In thinking back on the year that was, the idea of journies is what most strongly comes to mind. I recently came to the realization that my wife and I spent a ludicrous amount of time away from home in 2023. I would wager that at least one of us was out of town for nearly 70% of our weekends. Please don’t rob us. For me, that meant time spent in Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Maine, South Carolina, Arizona, Texas and Brazil (the country, not the stupid little town in Indiana). We were also supposed to make trips to Ohio and Colorado, but COVID robbed us of those. While family and weddings account for a majority of those trips, live music certainly played its part in inspiring grand adventures to the like of Hell’s Heroes, seeing Beyoncé or providing my wife her first Cannibal Corpse stage experience. (Sidenote: All three of those were extra fun because I got to spend in-person time with members of the LR Kingdom along the way).
Part of the joy of travel is the chance to experience something new. Sure, many of these midwestern states have a lot in common, but each trip offered a chance to experience a new restaurant, a new social outing that doesn’t exist where I live, or, at the most basic level, the chance to form new memories with loved ones. Even when continuing with long-standing traditions like our annual tubing trip, we added several new folks to the mix that made this year entirely its own.
Outside of being away from home, our lives were full of the new as well. We experienced our first full year of marriage. We moved out of the apartment complex we had been living in for several years and into a rental house; it even has a yard and a fire pit, woohoo! We also purchased weed for the first time ever in our lives, and it was legal. What a world! Neither of us has ever been big on the herb, but we enjoy the occasional gummy enough that we decided to have a supply on hand. One lesson learned is that my wife’s first time watching movies like Donnie Darko and Momento probably shouldn’t be after having 10mg of “Wait, what’s happening?” I also earmarked many albums that I wanted to listen to after imbibing. Some were first listens, while others provided a fresh perspective on a classic.
This constant sense of physical and mental adventuring spilled into my listening habits more broadly as well. I was craving immersive albums that could take me on a trip while constantly seeking out the unfamiliar. In fact, I had never listened to 12 of my top 20 bands before this year. For some, that’s because they didn’t exist yet, but others have been around for a good many years. While the likes of Autopsy, Cannibal Corpse and Suffocation all put out absolutely killer albums, it was more often the bands that stretched what they do or the ones I was wholly unfamiliar with that hooked me most. All that extra time in cars and planes provided me the opportunity to sit more deeply with the music I was listening to. I most enjoyed the tunes that transported me away from my real-life transportation situation. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still a 23-minute jackhammer to the brain of an album on the list, too. Not everything can be some lengthy parade into the cosmos.
The endless plethora of new in all its many forms is part of what makes the heavy music scene so exciting. You can get incredible but predictable albums from your old standbys just as often as something you’ve never heard of can run in and knock your block off. Hopefully, you’ll find a little bit of both for yourself below!
As is tradition for me, I need a theme for my list. With a newfound appreciation for Mary Jane, let’s roll her into the rankings. Each album in the main list will be branded with a weed strain I made up. If it happens to sound like something real, that’s pure coincidence because I promise you I have no idea what I’m talking about. Blaze Bailey it up, Cheech!
Ok, one last thing. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one journey that came to an end a mere week before this list went live. Our beloved buddy Bane had to be put down after a brief but valiant battle with cancer. He brought years of comfort to my wife long before I was ever in the picture and he was the steadiest of great companions. Our house is much quieter and just a bit colder this winter without him. Please give your pet an extra treat and cheek scratch in his honor today!
RIP Bane. I hope you’re getting to hump more than stuffed toys and blankets, ya little pervert!
THE FATTY JOINTS (20-11)
Below are the albums that hit nicely but leave you functional. You’ll want to keep coming back but can feel free to experience them daily without losing your sense of time.
20. Soulmass – Let Us Pray
Strain: Grant Us Eyes, Maaaaaan
Melodic death doom with a Bloodborne theme? Could I BE any more interested? All nerding aside, you needn’t be ready to ravenously consume the myriad of video game references in Let Us Pray to enjoy this duo’s brand of hefty metal. There’s enough atmosphere, demon-rending riffs and mightily roaring vocals to entice any fan of slow, crushing death. Take a puff and join us in the hunter’s nightmare.
