Nine Circles

Here we are, once again, at the end of another strange year (or more accurately, at the beginning of yet another year, because time is a strange thing; call it a flat circle, a plate of spaghetti or an electrocardiogram), trying to inject some sense and order into the gigantic pile of excellent new music that was released in the past 12 months.

As always, the list of my favorite albums is not limited to LPs, but also includes EPs (including longform single-track EPs), because the length of a release relates to the aforementioned peculiar nature of time. Moreover, if you succeed in leaving your mark and thoroughly impressing me with an EP, you have done something that deserves praise. The number of albums on my end-of-year list always varies, and for 2023 I chose 18 releases, based on the votes each of us writers submitted for our collective, aggregated mother of all lists.

These lists normally provide an opportunity to wax poetic about the previous year. I’d like to believe that I am finally regaining a healthy work-life balance, after a non-stop onslaught (weekends and holidays included) at the office since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic which severely limited my contributions here at the website and in our podcast. I hope that this long-overdue increase in free time will result in more frequent appearances and writings here, because metal is what I love and the guys and gals who do it for the blog and podcast are absolute treasures, as are you, dear readers, so many thanks for being you. Before I get too sentimental, let’s dig in, shall we?

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18. Trespasser – Ἀ​Π​Ο​Κ​Ά​Λ​Υ​Ψ​Ι​Σ

Righteous fury incarnate, Trespasser burns with a blinding flame of rebellion. I came to learn how the writings of the late, great David Graeber had inspired Ἀ​Π​Ο​Κ​Ά​Λ​Υ​Ψ​Ι​Σ, and stayed for the onslaught of epic riffs and barreling momentum of Trespasser’s dynamite RABM.

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17. Ulthar – Helionomicon

On Helionomicon, progressive, psychedelic, ink-black and fierce strains of death metal joined in unholy matrimony. There’s a lot to unpack, and to get lost in, in the intensity, density and labyrinthine qualities of the two 20-minute tracks. Exceptional work in an exceptional year for death metal, especially considering that Ulthar released two albums at the same time (which were our Albums of the Month for February).

[Ian’s review]

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16. Fabricant – Drudge to the Thicket

Buke nailed it when he described Drudge to the Thicket as “technical throughout, brutal at times, charred around the edges, and savvy beyond its years.” Indeed, Fabricant’s style of inventive technical death metal encapsulates an exemplary balance of cerebral and serious fun, which triggers disbelief in the brain-scrambling riffage and extravagant musicianship that seem almost inconceivable.  

[Buke’s interview with Troy Roberts of Fabricant]

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15. Usnea – Bathed in Light

As I wrote earlier in the year, “Bathed in Light is both reflective of and made for the perpetual dystopian slow-motion end times that we, as a global civilization, seem to be living in and incapable of escaping through a collective course correction. Musically and lyrically, it oozes venom and fury that is aimed at the greed and avarice of thieves and charlatans of terminal stage capitalism and refuses to give up in the face of the firestorm of devastation caused by climate change and a global pandemic. […] Usnea is transcending its funeral doom origins and migrating to adventurous territories with a remarkable ability for memorable hooks, steamrolling momentum and expressive depths and variety in a genre that is not particularly known for those qualities. Bathed in Light is a triumphant return and an essential display and embodiment of righteous rage on the right side of history, because there is no doubt that Usnea is winning.”

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14. Deadly Carnage – Endless Blue

To quote myself: “To say that Endless Blue is an unbelievably beautiful, pensive and immersive album feels almost like a criminal understatement. […] [it] is a hauntingly gorgeous album which stays in your mind with melodies, passages and stories you find yourself reliving when you are alone, when something magical and dreamlike enters briefly into the quotidian world, during those fleeting moments when everything around you feels unusually evocative, vivid and unreal.”

