Best Melodic Death Metal Albums of 2024
The best melodic death metal albums of 2024 find themselves at a pivotal junction, its practitioners straining against old templates and forging into territories once considered inconceivable. Throughout Europe and beyond, fresh talent and longstanding veterans reshape their craft, fusing harsh vocals, searing guitar harmonies, and orchestral accents into forms that feel both raw and strangely poetic. It’s a scene restless with purpose: Sujin breathe authentic life into the traditional melodeath; Vanir pivot from folk-laden roots toward sweeping cinematic extremes; Darkness Everywhere strip back extravagance to deliver an urgent and merciless hammering; Northern Genocide force electronics and symphonic flourishes into the genre’s molten heart. Meanwhile, Dark Tranquillity, after decades of shaping the style, still reach beyond their comfort zone, while Wintersun incorporate mindblowing guitarwork to give their sound a quietly startling dimension.
These albums, arriving from celebrated names and emerging projects alike, trace a sonic storyline woven through the year’s heartbeats. There’s no single recipe for the melodic death metal of 2024—just a shared ambition to transcend predictable formulas and find deeper meaning in the collision of melody and brutality. Whether it’s In Vain infusing their work with saxophone passages or The Black Dahlia Murder channeling grief into sharpened riffs, the music resonates with unvarnished sincerity. Even As I Lay Dying, tainted by past transgressions yet anchored in a storied legacy, reflect a band at a crossroads, preserving their essence while grappling with irreparable change. Here in the aftershocks, when so many acts grapple with tradition, experimentation, and personal redemption, melodic death metal’s evolution becomes impossible to ignore. In the following exploration, we’ll sift through 2024’s offerings—each record a facet of a larger mosaic—to uncover which have left the strongest imprint and nudged the genre forward with fresh conviction.
Melodic Death Metal Albums Tier List 2024
2024’s melodic death metal scene delivered albums that hit hard and refused to fade into the background. Melodic Blackened Metal, Progressive Melodeath… This ranking does not cover typical topics!
If your favorite isn’t here, it might be tearing it up in other rankings. But for now, these are the records that made 2024 a year worth raising horns to.
Melodic Death Metal Albums of 2024 Ranked
The verdict is in: these are the best melodic death metal albums of 2024.
- Sujin – Save our Souls review:
- Vanir – Epitome review:
- Darkness Everywhere – To Conquer Eternal Damnation review
- Northern Genocide – The Point of No Return review:
- As I Lay Dying – Through Storms review
- Dödsrit – Nocturnal Will review:
- Dark Tranquillity – Endtime Signals review
- In Vain – Solemn review:
- The Black Dahlia Murder – Servitude review:
- Wintersun – Time II review
- Final Ranking of the Best of Melodic Death Metal 2024:
Sujin – Save our Souls review:
Arriving February 16, 2024 via Scarlet Records, French newcomers Sujin make a strong first impression with Save Our Souls. Drawing upon the melodic death metal frameworks carved by In Flames and Children of Bodom, the band updates the formula with modern metalcore edges and orchestral sweeps. Far from feeling derivative, this debut radiates authenticity. “Winter Breeze” balances aggression and tenderness through deft interplay between harsh and clean vocals, while “Throne of Chaos” reveals a flair for melodic hooks embedded in technically sharp riffing. Rather than cram in complexity for its own sake, Sujin channel their ambition into carefully structured songs, giving each orchestral chorus and intricate solo room to breathe. As a first statement, Save Our Souls hints at a band determined to chart their own course, melding tradition and novelty into a sound both heartfelt and self-assured.
Vanir – Epitome review:
Danish outfit Vanir, previously known for their folk metal leanings, present Epitome (February 16, 2024 via Mighty Music) as a grand reinvention. Gone is the reliance on rustic tunings and medieval flair; instead, the band merges melodic death metal’s punch with cinematic orchestration and power metal grandeur. The result feels both daring and coherent. “Wood, Iron and Will” laces galloping riffs with symphonic accents, while “One Man Army” struts with the confidence of a seasoned warrior. Although the production could benefit from a beefier low-end, it enhances the album’s gleaming textures and detailed arrangements. What emerges is a sound that retains Vanir’s storytelling soul yet propels it into broader horizons. Epitome stands as a proof to the band’s willingness to evolve, inviting listeners into a narrative-rich landscape that honors history while blazing a bold new trail.
