, The Galton Case)
As does Elmore Leonard; these are from The Hot Kid:
Emmett Long kept looking at him. ‘You had a gun you’d of shot me, huh?’
‘I’d of shoved the ice cream cone up his goddamn nose.’
What Oris did, he got mad, changed the name of the company from Busy Bee Oil & Gas – a cartoon bumblebee in the trademark they’d of had one day – to NMD Oil & Gas, standing for No More Dusters, and worked a year as a driller to restore his capital.
‘The only one I told was Emmett,’ Carl said. ‘It had to of been Crystal told the papers.’
She had to wonder if she had been here would he of recognized her, and bet he would’ve.
‘I’d of arrested him he’s walking in the door,’ Lester said.
Franklin was shaking his head. ‘I’d of seen ’em.’
‘I told him he shouldn’t of left the key in it.’
‘She looked at him again with a faint smile. ‘I would never of suspected.’
‘The first remark out of his mouth, I’d of pulled and killed him where he stood.’
‘She’d of given me the choice of taking a chance with Teddy or being locked up.’
‘She wouldn’t of started breakfast if they weren’t all downstairs near ready to eat.’
‘Jack’s a talker,’ Carl said. ‘He’d of thought of a reason to go alone, pick up a bottle? And Tony’s polite, he would’ve said don’t steal the car, okay?’
‘No, he couldn’t of known that.’
‘Jack Belmont wouldn’t of left with bullets in his gun.’
The minute Jack wasn’t looking, like taking a leak or something, she’d of run out of the house to find a cop.
But Nancy knew who he was, so so the kidnapping wouldn’t of worked.
‘If I hadn’t decided to step back inside to answer the phone, I’d of missed one of the great opportunities of my career as a journalist . . .’
Richard Stark, already quoted above, has half a dozen examples in his first novel, The Hunter:
The spelling occurs often in Kent Haruf’s novel Plainsong:‘If Art wanted to see you, he’d of told you where to find him.’
Stegman blinked. ‘He must of believed me.’
‘His wife must of known it, but she never told me.’
‘Five minutes later,’ the owner told him, ‘you’d of been out of luck.’
‘…it must of meant something, that’s all.’
‘I wouldn’t of believed it.’
He should of taken it last year.
She might of come down and gone back, Ike said. She might not of too.
She must not of stuck.
She must of went home, Mr. Guthrie.
You shouldn’t even of touched that.
Well, he might of went to Denver, Raymond said. Then he might of went back to the Rosebud in South Dakota.
I should of called during these months, I know.
You could of done something yourself too, you know, he said.
Something must of happened to her, Harold said. She must of got taken off or something.
I can’t think of anything we might of did.
You don’t even know where he might of took her for sure.
He might of landed her in Pueblo or Walsenburg.We didn’t know what we might of done to cause you to want to leave here like that.
He better not of hurt her permanent, Raymond said.
And in Pete Dexter’s novel Train:
“They must of left the sprinklers on all night,” the fat man said after he got back in control of his deportment again.
“He must of got home somehow,” Train said.
“She all convulsed the whole time they going through the house; she keeps saying, ‘Oh, no, he couldn’t of did that….'”
Train began thinking more and more that the world might of decided to let him alone.
Now he thought about he, she might not of even noticed the table leg if he hadn’t dropped it and woke up the dog…
Train thought it must of reminded him of that feeling when he was hit by that car and rolled across the road.
Then, if it was the right officer, they might of just carted Mayflower out of there, just because she was pretty, and then took his ass out into the desert and left it.
“One of them must of got up here and took it,” he said.
It seemed like Mr. Cooper must of told him where he come from, or how else would he know?
Must of bought his clothes in the boy’s department.
Melrose might of been trying to say something too, and Train distinctly saw his jaw slide out from under his face.
It came to Train the Plural must of heard her before she even come out of the double-wide, that he must of known from how she was walking that she was mad.
“A blind man,” he said, “We should of sold tickets.”
Walter Tevis’s The Hustler, from multiple characters:
‘You should never of quit going to Sunday school.’
‘I already watched you lose – watched you lose to a man you should of beat.’
‘And if I hadn’t already paid for it I could of with the money I won in side bets.’
‘They couldn’t of helped but hear of me.’
‘I should of let that guy quit, Charlie, like you told me.’
#books #corpusLinguistics #couldOf #dialects #dialogue #etymology #eyeDialect #fiction #grammar #language #linguistics #literacy #modalVerbs #modals #phrases #reading #schwa #speech #speechErrors #spelling #transcription #typos #usage #verbs #writing
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I was reading this article about one of the first real heist-style bank robbers - https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/12/george-leslie-bank-robber-heist-history.html - and it says that in 1878 after he was killed his body was left at Tramp’s Rock near #Yonkers
I grew up in that area and I’ve never heard of Tramp’s Rock. It doesn’t show up on online maps so it doesn’t seem to be a current name.
Anyone know where this is or was?
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WANDERING WATERLOO REGION THROUGH BOOKS
After a busy and potentially expensive holiday season, the last activity one tends to think about is travel.
What if you broke that mould?
But what if, from the comfort, ease, and coziness of your couch, you navigated local streets both familiar and unknown? Stick with me, for I am not suggesting the familiar armchair travel of 2020.
I certainly won’t suggest more screen time.
What if you made yourself a cuppa something delicious and warm, found a blanket, and cracked the spine of something new?
Waterloo Region’s unique demographics easily lend themselves to phenomenal and fantastical stories. The books below can be found at local bookstores such as Words Worth Books or Old Goat Books in Uptown Waterloo, and A Second Look Books in Downtown Kitchener. Alternatively, check out any branch of the Kitchener Public Library or Waterloo Public Library for these and other books about Waterloo Region or by the region’s own talented authors.
The Waterloo You Never Knew: Life on the Margins by Joanna Rickert-Hall
Joanna Rickert-Hall is a local author, social historian and recipient of the Jean Steckle Award for Excellence in heritage education.
She writes about the scandals and overlooked yet fascinating tales and the tragedies of Waterloo Region. A delightful assortment of them appear in this book.
Covering nineteenth and twentieth-century stories of both a sensational and sordid sort, this book shares local history that few locals have on their radar.
Think body snatchers, cholera, rum running, and sorcery–to begin. Resident readers will be inspired, shocked, and gain new appreciation for the past and present of Waterloo Region.
For the visually inclined, this collection of photographs from nineteenth and twentieth-century Waterloo Region will transport you through the decades of our collective stories.
Chris Masterman, a former Waterloo Region Record librarian invited residents to share their memories associated with the archival photos she dug up from the archives.
Jon Fear is a columnist for the Waterloo Region Record and kept the memory-gathering tradition alive.
Much as its name suggests, Kissing Bridge is whimsical, magical, and a little mischievous. Woolwich Township, known for its talented Mennonite farming community and calm green landscape, is not the setting you might associate with such a title.
Yet it is, in fact, where this real-life story continues to take place today. Ontario’s last wooden covered bridge in use, it has a striking red façade, is the location of many an odd and delightful fact.
Many such pieces of information are shared in the book, some of which include tales of the West Montrose Swifts and the Conestoga Wanderers (local hockey teams from 1915), the real alibi that allowed so many couples to conveniently take their time crossing the bridge, the peeping eyes that spied from the rafters.
The Back Door by Coral Andrews
Local author and broadcaster Coral Andrews dishes on Kitchener’s former underground music scene at The Back Door. Musicians, concertgoers and neighbours alike involved in Waterloo Region’s music scene, and perhaps more so those of a certain vintage, will appreciate the deep dive into Kitchener’s legendary punk history.
Should you prefer fiction, Waterloo Region’s creative writers have plenty to offer. From poetry to crime, consider the following titles for your January book list.
Black Cherokee by Antonio Michael Downing is a coming-of-age story of a mixed-race Black girl growing up in a South Carolina Cherokee community that won’t recognize her identity.
Nobody Cares: Essays is written by Anne T. Donahue. With humour, she explores friendship, failure, work and what life looks like as a twenty- or thirty-something in modern day. Award-winning local poet Chris Banks has several books.
Midlife Action Figure: Poems has been described as a “rare book that is as exciting as it is provocative, showcasing both pathos and humor” by the ECW Press.
Francie’s Got a Gun by Carrie Snyder is a Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year and one of the CBC’s Best Canadian Fiction Books of 2022. The survival of a young girl in a small town will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Former Waterloo Regional councillor, Jane Mitchell, has pivoted from serving her community to crafting murder mysteries with her new novel, Bad Council. In it, a local councillor is killed when he tries to release information that will change his community forever.
Set your schedule as “busy”—you’ve got a lot of reading to enjoy this month!
#CarrieSnyder #chrisBanks #chrisMasterman #coralAndrews #delGingrich #janeMitchell #jeanSteckleAward #JoannaRickertHall #jonFear #KitchenerPublicLibrary #OldGoatBooks #roamingTheRegion #SECONDLOOKBOOKS #taraMcandrew #WaterlooPublicLibrary #WordsWorthBooks -
Jon Stewart Argues on ‘Daily Show’ That Cancel Culture is Real, But Trump Does It Most of All
#GeneralNews #News #Donaldtrump #HarrisonButker #JonStewart #Politics #TheDailyShowwithJonStewart -
That game was bonkers! Started real bad, but cleaned up their game and got our first win of the season! Ram it!
#NFL #RamsHouse #LARams #RamsV49ers -
That game was bonkers! Started real bad, but cleaned up their game and got our first win of the season! Ram it!
#NFL #RamsHouse #LARams #RamsV49ers -
That game was bonkers! Started real bad, but cleaned up their game and got our first win of the season! Ram it!
#NFL #RamsHouse #LARams #RamsV49ers -
That game was bonkers! Started real bad, but cleaned up their game and got our first win of the season! Ram it!
#NFL #RamsHouse #LARams #RamsV49ers -
Why were the #media hypnotised by #SamBankmanFried? | #JohnNaughton | #TheGuardian
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/dec/17/sam-bankman-fried-arrest-ftx-media-sec
“As #CoryDoctorow pointed out … eight #USlawmakers … wrote a letter to the #SECchairman demanding that he back off. And five of these eight … had received substantial donations from #SBF, his employees, affiliated businesses or political action committees. There was a real story here … But it wasn’t told…” @Zetetica -
Today's show - Special Guest Mix! - bitplanes
I'm off on a gig so handing over the reigns to the fabulous bitplanes aka @bazkie for a guest mix. Wonderfull spacey prog, electronica, drum and bass and more, including some bitplanes originals and Fedi's very own @sknob . Lovely!
- Lorraine Bowen - Chillin' Out In Chalkwell
- Jon Anderson - Amor Real (Global Communication mix)
- Brian Eno & David Byrne – Regiment
- Donny Benet – Konichiwa
- Psychic Mirrors - The Witching Hour
- Univore - I've Been Trying to Run Into You
- sknob - L'enfant bulle
- Steve Vai - The Blood & Tears
- Alcatrazz – Mercy
- Quantum Fantay - Instant Karma
- Allan Holdsworth – Atavachron
- Lamb - Cotton Wool (Fila Brazilia remix)
- Black Uhuru - Boof'n'Baff'n'Biff (Fila Brazilia remix 2)
- bitplanes - love is not a game (vocals: Kathy Brown)
- bitplanes – rejection
https://pirate.mxtthxw.art/@thekalimerashow/episodes/special-guest-mix-bitplanes
#Music #RSS #PirateRadio #Mix #GuestMix #Prog #DrumNBass #Electronica -
Good : :elron: Elron finally submits their schedule data of domestic trains to european schedule data available in DB Navigator or Rail Planner.
Bad : They're not submitting arrival times but only departure times so that all the perfectly aligned transfers in Estonia won't be shown.Seriously, Elron has perfect digital schedule and real-time data ... Why this fail ?
Edit : Already their own GTFS feed is broken, so it's not a HAFAS problem.
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Theme One Program • Motivation 4
• https://inquiryintoinquiry.com/2022/08/19/theme-one-program-motivation-4-2/From Zipf’s Law and the category of “things that vary inversely with frequency” I got my first brush with the idea that keeping track of usage frequencies is part and parcel of building efficient codes.
In its first application the environment the Learner has to learn is the usage behavior of its user, as given by finite sequences of characters from a finite alphabet, which sequences of characters might as well be called “words”, together with finite sequences of those words which might as well be called “phrases” or “sentences”. In other words, Job One for the Learner is the job of constructing a “user model”.
In that frame of mind we are not seeking anything so grand as a Universal Induction Algorithm but simply looking for any approach to give us a leg up, complexity wise, in Interactive Real Time.
#ThemeOneProgram #Learning #Reasoning
#Logic #LogicalGraphs #FormalLanguages
#Algorithm #DataStructure #GraphTheory
#Peirce #PragmaticSemioticInformation
#Empiricism #Rationalism #Pragmatism -
CW: U.S Politics, 2024 elections, USPS
Louis DeJoy--who inexplicably remains U.S. Postmaster General--wants to further destroy the Postal Service, under pretext of "making it solvent".
Senator Jon Tester has introduced a bill that would slow that process.
