The Top 5 Albums Of 2023

Up for some music fellow Otaku & Metalheads?

I took a slightly different approach when it came to selecting albums to place here. All throughout this year as I was listening to music, I would write down the album’s names that interested me. From there, I would listen to those albums again, and then place them at the spots where I thought it was the most appropriate. The end result this time around is.....interesting. If any of you like this approach for this year, then I’ll use it for future end of the year lists. In any case, here are the top 5 albums of 2023. Enjoy!

5) Shadows - Out For Blood (Song)

So this was a surprise!

I found this band in my Youtube suggestions back in May completely by accident. Hailing from Santiago (Chile), this brand new group brings to the table a lot of that 1980s Heavy Metal vibe, alongside a dash of King Diamond style scares, and just a pinch of Ghost flavored groove. We already got a sampling of the band’s potential back in 2021 with their EP release Into The Nightmare (Which I ironically found not long after OFB), but it’s Out For Blood that shows off not just how good they are, but how quickly recording & production improve once you get a record deal. Though the album is a bit on the short side in terms of length (30 minutes & 9 seconds), it is counterbalanced by highly atmospheric songs with a decent creep factor behind them. If you don’t mind a record that’s on the smaller side, and want to support a new band, then Out For Blood is for you!

4) Lordi - Screem Writers Guild (Song) & Turmion Kätilöt - Omen X (Song)

FINLAND!!!!!!!

Every year I talk about that wintry nation & it’s metallic offerings to the rest of the world, they always put out quality releases. Case in point, Lordi! All of the times that they’ve appeared on my lists, I have done nothing but give them complements, and Screem Writers Guild will be no exception. An exceptionally cheesy affair, their newest release is dedicated to the black-and-white days of the monsters of Universal Studios. Even the costume change wasn’t unaffected by the theme, as everybody in the band all became some kind of creature that leapt from the silver screen, and they look fantastic! Though the lyrics are still distinctively Lordi, they’re very self aware in the gimmick that they’ve embraced on this record, and the instrumentation also manages to carry the monster movie gimmick in spades. So if you are looking for a fun but creepy album that’s relatively easy to listen to, then Screem Writers Guild is for you!

And then we have a staple of some of these lists in Turmion Kätilöt! Though they’ve never managed to obtain the no. 1 spot on one of these lists (Outside of 2018), they still manage to be a great alternative to the more mainstream Industrial Metal acts, and manage to be a wonderful band in their own right. Omen X continues this tradition: punchy Industrial Metal with a slice of BDSM cheese placed right on top. From brutal & slow tunes, to fast & hard hitting tracks, and to anything else in between, the band’s 2023 offering has something for just about everyone. Until the day comes when Turmion Kätilöt finally puts out a bad album, you can bet beyond a shadow of a doubt that this group will stay on these lists.

3) Avaland - The Legend Of The Storyteller (Song) & Anthem - Crimson & Jet Black (Song)

Talk about an upgrade!

I spoke about the premier French Power Metal band Avaland twice so far. Once back in 2021 on my top 5 albums list of that year (Read here), and last November when I reviewed their debut record. Come to 2023, and the band have definitely improved! The presentation is more epic, the sound is more grand, and the story, setting, and characters feel more fleshed than what they were before (Even though they weren’t bad in any way in 2021). Despite the copious usage of guest vocalists once again, Avaland definitely showed that they were capable of improvement, and The Legend Of The Storyteller is proof of this. If you’re curious about the further peek into the kingdom of Avaland, then give this legend a go!

And then there are the Japanese titans Anthem! The last time we hear from these guys was back in 2019, when they released their 2nd English sung compilation Nucleus. It allowed them to regain a foothold here in the United States, and managed to get them another foothold in Europe. Now we’re in 2023, and we got the first record of all-original material from these guys in nearly 7 years with Crimson & Jet Black. This release is simply wonderful: from the guitar, to the bass, to the drumming, and to Yukio Morikawa’s vocal work (Which includes greatly improved English implementation), it’s obvious that Anthem still have a lot of intensity and energy for almost 40 years at this point, and it’s possible that they’ll carry this intensity & energy until the very day they all collectively croak. It’s wonderful that they’re still making music, and if anyone outside of Japan finds these guys.....you won’t regret it.

2) Iron Savior - Firestar (Song) & U.D.O. - Touchdown (Song)

Ah, Iron Savior. It’s good to hear from you again!

The last time these Germanic masters of Power Metal appeared on one of these lists, it was back in the plague ridden year of 2020 with their December release Skycrest. Despite being released at the end of that year, the overwhelming epicness & positivity of that album was massive blast of fresh air! Now, they’ve returned once again to deliver another upbeat helping of metal that only they can provide. Firestar has all of the intensity of the previously mentioned album, but without the specter of The Plague looming over it’s release. The only reason that it doesn’t make it to number one, is that it doesn’t have the typical Iron Savior style ballad near it’s end (Though the Japanese Edition weirdly has one). It doesn’t disrupt how incredibly good the album as a whole is, but it does bump it up the list ever so slightly. Even with that, I recommend Firestar to anyone who’s feeling down!

Also, we got U.D.O. making a return! I’ve spoken about them twice in recent years: once back in 2020 with the colossus known as We Are One, and again in 2021 with the excellent yet mildly lacking in punch Game Over, and here we are in 2023 with Touchdown. Taking the odd football connection aside, this release has gotten some of that drive from 2020 back in the music. Not completely, as Das Musikkorps der Bundeswehr is not with them again, but Dirkschneider and the boys definitely grabbed some of that force back. Though there aren’t any U.D.O. grade ballads to be found, there’s still fantastic songs across Touchdown’s near 54-minute runtime. So, do yourself a favor, and score this touchdown of an album!

