From hosting our first ever festival way back in Spring to our live podcast at ArcTanGent, this year has been a pretty solid one for us at Noizze. But it’s the vitality of the national and global alternative scene that has made such achievements possible. There’s no denying that alternative music is in rude health at the current time, which in turn has made crafting this list an absolute pain. But behold, we got there in the end.
Now, before we delve into our top 50 records of the year, a little disclaimer is needed. The eagle eyed amongst you may notice a discrepancy between the ranking of this list and individual review scores. Throughout this list a number of records we gave perfect 10/10 scores may be placed lower than albums we gave scores of 9 and 8. The reason for this is that whilst reviews are the opinions of a single writer, this list was decided as a collective. As you can imagine it took a lot of discussion and maybe even some arguing, but we got there.
Now with that in mind, here is the top 50 records of the year.
The first full length record from the Japanese electro-metal titans since 2018, Ark is a magnificent return to the fray from Crossfaith, a complete revival of the energy and ferociousness that the band have become known for over the years. A brilliant demonstration of all of the band’s distinct eras from before, coming together with a fresh energy without letting go of the journey that brought them here. – Elliot Grimmie
The sound of the summer was brought by The LaFontaines latest release, Business As Usual. Soon to be calling time as a band in 2025, Business As Usual is a fantastically upbeat and uplifting end to an era of Scotland’s finest rap-rock band. – Zee Asher
One is for the two-steppers, the mosh pitters, the headbangers, anyone who likes to get down and move their bodies to the music. This Is All We Ever Get will have you diving off stages and opening up the pit, a true movin’ and groovin’ experience for anyone who likes their rhythms to hit a little harder. Infectiously catchy, rough and ready hardcore for all. – Elliot Grimmie
The debut LP from the queercore moshers brings with it a joyous vitriol, replete with two-stepping grooves and shout-alongs galore. Love & Rage will fill the listener with plenty of both. – Jake Longhurst
An abrasive kick-back against the tech-bros soon to rule us and the omnipresent algorithm that dictates all, the new record from Cower is the sound of 80s goth enhanced with contemporary noise rock and post-punk in order to rally against our dystopian future. Celestial Devastation is a strange, creepy and occasionally violent record, but with it’s components contrasting in a way that’s organic, it’s impossible not be drawn in. – Dan Hillier
A severe turn away from the borderline synth pop of their last album, more abrasive & self produced, Foxing are always evolving, and this is lyrically and musically their heaviest album yet. – Mia Thunderska
The debut full length from Rushden harsh noise/punk rap artist Nailbreaker pushes every part of his sound further. It’s rough, raw and abrasive, but with enough hooks and melodies that won’t leave your head. – Mia Thunderska
Whilst theoretically a pop punk record, Take It Or Leave It is anything but a dull and limp product of a saturated boys’ scene. Fierce, poignant and delivered with a real sense of bite that counteracts the record’s pop sensibilities, Cherym wonderfully articulate the challenges that non-binary people and young women face with both sweetness and fearlessness. – Dan Hillier
Casey’s return is one of Welsh music’s great comebacks, and How to Disappear proves they lost none of their emotional delivery or knack for melancholic melody while they were away. Less abrasive, but no less devastating. – Will Marshall
A wonderful exercise in monochromatic slowcore and shoegaze, Outlander perfectly and painstakingly articulate the nature of sacrificing one’s dreams in order to live comfortably in a monotonous world that’s safe and predictable, but void of enrichment. It’s oppressive and truly depressing, but like its subject matter, strangely comforting in thanks to its immersive nature. – Dan Hillier
