Written by Kep
Welcome in, folks. This is my list of 2023’s best albums. I’ve got five honorable mentions and then 24 ordered entries. Why 24? Because I started to attempt a top 10 and it quickly swelled to an unmanageable number, which I then pared down as far as I could. I’m on vacation and there’s no time to waste, so let’s get going!
The Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order):
Acausal Intrusion – Panpsychism
Convocation – No Dawn for the Caliginous Night
Drache – Devenir le rien
Fardeaux – The Den Has Become an Abyss
Fires in the Distance – Air Not Meant for Us
24 Oreamnos – The Granite Wall
From the man behind Cabinet, Mammoth Lakesโ premier experimental filth machine, comes this doomy death project, and itโs a doozy. Heavy as those damn California mountains themselves and outfitted with boulder-splitting riff hammers, this is one you might have missed but absolutely shouldnโt. Bonus points for the titanic main riff of โLizard Eaterโ.
23 Imperial Crystalline Entombment – Ancient Glacial Resurgence
They say theyโre still fucking ice, and who am I to argue? I wonโt pretend to be an OG fan of these Maryland frost ghouls, but Iโm definitely a massive fan of whatย AGRย has to offer: riffy as hell black metal, painfully frostbitten to the core and remarkably heavy. Bonus points for the recordโs first ten seconds, the main riff of โAncient Lord of White Deathโ, and epic returns.ย ย
22 Suffocation – Hymns from the Apocrypha
No Mullen, no problem, apparently. As we all should have expected, Suffocation is still top drawer shit with Terrance Hobbs writing the riffs. Hymns features A+ production (peep that tone on Derek Boyerโs bass), a monster vocal performance, and best of all, it sounds just like we expect Suffocation to sound. We never should have questioned it. Bonus points for the transition between โDim Veil of Obscurityโ and โImmortal Execrationโ, a Mullen cameo, and for general Suffo goodness.
21 Distaste – Der Ertraeger und das Fleisch
Youโve gotta love it when the bass is so loud and clattery that it sounds like somebodyโs rattling pots and pans on the track. This album fucking rips, an absurdly heavy grinding deathtrip with hearty riffage and brutal vocals. Imagine being pelted by a team of dodgeball players, but theyโre all the size of Dwayne Johnson and theyโre throwing small boulders. Bonus points for โDas Leid und sein Giftโ and those crisp grind-y track times.
20 Olkoth – At the Eye of Chaos
One amongst a slew of killer death metal debuts, Olkothโs opening salvo is particularly fast and furious. Laying waste with a Nile-esque assault of roiling drums and highly technical fretwork, At the Eye is a showcase in reducing civilization to smoldering ruins. You canโt help but be excited to see whatโs next for these guys. Bonus points for Alex Rushโs outstanding bass performance, the solo section in the title track, and killer production.
19 Moonlight Sorcery – Horned Lord of the Thorned Castle
If black metal and melodeath and power metal had a baby, it would be Moonlight Sorcery. Shredtastic leads, howling shrieks, whirlwind tempos flying while some of the catchiest melodic riffs youโll ever hear whip and rile. Itโs exuberant, massively fun stuff and I wish more black metal sounded like it. Bonus points for warming the hearts of every Children of Bodom fan while freezing us to the bone.
18 Nightmarer – Deformity Adrift: Reformed
The original form of this album was damn good. This, though, is special. Re-recording a months-old album that was universally praised is a bold choice that unquestionably paid off on Reformed, which feels more alive, more visceral, meaner, and better paced (thanks to a fresh track order) than the original version. My hatโs off to Nightmarer on this. Bonus points for the whole goddamn concept and knocking it out of the park.
17 Curtaโn Wall – Siege Ubsessed!
I left this off my midyear list. โItโs a gimmick project, no need to include it,โ I said to myself. The thing about that, though, is that Iโm a fucking dumbass. Who cares whether itโs a gimmick project; Abysmal Specter is writing some of the most catchy, joyful, straight up good black metal on the planet here and thatโs all that matters. This album is my seventh most played album on Bandcamp all time already. I am Siege Ubsessed!ubsessed and you should be too. Bonus points for the melody Iโve had stuck in my head most this year (title track), the worldโs most excellent use of bass clarinet, and that cover art.
