2023 – A YEAR IN REVIEW(S): THE GOOD

(Andy Synn continues his annual retrospective with a collection of links and recommendations)

Every year, pretty much without fail, someone – either in the comments here or on social media – gets weirdly mad about List Week.

Either they seem to think that I’m lying (although, why would I?) or, even worse, bragging (again, why?) about the albums/artists I’ve listened to.

Here’s the thing though – this isn’t about me. It’s about providing our readers, many of whom don’t have as much time as do to keep up with everything that’s released each year (and I still miss more than I catch) with a one-stop-shop of links they can bookmark – broken up by category/sub-genre – and listen to if/when they get the chance.

Today’s list, the “Good” list, is the biggest and widest-ranging one of the week, running the gamut from albums which were generally enjoyable, albeit flawed, to albums which only narrowly missed out on my “Great” list, and everything in between.

Obviously it’s in no way comprehensive, so before you start asking “but what about [x]?” remember that a) it’s impossible for any site, let alone any individual writer, to listen to and cover absolutely everything that comes out in any given year, and b) there’s still my list of the “Great” albums, the top-tier of the year, yet to come!

BIG NAMES

Let’s begin by highlighting some of the “big names” which released new stuff this year, shall we?

On the Death Metal side of things I particularly enjoyed the new Cannibal Corpse, Kataklysm, and Cryptopsy albums, with the latter only narrowly missing out on my “Great” list. Similarly both the new Enslaved and Woe albums were close to making it into the top-tier, and it’s really only their own already high standards which kept me from ranking them higher (and the same goes for the new Katatonia too).

And we can’t not mention Alkaloid and Wayfarer, both of whom produced really good albums this year even if – in my opinion at least – they weren’t quite as good as their previous records.

Alkaloid – Numen
Blut Aus Nord – Disharmonium – Nahab
Cannibal Corpse – Chaos Horrific
Cryptopsy – As Gomorrah Burns
Enslaved – Heimdal
Immortal – War Against All
Incantation – Unholy Deification
Insomnium – Anno 1696
Kataklysm – Goliath
Katatonia – Sky Void of Stars
Krallice – Porous Resonance Abyss
Krallice – Mass Cathexis 2: The Kinetic Infinite
The Ocean – Holocene
Primordial – How It Ends
Sadus – The Shadow Inside
Unearth – The Wretched; The Ruinous
Wayfarer – American Gothic
Woe – Legacies of Frailty

 

DEVIOUS DEBUTS

After the “big names” it’s time to focus on some of the “new faces” who released their first full-length this year, which included extremely promising Black Metal debuts from Askesis and Voidescent (both of which featured some amazing artwork as well) and Henget (whose progtastic debut promises big things for them in the future), as well as the much-hyped (but somewhatt uneven) self-titled album from Agriculture and the ugly, unforgiving Hades by Thanatomass.

On the Death Metal side I’d recommend you check out Asystole‘s angular, abrasive Siren to Blight, Omnicidal‘s unapologetically rifftastic The Omnicidalist, and Temple of Scorn‘s doom-laden Funeral Altar Epiphanies, while those looking for something a bit more melodic and atmospheric should make sure to find time to check out the spellbinding Post-Metal of Cunabula and the heart-wrenching Post-Hardcore of Pleiades.

Agasch – Waldgeist
Agriculture – Agriculture
Askesis – Beyond the Fate of Death
Asystole – Siren to Blight
The Circle – Of Awakening
Cisza – She Yearns For Other Worlds
Clot – Grief Tethers
Cunabula – The Weight of Sleep
Cursebinder – Drifting
Fall of Terra – Catharsis
Grief Symposium – …In The Absence of Light
Henget – Beyond North Star
Master’s Call – A Journey For The Damned
Melancholia – Book of Ruination
Omnicidal – The Omnicidalist
Pleiades – Affinity With
RÄUM – Cursed By The Crown
Temple of Scorn – Funeral Altar Epiphanies
Thanatomass – Hades
Voidescent – Dust and Embers

 

A BLACK METAL BONANZA

One thing that shocked me when putting together this list was just how much Black Metal I listened to in 2023!

