Part of the reason I hate doing AOTY lists is because a year from today I guarantee I will not agree with what I came up with here. But here's my current #AOTY2025 list. After the top 5 you'll notice they're in reverse chronological order for the most part, so don't read too much into ranking.
#metalaoty — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #metalaoty, aggregated by home.social.
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My number 1 for AOTY of 2024
This one caught me by surprise & I swear it has metal voodoo powers as the first listen had me thinking I did not have the mental energy to process it. However, it worked on me, my brain was nagging me to put it back on as it was bereft without it, & it is the soundtrack of inner thoughts, just like NIN was over 20 years ago.
I feel this Finnish album will be one that I will be playing & processing well into 2025 & beyond
Oranssi Pazuzu Muuntautuja
Bandcamp link
https://oranssipazuzu.bandcamp.com/album/muuntautujaThank you for taking this AOTY journey with me. I am excited see everyone else's lists🥳
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2
This band from Oregon has a crazy blend of sounds that combine so many of my much loved bands and artists. Plus there are several songs that catch me in the feels and make me want to put them on a loop.
Unto Others Never, Neverland
Bandcamp link:
https://untootherspdx.bandcamp.com/ -
3
Face melting blackened death metal from Denver Colorado that was love at first listen :)
Vale of Pnath Between the Worlds of Lofe and Death
Bandcamp link:
https://valeofpnath.bandcamp.com/album/between-the-worlds-of-life-and-death -
4
From the fediverse, maybe not with an account directly for this music project, but the musician is on here with us :)
Possibly a sense of rebellion from too many church years as a kid combined with a love of Phantom of the Opera has made me fall heavily for this Italian experiemental, oh my goodness what is it? I love it! album :)
Keygen Church
Nel Nome Del CodiceBandcamp link:
https://keygenchurch.bandcamp.com/album/nel-nome-del-codice -
5
Some good solid Norwegian progressive metal to start the final 5 countdown and to enter into the group metal AOTY list ;)
Borknagar Fall
Bandcamp link
https://centurymedia.bandcamp.com/album/fall-24-bit-hd-audio -
6
This album from the Little Rock band has several songs that just give me the feels :)
Pallbearer Mind Burns Alive
Bandcamp link:
https://pallbearer.bandcamp.com/album/mind-burns-alive -
7
I think this entry may have benefitted from being with me for most of the year. The band has recently announced that the lead singer is leaving/left the band and there may have been a leak as to who is going to replace him...
Ingested The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams
Bandcamp link
https://ingested.bandcamp.com/album/the-tide-of-death-and-fractured-dreams -
8
There is always room for some solid deep & grounding doom from the north, the Faroe Islands to be exact. Islanders seem to have a greater number of metal artists than other places, whatever the secret, keep it up guys!
Hamferð Men Guðs hond er sterk
Bandcamp link
https://hamferd.bandcamp.com/album/men-gu-s-hond-er-sterk -
9
Tool without being Tool, and still having an original album. Finnish band Wheel is definitely as charismatic as the album name, which I hope to use in work to justify a business trip. I'm off to spend time at the Charismatic Leaders concert, I mean conference ;)
Wheel Charismatic Leaders
Bandcamp link
https://insideoutmusic.bandcamp.com/album/charismatic-leaders-2 -
10
This album was released in February and has kept me company since I was recommended it back in March and the band is also from Arizona!
This might have suffered in the rankings for being too familiar and overplayed compared to newer releases
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11
A nearly missed this, and I am so glad someone made sure I didn't. In case you didn't know, velociraptors are not extinct, they "sing" in metal bands.
This snapping and snarling album takes all bad thoughts and memories and leaves me calm and with a "rinsed clean brain"
Worm Shepherd Hunger
Bandcamp link
https://uniqueleaderrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hunger -
12
Sing-along makes you happy doom metal is a rare and wonderful thing! Also from Arizona, a lovely melodeath/doom mix
Borne from Ash From the Dark, They Came
Bandcamp link
https://borneofash.bandcamp.com/album/from-the-dark-they-came -
13
The hippo on a tractor! Yay! 🦛 🚜
From the very beginning this album became my benchmark for positioning all the other albums, I'm not sure why, but as it comes exactly in the middle of the ranking, my subconscious mind knew what was what from the very beginning.
This one develops as you listen, it is elegant, measured and quality, not what you would think for a hippo driving a tractor ;)
HIPPOTRAKTOR Stasis
Bandcamp link
https://hippotraktor.bandcamp.com/album/stasis -
14
This made it onto the list, then I nearly threw it off, pushed it to the back, but then it slowly moved up the ranks to here.
A French band just a little obsessed with the church, but in a way that works. It's hard to listen to If She Floats without both a love for the music & the brutal history it depicts
Ecclesia Ecclesia Militans
Bandcamp link
https://ecclesia-official.bandcamp.com/album/ecclesia-militans -
15
Breaking the mould in a superb way, not exactly metal, but metal enough ;) Sometimes there are bits that don't quite gel, but for the most part it works in a beautifully different way. Belgian Industrial and post-punk band Thot.
