Top 10 Albums of 2023

[SoundscapeMN]

a round table discussion for my YouTube channel is in the works...ETA sometime around X-Mas.

[Glasser]

To be honest, the only ones I've purchased from my list were the Primal Fear, UDO and Insomnium cause I saw them in store.  Searching for a CD copy for the rest, even the Magnus Karlsson at a half decent price is near impossible.

I was honestly trying to think of the last CD I bought - I think it was Distance Over Time.

I just bought the new Alta Reign cd. The bonus track was not available digitally so I bought it.

I still buy CDs for the purpose of bringing them to ProgPower to get signed 

But seriously, that's really it.  If I didn't ahve that opportunity at the meet and greets, I would just stick wtih digital downloads.

Only Myrath. 

[ariich]

Alright, there are no more albums I'm anticipating this year so let's give this a go.

1. Haken - Fauna
2. Moon Safari - Himlabacken Vol. 2
3. Bear Ghost - Jiminy
4. Gacharic Spin - W
5. Stortregn - Finitude
6. Sleep Token - Take Me Back to Eden
7. Insomnium - Anno 1696
8. Periphery - Periphery V: Djent Is Not a Genre
9. Keep of Kalessin - Katharsis
10. Lumsk - Fremmede toner
11. Nospūn - Opus
12. Marianas Rest - Auer
13. Arkona - Kob'
14. Vylet Pony - Carousel
15. Jason Isbell - Weathervanes
16. Ad Infinitum - Chapter III: Downfall
17. Hypno5e - Sheol
18. Nuclear Power Trio - Wet Ass Plutonium
19. Primordial - How It Ends
20. GoGo Penguin - Everything Is Going to Be OK


Honourable mentions

LPs:
Aetherian - At Storm's Edge
Anima Tempo - Chaos Paradox
Arch Echo - Final Pitch
Baroness - STONE
Beyond the Black - Beyond the Black
BT - The Secret Language of Trees
The Cat Empire - Where the Angels Fall
Closure in Moscow - Soft Hell
The Dark Side of the Moon - Metamorphosis
Dream the Electric Sleep - American Mystic
Earthside - Let the Truth Speak
Enslaved - Heimdal
Edu Falaschi - Eldorado
Fires in the Distance - Air Not Meant for Us
Foo Fighters - But Here We Are
Gunship - Unicorn
Hanabie. - Reborn Superstar!
The Hirsch Effekt - Urian
Hundred Reasons - Glorious Sunset
In Flames - Foregone
Insomnium - Songs of the Dusk
The Intersphere - Wanderer
Floor Jansen - Paragon
Kalmah - Kalmah
Kamelot - The Awakening
Katatonia - Sky Void of Stars
Lovebites - Judgement Day
Mercenary - Soundtrack for the End Times
Mystery - Redemption
The Ocean - Holocene
Ok Goodnight - The Fox and the Bird
The Ongoing Concept - Again
Pyramaze - Bloodlines
Saiseiga - Nostalgia
Scar Symmetry - The Singularity (Phase II - Xenotaph)
Shade Empire - Sunholy
Shylmagoghnar - Convergence
Silent Skies - Dormant
Slow Fall - Obsidian Waves
Soen - Memorial
Einar Solberg - 16
Southern Empire - Another World
Subsignal - A Poetry of Rain
Susanne Sundfør - Blómi
Suotana - Ounas I
Tardigrade Inferno - Burn the Circus!
Teramaze - Dalla Volta
TesseracT - War of Being
VNV Nation - Electric Sun
Voyager - Fearless in Love
Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex
Within Temptation - Bleed Out
The World Is Quiet Here - Zon


EPs:
Dissona - Dreadfully Distinct EP
Feed Me - Feed Me From the Clouds EP
Manchester Orchestra - The Valley of Vision EP
Spiritbox - The Fear of Fear EP
Tardigrade Inferno - Arrival of a Train EP
Toehider - Quit Forever? EP
Toehider - Snapshots From Beacontown Spring Dance '85 EP
Toehider - Take on a Tank EP

