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Platinum Al’s Top 10 Rock & Metal Albums of 2024

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2024 was a fantastic year for new music. As previous, I was asked to compile my Top 10 of the year for Ever Metal, which wasn’t easy. That list has already been published on the EM website, but I’ve replicated it here for anyone who missed it…

Every year, it’s a struggle to whittle down tons of superb albums to just ten.  This year has been just as difficult (if not more so) and I’ve had to leave off a few great releases that just didn’t make the cut, for one reason or another.  I’m sure I’ll regret leaving a few of those off the final 2024 list, even if it’s just because they’re still very new I’ve not had chance to grow into them yet.   

Anyway, here’s the best of 2024 as it feels right now: 

10. Goat Major – Ritual 

Released in March, this debut from Welsh Occult Doom Metal band Goat Major announced a formidable new talent to the scene.  Building on their love of the classic bands that defined the genre, Goat Major add plenty of their own character to a magnificent album. 

9. Crobot – Obsidian 

Crobot’s latest release certainly has a darker, heavier atmosphere than previous albums, but the unmistakeable groovy riffs are well in place and ready to unleash the Hard Rock mayhem.   

8. Acid Mammoth – Supersonic Megafauna Collision 

Greek Doom-mongers Acid Mammoth delivered another heavy weight slab of fuzzy Stoner Metal, with a variety of moods and hefty groove.  Neolithic Rock with a touch of the ethereal. 

7. Duel – Breakfast with Death 

Amazing album title.  Fantastic cover artwork to compliment said title.  And guess what?  This latest release by Texan Stoner Metal gang Duel is even better than first impressions would suggest: Doomy Stoner Biker Rock from hell! 

6. The Obsessed – Gilded Sorrow 

Wino’s legendary Doom Metal crew returned in early 2024, to remind everyone how it should be done.  Infectious, groovy riffs, heavy as shittery songcraft and head spinning melody collide in a perfect meltdown. 

5. Orange Goblin – Science, Not Fiction 

The definitive Orange Goblin album?  Could be.  This latest OG album demonstrates all of their strengths, welding together the various sounds and genres they’ve mastered over the years.  Bursting with energy and invention. 

4. Torso – Brain Cells 

More exhilarating chainsaw Garage Metal from Torso, this lo-fi masterpiece arrived with all the subtlety of a brick to the forehead.  Less John Carpenter this time, but definitely slasher-splatter death-mosh a go go! 

3. Zombina and the Skeletones – The Call of Zombina 

They’re back!  One of the most wonderful live bands I’ve ever witnessed, Zombina and crew finally returned with a non-stop Horror Punk party, just in time for Halloween.  Long may they continue!   

2. Fu Manchu – The Return of Tomorrow 

The only downside of a new Fu album is waiting for it to be released!  Their first new album in six years was everything I hoped for, a double album split between a first half of fuzzy rockers and a second of slower tempo groovers. RAD! 

1 Sergeant Thunderhoof – The Ghost of Badon Hill 

The ‘Hoofs last album was number 1 in my 2022 Top Ten – and whaddya know, they’ve done it again!  Slightly less bombastic then their previous, but even more engrossing, “The Ghost of Badon Hill” is a mature and thrilling record to get lost in. 

So that’s ten.  Honourable mentions go out to Melvins, Lucifer, Black Tusk, Alunah and Barbarian Hermit amongst many others.   

Here’s hoping 2025 can match this… 

Keep coming back to Ever Metal and Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub for all the best rock and metal reviews!

Platinum Al’s Instagram Top 9 2024

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Continuing the January 2025 review of the previous year, let’s take a look at the Top 9 photos I posted on Instagram. This time last year I posted the 2023 version, so why not keep the tradition up?

It’s a simple process to get your most liked photos from Insta as a grid of nine images. This snapshot shows the most liked (top left) to least (bottom right) of the year’s best performers.