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13. Balmog – Covenants of Salt

At last, Balmog released the follow-up and companion to their magnificent 2020 EP Pillars of Salt. It is testament to Balmog’s continuing evolution that Covenants of Salt, again a single-track EP, trumps the excellence of its predecessor. With Javi Bastard (Teitanblood) now contributing to the delivery of razor-sharp riffs as a full member of the band, and Fiar (Foscor, Jade) once again delivering his utterly captivating charismatic guest vocals, the EP brims with vitality, where shimmering riffs echo and undulate, and a surging dynamism of fury, atmosphere and psychedelia sets a thrilling pace for this fantastic musical journey.

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12. Stargazer – Bound by Spells

It’s a pity bordering on criminal how Stargazer’s new EP was overshadowed by the release of the excellent Thread of Unknowing by VoidCeremony, the Great Righteous Destroyer Damon Good’s other band, because Bound by Spells is utterly wild and rollicking stuff. At this stage in their career, Stargazer have honed their strange, dark art to labyrinthine sublimity that balances aggression and progression. Simply spellbinding.

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11. Entropia – Total

From my review: “But how is [Entropia’s] new album Total, especially in comparison with the strobing intensity of [their 2018 release] Vacuum? The short answer: less frenzied and urgent, opting for something more meditative and ethereal than the trance-inducing fever dream of Vacuum. Where Vacuum threw open all neural floodgates and the music flowed across the blood-brain barrier and in its wake left receptors screaming in ecstasy, Total introduces a peculiar crystallization of Entropia’s sound into a metaphorical hall of mirrors, where undulating waveforms and lush reflections bounce from one wall to the other. It is as if Entropia has switched to new drugs in the pursuit of new musical highs following those achieved on Vacuum.”

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10. Thantifaxath – Hive Mind Narcosis

From my review: “With its idiosyncratic avant-garde style, itself the musical equivalent of frenzied, speed-addled spiders and centipedes crawling over your sleep-paralyzed body, the music of Thantifaxath has always embodied something unique, a ferocious storm of darting scales, nightmarish dynamics and manic intensity. On Hive Mind Narcosis, the night terrors continue, with increased refinement and elegance that combines dissonance and harmony in a spell-binding manner that has seemingly conflicting elements joining in dark matrimony. […] Ultimately, no other band writes music like this. Thantifaxath is one of those uniquely unusual bands that simply do not have any peers, close relatives or copycats, and Hive Mind Narcosis has them continuing their march deep into the territory of legends.”

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9. Voyager – Fearless in Love

Had someone told me at the beginning of the year that my end-of-year list would include a band that competed in the Eurovision song contest, I would have politely asked them to stop smoking whatever brain-rotting substance they were partaking in. But here we are, with Voyager and their dazzling Fearless in Love in my top 10, and for good reason. This is an album brimming with effervescent joy and arena-ready melodies, stadium-grade hooks and anthemic songwriting; the soundtrack for falling in love with someone truly special, with an endless, invincible summer ahead of you.

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8. Ahab – The Coral Tombs

The Coral Tombs was our Album of the Month for January, and for good reason. Ahab once again invited listeners to smell the salty winds and barnacled rotting wood, taste the briny depths and feel the crushing might of the sea as you marvel at its gargantuan majesty. Except this time, with a greater emphasis on post-rock and prog influences enriching their unique style of nautical funeral doom, continuing the evolution that started on The Boats of the Glen Carrig. Somber and genuinely emotive, The Coral Tombs combines melancholic beauty and massive gravitas into something that will haunt your mind. 

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7. Rannoch – Conflagrations

Rannoch’s style of colossal death metal packs a mighty wallop and is, in a word, irresistible. Conflagrations is progressive to the bone and powered by deft agility, sense of dynamism, and pulverizing forward-momentum, and packed with commanding chugs, gouging grooves and crepuscular atmosphere. Overall, in Hera’s words, “a stellar piece of musicianship.” 