16 Paroxysm Unit – Fragmentation // Stratagem
So, as we all know, Colin Marston is a god among men. This project is but one of many that prove this, with him behind the riffage and the production board on a tour de force of preposterously technical and stupidly heavy brutality. Itโs a wild, wild listen, like getting sucked into an alien spaceship and having to fight your way out with a laser shotgun or some shit. Chunky slams and chugs abound, time signatures morph from second to second, and every player impresses start to finish. Bonus points for that goddamn bass tone and the general awesomeness of weird brutal death.
15 Phobocosm – Foreordained
Doomy as hell and featuring some of the best modern death metal production Iโve ever heard, this one is an enormous and black hole-heavy effort. The riffs are drawn out, dark as pitch, and lay the existential horror on thick. Vocalist Etienne Bayard has the perfect stygian death growl for these hell-is-a-doomed-world themes, and the songwriting stays strong and engaging through 41 minutes of punishment. Bonus points for wrecking lists in December and the absolute perfect mix balance.
14 Woe – Legacies of Frailty
Burning with rage and the sort of frustration we all feel as we watch humanity slowly bring about its own demise, this is the Woe album that has hit me the hardest. It feels human, emotionally raw, honest and direct but with the sort of storytelling that allows for tremendous climaxes. Chris Griggโs decision to take back the reins of the project he began on his own was not only a good one, itโs led to his finest work. Bonus points for elite lyrics content, the main riff of โFar Beyond the Fracture of the Skyโ, and for embodying the anger and sorrow I feel on a daily basis.
13 Serpent of Old – Ensemble Under the Dark Sun
The only reason this one wasnโt in my main midyear top 10 was because it had just come out and Iโd only heard it once, but even then I knew it was special. And no question, Ensemble belongs among the best of the year, an insidious and suffocating masterpiece of dark, dissonant death. The vocals are horrid and intimidating, the riffs coil like enormous black snakes, and you can lose yourself inside the songwriting. Bonus points for loading the longest tracks to the albumโs front half, killer cover art, and standing out in a sea of quality Transcending Obscurity releases.
12 Deathgrave – Itโs Only Midnight
With tongue firmly in cheek and an overflowing vat of creative lyrical slurry, Deathgrave, aka Greg Wilkinsonand company make S-tier deathgrind, deliver one of my most listened-to albums on the year. With spot-on rough-around-the-edges drums, vocalist Andre Cornejo showing off enormous range, and Wilkinsonโs outstanding production work, this sounds as filthy and brutal as youโd hope. Bonus points for Cornejoโs lows, the song โRats Are Backโ reminding me simultaneously of Lovecraftโs โThe Rats in the Wallsโ and the โmoonโs hauntedโ meme, and that sweet artwork.
11 Blindfolded and Led to the Woods – Rejecting Obliteration
Clubhouse leaders when it comes to quirky death metal, BaLttW showed us that they can do so much more than just write excellent weirdo riffs. Nightmare Withdrawals was very good but Rejecting Obliteration is nothing short of excellent, using a deeply personal and surprisingly intimate approach to anchor their songwriting in grounding emotion. The album feels as rawโin the emotional sense, of course; the production is stellar modern shitโas it does weird, and they use passages of blissful smoothness and calm beauty to offset and enhance the burning disappointment and anger that permeates much of the runtime. Add in a more prevalent -core influence and itโs a recipe for great listening. Bonus points for brutally honest lyrical content and being a worthy follow-up to a goddamn gem.
10 Sepulchral Curse – Abhorrent Dimensions
Few folks do straight ahead death metal as consistently well as the Finns, and Sepulchral Curse is just more proof of that. Full-throated, riff-worshipping, and uncompromisingly brutal without many frills or tricks, Abhorrent Dimensions is pretty much a perfect 36 minute example of what Finndeath is. Itโs got that ideal production, with guitars central but drums prominent, big boy bass, and speaker-filling growls that are as much an equal part of the texture as they are a featured element. And the riffs themselves? Several assortments of gleaming buzzsaws, biting deep and shredding indescribably anything and everything thatโs unlucky enough to fall in front. Thereโs plenty of variety, touches of doom, and enough chunk to level buildings. Bonus points for the main riff of โGraveyard Lanternsโ and being the best Transcending Obscurity release of 2023.