Here’s a breakdown of what the images were:

  1. Here’s me at Star Tours in Disneyland Paris, complete with X-Wing Pilot t-shirt.
  2. A Christmas porttrait.
  3. The Bad Brains album “Quickness” on vinyl.
  4. A bottle of Higson’s Bitter Ale.
  5. An album by the band Budgie, “Never Turn Your Back on a Friend”, on vinyl.
  6. Vinyl copy of the classic “Home Invasion” album by Ice-T.
  7. Last year’s 2023 Top 9!
  8. Pinball machines I found in a Whitby arcade.
  9. Ancient burial sites in Anglesey, North Wales.

That’s quite a diverse range of photos, and also fairly typical of what I post on Instagram: vinyl and beer.

Thanks for sharing these moments with me. If you like, you can follow me on Instagram: platinum_al.official.

The Best of 2024

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Happy New Year, loyal friends and followers of Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub! We’re now striding into 2025 with confidence and glee, but as is customary, our first post of the year is a round up of the previous year’s successes.

So here are the Top Ten most read posts from 2024 – the ones that grabbed your attention, and briefly lit up the internet with enthusiasm.

10. New Skateboard 2024 – Death Blinky 

The most read posts on this blog relate to skateboarding, you may be surprised to know. But they’re usually slow burners, attracting attention year after year, rather than big hitters. So it was nice to see this update about my latest skate set up make it into the Top 10 list. Nice photos may have helped.

9. Platinum Al’s Top 10 Rock & Metal Albums of 2023 

My pick of the best in Rock and Metal albums for 2023 was published by Ever Metal, and I then posted it on my blog, too. Nice to know that you guys must trust my judgement. The 2024 Top 10 will follow soon.

8. UK Subs – Gig Review

I went to quite a few amazing gigs in 2024, the UK Subs in Wrexham being one of them. This was a great gig and I finally got to see this classic band live.

7. Anti Racism Poem 

Anything my daughter Eloise contributes to my blog is always well received, and this school poem was no exception. A great piece of work and wonderful sentiment.

6. GBH – Gig Review 

Another legendary punk band live review in the 2024 Top 10! This concert by punk legends GBH was fantastic, good to see the review proved popular.

5. Liverpool Comic Con

Comic conventions always perform well on the blog, and this experience from May was no exception. I also paid a visit to Liverpool Comic Con in November too, but sadly the photos from that have evaporated and the blog is redundant.

4. Whitby Road Trip – On the Trail of Dracula 

In February 2024, we went on a family road trip to the beautiful seaside town of Whitby. It wasn’t just tourism travel though, we were on the trail of Count Dracula, himself. Our vampire hunt made it to number 7 on the list.

3. UK Subs – Jet Age Review

One of my Ever Metal album reviews proved a big success: this review of the 5 CD set of UK Subs albums from Cherry Red Records.

2. Comic Con Mania – Chester 

Another Comic Convention in the Top 10! Chester was good fun, and great to see it back after it first looked like it wouldn’t happen at all.

And so we reach the top of the pile, the cream of the crop! Drum roll, please, as I reveal the most popular blog post of 2024…

  1. Wales Comic Con 

Wales Comic Con made a return to Wrexham, and Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub was there for it. This event was a scaled down affair, and sadly turned out to be a bit of a fraud. The organisers still owe us money for celeb autographs we booked but never got – and it looks like we’ll never get that cash back.

Every cloud and all that, though: Wrexham’s Wales Comic Con is under new management and hopefully will regain the heights of previous years. Let’s see…

2024 was a reassuringly successful year for the Virtual Hot Tub. Fifty posts were published, reaching the highest number of views per year since 2018.

Thanks to all of my readers for helping create this magnificent achievement – I really appreciate everyone who reads, likes and shares this content. All the best to you and your families for 2025 – I hope the year ahead brings you health and happiness.

Stay tuned to Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub, folks – there’s no stopping us now!

Rock’n’Roll Drink Time: Jack Daniel’s

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That’s right, it’s not Cocktail Time at the Virtual Hot Tub this week. Instead, it’s just a straight forward tribute to an all time classic, the legendary Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey. It’s party time right now, so let’s keep this blog short and sweet to commemorate a true favourite.

