While we are still regularly looking back at what 2023 brought us, we of course also need to look forward. So here is the first edition of our 2024 series of articles where we bring the editorial team’s most anticipated releases with Escuela Grind, Green Day, The Empire Strikes, Saxon, Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes, Static-X, The Gems, Lucifer, Manticora and Hiraes in January!

With Glenn’s selection of his albums of the year, there is a bunch of metalcore, deathcore, djent and some surprising entries with Thy Art Is Murder, Avenged Sevenfold, Within Temptation, Tesseract, Avatar, In Flames, Sleep Token, Periphery, Invent Animate, and Chelsea Grin!

Gates to Hell signed to Nuclear Blast to spread their blend of modern death metal with the hardcore spirit throughout the world, and celebrate with the new single ‘Resurrected’!

Finnish modern metal band Volucrine is releasing their 4th full-length ‘ETNA’ next month via Inverse Records and shared a new single with ‘Riptide’!

Our resident extreme metal reviewer Mazen has a selection of stellar (mostly) black and death metal releases as his favorite of the year with Sulphur Aeon, Varathron, Moonlight Sorcery, Cruciamentum, Suffocation, Dying Fetus, Asphodelus, Marduk, …And Oceans, and Cirith Ungol!

Annet’s favorite albums of the year 2023 involve a mix of punk rock and modern metal, bringing in loads of emotions going from deep and intense, to fun and light with albums from Green Day, Enter Shikari, Hexa Mera, Chris Maragoth, Powerwolf, Nanowar of Steel, Angus McSix, Blink-182, Gloryhammer and Bury Tomorrow!

French tech-death outfit Exocrine sharpen their sights on ‘Eidolon’, the 3rd single/video from their upcoming ‘Legend’ album, set for rel

Italian death metallers Kaivs are starting 2024 with a bang by signing with Time To Kill Records for the release of their debut album ‘After the Flesh’!

One of the highlights of our adventures in the Finnish Autumn/Winter season, was most definitely the 3rd edition of Black Box Mikkeli, with on the 2nd day a celebration of Finnish metal with Lastout, I Am Your God, Balance Breach, Insomnium, the foreign black metal storm that is Gaerea, and of course an amazing set by Bloodred Hourglass, bringing their latest album in full!