YouSuck: MetalSucks Readers’ Top Albums of January and February 2024
This year’s looking like it’s already got some banger album releases and in a bid to find out what you guys like the most, we opened up a poll for both January and February 2024 to see which albums made the top of the heap.
Well, the time’s finally come and we’ve got the results from our first two polls. Though February’s results came up with some pretty unsurprising picks, January’s list was a little more interesting. You’ll get to see those results below.
For those that don’t know, we’re polling our readers to see which albums they liked the most in 2024. Voting will take place throughout the entire month, with the highest vote getter moving on to the final round in December, where we’ll vote for the reader’s favorite album of the year.
So without further ado, here’s the results from January and February.
Top Albums of January 2024
Advocacy — The Path of Decoherence (181 votes)
Released on January 19th, this was Advocacy’s first full-length album ever. The Danish outfit may have pushed their fans to go out and vote in their favor, which is totally allowed. Fans of progressive metal will enjoy the hell out of this one.
Vitriol — Suffer and Become (90 votes)
Modern death metal stalwarts Vitriol returned this past January with their sophomore album Suffer & Become, releasing 10 punishing new tracks to slam into your braincase. In our review, Mandy Scythe called it “one of the first eye-opening releases of 2024,” which makes sense since it was chosen so highly by you guys.
Saxon — Hell, Fire, and Damnation (45 votes)
Ever since the late 70s, heavy metal outfit Saxon has worked to spread the gospel of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Now in the year of our lord 2024, the U.K.-based band is back with their 27th album. Hell, Fire, and Damnation is old school heavy metal done by old dogs filtered through a 2024 lens.
Lucifer — Lucifer V (41 votes)
The fifth studio album from multi-international heavy rock/doom rock/occult rock outfit Lucifer came out on January 26 via Nuclear Blast Records. Featuring fuzzy riffs and a sound that channels influences like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Coven, this album certainly fit the cold and gloomy side of winter while remaining deeply sexy sounding at the same time.
Caligula’s Horse — Charcoal’s Grace (41 votes)
Australian prog metal outfit Caligula’s Horse came in at number five for January with their release Charcoal Grace. Featuring their signature style that’s complete with intricate tunes and a massive sound that you just know would sound epic live, this was the band’s sixth full-length studio effort. Even though we’re a few years out from it, this is the band’s pandemic record, so it’s got a lot to deal with that extremely uncertain time and the catharsis that followed.
Top Albums of February 2024
Job For A Cowboy — Moon Healer (126 votes)
This was no surprise at all. Having been working on this album for a couple years and serving as their first full-length in a decade, Moon Healer was an absolute ass-beater of a record from a fan-favorite band. If you haven’t listened to this one yet, you owe it to yourself to change that.
Atoll — Inhuman Implants (62 votes)
We really fucking dug this new album from Atoll and apparently so did you guys. Our review, handled by C.C. Delorean, said this bad boy was the kind of release that “has all of the familiar tropes one would expect from brutal death metal, but [Atoll] do it with style and genuine, palpable enthusiasm.” Intelligently written, yet super heavy music is always a treat, so this is definitely worth checking out if it’s even remotely on your radar.
Darkest Hour — Perpetual | Terminal (47 votes)
Yet another absolute banger dropped when Darkest Hour put out their latest record Perpetual | Terminal. Described as “compelling and thought-provoking” by reviewer Mandy Scythe, this record showcases a Darkest Hour that continues to push their own sound in new directions, while remaining heavy and aggressive.
Ihsahn — Ihsahn (42 votes)
Emperor frontman Ihsahn really outdid himself with his latest self-titled release. Throughout the entire thing, he managed to create something that’s both insanely symphonic and beautiful, yet incredibly harsh and macabre at the same time. Reviewer Jordan Blum said Ihsahn perfectly illustrates “the best of what its creator can do.”
Borknagar — Fall (41 votes)
Norwegian outfit Borknagar’s 12th full-length effort feels like a summation of their entire career. Blending progressive metal, black metal, and folk metal into their own unique sound, Borknagar truly released something that proves they still have it after all these years.
