Once more around a year we’ve travelled. Pending your vantage point on 2023 it was either good or it sucked, there wasn’t much, if any, middle ground. Things are…well…out of control on all sorts of levels, those same things are spiraling so far that I’m not sure we’ll ever get them back to any kind of norm, and…need I go on? Obviously not since we’re all in this together. “So how then would it have been a ‘great’ year?” you ask. By focusing inward on you and yours and disappear into it. I did that—still doing it—and it was, and is, damn tremendous. I’m in the best shape of my life in nearly all aspects and had a killer soundtrack to go with it. Ah yes, and there it is…the reason we’re here: the best of MY 2023 in metal. Let’s jump ahead shall we…
As I said, great year for me. I put down alcohol on August 27, started running, signed up for a half marathon, lost 40 pounds, am a better husband, father, friend, and coworker now because of all that. Everyone has to reach their point of being sick of being their sick self and I hit mine so here we are and I’m extremely thankful for what I have around me and who I have around me. My family, my small circle of friends, and even smaller circle of who I call brothers have all been instrumental in everything that’s happened and I can never repay them. All I can do is be the best version of me for them and myself – much love to all y’all if you’re reading this and thank you. And I’m blessed to have this outlet I share with this family that offers an EXCELLENT break from the world outside of this little bubble so thank you 9C fam, you keep sanity alive!
OK…by now we’re all balls deep in ‘best of’ season so I know that you’ve read a lot of lists, seen a lot of recaps, and might be a bit fatigued but, as always, I start at the best and end with honorable mentions so you can see my top picks and bolt if need be – no hard feelings. These nine best and nine honorable mentions (because branding folks) are MY best of the year. As a reminder, what these picks do not represent are THE best of the year. I’m not the first to make that clarification so I know you get it by now. You’ll also find some common threads in these albums and artists that center around a band being extremely unique or putting out an album that after several spins I ‘felt’ more than heard. But, there’s also albums here that just plain whip ass for no other reason than that. So without any further ado, let’s dive in so I can stop obsessing over these albums and just enjoy them for what they are…and then move on to the ones I’ll obsess over in 2024 because ‘best of’ season is just that, it’s the best. Forward march…
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The Best
I love the fact that In Flames have been at it for some 33 years and are still as vibrant and relevant as they were in what some would consider their heyday even though it’s been 23 years since a release grabbed me the way Clayman did and to me they haven’t had a ‘great’ album since Reroute To Remain. Which brings us to Foregone and their best work since. We (Top Brass) were certain the singles released for this thing were just flukes because the lot of them ruled in ways that nothing has since Reroute. Then the album came out and it was everything I wanted it to be and then some. We celebrated and cajoled over that fact which you can read all about in the RAMBLE link below. The 1, 2 power punches of “State of Slow Decay” and “Meet Your Maker” might be their best flurry ever and the self titled suite is just the kind of modern melodic death metal bliss that only In Flames can make sound effortless but then there’s the catchy twin closers of “Cynosure” and “End The Transmission” that put the dot on the exclamation point that BY GOD In Flames are back and with a vengeance. I haven’t been this taken back by a legacy band’s output in…probably ever and this is the same year Metallica put out one of their best in forever and not even Lux Æterna did for me what this album has.
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2. Periphery – V: Djent Is Not A Genre
Periphery IV: Hail Stan was a progressive…er…Djent metal masterpiece. Period. It’s an album I still listen to at least once every week or so. Previous to that I didn’t get it. I didn’t understand the genius of what this band can do with sounds, licks, ticks, drum fills, or even lyrically. But with Stan it all made sense; the whip smart lyrics, the on-the-nose smart assery, the technical wizardry, the heft meets melodic pop, and how it all just gels in the hands of this band. Crazy enough the first few times I went through Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre did not result in the same reaction as Stan. But with time and deeper attention it took hold and rose from being misunderstood into the beast that it is for me today. You may scoff at their ‘poppier’ moments (“Silhouette”) but that’s just their genius showing through or you may scoff at the not at all metal vocals in “Dying Star” but that’s part of why I love them so much; they’d rather give you something catchy and singsongy than give a damn about what’s super heavy or not. But if heavy is all you seek look no further than “Wildfire” or “Atropos” for your fix even down to the gnarly vocals. Periphery are doing things with metal and music that no one is and there’s a small part of me that loves them just because of that, but more than anything they make incredible music that resonates with my crazy listening habits. And for that they rule.
