(RANK’d): Albums Of The Year 2023
At Long Last
We are finally here. The Big One. Here is the first NEW Album Of The Year list for the site!
As far as the contents we got: 10 albums, 4 EPs and 3 Top Singles. Will include the usual playlist for the whole shebang as well as videos for each of the top songs instead of just the little text entry. Genres and “Listen If You Love” spots included.
But unfortunately we have to get some bad news outta the way first. May upset some of those who are fans of the group, I know i’m upset for it being here but….yeah, here we go.
The “Totallys Dildos” Award for most disappointing album of the year: Dethklok - Dethalbum IV
Genre: Deth Metal
Listen If You Love: Dethklok, but not what they once were.
Breaks my damn heart to put this here. Been TEN years since Doomstar Requiem. But MAN, this album is a bummer for me. The single didn’t hook me like every single has since Dethalbum I. The album has essentially NONE of the amazing riffage of prior records nor the comedic gravitas. Really, it sounds like a generic death metal album until the end, which has the worst Murmaider of the three. I went back and listened to the first 3 Dethalbums before this released, then again afterwards. Nothing on here holds a candle to those tracks, not one single riff is as memorable as Thunderhorse, Laser Cannon, I Ejaculate Fire or ANY of the other iconic songs. Brendon doesn’t even sound great vocal wise, very muddy compared to the last album. Such a damn shame dude, Brendon and Gene are absolute masters of their craft and yet none of that is on here. I can’t even bring myself to watch the new movie….maybe in the next ten years I guess?
With that out of the way, let’s get to the list!
Single(s) Of The Year: Darko US - Rampage and Knocked Loose - Upon Loss Singles
Genre(s): Industrial Deathcore / Hardcore respectively
Listen If You Love: Punching things or long walks on the beach.
I had fully planned on giving Darko a spot on the main albums list because I was SURE they dropped an album this year, but no. TWO DAYS before 2023…damn. So i’ll grit my teeth, and just put their newest single here. Because what’s one of my lists without Darko? Rampage feels like something straight outta the ONI record. Plenty of CHUGG to go around with their signature industrial ambiance in the background. Relentless as always, look forward to more Darko next year i’m sure.
As for Knocked Loose, well, it’s more Knocked Loose. Which tops any list of mine any year, but this year they went the singles route, TWO even. Both hit harder than a catholic priest, but i’d give the edge to Everything Is Quiet Now. The STOMPING ending breakdown alone further cements their status as HEVYest band in the world right now. The geeks at Coachella and Lollapalooza never stood a chance.
EPs Of The Year
Now for something a little different. This year was STACKED for EPs, so I decided to give them their own separate list!
4: Plini - Mirage
Genre: Instrumental Prog
Coming in HOT. Being only just a few days since release I had to put it at the bottom, but that does NOT mean it’s any less than the rest. Plini is untouchable on guitar right now, maybe only Tim Henson/Scott LePage are up there with him. But his songwriting is just unreal, so smooth and clean you can eat off of it. The big crescendos after the clean sections are always a treat and a signature of his, not to mention the incredible solos. After only just one listen, I came out blown away…again. If I had to choose a track, it’d be the closer Ember.
3. Fit For An Autopsy, Thy Art Is Murder, Malevolence - The Aggression Sessions.
Genre: Deathcore
Listen If You Love: Sessions of Aggression or fights with wolves
Ah yes, more Fit For An Autopsy, thank you very much. The rest is just icing on the cake, but i’ll take it. So what’s included is 3 new songs and 3 covers. One new and one old from each band. And I gotta say, Thy Art’s cover of the legendary Hammer Smashed Face surprised me, it’s not too bad. It maintains the feel of the old song yet sounds brand new. Just doesn’t quite have the BITE the old song does. I quite love the original’s scoopy tone, that very late 80’s/90’s vibe is ageless. As for the rest, just solid tracks all around, except for Fit’s Hellions. By god, they done did it again. This could easily be a part of their last record and have elevated it even higher than it already is. Really go into this EP JUST for Hellions, it’s incredible. Maybe stay for the rest if you’re feeling froggy.
2. Moodring - Your Light Fades Away
Genre: Shoegaze-y Metalcore
Listen If You Love: Deftones, but done WAY better.