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6. Polymoon – Chrysalis

To quote myself: “Compared to [their 2020 debut] Caterpillars, everything on Chrysalis is amplified and turbocharged, with richer textures, boosted songwriting prowess and strengthened propulsion, as well as sharper precision even amid the wildest moments of psychedelic abandon. […] Ultimately, it is the harmonious way the entire band plays beautifully together with brilliant confidence and energy that elevates the album above peers at this cross-section of genres and creates such a mesmerizing, immersive listening experience and an excellent entry point for metalheads who are tempted to journey into psychedelic realms. Chrysalis is psychedelic bliss incarnate.”

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5. Sermon – Of Golden Verse

In a more just parallel universe, Sermon would play Of Golden Verse in front of huge arena audiences. Its riveting songwriting, weaponized prog sensibilities and thrilling performances were a true metal highlight in 2023. The enigmatic Him fired on all cylinders and one-upped the brilliance of the 2019 debut Birth of the Marvellous and I know I am far from the only one to praise James Stewart’s formidable drumming, which is often barely restrained, and about to detonate at any time, imbuing the music with a palpable sense of anticipation and excitement. 

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4. Aodon – Portraits

If Aodon’s 2020 Willowtip debut 11069 was a warning shot, Portraits is a cannon blast to your solar plexus, an album of relentless white-knuckle intensity that contains a storm of epic and anthemic riffs, soaring melodies and a rich, emotionally devastating narrative that go for the jugular. To quote Ian’s review, “Portraits is brooding and despondent in a way that transcends black metal.  It’s a character study, it’s a lesson in the human condition, it’s an existentialist novella and more all wrapped up into one punishing package.” 

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3. The Ocean – Holocene

I missed our lively Album of the Month debate on Holocene, but let it be known, retroactively and publicly, that I belong firmly in Hera’s camp when it comes to its leftfield excellence. On Holocene, The Ocean substituted the tectonic plate-smashing widescreen grandeur of Phanerozoic I and II for something more intimate and synth-infused, driven by an experimental songwriting approach. While different in character, it is no less potent or cathartic than its esteemed predecessors, owing to feats such as the one-two punch delivered by “Atlantic” and “Subboreal,” Karin Park’s gripping guest vocals on “Unconformities” and how “Parabiosis” and “Subatlantic” hint at possible narrative themes for future albums.

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2. Lunar Chamber – Shambhallic Vibrations 

Earlier this year, Ian and I experienced the Summer of Fretless Bass, a magical season heralded by Lunar Chamber’s magisterial debut EP. And what a wild beast it is, in how it reminds me of the exceptional qualities of many of my favorite death metal bands (Sutrah, Mithras, Chthe’ilist) and delivers something unique, powerful and transcendental with its combination of brutality and spirituality which blasts opens the gates to the hallowed halls where the aforementioned bands reside. The jaw-dropping musicianship and songwriting chops on display are no surprise, considering that these guys play in Tómarúm and Kévin Paradis belongs on my list of god-tier drummers. And the music itself is elevated even further into otherworldly realms owing to the gorgeous production, courtesy of Greg Chandler and Colin Marston. Boundaries are being redrawn and envelopes pushed on Shambhallic Vibrations, and I could not be happier, especially knowing that they have new material incoming in the near future. 

[Ian’s review]

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1. Autarkh – Emergent

I let the cat out of the bag already in my review, where I declared Emergent my album of the year, which “surpasse[d] all my lofty expectations and the limits of my vocabulary with its creative abandon, boundless passion and expressive vigor. […] Like those rare releases with considerable potential for becoming future classics, Emergent immediately sinks its talons into your flesh and cerebral cortex, keeps clawing deeper upon repeat listens and ultimately embeds itself into your heart of hearts. In recognition of the album’s instant hooks, it is nigh-impossible to pick and choose a standout track, as it quickly becomes evident how each song has its distinct identity but also constitutes an essential step in the journey and part of the beautifully cohesive whole, owing to Autarkh’s sterling songwriting skills and grand vision. […] This is a band that has the alchemical power to transmute metal and its essential elements into something vital, effervescent and everflowing. In essence, Emergent is an absolute triumph.”

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– Zyklonius