9 Nothingness – Supraliminal
Supraliminal remains the meatiest, nastiest, ugliest piece of death metal sin I laid ears on this year. The riffs are crunchy and dissonant, the sound is massive, and the grooves are abundant and infectious. Itโs rare that a band can be simultaneously this goddamn groovy while still laying down riffs that sound fresh and exciting to my ears, but they managed it. This thing rips and tears its way through flesh, bone, and earth alike, filling nearly 45 minutes with some of the catchiest ugly shit youโll ever hear. There are multiple riffs that Iโd place in my top 10 for the year, if I were to make one. Iโve found myself returning to the record as a whole at least a couple times a month, and I only love it more each time. Itโs just great fucking death metal, and itโs time people put some respect on Nothingnessโ name. Bonus points for the riff at :52 of โHorrendous Incantationโ, that silly little passage in the middle of โInviolate Visceraโ, and that picture perfect artwork.
8 Firienholt – White Frost and Elder Blood
Thereโs no shortage of bands that fit into the subgenre we lovingly call Summoning-core, but few of them capture the magic that Firienholt does. This album is just a pure delight: glowing synth-heavy textures, epic yet somehow intimate melodies, warm rays of color dotting through the distorted elements, spacious mixing, and a deft songwriting hand. This has been a comfort record for me, something Iโve gone back to countless times since January when no other music seemed to suit the moment. The black metal edge is home here, anchoring everything firmly, but the grandiose nature of the four tracks and their epic soaring melodies enhance every scream and tremolo in tremendous juxtaposition. Itโs comfortable yet exciting, broad yet sweet and close, and feels tailor-made for repeat listens. Bonus points for the chorus melodies of tracks 1 and 4, those delightful characteristic tambourine rhythms, and for making this album good enough that it doesnโt just make me wish I was listening to Summoning or Caladan Brood.
7 Anachronism – Meanders
The most impressive thing about this album is that the band recorded themselves at home, and I say that because Meanders sounds ridiculously fucking fantastic. Also extremely impressive is everything else, with strong songwriting helping alien riffs and chunky rhythms flow organically into one another. The record is so damn crisp, a cool and refreshing entry in a packed year that stands apart for its uniqueness. Multiple sections were improvisedโone track based on a โjam,โ the band says, while drummer Florent Duployer used improv to fill out his partsโand the coolest thing about it is that you canโt tell which only by ear. Itโs not normal to be able to play stuff thatโs this weird and out of the box and make it feel organic, but they make it feel effortless even. All members show out but special props go to frontwoman Lisa Voisard for a powerful vocal performance and session bassist Alex Sedin, whose steely tone and tasty licks are the ingredient that takes Meanders over the top. Bonus points for pristine Adam Burke art, being Swiss, and general compositional brilliance.
6 Panopticon – The Rime of Memory
What can be said about Austin Lunn and Panopticon at this point that hasnโt already been said? The guy hasnโt lost a step since Kentucky, and with โฆand Again into the Light and now this stunning work thereโs an argument to be made that heโs still getting better. The Rime of Memory is all-consuming atmospheric black metal of the highest order, heartbreakingly emotional, full of frustration and pain and wistfulness and sorrow and mortality and grief. Itโs overwhelming at times, especially on first listen, but repeat spins begin to peel back layers as the crush of feelings slows and widens, giving room for breath and thought. This is music to cry to, music to live to, music to ponder existence to, and music to find meaning in life to. Very few albums have elicited the sort of real, unexpected emotion from me that this album did, and thatโs perhaps the biggest compliment I can give it. Bonus points for continuing the best use of strings in black metal, for Lunnโs album notes, and for bringing tears to my eyes.
5 Tomb Mold – The Enduring Spirit
We all loved Tomb Mold already, right? They hadnโt disappointed even once since their first demo in 2016, and the surprise news of a follow-up to 2019โs Planetary Clairvoyance was possibly of the most exciting of the year. Then they went and delivered The Enduring Spirit to us and raised the bar to the goddamn sky. It gives us everything we loved about Tomb Mold and adds layer upon layer to it, pushing their sound to the very edge, probing the boundaries of death metal and exploring new textures and approaches. It seems to be seeking, but not aimlessly; theyโre very intentionally using prog, touches of jazz, and liquid soundscapes to enhance the brutality. At times there are undeniable similarities to guitarist Derek Vellaโs atmospheric death/doom side project Dream Unending, but thatโs not a bad thing because it works so damn well. Bonus points for the massively fun middle section of โServants of Possibilityโ, the sweeping โThe Enduring Spirit of Calamityโ, and that colorful array of guitar tones.