London based doom metallers Lowen captivated the scene this year with their middle eastern infused offering of crushing doom. A passionately mystical and atmospheric cut, laced with Nina Saeidi’s beautifully enchanting voice. – Amy Bowles
Weird, pungent and caked in more filth than anyone attempting a nice New Year’s Day walk across the band’s native wetlands, Chytridiomycosis Relinquished see’s Yorkshire’s Slimelord viscerally animate their self-dubbed genre of swamp death. It’s as putrid as it is progressive, this record sees Slimelord essentially becoming the UK’s answer to Blood Incantation. – Dan Hillier
Layered with catharsis and bliss, the debut from the new shoegaze/dream pop icons doesn’t just rest on vibes. There’s influences from the more experimental side of the genre – like A.R. Kane & Slowdive’s Pygmalion – along with the big hitters of the genre. – Mia Thunderska
An album that captures the wistful, end of summer window gazing perfectly. Slightly more pop-punk than their last effort but still packed with moments reflecting their hardcore roots, this record puts them One Step Closer to massive stages. – Chris Earl
Touché Amore continue to sweat cathartic post-hardcore from every pore. Painfully honest and devastating as always, guest appearances from Lou Barlow and Julien Baker make for top tier Touché. – Tim Dorning
Mutation sees Aussie shapeshifters RedHook delve into everything from nu metal to industrial and pop punk, evolving from their debut just 18 months ago and delivering potent, personal lyrics about trauma and growth. – Will Marshall
Gory and rammed so full of groove that it’s physically impossible to only listen to once, More Insane stood out as one of the best records in this year’s surge of OSDM. By once again leaning into the downright absurdity of death metal, Undeath once prove to be one of the most fun and skilled names in the game. – Amy Bowles
Deathcore legends Fit For An Autopsy move from strength to strength on this solid thriller of an album, laden with all the usual excitement one can expect from them. From the provocative ‘Hostage’ to the explosive ‘Lust For the Severed Head’, the band deliver another masterpiece for fans of deathcore, death metal and all in between. – Jude Bennett
A record that truly manifests its title, Hope and Ruin is a body of work that’s wrought with emotion. Such a sentiment could be applied to a lot of the records on this list, but the way that As Living Arrows articulate such emotion and agony is excruciatingly intimate. By infusing the classic screamo sound with motifs reminiscent of acts far beyond the genre’s parameters, such as Russian Circles, Deafheaven and even The Jesus Lizard, Hope and Ruin is a record that assures its brilliance by looking beyond what’s expected of a screamo record. – Dan Hillier
Containing nods to the likes of Radiohead, Kate Bush, The Mars Volta and the generally left-field musical grounds of their native Bristol, Hello, Boil Brain is a record that’s unusual as it is genuinely wonderful. It may not be for anyone in thanks to its off-kilter rhythms, jagged piano leads and sense of avant-garde unease, but by rejecting genre norms in favour of the spoils that come with embracing the unexpected, Sans Froid have truly presented something special with their big art-rock debut. – Dan Hillier
i Häxa dropped a four-part opus of a debut album that sublimely shifts between utterly spellbinding and completely engulfing with brooding dark energy, ethereal vocals and a brilliantly executed clash of genres. Like a stylistic chameleon, the self-titled album is totally encapsulating. – Jac Holloway
Often overshadowed by its long play counterpart, the extended play is a crucial format always worth championing. It’s on EPs where young artists first make forays into the scene and where established acts can experiment with new sounds. An EP release may not always make the same impact as a full-length, but as proven time and time again, some of an act’s best work can be found on this humble little format. And with that in mind, here are the top 20 EPs of the year.