This is what made me go back and listen to their last album and correct a massive wrong in my 2022 list. Holy friggin hell what a surprise of a release. A shift from the pure shoegaze of the last record and much lower tuned outing, yet still maintains the honey smooth cleans that i’ve come to adore from them. Running in at only 3 tracks, each one is FANTASTIC and feature a slightly different vibe from one to the next. SHI=DEATH is very synthy and groovy. BLACK_WAVE is the HEVYest thing they’ve EVER done, my god that breakdown is colossal. And yet, i’m stuck with WOULDYOUWAITFORME, it’s that got damn shoegazy chorus that brings me in everytime. They nail that tone so perfectly. I LOVE Moodring right now and i’m eagerly awaiting their next full length with much anticipation.
Spiritbox - The Fear Of Fear
Genre: Metalcore
Listen If You Love: Your guitars tuned low and your subwoofers annihilated…and Megan Thee Stallion apparently?
And yet, despite the love for Moodring. Spiritbox decide to put out the best fuggin EP of the year with The Fear Of Fear. I had little expectations, since i’d only heard The Void prior to the whole EP and had gone “Yup, that’s Spiritbox, still great.” But man…when Cellar Door came on, holy mother of god I did not expect this level of HEVY from Courtney and Co. The bass is off the daggum charts here and absolutely ZERO cleans. But then that nuclear breakdown hits….wooooof. It’s wild that even after the Megan Thee Stallion collab, they can still destroy me like this. I’m shocked, SHOCKED I tell you. Oh and the rest of the EP fucks too. A seamless transition from HEVY to clean as they’ve mastered so well already. Courtney’s vocals are incredible of course, her hubs Mike though absolutely goes full doo be doo on here and i’m always floored with the tone and power he brings. Go into Too Close/Too Late or Jaded if you want the cleaner stuff from them, but Cellar Door man, that’s what gets me going.
Albums Of The Year
10. Metallica - 72 Seasons
Genre: Uhm, it’s Metallica, you should know by now. Bluesy/Thrash Metal
Listen If You Love: Your yeahs to YEAH and your wahs to WAH, also Metallica.
Really contemplated leaving this off the list and putting in the odd wall of sound that is fromjoy’s 2023 outing. But it’s Metallica, we go back to the days of listening to Enter Sandman on the way to daycare as a youth. So it had to be here, but not without some heavy criticism from me. Guitar’s STILL sound like ASS, and have really since St. Anger. Kirk still can’t solo without an obscene amount of wah pedal. And for the love of god let Rob get some bass licks in there. BUT, as for the good, James is absolutely on fire here. While the tone’s may suck, he absolutely kills it on the riffs and of course vocals. He’s the MVP for me here, and, well Lars’ drumming is actually pretty solid too. The album is really a greatest hits of sorts, you get the Kill Em All type of stuff(done…okay) and the Black Album bluesy groovy stuff(done much better) and you get a mishmash of Metallica being Metallica but it’s just…okay. Except for the albums closer, Inamorata. The first good LONG ‘tallica joint since…The Day That Never Comes? Or even To Live Is To Die? It’s their longest song for sure, but it’s pretty damn good. Basically My Friend Of Misery in an 11 minute riff fest, more than worth the price of admission just for this. There are some good stuff scattered here and there don’t get me wrong, but Inamorata is their best song in ages.
9. Periphery - Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre
Genre: Yes it is, Djent. There, see? also: Progressive Metalcore
Listen If You Love: Legends of the (non)genre in their 8th best outing.