You know the name, you recognise the brand style, I’m sure you’ve tried the drink. Jack Daniel’s is most commonly mixed with some kind of cola: Tad sang about it with Pepsi, my good buddy Lemmy drank his with Coke (I can verify this from first hand experience).

Also enjoyed straight, over ice or with any number of other mixers, Jack Daniel’s whiskey is a true classic and a must have for any liquor cabinet.

Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub urges you to drink responsibly.

Soundtrack: “Jack Pepsi” by Tad of any Motorhead track.

Twins of Halloween Horror Fest

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Twins of Evil (1971)

You can’t go wrong with some good old fashioned Hammer Horror! Here we have Twins of Evil, the third and final part of Hammer’s Karnstein Trilogy, based on Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu. We’ve already viewed the preceding movies – The Vampire Lovers and Lust For A Vampire – during previous Halloween Horror Fests, so let’s finish off the series.

Mary and Madeleine Collinson play two identical twin sisters, who are sent to live with their uncle and aunt after they become orphaned. Uncle Gustav – played with menace by the one and only Peter Cushing – is a puritanical zealot, keen on burning local young women at the stake. Gusatv’s stern attitude alienates both sisters, but Frieda in particular is keen to break away. She falls in with local wicked aristocrat Count Karnstein (Damien Thomas), who has become a vampire through his dabbling in black magic.

Soon Frieda follows the Count’s descent into vampirism. Will the witch hunting Brotherhood be able to destroy this evil? Will anyone be able to tell good sister from bad?

Regular readers will know I’m a huge Hammer fan. Whilst Twins of Evil is, for me, the weakest of the Karnstein Trilogy, it’s still great. The witch hunting angle lends a new and particularly horrific edge here (sad to see Judy Matheson exit so quickly) and Cushing is formidable in this role. Vampires, sorcery and some cheeky decolletage tick all the necessary boxes, and despite a rushed (but gruesome) ending, this is another Hammer triumph.

8/10

The Ghost of Halloween Horror Fest

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A crack of lightning; the roll of thunder; rain lashing at the window. Night has fallen, and the cold air nags at your bones with a morbid persistence. The wind moans, but cannot hide the strange calls off in the mountains. The children of the night, what music they make… Come closer, friend. It is time once again for Halloween Horror Fest…

That’s right, kids – Halloween Horror Fest! Throughout the month of October, I watch as many films that are appropriately fearsome, frightening, or just pure fun! Here at the Virtual Hot Tub is where you can catch up on my mini reviews of each movie, and enjoy spooky season and all it’s macabre delights!

The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)

We’ll start this year with a gem from good old Universal. You really can’t beat these old black & white movies for sheer atmosphere and nostalgia. I’ve never seen The Ghost of Frankenstein before, so was keen to tick it off my list.

Following on from the previous film in the series, Son of Frankenstein (1939), we again meet Ygor (Bela Lugosi), who discovers and rescues his old friend The Monster. This time, Frankenstein’s creation is played by Lon Chaney Jr, rather than Karloff. The pair travel to a new town to locate the younger son of Frankenstein, Ludwig (Cedric Hardwicke), where Ygor blackmails the doctor into revitalising the creature. A plan is set in motion to replace the monster’s criminal brain with a “good” brain, but some have their own ambitions motivating them…

Plot wise, I could tell exactly where this movie was headed from the off – there are no real surprises. And the lack of Karloff as the monster made me somewhat wary. But Chaney Jr has a good crack at it, and the rest of the cast (including Lionel Atwill) keep proceedings on track. Moody sets, great soundtrack and an enjoyable (though somewhat obvious) storyline helped make this film another triumph for Universal.

8/10

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot tub #34

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Here we go with another Singles Night! Just like Kool and the Gang said – no wait, that was “Ladies Night”. Totally different event altogether. Well, don’t let that be any concern for you, good reader – let’s spend an evening of musical fun and adventure anyway!

What, you may well ask, is “Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub”? If you know, feel free to skip this bit. Otherwise, I’ll explain.