[Crow]

this is not really finalized by any means but if i must

1. Victory Over the Sun - Dance You Monster to My Soft Song!
2. Dreamwell - In My Saddest Dreams, I Am Beside You
3. Vylet Pony - Carousel (An Examination of the Shadow, Creekflow, and its Life as an Afterthought)
4. Spanish Love Songs - No Joy
5. Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex
6. Fleshvessel - Yearning: Promethean Fates Sealed
7. Esoctrilihum - Astraal Constellations of the Majickal Zodiac
8. Gunship - Unicorn
9. Liturgy - 93696
10. Dispirited Spirits - The Redshift Blues

i still have a decent number of albums i need to properly spin/get more solidified thoughts on but this is an alright preliminary top 10? only really the top 5 i'd say are locked for my final top 10 idk

[twosuitsluke]

Great list Rich. These in particular are really tasty, and most will make my top 50...

Alright, there are no more albums I'm anticipating this year so let's give this a go.

1. Haken - Fauna
3. Bear Ghost - Jiminy
5. Stortregn - Finitude
8. Periphery - Periphery V: Djent Is Not a Genre
11. Nospūn - Opus
18. Nuclear Power Trio - Wet Ass Plutonium

Honourable mentions

LPs:
Baroness - STONE
Closure in Moscow - Soft Hell
Earthside - Let the Truth Speak
Enslaved - Heimdal
Foo Fighters - But Here We Are
The Hirsch Effekt - Urian
In Flames - Foregone
Insomnium - Songs of the Dusk
The Ocean - Holocene
Ok Goodnight - The Fox and the Bird
The Ongoing Concept - Again
Scar Symmetry - The Singularity (Phase II - Xenotaph)
Soen - Memorial
Southern Empire - Another World
Suotana - Ounas I
Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex
The World Is Quiet Here - Zon


EPs:
Dissona - Dreadfully Distinct EP
Toehider - Quit Forever? EP
Toehider - Snapshots From Beacontown Spring Dance '85 EP
Toehider - Take on a Tank EP

Real good stuff.

[jingle.boy]

Ariich.... I'm loving Himlabacken Vol. 2, but man alive - it hasn't even been out a week, and you've got it at #2?!?!?

[Buddyhunter1]

8. Gunship - Unicorn

Is this better than their first two albums or nah?

[Crow]

it's still a bit too long but it's not just a retread of their debut like dark all day felt, there's both some harsher tones and a lot of brighter ones here too so it at least tends to stay interesting (the middle drags a bit tho ig)

don't think there's a single song here as good as dark all day (or tech noir for that matter) but

[ariich]

Ariich.... I'm loving Himlabacken Vol. 2, but man alive - it hasn't even been out a week, and you've got it at #2?!?!?

Yeah I know but honestly, yeah I think so. It'll be interesting to revisit this in a couple of months. But despite having a LOT of music to listen to right now (thanks to you and the 23 players in my last roulette), I keep returning to it over and over, same as I did with the rest of the top 4. So even if it doesn't end up staying at #2 I'm damn confident it's top 4.

EDIT: Oh and hell yeah Luke!

[wolfking]

9. Keep of Kalessin - Katharsis

Haha, awesome! 

[ariich]

it's still a bit too long but it's not just a retread of their debut like dark all day felt, there's both some harsher tones and a lot of brighter ones here too so it at least tends to stay interesting (the middle drags a bit tho ig)

don't think there's a single song here as good as dark all day (or tech noir for that matter) but

I agree, definitely too long but it's really good and a little more varied than the previous albums. Didn't quite make my top 20 but it was close.

[ariich]

9. Keep of Kalessin - Katharsis

Haha, awesome! 

Yes mate.

[nick_z]

it's still a bit too long but it's not just a retread of their debut like dark all day felt, there's both some harsher tones and a lot of brighter ones here too so it at least tends to stay interesting (the middle drags a bit tho ig)

don't think there's a single song here as good as dark all day (or tech noir for that matter) but

The new Gunship is VERY good. It threatens to be my favorite of the three, actually. I agree it's a bit long, but it's a real fun, engaging listen all along.

[nick_z]

4. Spanish Love Songs - No Joy

Enjoyed this one very much too.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

don't think there's a single song here as good as dark all day (or tech noir for that matter) but

That's an insanely high bar to clear though.  "Empress of the Damned" is my favorite on it and that isn't likely to change. 