Darkness Everywhere – To Conquer Eternal Damnation review
Hailing from Oakland, Darkness Everywhere charge into the fray with To Conquer Eternal Damnation, released May 10, 2024 via Creator-Destructor Records. This is melodic death metal stripped to its essentials: crushing riffs, lung-bursting vocals, and a tempo that barely relents. Recorded at Sharkbite Studios, the production captures a live-wire energy that’s crisp yet never sterile. Though the album’s relentless pace may leave some longing for subtlety or stylistic twists, there’s no denying its effectiveness at delivering an adrenaline-fueled pummeling. Like a well-honed blade, these ten tracks cut straight to the bone, offering a potent reminder that sometimes pure intensity, unapologetically unleashed, can be its own reward. Darkness Everywhere haven’t reinvented the wheel, but they’ve certainly made it spin faster and hit harder.
Northern Genocide – The Point of No Return review:
With The Point of No Return (March 1, 2024 via Inverse Records), Finland’s Northern Genocide shatter genre expectations by blending melodic death metal’s foundation with industrial, electronic, and symphonic elements. The result is a sonic landscape that feels both mechanical and organic, stark and grand. Guest vocals from Stephanie Mazor and Tommy Tuovinen deepen the palette, weaving human voices into machine-like rhythms. “To Serve The Pestilence” and “Icaros” illustrate how well these diverse influences can coalesce into something cohesive yet unpredictable. Even in “Our Final Hour,” amid orchestral surges and distorted pulses, there’s a sense of underlying narrative and purpose. Northern Genocide deliver more than novelty; they offer a fresh approach that proves complexity and thematic richness can coexist without chaos. It’s a daring expansion of what modern melodeath can encompass, pointing confidently to uncharted horizons carrying the Finnish melodic death metal trademark.
As I Lay Dying – Through Storms review
Through Storms Ahead is less a traditional album than it is a snapshot of a band caught in transition. By the time of its November release, the lineup was already set, but what ended up on tape had been finalized earlier—when a fully intact As I Lay Dying still stood, at least in form if not in spirit. Tim Lambesis remains at the center, the only founding member as the band approached a point of no return.
The record showcases the group’s signature melodic leads and punishing breakdowns, all meticulously executed by players who knew the material well. Yet there’s an unmistakable feeling that the intangible spark that once made this band more than the sum of its parts no longer burned as brightly. The production gleams with a modern metalcore polish, but beneath that sheen, a quiet isolation seeps through, mirroring the shifting dynamic behind the scenes. While the lineup held steady until October, the album itself, born from a moment already slipping into the past, now stands as a lasting document of a turning point—before the pieces fell away for good.
At RiffRiot, although we discuss Tim Lambesis’s band, we condemn his past actions, but we believe it is not fair to treat the rest of the former lineup equally.
Dödsrit – Nocturnal Will review:
With Nocturnal Will, released March 22, 2024 via Wolves of Hades, Dödsrit weave an emotional tapestry that blurs genre lines. While rooted in black metal’s searing intensity, crust punk grit, and melodic flourishes lend the album a depth seldom achieved in such ferocious realms. “Utmed Gyllbergens Stig” drifts between moments of calm introspection and explosive fury, capturing the band’s knack for dynamic storytelling without words. The guest appearance by Lamp of Murmuur’s M on “Nocturnal Fire” enhances an already poignant journey, adding a spectral whisper to the album’s more desperate screams. Dödsrit’s brilliance lies in their refusal to let any single style dominate: instead, they allow each influence to shape and color the overall mood. The result is a record that feels less like a set of songs and more like a passage through shadowed forests and distant firelight, invoking raw emotion at every turn.
Dark Tranquillity – Endtime Signals review
Unveiled January 11, 2024 as an independent release, Dark Tranquillity’s Endtime Signals continues their legacy as masters of melodic death metal willing to evolve without jettisoning their roots. The band’s integration of electronic touches and reflective clean vocals doesn’t feel like experimentation for its own sake; it’s the sound of veterans reshaping their sonic language with care. The Gothenburg hallmarks—sweeping melodies, layered guitar harmonies, and a persistent undercurrent of melancholy—remain, but here they’re paired with a sense of maturity and restraint. The atmosphere feels at once forward-looking and comfortingly familiar. Rather than diminish intensity, these new elements highlight the band’s creative range, demonstrating that, even decades into their career, Dark Tranquillity continue to grow while preserving the heart that made them legends in the first place.