The follow up to the band’s last EP and the second in a trilogy, Welcome To The New Dark Ages Pt. 2 only amplifies everything that made their last effort so blistering. However, this is more than just a standard death onslaught though. With a focus on creativity, grove and experimentation that may of their peers may shy away from, this is easily one of the finest releases in the genre this year. No one may have a clue what 2025 is set to bring, but if this is anything to go by, at least we’re due another brilliant EP from Beyond Grace with Pt. 3. – Dan Hillier
Unleashing a sentient buzzsaw loose upon the world with an arsenal of frenzied hardcore tearing us all to shreds. Corks finest hardcore collective Worn Out’s 4 track EP Low is a white hot reminder of their ability to pummel with meat grinding riffs and stride with endless potential into the big leagues. – Andy Calderbank
Death Goals and Dreamwell may live on opposite sides of Atlantic, but here on this split they prove to be the best names within their respective national queercore scenes. A violent, lashing and downright chaotic experience that celebrates queer existence whilst also addressing how no one can be truly free until everyone is free from oppression worldwide. – Dan Hillier
Less of a kick back and more of a blazing full frontal assault, New Wave Of British Transphobia is a chemical-tipped, hyperpop inspired barrage of noise and rebellion from Gender Warfare. This is the sound of hardcore, punk and dance chemically fused together; the sound of a band that could easily commandeer stages at both Outbreak and Bang Face. – Dan Hillier
Bringing South West Violence Cainhurst deliver a tortuous confessional with A Sacrifice. Setting fire to their own flesh with an intense and divine injection of frantic math and metallic hardcore, they give that celebrated screamo sound a fresh and enticing identity with room to grow in 2025. – Andy Calderbank
I Hope I Die Here is bruising, brutalising metallic hardcore with a strong undercurrent of death metal and a take no prisoners attitude. Less snarling and more rampaging its way through 20 minutes of fury, along with some of the hardest track names of the year, No Cure bring pure sonic obliteration. – Will Marshall
A product of an absolute dream pairing, For Joy see’s Soot Sprite and Muttering collaborating to brilliantly channel the nature of sentimentalism in it’s purest form. Rich with unbridled chemistry and simultaneously heartbreaking and life-affirming, this is a joint endeavour that just feels irresistibly organic. An EP that must be heard by anyone with an interest in the UK emo and adjacent scene. – Dan Hillier
Delivering some unceasing sonic vibrations for their first signed exploration into their lived experience of neurodiversity and chronic illness; the Bristolian Alternative Metal quartet Mallavora, not only held space for some much needed accessibility advocacy, but also conjured major awe and heightened allure among listeners with their invigorating debut extended play. – Bennie Osborne
The trio, formed of bassist and vocalist Thomas Michiels, guitarist and vocalist Stefan De Graef and drummer Harm Peters, sat down with us at this year’s Arctangent festival where they performed for the second year in a row. Playing on the festival’s first day, a more curated early entry Wednesday featuring a single stage stacked with favourites from previous years, Psychonaut joined Arctangent mainstays such as Curse These Metal Hands, Bossk and And So I Watch You From Afar. The trio were excited to share a stage with such fantastic acts as Michiels elaborated “every year there’s a bunch of bands, so many and it’s such a great lineup. Today? I’d say LLNN. We’re on the same label and our sound guy does their mixing too but I’ve never actually seen them so that will be a lot of fun.” As for the lineup throughout the rest of the weekend he names prog metal trailblazers Animals As Leaders and Friday night’s headliners Meshuggah as two bands that he’d love to see live.
Psychonaut have always been a band of two halves, seamlessly blending their more progressive, post-metal inspired side with a stoney, doom-fuelled edge. Getting into their writing process the band explain, “if music isn’t intricate or musically interesting then it doesn’t speak to us as much as it could. It can’t only be intricate though, it has to be organic, it has to be emotional and listenable. I admire bands who can bring that level of technicality into their music and still make it listenable.” While their early work leant heavily into stoner territory Psychonaut have steadily moved further into progressive psychedelia over the years, Michiels goes on to say “I know we started out as a stoner band and some previous bands we’ve been in were very stoner inspired, by Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath but nowadays…hmm. We don’t really listen to that much stoner stuff, stuff like Sleep and Kyuss inspired us a lot at the start but now it’s much more post stuff. It doesn’t inspire us as much as ten years ago but it’s fun to listen to.”
