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Welcome to the very best music created in 2024 - according to me!
Most of the music comes from the heavier end of the progressive spectrum, but with a few moments of progressive calm thrown-in for a bit of variety. I don't generally enjoy instrumental or djenty modern "prog-metal", nor growly vocals. So if that's what your looking for, I am sorry, but I hope you may still find some gems here.
Below you'll find a summary of each album plus a YouTube sample and a link to the original DPRP review where available.
This is the 14th and final year that I shall do this round-up. I hope you enjoy it? As ever, please support all of the bands you enjoy by buying their music.
Happy reading & listening!
Andy Read - editor and writer DPRP.net
20. GHOST ON MARS - Out of Time and Space
Country: Italy
Sub-genre: Crossover prog-metal
Description: One of only four debut albums in my list, this is a band out of Rome whose first offering oozes quality from start to finish.
Ghost On Mars combines dark and melancholic atmospheres with influences that come from a number of progressive and metal stylings. The more you listen, the more this sinks in.
19. RENDEZVOUS POINT - Dream Chaser
Country: Norway
Sub-genre: Modern progressive-metal
Description: In a similar way to the new album from Vola, this release from the Norwegain quintet Rendezvous Point offers everything to delight fans who enjoy djenty-styled modern prog-metal with heavy swathes of electronica.
With a non-growly singer who excels in delivering memorable melodies, the songs are concise yet packed with adventure.
18. WASAYA - Curtain Falls
Country: Syria
Sub-genre: Progressive-metal
Description: Curtain Falls is the second album created by the Syrian musician Tarek Shehabi. It is a clever blending of heavy-prog and prog-metal soundscapes with Tarek providing some great guitar and keyboard work.
But the biggest attraction will be the cast of singers he has partnered with on each of the five songs. How about this for a line-up: Marco Gluhmann (Sylvan), Mike Anderson (Cloudscape), Henrik Bath (Darkwater), Stefan Zell (Wolverine), and Domenik Papaemmanouil (Wastefall). Worth checking out.
17. UNIVERSE EFFECTS - The Distance
Country: Canada
Sub-genre: Heavy prog
Description: I've been following this quartet from Quebec since recommending their debut album, In The Haze That Surrounds Us, way back in edition 57.
Their second effort, Desolation, was one of my fave releases of 2018. That had more of a cinematic, post-rock feel to it. This time they are giving greater emphasis to their jazz-side. However the bursts of riffage, the complex juggling of layers and time signatures and the excellent vocals remain.
Just four tracks and 30 minutes of running time, make it easily digestible. My favourite track is Flow which features in the video below.
16. TURBULENCE - Binary Dream
Country: Lebanon
Sub-genre: Traditional progressive-metal
Their debut album, Frontal, was one of my favourite heavy albums of 2021 (read the feature here). This is another impressive collection of songs that straddle the past and present, with a vocalist from the top drawer.
15. LEATHERHEAD - Leatherhead
Country: Greece
Sub-genre: Progressive speed-metal
Description: I live close to a town called Leatherhead. It's known for having one of the worst High Streets in England! This Greek band has the same name but fares much better with this, their debut album.
My friend Erik described it to me as sitting somewhere between Crimson Glory, Overkill and Agent Steel. It has become my go-to-album when I fancy a bit of speed-metal-crunch with my evening beer and peanuts.
14. AT NIGHT I FLY - Collision / Fusion / Division
Country: Hungary
Sub-genre: Heavy prog
Description: A welcome return to the scene by a group of musicians from Hungary who over the years have produced a great collection of albums under a series of band names such as Stonehenge, After Crying, Dreyelands, and Wendigo. Angelo Salutante, the sole album by Stonehenge is one of my all-time prog-metal faves (https://www.dprp.net/reviews/2013/031#stonehenge).
We have the same singer here and this is another winner, this time containing a lot more atmosphere and soundscapes amidst an engaging emotional concept. I think this will hold plenty of appeal to heavy-prog and traditional prog-metal fans.
13. TRITON PROJECT - Messenger's Quest
Country: USA/Thailand
Sub-genre: Traditional Progressive-metal
Description: A weighty concept album that features the voice of Sean Thompson (Odd Logic and Nothing In Writing) and Thai composer and keyboard maestro Tanpawat Suttipong.
This has grown on me with repeat spins. If you are the kind of prog-metal listener who is absorbed and content with the music side of things, you will love this. If you seek a bit of equilibrium between a story, some hooks, and complex music, then you might find this too heavy-handed and bloated.
12. CALIGULA'S HORSE - Charcoal Grace
Country: Australia
Sub-genre: Modern progressive metal
11. FUGHU - Stolen Pictures
Country: Argentina
Sub-genre: Progressive-metal
Description: Formed in the late 90s Fughu are one of the longest-running prog-metal bands from South America. For anyone seeking a heavy-prog album that remains accessible whilst never staying in one place for long, this is well worthy of your attention. One of my favourite album covers of 2024.