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3. Slôdder – A Mind Designed To Destroy Beautiful Things
Slôdder. Write that band name down somewhere safe and refer back in a few years after they’ve blown up. Any band that puts out an album that rivals the feelings I have about Eyehategod is a band I want to know and protect at all costs. Eyehategod are the undisputed kings of all things sludge and there’s a ton of reasons why but most important is in their undeniable ability to deliver the sound of downtrodden hopelessness in a dirty hypodermic needle straight to the heart and somehow make the listener ‘feel’ how downtrodden and filthy it all is. Slôdder is the first band to come along that shares this innate ability superpower and hence are a band to reckon with throughout A Mind Designed To Destroy Beautiful Things. With an ounce of ear busting feedback and some serious sludge swagger “Shitwalker” rams the needle home and depresses the plunger, “Bumrushed” borrows the tried and true EHG meets Thou NOLA sound while “Still No Friends” is the aural equivalent of watching a long, slow overdose that Narcan can’t wash off. Much like a great Blues artist, sludge metal artists rely on the same type of believable realism and Slôdder just ‘get it’ and have come away with an instant classic here.
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4. Decipher – Arcane Paths To Resurrection
My favorite type of black metal consists of a stew made from the cold and raw old school type, the hefty atmospheric type, and the type that isn’t afraid to experiment with solid death metal. Decipher are at #4 because they successfully do all of these things and the stew is hearty, sticks to the ribs as they say. From the unflinchingly brutal “Lost In Obscurity” to the melody present in “Penance” this is an album that was an instant favorite of mine. The fact that this band from Greece is relatively new means I’m getting in on the ground floor and I’m beyond excited to see where they aim their arc next but DAMN what a start!
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5. Begravement – Horrific Illusions Beckon
Full disclosure: this one was a last minute adder. Brother Chris brought this forth and from the opening notes of “A Horrific Illusion” I was hooked like that chick in Texas Chainsaw Massacre (you know the scene). In all seriousness, this self released album from the Minnesota entity known as Begravement is death metal at its finest. It’s extremely technical (“Valley of Everlasting Darkness”), brutal (“Anaphylaxis”), battle ready (“Scarabs Beneath the Flesh”), and carries the best, brightest, and smartest songwriting on this list or any other for that matter. Everything I’ve ever loved about death metal is all here in a unique, one of a kind package and nobody did it better in all of 2023.
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6. Panopticon – The Rime of Memory
I held a spot for this album knowing full well that past Panopticon albums just hadn’t landed 100% due to production choices but the music and messages have always been top notch. The Rime of Memory finds the production issues fixed as well as being Austin’s strongest to date and I’m even saying that over Kentucky which was my favorite. As usual, there’s a lot going on lyrically and theme wise which brings to mind some of the things we’ve all experienced and/or are currently experiencing but the timing of this release is nothing short of stellar. It’s at this time of year that these topics bubble to the surface and to have over an hour of beautiful black metal to ponder life and all its wild occurrences with is a true blessing. Panopticon’s efforts are always from the heart but this one really resonates with where I’ve been…it’s more like a kindred spirit than strictly a musical experience and I cannot ask for more than that.
[Album of the Month Discussion]
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7. Devangelic – Xul
From the gym to gnarly traffic jams to fits of rage, Xul has been my angry fuel ever since its April release. Devangelic know their way around brutal death metal but this time out they’ve struck a perfect balance with gnarly rhythms and melodies. Don’t get me wrong though, for the preceding three albums the band has been a favorite with their unapologetic onslaught but here their creative juices are at their peak and the slight melodic twinge speaks to me in volumes. And no don’t worry, they haven’t gone soft. Far, far from it in fact. Brutalicious.
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8. Horrendous – Ontological Mysterium
These days listening to Horrendous is similar to slapping some Miles Davis on the turntable and drifting off on a psychedelic haze. Begravement was my ‘all in’ comfort zone album, Devangelic was my ‘you can count on me when you need an angry compadre’ joint, and this band gave me my death metal Pink Floyd craving. For as far out there as they wander with cosmic riffs and hazy solos, the music never goes off the rails even though on paper it should. “Neon Leviathan” is a souped up hot rod spitting fire while “Cult of Shaad’oah” circles the wagons in a stampede of outlandish solos and off kilter time signatures. Closer “The Death Knell Ringeth” builds ever so slowly but then flays skin and ears with zippy yet catchy riffs. Dammit man, Horrendous just know their trade and know how to tackle the most difficult thinking man’s death metal without making it a boring thesis.
[Album of the Month Discussion]
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Yes, and… is equal parts fun as hell and ‘rock out with your c**k out’ attitude. ’68 have this knack for combining punk and balls out rock and roll in a way that speaks volumes to me. It’s dirty, fast, loud, outrageous, and smart ass as hell at times. Every Time I Die left a gaping hole in harder edge rock but ’68 not only fill that hole, they pile mountains of dirt on top, plant a flag, and make that mountain theirs. And all that sound from a duo! This is another band that must be protected at all costs, y’all.
The Honorable Mentions
Raider – Trial By Chaos
I haven’t heard a thrash album this good in YEARS. Old school souls in new school bodies and I am here for it all.