So before we get to my no. 1 of 2023, I just wanted to take a moment to talk about some honorable mentions. Much like when I was forming the main list, I had albums I listened to/was going to listen to for these spots. That being said, the releases I did pick for here are.....interesting to say the least. With that said, here are the honorable mentions of 2023!

HM1) Lumnos/Abstract Void - A Glitching Reality (Song)

I don’t think I’ve ever looked at a Split EP in the almost decade that this hobby blog of mine has been up, but it’s a first for everything. Like so many pieces of music I come across, it was through pure accident in my Youtube suggestions that I found (Almost a month after I discovered Out For Blood if you can believe it). At first, the idea of 1980s style synthwave/electronica & Black Metal mixing together sounds like a recipe for disaster, but the end product is nothing but a weirdly satisfying experience. The whole thing comes across almost what I like to call Blackened Cyberpunk: like a city with all of that genre’s usual trappings, but there’s this obvious dash of the supernatural thrown in there to shake things up. If this was more widely available (AKA having a physical release), I would have easily put it somewhere on the main list. Even so, it’s still a beautiful bite-sized EP, and if it happens to come your way, just take close to a half-hour to give it a listen to!

HM2) Devin Townsend - Infinity (Remaster)(Song) ***

It feels like an absolute crime to put anything from Devin Townsend in the honorable mentions section. Outside of some incredibly rare circumstances, HevyDevy has never put out anything bad, and Infinity back in 1998 was an absolute masterpiece! However, with the album turning 25 just last month, perhaps it was time for it to come back into the spotlight, and Devin himself seems to agree. With him pursuing a new project that is going to take 2-something years to complete according to Devy, he’s gone on to say that the process has him reflecting back on previous musical experiences, with Infinity coming to mind practically immediately. Not only did we get the original tracklisting, but we also have the 4 demo tracks from the Christeen + 4 Demos EP, 2 acoustic versions of songs from Ocean Machine, and 1 demo track from 1996. That is a considerably beefy package, as the total amount of music oddly equals that of the Kreator compilation Voices Of Transgression. In any case, it’s definitely a welcome sight to see Infinity make an incredibly welcome re-appearance.....even if I’ve heard most of it before.

1) Host - IX (Song) & Waldgeflüster - Unter Bronzenen Kronen (Song) & Alice Cooper - Road (Song)

My number 1 spot this year was a challenge to decide on. Back in 2020 I concluded that year with Power Metal, 2021 marked a political & emotional shift, and 2022 was an embodiment of Yin & Yang. For 2023, I was thinking that maybe a more serious tone was in order, and there were 3 albums that came to mind.

For starter, there was the Paradise Lost side-project Host, and this one was a given! Formed in 2022 by lead guitarist Greg Mackintosh & vocalist Nick Holmes, IX was an attempt to take the concept of what PL was trying to accomplish on the album Host, but filter it through a modern context, and the end result is nothing more than exquisite. A considerably more darker approach than what the previously mentioned record took, it none the less manages to combine that darkness with Host’s speed, pacing, and tone. It also isn’t as electronic as Host, but it does keep some in to remind listeners as to what inspired Greg & Nick to pursue this project. If you enjoyed the bleaker atmosphere of Obsidian from 2020, but in a slightly more peppier package, then IX will be a perfect pick.

And then there is Waldgeflüster. Back in 2019, I spoke about these guys in my top 5 album list that year (Read here), and praised them for being the kind of Black Metal I enjoy most of the time, while being a great act in their own right. Since then, they’ve put out an album back in 2021 (That I’ve only listened to just a song or two), and their most recent output towards the end of September titled Unter Bronzenen Kronen (Under Bronze Crowns). A 4-song EP, it’s only 28 something minutes long, but that runtime gives you access to some of the most beautiful Heavy Metal so far of this decade (Considering what Devin Townsend put out last year, and some of the stuff from 2021 & 2020, that’s saying something)! Nature & Heathendom were always the source of inspiration for these guys, which is refreshing to me when compared the more Satanic/Atheist based Black Metal groups that still populate the scene in many places (Fuck NSBM, btw). If you have almost a half-hour to kill before you need to go somewhere, and want some metal that will just blow your mind, then give this a try!

Finally, we have Alice Cooper. Despite one political fo-pa a few months ago, the iconic king of Shock Rock continues to be a musical wrecking ball! Last time we heard from Alice, it was his ode to the musical history of Detroit, and that was an awesome time. With Road, we’re treated to a more personal experience from him, and it definitely shows. Showcasing his touring band & wanting them to be the foundation of all of the tracks, they do just as good as any studio group if not better at times. Alice spoke of Road being a “Concept Album” about “Things that happen on the road. There's a lot of humor in it. There's a couple of heartbreakers, but it's very guitar-driven because that's what I look for in an album”. I can’t say much else.....other than good gob Alice!

And those were my top 5 albums of 2023. Certainly a wild selection of releases, but releases that show off this year’s personality and character. With music behind us, that means only one thing. Join me this Friday when you see what I thought were the best movies of 2023 were. See you soon!



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If you’d like to look at what I thought the best albums were of last year, check out the link below:

Top 5 Albums of 2022

Also, the link below will explain Devin’s decision to bring Infinity back:

DEVIN TOWNSEND Announces Infinity Reissue, Stays Nude On The Cover (Metal Injection)

Also Also, if you want to know what I meant by political fo-pa:

Alice Cooper Understands There Are Cases of Transgender, But Feels ‘It’s Also a Fad’