Singles

In essence, I have a huge stack of 7 inch vinyl singles that I haven’t played yet. And they need to be played before I can add them to my super sophisticated filing system. So on Singles Night, I grab a bunch of these records and play ’em, A side then B side, one after the other, whilst having a wee drinkie or three.

It’s great fun. It rocks. Here’s the latest playlist:

  1. The Rezillos – “I Can’t Stand My baby” / “I Wanna Be Your Man”
  2. The Rezillos – “Top of the Pops” / “20,000 Rezillos Under the Sea”
  3. The Ruts – “Something That I Said” / “Give Youth A Chance”
  4. Sweet Dreams – “Honey Honey” / “I Surrender”
  5. The Steve Gibbons Band – “Tupelo Mississippi Flash” / “Till the Fire Burns Out”
  6. Showaddywaddy – “You Got What It Takes” / “Showboat”
  7. Goombay Dance Band – “Sol de Jamaica” / “Isla de Suenos”
  8. KC & The Sunshine Band – “That’s the Way (I Like It)” / “Ain’t Nothin’ Wrong”
  9. Dollar – “Mirror Mirror” / “Radio”
  10. Siouxsie & The Banshees – “Hong Kong Garden” / “Voices”
  11. Suzi Quatro – “I Go Wild” / “I’m a Rocker”
  12. Rose Tattoo – “Rock’n’Roll is King” / “I Had You First”
  13. Deep Purple – “Black Night” / “Speed King”
  14. Elton John – “Blue Eyes” / “Hey Papa Legba”
  15. Berlin – “Take My Breath Away” / Giorgio Moroder – “Radar Radio”
  16. Motley Crue – “Primal Scream” / “Dancing on Glass”
  17. The Damned – “White Rabbit” / “Rabid (Over You)” / “Seagulls”
  18. Booker T & The MGs – “Green Onions” / “Boot Leg”
  19. Bobby Brown – “On Our Own” / “On Our Own (with Rap)”
  20. De La Soul – “Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)” / “Pile and Piles of Demo Tapes Bi-Da Miles”

And there we go, mes amis. A right old concoction and no mistake. But you know what? The odd dud in the playlist only makes the good stuff sweeter. And when you’re having fun, those duds ain’t so bad anyway.

The odd horror from the fabled car boot box of doom still lingering here, but they’re slowly dying off. Instead, a veritable feast of punk rock wonders, from the Rezillos, Ruts, Siouxsie and The Damned. That Damned track is, of course, a cover of the Jefferson Airplane song, and not one of my favourites – though the two songs on the B side are absolutely wonderful.

Plenty of other delights with Rose Tattoo and a double sided banger from Deep Purple, not to mention a Crue song I actually really like.

I hate the film Top Gun – never managed to see it all the way through – and not a huge fan of the Berlin track, but hey, it was a freebie. Likewise, that Bobby Brown song from Ghostbusters II is a huge drop in quality from the Ray Parker Jr classic. Some pop genius from KC & the Sunshine Band and Booker T keeps us on track nicely, though.

All in all, another successful night’s entertainment. Stay tuned for more soon, folks – I’ve got loads of these discs for ya and they’re itching for a spin!

Anti Racism Poem

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My daughter, Eloise, is nearly 14 years old. I like to feature some of her writing on my blog whenever I can, because I think she’s a very talented writer. And others seem to agree: when I post something she’s written, it’s far more popular than one of my own compostions.

Recently, Eloise was given homework to write a poem about racism. You can read the result below. Yet again, I think she’s done a fine job.

Anti-racism poem

As the praying people look up, the moon looks down. Nothing said but a silent frown.

Companies advertising equality encouraging people constantly.

Genuine people keep the smile alight – while unfortunately others feel the need to cause spite.

Souls with such impacting power, sometimes kept quiet to the size of a flower.

What everyone should learn after all, is that nobody should feel so small.

No matter religion or race, our thoughts shouldn’t be kept apart.

Because the best people have empowered hearts.

Eloise Jones aged 13.

June 2024.