Royal Thunder – Rebuilding The Mountain
Royal Thunder nearly succumbed to the rock and roll excess tale but are back with an album that far eclipses anything they’ve done to date. This is one that hits square in the feels and Mlny Parsonz rivals queen Joplin in the soul and delivery department. What a comeback album!
After Earth – The Rarity of Reason
Modern melodic death metal that chugs, pummels, and steamrolls its way right into hearts and minds…or at least mine, anyway. Sure it’s got its nostalgic Swe-melo-death moments but that’s just to grab attention rather quickly. After that, it’s pure bliss.
The Bleeding – Monokrator
Fold in equal parts death metal, thrash, and black metal and you’re on to what The Bleeding have to offer. However, the trick here is that this blend is anything but bland, it’s a nuclear warhead of aggression, fast as fuck riffage, alienesque drumming, and vocals that sound like the aftermath of eating barbed wire with a chaser of salt and tequila. I mean, “Chainsaw Deathcult”…seriously, bravo.
Queens of the Stone Age – In Times New Roman…
There’s desert rock and then there’s Queens of the Stone Age. No one, and I mean no one, is doing or has done what this band has and is and that’s the bottom line. Just listen to the swing of “Paper Machete” or the funk of “Made to Parade” for the kind of uniqueness I’m referring to or the earworm rock genius of “Carnavoyeur” and outlandish avantgarde look of “What the Peephole Say” to hear why Josh Homme and Co. are the best songwriters out there right now.
Psionic Madness – Warhead Crucifix
Warhead Crucifix is that rare album that lacks melody, catchiness, or much of anything to hang a hat on yet is a pure, unadulterated CLASS on dissonant death metal. Gnarly, gnarly shit right here and I love it for that reason. Makes me think of a point somewhere between Portal, old school Immolation, and Vital Remains but not once does it ever lose its soul.
Olkoth – At The Eye Of Chaos
What a year for death metal. And, FINALLY what a year for Olkoth! This is down and dirty, no frills death metal with a penchant for speed and the kind of stampeding yet melodious brutality Nile are known for. I waited a long time for this one and it does not disappoint.
Lo! – The Gleaners
With one hell of a story and heavy as hell post-metal with a smidge of sludge backing, Lo! forge their best work to date with an album that body slams right after the opening bell and has the balls to never let up even after the three count. I’ve heard it said that some find this one a bit repetitive but I find it endearing to the final product, a battering ram to the senses with zero respite…more please.
[Album of the Month Discussion]
The Dirty Nil – Free Rein To Passions
Dan brought this one to the Top Brass and we haven’t shut up about this raucous rock and roll ever since. This is just unabashed fun that knows its place and never tries to be anything else but a fun ride. I wish more rock was like this but then…a band such as The Dirty Nil wouldn’t be the anomaly it is. Hell. Yes.
The Playlist
Besides the above mentioned eighteen, Channing Wilson’s Dead Man kept my classic country side happy, I spent a ton of time with Crown Lands’ Fearless and am still amazed that anyone could mirror Rush so well, Ryan Bingham’s Watch Out for the Wolf made me yearn for wide open vistas and tumbleweeds, Jalen Ngonda’s Come Around and Love Me reinvigorated my love of true soul music, and Neon Odin’s Allfather is a massive synth hit that I thoroughly enjoyed. On a podcast level I spent a ton of time with The Shawn Ryan Show for real history you won’t hear anywhere else, The Bedros Keuilian Show for a solid kick in the ass when I need it, and Jocko Podcast for the mindset. As for books I’m deep in the midst of Jack Carr’s Terminal List series (book 4 at the moment) and recently finished Jim Harrison’s Legends of the Fall and loved his writing style so much I acquired Brown Dog for future reading. Just watched The Iron Claw and was amazed at how well it was done, several of the matches highlighted felt like I was a kid again. It’s not a feel good movie but a definite MUST for any wrestling fan.
So, there you have it. That’s pretty much a wrap on my 2023. I hope you find something listed that resonates with you like it has with me.
Last but not least; a thank you list:
- Our amazing family of writers and podcast MC for another great year. We’ve added and subtracted but our core stays strong and we continue to be strong because of these fine folks. Y’all rock!
- The admin team here (lovingly coined Top Brass) who are the best co-conspirators and the brothers I never had. (Seriously guys: love y’all).
- All the PR folk who keep us loaded down with stuff to cover and who keep us in mind for some great opportunities.
- All the bands that reached out and trusted us with their material. We do actually read every email and/or DM over socials and trust me when I say we make every effort to cover it all, even if it’s just a mention in Initial Descent.
- And YOU for coming back time and time again to see what we put to print. It helps knowing there’s at least a handful of you out there that are 9C 4 LIFE. Thank you!
And with that, I’m out. See you in 2024.
— Josh
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