Yeah, it’s more Periphery, but i’m kinda not blown away this time around. I mean we got some bangers in Wildfire, Wax Wings, and Zagreus. But nothing here really STICKS to me like P2, Clear, or Juggernaut. Maybe i’m shifting away from this style, maybe it just isn’t as good as the old stuff, yet many fans love this release. I have no clue, BUT I still put it here for a reason. The unmatched talent is still there, no discussion. Best production in the entire industry, they sound incredible on every release, Producer/Bassist Nolly is a damn master here. It’s so clean yet every crushing beat or distorted 20 string guitar, you hear so perfectly with every fine detail kept intact from the recordings. I have no idea how to achieve that, I YEARN for that guitar tone. As for the songs themselves, the aforementioned bangers are the highlight in an otherwise poppy and sometimes meandering set of tracks, especially the TWO ten plus minute closers. Reptile from their last, clocked in at 15 minutes and I was glued to that song. I don’t feel that here. The standout moments for me come from vocalist Spencer Sotelo’s insane range in Wax Wings and the guitar trio of Mark Halcomb, Jake Bowen, and Misha Mansoor doing what they do best in the Hades opus, Zagreus. And that’s about it for me, I really hope it’s just me and my taste for what their going for shifts with them because I STILL love these guys to death. Popularized an entire (non)genre and brought back the de-tuned Djent machines to the forefront where Meshuggah and Korn had previously mastered in their own unique way.
8. Vexed - Negative Energy
Genre: Full on, unadulterated, doo be doo laden, Djent.
Listen If You Love: A LOT of doo be doos. But also more women kicking ass in metal.
Newbie Djenters Vexed popped in my Spotify feed and quickly perked the ears due to a mix of one of my favorite styles of guitar, doo be doos. As well as the brutal female screamer Megan Targett. Pretty close to Spiritbox’s Courtney LaPlante’s harsh screams but not nearly as clean focused. Which really is a shame because there are pretty good, yet, sparse moments of clean vocals and I do feel that with a bit more thrown in, would have given this album just that much more replayability for me. Because as much as I LOVE doo be doos, they only go so far without something else thrown in(as you will see from another group further down the list). It’s basically ALOT of chugg chugg and not a ton of melodic leads, which isn’t terrible. You’ll get exactly what i’m saying as soon as you put on the intro track PTSD. As soon as Anti-Fetish kicks in, that’s all you really need to hear from the whole album, because most of the tracks are all that, it IS great though. Some stand out moments for sure, like Judy Garland chanting “There’s No Place Like Home” with a breakdown chugg in the foreground, it’s awesome and more moments like it would have been just gravy. I really liked this one as a whole, but not on constant repeat like the other records.
Here’s my top track done in one take by the woman herself:
7. Unprocessed - …And Everything In Between
Genre: Guitar Pornography / Djenty Prog
Listen If You Love: The instrument that is, Guitar.
Somehow this snuck up on me and I had NO IDEA these guys were dropping another record so soon after their excellent outing last year. And….IT’S BETTER?! Been damn near daily driving this album since release about a week or so ago as of writing. It’s such an improvement over their last in almost every way. MUCH more HEVY this time around with the occasional dip in to the Frusciante-like clean work, as they do. Hell, even the vocals are so much better here, I thoroughly enjoyed them more this time around, REALLY surprised me. Some super catchy stuff here like in Thrash, that chorus to go along with the sexy guitars is Unprocessed going on all cylinders. But, they gone and did a thing I knew had to happen, the collaborated with the anime guitar boy himself Tim Henson and his sidekick Scott LePage on the best track of the album and the best solo i’ve heard all year in Die On The Cross Of The Martyr. Just an absolute cornucopia of talent in one song. The sexy tap legato opening riff with that spicy harmonic bend on the whammy bar, oooh gets my guitarist juices flowing. But dude, the solo from Scott. It’s truly incredible and he actually, somehow, outshines the other 2 on here. Phenomenal.
Listen NOW:
6. Avenged Sevenfold - Life Is But A Dream…
In my one and only album review(I should fix that), I mentioned that this is not the Sevenfold of old. It’s a drastic departure and one that i’ve embraced but only at arms reach. It’s not what I go to from them, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad, just different. The talent is still there, even if Matt’s vocals are waning with age and wear, they all can still go as their live performances attest to that. I won’t deep delve in here, I already exhausted my feelings in my review, but my stance hasn’t really changed much. It’s gonna sit here near the halfway point as it has in my Best Sevenfold Records list. I don’t hate it, I don’t love it. But I cannot deny the quality of the songwriting and the ballsy risks taken from the guys who did Unholy Confessions.
Here’s a supercut of my standouts: G, Ordinary, and Death.
5. Code Orange - The Above
Genre: Hardcore Industrial Alternative Grunge…no really.
Listen If You Love: Alice’s Chained Up Smashed Orange Pumpkins. See: the 90’s.
