Best of 2023: Corey’s List

Best of 2023


Well, here we are again. Another year of listening to metal. And then talking about it. Usually celebrating it. Sometimes arguing about it (way too much of that for some of us…). But when you’re embedded in this art on a different, more personal level, as we all are, that kind of comes with the territory. It’s how this blog came to be, what, a decade ago? Crazy how we’ve made it to this point, honestly. So, with all of that said, I’m once again proud to share my favorite albums from the year that was, which you will eventually find below.

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Best of 2021: Corey’s List

Best of 2021

Is that it? Am I the last one? Dang. Again. Wait, maybe one more to come… Anyway, I guess I’ll start this off on my soapbox as always, by noting that I truly cannot comprehend where we are as a society. Well, I suppose I can, which is even more frustrating. If 2020 wasn’t a brutal enough year (not in a good way), 2021 seemed to serve as an appropriate encore. Seemingly everything we experience in life has been weaponized for political gain in one way or another, a global pandemic has been widely accepted as an endemic thanks, in part, to widespread misinformation, and, just as bluntly, climate disasters resulting from human activity are on the brink of running rampant for the duration of humanity’s remaining existence… however brief that may be. And those are just my three favorite, non-personal, items to discuss in our corner of the universe. It sucks, and I’m burnt out. Optimism has completely faded at this point, and I’m ready to run screaming into the woods. But hey, cheers to 2020, right?!

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Initial Descent: August 1 – 7, 2021

Krigsgrav

Ah yes, the glorious return to the real world. Zero sarcasm in that…or not. Definitely was a much needed break that went by way too fast, but here we are with another new release list that’s sure to strike an arc with everyone. And, it’ll give me the swift kick in the ass I need on my first day back to reality. Score. First up we’ve got the masters of bleak blackened doom, Krigsgrav, with yet another stunner, then we’ve got death metal from Decrepisy and a vinyl edition from Perilaxe Occlusion (both of which I highly recommend), then we’ve got an intense mix of noise, black metal, and grind from Vessel of Iniquity, and of course, a ton more to follow. Happy hunting.

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CANTO: Krigsgrav, Lacuna Coil, Hooded Menace, and More

Alright, let’s see if things normalize a bit this week. Not likely.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
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Interview: Justin Coleman of Krigsgrav on “Leave No Path to Follow,” Getting Personal, and Capturing Moments in Time

Krigsgrav

The singular beauty of Krigsgrav and their latest Leave No Path to Follow is how it updates the template of classic Peaceville doom and forges a deeply personal connection with the listener – no easy feat in this day and age of instant music access.  It’s no secret how much we dug the album, but the constant evolution between albums and the choice to look inward with the new one had us curious to dig deeper, so we reached out to Justin Coleman (guitar, vocals) to give up the ghost on the making of the album and the path the band has and will continue to tread.  Be sure to check out the new album with the embed contained within and turn it up loud as we get into the details.   Continue reading