10. DGM - Endless
Country: Italy
Sub-genre: Heavy-prog
Description: Another good release from the Frontiers label (shame they are so reluctant to send out promos of these albums to the progressive-rock/metal media).
This is the twelfth album from this long-running Italian outfit and has come as a real surprise. There is still some metallic crunch but the band has introduced a whole new palette of prog-rock ingredients to their sound on this concept disc. As a result it's a rewardingly-rich listen. Heavy prog fans should check out the video below and see what they have been missing.
9. KALANDRA - A Frame of Mind
Country: Norway
Sub-genre: Scandie alt-folk-rock
Description: This is a band that I've been following keenly since their debut album, The Line, became one of my favourite releases of the past five years. This follow-up is a gorgeously-delivered collection of melancholic Scandic alt-folk with sublime vocals and an inventively-engaging instrumental backdrop.
The focus of the sound is undoubtedly the versatile voice of Katrine Ødegård Stenbekk. Her haunting textures remind me a cross between Agnes Obel and Marjana Semkina (iamthemorning).
8. FOR ALL WE KNOW - By Design or By Disaster
Country: The Netherlands
Sub-genre: Heavy-prog
Description: For All We Know was formed back in 2011 as a side project of Ruud Jolie, best known as a member of Within Temptation.
Their third album is an impressively-enjoyable listen, with an abundance of stand-out songs that should appeal to all lovers of modern, melodic, progressive rock music.
7. SHUMAUN - Opposing Mirrors
Country: USA
Sub-genre: Melodic prog metal
Description: It's now been 21 years since I first began writing for DPRP. One of the advantages of this lengthy sojourn is that I've been able to follow certain bands from their very beginnings, covering all of their releases.
One such band is this American prog-metal combo. Album number four is called Opposing Mirrors and it is another success for those of us who love melodic progressive rock/metal.
6. VOLA - Friend Of A Phantom
Country: Denmark / Sweden
Sub-genre: Modern prog-metal
Description: This is the fourth studio album from this Danish/Swedish quartet.
This is a band that has impressed listeners with their ability to blend numerous styles into a single composition. There is a drive, an energy and a certain bravado to this release that I just love.
If there is any justice in this musical world, then this album is likely to propel them into the premier league of modern prog-metal bands.
5. SUNBURST - Manifesto
Country: Greece
Sub-genre: Melodic progressive-metal
Description: Manifesto is the second effort from this Greek combo, and sees a step up in class in every respect from their enjoyable debut, Fragments of Creation (which I recommended in a special edition in 2016) .
Singer Vasilis Georgiou (Black Fate, Innosense) is a dead-ringer for Roy Khan. Thus comparisons to Kamelot and Conception are not unreasonable.
But this is more technically-progressive and heavier than either of those. The keyboards played by Bob Katsionis (Vass Katsionis) add a cinematic feel to the album. This should appeal to anyone who enjoys melodic-focused prog-metal with power-metal intent.
4. FEN - Dear Mouse
Country: Canada
Sub-genre: Crossover
Description: This is probably my most listened-to album of the year.
Fen emerged in 1998 from the shadows of the Nelson mountain in Canada, and released five great crossover prog albums until coming to the end of their road 12 years ago. For this album, the band has reformed to finish-off some tracks that were just too goodf to leave on a dusty hard drive.
And I have to stress that this is no medley of leftovers. For sheer replay-ability every song is a winner. The insanely catchy Ritual Life (video below) is easily my most-played song of the whole year.
Dear Mouse is a wonderful addition to the discography of a band that deserves far more attention than they have received.
3. KINGCROW - Hopium
Country: Italy
Sub-genre: Heavy-prog
Description: After 16 years of reviewing Kingcrow's music, I feel that I've somewhat run out of superlatives with which to tell anyone who enjoys heavy progressive music that they should enjoy and revere this band.
The title track below is my favourite song but this is one of those albums best listened to as a single piece of art. Looking forward to seeing them play at the 25th anniversary of ProgPower Europe in October 2025.
2. WHOM GODS DESTROY - Insanium
Country: USA
Sub-genre: Traditional prog metal
Description: From the ashes of Sons Of Apollo we have a new heir in the hallowed halls of prog-metal supergroups.
Whom Gods Destroy, is the creation of keyboardist Derek Sherinian and guitarist Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal who explain: "We cover a lot of ground stylistically, everything from Led Zeppelin, Meshuggah to Muse, to the most technical prog."
This was one of the first albums that I reviewed this year, and without me really noticing, it has stayed on my playlist ever since. Always a good sign of a quality album.
1. QUANTUM - Down The Mountainside
Country: Sweden
Sub-genre: Modern prog-metal
Description: A hyper-impressive debut from this quartet out of Stockholm. Down The Mountainside blends latter-day Opeth, with the complicated jazz-styled patterns of Haken. However, with their influences stretching from King Crimson to Dillinger Escape Plan via the Mahavishnu Orchestra, this is a multi-layered beast that rewards repeat listens.
I am surprised that this has not picked up more of a buzz in the progressive underground. So here is the chance to get in first.
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