The real solution? eliminate artificial burdens on the USPS imposed by a Republican Senate--and fire DeJoy.
Aside: Tester is up for reelection in November, and we need him there. Vote!
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3/
What we’re actually waiting for is the political will, the capital, and the consumer pressure to scale what we already know works.That gap between ‘we have the solution’ and ‘we’re deploying it at scale’ is the only real obstacle.
And that gap is closeable. 🌿 -
3/ What we’re actually waiting for is the political will, the capital, and the consumer pressure to scale what we already know works. That gap between ‘we have the solution’ and ‘we’re deploying it at scale’ is the only real obstacle. And that gap is closeable. 🌿 #conviction #commitment
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El Cuervo’s, GardensTale’s, and Eldritch Elitist’s Top Ten(ish) of 2024
By El Cuervo
El Cuervo
After more than a decade in this job, the years start to blur. While there may be an almost imperceptible feeling that some years are musically stronger than others, I’ve started to reach the realization that they’re all basically the same. 99% of heavy metal spawned into the world is destined to be forgotten or disparaged.
That’s not to say I’m bored of this state of affairs. The metal community, and in particular its underground, remains in a robust position to peddle the best non-mainstream music in the world, boasting a wide array of sub-genres from all over the globe. Just look at my list below: nine of the selections are from the atypical regions of Northern Europe and North America, hitherto unknown for their metal output.
Nonetheless, it’s the year-to-year consistency that highlights the importance of gathering our thoughts at annual intervals to assemble a list of real quality. This process reminds me why I still spend hundreds of hours each year consuming and reviewing new music. These stand-outs justify my decision and I deeply enjoy commemorating them in this ranking extravaganza. Revel in the albums that most excited me in 2024.
#10. A Burial at Sea // Close to Home – As much as music may impress you with its technical chops or hook you with its bold melodies, it’s music that makes you feel something that endures. The idiosyncratic brand of post-rock heard on Close to Home, dipping into brassy jazz and techy math rock as much as it does shoegaze, always prioritizes its emotive impact above all else. I love the gentle lilt, the crashing apices, the shimmering walls of noise, the orchestral edges. A Burial at Sea ebbs with slow rhythms and delicate chords, but flows with heavy drums and tremolo-picked melodies. The natural cadence across tracks makes the album feel complete. Each year yields one or two ‘mood’ releases for me to savor in a dark room with my headphones and my thoughts; 2024’s is Close to Home.
#9. Kanonenfieber // Die Urkatastrophe – As much as I initially enjoyed Die Urkatastrophe as a studio album, it took the Kanonenfieber live experience to really get its hooks into me. This isn’t just blackened death metal. It’s theatrical, energetic, and catchy, without devolving into something as simple as ‘meloblack’. The shout-along choruses and grooving leads were accentuated in a live setting, and I was incentivized to dig back through the Kanonenfieber back catalog. But the gig wouldn’t have been as entertaining as it was without the underlying music being of high quality. I’ve been to plenty of shows which have encouraged me to revisit an artist – but where the studio release is far less potent. Die Urkatastrophe has the chops and power to excel in both formats.
#8. Aquilus// Bellum II – Lots of black metal adopts the adjective of ‘atmospheric’ but few come as close to this as Aquilus. Horace Rosenqvist forges music that harmonizes but transcends classical and black metal, beguiling and terrifying in equal measure. Bellum II may be marginally the lesser of Bellum I, but it’s still among the best music released this year. Its compositions are extraordinary, as they subtly and satisfyingly transition from delicate piano and strings to towering black metal blasts. This is the prime example of the album’s devastating dichotomies that I previously described (“elegance and savagery; serenity and chaos; airiness and crunch”). Rosenqvist is a singularly mesmerizing instrumentalist and composer, able to pull contrasting music into a brutal but beautiful whole.
#7. Hamferð // Men Guðs hond er sterk – It’s hard to conceive of a more metal homeland than the Faroe Islands. Cold? Dark? Remote? Check, check, check. This results in Hamferð’s frigid, towering block of death-inflected doom metal that owes as much to its isolated island roots as it does to any other metal band. Men Guðs hond er sterk is a crushingly heavy album, but one gilded with a hopeful edge derived from its concept wherein a survivor of a whaling accident emphasizes the miracle of his life. While prioritizing the sheer weight of mass and exquisitely despondent leads, the album also benefits from one of metal’s most talented vocalists in Jón Aldará, who runs the gamut from bellowing growls to melancholic croons. Though it runs out of steam by the gentle acoustic conclusion, the preceding thirty-nine minutes are monumental.
#6. Blood Incantation // Absolute Elsewhere – Blood Incantation is plainly an excellent band. But I’m struggling to explain why Absolute Elsewhere became the underground cross-over metal album of the year, favored by big and small publications alike. Perhaps it’s the savage but technical riffs that make you mosh and think simultaneously. Perhaps it’s the Floydian approach to song structures. Perhaps it’s the penchant for meandering, Tangerine Dreamy interludes. Perhaps it’s the sophisticated fusion of something heavy so listeners feel edgy, with something chill so listeners feel safe. Perhaps it’s the conspiratorial orientation around our alien overlords building the pyramids. Perhaps it’s all of these and more. Hmm. On reflection, I think I do understand why everyone loves Absolute Elsewhere as much as they do.
#5. Crypt Sermon // The Stygian Rose – We all know that doom is the worst core metal sub-genre. To my abject horror, 2024 saw not one but two excellent examples of it. Crypt Sermon stormed the top five of my list, folding excellent leads and engaging solos into some of the most captivating metal of the year. While the front half is good, it’s the back half where things hit another level. “Heavy Is the Crown of Bone” until the title track exemplifies the best of the sub-genre through their epic proportions, memorable melodies and fat, crunchy guitar tones. While the riffs have immediate impact, the detailed compositions give the songs real staying power. Layers of guitars, a tempo that eschews dirge speeds, varied vocals and progressive song constructions march the album to a conclusion that comes too quickly.
#4. Syst3m Glitch // The Brave Ones – The remainder of this list documents my love for heavy metal and all things progressive. But synthwave is the third pillar of my music library and the most joyous. The best of the year comes from Florida’s Syst3m Glitch. He’s not always been my first pick for synths, but The Brave Ones dramatically outperformed his prior output and muscled its way into my favorite albums from 2024. It’s stuffed full of catchy, memorable tunes that traverse the synthwave soundscape, from the pop-laced sweetness of “California,” to the pulsing rhythms of “Thrill Ride,” to the darksynth pastiche of “Tommy Danger,” and finally to the smooth retrowave of “Raining in Tokyo.” It’s rare for one release to cover this much territory, and rarer still that it’s so successful in doing so.
#3. Dissimulator // Lower Form Resistance – February is early in the year but I knew then that Lower Form Resistance would be high on my list. Dissimulator inherits death metal traits from the members’ other bands (including Beyond Creation and First Fragment) but builds these into uber-tight, technical thrash metal. The excellence of the riffs here is fucking relentlessness; no other 2024 release can boast such a fine repertoire. From the ridiculously good “Neural Hack” until the closer, the album generates such entertainment value that it feels half as long as it is. The exemplary instrumentation, chaotic energy and technological feel make Lower Form Resistance sound like Voivod reinvented for the 2020s. In a sub-genre so preoccupied with rehashing old ideas – I do not accept that thrash metal must sound like 1986 – Dissimulator thrives by looking forward.
#2. In Vain // Solemn – It’s no secret that I’m a prog nerd. While In Vain has always been plenty progressive through varied and unpredictable songwriting, what I envy most is the knack for incorporating myriad styles into one cohesive sound. Solemn follows two prior records demarcated by their fusions of melodic death metal, black metal, progressive rock, and Nordic folk music. This fusion has never been more seamless than it is in 2024. The expansive songs feel like they should be extremely long and complex but in reality, they hardly exceed seven minutes and utilize powerful melodic anchors. As if all this wasn’t enough, the quintessential In Vain guitar and vocal harmonies, and orchestral pomp, elevate the songs into metal magic. Solemn is pure Cuervo catnip.
#1. Opeth // The Last Will and Testament – It feels like I’ve spent much of the last few months describing just how much I admire Opeth. This year-end list is no exception as I properly rank The Last Will and Testament as 2024’s best release. With the Opeth ranking articles so recent, I think it would fall into the upper half of their work. In a discography littered with records revered by both metalheads and prog nerds, this demarcates a record of rare quality. Though – yes – Åkerfeldt returns to growled vocals here, this is just a small piece of what makes The Last Will and Testament so good. From the sophisticated compositions to the entertaining story, and the exemplary instrumentation to the immaculate production, its knotty harmonization of death metal with progressive rock has the aura of perfection. No other record from 2024 can make such a claim.
Honorable Mentions
- Beardfish // Songs for Beating Hearts – The unheralded return of these Swedes yields a shockingly vital slice of prog rock, boasting tidy riffs, folksy warmth, and engaging song-writing.
- At 1980 // Forget to Remember – While predictable, At 1980 remains an interminably satisfying retrowave artist through their smooth synths, melodic guitar solos, and easy vocals.
- Morgul Blade // Heavy Metal Wraiths – Morgul Blade forms a destructive harmony between three of my favorite things: razor-sharp classic metal leads, harsh vocal,s and Tolkien nerdery.
- Kalax // Lost – While bloated and meandering – lost, perhaps – the return of Liverpool’s premier retro synth act finds a delicate dichotomy between frigidity and comfort.
Songs o’ the Year
- Unto Others – “Never, Neverland”
- Syst3m Glitch – “Raining in Tokyo”
- Iotunn – “Iridescent Way”
- Opeth – “A Story Never Told”
- Lebrock – “Goliath”
- At 1980 – “Your Secret”
- Nestor – “Caroline”
- Crypt Sermon – “The Stygian Rose”
- Dissimulator – “Neural Hack”
- Winterun – “Silver Leaves”
GardensTale
Fucking hell, what a year. Ordinarily, I’d try and wax poetically on the passing of time or some shit here. Looking back with melancholy and whatnot seems to be the intention for opening paragraphs to arbitrary lists of what music this one rando that I happen to be got the most enjoyment from this year. But I think this time, I’ll try some brutal honesty instead. It’s not been a great year overall. I won’t bore you with a tedious list, numbering my shades of the various common mental issues people my age and disposition face, but suffice it to say I’ve closed out most prior years in better spirits. But I’m getting help, I’m fighting it, and I’m learning. Learning to give myself grace, to step back when I need to. And if that sometimes means slowing down on a review, well, it’s a small price to pay.
One consequence is that I have spent less time listening to music I wasn’t reviewing. That shows below because this list will look like the most self-congratulatory thing I ever wrote. The vast majority of entries I penned myself, be it as a full article, a TYMHM or even a filter entry. But the funny part is, I thought it was a really strong year! I had quite a sizeable shortlist to whittle down. But then I was done whittling and discovered I’d almost exclusively cut albums I did not review, like APES, Crypt Sermon and Hamferð for instance. Additionally, I find I’ve added less to the list in the second half of the year, and my sullied brain has questioned myself many times: was autumn weaker than usual, or is my growing ennui obstructing my ability to like things as much as they deserve?
I don’t know, to tell the truth. And I’m unlikely to find out, because time marches on and new releases darken the horizon of January even now. There are only so many hours in the day, so much music hitting the virtual marketplaces and streaming colossi. To give each year its proper due would take 5 years, or having no job or other hobbies. So I can’t give you a fair, balanced and complete list of the best records of the year, because I do have a job and other hobbies, and no time machine. I can only give you the records that made me feel good. I hope they made or will make you feel good, too.
(ish). Dool // The Shape of Fluidity — I’ve been aware of Dool for a while now, even before vocalist Raven van Dorst became a national television personality. But it wasn’t until I caught “Venus in Flames” on the metal radio station in the car that I became interested in their music. The Shape of Fluidity crystallizes Van Dorst’s lifelong struggle with identity into a fierce, defiant, and intensely personal album. The androgynous vocals sizzle with raw emotion, and the instrumentation is likewise fluid in its presentation, swaying from almost post-punk energy to Anathema-adjacent prog and dipping into epic doom. An excellent album that really puts Dool on the map.
10. Alcest // Les Chants de l’Aurore — Here’s a fun fact: I always thought Souvenirs d’un Autre Monde wasn’t Alcest’s first album. It was the first album of theirs I heard, but since about 97 out of 100 bands that evolve their sound go softer rather than harder, I assumed there was something more extreme preceding it. Alcest tends to do things differently, though, changing things up rather radically from album to album. Les Chants de l’Aurore has elements from many of its older siblings, but the mood it sets is such a beautiful warm summer melancholy, it sets it apart in a very special way. And seeing it performed live a few weeks ago was a very special experience that seared the album in my mind.
9. Madder Mortem // Old Eyes, New Heart — No, I’ll never stop proselytizing Madder Mortem, why do you ask? Old Eyes, New Heart wasn’t what I expected, yet in many ways was just what I needed, and was strangely prophetic at times. It’s the most intensely personal album from the Norwegians (which is saying something) and through the healing power of shared misery, sitting down with it is like a good session with a therapist.