Genre-bending guitar-less trio Exploring Birdsong are back with their melancholy new single ‘All I Lack’, blending post rock atmosphere and experimentation with pop sensibilities for a dramatic yet accessible experience. Frontwoman Lynsey Ward’s soaring vocals and delicate piano lines create a dramatic, ethereal bedrock on which bassist/keyboardist Jonny Knight builds layers of Massive Attack style synth hits. Balancing the track’s graceful lead melody with waves of sonic experimentation, Exploring Birdsong manage to find a perfect middle ground between simple, effective songwriting and intricate soundscapes for a radio-ready ballad with more than enough depth for die-hard post-rock fans. – Tom Bruce
Continuing to tease the emotive gems of their upcoming self-released fourth studio album The Haar, Black Foxxes return for an over 9 minute excursion through the depths of psychological toxicity and the wider impact of such turmoil on our relationship with the self and our loved ones with ‘In The Image of Perfection’. Guiding through an atmospheric yet deeply introspective soundscape, Mark Holley and the gang usher in a slow burning emotional powder keg, built upon the backs of a mellow string section, organic nature recordings and the band’s effortlessly tender delivery, for a listening experience dripping with pain, thoughtfulness and grace. This audible sedative holds the essence of truth at heart with every element on display across its runtime. It’s a must listen for all who seek shelter in our ruminations for the goal of self-preservation. – Bennie Osborne
Scotland’s finest Bleed From Within are gearing up to release their seventh album Zenith and with its second single ‘In Place of Your Halo’, are putting forward a serious case for groove metal domination. Taking the gargantuan riffs of Fracture and Shrine and pairing them with an honest-to-god bagpipe breakdown, ‘In Place of Your Halo’ makes the combination look effortless. Of the song, they explain “it’s an anthem for those that feel like life has passed them by, or those that have been held back by their own limitations. We are killing the older version of ourselves in order to grow. This develops our resilience, a topic that underpins this band’s journey and most of what we shout about. We’ve not had it easy, but neither has anyone else. This song is for all of us.” – Will Marshall
The latest offering from the Brighton indie-punk duo and the first release since their most recent EP Big Man Little Man Strike Partnership, ‘All The Best’ see’s Regal Cheer spitting their most bile-caked track yet. But despite all the speckle and spit in this little rager, ‘All the Best’ is one of those tracks about growth, a track that see’s the band documenting the end of a relationship and wishing the other party nowt the best after coming the realisation that it’s not working in a way that’s mutually beneficial. Most mature yes, but expect nothing but punk antics and swinging limbs when the band drop this on their run of dates with Toodles & The Hectic Pity next year. – Dan Hillier
A new name, yes, but a sound many post-rock fans will be acquainted yet. The first track to be released from the new project featuring founding members of This Will Destroy You following their respective leave from the band earlier this year, ‘Throughlines’ is brilliant and inviting introduction to you, infinite. The first single from their upcoming self-titled record – released February 28th via Pelagic Records – this track resonates all the classic beauty and patience one would associate with TYDW albeit with what feels like a new and fresh appreciation of the genre. It doesn’t reinvent the so called wheel or the driving components of post-rock, but it doesn’t aim nor try to; this is gorgeous and wonderful post-rock offered up by some of the innovators of the very genre. – Dan Hillier
Crossover thrash fans rejoice as Spiritworld re-emerge with their latest material, ‘Western Stars and The Apocalypse’, two years after dropping the phenomenal concept album, Deathwestern. Thankfully, the band have clung to their signature amalgamation of horror-meets-wild west and metallic hardcore, the track retaining the same fierce energy of the previous cut. ‘Western Stars and The Apocalypse’ doesn’t fuck about. Blitzing through heavy drum work and bewitching riffs that you’ll no doubt be singing after 1 or 2 listens, the 2-minute thrasher perfectly demonstrates that if the sound ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Their full return is eagerly anticipated, bring on the riffs. – Amy Bowles
