2023 has been a new Renaissance of music with new innovations and genre bending iconoclasts. I have been speechless one album after another this year. It’s been one of the best years for me for new releases that I absolutely love, and I know a lot of people are feeling the same way. I have my favorites and will definitely do a list later this month as the discovery of new music is ongoing.
BUT first, I want to hear from my fellow metal fans and connoisseurs of music! What do you think is the best album of 2023? Vote below or comment! I will do a separate review of the winner and post your responses! Just follow the link, no sign in required!
A band I have been listening to for a decade is back in 2023 with half a new lineup and new sound that has utterly stunned me. With the departure of two key components of the band in early 2023, I thought Temperance were doomed. This Italian Symphonic Power Metal outfit that has been a dark horse for too long has pulled through the trials and reinvented themselves with the most powerful lineup I’ve heard in a long time. I am a huge Power Metal fan, and no stranger to the majority of the new characters in the band, and I can say this record will bring them to the top of the game. Original founder and bassist Luca Negro has leveled up with clinical powerful drummer Marco Sacchetto and the smooth vocals of Michele Guaitoli since 2018 (Visions of Atlantis) and guitarist and epic vocalist Marco Pastorino (Serenity). Though, the newest member was a complete surprise to me. Kristin Starkey, an American Professional Opera and Metal dual vocalist has redefined the female vocal role of the band. Her vocals have brought a smokey darkness and smooth contralto vocals with staggering Power Metal screams. Based upon the singles, I knew this might be my album of the year. Temperance has delivered amazing music over the years, but Daruma’s Eyes PT 2 is just exalted beyond all expectations. I am a sucker for concept albums, and this storytelling delight delivers. It is also narrated and features chuggy punching rhythm guitars by the Dutch Wizard of Prog, Arjen Lucassen of Ayreon and Star One.
Daruma’s Eyes PT 2 is a massive wall of sound with melodies swirling through and emotively telling the story. I’m honestly in disbelief of how much they have tastefully crammed into one record. Each vocalist plays a different part, but comes together perfectly and expertly. Daruma opener is an assault of range and operatic vocals the band is known for delivering, but this is just explosive on a whole other level. On slow song, In “Search of Gold”, the range of these vocalists really shines and delivers emotionally profound music. “Welcome to Hermitage” contains many vocalists with Celtic and glaringly high vocalist Fabienne Erni (Eluveitie, Illumishade) and Laura Fella of Faun who brings elvish smooth vocals and a classic folk sound. Fabienne fits the explosive talent so well and brings another octave of vocals that balances everything out so well. The ladies of Switzerland also feature on Join Me, which is just a beautiful melodic track with heavy instrumentation. Epic track after track continues with No Return, Into the Void, and Darkness is Just a Drawing. No Return brings a sea-shanty sing along beat that is excellently catchy and just solid group vocals on the choruses. “Where We Belong” is a piano, vocal, string ballad that has a Meatloaf Rock Opera sound of tear-jerk nature, and it’s simply brilliant. The orchestration on this record is flawless, expertly highlighting each theme of every track and easy on the ears providing melody and a epic vibe throughout. The attention to detail on this record is virtuoso quality. I just can’t find anything wrong with it. I put Power Metal under high scrutiny, and Daruma PT 2 is at the highest level you can go in the genre.
Daruma PT 2 album is one of those Power Metal albums that make you want to get up off your ass and get you working out or just achieving your goals. Temperance have always been about empowerment and self fulfillment, but following Viktor’s journey is a whole other level of beauty and awestruck emotion. I don’t want to spoil too much about the story for those who ordered the book, but it’s incredibly well done. This record is absolutely clinical from start to finish. Each instrument reflects that Italian Classical refinement and the talent is truly unbelievable. I think their sound has bloomed overall into something huge and incomparably. I think the addition of Starkey is a huge attribute to what makes this record a new cornerstone in Power Metal. Her gorgeous tone, her perfect delivery, and style is so unique and stand out through the entire album. I’m hard pressed to find a vocalist at this level and caliber of raw talent. She has brought this band new life and profoundness that it has so long deserved. She works so well with Michel and Marco, every singer really compliments each other and there’s not a single gap or weakness. 2023 is not over, but this is a huge contender for album of the year for me. I seriously cannot wait to see this band continue with Kristin and Marco, because if they continue on like this, Temperance will no longer be a dark horse and become legendary to the likes of Unleash the Archers, Nightwish, and Helloween.