8. 40 Watt Sun // Little Weight — Patrick Walker could sing me The Cat In The Hat and I’d still feel like weeping. I’m not sure the man could earn anything below a 4.0 from me if he tried. That being said, Little Weight still takes a spot by the sunny window that 40 Watt Sun hasn’t explored before. Where Perfect Light and Wider Than the Sky were steeped in sadness, Little Weight expels it. It might be the most hopeful album I’ve heard this year, a return to the light from the deepest darkest places. It’s been a comforting hug on bad days, a warm blanket to fight the cold.
7. Walg // IV — The second year in a row I get to feature this duo. Walg is quickly becoming one of my favorite black metal bands. IV fits any mood, really. It’s got anger, it’s got despair, but it also has enough catchy tunes and energy for when you’re in a good mood. You can play the whole thing start to finish, and you can pick out your favorites and stick ‘em in a playlist. As such, it’s been this year’s ol’ reliable, the album to return to when nothing else sparks joy.
6. Kanonenfieber // Die Urkatastrophe — If I had a nickel for every time an acclaimed blackened death metal band exclusively used historically accurate World War I accounts and even performed in uniform, I’d have two nickels. It’s kind of difficult for me to mentally separate Kanonenfieber and 1914 for obvious reasons. Luckily there is space for both in the trenches because Noise’s project has become a mean Menschen mühling machine. “Der Maulwurf” grabbed me by the throat from the first spin, and everything else followed over and over again. Epic, bludgeoning and harrowing.
5. Labyrinthus Stellarum // Vortex of the Worlds — I can’t stop playing this album. It is stuck in my algorithm. The bleeps and bloops that summon Hastur from the depths of space and time live in my head and they do not pay rent. How did two kids1 from a war-torn country manage this? Labyrinthus Stellarum is so goddamn good at composing addictive melodies in 4 dimensions it should be considered unfair. The only reason it’s not higher is because at this point the competition becomes even more unfair.
4. Iotunn // Kinship — A lot of people told me in the comments that the closing track on Kinship is a great song and shouldn’t have affected my rating of the album as a whole. They are wrong on both counts. This is a shame because up to that point, this is the album of the year. Earning what amounts to a 4.495 despite a disappointing closer is an incredible feat, but the songwriting on the best couple of tracks here is simply unparalleled. “Mistland,” “The Coming End” and especially “Earth to Sky” are just massive in a way few bands ever achieve, and Iotunn make it seem effortless.
3. Vredehammer // God Slayer — One improvement to my life is that I am returning semi-regularly to the gym these days. I’ve struggled with working out consistently, but I can usually get a session a week in these days. And my number one companion for these outings has been God Slayer. The bridge in the title track alone gives me enough energy to break whatever personal record I’ll be working on at the time. Just looking at the album art gives me an extra pound of gains for the week.
2. Meer // Wheels Within Wheels — Yeah, it’s not really metal, but it’s proggy and it’s fucking gorgeous so up yours, elitists! I’ve come to the opinion that Norway is simply the best country for prog in general, and Meer is just another notch in that belt. Whereas Playing House didn’t really grab me at the time, I couldn’t stop spinning Wheels Within Wheels. I had to start every day with “Come to Light” for a while, and the climax of that track is so uniquely empowering it’d help beat down whatever funk I found myself in at the time. The symphonic composition and multi-vocal approach are just beautiful and it truly does not get old. Meer has outdone itself.
1. Huntsmen // The Dry Land — I’ve had multiple comeback stories this year. Outside of metal, both Elbow and That Handsome Devil returned with fantastic albums after the last was simply disappointing. The biggest comeback and biggest surprise was, without a doubt, Huntsmen. Mandala of Fear was such a slog, I could never have expected the perfect tight flow of The Dry Land. Every track is a journey in and of itself, and the diversity is immense. The Dry Land has become one of those albums where I can’t put it on without finishing it entirely; I’ll just keep going ‘Oh yes the next song has these awesome mournful vocals’ or ‘Ah here comes that mindblowing transition.’ It’s been a great year for metal and music in general, but the way Huntsmen returned from the grave and far surpassed even their vaunted debut was the absolute peak for me, and it has not since been surpassed by any other release.
Honorable Mentions
- Sleepytime Gorilla Museum // of the Last Human Being — Considering how thrilled I was to get a new SGM album I expected this to wind up higher, but it’s still a great and unsettling resurrection for one of the true premier avant-garde collectives.
- Selbst // Despondency Chord Progressions — There’s been plenty of emotionally grabbing black metal of various sorts this year, but Selbst had the coolest take out of them all, with a melodic sense that felt almost trad metal without losing edge or impact.
- Monkey3 // Welcome to the Machine — Easily the best instrumental album of the year. Tasteful nods to Pink Floyd wrapped in a massive maelstrom of heavy psych that gets the balancing act of repetition and evolution precisely right.
- The Vision Bleak // Weird Tales — An even tighter and more cohesive album than its excellent predecessor. Weird Tales is like an amazing haunted house ride.
- Sidewinder // Talons — I really wanted to have this in the main list, because you don’t get stoner this great very often. Alas, the competition was too strong. But listen to it anyway if you haven’t!
Non-Metal Albums
This is a metal blog, despite our occasional forays into tangential material like Meer. But several of my favorite non-metal artists all released some excellent albums, and considering the year I’ve had and the state of the world, I’d rather end with some positivity for the open-minded among you, who are secure enough in their trveness to partake in some decidedly vntrve yet excellent releases.
- Man Man // Carrot on Strings — The quirky and rambunctious Zappa-in-the-Bayou outfit led by the enigmatic Honus Honus kills it with this eclectic and introspective release. Everything from pulsing club EDM to mellow country and various mixtures further off the musical maps, it’s a wild and engaging odyssey.
- That Handsome Devil // Exploitopia — After the disappointing Your Parents Are Sellouts, these weirdos blew off the barn doors with this comeback. Best described as alternative gypsy surf jazz rock hip-hop, Exploitopia gushes anti-consumerism and anti-capitalism with sardonic humor and biting sarcasm.
- Elbow // Audio Vertigo — The most commercially successful band on this list, but I still feel like many metalheads aren’t aware of how good these Brits are. And Audio Vertigo is one of their best albums to date: versatile, infectious, with a warm melancholy and wry camaraderie. Beautiful.
- Future Islands // People Who Aren’t There Anymore — A breakup album, filled with aching loneliness and longing, yet a strange sense of hope winds through the pulsing synth-pop. Frontman Samuel Herring is an absolute king of emotive, raspy crooning, and his performance brings a ton of personality to the album.
Songs o’ the Year
- Huntsmen – “Rain”
- Meer – “Come to Light”
- Iotunn – “Earth to Sky”
- Tom Cardy – “Transcendental Cha Cha Cha”
- Walg – “Als een Korrel Zand”
- Vredehammer – “God Slayer”
- Tribulation – “The Reaping Song”
- Madder Mortem – “Towers”
- Kanonenfieber – “Der Maulwurf”
- Iotunn – “The Coming End”
- Selbst – “Chant of Self Confrontation”
Eldritch Elitist
Huh. It’s apparently been four fucking years since I last penned a proper 2 Records o’ the Year list for Angry Metal Guy. This time last year, I wasn’t sure whether I’d be contributing such a list ever again. I still love this blog and the music we celebrate, but making regular contributions to AMG requires a not-insignificant time investment, and I’ve found myself spread ever-thinner over the years. And then January happened, in which a startling number of fantastic releases in that month alone resulted in the crystallization of a single goal: To make 2024 my most complete year of musical indulgence to date. If there was an album released that even slightly piqued my interest in a given week, I was going to find time to listen to it, ideally to completion. This resolve resulted in so many discoveries that I could have penned Top Ten Records o’ the Month articles for multiple months of 2024.
When I say “multiple months,” I really mean “January through March”, as my momentum dwindled when mid-April rolled around. Compounding factors between life and work suddenly left me with much less time in which to indulge in new music. Once I fell behind, I quickly realized that it would be virtually impossible to keep up the listening schedule I had set for myself, and subsequently gave up the ghost. As badly as I wanted to contribute the most confidently comprehensive year-end list possible, this list might as well be titled “Eldritch Elitist’s Top 10 Records o’ Q1 2024 & Friends”. Lopsided though it may be, that’s no excuse to not take a legitimate stab at a list at all, especially not when comments like this keep rolling in… Wait, why the hell has that guy been hanging around the AMG break room? Christ, I really need to work on staying in the loop around here. Anyway, here’s some albums I like; no -ishs, HMs, or butts about it.
#10. Cruce Signatus // Cruce Signatus – While Cruce Signatus sits at the bottom of my top 10, I have listened to it more than any other record this year outside of my number 1 pick. It’s become a go-to record to throw on thanks to its instrumental nature and soundtrack-like ebb and flow. More than that, Cruce Signatus’ unique blend of metal and synthwave is legitimately compelling, feeling distinct from similar acts as an actual soundtrack to an in-progress animation project. The downside is that this record feels partially complete because it literally is. The upside is that the experience of listening to this record will surely evolve retroactively as this project continues, and in the meantime, I’ll remain content to absorb one of the most ambitious cross-media offerings of 2024.
#9. Myrath // Karma – The release of Karma marked my first prolonged exposure to Myrath, and while I don’t adore it as heavily as some of my AMG colleagues, it remained in heavy rotation throughout 2024 all the same. Karma is an uncommonly proficient slab of pop metal, one that smartly leverages its latent progressive and folk metal leanings in sublimely bombastic fashion. It lacks variety, but Myrath navigates Karma’s narrow aesthetic with such precision as to maximize its scope, resulting in an album that compels through efficiency. Ultimately, the most important quality of any pop record is its ability to lodge its hooks into my brain, and I have had every single one of these songs stuck in my head many times throughout the year. If that kind of recurring impact isn’t worthy of a spot on this list, I don’t know what is.
#8. Soulmass // Principality of Mechanical Violence – Despite Soulmass’ previous LP basing its concept on my favorite video game, Principality of Mechanical Violence hit me way harder despite unfamiliarity with its source material. My knowledge of Gundam may only go so far as that handsome blonde fellow in red who apparently did nothing wrong, but I do know that this Gundam concept album rocks unlike any other Soulmass record. It largely culls the band’s moodier death/doom passages in favor of concise riffage, yet is also densely melodic, neatly slotting melancholic guitar leads alongside meaty riffs that echo Bolt Thrower and Cannibal Corpse. The resulting listening experience is equally absorbing and exhilarating, enticing me to get in the robot time and time again.
#7. Mega Colossus // Showdown – Mega Colossus just gets it. Not once in my years of listening to this band have I gotten a sense that they are trying to recapture the heyday of traditional metal, or otherwise be anything in the moment other than themselves. Showdown further cements my impression, as it sees Mega Colossus reaching ever further into their bottomless bag of nerd fixations. The resulting songs cover topical ground ranging from Porco Rosso to Mad Max: Fury Road, but more importantly, they masterfully weave inspirations as far-reaching as Kansas and Megadeth into their core aesthetic of Iron Maiden-inspired trad metal. Combine the playfully loose hold on genre convention with Mega Colossus’ ever-effusive lyrics, and you have one of the most purely entertaining records of the year from one of the best modern bands in the genre.
#6. Black Curse // Burning in Celestial Poison – Unlike other albums on this list, I have not returned to Burning in Celestial Poison to reconfirm its standing. Call me irresponsible, but I must emphasize that my memory and impression of this record – one formed after multiple days of consecutive spins – remains fully crystalized in my mind. Black Curse’s sophomore outing is one that continues to linger in the darker corners of my mind, a wholly unique vision of blackened death metal that, while not as traditionally thrilling as the band’s debut, is more than the sum of its parts. That “more” manifests as an incorporeal malefic entity seemingly possessing motives independent of the artists who spawned it. Burning in Celestial Poison feels like a living, breathing work, one which unsettles as much as it entices.
#5. Oak, Ash & Thorn // Our Grief is Thus – Our Grief is Thus is one of those albums that feels made specifically for me, with power metal vocals and melodeath riffage wrapped in an overarching aesthetic of black metal, folk metal, and crust punk. Beyond gifting me the forbidden knowledge that power metal with d-beats can and does work, it’s also a generally excellent example of effective genre splicing, feeling as though it belongs in both all and none of the styles from which it cleverly pulls inspiration. What Oak, Ash & Thorn has accomplished with this sophomore outing is an explosively energetic yet cohesive record, and one so melodically effervescent as to be compulsively replayable. Our Grief is Thus is the most surprising record of 2024, and I am firmly seated on the OAT boat for whatever comes next.
#4. Madder Mortem // Old Eyes, New Heart – Madder Mortem is a name I’ve heard tossed around since 2009, and who I never bothered to check out because I thought they were some sorta high falutin’, artsy fartsy doom metal band. That may have been the case once upon a time, but at some point they evolved into the accessible sort of dark progressive metal showcased on Old Eyes, New Heart. Immediately gripping and heavy yet disarmingly vulnerable, this record converted me to Madder Mortem fandom almost instantly. Its songs wormed their way under my skin with atomic precision and never left; as early as my third listen, they felt like old friends, albeit ones prone to trauma dumping. There may be records I liked more in 2024, but none moved or shook me quite like Old Eyes, New Heart.
