Top 10 Albums of 2023

[Glasser]

A lot of good albums this year but personally as the year went on I can only say a handful of albums really stuck with me or hit hard. The market is so saturated and watered down that its just too much. I usually struggle to narrow it down to 10, not this year.

1) Compass- A Silent Symphony.
2) Tanith- Voyage.
3) Lalu- The Fish Who Wanted To Be King.
4) Sky Empire - The Shifting Tectonic Plates Of Power - Part One.
5) Tomb Mold- The Enduring Spirit.
6) Temic- Terror Management Theory.
7) Nospūn- Opus.
8) Metallica- 72 Seasons.
9) A7X- Life Is But A Dream...
10) Earthside- Let The Truth Speak.

Great list dude, especially Tomb Mold, Lalu, Nospūn, A7X and Earthside (which is still growing on me).

Thanks Luke! Earthside is definitely a grower, so many layers involved. But when it clicks its hard to stop listening.

[twosuitsluke]

A lot of good albums this year but personally as the year went on I can only say a handful of albums really stuck with me or hit hard. The market is so saturated and watered down that its just too much. I usually struggle to narrow it down to 10, not this year.

1) Compass- A Silent Symphony.
2) Tanith- Voyage.
3) Lalu- The Fish Who Wanted To Be King.
4) Sky Empire - The Shifting Tectonic Plates Of Power - Part One.
5) Tomb Mold- The Enduring Spirit.
6) Temic- Terror Management Theory.
7) Nospūn- Opus.
8) Metallica- 72 Seasons.
9) A7X- Life Is But A Dream...
10) Earthside- Let The Truth Speak.

Great list dude, especially Tomb Mold, Lalu, Nospūn, A7X and Earthside (which is still growing on me).

Thanks Luke! Earthside is definitely a grower, so many layers involved. But when it clicks its hard to stop listening.

I loved their debut, so even though nothing is sticking yet I'm going to.keep.going as I've no doubt it'll grab me soon.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

A lot of good albums this year but personally as the year went on I can only say a handful of albums really stuck with me or hit hard. The market is so saturated and watered down that its just too much. I usually struggle to narrow it down to 10, not this year.

As for so much new music.  I saw Unleash the Archers make a post yesterday about their new album and they said that the label is still determining a release date because there's an expected 250 metal albums to be released next year.  So you are right, the market is saturated.

It's way worse than that.  That must be just major label releases.  Metal-Archives typically catalogs about 10,000 new metal albums released each year.  They do a yearly best of year poll, and last year they had 244 participants submitting 811 unique albums on their top 10 ballots.  And that doesn't count the truckloads of "metal" that doesn't meet their standards for inclusion on the site (but tons of people would count as such). 

For me it's just an issue of not having enough time to get to everything.  Between picking stuff for roulettes, running my own for a good chunk of the year, my own personal projects, nostalgia listening, spending time with under-listened to artists, and checking out various older music as I come across it, there's only so much left for new albums and revisiting those, even with as much music as I listen to a day. 

[cramx3]

A lot of good albums this year but personally as the year went on I can only say a handful of albums really stuck with me or hit hard. The market is so saturated and watered down that its just too much. I usually struggle to narrow it down to 10, not this year.

As for so much new music.  I saw Unleash the Archers make a post yesterday about their new album and they said that the label is still determining a release date because there's an expected 250 metal albums to be released next year.  So you are right, the market is saturated.

It's way worse than that.  That must be just major label releases.  Metal-Archives typically catalogs about 10,000 new metal albums released each year.  They do a yearly best of year poll, and last year they had 244 participants submitting 811 unique albums on their top 10 ballots.  And that doesn't count the truckloads of "metal" that doesn't meet their standards for inclusion on the site (but tons of people would count as such). 

For me it's just an issue of not having enough time to get to everything.  Between picking stuff for roulettes, running my own for a good chunk of the year, my own personal projects, nostalgia listening, spending time with under-listened to artists, and checking out various older music as I come across it, there's only so much left for new albums and revisiting those, even with as much music as I listen to a day.

Yeah, I assumed it was major label releases.  There's almost an infinite amount of actual releases.

[nick_z]

A lot of good albums this year but personally as the year went on I can only say a handful of albums really stuck with me or hit hard. The market is so saturated and watered down that its just too much. I usually struggle to narrow it down to 10, not this year.

1) Compass- A Silent Symphony.
2) Tanith- Voyage.
3) Lalu- The Fish Who Wanted To Be King.
4) Sky Empire - The Shifting Tectonic Plates Of Power - Part One.
5) Tomb Mold- The Enduring Spirit.
6) Temic- Terror Management Theory.
7) Nospūn- Opus.
8) Metallica- 72 Seasons.
9) A7X- Life Is But A Dream...
10) Earthside- Let The Truth Speak.

Tanith's Voyage will be very high on my list too. A fantastic record, and one the biggest surprises of the year.

[TAC]

Yup, another excellent album by them!

