Among the handful of brutal new death metal albums I devoured this year, here are the top 10 releases that annihilated my soul and shredded my brain into chaos!

1. Ulcerate - Cutting the Throat of God

  • Personal rating: 9/10
  • Release date: June 14th 2024
  • Genre: Dissonant Death Metal, Atmospheric Sludge Metal
  • Listen: Bandcamp // Spotify

Ulcerate - Cutting the Throat of God

At this point, Ulcerate has firmly cemented itself as one of the greatest dissonant atmospheric extreme metal bands ever. While they’re not usually known for crafting memorable individual songs, their previous album shifted gears by bringing in more coherent song structures and distinct themes without losing their signature dark, somber atmosphere and technical brilliance. This new album continues down that path, and to me, it doesn’t feel like repetition. Instead, it feels like they’ve refined and perfected the approach they introduced earlier. After listening to this album over 10 times, I can confidently say it stands as one of the greatest musical achievements I’ve ever experienced.

2. Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere

  • Personal rating: 9/10
  • Release date: October 4th 2024
  • Genre: Death Metal, Progressive Metal
  • Listen: Bandcamp // Spotify

Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere

Pink Floyd-ish death metal ? Yes, This album feels like a seamless blend of Pink Floyd, Nile, and maybe even a bit of Opeth. It doesn’t bring much new to the table in terms of innovation, but honestly, it’s such a solid combination that it doesn’t need to. I love how the album flows between mellow, progressive moments and sharp shifts back into classic old-school death metal. The opening track is incredible, and there are plenty of standout moments scattered throughout. The way they shift intensity throughout the album—kind of like a prog-death rollercoaster—is really well done and makes for an engaging listen.

3. ABORTED - Vault of Horrors

  • Personal rating: 8/10
  • Release date: March 15th 2024
  • Genre: Brutal Death Metal
  • Listen: Bandcamp // Spotify

ABORTED - Vault of Horrors

With Aborted, you know exactly what you’re getting—unrelenting brutality and riffs flying in every direction. Over the past 15 years, they’ve been nothing short of consistent, getting heavier and more technical with every release. And this album? Yet another masterpiece, perfectly embodying what brutal death metal is all about 🖤.

4. Atoll - Inhuman Implants

  • Personal rating: 7.5/10
  • Release date: February 23rd 2024
  • Genre: Slam Death Metal
  • Listen: Bandcamp // Spotify

Atoll - Inhuman Implants

Underrated pick of this year. This is one hell of a stinky album! Goddamn, this went so hard and blew my brains! That bass hits like a freight train—reminds me of the newer Cryptopsy stuff. There’s definitely an old-school vibe to it that I can’t get enough of. Good shit, for real!!

5. Cognizance - Phantazein

  • Personal rating: 7/10
  • Release date: January 26th 2024
  • Genre: Technical Death Metal
  • Listen: Bandcamp // Spotify

Cognizance - Phantazein

I stumbled upon these guys this year, thanks to a recommendation from some Twitter pals. I gave this album a listen, and man, it’s such a dope album from start to finish. The story they tell is solid, and the quality of both the content and execution is top-notch. This is a great example of what a technical death metal album should be—complex, precise, and absolutely brutal. After hearing this, I went and checked out a couple of their other albums in their discography, and it’s all great stuff.