‘ ’ is a pretty loaded term in rock and metal. The word represent artists who push heavy music forward, expanding its conventions with new sounds and concepts. More commonly, though, what we get is worship for the pioneers of the past, with many ‘experimentalists’ simply conveying their love for , and other idols.
This is why the bands who actually have new shit to say deserve to get their voices heard. Below, has collected seven albums from 2024 that truly sound peerless and progressive. Whether it’s by immersive psychedelia or cinematic , prepare to have your mind expanded.
is hellishly oppressive. On their second album, Bipolar Architecture follow post-rock and shoegaze introductions with blasts of ultra-dense metal. Djent rhythm guitars, black metal tremolo picking and the odd hardcore breakdown barrage your ears when this German/Turkish rabble rage at full tilt, and the ambient build-up only makes them hit all the harder.
No band in modern metal has cooked the same stew of hideous things to punish you with. On , you’ll hear the influence of Mastodon, Neurosis and classic prog. However, Dvne melt those touchstones into rocket fuel and blast off to somewhere distinct.
The post-metal cosmonauts’ second album is a tightly wound odyssey, its songs stacked with layers of guitar, melody and space rock synths. Plus, unlike such veterans as Tool, the five-piece are quick to reach their crescendos, making much of this hour as breakneck as a jump to hyperspace. Talk t.