[lordxizor]

My top 10 in no particular order. Nothing really jumped out at me this year as being super fantastic to be honest.

Haken - Fauna
Manchester Orchestra - The Valley of Vision
Metallica - 72 Seasons
Mammoth WVH - Mammoth II
Baroness - Stone
Closure in Moscow - Soft Hell
Spirit Adrift - Ghost at the Gallows
Dozer - Drifting in the Endless Void
Portugal. The Man - Chris Black Saved My Life
Soen - Memorial

[RoeDent]

My ranking of the eleven 2023 releases I bought this year:

1. Another World - Southern Empire
2. The Harmony Codex - Steven Wilson
3. Fauna - Haken
4. Himlabacken Vol. 2 - Moon Safari
5. Seven Chambers - Unitopia
6. ID.Entity - Riverside
7. Look At You Now - The Flower Kings
8. Redemption - Mystery
9. Spooky Action at a Distance - Pattern-Seeking Animals
10. Let the Truth Speak - Earthside
11. Making Shore - Damanek

[jingle.boy]

I haven't finished my final rankings, so in alphabetical order (with the bolded as particular standouts):

Aviations - Luminaria
Crown Lands - Fearless
DGM - Life
Edge of Forever - Ritual
Eldritch - Innervoid
Fifth Angel - When Angels Kill
Hemina - Romancing the Ether
Kamelot - The Awakening
Lovebites - Judgement Day
Magnus Karlsson's FreeFall - Hunt the Flame
Marek Arnold's Artrock Project - same
Mercenary - Soundtrack for the End Times
Moon Safari - Himlabacken Vol. 2
Mostly Autumn - Studio 2
Mystery - Redemption
Nergard - Live in Kalvaa
Noveria - Gates of the Underworld
Nuclear Power Trio - Wet Ass Plutonium
Pyramaze - Bloodlines
Ray Alder - II
Redemption - I Am The Storm
Rik Emmett - Then Again …
Sacred Outcry - Towers of Gold
Sarayasign - The Lion's Road
Seven Ravens - After the Storm
Signum Regis - Undivided
Smackbound - Hostage
Southern Empire - Another World
Temic - Terror Management Theory
The Tiberian Sons - Anthems of Liberation
Theocracy - Mosaic
Xandria - The Wonders Still Awaiting

Plus I've got 41 albums I saved on Spotify.  It's been a good year of music.

[ReaperKK]

My top 10 in no particular order. Nothing really jumped out at me this year as being super fantastic to be honest.
Mammoth WVH - Mammoth II

I need to give this a spin, I liked the first record.

[ReaperKK]

My final list of the year, some really good stuff.

1 KOAN Sound - Led By Ancient Light - 5/5
2. Post Malone - Austin - 5/5
3. A Winged Victory For The Sullen - All Our Friends Are Vampires - 5/5
4. The Chug Project - The Chug Project, Vol, 1 - 4.5/5
5. Foo Fighters - But Here We Are 4.5/5
6. Jakub Zytecki - Remind Me - 4/5
7. Fractures - Shift - 3.5/5
8. Metallica - 72 Seasons - 3.5/5
9. Balmorhea - Pendant World - 3/5
10. Matthew Halsall - An Ever Changing View - 3/5
11. Skrillex - Quest for Fire - 3/5
12. Andre 3000 - New Blue Sun - 2.5/5
13. Candlebox - The Long Goodbye - 2.5/5
14. Gorillaz - Cracker Island - 2.5/5
15. Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit - Weathervanes - 2.5/5
16. TEMIC - Terror Management Theory - 2.5/5
17. Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex - 2.5/5
18. Filter - The Algorithm - 2/5
19. Grails - ANches En Maat - 2/5
20. Haken - Fauna - 2/5
21. The Wineary Dogs - III - 2/5
22. Joe Hiaishi - A Symphonic Celebration: Music From The Studio Ghibli Films Of Hayao Miyzaki - 2/5

[Zantera]

This might be the weakest year for me in over a decade. Sure there's been some good albums but only 3 albums I rated 4.5 on RYM and I would say 2 of them are by bands that have made better albums before this, so we're not really talking "groundbreaking classic" levels. There's a bunch of albums around my top20/top10 that wouldn't make my top30 on a normal good year.

