At the beginning of 2024, Ember Belladonna released her debut full length album ‘The Grove’. It was an undeniably smart collection of tunes, mixing elements of goth, metal and folk, showcasing great flute work. Taking the flute beyond its usual prog rock space, Ember created a musical landscape of her own: sometimes dark but without feeling oppressive, but often otherworldly. The album presented songs that had a heart that could be easily orchestrated, but often felt very different – and more distinctive – than the several hundred Nightwish clones filling the globe.
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Watch: Rising stars Alchemize share new track ‘Bad Motives’
A new name for 2024, Manchester crew Alchemize have only released a handful of singles, but have already gained very positive praise from some rather major outlets. They’ve been officially playlisted by Spotify, Tidal and Apple Music, and already been championed by BBC Radio 1.
Watch: Healthy Junkies return with career defining track ‘Dead Souls’
In the summer of 2024, cult rock band Healthy Junkies shared their ‘Favourite Place’ single which touted them as an energy driven garage rock band. The single’s mix of rock, punk ‘n’ roll and accented vocals served up a track with not only a distinctive sound, but a number which sounded like it would translate brilliantly in the band’s live set.
Their eagerly awaited follow up, ‘Dead Souls’ could not be more different. There are moments where the vocal makes it very clear that this is still the work of the same band, but musically, it’s far richer. More mature, even.
Watch: New arrivals on the doom scene, Barren unleash ‘Unheard’
Barren, a doomy metal band from New Jersey formed during the global pandemic of 2020. Over the next few years, they slowly cultivated a heavy sound that, although classic, also shares a very deeply atmospheric feel.
Check out ‘Sugarcoat’, the new video from Nectarous
In 2023, US rockers Nectarous released ‘Whiskey Hustlin’ Woman’, a great single that flaunted a massive 70s influence. The way it blended the Southern Style of Lynyrd Skynyrd with a dose of 90s style funk rock – particularly notable through an infectious guitar riff – was particularly cool, if never entirely fashionable. In some ways, it set the band in place as a more melodic Black Stone Cherry, and more than suggested there would be more great music ahead.