• Last Rites Review
• Bandcamp
19. Graveripper – Seasons Dreaming Death
Strain: Naptown Riff And Waste
The debut album from Indianapolis upstarts Graveripper fires off ten tracks of relentless thrashing that perfectly flows with blackened goodness. A chunky riff can pivot into a slicing tremolo in the blink of an eye without it ever feeling awkward. While many of their black-thrash peers lean into the grandiose, these lads approach it with a Municipal Waste mentality, keeping every song short, potent, and, quite frankly, ripping. Easily one of the most fun records of 2023.
• Last Rites Review
• Bandcamp
18. Carnosus – Visions of Infinihility
Strain: Admiral Charisma
When listening to Carnosus, you’ll hear a strong influence of The Black Dahlia Murder but with a decidedly more technical execution. While they may not have the big chorus hooks of the Detroiters, these Swedes’ are no less infectious. Elevating them a step above their 2023 competition is vocalist Jonatan Karasiak, who is an absolute madman. Our own Zach Duvall always touts the value of capital C Charisma and Karasiak has enough to spare for six more projects. Those rolling Rs, wild patterns and foul transitions are a wonder to behold. Click to the two-minute mark on “Ossein Larcenist” and prepare for one of the most feral vocal runs of the year.
• Last Rites: Found Sounds And Frig You Friday, Vol. 4
• Bandcamp
17. Oromet – Oromet
Strain: Whaaaat Does a Yelllllow Light Meeean?
Sloooow down; that’s what Oromet is all about. In Cris Collinsworth’s voice: “Now, here’s a couple of guys who are unhurried.” Oromet is an album to stew in. Sit on a cool night with a stiff drink and let these guitars unfurl over time while you float away to a stark mountain top with them. If you support the School of Mournful Congregation, you have a work of beauty here to enjoy from a couple of graduates.
• Last Rites Review
• Bandcamp
16. The Acacia Strain – Step Into The Light/Failure Will Follow (Double Album)
Strain: Irony Of A Band Name
The Acacia Strain has always shown flashes of experimenting with its sound but has more overtly leaned in over the past decade. We now get a double album that shows one half focused on their leanest, meanest effort in quite some time (Step Into The Light) while the other unleashes three massive tracks that flex a multi-tool approach to different styles of doom (Failure Will Follow). The latter of the two really jumps out for me, but it’s great to see a band continue pushing themselves more than 20 years into their career while letting their hardcore roots provide a potent base. Music for being angry and giving up in equal measure.
• Last Rites: Missing Pieces
• YouTube
15. Nithing – Agonal Hymns
Strain: Unfit For Human Consumption
• We failed this album by not reviewing it!
• Bandcamp
14. Triumpher – Storming The Walls
Strain: Dark In The Rainbow
The standard ebullience of power metal is a very intentional rainbow shot in the bleak darkness of the metal kingdom. For many, that can be hard to swallow. While Triumpher still soars and gallops like the best of their power brethren, Storming The Walls doesn’t eschew darkness or grit along the way. The occasional harsh vocal and short thrashing barnburner tracks go a long way in making this particular slab of power extra potent. This album remembers that in order to triumph, evil must be present. If you’re a power n00b like me, I highly recommend giving this one a chance and you may discover your gateway drug.
• Last Rites Review
• Bandcamp
13. Stillbirth – Homo Deus
Strain: Lunk Alert
Planet Fitness is a gym that sets off a “Lunk Alert” throughout the building when someone is being too much of a meathead while they lift and get gains, bro. Well, sound the damn alert because Stillbirth is exactly the overly-muscled death metal the gym deserves. That doesn’t mean the album is entirely predictable, though. No, cowbell strikes appear and disappear seemingly at random and there’s a beach-ready clean guitar intro on one track. I’m not entirely convinced the band knows what they’re doing half the time, but keep the slams coming, boys.
• Last Rites Review
• Bandcamp
12. Krigsgrav – Fires In The Fall
Strain: Autumnal Blessings
In revisiting my full review of this album, I realized I mentioned that every song feels like its own journey. What a shocker that it made the list! Krigsgrav can blast you to smithereens with one song and send you flying to the sky on a gorgeous melody in the next. They’re as effective going full speed as they are when they slow it to a doomy crawl. Their brand of black metal has a lovely emotive quality that made this one the perfect fireside listen for the past six months.