Brazillian Death Metal band Crypta has been a hot topic of 2023 with their unbelievably good festival sets and playthroughs for the new album “Shades of Sorrow”. Crypta is a happy accident, formed by two ex members of famed Nervosa, Fernanda Lira (bass, vocals) and bombastic drummer Luana Dametto. The two parted from Nervosa due to creative differences, and I think it was ultimately for the best. Fernanda really deserved more creative license, and she has proved it in their new album tenfold. As you may know, I am not a Death Metal or Thrash Metal fan, so I normally steer clear of anything that combines the two. However, Crypta goes beyond the ideologies of elitism and have forged their own deeper, darker, more interesting sound that really converted me to be a fan. I am late to the party on reviewing it, because at first, I had no idea where to start. This is way out of my wheelhouse music-wise and I didn’t think there would be a point to me reviewing it, but the lack of coverage of this album has absolutely stunned me. I have not seen this album get half the recognition it deserves, Whether it is Elitism, Sexism, our just bad promotion, this album has fallen in the background in Metal press.
“Shades of Sorrow” is my pick for most surprising album of the year. This album is absolutely fantastic, maybe one of the greatest of the Death Thrash genre in years. Crypta have insane technicality and unique progression in their flavor of this genre. The depth of talent knows no bounds in each member, and they come together and blend different influences to create something truly like nothing else on the planet. The depth of their music and darkness throws me back to Death’s Chuck Shuldiner, which is one of the highest compliments you can receive in Death Metal. The sinking darkness, the despair, the overall ambience to this record just envelopes you entirely. When you listen to it, you can’t think about anything else, and that is a great thing. “Shades of Sorrow” is catharsis at the ultimate heaviest and aggressive level. It is laden with aggression and reflection, completely anger personified. This album will get you up and arm you with mauls of thorns. There’s nothing hooky, cheesy, or over produced about this album. It is a true Death Metal record with riffs and vocals that will sink into you for months. It is chest-pounding and addictive song after song.
“The Other Side of Anger” is just absolutely fantastic and searing. Luana is at the top of her game with blast beats, groove, and ride rhythms for days that highlight every single note on the guitar. Her aggression and rhythmic savvy remind me of a young Gene Hoglan. This is clinical Death Metal drumming with just the best snare sound on “Trial of Traitors”. Luana kills it on this album and might be my drummer of the year. Fernanda is a powerhouse of ranged growls and screams with diction and clarity. It’s somehow catchy, without too much repetitiveness. It’s Progressive, but Thrashy. It encompasses so many influences and new sounds I have never heard before, even almost a tribal rhythm on some tracks. It is truly hard to explain the depth of this record. But, to get a scope of it, the track “Stronghold” is sure to blow you away. This track is one of the best to come this year, in my opinion. It is just a bull through a crowd of people that pummels and wrecks everything in its wake. You have to listen to this song, even if this music isn’t your thing.
Another aspect of the album I massively appreciate is the guitar solos. For a while now, guitar solos are few and far between in Modern Metal, but good god these guitarists have brought solos back to Thrash. They are blistering tapping melodic solos that sound so sinister. The guitars capture the mood so well and blend with the vocals expertly. They’re clean but not processed. This is just raw blistering talent that I rarely ever hear in this genre. Taina and Jessica play so well off of each other, intertwining solos and melodic lines of dual guitars that hit you right in the gut. They play fast, but you can hear every single note in the chord. It’s as if everyone in the band has been playing together for twenty years. No amount of production can create that level of audible chemistry.
“Shades of Sorrow” is a 10/10 album for me, and I don’t typically love this kind of music, but I LOVE this record and everything about it. This band is immensely talented and you’re truly not going to believe how good they are live. This album deserves way more credit than it has received and I hope overtime people will find the brilliance of Crypta.
It has been four years since Finnish Symphonic Power Metal band Sonata Arctica have graced our ears with Metal. They’d been on an acoustic tear for awhile, but are coming back with a “Power Metal laden album” in early 2024. I will have that review of the album ASAP, but for now here’s a promising new single to whet your appetite. Listen down below and let me know what you think in the comments!
Frontman Tony Kakko explains: “This is the first power metal song I wrote for the forthcoming album which is laden with them. Its demo title was ‘First In Line’ and I managed to stick with it. The song handles the worry about raising a new generation of people with or rather letting an electronic screen – namely tv, pad or some such – do a big part of raising this generation of human beings. We think that we buy ourselves time with these gadgets, but are these devices the right “nanny” for our kids or should we maybe slow down a bit, read books, teach that happiness can be and often is something we reach by stopping and letting go of constant stimulation of all our audiovisual senses? In ways, we are flying blindly with these things. Things are advancing too fast in many ways…”
I love this concept and totally reflect the sentiment of needing to slow down time in this modern world. I love this band and this song just cements everything I love about them.