In Vain – Solemn review:
Norway’s In Vain embrace grand ambition on Solemn, released April 19, 2024 via Indie Recordings and produced by Jens Bogren. This hour-long odyssey traverses blackened shores, doomy valleys, and deathly plateaus, stitching them together with progressive threads and orchestral subtleties. Saxophone lines glide through the turbulence like unexpected visitors from another world. “Shadows Flap Their Black Wings” unfurls with narrative complexity, guiding listeners through multiple moods and textures, while “To The Gallows” employs a blend of vocal styles and layered instrumentation to reveal deeper emotional resonances. Though some may find the length daunting, each subsequent listen peels back another layer of meaning. In Vain’s willingness to discover new sounds and embrace the unfamiliar makes Solemn not merely another progressive melodeath album, but a statement on how far artistry can stretch when tradition and experimentation lock arms.
The Black Dahlia Murder – Servitude review:
The Black Dahlia Murder emerge from tragedy with Servitude, released September 27, 2024 through Metal Blade Records. In the shadow of Trevor Strnad’s passing, Brian Eschbach steps into the vocal role not as a substitute, but as a figure bridging past and future. The result is a record teeming with genuine emotion and technical ferocity. Tracks like “Asserting Dominion” and “Mammoth’s Hand” cling to the band’s established melodeath blueprint, yet the urgency feels magnified. Melodies surge with a poignant intensity, as if every riff carries echoes of unresolved grief and defiant perseverance. By the time “Utopia Black” concludes the album, the guitar harmonies feel like conversations between old scars and new resolve, blending aggression, melody, and introspection in ways that transcend genre conventions. Servitude proves that The Black Dahlia Murder have not merely survived a loss—they’ve channeled it into a record that stares unblinking into darkness, unearthing resilience and renewed purpose in each note.
Wintersun – Time II review
After a long wait, Wintersun’s Time II feels like stepping into unfamiliar territory that’s both refreshing and gently welcoming. This isn’t just another melodic black metal record with symphonic flair; it’s a landscape where Eastern influences settle in naturally, shaping the album’s identity. Across four extended tracks, Jari Mäenpää, Kai Hahto, and Jukka Koskinen don’t merely hint at new sounds—they let them guide the music’s flow. On “Silver Leaves” and “One with the Shadows,” Chinese styled notes gracefully slip between shimmering guitars, adding warmth and depth. Meanwhile, “The Way of the Fire” and “Storm” find Mäenpää and Teemu Mäntysaari weaving riffs that move smoothly through the mix, balancing weighty metal roots with a sense of open, moonlit space.
Headphones bring out the nuances hidden beneath the orchestral layers, turning what could feel crowded into a rich field of detail. Instead of piling on complexity for its own sake, Time II uses it to draw listeners closer, encouraging them to discover the subtle interplay of cultures and styles. Wintersun’s willingness to expand their sound with Eastern textures proves that a familiar genre can still bloom into something new—something worth exploring over and over again, supported by authentic musical virtuosism.
Which is the Best Melodic Death Metal Album of 2024?
Though every album has surpassed even the loftiest expectations, only one can claim the crown. After careful consideration, Wintersun – Time II stands tall as the Best Melodic Death Metal Album of 2024. Congratulations!
Final Ranking of the Best of Melodic Death Metal 2024:
- Sujin – Save our Souls | 10º
- Vanir – Epitome | 9º
- Darkness Everywhere – To Conquer Eternal Damnation | 8º
- Northern Genocide – The Point of No Return | 7º
- As I Lay Dying – Through Storms | 6º
- Dödsrit – Nocturnal Will | 5º
- Dark Tranquillity – Endtime Signals | 4º
- In Vain – Solemn | 3º
- The Black Dahlia Murder – Servitude | 2º
- Wintersun – Time II | 1º
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It is interesting how tastes are so different. Personally, Time II feels like an odd #1 choice to me. The album isn’t bad, but to me the songs felt unnecessarily lengthy and there were many many interlude/filler parts that didn’t really add to the music in my opinion. This is nitpicking, but the production was also not really pleasant for me. Everything felt quite compressed and uneasy on my ears.
And as someone from Japan I have to say that the “Japanese styled notes” in Time II do not sound Japanese at all to me. The supposedly Eastern influence sounds vaguely Chinese to me if anything. The instrument they use in the intro is also an Erhu, which is not a Japanese but a Chinese instrument. I don’t blame people not familiar with Japanese music to not immediately notice this, especially since the album artwork and promo material were very Japan coded. But to me this makes the whole release a bit iffy. I understand that I am biased though.
Hi, thanks for your comment!
I appreciate your feedback and I’m glad you brought that up. I should have indeed explored the topic in more depth to steer clear of any clichés. Rest assured, I’ll provide a more detailed analysis in the future.
Regarding my number 1 pick, I must admit the decision was influenced by the exceptional guitar work on display. I’ve been missing some good guitar playing, and this one truly impressed me. However, every album on the list is of the highest caliber. I simply created tiers to make the information more manageable and digestible.