• Last Rites Review
• Bandcamp
11. Thy Catafalque – Alföld
Strain: Surprise, Motherfucker!
Tamás Kátai is the Doakes of the metal world, consistently popping up out of nowhere with wholly unpredictable releases. Alföld begins with a grooving death metal bruiser and ends with a synth-laden black metal bop. In between, you’ll get folk elements, flutes and so much more. Surprises can be scary, especially coming from cops, but I’m always one happy motherfucker to be greeted with the unexpected from Thy Catafalque.
• Last Rites: Last Rites Combined Staff Top 25
• Bandcamp
THE GRAVITY BONGS (10-1)
No matter what level of hit you take from these ten albums, they’ll put you on your ass for the whole evening. You’ll need time to absorb them and be left contemplating each one long after you consume them. Click play and let the world slip away for a while.
10. GREAT FALLS – OBJECTS WITHOUT PAIN
Strain: Take As Needed For Breakups
The title of Great Fall’s album makes no sense because every single element of this release is soaked in pain. Having Objects Without Pain come out on Neurot Recordings is no surprise, considering the dense ugliness of their brand of noise metal and how emotionally charged the lyrics are. Vocalist/guitarist Demian Johnston explores the depths of misery that come from the process of ending and moving on from a long-term relationship. He does so with absolutely agonizing vocal delivery as well.
The dissolution of a relationship can be a long and cruel process, so Great Falls matches that by dragging the listener through auditory barbed wire for nearly an hour. The sludge-laden noise is pulsing with rage and despair as it drives to the point of everyone involved giving up. Nothing about listening to this album is easy, but it’s so deeply relatable that its impact is hard to turn away from.
• Last Rites: Last Rites Combined Staff Top 25
• Bandcamp
9. KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD – PETRODRAGONIC APOCALYPSE; OR, DAWN OF THE ETERNAL NIGHT: AN ANNIHILATION OF PLANET EARTH AND THE BEGINNING OF MERCILESS DAMNATION
Strain: Puff The Motörhead Dragon
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have released 24 albums since 2012, including seven in just the past 24 months. That level of production was a tad overwhelming for me to ever want to dive in, but fun cover art, an absurd album title and a steady stream of positivity online finally made me pull the trigger with Petrodragonic. The Australian sextet has created albums from many styles, but their plan to channel Lemmy is clear from the start with a pedal-to-the-metal opening riff on the aptly titled “Moterspirit.” Unlike Lemmy’s standard modus operandi, however, that song is over eight minutes long.
King Gizzard fuses their stoner metal penchant with Motörhead speed, creating one hell of a driving experience. There are moments of monk-style throat singing, open exploratory passages, ripping leads and infectious choruses. The band is just as strong firing off a standard verse-chorus burner in “Gila Monster,” which will have you yelling along in the car, as they are letting a song simmer, stretch and burn in “Flamethrower.” Petrodragonic also ends with riffs that appear in the opening song, making a full-circle journey all the more satisfying.
• Just typing out the album name would’ve exceeded our standard word count. Sorry
• Bandcamp
8. LOST HARVEST – DELUDED SEAS OF DIVERGE
Strain: Lost In The Chasm
We here at Last Rites are big fans of The Chasm; so, too, are Lost Harvest. While the band’s sophomore album is perhaps a bit more indulgent than their debut, as it includes three instrumental interludes, the band is no less interesting in an extended runtime. Don’t let a quieter production dissuade you, as these pummeling drums and whip-fast guitars will snap your head right off your neck.
Above all else, Lost Harvest understands the riff will carry the song. It doesn’t matter that the songs average over six minutes long when packed to the gills with so many interesting riffs. Lost Harvest also isn’t afraid to open a song up and let each member of the duo meander and jam a bit. Those open moments are the ones you can picture many a cheer and raised beer toward the stage.
• Last Rites: Last Rites Combined Staff Top 25
• Bandcamp
7. ANACHRONISM – MEANDERS
Strain: Weaving Waters Wander
Much like the art that adorns Meanders, the music within flows like a force carving its own path against any structure that may be in its way. Anachronism plays an incredibly tight brand of technical death metal that manages to still feel loose, letting each instrument move and weave to the benefit of the others around them. There are pockets of space in every song that make a typically mechanical approach to death metal feel alive.