Still have a little bit of finalizing left but will get to it soon.

[RoeDent]

It's been the strongest year ever for me in terms of album purchases from a year in that year.

[nick_z]

My top 10 in no particular order. Nothing really jumped out at me this year as being super fantastic to be honest.
Mammoth WVH - Mammoth II

I need to give this a spin, I liked the first record.

I thought it was very good. I liked the first album too, and I think this is better. It's not like he's reinventing the wheel or anything, but I found the songwriting a little more adventurous and refreshing.

[Glasser]

I haven't finished my final rankings, so in alphabetical order (with the bolded as particular standouts):

Aviations - Luminaria
Crown Lands - Fearless
DGM - Life
Edge of Forever - Ritual
Eldritch - Innervoid
Fifth Angel - When Angels Kill
Hemina - Romancing the Ether
Kamelot - The Awakening
Lovebites - Judgement Day
Magnus Karlsson's FreeFall - Hunt the Flame
Marek Arnold's Artrock Project - same
Mercenary - Soundtrack for the End Times
Moon Safari - Himlabacken Vol. 2
Mostly Autumn - Studio 2
Mystery - Redemption
Nergard - Live in Kalvaa
Noveria - Gates of the Underworld
Nuclear Power Trio - Wet Ass Plutonium
Pyramaze - Bloodlines
Ray Alder - II
Redemption - I Am The Storm
Rik Emmett - Then Again …
Sacred Outcry - Towers of Gold
Sarayasign - The Lion's Road
Seven Ravens - After the Storm
Signum Regis - Undivided
Smackbound - Hostage
Southern Empire - Another World
Temic - Terror Management Theory
The Tiberian Sons - Anthems of Liberation
Theocracy - Mosaic
Xandria - The Wonders Still Awaiting

Plus I've got 41 albums I saved on Spotify.  It's been a good year of music.

Aviations description please?

[NoseofNicko]

I’ll try a top 25:

1. Sufjan Stevens - Javelin
2. Haken - Fauna
3. PinkPantheress - Heaven Knows
4. Peter Gabriel - i/o
5. Avenged Sevenfold - Life Is But A Dream...
6. Dying Fetus - Make Them Beg for Death
7. Ad Infinitum - Chapter III: Downfall
8. Ne Obliviscaris - Exul
9. Periphery - Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre
10. Blut Aus Nord - Disharmonium - Nahab
11. Jessie Ware - That! Feels Good!
12. King Krule - Space Heavy
13. Paramore - This Is Why
14. Carly Rae Jepsen - The Loveliest Time
15. Olivia Rodrigo - GUTS
16. Sigur Rós - ÁTTA
17. Karkwa - Dans la seconde
18. Queens of the Stone Age - In Times New Roman...
19. King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard - PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation
20. Foo Fighters - But Here We Are
21. Nickel Creek - Celebrants
22. Cannibal Corpse - Chaos Horrific
23. TesseracT - War of Being
24. Cattle Decapitation - Terrasite
25. The National - First Two Pages of Frankenstein/Laugh Track

I kept remembering great albums while making the list so the order is all wrong…

[ProfessorPeart]

Actually was able to come up with 10 that I thought highly enough to rate. I have close to 60 releases from this year.

1- Phantom Elite - Blue Blood

This was a very recent decision. My #2 album had been #1 almost all year but after reflection, this one wins out. I listened to this record probably the most of all 2023 albums. Marina was just fantastic on this record and I loved the whole thing from start to finish.

2- Riverside - ID.Entity

My #1 until about 2 weeks ago when I really started thinking about this. Absolutely love this album.

3- Empire State Bastard - Rivers Of Heresy

Brutal record that I was unsure about until I had it in my hands. Totally brutal and just excellent. Another drum clinic from the master, Lombardo.

4- Periphery - P4

Aside from the absolutely dumb false ending things that they do between most of the tracks, I loved this album. For me, the best since Juggernaut Omega.

