Album of the Year: Top 3

Bronze medal: Savage Oath - Divine Battle

Divine Battle is not only the winner of the bronze medal this year – but also the epic metal album and full-length debut of the year. To be honest, given the lineup – Brendan Radigan (vocals, Pagan Altar, Sumerlands, among others), Phil Ross (bass, Ironsword, Sentry, ex-Manilla Road, among others), Leeland Campana (guitars, Visigoth) and Carlos Llanas (guitars, ex-Eternal Champion, no longer in the band) – I was expecting a great album. However, it often happens that so-called ‘all-star lineups‘ disappoint in terms of quality. Savage Oath, however, not only manages to maintain the level of their self-titled EP released a year earlier, but even surpasses it in many songs. In the year 2024, you can't present epic metal in a more thrilling way – anthems like the title track, the band hymn “Savage Oath“ and especially “Blood for the King“ are classics in the making. The latter tune, in particular, is one of the best compositions of the year 2024, across all genres.

Silver medal: Chapel of Disease - Echoes of Light

Chapel of Disease have been one of my favourite bands for several years. In any other year, the Germans would have won the gold medal with a superb album like Echoes of Light – “unfortunately“, there is a very special release at the top of the list. However, in 2024, band leader Laurent Teubl once again proves that he is one of the best songwriters of his generation. As on the already legendary predecessor ...and As We Have Seen the Storm, We Have Embraced the Eye (2018), Chapel of Disease breaks down genre boundaries. The mixture of extreme metal and classic rock with Mark Knopler leads, enriched with all kinds of other ingredients, is irresistible. The album release show at Club Volta and the performance at this year's Rock Hard Festival will also remain unforgettable – with a completely revamped line-up, Laurent still manages to captivate the audience.

Gold medal: David Gilmour - Luck and Strange

I have already written so much about Luck and Strange on this new platform that I can keep it quite brief. There is one aspect I would like to emphasise: the gold medal goes not as a matter of principle to David Gilmour because he has been the most important musician in my life for 30 years, but because his fifth solo album is absolutely phenomenal. Even after almost 100 plays, there are no signs of any kind of wear and tear - and I can now say with certainty that, for me, Luck and Strange is almost on a par with the best Pink Floyd classics. On this gentle, melancholic, but at the same time life-affirming and deeply human record, everything just fits. I feel every note, every syllable here... you rarely experience something like that. Since David Gilmour played all but one of the songs during my three concerts in Rome, I meanwhile know that Luck and Strange also works extremely well live. I'm already looking forward to the upcoming live album – fortunately, a lot of footage was shot at the Circo Massimo.