Oddly enough, the bass work of session musician Alex Sedin is one of the most fascinating elements of the album. That isn’t to say the full-time members aren’t absolutely killing it in their own right, but the snaking nature of the bass provides a writhing strength to record. Lisa Voisard’s hoarse roar is a perfect foil to the oddly beautiful music and I absolutely love it when she throws in the occasional harrowed higher scream.
This is a great album for when you’re tired of being on the road and need some inspiration to do your best Fury Road impression to get to your destination a touch faster.
• Last Rites Review
• Bandcamp
6. DØDHEIMSGARD – BLACK MEDIUM CURRENT
Strain: Black Medium Current
Are you really going to try and tell me that album title doesn’t sound like a strain of weed created by an incredibly high human throwing magnet words at a fridge?
Bad metal fan admission time. I had never listened to DHG before this year. Our internal hype for this album reminded me of this grievous sin and I knew I needed to correct it, but I decided to hold off on moving backward until I had first given Black Medium Current a shot. In all honesty, this one took time to settle in. Like a good tea, I needed to let it seep for a while before its full flavors were available to me. When they did, however, this became one damn strong and delicious cup.
As opening track, “Et smelter,” comes to a close with its love for Pink Floyd apparent, it becomes clear that DHG’s strength lies in its playfulness, exploration and willingness to utilize space rather than in its more straightforward black metal passages. While the tremolo riffs and harsh vocals are well executed, it’s the electronic bops, the creepy open space or the unsettling cleans of Vicotnik, where his voice often sounds small and terrified of what it may call forth from the unknown darkness of the cosmos, that warrant many returns. Even a brief track like “Voyager” sounds like music coming from inside a haunted Jack-In-The-Box (the toy, not the fast food restaurant. We have to say these things with Andrew Edmunds around).
Black Medium Current was a phenomenal introduction to a fantastic discography that is going to yield me years of repeated listens that unravel new wrinkles over time. Whether you’re new to Dødheimsgard or an old hat, there are plenty of rewards to reap from album number six.
• Last Rites Review
• Bandcamp
5. DEMONIAC – NUBE NEGRA
Strain: Pour Some Chile Powder On Me
After a dark acoustic intro, the title track of Demoniac’s third album is struck by lightning. Ironically, I’m pretty sure lightning is slower than the pickwork of any of the three band members. The band’s previous album had one exceptionally long song at the end, preceded by four relatively brief tracks. While the average song length is longer on Nube Negra, and the total runtime is nearly the same, it manages to feel more streamlined. The leaner sensibility doesn’t sacrifice their willingness to play with the thrash formula as clarinet, accordion and keyboards still make appearances.
Speed is the name of the game, as the riffs are absolutely on fire from start to finish, and the lead work is pure electricity. So It Goes is one of the best thrash records in recent memory and Nube Negra isn’t far behind it. Demoniac continues to make a compelling case for being one of the greatest thrash bands to enter the scene in the past decade.
• Last Rites Review
• Bandcamp
4. MOONLIGHT SORCERY – HORNED LORD OF THE THORNED CASTLE
Strain: Purple Castle Eater
If you like heavy metal, you like guitars. If you like guitars, you like Moonlight Sorcery. I don’t make the rules; I just cite them. The Finnish trio established their love of perpetually shredding guitars on the phenomenal 2022 EP Piercing Through The Frozen Eternity. The debut takes everything on that release and ramps it up by about 1,000x. Triumphant melodies, soaring leads, dancing synths and blazing drums make Horned Lord Of The Thorned Castle the most POWERful black metal album of the year.
• Last Rites Review
• Bandcamp
3. BAAZLVAAT – INCREDIBLE WORLD
Strain: Cracked Apple
Word on the street is the lads in BAAZLVAAT are still in high school. Incredible World is not an album that’s impressive for being created by people so young; it’s just flat-out impressive. The music put forth shows a mind wise beyond its years with a penchant for creativity and experimentation that highlights a youthful rebellion against the established “rules” or boundaries of a genre. The core of BAAZLVAAT’s work is black metal, but very little of what’s here is by the numbers. The opening to the title track sounds inspired by The Beatles. “The Water Above The Sky” oozes folk whimsy. “Enter This World” is an acoustic number that would receive mid-90s Mikael Akerfeldt’s stamp of approval. The second half of “The Missiles Go In Three Ways” kicks out a jazzy jamming guitar section right out of the 70s.