#3. Galneryus // The Stars Will Light the Way – I’ve read dozens of comments all parroting a mildly irksome take: The Stars Will Light the Way feels like Galneryus on cruise control. While this has mostly been opined through a positive lens, it still feels unfairly reductive when considering the sheer quality and consistency of this album. Sure, Sho’s voice is notably strained at this point, but he excels at utilizing his current strengths in the strongest collection of Galneryus tracks since 2014’s Vetelgyus. It’s also the most straightforward record Galneryus has released since Vetelgyus, nixing much of the experimentation and darker leanings of recent offerings (“In Water’s Gaze” notwithstanding) in favor of unbridled jubilance. So yeah, sure, The Stars Will Light the Way is a “safe” record if you want to call it that. It’s still one of the best records from the best power metal band in the world.
#2. Nemedian Chronicles // The Savage Sword – I can hardly believe that Nemedian Chronicles is not a Greek band. They sound so in step with acts like Sacred Outcry that I can practically feel the lamb and tzatziki sauce falling out of an overloaded gyro and onto my lap. Yet the appeal of Nemedian Chronicles is singular. There is a lot of love for Blind Guardian and Sacred Outcry on The Savage Sword, but there is also a distinctly epic, cinematic quality that hearkens back to Bal-Sagoth’s overwrought storytelling. Between the propulsive riffs and sweeping melodies, I’m immediately absorbed into the experience with every listen, and that’s to say nothing of the engaging and often unpredictable songwriting. In most years, The Savage Sword would handily take the crown for best power metal release. However…
#1. Fellowship // The Skies Above Eternity – You know that little bit of text under my review of The Skies Above Eternity that says “Rating: 4.0/5.0?” That number is technically correct per the AMG style guide, but what that number can’t account for is the fact that The Skies Above Eternity is a record I’ll be listening to for the rest of my life. 2022’s The Saberlight Chronicles is a true 5.0/5.0 by any objective or subjective metric, and while The Skies Above Eternity is not as good from a technical standpoint, it fully recaptures the strengths that made its predecessor a modern power metal icon. Fellowship’s debut may have had higher and more frequent peaks, but The Skies Above Eternity excels through consistency and conciseness. The band’s trademark earnestness, vulnerability, and impeccable sense of melodic craft can be felt in every second of the experience. It doesn’t matter whether this record is the best material Fellowship is capable of producing because it warms me in the exact same way they’ve been doing since their first EP, making The Skies Above Eternity one of my most treasured records by default. This album may be a 4.0 in my brain, but it’s a 4.5 in my heart and a 5.0 in my soul.
Song o’ the Year
Fellowship’s “Hold Up Your Hearts (Again)” – I was present in the audience when Fellowship debuted this song live, and everyone was so on board with the silliness of its title that we enthusiastically welcomed it into the Fellowship canon with a communal sea of heart hands. It doesn’t top “Glint” as my favorite Fellowship song, but its concentrated formula of speedy Euro-power metal and the lyrics’ pitch-perfect shonen anime energy handily clear second place status.
Disappointment o’ the Year
Various “Artists” – The Continued Proliferation of Crappy AI Album “Art” – This blog has not adopted a formal stance on albums featuring generative AI artwork, nor do I feel it needs to. But this is my list, and I’m taking the opportunity to say that if I get so much as a whiff of AI coming off of an album going into 2025, I won’t be giving it the time of day, much less a review. It is unfathomable to think some musicians can devote so much time and creative energy into creating an album, only to hold zero value in the image that is supposed to be introducing that album to the world. In fact, if an album features an AI-generated cover, I automatically assume that the devaluation of art permeates the music itself in some form. Either pay a fucking artist to create an album cover for you, or go outside to take a picture of a cool tree or something and slap a Photoshop filter on it. If that proves too difficult, the public domain is your friend. If it’s good enough for Bolt Thrower, it’s sure as hell good enough for your shitty bedroom black metal project.
#2024 #40WattSun #ABurialAtSea #Alcest #andEldritchElitistSTopTenIshOf2024 #Aquilus #At1980 #Beardfish #BlackCurse #BloodIncantation #CruceSignatus #CryptSermon #Dissimulator #Dool #ElCuervoS #Fellowship #Galneryus #GardensTaleS #Hamferð #Huntsmen #InVain #Iotunn #Kalax #Kanonenfieber #LabyrinthusStellarum #Lists #Listurnalia #MadderMortem #Meer #MegaColossus #Monkey3 #MorgulBlade #Myrath #NemedianChronicles #OakAshThorn #Opeth #Selbst #Sidewinder #SleepytimeGorillaMuseum #Soulmass #Syst3mGlitch #TheVisionBleak #Vredehammer #Walg
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El Cuervo’s, GardensTale’s, and Eldritch Elitist’s Top Ten(ish) of 2024
By El Cuervo
El Cuervo
After more than a decade in this job, the years start to blur. While there may be an almost imperceptible feeling that some years are musically stronger than others, I’ve started to reach the realization that they’re all basically the same. 99% of heavy metal spawned into the world is destined to be forgotten or disparaged.
That’s not to say I’m bored of this state of affairs. The metal community, and in particular its underground, remains in a robust position to peddle the best non-mainstream music in the world, boasting a wide array of sub-genres from all over the globe. Just look at my list below: nine of the selections are from the atypical regions of Northern Europe and North America, hitherto unknown for their metal output.
Nonetheless, it’s the year-to-year consistency that highlights the importance of gathering our thoughts at annual intervals to assemble a list of real quality. This process reminds me why I still spend hundreds of hours each year consuming and reviewing new music. These stand-outs justify my decision and I deeply enjoy commemorating them in this ranking extravaganza. Revel in the albums that most excited me in 2024.
#10. A Burial at Sea // Close to Home – As much as music may impress you with its technical chops or hook you with its bold melodies, it’s music that makes you feel something that endures. The idiosyncratic brand of post-rock heard on Close to Home, dipping into brassy jazz and techy math rock as much as it does shoegaze, always prioritizes its emotive impact above all else. I love the gentle lilt, the crashing apices, the shimmering walls of noise, the orchestral edges. A Burial at Sea ebbs with slow rhythms and delicate chords, but flows with heavy drums and tremolo-picked melodies. The natural cadence across tracks makes the album feel complete. Each year yields one or two ‘mood’ releases for me to savor in a dark room with my headphones and my thoughts; 2024’s is Close to Home.
#9. Kanonenfieber // Die Urkatastrophe – As much as I initially enjoyed Die Urkatastrophe as a studio album, it took the Kanonenfieber live experience to really get its hooks into me. This isn’t just blackened death metal. It’s theatrical, energetic, and catchy, without devolving into something as simple as ‘meloblack’. The shout-along choruses and grooving leads were accentuated in a live setting, and I was incentivized to dig back through the Kanonenfieber back catalog. But the gig wouldn’t have been as entertaining as it was without the underlying music being of high quality. I’ve been to plenty of shows which have encouraged me to revisit an artist – but where the studio release is far less potent. Die Urkatastrophe has the chops and power to excel in both formats.
#8. Aquilus// Bellum II – Lots of black metal adopts the adjective of ‘atmospheric’ but few come as close to this as Aquilus. Horace Rosenqvist forges music that harmonizes but transcends classical and black metal, beguiling and terrifying in equal measure. Bellum II may be marginally the lesser of Bellum I, but it’s still among the best music released this year. Its compositions are extraordinary, as they subtly and satisfyingly transition from delicate piano and strings to towering black metal blasts. This is the prime example of the album’s devastating dichotomies that I previously described (“elegance and savagery; serenity and chaos; airiness and crunch”). Rosenqvist is a singularly mesmerizing instrumentalist and composer, able to pull contrasting music into a brutal but beautiful whole.
#7. Hamferð // Men Guðs hond er sterk – It’s hard to conceive of a more metal homeland than the Faroe Islands. Cold? Dark? Remote? Check, check, check. This results in Hamferð’s frigid, towering block of death-inflected doom metal that owes as much to its isolated island roots as it does to any other metal band. Men Guðs hond er sterk is a crushingly heavy album, but one gilded with a hopeful edge derived from its concept wherein a survivor of a whaling accident emphasizes the miracle of his life. While prioritizing the sheer weight of mass and exquisitely despondent leads, the album also benefits from one of metal’s most talented vocalists in Jón Aldará, who runs the gamut from bellowing growls to melancholic croons. Though it runs out of steam by the gentle acoustic conclusion, the preceding thirty-nine minutes are monumental.
#6. Blood Incantation // Absolute Elsewhere – Blood Incantation is plainly an excellent band. But I’m struggling to explain why Absolute Elsewhere became the underground cross-over metal album of the year, favored by big and small publications alike. Perhaps it’s the savage but technical riffs that make you mosh and think simultaneously. Perhaps it’s the Floydian approach to song structures. Perhaps it’s the penchant for meandering, Tangerine Dreamy interludes. Perhaps it’s the sophisticated fusion of something heavy so listeners feel edgy, with something chill so listeners feel safe. Perhaps it’s the conspiratorial orientation around our alien overlords building the pyramids. Perhaps it’s all of these and more. Hmm. On reflection, I think I do understand why everyone loves Absolute Elsewhere as much as they do.
#5. Crypt Sermon // The Stygian Rose – We all know that doom is the worst core metal sub-genre. To my abject horror, 2024 saw not one but two excellent examples of it. Crypt Sermon stormed the top five of my list, folding excellent leads and engaging solos into some of the most captivating metal of the year. While the front half is good, it’s the back half where things hit another level. “Heavy Is the Crown of Bone” until the title track exemplifies the best of the sub-genre through their epic proportions, memorable melodies and fat, crunchy guitar tones. While the riffs have immediate impact, the detailed compositions give the songs real staying power. Layers of guitars, a tempo that eschews dirge speeds, varied vocals and progressive song constructions march the album to a conclusion that comes too quickly.
#4. Syst3m Glitch // The Brave Ones – The remainder of this list documents my love for heavy metal and all things progressive. But synthwave is the third pillar of my music library and the most joyous. The best of the year comes from Florida’s Syst3m Glitch. He’s not always been my first pick for synths, but The Brave Ones dramatically outperformed his prior output and muscled its way into my favorite albums from 2024. It’s stuffed full of catchy, memorable tunes that traverse the synthwave soundscape, from the pop-laced sweetness of “California,” to the pulsing rhythms of “Thrill Ride,” to the darksynth pastiche of “Tommy Danger,” and finally to the smooth retrowave of “Raining in Tokyo.” It’s rare for one release to cover this much territory, and rarer still that it’s so successful in doing so.
#3. Dissimulator // Lower Form Resistance – February is early in the year but I knew then that Lower Form Resistance would be high on my list. Dissimulator inherits death metal traits from the members’ other bands (including Beyond Creation and First Fragment) but builds these into uber-tight, technical thrash metal. The excellence of the riffs here is fucking relentlessness; no other 2024 release can boast such a fine repertoire. From the ridiculously good “Neural Hack” until the closer, the album generates such entertainment value that it feels half as long as it is. The exemplary instrumentation, chaotic energy and technological feel make Lower Form Resistance sound like Voivod reinvented for the 2020s. In a sub-genre so preoccupied with rehashing old ideas – I do not accept that thrash metal must sound like 1986 – Dissimulator thrives by looking forward.
#2. In Vain // Solemn – It’s no secret that I’m a prog nerd. While In Vain has always been plenty progressive through varied and unpredictable songwriting, what I envy most is the knack for incorporating myriad styles into one cohesive sound. Solemn follows two prior records demarcated by their fusions of melodic death metal, black metal, progressive rock, and Nordic folk music. This fusion has never been more seamless than it is in 2024. The expansive songs feel like they should be extremely long and complex but in reality, they hardly exceed seven minutes and utilize powerful melodic anchors. As if all this wasn’t enough, the quintessential In Vain guitar and vocal harmonies, and orchestral pomp, elevate the songs into metal magic. Solemn is pure Cuervo catnip.
#1. Opeth // The Last Will and Testament – It feels like I’ve spent much of the last few months describing just how much I admire Opeth. This year-end list is no exception as I properly rank The Last Will and Testament as 2024’s best release. With the Opeth ranking articles so recent, I think it would fall into the upper half of their work. In a discography littered with records revered by both metalheads and prog nerds, this demarcates a record of rare quality. Though – yes – Åkerfeldt returns to growled vocals here, this is just a small piece of what makes The Last Will and Testament so good. From the sophisticated compositions to the entertaining story, and the exemplary instrumentation to the immaculate production, its knotty harmonization of death metal with progressive rock has the aura of perfection. No other record from 2024 can make such a claim.
Honorable Mentions
- Beardfish // Songs for Beating Hearts – The unheralded return of these Swedes yields a shockingly vital slice of prog rock, boasting tidy riffs, folksy warmth, and engaging song-writing.