It’s hard to describe what Code Orange is anymore. Are they a Hardcore band? Not really. Are they a Grunge band? Sort of, but HEVYer. Are they an Alternative Rock band? Maybe? Their last record blew me away in what HEVY could sound like truly messed up and glitched out of reality. I loved Underneath. But this? WOW is this a shift. Very catchy choruses with alot more clean vocals this time around. Less face pummeling riffage and more standard grooves. But I really like it? It’s odd but despite the sweeping changes, it’s still Code Orange. Jami and Reba’s unmistakable vocals are still there and the unnerving wall of sound is still there but spread out between Grunge bangers, powerful hardcore pit starters, and an acoustic pop song that nearly kills the album for me. Mirror is that said song, i’ve gone through it in full 3 times. It just doesn’t fit in here and drags this album down a few pegs, not to mention the main vocalist Reba in said song sounds better in every other song. Doing an acoustic track in this mishmash of styles didn’t work for me, so it’s a skip. But the rest of the album, fantastic. The genre flips might be hard to grasp, but bear with it, there are some great catchy tracks on here on top of the pit starters. My favorite in particular is the single Take Shape with the pumpkin man himself Billy Corgan in an odd guest spot, but somehow works in action. A pretty divisive album for their older fans, but i’m kinda on this batshit ride they’ve shifted to.
4. TesseracT - War Of Being
Genre: Progressive Metal
Listen If You Love: Periphery or Tool.
I knew of TesseracT. A softer, slower, yet still Djenty prog band ala Periphery in the early 10’s era. Never really got into them, was more of a Periphery guy. But after hearing glowing reviews, I had to step in. And after hearing Natural Disaster, I’d like to take this time to formally apologize to TesseracT. I wasn’t familiar with your game. Best song of the year hands down. A vocal tour-de-force with one of the nastiest opening riffs i’ve heard all year. The one and only quibble I have with this record, is that it all isn’t like this opener. A journey of HEVY and clean with sudden tempo shifts and ebbs and flows that I’ve had stuck in my head for MONTHS due to that riff and that huge build up closing section. The next few tracks are great too, but soon after it devolves into my biggest issue I have with this and Tool as well….too much got damn meandering in nothingness to get to the next part. But this album has the particular problem in that the meandering never came with something as HEVY or as satisfying as the opener. And YET, I still put it down here because yes, the opener is incredible. But even after that, you have the monster riffs of The Grey or the falsetto-laden opus Legion. But after Tender’s beautiful Djenty riffage at the end. It’s a LONG journey to the end of this one, and one i’ve rarely made it through without skipping. Meanders way too much for my liking.
But, Natural Disaster, get on that. Song Of The Year.
3. 3TEETH - EndRx
Genre: Industrial Metal / Cyberpunk
Listen If You Love: An Anti-Corpo, Cyberpunk Doom EST. Also, Nine Inch Nails.
3TEETH are back, and woo boy did they bring in the big guns for some of the tracks. Mick. EFFING. Gordon. This is basically what would happen when you mix the Doom 2016 soundtrack with Cyberpunk. Phenomenal catchy tunes on here. After the admittedly too slow of an intro Xenogenesis and the decent Acme Death Machine. You get BANGER after BANGER with Slum Planet, What’s Left, Merchant Of The Void, Higher Than Death, ALI3N and Plutonomicon. That right there made the album for me, my god the grooves are infectious. The rest of the album is take it or leave it with me, though Drift is a decent slow track and the Everybody Wants To Rule The World cover is a very 3TEETH version of the classic. Basically, if you love easy, HEVY, synth filled grooves, you’ll be all in here. My favorite in particular in that group of bangers, is ALI3N. It probably(?) takes Breakdown Of The Year for me, the synthy buildup into that At Doom’s Gate level breakdown is god tier, and you can hear the Mick Gordon in there. Even though he isn’t in the track.