What’s more impressive is the confidence with which all of this is played (there are few tracks with a more cocksure swagger than “Telemnachus” in 2023). Supposedly, this album was recorded on a broken iPad. The production is rawer than the average chicken cutlet at a restaurant that Gordon Ramsay is trying to save, which will surely dissuade some. To do so, however, would be to dismiss one of the most creative albums I’ve heard this year.
Here’s to hoping we’re only at the beginning of a long career driven by experimentation and evolution akin to a group like Darkthrone.
• We failed the youth this time around
• Bandcamp
2. BEGRAVEMENT – HORRIFIC ILLUSIONS BECKON
Strain: Floridian Hot Dish
While the quartet in Begravement may be out of high school, they aren’t all that much older than the BAAZLVAAT boys. Much like their Midwestern brethren above, Begravement’s youth has them showing their influences while refusing to color inside the lines. You’ll hear nods to the classics like Death and Morbid Angel, but the band’s songs go well beyond the tropes of the current trends in OSDM worship. There’s plenty of melody and progressive passages as the album goes along to make the base of death and thrash much more engaging.
The more straightforward rhythmic assault of “Horrific Illusion” or the Florida-indebted raucousness of “Desecration Of The Meek” are absolutely killer. When they start getting a bit proggy, however, on songs like “Scarabs Beneath The Flesh” and “Return To Planet Earth” is where things get really interesting. For a band this young to have a complete vision while displaying such adept ability at songcraft is incredible. Horrific Illusions Beckon is a phenomenal debut, but I’m guessing we’re only scratching the surface of what these four are capable of.
• Last Rites Review
• Bandcamp
1. REZN – SOLACE
Strain: Layered Like Lasagna
Rezn is saddled with a stoner doom tag that does them a great disservice. Let’s dissect a song like “Possession” to highlight why this is so much more than stoner doom. It opens with pulsing bass that builds and drives the song. The first guitar passages start to echo in and radiate out. Rob McWilliams’ soft, higher voice wafts from ear to ear, floating by with varied strength. The song continues to build on itself and gets to a chorus that adds a subtle touch of heft. The song passes the four-minute mark before the first heavy guitar hits the listener, making it all the more crushing as it is eventually paired with wailing guitar notes. The track’s progression, the subtlety in building up the tension, the layering of the instruments, everything here is so much more than heavy guitars played by dudes baked out of their minds. Granted, they follow that song up with one of the heaviest riffs of 2023 on “Reversal.” Holy shit, do I love “Reversal!”
Matt Russell’s production work deserves recognition here. He keeps the album feeling light and airy but hits with the heft of a mountain when he needs to. So many small details elevate the listening experience, particularly with a good pair of headphones. The way a vocal line will drift in or out, the subtly layered in synth, or how deftly the saxophone can sit back in a song as a subtle texture rather than a blaring horn. Similarly, Spencer Ouellette’s work with the sax, synths, piano, and flute is worth noting. His contributions rarely take center stage but immeasurably impact every song.
Further cementing my love of this album was seeing Rezn play several of these songs live in a small venue. Don’t miss this group if they swing by your area!
• Last Rites Review
• Bandcamp
The Roaches
Below are my ten favorite little nubs of releases in the form of demos and EPs. Don’t overlook the power one small hit can hold.
10. Dragoncorpse – The Drakketh Saga
Reader, I’m going to be completely honest with you and say that I don’t actually know if this is good. What I do know is it is absolutely fascinating. With a name like Dragoncorpse, it won’t surprise you that this international quintet combines power metal and deathcore in all the stereotypical, over-the-top ways each of those genres can come together. You read that right. Power metal and deathcore. Like I said, fascinating. I can’t stop listening to this ridiculousness.
• Last Rites: Found Sounds and Frig You Friday, Vol. 5
• Bandcamp
9. Bone Weapon – Thrive Or Starve
You leave cave. You grab bone. Bone be weapon. Bone Weapon leave cave. Bone Weapon make instruments into death. Death be a slower kind, crying of doom.