- At 1980 // Forget to Remember – While predictable, At 1980 remains an interminably satisfying retrowave artist through their smooth synths, melodic guitar solos, and easy vocals.
- Morgul Blade // Heavy Metal Wraiths – Morgul Blade forms a destructive harmony between three of my favorite things: razor-sharp classic metal leads, harsh vocal,s and Tolkien nerdery.
- Kalax // Lost – While bloated and meandering – lost, perhaps – the return of Liverpool’s premier retro synth act finds a delicate dichotomy between frigidity and comfort.
Songs o’ the Year
- Unto Others – “Never, Neverland”
- Syst3m Glitch – “Raining in Tokyo”
- Iotunn – “Iridescent Way”
- Opeth – “A Story Never Told”
- Lebrock – “Goliath”
- At 1980 – “Your Secret”
- Nestor – “Caroline”
- Crypt Sermon – “The Stygian Rose”
- Dissimulator – “Neural Hack”
- Winterun – “Silver Leaves”
GardensTale
Fucking hell, what a year. Ordinarily, I’d try and wax poetically on the passing of time or some shit here. Looking back with melancholy and whatnot seems to be the intention for opening paragraphs to arbitrary lists of what music this one rando that I happen to be got the most enjoyment from this year. But I think this time, I’ll try some brutal honesty instead. It’s not been a great year overall. I won’t bore you with a tedious list, numbering my shades of the various common mental issues people my age and disposition face, but suffice it to say I’ve closed out most prior years in better spirits. But I’m getting help, I’m fighting it, and I’m learning. Learning to give myself grace, to step back when I need to. And if that sometimes means slowing down on a review, well, it’s a small price to pay.
One consequence is that I have spent less time listening to music I wasn’t reviewing. That shows below because this list will look like the most self-congratulatory thing I ever wrote. The vast majority of entries I penned myself, be it as a full article, a TYMHM or even a filter entry. But the funny part is, I thought it was a really strong year! I had quite a sizeable shortlist to whittle down. But then I was done whittling and discovered I’d almost exclusively cut albums I did not review, like APES, Crypt Sermon and Hamferð for instance. Additionally, I find I’ve added less to the list in the second half of the year, and my sullied brain has questioned myself many times: was autumn weaker than usual, or is my growing ennui obstructing my ability to like things as much as they deserve?
I don’t know, to tell the truth. And I’m unlikely to find out, because time marches on and new releases darken the horizon of January even now. There are only so many hours in the day, so much music hitting the virtual marketplaces and streaming colossi. To give each year its proper due would take 5 years, or having no job or other hobbies. So I can’t give you a fair, balanced and complete list of the best records of the year, because I do have a job and other hobbies, and no time machine. I can only give you the records that made me feel good. I hope they made or will make you feel good, too.
(ish). Dool // The Shape of Fluidity — I’ve been aware of Dool for a while now, even before vocalist Raven van Dorst became a national television personality. But it wasn’t until I caught “Venus in Flames” on the metal radio station in the car that I became interested in their music. The Shape of Fluidity crystallizes Van Dorst’s lifelong struggle with identity into a fierce, defiant, and intensely personal album. The androgynous vocals sizzle with raw emotion, and the instrumentation is likewise fluid in its presentation, swaying from almost post-punk energy to Anathema-adjacent prog and dipping into epic doom. An excellent album that really puts Dool on the map.
10. Alcest // Les Chants de l’Aurore — Here’s a fun fact: I always thought Souvenirs d’un Autre Monde wasn’t Alcest’s first album. It was the first album of theirs I heard, but since about 97 out of 100 bands that evolve their sound go softer rather than harder, I assumed there was something more extreme preceding it. Alcest tends to do things differently, though, changing things up rather radically from album to album. Les Chants de l’Aurore has elements from many of its older siblings, but the mood it sets is such a beautiful warm summer melancholy, it sets it apart in a very special way. And seeing it performed live a few weeks ago was a very special experience that seared the album in my mind.
9. Madder Mortem // Old Eyes, New Heart — No, I’ll never stop proselytizing Madder Mortem, why do you ask? Old Eyes, New Heart wasn’t what I expected, yet in many ways was just what I needed, and was strangely prophetic at times. It’s the most intensely personal album from the Norwegians (which is saying something) and through the healing power of shared misery, sitting down with it is like a good session with a therapist.
8. 40 Watt Sun // Little Weight — Patrick Walker could sing me The Cat In The Hat and I’d still feel like weeping. I’m not sure the man could earn anything below a 4.0 from me if he tried. That being said, Little Weight still takes a spot by the sunny window that 40 Watt Sun hasn’t explored before. Where Perfect Light and Wider Than the Sky were steeped in sadness, Little Weight expels it. It might be the most hopeful album I’ve heard this year, a return to the light from the deepest darkest places. It’s been a comforting hug on bad days, a warm blanket to fight the cold.
7. Walg // IV — The second year in a row I get to feature this duo. Walg is quickly becoming one of my favorite black metal bands. IV fits any mood, really. It’s got anger, it’s got despair, but it also has enough catchy tunes and energy for when you’re in a good mood. You can play the whole thing start to finish, and you can pick out your favorites and stick ‘em in a playlist. As such, it’s been this year’s ol’ reliable, the album to return to when nothing else sparks joy.
6. Kanonenfieber // Die Urkatastrophe — If I had a nickel for every time an acclaimed blackened death metal band exclusively used historically accurate World War I accounts and even performed in uniform, I’d have two nickels. It’s kind of difficult for me to mentally separate Kanonenfieber and 1914 for obvious reasons. Luckily there is space for both in the trenches because Noise’s project has become a mean Menschen mühling machine. “Der Maulwurf” grabbed me by the throat from the first spin, and everything else followed over and over again. Epic, bludgeoning and harrowing.
5. Labyrinthus Stellarum // Vortex of the Worlds — I can’t stop playing this album. It is stuck in my algorithm. The bleeps and bloops that summon Hastur from the depths of space and time live in my head and they do not pay rent. How did two kids1 from a war-torn country manage this? Labyrinthus Stellarum is so goddamn good at composing addictive melodies in 4 dimensions it should be considered unfair. The only reason it’s not higher is because at this point the competition becomes even more unfair.
4. Iotunn // Kinship — A lot of people told me in the comments that the closing track on Kinship is a great song and shouldn’t have affected my rating of the album as a whole. They are wrong on both counts. This is a shame because up to that point, this is the album of the year. Earning what amounts to a 4.495 despite a disappointing closer is an incredible feat, but the songwriting on the best couple of tracks here is simply unparalleled. “Mistland,” “The Coming End” and especially “Earth to Sky” are just massive in a way few bands ever achieve, and Iotunn make it seem effortless.
3. Vredehammer // God Slayer — One improvement to my life is that I am returning semi-regularly to the gym these days. I’ve struggled with working out consistently, but I can usually get a session a week in these days. And my number one companion for these outings has been God Slayer. The bridge in the title track alone gives me enough energy to break whatever personal record I’ll be working on at the time. Just looking at the album art gives me an extra pound of gains for the week.
2. Meer // Wheels Within Wheels — Yeah, it’s not really metal, but it’s proggy and it’s fucking gorgeous so up yours, elitists! I’ve come to the opinion that Norway is simply the best country for prog in general, and Meer is just another notch in that belt. Whereas Playing House didn’t really grab me at the time, I couldn’t stop spinning Wheels Within Wheels. I had to start every day with “Come to Light” for a while, and the climax of that track is so uniquely empowering it’d help beat down whatever funk I found myself in at the time. The symphonic composition and multi-vocal approach are just beautiful and it truly does not get old. Meer has outdone itself.
1. Huntsmen // The Dry Land — I’ve had multiple comeback stories this year. Outside of metal, both Elbow and That Handsome Devil returned with fantastic albums after the last was simply disappointing. The biggest comeback and biggest surprise was, without a doubt, Huntsmen. Mandala of Fear was such a slog, I could never have expected the perfect tight flow of The Dry Land. Every track is a journey in and of itself, and the diversity is immense. The Dry Land has become one of those albums where I can’t put it on without finishing it entirely; I’ll just keep going ‘Oh yes the next song has these awesome mournful vocals’ or ‘Ah here comes that mindblowing transition.’ It’s been a great year for metal and music in general, but the way Huntsmen returned from the grave and far surpassed even their vaunted debut was the absolute peak for me, and it has not since been surpassed by any other release.
Honorable Mentions
- Sleepytime Gorilla Museum // of the Last Human Being — Considering how thrilled I was to get a new SGM album I expected this to wind up higher, but it’s still a great and unsettling resurrection for one of the true premier avant-garde collectives.
- Selbst // Despondency Chord Progressions — There’s been plenty of emotionally grabbing black metal of various sorts this year, but Selbst had the coolest take out of them all, with a melodic sense that felt almost trad metal without losing edge or impact.
- Monkey3 // Welcome to the Machine — Easily the best instrumental album of the year. Tasteful nods to Pink Floyd wrapped in a massive maelstrom of heavy psych that gets the balancing act of repetition and evolution precisely right.
- The Vision Bleak // Weird Tales — An even tighter and more cohesive album than its excellent predecessor. Weird Tales is like an amazing haunted house ride.
- Sidewinder // Talons — I really wanted to have this in the main list, because you don’t get stoner this great very often. Alas, the competition was too strong. But listen to it anyway if you haven’t!
Non-Metal Albums
This is a metal blog, despite our occasional forays into tangential material like Meer. But several of my favorite non-metal artists all released some excellent albums, and considering the year I’ve had and the state of the world, I’d rather end with some positivity for the open-minded among you, who are secure enough in their trveness to partake in some decidedly vntrve yet excellent releases.
- Man Man // Carrot on Strings — The quirky and rambunctious Zappa-in-the-Bayou outfit led by the enigmatic Honus Honus kills it with this eclectic and introspective release. Everything from pulsing club EDM to mellow country and various mixtures further off the musical maps, it’s a wild and engaging odyssey.
- That Handsome Devil // Exploitopia — After the disappointing Your Parents Are Sellouts, these weirdos blew off the barn doors with this comeback. Best described as alternative gypsy surf jazz rock hip-hop, Exploitopia gushes anti-consumerism and anti-capitalism with sardonic humor and biting sarcasm.
- Elbow // Audio Vertigo — The most commercially successful band on this list, but I still feel like many metalheads aren’t aware of how good these Brits are. And Audio Vertigo is one of their best albums to date: versatile, infectious, with a warm melancholy and wry camaraderie. Beautiful.
- Future Islands // People Who Aren’t There Anymore — A breakup album, filled with aching loneliness and longing, yet a strange sense of hope winds through the pulsing synth-pop. Frontman Samuel Herring is an absolute king of emotive, raspy crooning, and his performance brings a ton of personality to the album.
Songs o’ the Year
- Huntsmen – “Rain”
- Meer – “Come to Light”
- Iotunn – “Earth to Sky”
- Tom Cardy – “Transcendental Cha Cha Cha”
- Walg – “Als een Korrel Zand”
- Vredehammer – “God Slayer”
- Tribulation – “The Reaping Song”
- Madder Mortem – “Towers”
- Kanonenfieber – “Der Maulwurf”
- Iotunn – “The Coming End”
- Selbst – “Chant of Self Confrontation”
Eldritch Elitist
Huh. It’s apparently been four fucking years since I last penned a proper 2 Records o’ the Year list for Angry Metal Guy. This time last year, I wasn’t sure whether I’d be contributing such a list ever again. I still love this blog and the music we celebrate, but making regular contributions to AMG requires a not-insignificant time investment, and I’ve found myself spread ever-thinner over the years. And then January happened, in which a startling number of fantastic releases in that month alone resulted in the crystallization of a single goal: To make 2024 my most complete year of musical indulgence to date. If there was an album released that even slightly piqued my interest in a given week, I was going to find time to listen to it, ideally to completion. This resolve resulted in so many discoveries that I could have penned Top Ten Records o’ the Month articles for multiple months of 2024.
When I say “multiple months,” I really mean “January through March”, as my momentum dwindled when mid-April rolled around. Compounding factors between life and work suddenly left me with much less time in which to indulge in new music. Once I fell behind, I quickly realized that it would be virtually impossible to keep up the listening schedule I had set for myself, and subsequently gave up the ghost. As badly as I wanted to contribute the most confidently comprehensive year-end list possible, this list might as well be titled “Eldritch Elitist’s Top 10 Records o’ Q1 2024 & Friends”. Lopsided though it may be, that’s no excuse to not take a legitimate stab at a list at all, especially not when comments like this keep rolling in… Wait, why the hell has that guy been hanging around the AMG break room? Christ, I really need to work on staying in the loop around here. Anyway, here’s some albums I like; no -ishs, HMs, or butts about it.
#10. Cruce Signatus // Cruce Signatus – While Cruce Signatus sits at the bottom of my top 10, I have listened to it more than any other record this year outside of my number 1 pick. It’s become a go-to record to throw on thanks to its instrumental nature and soundtrack-like ebb and flow. More than that, Cruce Signatus’ unique blend of metal and synthwave is legitimately compelling, feeling distinct from similar acts as an actual soundtrack to an in-progress animation project. The downside is that this record feels partially complete because it literally is. The upside is that the experience of listening to this record will surely evolve retroactively as this project continues, and in the meantime, I’ll remain content to absorb one of the most ambitious cross-media offerings of 2024.