[wolfking]

I'm not even sure I could come up with 10 albums for this year.

[nick_z]

I actually have a ton this year...There are a few sure standouts, then many albums that might not be "for the ages", but that I really enjoyed.

[Glasser]

I love checking out new bands and new releases from bands I already listen to as well as the classics but I've said this before, hypothetically if nothing new was ever released again I would be fine. I'm still enjoying the music I have plus I'm still discovering older releases that are new to me. The issue is with so much music coming out I find it tough not be picky and I'm quicker to move on from an album that may click with me if I give it more time because there's A shit ton to get to.

[wolfking]

I love checking out new bands and new releases from bands I already listen to as well as the classics but I've said this before, hypothetically if nothing new was ever released again I would be fine. I'm still enjoying the music I have plus I'm still discovering older releases that are new to me. The issue is with so much music coming out I find it tough not be picky and I'm quicker to move on from an album that may click with me if I give it more time because there's A shit ton to get to.

I can totally relate to this and agree 100%.

[jingle.boy]

I love checking out new bands and new releases from bands I already listen to as well as the classics but I've said this before, hypothetically if nothing new was ever released again I would be fine. I'm still enjoying the music I have plus I'm still discovering older releases that are new to me. The issue is with so much music coming out I find it tough not be picky and I'm quicker to move on from an album that may click with me if I give it more time because there's A shit ton to get to.

I can totally relate to this and agree 100%.

Same... but I'm fucking addicted to exploring for new music.  I think it's a disease .  Every year, I add 25 or so new releases to my iTunes library, and at least that many saved in Spotify.  Then I'll invariably have another 5-10 older releases that I 'discover' as well.

I need help.

[wolfking]

I love checking out new bands and new releases from bands I already listen to as well as the classics but I've said this before, hypothetically if nothing new was ever released again I would be fine. I'm still enjoying the music I have plus I'm still discovering older releases that are new to me. The issue is with so much music coming out I find it tough not be picky and I'm quicker to move on from an album that may click with me if I give it more time because there's A shit ton to get to.

I can totally relate to this and agree 100%.

Same... but I'm fucking addicted to exploring for new music.  I think it's a disease .  Every year, I add 25 or so new releases to my iTunes library, and at least that many saved in Spotify.  Then I'll invariably have another 5-10 older releases that I 'discover' as well.

I need help.

Somehow I don't think so. 

50 across the year though seems pretty light though?  I mean, I'd have at least checked out 20-30 myself.

[jingle.boy]

I love checking out new bands and new releases from bands I already listen to as well as the classics but I've said this before, hypothetically if nothing new was ever released again I would be fine. I'm still enjoying the music I have plus I'm still discovering older releases that are new to me. The issue is with so much music coming out I find it tough not be picky and I'm quicker to move on from an album that may click with me if I give it more time because there's A shit ton to get to.

I can totally relate to this and agree 100%.

Same... but I'm fucking addicted to exploring for new music.  I think it's a disease .  Every year, I add 25 or so new releases to my iTunes library, and at least that many saved in Spotify.  Then I'll invariably have another 5-10 older releases that I 'discover' as well.

I need help.

Somehow I don't think so. 

50 across the year though seems pretty light though?  I mean, I'd have at least checked out 20-30 myself.

Oh... I've sampled about 170 - and that's JUST 2023 releases.  Probably 250 in total.

[wolfking]

I love checking out new bands and new releases from bands I already listen to as well as the classics but I've said this before, hypothetically if nothing new was ever released again I would be fine. I'm still enjoying the music I have plus I'm still discovering older releases that are new to me. The issue is with so much music coming out I find it tough not be picky and I'm quicker to move on from an album that may click with me if I give it more time because there's A shit ton to get to.

I can totally relate to this and agree 100%.

Same... but I'm fucking addicted to exploring for new music.  I think it's a disease .  Every year, I add 25 or so new releases to my iTunes library, and at least that many saved in Spotify.  Then I'll invariably have another 5-10 older releases that I 'discover' as well.

I need help.

Somehow I don't think so. 

50 across the year though seems pretty light though?  I mean, I'd have at least checked out 20-30 myself.

Oh... I've sampled about 170 - and that's JUST 2023 releases.  Probably 250 in total.

Holy shit!  Ah yeah, okay, I missed that saving them in your library would be different to sampling them.

[jingle.boy]

Some of them even have growls!

[twosuitsluke]

I love checking out new bands and new releases from bands I already listen to as well as the classics but I've said this before, hypothetically if nothing new was ever released again I would be fine. I'm still enjoying the music I have plus I'm still discovering older releases that are new to me. The issue is with so much music coming out I find it tough not be picky and I'm quicker to move on from an album that may click with me if I give it more time because there's A shit ton to get to.

I can totally relate to this and agree 100%.

Same... but I'm fucking addicted to exploring for new music.  I think it's a disease .  Every year, I add 25 or so new releases to my iTunes library, and at least that many saved in Spotify.  Then I'll invariably have another 5-10 older releases that I 'discover' as well.

