30. P.O.D. - I Won't Bow Down
Champions of nu metal before the genre even had an official tag, P.O.D. have been at it for over 30 years now. I Won't Bow Down is a statement of intent, then, a buoyant track in the vein of the band's big hits like Alive and Youth Of The Nation and while elsewhere on new album Veritas they had guest singers like Tatiana Shmayluk and Randy Blythe, Bown Down... was pure P.O.D. at their very best.
29. Wind Rose - To Be A Dwarf
After winning over metalheads en masse with their cover of Diggy Diggy Hole in 2019, Italy's Wind Rose reaffirmed their loves for all things dwarf on To Be A Dwarf. Yes, it was a bit daft, but it was also undeniably brilliant, the band's cinematic sound folding in elements of both folk and power metal to create something truly massive, while vocalist Francesco Cavalieri's booming baritone showed he's a rising star in the metal scene. They might've supported Powerwolf in arenas across Europe, but the strength of this suggests their own ascension could follow.
28. Turmion Katilot - Pulssi
Industrial metal with a disco twist, Finland's Turmion Katilot know their way around a metal dancefloor filler. Pulssi was a prime example, taken from their latest record Reset, the track's insidiously catchy hooks and clap-along beats marked it as exactly the kind of tune that could win over even the stoniest metalhead.
27. Opeth - Paragraph 1
The death metal vocals are back! That was the big takeaway from §1, the lead single of Opeth's fourteenth studio album The Last Will And Testament. But while that grabbed the headlines, it also reaffirmed that the Swedish prog metal masters were never a band to mindlessly plod through familiar territory; while the growls were back at full force, their music continued its technical, progressive bent that had ruled the roost since 2011's Heritage, resulting in a track that was infernally complex and brilliant in equal measures.
26. Night Thieves - Through The Looking Glass
Newcomers Night Thieves certainly made a splash when they took top spot in our Jan 12th tracks of the week round-up. It's all testament to the enthralling melodies of Through The Looking Glass however, the London band combining droning, monolithic riffs with airy, floating melodies to superb effect. Taken from their 2024 EP Polarity, Night Thieves are definitely a band to watch out for.
25. Blind Channel - Everybody (Bloodbros Back)
Who says metalheads don't love a bit of pop nostalgia? Blind Channel doubled down on the more pop-tastic, hooky elements of their nu metal-inspired sound with 2024's EXIT EMOTIONS, but for all the thump and bump of tracks like XOXO and Deadzone, it was their cover of Backstreet Boys' Everybody (Backstreet's Back) that saw them trounce the competition in our weekly polls, landing one of the highest individual turnouts of any poll all year.
![Blind Channel - EVERYBODY (BLOODBROS BACK) [Official Music Video] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/mWKXsFd4T0s/maxresdefault.jpg)
24. Hanabie - Girl's Talk
Hanabie had a stacked 2024, touring everywhere from their native Japan to Europe, the UK and North America. Somehow, they also found time to release more new music in that time, single Girl's Talk a perfect demonstration of their hyperactive take on metalcore with skittering electronica and snarling breakouts resulting in something completely unique and brilliant.
23. Judas Priest - The Serpent And The King
Hail to the Metal God! Judas Priest announced the impending release of Invincible Shield ahead of their set at Power Trip festival in 2023, but even with 2018's Firepower as a reference point it's astonishing just how vital the band sound over 50 years in. Take single The Serpent And The King; Halford still shrieks like a victorious banshee over fine, super-charged heavy metal riffs that harken to the hale energy of their late 70s output, the band still firing on all cylinders when it comes to crafting world-class metal anthems.
22. Arch Enemy - Dream Stealer
Arch Enemy might not have been part of the early 90s Gothenburg sound, but they're undoubtedly the band that has taken that scene's template to its logical conclusion, packing massive venues and festival fields the world around. For all the success the band have achieved though, Dream Stealer is a perfect example of how they remain a force to be reckoned with, not dialing back on their heaviest elements when crafting all-conquering anthems. From its thundering blast-beats to Alissa White-Gluz's imperious vocal, Dream Stealer is an affirmation of everything that makes Arch Enemy so great.
21. Within Temptation - A Fool's Parade
For the video to A Fool's Parade, Sharon den Adel flew out to Ukraine to witness some of the impact the on-going conflict had on the country. While Within Temptation have been outspoken about how the invasion of Ukraine has coloured their recent releases, A Fool's Parade doubles down on the fired-up, aggressive sound the band have plied in recent years, guest vocalist Alex Yarmak offering up a powerful vocal counterpoint that builds to a huge metalcore style breakdown.
