Best/Favorite Christian Metal/Rock Releases of 2024

Here are some of my top picks:

Motivik - Renouncement. A Masterpiece on every level, great song writing, great production, great sound(riffs, solos, vocals etc.). My 2nd favorite Christian thrash album ever (TQT - POD is still 1).

Seventh Day Slumber - Fractured Paradise. Definitely SDS's best work yet. Super heavy, catchy/memorable, great lyrics, awesome riffs.

Messianic - 39 Stripes. This album is great. It has a decent amount of variation, but not too much. All the vocals are awesome (though a little quiet sometimes), the music is great, the riffs are amazing. A great addition to the Christian thrash/death/groove metal world.

I'm currently listening through All For The King - Darkest Before Dawn and I'm really liking it so far. I hope that When We Were Kings will be added soon

Right now off the top of my head I would say:
Harpazo - The Crucible
Motivik - Renouncement
Millenial Reign - World On Fire

Lordchain and Shining Force just arrived the other day and I need to give them a few proper listens before adding those to the favorite label. Although one listen to Lordchain and it was solid from start to finish.

This year's been really slim pickings for me for full-lengths.  The only ones I've bought (and do really enjoy) are:

Herfstdood - Lijdensweg
Karv - What The Dunes Have Hidden
Legend Revisited - From The Lord
Warlord - Free Spirit Soar
Eternal Gaze - Winters Womb

But there's also been some really good EPs and singles, namely from:

Daygraves
Majesty
Zebulon
Sotalippu

For me a rough list would be:

Tierra Vacia - Rumble
Harpazo - The Crucible
Messianic - 39 Stripes
Motivik - Renouncement
Saint - Immortalizer
Warlord - Free Spirit Soar
Exortta - Enigmas
Mellinial Reign - World on Fire
at the Cross - Sword of the Spirit

This might be one of the strongest years for me yet with Stryper, Shining Force, Allos and others to come.

^I'm waiting for At The Cross' album to be released on CD which should hopefully be this year, but I suspect it'll make my year-end favorites list too.    Warpriest will be releasing their album in a couple of weeks and I'm still hoping for Omegashift's second album to have a 2024 release date too - which would make this year dang good for me!

Oh, I just thought of Burial Extraction - Expelled Ep. It’s an Ep but I like it.

Renouncement for sure!

Motivik-renouncement

Testimony of Apocalypse- refraction

Great question! The first 6 I am pretty sure will remain top 10. Those other ones listed I like but Stryper, Impelliteri, Temple of Blood and True Strength are a huge threat.

1. Whitecross - Fear No Evil
 
2. Warlord - Free Spirit Soar

3. At the Cross - Sword of the Spirit

4. Warlord - From the Ashes to the Archives

5. Saint - Immortalizer

6. Human Code - Break the Silence

Sunbomb - Light Up the Sky

Leah - The Glory and the Fallen

Transcendent - Awaken

Millennial Reign - World on Fire

Bronze Age wrote:Great question! The first 6 I am pretty sure will remain top 10. Those other ones listed I like but Stryper, Impelliteri, Temple of Blood and True Strength are a huge threat.

1. Whitecross - Fear No Evil
 
2. Warlord - Free Spirit Soar

3. At the Cross - Sword of the Spirit

4. Warlord - From the Ashes to the Archives

5. Saint - Immortalizer

6. Human Code - Break the Silence

Sunbomb - Light Up the Sky

Leah - The Glory and the Fallen

Transcendent - Awaken

Millennial Reign - World on Fire

Have you listened to Motivik - Renouncement?

Christian Thrash Rules wrote:

Bronze Age wrote:Great question! The first 6 I am pretty sure will remain top 10. Those other ones listed I like but Stryper, Impelliteri, Temple of Blood and True Strength are a huge threat.

1. Whitecross - Fear No Evil
 
2. Warlord - Free Spirit Soar

3. At the Cross - Sword of the Spirit

4. Warlord - From the Ashes to the Archives

5. Saint - Immortalizer

6. Human Code - Break the Silence

Sunbomb - Light Up the Sky

Leah - The Glory and the Fallen

Transcendent - Awaken

Millennial Reign - World on Fire

Have you listened to Motivik - Renouncement?

I did. It did not really grab me. I like thrash but with a more melodic singer perhaps. I really like Ryan Roebuck's work with Vultures Gathering but Motivik may not be my cup of tea.

I forgot Legend Revisited - From the Lord. That should have been my 2 or 3.

Bronze Age wrote:

Christian Thrash Rules wrote:

Bronze Age wrote:Great question! The first 6 I am pretty sure will remain top 10. Those other ones listed I like but Stryper, Impelliteri, Temple of Blood and True Strength are a huge threat.

1. Whitecross - Fear No Evil
 
2. Warlord - Free Spirit Soar

3. At the Cross - Sword of the Spirit

4. Warlord - From the Ashes to the Archives

5. Saint - Immortalizer

6. Human Code - Break the Silence

Sunbomb - Light Up the Sky

Leah - The Glory and the Fallen

Transcendent - Awaken

Millennial Reign - World on Fire

Have you listened to Motivik - Renouncement?

I did. It did not really grab me. I like thrash but with a more melodic singer perhaps. I really like Ryan Roebuck's work with Vultures Gathering but Motivik may not be my cup of tea.

I can understand not loving the singer. I love them because of the melodic influence. Most christian thrash isn't like that.

Bronze Age wrote:I forgot Legend Revisited - From the Lord. That should have been my 2 or 3.

I haven't heard it. What genre is it?

Christian Thrash Rules, Legend Revisited is heavy metal with epic and prog qualities. It is a Christian reworking of Legend - From the Fjords. A legendary 70's prog proto metal album.

Don't have an order but Saint, Motivik, White Cross and Human Code will be on the list. I like Warlord but don't count them as it's not new songs.

Bronze Age wrote:Christian Thrash Rules, Legend Revisited is heavy metal with epic and prog qualities. It is a Christian reworking of Legend - From the Fjords. A legendary 70's prog proto metal album.

Is there a difference between epic metal and power metal?

StevenCressler wrote:

Bronze Age wrote:Christian Thrash Rules, Legend Revisited is heavy metal with epic and prog qualities. It is a Christian reworking of Legend - From the Fjords. A legendary 70's prog proto metal album.

Is there a difference between epic metal and power metal?

Hey Steven. I would say yes. Look at (primarily epic bands)  Doomsword, Ironsword, Manilla Road and then (primarily power bands) Stratovarius and Helloween. I would say there is a difference in sound and atmosphere. Some bands do both though. I don't get too hung up on genres or descriptions.

I noticed that no one else has mentioned Seventh Day Slumber