Following hot on the heels of second album Evil, Hate Filled Female which dropped in September, feminist force to be reckoned with Delilah Bon has released brand new standalone single ‘Not the President’. Politically and socially charged, the song is a direct anti-Trump statement discussing LGBT rights and sexual assault against women. Told via impassioned, anguish-filled vocals, you can really hear the raw emotion and feeling behind every word she delivers. The song begins quiet and slow, with only a soft acoustic guitar at first, before drums gradually add to the layers. There’s quite a few builds and peaks throughout, where Delilah’s vocals turn into emotional screams, but it remains a pretty stripped back and simple track regardless. Towards the end, she adds in multiple layers of vocals to really drive the point home. Obviously carrying an important message and highlighting current societal issues, the song is hugely relatable, especially for women and anyone in the LGBT community. Hopefully it might help people think, and perhaps the younger generation who are now fans of Delilah Bon can pass on her ideals to help change the way future generations perceive people different to them. – Harley Lorna
The long awaited full length debut from the Sheffield quartet consisting of Liam Knowles (vocals, bass), Luke Scrivens (vocals, guitars), Adam Kossowicz (drums) and Ari Malekpour (guitars), Erosion / Avulsion is far more than just the complex sum of its myriad parts. Whilst motifs and thoughts of a whole slew of acts such as Deafheaven, Thrice, Oathbreaker, Envy and more coalesce and intertwine, the real wonder of the record lies with how this dynamism articulates the album’s themes. Bound by wonderful lyricism and livened by musical chemistry, this is a record that animates the whole spectrum of emotion. Beauty, pain, horror and everything in-between coalesces fluidly much akin to the genres that serve as the musical foundations of this record. And as result, Erosion / Avulsion ultimately proves to be not just one of the best debuts of 2024, but one of the best albums of all year.
With that in mind, and with Erosion / Avulsion out now via Church Road Records, we got in touch with Liam to break down the record, track by track.
Most of the songs happened really organically, but ‘Defanged’ was the only song where we specifically sat down and said “let’s write something really heavy.” Adam uses hammer blasts on this track which are more traditionally found in death metal, and the way it just kicks in with no preamble makes it hit really fucking hard, especially as the opening track. Unintentionally, it has ended up feeling like a bridge between our older material, which was more overtly metal, and our newer material. For that reason, it was the obvious choice for the first single.
Funny story; Adam couldn’t be there for the second day of vocal recording, and we said “don’t worry, we won’t make any drastic changes” but then Luke added that whole clean vocal section at the end on the spot in the studio. That part was originally screamed by me like the rest of the track, but our producer Joe suggested we try something different and he was definitely right because Luke’s section really elevates the song. Lyrically, this one is Luke’s first foray into a more socially-conscious / bordering on political track – it looks at the misdirection of anger and blame towards the most vulnerable in society, for problems caused by those in power.
‘Death Curl’ was inspired by Birds In Row; we wanted to play around with something that felt a bit ramshackle and shuffling like their track ‘Noah’. We built this song around the baritone guitar to give it an additional sense of depth and darkness. It’s the only song on the album where Luke does all of the lead vocals, both the screaming and the singing. It’s also the only track on the album with a guest vocalist. When we were writing the more fast-paced backing vocals in the verses, we had always said that Andy Calderbank from Pleiades would nail those parts because they’re so suited to his almost rap-like delivery, so we were thrilled that he agreed to come into the studio and lend us his voice.
The “death curl” is what happens when a spider dies; it folds in on itself and submits to death. The song expands on this idea of submitting to your struggles, be those personal or societal, as the two are so often intertwined. It’s suggestive of a kind of shame, unhappiness and inability to change anything about the state of the world and the effects of that internally. The album has political songs and it has personal songs, but this one is a little bit of a bridge between them.