My most anticipated release of the year has finally graced my inbox: Bleed Out by Dutch Modern Symphonic Metal band Within Temptation is here after four years since the trailblazing “Resist”, and it is here to ravage you audibly. Some background for those not familiar with Symphonic Metal or this band has somehow evaded their Youtube feeds: Within Temptation is a Dutch Symphonic Metal band with Gothic and Pagan themes forming in 1996 with couple Sharon Den Adel and Robert Westerholt. This band is a mainstay of the genre with repeated hit albums and bombastic melodic singles. They weave complex orchestrals with Operatic vocals and Pop hooks with staggering emotion and deep lyrics. WT has a song for everyone from classics like “Mother Earth”, “Faster”, “Angels”, and “Paradise (What About Us) featuring Tarja”. They’re one of the most successful Symphonic Metal bands of all time. They have several Platinum selling records and continue to sell out big arenas such as Wembley Stadium. This band has nothing to prove to anyone, but continue to shape shift and surprise. They are uncompromising. They are incomparable. “Bleed Out” is a perfect follow up to the modernization of “Resist”. Regardless of numerous lineup and sound changes, this band is a cornerstone of Modern Metal and I find it a travesty how often they are overlooked.
When I first heard the singles from “Bleed Out”, I was severely underwhelmed and disappointed with the recording quality. The guitars were incredibly muddy and over compressed. The singles had promise, but were overshadowed with modern overproduction, a common problem with Metal albums these days. But, upon first listen of the whole album in Ultra High Definition, I was immediately proven wrong and absolutely blown away. This album is insanely well mastered and balanced. While this is the lowest tuned album, it is the absolute heaviest and raw album this band has ever put out. It is very politically charged, which I am not necessarily a fan of, but it reflects the state of the world in a very dark way and it is something not a lot of bands will do. I disagree that politics should have a place in music and media in general, because politics are personal, but whatever fuels creativity can’t be all that bad as long as it is done tastefully and respectfully. I am vastly impressed with the blending of genres, “Djenty” guitar goodness while keeping beautiful and clear vocals, it is something I never expected to hear. And ultimately, the genre bending works very well for them. While it is far from being my favorite album from them, it has some fantastic moments. “Don’t Pray For Me” is just a fantastically well written track with interesting layers of vocals and booming guitars. The slow buildup of vocal power is brilliant. The title track is one of my favorite songs of the year and dumbfounded me with how heavy it is. I never would’ve guessed Within Temptation would go this heavy. It is a new sound for them, as if Resist was taken to the absolute extreme and found Progressive Metalcore. They pull off this sound and sometimes simplistic song structure, because Sharon Den Adel’s vocals continue to dominate 90% of anything else that is out there and in any genre. You simply cannot find a more well-rounded versatile vocalist that can make anything sound special. “Bleed Out” is absolutely worth a listen, because while it is short, it’ll definitely stick in your head for weeks after.
I was on vacation last week and didn’t have time to update the blog. My family and I went to Las Cruces, New Mexico for a week off. It was a much needed break filled with nature and relaxation. Before that, I attended Eluveitie, Omnium Gatherum, and Seven Spires in Denver. I planned to write up a review on it, but honestly words fail to describe how musically perfect, emotional, and spiritual that show was. Eluveitie now stands as the best band I have ever seen live. They were note perfect, despite missing three members (Chrigel, Nicole, and Kay). So for now, here’s new music you must hear this week.
I am a huge fan of all bands Melodeath; From Dark Tranquility, In Mourning, Arch Enemy, Omnium Gatherum, and all bands alike, I cannot get enough of this dichotomy of music. The chugging guitars, brutal screams, blast beats, all broken up by melodic singing and beautiful guitars just hit me soul deep. It took seeing In Flames live in 2019 to fully understand their impact on this growing genre. I had never listened to them, assuming they were hard on my ears like At The Gates, but seeing them live absolutely blew all my expectations away. This band is anything but hard on the ears. This band is a masterclass in Melodeath composition. Recently, the band has taken the more Melodic elements as well as sick riffs and made them even more catchy. The criticism of the band “changing their sound” has been a hot topic since album “Sirens” and has ultimately but stupidly hurt the band’s credibility in the world of Melodeath. For me, new In Flames is more than just them trying to get more radio play or new fans, it is a testament to the band’s resilience and ingenuity. They took this quintessential sound and brought to to modernity and kept it absolutely mature, heavy, and absolutely unique.