And while everyone else was lavishing a lot of (somewhat unearned) praise on the new Blackbraid album (look, I reviewed it, I liked it, but musically-speaking it’s not doing anything particularly unique) I’d prefer to draw your attentions to the likes of Aara‘s Triade III, Downcross‘s Invertebrata, and Malphas‘s Flesh, Blood & Cosmic Storms, all of which deserve a lot more attention.

Although, if you’re after something even more aggressive, then may I recommend Morkera, Morokh, and Theophonos (one of which will definitely be making another appearance later this week)?

Aara – Triade III: Nyx
Abduction – Toutes Blessent, la Dernière Tue
Algol – The Foreshadows of Unholy Anger
Blackbraid – II
Concilium – Sky Bvrial
Cvinger – Doctrines by the Figures of Crnobog
Dawn Ray’d – To Know The Light
Deadspace – Unveiling the Palest Truth
Deitus – Irreversible
Délétère – Songes D’une Nuit Souillée
Downcross – Invertebrata
Dvvad – Mrklb
Ershetu – Xibalba
Hinarivm – Vltra Terminvm Creatvrae Ex Lvcifer Coronatvs
Ildskaer – Blod & Jern
Imperium Dekadenz – Into Sorrow Evermore
Krieg – Ruiner
Malphas – Flesh, Blood & Cosmic Storms
Median Omega – Insolence
Moon Oracle – Ophidian Glare
Morkera – Aggravations
Morokh – Insomnia
Nemesis Sopor – Firmament
Nexorum – Tongue of Thorns
Non Est Deus – Legacy
Pénitence Onirique – Nature Morte
Profeci – Ubóstwo
The Negative Bias – The Seven Seals of Saligia
Theophonos – Nightmare Visions
Theosophy – Bleeding Wounds of the First and the Last
Thy Darkened Shade – Liber Lvcifer II: Mahapralaya
Trivax – Eloah Burns Out
Tsjuder – Helvegr
Worship Pain – Starless, Endless

 

BLEAK MOODS, BROODING MELODY

If you like your Black Metal on the moodier, more melodic, and/or more atmospheric side of things, then you should definitely give the new Heretoir and VVilderness albums a listen (I’m a big fan of both), while if you’re looking for something even more space-y and epic then both Crow Black Sky and Decoherence should be just what you’re looking for.

Oh, and I can’t not give a special shout-out to Returning‘s Severance, whose haunting blend of Black Metal, Doom and Dark Ambient very nearly made my Personal Top Ten this year.

An Autumn For Crippled Children – Closure
Aodon – Portraits
Ashbringer – We Came Here to Grieve
Crow Black Sky – Sidereal Light, Vol. Two
Decoherence – Order
Exulansis – Hymns of Collapse
Exulansis – Overtures of Uprising
Falaise – After All This Time
Fen – Monuments to Absence
Heretoir – Nightsphere
Massen – Gentle Brutality
Returning – Severance
Ringare – Of Momentous Endless Night
Uada – Crepuscule Natura
VVilderness – Path

 

BLACKENED DOOM

Some of the darkest, doomiest albums of the year came out of the Black Metal scene in 2023, including Felsenmirror‘s savage, suffocating self-titled debut, Ghorot‘s soul-crushing Wound, and Hexer‘s mesmerisingly malevolent Abyssal (which just narrowly missed out on my “Great” list this year).

Speaking of… Predatory Void‘s desolate debut, Seven Keys to the Discomfort of Being was also very close to finding a place in tomorrow’s top-tier list, and I fully expect whatever they come up with next time to be even better.