Few bands in Britain have arrived with such a pedigree and momentum as Vower. The progressive post-hardcore mob have a mere handful of tracks released, yet in December they’ll be be performing to sold out crowds in around the country. Their brand new track ‘Satellites’ is accompanied by a music video conceived, created and edited by their own talented hands. Filled with soaring, vulnerable vocal lines and determined riffs, it’s a track laden with emotion. Written about the distance felt from loved ones, whether physical or emotional, its at times raw lyrics and catharsis ridden delivery will cut deep into the heart of all but the most stoic folk. Combined with their debut EP from earlier in the year, this track helps cement Vower as one of the best new bands of 2024 and it seems that 2025 is theirs for the taking. – Chris Earl
The new kings of absolutely disgusting gurgling noises return, with one of the greatest extreme metal vocalists of all time in tow for a fantastic guest spot. British grinding deathcore upstarts Beyond Extinction have released the first new track of their upcoming, as-yet-unannounced debut album and they’ve enlisted the help of Black Tongue vocalist Alex Teyen. ‘Tyranny’ is an ungodly level of downtuned, pummelling deathcore that harks back to the days of the aforementioned Hull legends and also bands like Carnifex and early Despised Icon. Amongst buzzing, filthy guitars and stomping drums, vocalist Jasper Harmer manages to hold his own in the toilet noise stakes with Alex, the two combining for a late contender for the most ridiculously brutal tracks of 2024 and shows that ahead of what looks to be an important year for the band, that they’re not taking any prisoners. – Chris Earl
2024 has been a great year for British queercore duo Death Goals, with standalone single ‘Knife Bouquet’ featuring Haggard Cat and Heck frontman Matt Reynolds and a split EP with Rhode Island screamos Dreamwell as well as a tour alongside Canadian noise titans Tunic, Death Goals show they still have another treat for their fans before the end of the year. Singer/guitarist Harry Bailey dedicates new single ‘COVO’ to their poet grandfather, screeching through a rapid, distorted eulogy with tender, sincere lyrics which clash dramatically with the track’s apocalyptically loud sound. While Death Goals have already proven themselves to be one of the UK’s most exciting underground acts ‘COVO’ drives home their potential as future hardcore stars. – Tom Bruce
It’s a fantastic time to be a fan of legendary progressive post-hardcore nerds Coheed and Cambria, alongside their scorching new single ‘Searching For Tomorrow’ the New York based quartet also announced the third part in their Vaxis series of albums with the suitably long-winded title Vaxis Act III: The Father Of Make Believe. ‘Searching For Tomorrow’ takes a vastly different approach to Coheed’s specific brand of prog tinged emo than their previous album A Window Of The Waking Mind, which revolved around an 80s inspired synth rock sound, by throwing back to the band’s earlier work while staying fresh and up to date with the addition of a hefty breakdown and an earworm lead line. More than two decades in, Coheed and Cambria are still proving that they’re full of exciting new ideas. – Tom Bruce
Having just signed to SharpTone Records, the incendiary hardcore outfit No Cure are about to launch their second EP, I Hope I Die Here and unveiled its second single ‘The Basement Beneath the Fountain’. A particularly ignorant strain of seething hardcore, it’s bolstered by death metal fury and a fist-swinging breakdown that’ll loosen teeth. A grinding, hellacious assault, it also features Kayhan Vaziri of Wretched Blessing and Vautja to add extra fuel to an already raging inferno. Of the EP as a whole, the band explain that it’s a love letter to their home state of Alabama, while tackling a range of issues; “there is a distinct reason for each song to exist. We approach many topics, including what it’s like to grow up under the boot of religion, fraternity culture, the dark side of a beloved landmark, local ecological exploitation, and more.” – Will Marshall
Speaking of love letters, Pleiades have also released what might be perhaps the single greatest song about Coventry. The post-hardcore quintet have just released ‘CV5 (Constant Variation) and it embraces everything from midwest emo to blastbeats to stirring effect. Written as an homage to guitarist Andrew Packwood’s Coventry roots, it blends the nostalgia of gazing back on a misspent youth with the knowledge afforded by lived experience through its balance of aggression and more fraught emotion.It indicates a fascinating new direction after their 2023 release Affinity With that’s sure to keep catapulting them up the UK underground. – Will Marshall
