Hello Heathens,

I’ve already caught up on the good new releases from 2024. I should have pushed doing my end of 2023 countdown stuff until the start of the year so I could have some buffer time to let good albums build up.

Speaking of good albums, Metal Storm’s 2023 award list is up and a great place to find albums in the genres you like the most! I always enjoy seeing what makes it into their genre lists. Some familiar names make an appearance in genres like death metal, extreme doom metal, folk / pagan / viking metal. My only real complaint about these awards is it just is a popularity contest for some genres where bands with big fan counts win even if they released an album that was mostly panned by the metal community at release. That is how these awards always go, and really should serve as a conversation point instead of a, “This is actually the best list of 2023 releases.”

This brings me to the other big awards that were announced recently, the Oscars. I always enjoy talking about the Academy Awards with my friends who love movies, and none of us are very invested in them as the Academy has some weird unwritten rules about some awards being “career achievement” vs “best of the year.” Some of the most interesting awards are not included in the broadcast (audio and costumes for example). Again, you can and should enjoy looking at these lists and talking about them, but taking these awards seriously is a big mistake.

That is all I have for you this week, playlist for the show at the bottom.

Keep Heavy The Sabbath Day

02.10.24

Playlist Closer by Lacuna Coil

Cruelty Brougth Thee Orchids by Cradle of Filth

Falling Away from Me by Korn

Laid to Rest by Lamb Of God

All-American Jaw Line by Conservative Military Image

My Mind’s Eye by Sirenia

Terminus (Where Death Is Most Alive) by Dark Tranquillity

Destructive Infinity by Bolt Thrower

Violence by Soen

FullMoon by Sonata Arctica