Clarion Void – Deafening Sounds of Mortality
Crust – Dissolution
Felsenmirror – Felsenmirror
Ghorot – Wound
Gravenchalice – Messiah
Hexer – Abyssal
Mizmor – Prosaic
Moribund Mantras – …of Fathomless Depths
Predatory Void – Seven Keys to the Discomfort of Being
Ragana – Desolation’s Flower

 

BRINGERS OF DEATH

I’ve said it a few times already, but while a lot of publications seem to be pushing the idea that 2023 was a banner year for Death Metal I found it to be more “Good” than “Great” overall.

That being said, while I found a lot of the most hyped up albums to be somewhat underwhelming (not bad, just a little overrated) I feel like I honestly enjoyed some of the less well-known releases from the likes of Bacterial Husk, Cryptdweller, and Ossuary a lot more (with Creeping Death‘s Boundless Domain being a pleasant exception in this regard).

Ageless Summoning – Corrupting the Entempled Plane
Bacterial Husk – Anthropogenic Ruin
The Bleeding – Monokrator
Carnation – Cursed Mortality
Coffin Mulch – Spectral Intercession
Creeping Death – Boundless Domain
Cryptdweller – Aeon Void
Dystopian Omen – Medusa’s Rage
Ecocide – Metamorphosis
Hallucinate – From the Bowels of the Earth
Ironmaster – Weapons of Spiritual Carnage
KHNVM – Visions of A Plague Ridden Sky
Ossuary – Stellar Annihilation
Pandrador – Seiðr
Pyrolatrous – Inveterate
Syntropy – Ritual Sycophancy
Torn The Fuck Apart – Kill. Bury. Repeat.
Vastum – Inward to Gethsemane

 

BLACKENED AND BRUTAL

Outside of the more “Old School” end of the Death Metal spectrum I found myself having a lot more “fun”… if that’s the right word… with more “blackened” entries from the likes of Snorlax, Tongues, and Worn Mantle (with the latter especially striking a strange chord with me this year).

I also enjoyed some of the more shamelessly brutal releases from the likes of Djinn-Ghul and Paraphilia (which I really hope you all check out) and am planning to definitely drop a review of the new Embrace Your Punishment album, Made of Stone, at some point in the next couple of weeks too.

Aphotic – Abyssgazer
Ch’ahom – Knots of Abhorrence
Depravation – IV: Letvm
Djinn-Ghul – Opulence
Embrace Your Punishment – Made of Stone
Kraanium – Scriptures of Vicennial Defilement
Man Must Die – The Pain Behind It All
Olkoth – At the Eye of Chaos
Paraphilia – The Memory of Death Given Form
Snorlax – The Necrotrophic Abyss
Thanatophobia – Internal Metamorphoses
Thaumaturgy – Tenebrous Oblations
Tongues – Formløse Stjerner
Úlfúð – Of Existential Distortion
VoidCeremony – Threads of Unknowing
Wormhole – Almost Human
Worn Mantle – Hole

 

DISSONANCE, DISCORDANCE, AND TWISTED TECHNICALITY

This was also a very good year for the more dissonant and discordant forms of Death Metal, with abrasively avant-garde records from Acausal Intrusion, Out of the Mouth of Graves (a personal favourite of mine) and Zvylpwkua all showcasing the stranger side of the scene, while both Altarage and Blindfolded and Led to the Woods came close to making the “Great” list (only falling ever so slightly short in the end).

And while I didn’t find myself getting into as much Tech Death in 2023 as I did in previous years, I’d still recommend listening to the new albums from The Zenith Passage and Rivers Ablaze if you’ve got a hankering for some fiery fretwork, while those of you looking for some pulsing, pneumatic grooves will definitely enjoy the latest Aeffect, Dissentient, and Harkla records.

