2024 Metal Academy Clan Release Awards Recipients

Now that we've hit February, we're finally in a position to announce the recipients of the annual Metal Academy Clan Release of the Year Awards for 2024. They are as follows:

THE FALLEN: High on Fire - "Cometh the Storm"

THE GATEWAY: Devin Townsend - "PowerNerd"

THE GUARDIANS: Crypt Sermon - "The Stygian Rose"

THE HORDE: Ulcerate - "Cutting the Throat of God"

THE INFINITE: Oranssi Pazuzu - "Muuntautuja"

THE NORTH: Spectral Wound - "Songs of Blood & Mire"

THE PIT: Critical Defiance - "The Search Won't Fall..."

THE REVOLUTION: Knocked Loose - "You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To"

THE SPHERE: Pain - "I Am"

If anyone is wondering how we decided on the criteria for judging these awards this year, we've used the highest minimum site rating quantity that would see at least five releases coming into contention for each award.

Some good stuff there, especially the Ulcerate and Oranssi Pazuzu albums which should feature in any best of the decade list. I thought the High on Fire album was a bit ordinary to be honest with far better albums in the Fallen this year (Ataraxie, Monolithe, Scald, Pallbearer, to name but four).

I think the Ulcerate, Oranssi Pazuzu & Knocked Loose records were kinda no-brainers. I'm skeptical about the Critical Defiance one's claims but at the end of the day it comes down to how much the entire site has enjoyed a release which is always going to favour the more well-known artists.