#9. Myrath // Karma – The release of Karma marked my first prolonged exposure to Myrath, and while I don’t adore it as heavily as some of my AMG colleagues, it remained in heavy rotation throughout 2024 all the same. Karma is an uncommonly proficient slab of pop metal, one that smartly leverages its latent progressive and folk metal leanings in sublimely bombastic fashion. It lacks variety, but Myrath navigates Karma’s narrow aesthetic with such precision as to maximize its scope, resulting in an album that compels through efficiency. Ultimately, the most important quality of any pop record is its ability to lodge its hooks into my brain, and I have had every single one of these songs stuck in my head many times throughout the year. If that kind of recurring impact isn’t worthy of a spot on this list, I don’t know what is.
#8. Soulmass // Principality of Mechanical Violence – Despite Soulmass’ previous LP basing its concept on my favorite video game, Principality of Mechanical Violence hit me way harder despite unfamiliarity with its source material. My knowledge of Gundam may only go so far as that handsome blonde fellow in red who apparently did nothing wrong, but I do know that this Gundam concept album rocks unlike any other Soulmass record. It largely culls the band’s moodier death/doom passages in favor of concise riffage, yet is also densely melodic, neatly slotting melancholic guitar leads alongside meaty riffs that echo Bolt Thrower and Cannibal Corpse. The resulting listening experience is equally absorbing and exhilarating, enticing me to get in the robot time and time again.
#7. Mega Colossus // Showdown – Mega Colossus just gets it. Not once in my years of listening to this band have I gotten a sense that they are trying to recapture the heyday of traditional metal, or otherwise be anything in the moment other than themselves. Showdown further cements my impression, as it sees Mega Colossus reaching ever further into their bottomless bag of nerd fixations. The resulting songs cover topical ground ranging from Porco Rosso to Mad Max: Fury Road, but more importantly, they masterfully weave inspirations as far-reaching as Kansas and Megadeth into their core aesthetic of Iron Maiden-inspired trad metal. Combine the playfully loose hold on genre convention with Mega Colossus’ ever-effusive lyrics, and you have one of the most purely entertaining records of the year from one of the best modern bands in the genre.
#6. Black Curse // Burning in Celestial Poison – Unlike other albums on this list, I have not returned to Burning in Celestial Poison to reconfirm its standing. Call me irresponsible, but I must emphasize that my memory and impression of this record – one formed after multiple days of consecutive spins – remains fully crystalized in my mind. Black Curse’s sophomore outing is one that continues to linger in the darker corners of my mind, a wholly unique vision of blackened death metal that, while not as traditionally thrilling as the band’s debut, is more than the sum of its parts. That “more” manifests as an incorporeal malefic entity seemingly possessing motives independent of the artists who spawned it. Burning in Celestial Poison feels like a living, breathing work, one which unsettles as much as it entices.
#5. Oak, Ash & Thorn // Our Grief is Thus – Our Grief is Thus is one of those albums that feels made specifically for me, with power metal vocals and melodeath riffage wrapped in an overarching aesthetic of black metal, folk metal, and crust punk. Beyond gifting me the forbidden knowledge that power metal with d-beats can and does work, it’s also a generally excellent example of effective genre splicing, feeling as though it belongs in both all and none of the styles from which it cleverly pulls inspiration. What Oak, Ash & Thorn has accomplished with this sophomore outing is an explosively energetic yet cohesive record, and one so melodically effervescent as to be compulsively replayable. Our Grief is Thus is the most surprising record of 2024, and I am firmly seated on the OAT boat for whatever comes next.
#4. Madder Mortem // Old Eyes, New Heart – Madder Mortem is a name I’ve heard tossed around since 2009, and who I never bothered to check out because I thought they were some sorta high falutin’, artsy fartsy doom metal band. That may have been the case once upon a time, but at some point they evolved into the accessible sort of dark progressive metal showcased on Old Eyes, New Heart. Immediately gripping and heavy yet disarmingly vulnerable, this record converted me to Madder Mortem fandom almost instantly. Its songs wormed their way under my skin with atomic precision and never left; as early as my third listen, they felt like old friends, albeit ones prone to trauma dumping. There may be records I liked more in 2024, but none moved or shook me quite like Old Eyes, New Heart.
#3. Galneryus // The Stars Will Light the Way – I’ve read dozens of comments all parroting a mildly irksome take: The Stars Will Light the Way feels like Galneryus on cruise control. While this has mostly been opined through a positive lens, it still feels unfairly reductive when considering the sheer quality and consistency of this album. Sure, Sho’s voice is notably strained at this point, but he excels at utilizing his current strengths in the strongest collection of Galneryus tracks since 2014’s Vetelgyus. It’s also the most straightforward record Galneryus has released since Vetelgyus, nixing much of the experimentation and darker leanings of recent offerings (“In Water’s Gaze” notwithstanding) in favor of unbridled jubilance. So yeah, sure, The Stars Will Light the Way is a “safe” record if you want to call it that. It’s still one of the best records from the best power metal band in the world.
#2. Nemedian Chronicles // The Savage Sword – I can hardly believe that Nemedian Chronicles is not a Greek band. They sound so in step with acts like Sacred Outcry that I can practically feel the lamb and tzatziki sauce falling out of an overloaded gyro and onto my lap. Yet the appeal of Nemedian Chronicles is singular. There is a lot of love for Blind Guardian and Sacred Outcry on The Savage Sword, but there is also a distinctly epic, cinematic quality that hearkens back to Bal-Sagoth’s overwrought storytelling. Between the propulsive riffs and sweeping melodies, I’m immediately absorbed into the experience with every listen, and that’s to say nothing of the engaging and often unpredictable songwriting. In most years, The Savage Sword would handily take the crown for best power metal release. However…
#1. Fellowship // The Skies Above Eternity – You know that little bit of text under my review of The Skies Above Eternity that says “Rating: 4.0/5.0?” That number is technically correct per the AMG style guide, but what that number can’t account for is the fact that The Skies Above Eternity is a record I’ll be listening to for the rest of my life. 2022’s The Saberlight Chronicles is a true 5.0/5.0 by any objective or subjective metric, and while The Skies Above Eternity is not as good from a technical standpoint, it fully recaptures the strengths that made its predecessor a modern power metal icon. Fellowship’s debut may have had higher and more frequent peaks, but The Skies Above Eternity excels through consistency and conciseness. The band’s trademark earnestness, vulnerability, and impeccable sense of melodic craft can be felt in every second of the experience. It doesn’t matter whether this record is the best material Fellowship is capable of producing because it warms me in the exact same way they’ve been doing since their first EP, making The Skies Above Eternity one of my most treasured records by default. This album may be a 4.0 in my brain, but it’s a 4.5 in my heart and a 5.0 in my soul.
Song o’ the Year
Fellowship’s “Hold Up Your Hearts (Again)” – I was present in the audience when Fellowship debuted this song live, and everyone was so on board with the silliness of its title that we enthusiastically welcomed it into the Fellowship canon with a communal sea of heart hands. It doesn’t top “Glint” as my favorite Fellowship song, but its concentrated formula of speedy Euro-power metal and the lyrics’ pitch-perfect shonen anime energy handily clear second place status.
Disappointment o’ the Year
Various “Artists” – The Continued Proliferation of Crappy AI Album “Art” – This blog has not adopted a formal stance on albums featuring generative AI artwork, nor do I feel it needs to. But this is my list, and I’m taking the opportunity to say that if I get so much as a whiff of AI coming off of an album going into 2025, I won’t be giving it the time of day, much less a review. It is unfathomable to think some musicians can devote so much time and creative energy into creating an album, only to hold zero value in the image that is supposed to be introducing that album to the world. In fact, if an album features an AI-generated cover, I automatically assume that the devaluation of art permeates the music itself in some form. Either pay a fucking artist to create an album cover for you, or go outside to take a picture of a cool tree or something and slap a Photoshop filter on it. If that proves too difficult, the public domain is your friend. If it’s good enough for Bolt Thrower, it’s sure as hell good enough for your shitty bedroom black metal project.
#2024 #40WattSun #ABurialAtSea #Alcest #andEldritchElitistSTopTenIshOf2024 #Aquilus #At1980 #Beardfish #BlackCurse #BloodIncantation #CruceSignatus #CryptSermon #Dissimulator #Dool #ElCuervoS #Fellowship #Galneryus #GardensTaleS #Hamferð #Huntsmen #InVain #Iotunn #Kalax #Kanonenfieber #LabyrinthusStellarum #Lists #Listurnalia #MadderMortem #Meer #MegaColossus #Monkey3 #MorgulBlade #Myrath #NemedianChronicles #OakAshThorn #Opeth #Selbst #Sidewinder #SleepytimeGorillaMuseum #Soulmass #Syst3mGlitch #TheVisionBleak #Vredehammer #Walg
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El Cuervo’s, GardensTale’s, and Eldritch Elitist’s Top Ten(ish) of 2024
By El Cuervo
El Cuervo
After more than a decade in this job, the years start to blur. While there may be an almost imperceptible feeling that some years are musically stronger than others, I’ve started to reach the realization that they’re all basically the same. 99% of heavy metal spawned into the world is destined to be forgotten or disparaged.
That’s not to say I’m bored of this state of affairs. The metal community, and in particular its underground, remains in a robust position to peddle the best non-mainstream music in the world, boasting a wide array of sub-genres from all over the globe. Just look at my list below: nine of the selections are from the atypical regions of Northern Europe and North America, hitherto unknown for their metal output.
Nonetheless, it’s the year-to-year consistency that highlights the importance of gathering our thoughts at annual intervals to assemble a list of real quality. This process reminds me why I still spend hundreds of hours each year consuming and reviewing new music. These stand-outs justify my decision and I deeply enjoy commemorating them in this ranking extravaganza. Revel in the albums that most excited me in 2024.
#10. A Burial at Sea // Close to Home – As much as music may impress you with its technical chops or hook you with its bold melodies, it’s music that makes you feel something that endures. The idiosyncratic brand of post-rock heard on Close to Home, dipping into brassy jazz and techy math rock as much as it does shoegaze, always prioritizes its emotive impact above all else. I love the gentle lilt, the crashing apices, the shimmering walls of noise, the orchestral edges. A Burial at Sea ebbs with slow rhythms and delicate chords, but flows with heavy drums and tremolo-picked melodies. The natural cadence across tracks makes the album feel complete. Each year yields one or two ‘mood’ releases for me to savor in a dark room with my headphones and my thoughts; 2024’s is Close to Home.
#9. Kanonenfieber // Die Urkatastrophe – As much as I initially enjoyed Die Urkatastrophe as a studio album, it took the Kanonenfieber live experience to really get its hooks into me. This isn’t just blackened death metal. It’s theatrical, energetic, and catchy, without devolving into something as simple as ‘meloblack’. The shout-along choruses and grooving leads were accentuated in a live setting, and I was incentivized to dig back through the Kanonenfieber back catalog. But the gig wouldn’t have been as entertaining as it was without the underlying music being of high quality. I’ve been to plenty of shows which have encouraged me to revisit an artist – but where the studio release is far less potent. Die Urkatastrophe has the chops and power to excel in both formats.
#8. Aquilus// Bellum II – Lots of black metal adopts the adjective of ‘atmospheric’ but few come as close to this as Aquilus. Horace Rosenqvist forges music that harmonizes but transcends classical and black metal, beguiling and terrifying in equal measure. Bellum II may be marginally the lesser of Bellum I, but it’s still among the best music released this year. Its compositions are extraordinary, as they subtly and satisfyingly transition from delicate piano and strings to towering black metal blasts. This is the prime example of the album’s devastating dichotomies that I previously described (“elegance and savagery; serenity and chaos; airiness and crunch”). Rosenqvist is a singularly mesmerizing instrumentalist and composer, able to pull contrasting music into a brutal but beautiful whole.
#7. Hamferð // Men Guðs hond er sterk – It’s hard to conceive of a more metal homeland than the Faroe Islands. Cold? Dark? Remote? Check, check, check. This results in Hamferð’s frigid, towering block of death-inflected doom metal that owes as much to its isolated island roots as it does to any other metal band. Men Guðs hond er sterk is a crushingly heavy album, but one gilded with a hopeful edge derived from its concept wherein a survivor of a whaling accident emphasizes the miracle of his life. While prioritizing the sheer weight of mass and exquisitely despondent leads, the album also benefits from one of metal’s most talented vocalists in Jón Aldará, who runs the gamut from bellowing growls to melancholic croons. Though it runs out of steam by the gentle acoustic conclusion, the preceding thirty-nine minutes are monumental.