Acausal Intrusion – Panpsychism
Aeffect – Theory of Mind
Altarage – Worst Case Scenario
Baring Teeth – The Path Narrows
Blindfolded And Led To The Woods – Rejecting Obliteration
Dissentient – Labyrinth
Distention – Nothing Comes From Death
Ekosa – Eye for I
Fawn Limbs & Nadja – Vestigial Spectra
Harkla – The Living Mountain
Ignominy – Imminent Collapse
Leprethere – Tarnished Passion
Omnivortex – Circulate
Out of the Mouth of Graves – Shrine to Dagon
Rivers Ablaze – Omnipresence
Tideless – Eye of Water
The Zenith Passage – Datalysium
Zvylpwkua – The Outlying Entities

 

MELODIC MIGHT, PROGRESSIVE POWER

If you like your Death Metal with a bit of melody you’ll probably enjoy both Shores of Ithaka and Hinayana (the latter of which almost ended up on the “Great” list (a decision I’m still conflicted about), while those of a more “progressive” inclination will doubtless get a lot out of both Omnerod and OSM (and should make sure to check out tomorrow’s list, which is even more “Prog” heavy).

And, of course, I’m pretty sure you all know how much I loved the new Mercenary (which is easily their best in over a decade).

Contrarian – Siege of Shekhinah
Glacier Eater – Tempest
Hinayana – Shatter and Fall
Mercenary – Soundtrack for the End Times
Omnerod – The Amensal Rise
OSM – Plagued By Doubts
Shores of Ithaka – Those Chosen
Somnus Aeternus – A Nightmare Lit By A Dying Star

 

BREAKDOWNS, BEATDOWNS, AND BLASTBEATS

There were some seriously kick-ass records released this year which mixed Death Metal and Hardcore – including the new Fuming Mouth (which I loved, despite its flaws) and Burner albums (which was an extremely promising debut) – as well as some seriously nasty Death-Grind records from the likes of Death Crusade, Temblad and Tides of Sulfur (as well as several others which you can find below).

On top of this, if you don’t mind a bit of Deathcore (and I definitely don’t) then The Acacia Strain‘s ambitious duology is well worth checking out, as is Melancolia‘s savage HissThroughRottenTeeth and The Voynich Code‘s terrifically technical Insomnia.

The Acacia Strain – Step Into the Light / Failure Will Follow
Besta – Terra Em Desapego
Burner – It All Returns to Nothing
Carnifex – Necromanteum
Death Crusade – Znów Płonie Niebo
The Fallen Prophets – Perpetual Damnation
Fuming Mouth – Last Day of Sun
Genocide Doctrine – Sleepers
The Human Race Is Filth – Cognitive Dissonance
Kruelty – Untopia
Melancolia – HissThroughRottenTeeth
Teeth Marks – Humans Are The Virus
Temblad – Hallucignosis
Thy Art Is Murder – Godlike
Tides of Sulfur – Apathy Chasm
The Voynich Code – Insomnia

 

LORDS OF DOOM

On the Doom side of things I found a couple of the big names – Bell Witch, Green Lung, etc – to not be quite as good as their previous efforts, despite all the hype and acclaim they received (though I still enjoyed both of them) and ended up preferring the more underground sounds of Weight of Emptiness and Wooden Veins (with the latter band being one I hope more people check out on the basis of their appearance here).

Astral Sleep – We Are Already Living In The End of Times
Bell Witch – Future’s Shadow Part 1
Eye of Solitude – X
Godthrymm – Distortions
Green Lung – This Heathen Land
October Tide – The Cancer Pledge
Usnea – Bathed In Light
Weight of Emptiness – Withered Paradogma
Wooden Veins – Imploding Waves

 

POST-METAL PRODIGIES

The Post-Metal scene displayed a pleasing amount of vitality and variety in 2023, running the gamut from the harrowing heaviness of Aortes and Morne to the sublimely melodic strains of Ison and Spotlights to the more esoteric and experimental approach of bands like Grant the Sun and Modern Technology.

