40. Simone Simons - R.E.D.
With Epica, Simone Simons has long been established as a leading light in symphonic metal. 2024 saw her spread her wings as a solo artist however, maintaining the elegant, powerful tones she's known for in her main group while adding entirely new flavours into the mix, as single R.E.D. incorporated electronic stylings to craft something unique in her canon.
39. Leyan Senay - Bluetiful
Predominantly known for her skills behind the kit, Turkey's Leyan Senay branched out into songwriting in 2024 with the release of her first solo music. Bluetiful offered an impressive and unique sound and vision, drawing elements of prog, alt-metal and much more into a cocktail which kicked like a mule whilst offering up some gorgeous melodies.
38. Bruce Dickinson - Rain On The Graves
Almost 20 years of waiting, but we finally got a new Bruce Dickinson solo album in 2024. The Maiden man's colossal ambitions were realised in another galloping heavy metal romp with a story so big it couldn't be contained on an album alone. Single Rain On The Graves harkened back to the moribidity and horror-adjacency of Maiden hits like Number Of The Beast and Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter, Dickinson still belting it out like no-one else in the metal world.
37. Ensiferum - Winter Storm Vigilantes
Finland's Ensiferum have dabbled in a few stylistic variances over the years, not least the realms of both folk metal and melodeath. But with Winter Storm Vigilantes, a flirtation with power metal elements blossomed into a full-blown love affair, the title track of their ninth studio album swept up amidst galloping beats, soaring lead guitars and theatrical vocals that could give Helloween a run for their money.
36. Mastodon x Lamb Of God - Floods Of Triton
Released to promote a co-headline tour that would see both bands playing their iconic 2004 records Leviathan and Ashes Of The Wake in full, Floods Of Triton is everything you'd hope it would be in a fusion of Mastodon and Lamb Of God. There's a decided whiff of both bands' 2000s output to the song's chunky riffs and tight pacing, echoes of both Blood & Thunder and Laid To Rest popping up in a seriously brilliant team-up for the ages.
35. Marko Hietala x Tarja Turunen - Left On Mars
Former Nightwish members Tarja Turunen and Marko Hietala reuniting after 18 years was big news when they sang Phantom Of The Opera on-stage together in 2023. In 2024, their rekindled partnership saw them head out on the road together, Tarja even popping up on Hietala's Left On Mars single. There's decidedly more prog metal to Mars... than symphonic metal fans might have hoped for, but the magic is still clearly there in a powerful and triumphant anthem that'll have you headbanging in no time.
34. Dream Theater - Night Terror
Speaking of former bandmates reuniting, Mike Portnoy officially rejoined Dream Theater in the studio in 2024. Although the fruits of their labours isn't due out until this year, that didn't mean fans couldn't get a sneak peek at what the prog metal giants had been working on. Night Terror was a typically labyrinthine epic propelled by masterful instrumentation and riffs that felt like a more technical extension of 80s Metallica. What's not to love?
33. Evergrey - Say
The swinging, pendulous riffs and soulful vocal melodies of Say helped reaffirm Evergrey's status as criminally overlooked heroes of the prog metal scene. 26 years on from their debut album, the band seemed to strive more than ever for serious anthemic quality, achieving it with a sense of zeal and power that made Theories Of Emptiness one of their finest releases.
32. Dark Tranquillity - The Last Imagination
A trailblazing - if oft-overlooked - force in melodeath, Dark Tranquillity continue to be the Gothenburg sound's unsung champions. Unlike their peers who have branched out into other stylistic ventures, DT remain Gothenburg melodeath at its purest, The Last Imagination capturing that blend of melodic songcraft and beautiful, fragile melody with an underpinned sense of weight and power that makes the genre so crowd-friendly.
31. Halestorm x I Prevail - Can U See Me In The Dark?
Halestorm and I Prevail don't make for an obvious pairing, but their massive co-headline tour of the US in Summer 2024 showed they had more in common that you'd think. To celebrate the fact, both bands collaborated on Can U See Me In The Dark?, a hard rock anthem with subtle underpinnings of electronica that soared on Lzzy Hale's powerful pipes and a delightfully thrumming breakdown.