I need help.

I can relate to both of these comments so much! It's good we have somewhere to talk about our addictions.

[wolfking]

Some of them even have growls!

Sampled by accident doesn't count mate. 

[jingle.boy]

Some of them even have growls!

Sampled by accident doesn't count mate. 

I meant the ones I purchased/saved!  Key word was "some". 

Actually, "a few" would've been more accurate. 

[wolfking]

Some of them even have growls!

Sampled by accident doesn't count mate. 

I meant the ones I purchased/saved!  Key word was "some". 

Actually, "a few" would've been more accurate. 

Oh wow, do share them please!

[jingle.boy]

Some of them even have growls!

Sampled by accident doesn't count mate. 

I meant the ones I purchased/saved!  Key word was "some". 

Actually, "a few" would've been more accurate. 

Oh wow, do share them please!

WhatsApp'd them to you.

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

i think the only outstanding release for me that might make a year end list is Moon Safari, but that is out in a week and I'm sure i'll have my list ready shortly after. I've basically got it done already but just holding it back to let Peter Gabriel - i/o soak a little more and let some last minute releases trickle in

[Zydar]

I just need a few more spins from the new Peter Gabriel album, then I should be all set to start making a list of 2023.

[Glasser]

i think the only outstanding release for me that might make a year end list is Moon Safari, but that is out in a week and I'm sure i'll have my list ready shortly after. I've basically got it done already but just holding it back to let Peter Gabriel - i/o soak a little more and let some last minute releases trickle in

Tried liking Moon Safari but the members previous band Kharma Cosmic is much better but only have a few demos to show for. I'll give them another spin.

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

of course since i made that post i learned Elephant Gym was dropping a new album the week after, so might have to really hold my list back until near christmas at this rate

[ProfessorPeart]

I'm not even sure I could come up with 10 albums for this year.

This is where I am. I have purchased a ton of music this year, but as for stuff released this year, I am struggling with a top 5. This year was clearly more about discovering stuff. I have a lot of stuff I have discovered and have listened to all of that way more than anything released this year. I have a top 2 for the year, but need to see if I can at least round out a top 5 like I usually do.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

I have a clear #1, enough for a good though not mindblowing next dozen or so with not a lot of differentiation, and then a morass of quality but not necessarily initially stellar albums that I'm unlikely to have the time or motivation to properly rank. 

[HOF]

This turned out to be a really active year for new music both from older artists and new artists that I’ve discovered. Had a top album in mind but the new Peter Gabriel could shake that up. Also waiting for Moon Safari, and there are a couple others I’m meaning to check out still.

[jammindude]

I will confess that I’ve heard very few new albums this last year, but I can say without hesitation that The Fox and the Bird by OK Goodnight is easily the best progressive metal album I’ve heard in a decade, so that’s a no brainer for me.

I’m pretty lukewarm on Riverside ID.Entity, but it has good moments.
Fauna by Haken is excellent and probably takes my #2 spot. But that OK Goodnight album beats it hands down. It’s been months and I’m still constantly spinning that album and getting goosebumps.

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

my spreadsheet is nearing 300 2023 releases that i've heard, lots to choose from

[jingle.boy]

my spreadsheet is nearing 300 2023 releases that i've heard, lots to choose from

Man, and I thought *I* had a problem!   

[LithoJazzoSphere]

I had over 300 heard in full in '21 (with probably another hundred+ I'd heard at least a song from), a bit more than half that last year, and maybe half that this year at this point.  So even in '21 that's less than an album a day, which is quite doable, it just means you're neglecting older music. 

[SoundscapeMN]

The weird thing is after this past week which saw 4 new albums on my radar and likely the final new albums to come out in 2023 that I know about, I actually have just been able to hear another new album thanks to being contacted by the band that I might enjoy more than any of those 4 albums.

However, I just found out that it's not expected to drop until January or February of 2024.

So, at least I already have a leader in my 2024 Clubhouse 

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

my spreadsheet is nearing 300 2023 releases that i've heard, lots to choose from

Man, and I thought *I* had a problem!   

it's a really bad problem lol.

[Glasser]

I will confess that I’ve heard very few new albums this last year, but I can say without hesitation that The Fox and the Bird by OK Goodnight is easily the best progressive metal album I’ve heard in a decade, so that’s a no brainer for me.

I’m pretty lukewarm on Riverside ID.Entity, but it has good moments.
Fauna by Haken is excellent and probably takes my #2 spot. But that OK Goodnight album beats it hands down. It’s been months and I’m still constantly spinning that album and getting goosebumps.

This being your favorite this year made me just check it out. Just wow man, loving this. Thank you!

"The Falcon" is incredible!

[wolfking]

I'm not even sure I could come up with 10 albums for this year.

Been thinking about this and I probably could easily do it.  Just a lot of releases haven't really had the time or plays but strong enough to be included in a top 10.  I'll have a crack soon.