• We’re boneheads and forgot this one
• Bandcamp
8. Thetan – Dim Times
Tennessee’s Thetan not only blessed grind fans with a full-length in the form of Grand Ole Agony, but they also kicked out this mishmash compilation of an “EP.” The digital version gives listeners one previously unreleased track, an instrumental, two re-recordings and two covers, adding up to about ten minutes of random grind goodness. If you cough up the (very reasonable amount of) coin for the physical release, however, you get a total of 45 tracks that compile vinyl-only releases, splits and all the other usual culprits that make collecting everything from grind bands nearly impossible.
• Last Rites Review
• Bandcamp
7. Scalp – Black Tar
Seething and pissed-the-fuck off are phrases that get thrown around quite a bit when describing heavy metal reviews. No other release fully captures those sentiments in 2023 quite like Black Tar.
• Last Rites: Found Sounds and Frig Your Friday, Vol. 1
• Bandcamp
6. Sanity Slip – There Is No One To Save Us
You start with a Children of the Corn sample and pivot into pure meathead chugging, replete with pinch harmonics. Sanity Slip deals in hideous, down-tuned, death-tinged hardcore for rearranging faces with concrete walls.
“7-6-2 millimeter. Full. Metal. Jacket.”
• This one slipped right by us!
• Bandcamp
5. Demonic Being – Invocations From The Ancient Path
Considering this release is nearly 40 minutes long, I think the definition of an EP may have gotten lost in translation for this Mexican trio. Luckily, razor-sharp melodic black metal can translate into any language, particularly when it’s played this well. There are weeping leads, excellent play with tempos, and a sense that these three gentlemen really enjoy playing with fire.
• Last Rites: Found Sounds and Frig You Friday, Vol. 6
• Bandcamp
4. Lure – Memories Of Humanity
Much like with their black metal brethren above, Memories of Humanity is a recent example of proof that there is no set definition for what a demo is. This one-man French black metal fellow gave us one hour and 12 minutes of music and called it a demo. He’s even nuttier than Demonic Being. Haunting agonized vocals, jangly guitars, pummeling rhythms and a thin production that provides quite a bit of atmosphere despite its limitations make for one hell of a “demo.”
• Didn’t lure us into coverage, apparently
• Bandcamp
3. Nak’ay – Seized & Divine Atrophy
Nak’ay released two EPs on the same day that combine for a runtime of about 10 minutes. While the opening track on Divine Atrophy is a slow-grower, the remainder of the tracks between the two are as relentlessly vicious as Nak’ay has ever been. Blasting, biting, gnashing, blistering, death-inflected grind.
• Blast Rites Review
• Bandcamp
2. Deliriant Nerve – Contaminated Conscience
D.C.’s Deliriant Nerve is a grindcore band that avoids having a one-track mind. The band’s death-bent brand still has plenty of punk and hardcore, but where the riff remains the most important element. No two songs have the same approach and the songcraft is on point. Easily one of the best grind releases of any format this year.
• Last Rites Review
• Bandcamp
1. Moiscus – Idiomorphic Practices
Sometimes you just need to hear a snare drum get the ever-living shit beat out of it. The band’s foul name is perfectly apt for this gurgly mess (complimentary) of a grinding assault on the senses, with Reegan’s drums being the most relentless and gobsmacking part of the attack. Mr. Edmunds and I actually convinced our wives to see this group with us. I’m sure that will play no part in our future divorces.
• Blast Rites Review
• Bandcamp
THE CBD OILS
Sometimes, you need to feel good without a full-on heavy kick to the dome. These five albums bring the goods but avoid crushing you into the back of the couch.
5. Molten Gold – Futures Past
Based on the cover, I imagine you can make a pretty good guess as to what this band sounds like. Molten Gold kicks out slick 70s-worshipping rock licks with as much gusto as that purple-pantsed fellow on the cover, who is surely sermonizing about the power of the riff.
• Bandcamp
4. Ed Cherry – Are We There Yet?
Ed Cherry’s jazz guitar work is certainly the draw here, but the interplay with the organ and vibraphone is what had me coming back for repeat listens. This is a supremely chill listen with enough upbeat energy to put a whole lot of pep in your step. Are We There Yet? is an album made for smiling.