Allochiria – Commotion
Aortes – Devouring Gloom
Chrome Waves – Earth Will Shed Its Skin
Din of Celestial Birds – The Night is for Dreamers
Helve – To Be Forgotten
Grant the Sun – Voyage
Ikarie – Arde
Ison – Stars & Embers
Lethvm – Winterreise
Mairu – Sol Cultus
Modern Technology – Conditions of Worth
Morne – Engraved With Pain
Novere – Nothing Stays Hidden in Daylight
Omen Astra – The End of Everything
Spotlights – Alchemy for the Dead
Unfurl – Ascension

 

SCORCHING SLUDGE

If you like your hooks heavy, your grooves gruesome, and your emotions ugly, then the Sludge scene had a lot to offer you this year too, from the primal, punky intensity of Allfather (who I finally got to see live on Saturday) to the venomous darkness of Peine Kapital and Phantom Winter to the gravity-warping weight of Vexing and Primitive Man (whose collaboration with Full of Hell brought out the best, and worst, in both bands).

Allfather – A Violent Truth
Chora – There Lies A Friend I Once Knew
Ethereal Tomb – When the Rivers Dry
Full of Hell & Primitive Man – Suffocating Hallucination
Kita – Tyhjio
Oro – Vid Vägs Ände
Peine Kapital – Peine Kapital
Phantom Winter – Her Cold Materials
Radiant Knife – Pressure
Signo Rojo – There Was A Hole Here
Vexing – Grand Reproach
Wallowing – Earth Reaper
Witching – Incendium

 

HARDCORE HEROES

While the Hardcore scene felt like it had less to offer me personally in 2023 there was still a lot of cool stuff out there, even if a lot of the bigger names left me rather cold.

In particular, I’d like to draw your attentions to the blackened ferocity of Asteriæ and Ήλιος Θανάτου (both of which I reviewed really positively, and still have a lot of love for) the unforgiving heaviness of End Reign and Mouthbreather, and the proggier vibes of Monosphere and Project 86 (whose double-album, the second disc of which I still haven’t heard, actually arrived in the post today).

Asteriæ – Gasnąc
Dying Wish – Symptoms of Survival
End Reign – The Way of All Flesh Is Death
Geist – Blueprints to Moderate Sedation
Limbs – Everything Under Heaven
Monosphere – Sentience
Mouthbreather – Self-Tape
Project 86 – OMNI Part 1
Wreathe – The Land Is Not An Idle God
Ήλιος Θανάτου – Μαρμαρωμένη Απόγνωση

 

THRASHING LIKE A MANIAC

I was particularly surprised by how much Thrash ended up in my listening queue this year, as it’s not a genre I often have time for these days.

I’m glad I made the time this year though, as the Black Thrash attack of Black Knife (RIP), Graveripper, and Hellripper all got my head-a-bangin’ over the course of the last twelve months (even if I think people are slightly overrating Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags… it’s fun, don’t get me wrong, but inconsistent), as did the punkier, punchier debut album from our friends in Colony Drop.

And I was particularly taken by Transgressive‘s Extreme Transgression, which not only delivered some seriously raging riffs, but also spit absolute, unflinching fire on the lyrical front too.

Black Knife – Baby Eater Witch
Blackscape – Suffocated By The Sun
Colony Drop – Brace For Impact
Graveripper – Seasons Dreaming Death
Hekser – Sigils of the Abyss
Hellripper – Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags
Hot Graves – Plaguewielder
Quasarborn – Novo Oružje Protiv Bola
Skourge – Torrential Torment
Terminalist – The Crisis of Condition
Transgressive – Extreme Transgression
Venus – Obscured Until Observed

 

UNORTHODOX, UNCONVENTIONAL, AND UNCATEGORISABLE

Last, but by no means least, we’ve got a few albums that don’t fit neatly in any one particular box/genre (in a good way) including new ones from Dutch experimentalists Autarkh and their even weirder cousins in Laster, as well as Bull Elephant‘s closing chapter of their alternative history trilogy and Maladie‘s latest dose of devilish music, For We Are the Plague.

Anareta – Fear Not
Autarkh – Emergent
Bull Elephant – The Long War
Laster – Andermans Mijne
The Lion’s Daughter – Bath House
Maladie – For We Are The Plague
Malokarpatan – Vertumnus Caesar
Porta Nigra – Weltende
Sanguine Glacialis – Maladaptive Daydreaming