Best of 2024: Quarter 4

In the past month we were exclusively focused on our Annual Review for 2024, marking down the best releases that defined the year. Now that all official rankings are revealed, lets have one final look at the previous three months that also did not disappoint and shouldn't be ignored. Regardless of which LPs or EPs made it into the end-year chart, here are the key moments that shaped Quarter 4 as we waved 2024 goodbye:

20. Caliban - 'Echoes'

Class certainly remains permanent with German metalcore royalties Caliban getting back in the spotlight with the huge singles 'Echoes' and 'Guilt Trip', and a new album in the making for 2025.

19. Annisokay - 'Never Enough'

Never a dull moment when German troopers Anisokay are involved, returning once again with the catchy and energetic modern metal banger 'Never Enough'.

18. Ocean Sleeper - 'Maybe Death Is All I Need'

Still operating under the radar, future Aussie heavyhitters Ocean Sleeper continued their perfect streak of unmissable singles with the latest addition 'Maybe Death Is All You Need'.

17. Sun Eater - 'Hades'

The Frankfurt deathcore machine Sun Eater keep building up momentum with yet another relentless track 'Hades', ahead of an upcoming album that is shaping to be one of next year's certain highlights.

16. Aviana - 'FATHER'

With two full years since the outstanding collection CORPORATION (2022), last quarter saw Aviana share two fantastic new singles 'FATHER' and 'DELIRIUM', hopefully looking at more to come in 2025.

15. Balance Breach - 'Just To Lose It All'

Captivating contemporary metalcore with distinctive Finnish melancholic flavour, Balance Reach kept raising the bar with their latest single 'Just To Lose It All' from their upcoming March release.

14. RedHook - 'Bomb .com'

Masterfuly maintaining the fine line between carefree party vibes and deeper intimate undertone, Aussie newcomers RedHook shared the energetic 'Bomb. com' taken from the Mutation LP.

13. Memphis May Fire - 'Shapeshifter'

Scene legends Memphis May Fire refuse to slow down, dropping what might be their best material in years in 'Shapeshifter' and 'Hell Is Empty', ahead of their upcoming Shapeshifter LP, set for 28 March.

12. Underoath - 'Survivor's Guilt'

Somehow, Underoath remain as vital for the modern metal scene as they were twenty years ago, once again re-appearing in style on 'Survivor's Guilt' and building up material for yet another seminal release.

11. LANDMVRKS - 'Sulfur' / 'Sombre 16'

It's been almost a year since we last heard from LANDMVRKS but the French heroes sure know how to make a comeback, with their latest 'Sulfur'/'Sombre 16' teasing a huge upcoming LP premiere in 2025.

10. Ice Nine Kills - 'A Work Of Art' (ft. Shavo)

As graphic as it gets, 'A Work of Art' saw horrorcore connoisseurs Ice Nine Kills team up with System Of A Down's Shavo himself for a truly terrifying piece from the official Terrifier 3 Soundtrack.

9. Ankor - 'Shoganai'

Spain might not be your go-to country for veratile modern electronicore, but Ankor should not be ignored as they kept making noise with their latest Shoganai EP and epic lead title single.

8. poppy - 'the cost of giving up'

Plenty of pretenders out there but there is really only one place at the top of the scene, and 2024 belongs to Poppy, making a powerful statement with her latest LP Negative Spaces.

7. Thornhill - 'nerv'

As volatile and uncontainable as always, Malbourne cult heroes and UNFD's main troubadours Thornhill maintained their faultless release streak with the infectious third single 'nerv'.

6. Bury Tomorrow - 'What If I Burn'

Always a welcome sight to get killer new music from UK veterans Bury Tomorrow, following up on their solid Q3 single 'Villain Arc' with a second signature rager 'What If I Burn'.

5. Silent Planet - 'Mindframe'

Expectedly brilliant new track 'Mindframe' from Silent Planet, making a thunderous return to their brilliant dystopian selves more than a year since my AOTY for 2023 SUPERBLOOM came out.

4. Cane Hill - 'Drowning Therapy'

Constantly reinventing themselves, Cane Hill reached new highs on their mesmerising album a piece of me i never let you find and its best promo singles 'Drowning Therapy'.

3. The Plot In You - 'Spare Me'

The third track from their third EP Vol. 3, 'Spare Me' saw underground titans The Plot In You extend their faultless release run deep into 2024 and looking ahead towards an exciting next year.

2. Architects - 'Whiplash'

A signature Architects screamer, the high-octane and uncontainable 'Whiplash', dropped with a massive album announcement of The Sky, The Earth & All Between coming on 28 Feb.

1. Make Them Sufer - 'Small Town Syndrome'

Just short of the AOTY title, Make Them Suffer really pulled all the breaks on their monumental latest self-titled LP, from the brilliant opening in 'Weaponized' to the fiting finale with 'Small Town Syndrome'.

There are plenty of huge releases already promised for next quarter so stay tuned for this page as we reset it all over again and jump headfirst into 2025!

The Most Anticipated Releases For Quarter 1 of 2025 (confirmed dates):

Bleeding Through - Nine (SharpTone Records), 14 Feb

Hands Like Houses - ATMOSPHERICS (Self), 14 Feb

Silverstein - Antibloom (UNFD), 21 Feb

Architects - The Sky, The Earth & All Between (Epitaph Records), 28 Feb

Spiritbox - Tsunami Sea (Pale Chord), 7 Mar

Balance Breach - Save Our Souls (Out Of Line Music), 7 Mar

Memphis May Fire - Shapeshifter (Rise Records), 28 Mar

Bleed From Within - ZENITH (Nuclear Blast), 4 Apr

Once Awake - Far Out And Beyond (Self), 9 Apr

Landmvrks - The Darkest Place I've Been (Arising Empire), 25 Apr

Wildcard: Linkin Park - 'The Emptiness Machine'

Hardly a surprise here, the wildcard spot is reserved for Linkin Park and their fantastic new album From Zero, cloasing all previous chapters and kickstarting a new era with the iconic singles like 'Two Faced'.