• Bandcamp
3. Bushman’s Revenge – All The Better For Seeing You
Bushman’s Revenge is a Norwegian trio that applies a prog rocker’s mentality to Jazz. The guitars noodle, the drums rollick, and they balance beautiful calm with absolute rocking. The two longer songs, in particular, highlight how well they can really stretch and play with their sound. That cover art is pretty damn great, too!
• Bandcamp
2. Mammatus – Expanding Majesty
Click play on the title track and experience driving guitar work that will have you dreaming of montages about your next big heist. There’s a truly cinematic quality to the expansive style of the stoner-tinged, mostly instrumental prog rock that Mammatus plays. Think of a less jam-driven Earthless that maintains a similar looseness and has synths to help you feel like you’re soaring as freely as that dragon on the cover.
• Bandcamp
1. Agusa – Prima Materia
If you’re a prog rock fan of any kind, consider this mandatory listening. Following up 2021’s En annan värld, which only had two tracks surpassing 20 minutes, Prima Materia is a bit more approachable, with four tracks ranging from seven to 14 minutes. It may seem odd before listening, but the flute as the music’s driving force is exceptional. Agusa absolutely jams on this album, and every minute is an engaging romp from start to finish. This one will be in steady rotation for a long time.
• Bandcamp
THE DRIED HERB
As our friend Dan likes to say in his Frig You Friday series, “Fuck me, there is a LOT of music out in the world!” For once, he’s correct about something! Too much music exists and is perpetually created for anyone to ever hear it all. With that in mind, here are a few non-2023 albums that still packed a punch, even if they’ve aged a bit.
5. Krzysztof Penderecki – Kosmogonia
Can I use that I Think You Should Leave gif twice? The name may not be familiar to you, but his compositions are almost guaranteed to be, as Penderecki’s work has been used in movies including The Shining, The Exorcist, Shutter Island and many more. I say work rather than music because while instruments are being played, what he creates are unnerving soundscapes more so than anything that feels like a natural piece of music. This album originally came out in 1974 and the second track was used in The Shining, so that should give you some idea of what you’re in for. Partake in this with an altered state of mind at your own risk.
• Bandcamp
4. Seven Sisters – Shadows Of A Fallen Star Pt. 1
Phantom Spell’s Immortal’s Requiem was my number 19 album last year and has only risen in power for me since. Sole member Kyle McNeill also happens to be in Seven Sisters. Despite many of my LR companions pounding the table for Shadows Of A Fallen Star Pt. 1 in 2021, I did not pay attention. I have since rectified that and found another phenomenal dose of classic metal that will make you feel like you could fight Big Foot with both hands tied behind your back and win.
• Bandcamp
3. Balimaya Project – Wolo So
This group’s bandcamp page describes the music of Wolo So as a “dynamic meeting of traditional Mandé music/culture and contemporary jazz.” I’m a bit out of my element when it comes to discussing a fusion of jazz and traditional African music, but what I can tell you is this collective of 17 musicians creates fascinating rhythms injected with a wide variety of instrumental and human voices. It can be as introspective as it is uplifting. Wolo So was my first exposure to the group, but this year’s When The Dust Settles is just as worthy of your time. Nothing else made me want to move my feet or my mind in quite the same way.
• Bandcamp
2. Amaro Freitas – Sankofa
For some stupid reason, whenever I think of piano albums, I immediately revert to classical and skip over the ridiculous talent and originality that exists in the modern day. Amaro Freitas’ keys are primarily a more relaxed jazz affair, but the off-kilter timing and quick runs can often give it an ominous undercurrent. He has a real knack for creating a darkened beauty in his pieces, perfect for nights staring up at the stars in an otherwise silent yard.
• Bandcamp
1. Black Fucking Cancer – Procreate Inverse
You can’t listen to everything and Black Fucking Cancer was one I overlooked in 2022. The American West Coast is most often associated with Cascadian and more atmospheric brands of black metal. As their name indicates, Black Fucking Cancer wants none of that hippy shit. This is black metal for razing cities to the ground, sacrificing puppies and launching grannies through roofs on their stair chairs, Gremlins style.