#6. Blood Incantation // Absolute Elsewhere – Blood Incantation is plainly an excellent band. But I’m struggling to explain why Absolute Elsewhere became the underground cross-over metal album of the year, favored by big and small publications alike. Perhaps it’s the savage but technical riffs that make you mosh and think simultaneously. Perhaps it’s the Floydian approach to song structures. Perhaps it’s the penchant for meandering, Tangerine Dreamy interludes. Perhaps it’s the sophisticated fusion of something heavy so listeners feel edgy, with something chill so listeners feel safe. Perhaps it’s the conspiratorial orientation around our alien overlords building the pyramids. Perhaps it’s all of these and more. Hmm. On reflection, I think I do understand why everyone loves Absolute Elsewhere as much as they do.
#5. Crypt Sermon // The Stygian Rose – We all know that doom is the worst core metal sub-genre. To my abject horror, 2024 saw not one but two excellent examples of it. Crypt Sermon stormed the top five of my list, folding excellent leads and engaging solos into some of the most captivating metal of the year. While the front half is good, it’s the back half where things hit another level. “Heavy Is the Crown of Bone” until the title track exemplifies the best of the sub-genre through their epic proportions, memorable melodies and fat, crunchy guitar tones. While the riffs have immediate impact, the detailed compositions give the songs real staying power. Layers of guitars, a tempo that eschews dirge speeds, varied vocals and progressive song constructions march the album to a conclusion that comes too quickly.
#4. Syst3m Glitch // The Brave Ones – The remainder of this list documents my love for heavy metal and all things progressive. But synthwave is the third pillar of my music library and the most joyous. The best of the year comes from Florida’s Syst3m Glitch. He’s not always been my first pick for synths, but The Brave Ones dramatically outperformed his prior output and muscled its way into my favorite albums from 2024. It’s stuffed full of catchy, memorable tunes that traverse the synthwave soundscape, from the pop-laced sweetness of “California,” to the pulsing rhythms of “Thrill Ride,” to the darksynth pastiche of “Tommy Danger,” and finally to the smooth retrowave of “Raining in Tokyo.” It’s rare for one release to cover this much territory, and rarer still that it’s so successful in doing so.
#3. Dissimulator // Lower Form Resistance – February is early in the year but I knew then that Lower Form Resistance would be high on my list. Dissimulator inherits death metal traits from the members’ other bands (including Beyond Creation and First Fragment) but builds these into uber-tight, technical thrash metal. The excellence of the riffs here is fucking relentlessness; no other 2024 release can boast such a fine repertoire. From the ridiculously good “Neural Hack” until the closer, the album generates such entertainment value that it feels half as long as it is. The exemplary instrumentation, chaotic energy and technological feel make Lower Form Resistance sound like Voivod reinvented for the 2020s. In a sub-genre so preoccupied with rehashing old ideas – I do not accept that thrash metal must sound like 1986 – Dissimulator thrives by looking forward.
#2. In Vain // Solemn – It’s no secret that I’m a prog nerd. While In Vain has always been plenty progressive through varied and unpredictable songwriting, what I envy most is the knack for incorporating myriad styles into one cohesive sound. Solemn follows two prior records demarcated by their fusions of melodic death metal, black metal, progressive rock, and Nordic folk music. This fusion has never been more seamless than it is in 2024. The expansive songs feel like they should be extremely long and complex but in reality, they hardly exceed seven minutes and utilize powerful melodic anchors. As if all this wasn’t enough, the quintessential In Vain guitar and vocal harmonies, and orchestral pomp, elevate the songs into metal magic. Solemn is pure Cuervo catnip.
#1. Opeth // The Last Will and Testament – It feels like I’ve spent much of the last few months describing just how much I admire Opeth. This year-end list is no exception as I properly rank The Last Will and Testament as 2024’s best release. With the Opeth ranking articles so recent, I think it would fall into the upper half of their work. In a discography littered with records revered by both metalheads and prog nerds, this demarcates a record of rare quality. Though – yes – Åkerfeldt returns to growled vocals here, this is just a small piece of what makes The Last Will and Testament so good. From the sophisticated compositions to the entertaining story, and the exemplary instrumentation to the immaculate production, its knotty harmonization of death metal with progressive rock has the aura of perfection. No other record from 2024 can make such a claim.
Honorable Mentions
- Beardfish // Songs for Beating Hearts – The unheralded return of these Swedes yields a shockingly vital slice of prog rock, boasting tidy riffs, folksy warmth, and engaging song-writing.
- At 1980 // Forget to Remember – While predictable, At 1980 remains an interminably satisfying retrowave artist through their smooth synths, melodic guitar solos, and easy vocals.
- Morgul Blade // Heavy Metal Wraiths – Morgul Blade forms a destructive harmony between three of my favorite things: razor-sharp classic metal leads, harsh vocal,s and Tolkien nerdery.
- Kalax // Lost – While bloated and meandering – lost, perhaps – the return of Liverpool’s premier retro synth act finds a delicate dichotomy between frigidity and comfort.
Songs o’ the Year
- Unto Others – “Never, Neverland”
- Syst3m Glitch – “Raining in Tokyo”
- Iotunn – “Iridescent Way”
- Opeth – “A Story Never Told”
- Lebrock – “Goliath”
- At 1980 – “Your Secret”
- Nestor – “Caroline”
- Crypt Sermon – “The Stygian Rose”
- Dissimulator – “Neural Hack”
- Winterun – “Silver Leaves”
GardensTale
Fucking hell, what a year. Ordinarily, I’d try and wax poetically on the passing of time or some shit here. Looking back with melancholy and whatnot seems to be the intention for opening paragraphs to arbitrary lists of what music this one rando that I happen to be got the most enjoyment from this year. But I think this time, I’ll try some brutal honesty instead. It’s not been a great year overall. I won’t bore you with a tedious list, numbering my shades of the various common mental issues people my age and disposition face, but suffice it to say I’ve closed out most prior years in better spirits. But I’m getting help, I’m fighting it, and I’m learning. Learning to give myself grace, to step back when I need to. And if that sometimes means slowing down on a review, well, it’s a small price to pay.
One consequence is that I have spent less time listening to music I wasn’t reviewing. That shows below because this list will look like the most self-congratulatory thing I ever wrote. The vast majority of entries I penned myself, be it as a full article, a TYMHM or even a filter entry. But the funny part is, I thought it was a really strong year! I had quite a sizeable shortlist to whittle down. But then I was done whittling and discovered I’d almost exclusively cut albums I did not review, like APES, Crypt Sermon and Hamferð for instance. Additionally, I find I’ve added less to the list in the second half of the year, and my sullied brain has questioned myself many times: was autumn weaker than usual, or is my growing ennui obstructing my ability to like things as much as they deserve?
I don’t know, to tell the truth. And I’m unlikely to find out, because time marches on and new releases darken the horizon of January even now. There are only so many hours in the day, so much music hitting the virtual marketplaces and streaming colossi. To give each year its proper due would take 5 years, or having no job or other hobbies. So I can’t give you a fair, balanced and complete list of the best records of the year, because I do have a job and other hobbies, and no time machine. I can only give you the records that made me feel good. I hope they made or will make you feel good, too.
(ish). Dool // The Shape of Fluidity — I’ve been aware of Dool for a while now, even before vocalist Raven van Dorst became a national television personality. But it wasn’t until I caught “Venus in Flames” on the metal radio station in the car that I became interested in their music. The Shape of Fluidity crystallizes Van Dorst’s lifelong struggle with identity into a fierce, defiant, and intensely personal album. The androgynous vocals sizzle with raw emotion, and the instrumentation is likewise fluid in its presentation, swaying from almost post-punk energy to Anathema-adjacent prog and dipping into epic doom. An excellent album that really puts Dool on the map.
10. Alcest // Les Chants de l’Aurore — Here’s a fun fact: I always thought Souvenirs d’un Autre Monde wasn’t Alcest’s first album. It was the first album of theirs I heard, but since about 97 out of 100 bands that evolve their sound go softer rather than harder, I assumed there was something more extreme preceding it. Alcest tends to do things differently, though, changing things up rather radically from album to album. Les Chants de l’Aurore has elements from many of its older siblings, but the mood it sets is such a beautiful warm summer melancholy, it sets it apart in a very special way. And seeing it performed live a few weeks ago was a very special experience that seared the album in my mind.
9. Madder Mortem // Old Eyes, New Heart — No, I’ll never stop proselytizing Madder Mortem, why do you ask? Old Eyes, New Heart wasn’t what I expected, yet in many ways was just what I needed, and was strangely prophetic at times. It’s the most intensely personal album from the Norwegians (which is saying something) and through the healing power of shared misery, sitting down with it is like a good session with a therapist.
8. 40 Watt Sun // Little Weight — Patrick Walker could sing me The Cat In The Hat and I’d still feel like weeping. I’m not sure the man could earn anything below a 4.0 from me if he tried. That being said, Little Weight still takes a spot by the sunny window that 40 Watt Sun hasn’t explored before. Where Perfect Light and Wider Than the Sky were steeped in sadness, Little Weight expels it. It might be the most hopeful album I’ve heard this year, a return to the light from the deepest darkest places. It’s been a comforting hug on bad days, a warm blanket to fight the cold.
7. Walg // IV — The second year in a row I get to feature this duo. Walg is quickly becoming one of my favorite black metal bands. IV fits any mood, really. It’s got anger, it’s got despair, but it also has enough catchy tunes and energy for when you’re in a good mood. You can play the whole thing start to finish, and you can pick out your favorites and stick ‘em in a playlist. As such, it’s been this year’s ol’ reliable, the album to return to when nothing else sparks joy.
6. Kanonenfieber // Die Urkatastrophe — If I had a nickel for every time an acclaimed blackened death metal band exclusively used historically accurate World War I accounts and even performed in uniform, I’d have two nickels. It’s kind of difficult for me to mentally separate Kanonenfieber and 1914 for obvious reasons. Luckily there is space for both in the trenches because Noise’s project has become a mean Menschen mühling machine. “Der Maulwurf” grabbed me by the throat from the first spin, and everything else followed over and over again. Epic, bludgeoning and harrowing.
5. Labyrinthus Stellarum // Vortex of the Worlds — I can’t stop playing this album. It is stuck in my algorithm. The bleeps and bloops that summon Hastur from the depths of space and time live in my head and they do not pay rent. How did two kids1 from a war-torn country manage this? Labyrinthus Stellarum is so goddamn good at composing addictive melodies in 4 dimensions it should be considered unfair. The only reason it’s not higher is because at this point the competition becomes even more unfair.
4. Iotunn // Kinship — A lot of people told me in the comments that the closing track on Kinship is a great song and shouldn’t have affected my rating of the album as a whole. They are wrong on both counts. This is a shame because up to that point, this is the album of the year. Earning what amounts to a 4.495 despite a disappointing closer is an incredible feat, but the songwriting on the best couple of tracks here is simply unparalleled. “Mistland,” “The Coming End” and especially “Earth to Sky” are just massive in a way few bands ever achieve, and Iotunn make it seem effortless.
3. Vredehammer // God Slayer — One improvement to my life is that I am returning semi-regularly to the gym these days. I’ve struggled with working out consistently, but I can usually get a session a week in these days. And my number one companion for these outings has been God Slayer. The bridge in the title track alone gives me enough energy to break whatever personal record I’ll be working on at the time. Just looking at the album art gives me an extra pound of gains for the week.
2. Meer // Wheels Within Wheels — Yeah, it’s not really metal, but it’s proggy and it’s fucking gorgeous so up yours, elitists! I’ve come to the opinion that Norway is simply the best country for prog in general, and Meer is just another notch in that belt. Whereas Playing House didn’t really grab me at the time, I couldn’t stop spinning Wheels Within Wheels. I had to start every day with “Come to Light” for a while, and the climax of that track is so uniquely empowering it’d help beat down whatever funk I found myself in at the time. The symphonic composition and multi-vocal approach are just beautiful and it truly does not get old. Meer has outdone itself.
1. Huntsmen // The Dry Land — I’ve had multiple comeback stories this year. Outside of metal, both Elbow and That Handsome Devil returned with fantastic albums after the last was simply disappointing. The biggest comeback and biggest surprise was, without a doubt, Huntsmen. Mandala of Fear was such a slog, I could never have expected the perfect tight flow of The Dry Land. Every track is a journey in and of itself, and the diversity is immense. The Dry Land has become one of those albums where I can’t put it on without finishing it entirely; I’ll just keep going ‘Oh yes the next song has these awesome mournful vocals’ or ‘Ah here comes that mindblowing transition.’ It’s been a great year for metal and music in general, but the way Huntsmen returned from the grave and far surpassed even their vaunted debut was the absolute peak for me, and it has not since been surpassed by any other release.
Honorable Mentions
- Sleepytime Gorilla Museum // of the Last Human Being — Considering how thrilled I was to get a new SGM album I expected this to wind up higher, but it’s still a great and unsettling resurrection for one of the true premier avant-garde collectives.
- Selbst // Despondency Chord Progressions — There’s been plenty of emotionally grabbing black metal of various sorts this year, but Selbst had the coolest take out of them all, with a melodic sense that felt almost trad metal without losing edge or impact.
- Monkey3 // Welcome to the Machine — Easily the best instrumental album of the year. Tasteful nods to Pink Floyd wrapped in a massive maelstrom of heavy psych that gets the balancing act of repetition and evolution precisely right.