Thot Delta
Bandcamp link
https://thot.bandcamp.com/album/delta-2 -
16
This band is always a great source of grounding for me and one of my go to bands when the world is moving too fast & I need it to stop for a bit :)
It's the Swedish melodic death metal band Dark Tranquillity Endtime Signals
Bandcamp link
https://darktranquillity.bandcamp.com/album/endtime-signals -
17
An instrumental post-metal album from Swiss Fall of Leviathan. Sometimes the lack of lyrics can be soothing, or make it feel like the music is incomplete, in this case, it is very relaxing and helps when words are superfluous
Fall of Leviathan In Waves
Bandcamp link
https://fallofleviathan.bandcamp.com/album/in-waves -
18
A band with an almost metal font for their band name, I say almost, as it is still readable ;) A death metal band from Arizona, United States of America.
Be careful around gates in the dark, you never know what is creeping nearby ;)
Gatecreeper Dark Superstition
Bandcamp link
https://gatecreeper.bandcamp.com/album/dark-superstition -
Number 19
Fuzzy, wuzzy was a mammoth. Again, an anticipated album that delivers. Who doesn't love the stoner doomy fuzzy guitars of Greek Acid Mammoth?
Acid Mammoth Supersonic Megafauna Collision
Bandcamp link
https://acidmammoth.bandcamp.com/album/supersonic-megafauna-collision -
Starting the countdown from 20 with individual toots & something about each album/ artist
20
An American melodeath band from Michigan that formed in 2001This album was anticipated & delivered from the very first listen. However, competition is high this year & with subsequent listens I feel I might be distracted by other albums more & for longer, so it has spot number 20
Black Dahlia Murder Servitude
Bandcamp link
https://theblackdahliamurder.bandcamp.com/album/servitude -
as usual, january is about reading other people’s #metal #AotY lists and trying to figure out how i missed all these gems
#metalaoty -
For the #MetalAOTY . #AOTY2023
Tried to pick a little variety in different aspects / styles, I think probably 2 of these are going to be timeless.
In no particular order,
➕ Haken - Fauna
➕ Infidel - Lokust
➕ Hellripper - Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags
➕ Insomnium - Anno 1696
➕ King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - PetroDragonic Apocalypse;
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Aaaaand it seems I'm late to post my #MetalAOTY list but I guess it's still the 30th of December somewhere, so here we go: 😅
10. [STÖMB] - Massive Disturbed Meta Art
9. VEXED - Negative Energy
8. Bizarrekult - Den Tapte Krigen
7. Humanity's Last Breath - Ashen
6. Agriculture - Agriculture
5. Grant The Sun - Voyage
4. TesseracT - War Of Being
3. Haken - Fauna
2. Cattle Decapitation - Terrasite
1. Entheos - Time Will Take Us All -
That said, my short little #MetalAOTY #AOTY2023 list would be:
1 Blackbraid - Blackbraid II
2 Lokust - Infidel
3 Graves Hollow - Thrones of Decay (@GravesHollow )
4 Enslaved – HeimdalBlackbraid II in particular was a revelation, a tonic and an obsession in 2023.
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Looking at the #MetalAOTY and #AOTY2023 lists coming through, two things are clear:
1. I need to listen to more new metal in 2024.
2. I need to listen to a few albums again - ones that didn't grab me in the first few listens but clearly have resonated strongly with other Fedimetal people.
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#aoty2023 #aoty #metalaoty #metalaoty2023 @Kitty
5) King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - PetroDragonic Apocalypse
4) Orbit Culture - Descent
3) Veil of Maya - [m]other
2) Resolve - Human
1) Periphery - Periphery V: Djent is not a genreHonorable mentions
- Best non-metal album: Nothing But Thieves - Welcome to the DCC
- Best re-release/anniversary edition: Thrice - The Artist in the Ambulance - Revisited -
My #MetalAOTY2023 #MetalAOTY or just #AOTY list is as follows. Sorted by average rating and total number of songs played:
1) Frozen Soul - Glacial Domination
2) Orbit Culture - Decent
3) Veil of Maya - [M]other
4) Mercenary - Soundtrack for the End Times
5) Sylosis - A Sign of Things to Come
6) Distant - Heritage
7) Rise to Fall - The Fifth Dimention
8) Frozen Dawn - The Decline of the Enlighten Gods
9) Allfather - A Violent Truth
10) Memoriam - Rise to Power -
2/2 #AOTY2023 #AOTY #MetalAOTY2023 #MetalAOTY
5 Moonlight Sorcery – Horned Lord Of The Thorned Castle
4 Blackbraid - Blackbraid II
3 Hellripper - Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags
2 Рожь – Всё
1 Bell Witch – Future's Shadow Part 1: The Clandestine Gate -
#MetalAOTY maybe I’ve messed up by not listening to this King Gizzard album huh 🤔
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Well it is the anointed day for #MetalAOTY and I’ve made a few changes since I last posted. Mostly with regards to the order I figured I’d join in again. So here is mine:
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Without too much ado, let me nominate #AOTY #AOTY2023 #MetalAOTY:
Humanity's Last Breath: Ashen
https://album.link/i/1678029698
47 minutes and 31 seconds of relentless crushing. You don't need to know anything else.
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Thank you all for joining me in my year end clean-up journey in #VaultOfLeftoverTags.
I'm curious to see who you'd nominate in my categories - I'm even more curious to see if you have any leftover tags, so please share them!
I plan to name my #AOTY #AOTY2023 #MetalAOTY right after midnight CET. -
The day for #AOTY #AOTY2023 #MetalAOTY is nigh, so before the Big Reveal tomorrow, I'm opening up my #VaultOfLeftoverTags and sweep out whatever are in there - not all are going to be music related.
Feel free to add your candidates, join in with your own categories, or just simply mute the tag 🤘