5- Lacey Sturm - Kenotic Metanoia
6- District 97 - Stay For The Ending
7- Xandria - The Wonders Still Awaiting
8- Butcher Babies - Eye For An Eye...'Til The World's Blind
9- Archon Angel - II
10- KK's Priest - The Sinner Rides Again

Biggest Disappointments - Haken, Avenged Sevenfold

The Haken record was just a mess to me. I struggled to find anything to latch onto. Avenged, I'm still struggling with it. Nothing against what they did, I just am having issues getting attached to it in any way.

Another great year of new finds for me. The first 4 bands got way more listens than most of the albums above:

IQ, Wucan, KXM, Faith In Agony, Special Providence, Outrun The Sunlight, Intervals

[jingle.boy]

@ Tom…. A Proggy and heavy and diverse version of 70s Styx. There’s even a few growls splashed in there.

[Dr. DTVT]

The lack of Orbit Culture on some of these lists is concerning.  I don’t expect the no growl crowd to like, but people who have bands like Ne Obliviscaris, Scar Symmetry, and Enslaved.

Come to think of it I’m not seeing a lot of those bands either.  Either this place got soft or I’m on musical viagra.

[King Postwhore]

@ Tom…. A Proggy and heavy and diverse version of 70s Styx. There’s even a few growls splashed in there.

What album are you talking about,  Chad?

[Blind_FaithX]

The lack of Orbit Culture on some of these lists is concerning.  I don’t expect the no growl crowd to like, but people who have bands like Ne Obliviscaris, Scar Symmetry, and Enslaved.

Come to think of it I’m not seeing a lot of those bands either.  Either this place got soft or I’m on musical viagra.

Its indeed a very good album, not sure if it will make my top10 though because their were a lot of great album this year.

[jingle.boy]

@ Tom…. A Proggy and heavy and diverse version of 70s Styx. There’s even a few growls splashed in there.

What album are you talking about,  Chad?

Aviations description please?

[cramx3]

The lack of Orbit Culture on some of these lists is concerning.  I don’t expect the no growl crowd to like, but people who have bands like Ne Obliviscaris, Scar Symmetry, and Enslaved.

Come to think of it I’m not seeing a lot of those bands either.  Either this place got soft or I’m on musical viagra.

I didn't listen to their new album.  I did see them open for Avatar earlier this year and enjoyed them though.

[romdrums]

I think the only ones I can rank clearly are as follows:

1. Voyager - Fearless in Love
2. Tesseract - War of Being
3. Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex
4. Peter Gabriel - I/O

Then there's everything else in no particular order:

Haken - Fauna
Periphery - Djent is not a Genre
hubris. - The One Above
Night Verses - Every Sound Has a Color In The Valley Of Night, Part One
Trevor Rabin - Rio
Carbon Based Lifeforms - Seeker
Rannoch - Conflagrations
The Intersphere - Wanderer
Kanoo - Deleted Years
The Ocean - Holocene
Sermon - Of Golden Verse
The Enigma Division - The Enigma Division
Jeff - Tar
Arhios - Miscible

[pfillion]

Here are my top 25 favorite albums released in 2023 (in no particular order).

[lonestar]

Alright, there are no more albums I'm anticipating this year so let's give this a go.

1. Haken - Fauna
2. Moon Safari - Himlabacken Vol. 2
3. Bear Ghost - Jiminy
4. Gacharic Spin - W
5. Stortregn - Finitude
6. Sleep Token - Take Me Back to Eden
7. Insomnium - Anno 1696
8. Periphery - Periphery V: Djent Is Not a Genre
9. Keep of Kalessin - Katharsis
10. Lumsk - Fremmede toner
11. Nospūn - Opus
12. Marianas Rest - Auer
13. Arkona - Kob'
14. Vylet Pony - Carousel
15. Jason Isbell - Weathervanes
16. Ad Infinitum - Chapter III: Downfall
17. Hypno5e - Sheol
18. Nuclear Power Trio - Wet Ass Plutonium
19. Primordial - How It Ends
20. GoGo Penguin - Everything Is Going to Be OK

I really wish I could bump this up higher on my final list, but I can't push it above OK Goodnight or Tesseract. It does have my favorite song in Replica, and four of the songs (Kachi Kachi Yama, Lonely Mart, and Rabbit Hole) would easily make my top 20. It might top their self titled as my favorite of theirs, just a great album.