2. Veil Of Maya - [m]other
Genre: Metalcore w/ DOO BE DOOS
Listen If You Love: Synthwave but a thousand times HEVYer
My favorite album cover of the year, got the uncensored version on Vinyl and it’s gorgeous. As for the contents of said album, it really was a toss up for #1 and 2 for me. But going back and seeing how many times I listened to this vs #1. This had to be number 2. So what’s here? Well you get aforementioned Synthwave HEVYness in an unrelenting barrage of riffage, screams and more riffage. With the occasional clean melody that slays as well. Right of the jump, you get Tokyo Chainsaw, a fast and furious intro to the album, a taste of what’s to come, but not the whole meal. Artificial Dose has the first catch fest chorus of the record. Godhead though…is god tier. The Will Farrell headbob is in FULL effect here, a doo be doo tour-de-force. And my favorite of the album. [re]connect on the other hand has the best riff in the whole record. A shreddy melodic groove that is truly magical and takes over the whole song. Red Fur is the big single, and i’m sure will lure in the casuals, it’s good, the chorus is the best of the album. Disco Kill Party is more synthwavy groovy stuff. Mother Pt.4 is NUTS, a fantastic synthwave opus but mixed in with more fast and furious riffing. Synthwave Vegan was the debut single that gave me every confirmation that this album was gonna be amazing, HEVY grooves. And Lost Creator and Death Runner close everything out with more of the same, not a SUPER great ending, but still ties everything up nicely. So glad this finally came out after *checks notes* SIX years of unrelated singles and teases. Veil Of Maya are my go to doo be doo style Metalcore band, and i’m jazzed to hear whats next.
And Number One.
The Album Of The Year.
Sleep Token - Take Me Back To Eden
Genre(s): Jezus where do I start? Uhm…metal?…
Listen If You Love: Metal, but have an open mind to something completely new.
Yeah…this had to be here. Sleep Token took over the world this year. Everybody was losing their minds to The Summoning, as was I. And the following record really stretches what metal can do and in a world filled with lame samey Pop/Hip Hop/R&B. THIS is what I want from all that mess. If you’re gonna go that route, do what Loathe, Bad Omens and Sleep Token are doing, and make it super dynamic, ever changing and exciting to keep people guessing. Makes for an incredible listening experience being constantly surprised to hear stuff like that insane funk section after hearing a mammoth riff from a 20 string in The Summoning or lead vocalist Vessel’s truly unique voice going full on rap on Ascensionism, only for it to annihilate everyone with its euphoric riff and breakdown. Only Sleep Token have done something this dynamic, this good. The one and ONLY qualm i have, is DYWTYLM. A straightforward pop track, in an otherwise non straightforward album that is kinda boring. But everything else? Phenomenal. Chokehold is a fantastic opener to get your feet wet with the HEVY/Clean dynamic and it transitions into the Tiktok shattering The Summoning with is aforementioned MAMMOTH riff and unexpected funk section. Granite is a great cleaner track that, of course, has to melt your face off at the end. Aqua Regia is probably my favorite poppier catchy tune on here. Vore is by far the HEVYest song, just don’t google the definition of it and you’ll be fine. Ascensionism is probably the most dynamic track as mentioned earlier. Are You Really Okay? gets me almost every time I hear it, the best ballad-y emotional track on the record. The Apparition has more Hip Hop, but adds in a really fantastic melodic synthy section towards the end. DYWTYLM is just ok, i often skip it because it really pales in comparison to the rest of the offering(another favorite Sleep Token track I might add). Rain is Vessel in full force and another softer track with a thrown in groove for good measure. Take Me Back To Eden though, the longest on the album, is my favorite of the bunch. An 8 minute euphoric journey that culminates in the biggest, HEVYest, jaw dropping moment of the album for me. “I have traveled far beyond the path of reason, take me back to Eden…” *dies* Truly incredible song and what, I feel, should have closed the album based purely on that outro. Would have left a fantastic lasting impression, but Euclid is still a solid closer. A very melodic ballad that has ends in a more somber tone than Eden did. Every time i finish this, i still come out being blown away that this is where we’re at now with modern metal. As much as I love a good face pummeling every now and then, I appreciate the hell outta bands that get me out of my comfort zone and release genre melding bangers like this one.
And there you have it. After months of build up, I finally finished it! I truly appreciate those of you that read, makes this whole thing that much more rewarding for me. Gonna take a bit of a break on the music side of things and focus on my year end gaming deal I wanna do.
As always, thanks for reading, see y’all next year!