Ancient VVisdom – Album Review

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Ancient VVisdom – Master of the Stone

Argonauta Rcords

Release date: 26/01/2024

Running time: 31 minutes

Review by: Alun Jones

9/10

Ancient VVisdom have never graced my ears before, so I was very keen to dive into their latest creation, “Master of Stone”, and share with you, good reader, my thoughts.

The band burst forth with ‘Sold My Soul to Satan’, which bounces along with a hook-riddled riff and captures the listener from the get-go. This song nicely encapsulates the style and theme for the album with absolutely no mercy. It’s a head banging, fuzz drenched rocker that’ll drag you along like a tin can hanging from the back of Lucifer’s wedding hearse.

That opener wasn’t a fluke, either: ‘The Adversary’ and ‘The Apollyon’ are both infectious blasts of hard rock with an air of the strange and arcane. The next track, ‘World’s Demise’, is a stomping, eerie acoustic number – all of a sudden Ancient VVisdom sound like Satanic troubadours heralding the end of the world. It’s a dramatic and clever display of skill and variety of musicianship.

If that acoustic approach reminded me of New Model Army, then ‘Ashes from On High’ is the most Metal track here. It chugs along like Slayer playing a retro style Sabbath cover. Brothers Nathan Opposition and Michael Jochum have obviously studied the masters well. If you like old school doom rock, maybe some Type O Negative and Danzig, right on up to modern scene stealers like Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats and Green Lung, you’re bound to love this album.

With songs that are catchy and memorable, and also dripping with a melancholy other-worldliness, ‘Master of Stone’ is a fantastic album. The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. This may be true in my case, but Ancient VVisdom are here to educate us all.

Find out more about Ancient VVisdom on Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.

This review is brought to you by Platinum Al and Ever Metal.

The Sound of Origin – Album Review

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The Sound of Origin – Man in the Arena
Self-released
Release date: 27/10/2023
Running time: 44 minutes (approx.)
Review by: Alun Jones
9/10

Right, let’s get down to business and get this review out into the world asap. This album has already been released, and as it’s pretty bloody good, let’s shout it from the rooftops as loudly as possible.

The Sound of Origin are from Huddersfield, and this is their sophomore album. I’d previously encountered the band thanks to their cover of ‘Sick Things’ on the quite bloody brilliant “Killer: 50 Years Later” Alice Cooper tribute album, released by Pale Wizard Records. I was keen to hear a full album from these Yorkshire Doom merchants and I wasn’t disappointed.

‘This Ain’t Free’ bursts from the speakers with a booming, catchy riff and a mix of screamy versus melodic vocals. It grinds, it rolls, it grooves: and that’s a fairly good summary of the whole album. Doom metal with a welcome varying pace, it’s brutal but hypnotic. First single ‘Birthright’ is an infectious bruiser and one of many tracks that remind me of the glory days of titans like Alice in Chains. Relentless, but still melodic.

‘Crown of the Cynic’ gives The Sound of Origin the chance to flex their progressive, doomy muscle with its longer run time and thudding power. I air guitarred along to this unashamedly! There’s some mighty passion here, notably in the anguished vocals.

Kyle Thomas of Exhorder and Trouble fame crops on two tunes, ‘Frail Old Bones’ and the title track. On the former, the band rock out in a fuzzy style not too dissimilar to Thomas’ day job or even good ol’ COC. The latter finds the band in a slower, pummelling pace and KT pushes the dramatics to hair raising levels.

The Sounds of Origin can throw together elements of Stoner, Doom and Sludge with great style and enthusiasm. One welcome surprise though, was hearing final track ‘Lightbringer’ which reminded me of Angel Witch – head down, old school NWOBHM vibes all the way!

My preconceived ideas may always skew any observations I make on a band’s influences. The Sound of Origin’s “Man in the Arena” is a great album that is bigger than the sum of its parts, and builds on the classic inspirations. A solid effort, this album will no doubt be a contender to make my Top 10 of the year. Just a shame it’s not available on vinyl.

Check out The Sound of Origin on Facebook, Instagram, Spotify and Bandcamp.

This review is brought to you by Platinum Al in association with Ever Metal.