4 Elitist – A Mirage of Grandeur
This came out of nowhere, had me hooked within moments, and by the time it was halfway done I knew it would hit my top 10. The Danish four-piece (which shares their bassist/frontman with Dysgnostic and Genocide Doctrine and the other three members with chaos grinders Piss Vortex) draws heavily on the Gorguts/Pyrrhon/Ulcerate school of angularity but channels it all through tight, brutal OSDM. How tight, you ask? 30 minutes, straight up, and thereโs not a single second in it thatโs less than awesome. The lyrics are based as hell, too, railing against capitalism, colonialism, and general moral shitheadery. Itโs a mega-efficient beast of a listen, with crunchy modern production and catchy dissonant riffs for days, the kind of album you can come back to constantly. And itโs only their debut! Bonus points for the filthy main riff of โDeluded Fantasies Spew from Rancid Mouthsโ (top 5 for me on the year), the wisdom of brevity, and the cover art reminding me of Ashenspire.
3 Victory Over the Sun – Dance You Monster to My Soft Song!
Avant-garde black metal feels like the one subgenre of metal that truly still has plenty of unexplored horizon left, and Vivian Tylinska is doing her damndest to take Victory Over the Sun to parts yet unknown. Dancesimultaneously inhabits a plethora of vibes, from icy to glowing warmth, psychedelic breadth to deadly pointed focus, experimental sludgy rawness to bright and clean melodicism. This is one of those records where thereโs so much going on, so many ideas and boundary-testing experiments, that itโs a wonder any of it works together at all. And yet here we are, with 49 minutes that are so natural and enjoyable that they feel like they couldnโt work together any better. Bonus points for that transcendent passage 2:52 into โMadeline Becoming Judyโ, the huge variety of textures (brass! winds!), and the choice of Cรฉsar Vallejo poetry for the text of โBlack Heraldsโ.
2 Ulthar – Anthronomicon / Helionomicon
This was my midyear number one and was only toppled by a staggeringly daring effort by a band at the top of their game. Ultharโs dual outing is an enormous one and since I canโt decide which I like better, both albums land them here in the silver medal position. Their monstrous, two-headed death/black chimera is wholly distinct in sound, writhing, lurching, and thrashing like an eldritch beast, and itโs never been more exciting. Every single damn riff in these 81 minutes is wormier than one of those parasites in (slither? Tremors?), with thick coils of wriggling bass beneath those alien riffs making for impressive depth for a three-piece. Steve Peacockand Shelby Lermoโs tandem vocal approach is killer as always, and youโd be hard-pressed to find many more effective performances behind the kit than Justin Ennis delivers. Bonus points for highly effective ambient passages, delightful cosmic noodling, and managing to make two drastically different track designsโ8 songs on Anthro, 2 lengthy ones on Helioโfeel like they belong together without even an ounce of filler.
1 Afterbirth – In but Not Of
If you were impressed by The Time Travellerโs Dilemma and then outright blown away by Four Dimensional Flesh, as I was, youโre probably just as in love with In but Not Of, too. Afterbirth has really changed the game, as far as Iโm concerned, throwing buckets of everything from post-rock and space prog into a brutal death base and chucking that shit into a blender to create one of the most delicious, this-has-no-right-to-work-as-well-as-it-does-but-godDAMN-does-it-fucking-work concoctions youโll ever try. And yeah, nobody on the planet sounds like Afterbirth, from guitarist Cody Drasserโs quirky riffing to Will Smithโs death croaks to bassist David Caseโs acrobatic fretwork to drummer Keith Harrisโ entirely unique approach to mixing unrelated styles into addictively fun patterns. Thereโs not a boring moment to be found, and Iโve fallen in love with a new passage on nearly every listen. Bonus points for the slippery solo passage on โDevils with Dead Eyesโ, the sheer breadth of sounds on โHovering Human Head Dronesโ, and having the goddamn audacity.