• Bandcamp
GAME RANKING
15. Callisto Protocol – I give this game credit for trying something different with the combat, but it ultimately doesn’t work very well. Excellent-looking, gory kills don’t save a woeful lack of enemy variety and a deeply annoying final boss.
14. Bloodstained: Ritual Of The Night – One of the creators of Symphony Of The Night wasn’t legally allowed to make another Castlevania game, so he made one and named it something else. The Switch version was a little glitchy and there’s some jank in progression, but this is a good time overall. Recommended more for hardcore Metroidvania fans than casual ones.
13. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge – A modern take on the classic TMNT arcade games. A great time playing with friends, even if the game is only a couple of hours long. Get it on sale and have a grand old time walking down nostalgia lane.
12. Axiom Verge – Another retro-style Metroidvania with a futuristic sci-fi theme. This one has some fun bosses and creative power-ups that are occasionally hampered by frustrating platforming elements. It is a great time worthy of the successor that you can also play now!
11. Bayonetta 3 – Unquestionably, the most over-the-top game I played in 2023. Bayonetta thrives on fast combat that can be as shallow or deep as you feel like making it. Along the way, you’ll summon giant demons to help you fight and use some of the most ludicrous weapons I’ve ever seen in a game, including a train. Yes, you wield a train car as a weapon.
10. Inside – An eery and fascinating puzzler. While this game is short, its ending will absolutely stick with you for the rest of your life.
9. Horizon Forbidden West – Unquestionably, one of the most gorgeous games ever created. When you get the opportunity to fly on the back of a robot dinosaur and see the incredibly lush and detailed landscapes unfurl, there’s nothing else quite like it in gaming. Creative combat with strategic traps to take down massive dinobots ain’t too shabby, either.
8. What The Golf? – This is possibly the silliest game I’ve ever played. Early levels have you knocking a golf ball about in wonky settings, but that doesn’t last long before you’re launching people, horses, cars and so many other random things. The game is even better if you can sit on a couch with some friends, taking turns trying to figure out how to best the mad geniuses who came up with this ridiculousness.
7. Death’s Door – Who wouldn’t want to be an adorable little grim reaper crow that can fight monsters with an umbrella? Oh, and there’s a nice little message about real-world death in there for good measure.
6. Live A Live – This is a truly charming turn-based RPG. Each chapter plays completely differently and pulls off some level of surprise. The ending weaves everything together with one hell of a climax, too.
5. Ghost Of Tsushima – Remember how I said Horizon Forbidden West is one of the most gorgeous games ever? Well, this is one of the other most gorgeous games ever. If you have even a passing interest in samurai movies, you owe it to yourself to play this game. It has a phenomenal story, a powerful closing act and once you master the combat, you will feel like a total badass.
4. Remnant: From The Ashes – The most fun I had with multiplayer this year. A procedurally generated third-person shooter with some amazing boss fights and tough battles requiring chatting and strategy. The replay value on this is fantastic, to boot!
3. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury – Bowser’s Fury is a fun little add-on inspired by Super Mario Odyssey but bears almost no challenge. Super Mario 3D World, however, is bonkers if you try to complete every level. It’s a killer Mario platformer, so you likely already know if you like this or not.
2. Dark Souls (Remastered) – I know Demon’s Souls was first, but this is the one that cemented the legacy and truly kicked off the Soulslike subgenre. Having played, now I get why. Despite some bullshit (fuck those basilisks), the world-building and boss design in this are incredible. Few games will ever make you feel more stressed and then give you a super dose of achievement serotonin in the span of 30 seconds like this game. I literally yelled when I beat Ornstein and Smough, prompting my wife to come running into the room to see if I was alright. I have NEVER been that animated of a game player before this one.
1. Cuphead – Incredible hand-drawn art inspired by 1930s cartoons, a soundtrack that inspired me to buy a record, and masochistic boss fights that make you feel like a gaming god when you finally defeat them. Rarely have I experienced a game that felt so tailor-made for me.
THANK YOU!!!
You’ve already subjected yourself to way too much reading if you’re all the way down here, so I’ll just say that I really appreciate you. Yes, you. Thanks for hanging out at our little site and reading all our absurd ramblings. I hope you have a wonderful year ahead!
