20. Powerwolf - Sinners Of The Seven Seas
Considering there's a whole subgenre devoted to it, there's no surprise that metalheads love pirates. Even werewolf-obsessives Powerwolf have got in on the nautical antics, the single Sinners Of The Seven Seas finding the Germans out at sea and singing about missionaries in a typically brilliant and catchy tune that leaves no question as to how they've got up to arena level in Europe.
19. Ad Infinitum - My Halo
Ad Infinitum might've started out in the realms of symphonic metal, but by Abyss they were looking to spread their wings further. The result was an album which pushed their sound in a more contemporary direction, My Halo standing out as a bridge between the band's older, more grandiose compositions and the radio-friendly, ultra-hooky direction they were now taking. Absolute earworm.
18. Band-Maid - Protect You
There's an infectious joyousness inherent to Band-Maid's take on power metal. Even as the band embraced a darker aesthetic for the video to Protect You, they remain a force of infectious, triumphant energy, exemplar of Japan's burgeoning power and trad metal scene that continues to thrive.
17. Epica - The Ghost In Me (Danse Macabre)
Even with Simone Simons releasing her solo debut in 2024, that didn't mean Epica were forgotten. Massive shows with a full orchestra and choir in their native Netherlands and Mexico saw their ambitious vision celebrated, while new single The Ghost In Me (Danse Macabre) showed that where some of their symphonic peers have strayed to other ventures in recent years, they remain committed to the genre. The result was a wonderfully dramatic, theatrical track that adapts a 19th Century symphony. What's more, the track was a tie-in with theme park de Efteling. Epic indeed.
16. Nightwish - An Ocean Of Strange Islands
Speaking of epics, Nightwish know a thing or two about the art. Look no further than single An Ocean Of Strange Islands to see why people were hailing Yesterwynde as one of the band's finest releases, the track's swashbuckling sense of pace and gorgeously massive vocals from Floor Jansen giving way to near-Broadway levels of theatricality as the track builds out into a huge crescendo, instrumentals swooping and soaring while Floor's voice is put through its paces. It's a massive, nine-and-a-half minute masterclass.
15. Bloodywood - Nu Delhi
It's been a good few years since Bloodywood first became a viral sensation, but they continue to soar to new heights. Landing a song on a Hollywood soundtrack was a great achievement for the band in 2024, but for fans the most exciting thing was getting the first glimpse of new music since 2022's Rakshak in Nu Delhi. There's no drastic reinventions here, but there doesn't need to be; Bloodywood's fusion of traditional Indian folk, bhangra and nu metal remains a potent and utterly distinct entity, Nu Delhi giving us plenty to be excited about going into 2025 with an ode to their home town.
14. Lacuna Coil - Oxygen
If revisiting their 2002 breakthrough Comalies had any effect on Lacuna Coil's upcoming album, it doesn't show on Oxygen. An absolute rager that continued the heavier streak the band had embraced in recent years, the track is an explosive, hale demonstration of just how Lacuna Coil have matured over the past 20 years, still producing huge anthems but focusing their sound in more direct and hefty directions.
13. Knocked Loose - Suffocate (ft. Poppy)
A meeting of two of current heavy music's most vibrant and boundary-pushing forces, Knocked Loose's Suffocate is one of the surprise breakout successes of the year. Uncompromisingly heavy and brutal, the track's near-constant barrage and beatdown elements only make it more impressive that it made the leap to late night TV when the band appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live, while Poppy added extra throat-shredding howls and snarls that made this the most feral mainstream metal track in forever.
12. Spiritbox - Soft Spine
It's safe to say, Spiritbox are a band that know how important first impressions - and singles - can be. Exploding in the wake of the gigantic Holy Roller, the Canadian band have gone from strength to strength with a brilliant debut album and follow-up EPs. But if the more radio-friendly melodicism they dabbled in at times had anyone worried, Soft Spine is a huge affirmation that Spiritbox still kick ass hard, the track bursting with vicious vitality yet still packed with hooks so big you could fish for great whites.
11. Charlotte Wessels - Dopamine (ft. Simone Simons)
When it comes to the tracks of the week vote, Charlotte Wessels was the undisputed queen. Winning every week she was included, Wessels showed off an impressively diverse sound on each new single from latest album The Obssession. In some ways, Dopamine was a callback to her past in Delain, drafting in Simone Simons for a beautifully melodic anthem that spoke to their status as symphonic metal icons.
