Curious what notable personalities in the scene think was great this year? So is TGEFM! So we reached out to some of our favorite luminaries ranging from musicians, label personnel, and more for their “Best of 2024” lists. Now, listen: TGEFM is not a taskmistress. Contributors can write these out however they want. So if it doesn’t actually look or read like a list… and sometimes it really is just a list with no other observations! Who cares?
Michigan’s metalcore act Of Virtue released their fourth full-length album Omen in 2023 on Arising Empire. A year into the release cycle and the quartet continues to pick up steam and fans. All four members of the band were kind enough to share with TGEFM their favorites of 2024.
Mike Valadez (guitar)
Top Albums of 2024
Wage War – Stigma. One of the few albums that I have been able to listen to front to back. Each song has its own chorus that gets stuck in your head and the guitar riffs on this album are 10/10.
Bilmuri – American Motor Sports. Flat out just a good time album. There’s no way you can play this album and not be in a bad mood.
Most Streamed Songs in 2024
SpiritBox – “Jaded”. Even though the song is from late 2023 this song will always come on no matter who is driving and everyone will sing along. Hands down one of the best SpiritBox songs.
Normandie – “Serotonin”. I heard Tyler play this song one day while we were driving and I was half asleep. It woke me up and I haven’t been able to get the chorus out of my head since then. Funny thing, it’s my top streamed song of 24.
Tyler Ennis (Vox)
Top albums of 2024
Cane Hill – a piece of me I never let you find.
Such a great album. Each song takes you on a different emotional rollercoaster and they’ve always delivered with their music. I have loved this band for a long time and I’m really proud of how far they’ve come. each album they get better and better and I hope this one gets them the respect they deserve!
Imminence – The Black
Villiancore. That’s it, that’s all I need to say. Kidding but this album really solidified Imminence as one of my favorite bands. They truly are in their own lane and I think their ceiling is very, very high and I’m excited to continue being a fan of them.
The Funeral Portrait – Welcome To Suffocate City
What a band. This album front to back is amazing. So many different styles within what makes TFP, well TFP. Proud of their growth, their grind and their commitment to staying true to themselves. I’m honored to call them my friends, but even more honored to be a fan and seeing them take over the world!
Ryan Trinh (drums)
Top Albums that Defined 2024:
Imminence – The Black
We had the amazing opportunity to tour with Imminence earlier this year. They are incredible to see live and this album specifically translates so well to a live show!
Make Them Suffer – Make Them Suffer
Holy, what a band. I’ve always liked MTS but this album has really impressed me. This is an album I CONSTANTLY have on at the gym. If you like fun, heavy, bouncy music, then this album is for you!
Bilmuri – American Motor Sports
This is a little bit different than the last two I mentioned. Bilmuri makes me feel things that no other band makes me feel. So much of this album is constantly stuck in my head and I find myself talking about singing Better Hell to myself on a daily basis.
These albums are albums I find myself going back to ALL the time. Whether it be on the road to the next show, backstage to get me hyped up, honestly.. they’re just on all the time!
The Most Streamed in our van:
Mikes Playlist. He drives most of the time so we always jam what he puts on… or we put on our own earphones and listen to something else!
Damon Tate (Guitar/Vox)
Pit Anthem of 2024
Spiritbox – “Soft Spine”
If we’re talking about setting a scene here, this song is the ultimate party starter. We are all huge fans of Spiritbox and the irony is this song came out while we were on tour – a time when we usually aren’t jamming as much heavy music (since we’re always around it every day).
Ryan had found a leak of it and apparently listened to the song about 45 times before it was actually released! Then Tyler played this on an early morning drive while everyone was groggy so I don’t think the full gravity set in. A couple days later, we would bang this thing several times a day no matter what was happening!
Fast forward to Louder Than Life 2024, we had the pleasure of playing the same day as them and to witness the sky turn grey, start raining and this to be the anthem for the mayhem ensuing that day was an amazing full circle moment. They are the best modern heavy band out right now and the (mainstream) isn’t gonna know what’s hitting them soon.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
