Best Underground Metal Albums of December 2024

Metal mining is a monthly column from Heavy Consequence contributing authors Langdon Hickman and Colin Dempsey. The focus is on noteworthy new music emerging from the mainstream metal scene, highlighting releases from small, independent labels – or even releases from unsigned acts.

It’s the end of the year and Metal is bouncing himself proudly as his bulging belly sits full and satisfied, happy that he had a good year again. Some might say that 2024 was the best year for metals of the decade. Instead of bothering you with waiting, let’s reveal our album of the year up front! Our collective choice is… Blood spell divorced elsewhere (Which also topped Heavy consequencesComprehensive list of The best metal and hard rock albums of 2024). Now you can all close the tab. Go and be with your families.

If you stay here, we appreciate it, and we consider your patience a sign that you have left your family to join ours. So, take a seat at the big boy table and we’ll get to work.

Before we move on to the albums of this month’s column, the ones that I thought might slip through our fingers if they were released in the twilight hours of the year, let’s face the matter at hand. It should come as no surprise that Blood Incantation is our top pick if you’re familiar with Mining Metal’s tastes, which lean toward the weird and progressive. It’s safe to assume you’ve already listened to it if you’re here and there’s not much to say about it divorced elsewhere Aside from admitting it’s good. So, we will say that; This is good.

It’s also not the only album from this year to be of this quality, and thankfully all of our favorite metal albums are in the halls of Mining Metal in 2024 (if released via an independent label). It includes Sumac Processor, Oransi Pazuzu Montautauga, Ordeal Rosa sub in Æternum, Noxis The violence inherent in the system, Uniform American standardand Paysage d’Hiver’s Berg dies. All of these acts, with the exception of Noxis, are well known within underground metal spaces, which is not a sign that quality is rising to the top but there are exemplary and challenging acts that sometimes reach hundreds of thousands of plays on Spotify. We live in a time when Oranssi Pazuzu could be classified as “fellow metal” because a colleague asked me, someone who doesn’t listen to metal regularly, and turned me on to Chapple Ruan before it hit its stride, if I listened to them. Like the Grinch, my heart grew three sizes that day.

As mentioned earlier, downloading our favorite albums frees us to talk about all the records that braved December, a PR-hating month. But, in this house, in this family, we respect December releases. Now, go help your mother wash the dishes if you want dessert.

– Colin Dempsey

Ara- Eger

An atmospheric black metal record about a snowy mountain, what a novel idea! Fortunately, rather than simply marveling at the mountain’s majesty, Aara’s sixth album in as many years focuses on the dangers associated with the titular mountain, the Eiger. More than 60 climbers died while trying to climb the peak in the Alps Eger Reflects that risk. There are no fantasy elements at play. Instead, the Swiss group isolated the bolt of fear that comes when looking at a steep drop, then heightened it with gorgeous drumming. The work behind the group ensures that Eger It’s a momentous experience, even when Aara ventures into the territory of acoustic guitars and gusts of wind samples. These moments are just small ledges to sit on. Apart from them, Eger It will make you look for blood pressure medications. Buy it on bandcamp. — C. Dempsey

Axis of destruction – Slots

In an interview with Mysterious zen black metalAn Axis of Perdition guitarist Michael Blinkarn (who handled everything on this new record) stated that Slots It was about “addressing a variety of topics related to mental health in very abstract terms.” The synopsis shows how obscure this album was for the first 13 years. It is difficult to install because it is marginal, as if you can be sure of its shape and color but only approximately. Take, for example, the guitar playing on “Metempsychosis,” which is lower in the mix than one would expect. You might think this creates space for the vocals to come in forcefully, but they’re also buried under an inch of dirt. It’s just annoying enough that you can’t focus on one item at a time. You have to invite Slotsa black industrial metal album shell, into your dwelling in its full form and use all your senses to perceive it. Buy it on bandcamp. — C. Dempsey