It really does feel like every time I get done capping off a year with one of these lists it is time to immediately to another one. And I’m certainly not complaining! As is the case with every year, 2023 has been no less than immensely fruitful from every given angle as the vast spectrums of rock and metal music have given us creations from acts that are fresh and veteran to lose ourselves in for months at a time. With this being the ninth year that I’m doing these lists, I cannot help but notice that 2023 has put forth a real challenge before me. It’s not in terms of finding new material to spew about as that is always effortless, but in terms of determining the final 30 albums that would make the final list. There was a lot to choose from, and, as always, it’s always an immense joy to reminisce on what the past twelve months have given us in way of awesome music.
By all accounts, there are plenty of albums within these lists that felt like shoe-ins for excellence when they were first announced, but nothing is ever truly guaranteed with legends still able to drop the ball from time to time while new creations come forth to astound us in every given way. Here, I give to you the albums of all sorts that 2023 has presented me with that I still cannot get enough of, but the final count of 30 is an unapologetic creation. I endorse every single one of these records from top to bottom, and I can only hope that you can get as much enjoyment out of them as I have, if not even more. There are still tons of works from this past year that I haven’t gotten into simply because I never got around to them, and it’s always fascinating to see names new to my eyes and ears come through the lists of other websites.
Next year will be the 10th year of Head-Banger Reviews, and I couldn’t be any more excited for what I have planned! I hope everything can come to pass as I’ve imagined it, but regardless of whatever is to come next for me, you, or the scene at large, we must cross this first threshold of looking behind us so that we may continue to power forward.
Tomorrow will come my Top 30 Albums of 2023, but it is for now that I pay immense homage and thanks to those of my Honorable Mentions of 2023. May their names ring loud and true across the underground and beyond, and I have no doubt whatsoever that next year will deliver the goods yet again in stupendous fashion! Thank you so much for a tremendous year as always, and, until next time, have an awesome day!
The same rules apply here as they always have: click the album and band name should you wish to be taken to where you can listen to it!
Thank you for 10 years of glory through these reviews, and I can’t to see you all in the new year!
71TONMAN – Of End Times
“It’s here that we’re able to bear witness to the fruits of the labors of 71TONMAN as it’s clear in not even two years they’ve only sharpened their knives meant for naught but carving flesh right off the bone to make their already ferocious sound all the more punishing…” (read full review here)
Acid King – Beyond Vision
“The exact breed of album that demands full commitment in order to uncover the deepest secrets that Acid King has to offer, these seven tracks are made exclusively for those willing to uncover the most closely guarded secrets of the dimensions with the path forward one that bends time, space, and soul.” (read full review here)
At the Altar of the Horned God – Heart of Silence
“Darkly gorgeous and magnificently captivating from that first minute, At the Altar of the Horned God has not just honed its sound for this creation, but allowed it to evolve into a beast almost unrecognizable…” (read full review here)
Megaton Sword – Might & Power
“…“Might & Power” is on such a high level that it should reinvigorate the souls of those who fear that the classic realm of heavy metal is doomed to fading away…” (read full review here)
Vale – A Senseless Procession
“…with even dark folk creeping its way into the mix to really make this album feel as though it was crafted to be the only possible soundtrack for a gloomy, rainy day as the final vestiges of spring withers away.” (read full review here)
Allfather – A Violent Truth
“…grand levels of intoxication only able to be matched by Allfather’s supreme aggression that has carried them far throughout their career, yet it is here that we see it come to its most tempered form yet.” (read full review here)
Morass of Molasses – End All We Know
“A little bit goes a long way in the right hands. Just a dash of dirt and grittiness has effortlessly enabled Morass of Molasses to stand out from the crowd seemingly without effort as “End All We Know” accomplishes its goal many times over as you find your way through the mysterious bog that spawns this wonderful creation.” (read full review here)
Serpent Corpse – Blood Sabbath
“…filthy riffs and pitch-perfect nastiness that quickly enables “Blood Sabbath” to become a true storm of blood, guts, bone, and madness the likes of which you could only ever truly find in the deepest recesses of the underground in which Serpent Corpse finds incredibly at home.” (read full review here)
Dozer – Drifting in the Endless Void
“…now, as if born out of a long-forgotten prophecy, the originators of the European stoner scene as we know it has brought us new material that more than holds up to their wildly high standards.” (read full review here)
Blazon Rite – Wild Rites and Ancient Songs
“The snow is drenched red as Blazon Rite shows off their immense prowess without a shred of compromising for the very spirit of heavy metal with it shining exceedingly bright in every instance…” (read full review here)
Death Magick – Demo MMXXIII
“…a maliciously dark yet tantalizing array of heavy metal the likes of which feels like it would find itself right at home in the era of Satanic Panic where parents were utterly cowering in the corners of their homes at the thought of the Devil’s music coming for the souls of their children.” (read full review here)
Green Lung – This Heathen Land
“… damn near the definition of what it means to have a cultivated doom experience that incredibly few others in the current landscape who are as fresh as Green Lung can come close to delivering.” (read full review here)
Maniak – Speed Metal Terrorist
“New blood is something that will always keep the future looking bright, even if we question what it brings before us, and Maniak is undeniably the kind of new blood that I think many of us can and should get behind…” (read full review here)
Håndgemeng – Ultraritual
“…surprising quality alongside the likes of 70s rock and modern heaviness as well as its mind-bending properties that Håndgemeng instantly makes itself a name that is not to be considered amongst the common rabble. This is what it means to really go for the throat with your own tenacious sound and deliver to the fullest extent!” (read full review here)
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