- The Vision Bleak // Weird Tales — An even tighter and more cohesive album than its excellent predecessor. Weird Tales is like an amazing haunted house ride.
- Sidewinder // Talons — I really wanted to have this in the main list, because you don’t get stoner this great very often. Alas, the competition was too strong. But listen to it anyway if you haven’t!
Non-Metal Albums
This is a metal blog, despite our occasional forays into tangential material like Meer. But several of my favorite non-metal artists all released some excellent albums, and considering the year I’ve had and the state of the world, I’d rather end with some positivity for the open-minded among you, who are secure enough in their trveness to partake in some decidedly vntrve yet excellent releases.
- Man Man // Carrot on Strings — The quirky and rambunctious Zappa-in-the-Bayou outfit led by the enigmatic Honus Honus kills it with this eclectic and introspective release. Everything from pulsing club EDM to mellow country and various mixtures further off the musical maps, it’s a wild and engaging odyssey.
- That Handsome Devil // Exploitopia — After the disappointing Your Parents Are Sellouts, these weirdos blew off the barn doors with this comeback. Best described as alternative gypsy surf jazz rock hip-hop, Exploitopia gushes anti-consumerism and anti-capitalism with sardonic humor and biting sarcasm.
- Elbow // Audio Vertigo — The most commercially successful band on this list, but I still feel like many metalheads aren’t aware of how good these Brits are. And Audio Vertigo is one of their best albums to date: versatile, infectious, with a warm melancholy and wry camaraderie. Beautiful.
- Future Islands // People Who Aren’t There Anymore — A breakup album, filled with aching loneliness and longing, yet a strange sense of hope winds through the pulsing synth-pop. Frontman Samuel Herring is an absolute king of emotive, raspy crooning, and his performance brings a ton of personality to the album.
Songs o’ the Year
- Huntsmen – “Rain”
- Meer – “Come to Light”
- Iotunn – “Earth to Sky”
- Tom Cardy – “Transcendental Cha Cha Cha”
- Walg – “Als een Korrel Zand”
- Vredehammer – “God Slayer”
- Tribulation – “The Reaping Song”
- Madder Mortem – “Towers”
- Kanonenfieber – “Der Maulwurf”
- Iotunn – “The Coming End”
- Selbst – “Chant of Self Confrontation”
Eldritch Elitist
Huh. It’s apparently been four fucking years since I last penned a proper 2 Records o’ the Year list for Angry Metal Guy. This time last year, I wasn’t sure whether I’d be contributing such a list ever again. I still love this blog and the music we celebrate, but making regular contributions to AMG requires a not-insignificant time investment, and I’ve found myself spread ever-thinner over the years. And then January happened, in which a startling number of fantastic releases in that month alone resulted in the crystallization of a single goal: To make 2024 my most complete year of musical indulgence to date. If there was an album released that even slightly piqued my interest in a given week, I was going to find time to listen to it, ideally to completion. This resolve resulted in so many discoveries that I could have penned Top Ten Records o’ the Month articles for multiple months of 2024.
When I say “multiple months,” I really mean “January through March”, as my momentum dwindled when mid-April rolled around. Compounding factors between life and work suddenly left me with much less time in which to indulge in new music. Once I fell behind, I quickly realized that it would be virtually impossible to keep up the listening schedule I had set for myself, and subsequently gave up the ghost. As badly as I wanted to contribute the most confidently comprehensive year-end list possible, this list might as well be titled “Eldritch Elitist’s Top 10 Records o’ Q1 2024 & Friends”. Lopsided though it may be, that’s no excuse to not take a legitimate stab at a list at all, especially not when comments like this keep rolling in… Wait, why the hell has that guy been hanging around the AMG break room? Christ, I really need to work on staying in the loop around here. Anyway, here’s some albums I like; no -ishs, HMs, or butts about it.
#10. Cruce Signatus // Cruce Signatus – While Cruce Signatus sits at the bottom of my top 10, I have listened to it more than any other record this year outside of my number 1 pick. It’s become a go-to record to throw on thanks to its instrumental nature and soundtrack-like ebb and flow. More than that, Cruce Signatus’ unique blend of metal and synthwave is legitimately compelling, feeling distinct from similar acts as an actual soundtrack to an in-progress animation project. The downside is that this record feels partially complete because it literally is. The upside is that the experience of listening to this record will surely evolve retroactively as this project continues, and in the meantime, I’ll remain content to absorb one of the most ambitious cross-media offerings of 2024.
#9. Myrath // Karma – The release of Karma marked my first prolonged exposure to Myrath, and while I don’t adore it as heavily as some of my AMG colleagues, it remained in heavy rotation throughout 2024 all the same. Karma is an uncommonly proficient slab of pop metal, one that smartly leverages its latent progressive and folk metal leanings in sublimely bombastic fashion. It lacks variety, but Myrath navigates Karma’s narrow aesthetic with such precision as to maximize its scope, resulting in an album that compels through efficiency. Ultimately, the most important quality of any pop record is its ability to lodge its hooks into my brain, and I have had every single one of these songs stuck in my head many times throughout the year. If that kind of recurring impact isn’t worthy of a spot on this list, I don’t know what is.
#8. Soulmass // Principality of Mechanical Violence – Despite Soulmass’ previous LP basing its concept on my favorite video game, Principality of Mechanical Violence hit me way harder despite unfamiliarity with its source material. My knowledge of Gundam may only go so far as that handsome blonde fellow in red who apparently did nothing wrong, but I do know that this Gundam concept album rocks unlike any other Soulmass record. It largely culls the band’s moodier death/doom passages in favor of concise riffage, yet is also densely melodic, neatly slotting melancholic guitar leads alongside meaty riffs that echo Bolt Thrower and Cannibal Corpse. The resulting listening experience is equally absorbing and exhilarating, enticing me to get in the robot time and time again.
#7. Mega Colossus // Showdown – Mega Colossus just gets it. Not once in my years of listening to this band have I gotten a sense that they are trying to recapture the heyday of traditional metal, or otherwise be anything in the moment other than themselves. Showdown further cements my impression, as it sees Mega Colossus reaching ever further into their bottomless bag of nerd fixations. The resulting songs cover topical ground ranging from Porco Rosso to Mad Max: Fury Road, but more importantly, they masterfully weave inspirations as far-reaching as Kansas and Megadeth into their core aesthetic of Iron Maiden-inspired trad metal. Combine the playfully loose hold on genre convention with Mega Colossus’ ever-effusive lyrics, and you have one of the most purely entertaining records of the year from one of the best modern bands in the genre.
#6. Black Curse // Burning in Celestial Poison – Unlike other albums on this list, I have not returned to Burning in Celestial Poison to reconfirm its standing. Call me irresponsible, but I must emphasize that my memory and impression of this record – one formed after multiple days of consecutive spins – remains fully crystalized in my mind. Black Curse’s sophomore outing is one that continues to linger in the darker corners of my mind, a wholly unique vision of blackened death metal that, while not as traditionally thrilling as the band’s debut, is more than the sum of its parts. That “more” manifests as an incorporeal malefic entity seemingly possessing motives independent of the artists who spawned it. Burning in Celestial Poison feels like a living, breathing work, one which unsettles as much as it entices.
#5. Oak, Ash & Thorn // Our Grief is Thus – Our Grief is Thus is one of those albums that feels made specifically for me, with power metal vocals and melodeath riffage wrapped in an overarching aesthetic of black metal, folk metal, and crust punk. Beyond gifting me the forbidden knowledge that power metal with d-beats can and does work, it’s also a generally excellent example of effective genre splicing, feeling as though it belongs in both all and none of the styles from which it cleverly pulls inspiration. What Oak, Ash & Thorn has accomplished with this sophomore outing is an explosively energetic yet cohesive record, and one so melodically effervescent as to be compulsively replayable. Our Grief is Thus is the most surprising record of 2024, and I am firmly seated on the OAT boat for whatever comes next.
#4. Madder Mortem // Old Eyes, New Heart – Madder Mortem is a name I’ve heard tossed around since 2009, and who I never bothered to check out because I thought they were some sorta high falutin’, artsy fartsy doom metal band. That may have been the case once upon a time, but at some point they evolved into the accessible sort of dark progressive metal showcased on Old Eyes, New Heart. Immediately gripping and heavy yet disarmingly vulnerable, this record converted me to Madder Mortem fandom almost instantly. Its songs wormed their way under my skin with atomic precision and never left; as early as my third listen, they felt like old friends, albeit ones prone to trauma dumping. There may be records I liked more in 2024, but none moved or shook me quite like Old Eyes, New Heart.
#3. Galneryus // The Stars Will Light the Way – I’ve read dozens of comments all parroting a mildly irksome take: The Stars Will Light the Way feels like Galneryus on cruise control. While this has mostly been opined through a positive lens, it still feels unfairly reductive when considering the sheer quality and consistency of this album. Sure, Sho’s voice is notably strained at this point, but he excels at utilizing his current strengths in the strongest collection of Galneryus tracks since 2014’s Vetelgyus. It’s also the most straightforward record Galneryus has released since Vetelgyus, nixing much of the experimentation and darker leanings of recent offerings (“In Water’s Gaze” notwithstanding) in favor of unbridled jubilance. So yeah, sure, The Stars Will Light the Way is a “safe” record if you want to call it that. It’s still one of the best records from the best power metal band in the world.
#2. Nemedian Chronicles // The Savage Sword – I can hardly believe that Nemedian Chronicles is not a Greek band. They sound so in step with acts like Sacred Outcry that I can practically feel the lamb and tzatziki sauce falling out of an overloaded gyro and onto my lap. Yet the appeal of Nemedian Chronicles is singular. There is a lot of love for Blind Guardian and Sacred Outcry on The Savage Sword, but there is also a distinctly epic, cinematic quality that hearkens back to Bal-Sagoth’s overwrought storytelling. Between the propulsive riffs and sweeping melodies, I’m immediately absorbed into the experience with every listen, and that’s to say nothing of the engaging and often unpredictable songwriting. In most years, The Savage Sword would handily take the crown for best power metal release. However…
#1. Fellowship // The Skies Above Eternity – You know that little bit of text under my review of The Skies Above Eternity that says “Rating: 4.0/5.0?” That number is technically correct per the AMG style guide, but what that number can’t account for is the fact that The Skies Above Eternity is a record I’ll be listening to for the rest of my life. 2022’s The Saberlight Chronicles is a true 5.0/5.0 by any objective or subjective metric, and while The Skies Above Eternity is not as good from a technical standpoint, it fully recaptures the strengths that made its predecessor a modern power metal icon. Fellowship’s debut may have had higher and more frequent peaks, but The Skies Above Eternity excels through consistency and conciseness. The band’s trademark earnestness, vulnerability, and impeccable sense of melodic craft can be felt in every second of the experience. It doesn’t matter whether this record is the best material Fellowship is capable of producing because it warms me in the exact same way they’ve been doing since their first EP, making The Skies Above Eternity one of my most treasured records by default. This album may be a 4.0 in my brain, but it’s a 4.5 in my heart and a 5.0 in my soul.
Song o’ the Year
Fellowship’s “Hold Up Your Hearts (Again)” – I was present in the audience when Fellowship debuted this song live, and everyone was so on board with the silliness of its title that we enthusiastically welcomed it into the Fellowship canon with a communal sea of heart hands. It doesn’t top “Glint” as my favorite Fellowship song, but its concentrated formula of speedy Euro-power metal and the lyrics’ pitch-perfect shonen anime energy handily clear second place status.
Disappointment o’ the Year
Various “Artists” – The Continued Proliferation of Crappy AI Album “Art” – This blog has not adopted a formal stance on albums featuring generative AI artwork, nor do I feel it needs to. But this is my list, and I’m taking the opportunity to say that if I get so much as a whiff of AI coming off of an album going into 2025, I won’t be giving it the time of day, much less a review. It is unfathomable to think some musicians can devote so much time and creative energy into creating an album, only to hold zero value in the image that is supposed to be introducing that album to the world. In fact, if an album features an AI-generated cover, I automatically assume that the devaluation of art permeates the music itself in some form. Either pay a fucking artist to create an album cover for you, or go outside to take a picture of a cool tree or something and slap a Photoshop filter on it. If that proves too difficult, the public domain is your friend. If it’s good enough for Bolt Thrower, it’s sure as hell good enough for your shitty bedroom black metal project.
#2024 #40WattSun #ABurialAtSea #Alcest #andEldritchElitistSTopTenIshOf2024 #Aquilus #At1980 #Beardfish #BlackCurse #BloodIncantation #CruceSignatus #CryptSermon #Dissimulator #Dool #ElCuervoS #Fellowship #Galneryus #GardensTaleS #Hamferð #Huntsmen #InVain #Iotunn #Kalax #Kanonenfieber #LabyrinthusStellarum #Lists #Listurnalia #MadderMortem #Meer #MegaColossus #Monkey3 #MorgulBlade #Myrath #NemedianChronicles #OakAshThorn #Opeth #Selbst #Sidewinder #SleepytimeGorillaMuseum #Soulmass #Syst3mGlitch #TheVisionBleak #Vredehammer #Walg
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