In Flames has blended their old Thrashy sound with new and fresh Melodeath luster and turned it into an absolute masterpiece with 2023 release “Foregone”. This is a youthful yet profound venture for the band, not compromising quality for emotional depth. Anders Friden repeatedly shows his range and depth on songs like “Pure Light of Mind”, “Meet Your Maker” and both parts of the title track. This man took a vocal blowout and completely reinvented himself into one of the greatest dual voice front men of all time. This album is a complete testament to this band’s tenacity to not give up or give into the defeating aspects of the music business. While there’s so many new qualities, they manage to throw us back to old In Flames with searing tracks like “The Great Deceiver” and “State of Slow Decay”. They flawlessly blend old influences of Hardcore Punk and Thrash with modern Melodeath dual track guitars. It is an all encompassing sound that works so well in an arena setting. They’ve always been a heavy band you can sing along to, but every song on this album seems to stick with me. “In The Dark” is a perfect example of heavy ear worms on this record. Lyrically, this album is one of the most profound since “Clayman”. Riff wise, this may be the most full album they’ve ever put out. Bjorn and legendary Chris Broderick are relentless on Foregone. Tanner Wayne is an absolute beast on drums, holding everything together even when it seems so chaotic. The chemistry of this band is what makes this album musically perfect. Plus, the bass solos on Cynosure are deliciously interesting and tastefully done, making it impossible not to headbang. Every beat, every note, every bend is so synchronized that it feels computer generated without being over produced. “Foregone” is another new age Melodeath hit and deserves every positive recognition it can get.
Very few front men in the Prog genre are as highly regarded Tom Englund of Evergrey, Redemption, and a hundred other projects. He is a chemist of blending heavy guitar tone with emotional melodies. Redemption is one of the most popular Prog acts of the last two decades, but has not managed to become stale. Englund and guitarist Nick Van Dyk don’t focus on being diverse or reinventing themselves, and yet the music doesn’t become repetitive like some Prog bands tend to have a formula. It’s crazy Progressive Metal, harrowing from the classic Prog bands like Genesis. Me being the least fan of Genesis, I have never listened to Redemption before. I love Prog, but I am extremely picky with the genre (and all music to be honest). So 2023 album, I Am The Storm, is my introduction into the massive world of Redemption. My expectations for this album were nonexistent as I expected utter musical chaos like Genesis, Dream Theater, and Symphony X. As much as this album is typical musical masturbation, it is also filled with the melodic genius of England and keyboardist Vikram Shankar.
“I Am the Storm” is a bombastic, passionate, technically astounding album that is not to be digested with one listen. This is an emotionally and musically complex album that demands your attention. Van Dyk and Englund command the airwaves with every note either punching you in the face or soaring through your gut. It combines Iron Maiden, Genesis, Power, Prog, and Thrash all blending seamlessly throughout each track. Songs like the title track and “Seven Minutes From Sunset” hammer down with heavy Prog Metal guitars and rhythmic sections, breaking down into virtuoso guitar and keyboard solos. “Resilience” screams Petrucci amd Portnoy chemistry into “shreddy” soloing and a catchy vocal line. Englund might not have an enormous range, but his utter power into a tone heavy vocal can become so addictive. The highlight of the album, for me, is not the crazy guitar solos or loud technical prowess, it is the ballad of the album. “The Emotional Depiction of Light” is a hugely complex emotional track that is a must listen track of 2023. There is something so immensely haunting and grabbing about this track with the piano intro and soft vocals, building into an absolutely wailing track. To build up a song such as this takes immense restraint and musical ambition. It is pure emotional expression, and that is what I like to hear in Prog Metal.
Overall, this album is absolutely another Prog masterpiece that Redemption probably always puts out. It has everything a 10/10 Prog Metal record should have. “I Am The Storm” is musical mastery and emotive complexity perfectly. Does it show ingenuity or invention? No, in most ways it is what Dream Theater has been doing for almost four decades as well as dozens of other Prog Metal bands. Musically, while the technicality is vastly impressive, the musical masturbation is a huge turn off for me. Musical Masturbation is a term my brilliant older brother came up with to describe bands like Dream Theater where every break from vocals is a solo. It’s where subtlety and airiness die in music, allowing no time for the listener to digest and feel something other than an onslaught of notes. If this is not your thing either, Redemption is not for you. If you can’t get enough of virtuoso abilities and crazy musical changes, this album is going to absolutely blow you away.
The Melodic Death Metal titans hailing from Joensuu, Finland have been putting out heavy poetry since 1997 now; So you’d think we would know what to expect, but every album turns out to be more surprising than the last. Generally, if you haven’t heard Insomnium before, you can expect the Nihilistic Finnish downtrodden Death Metal sound but with a modern twist. Insomnium added melody to this classic angry and sad boy sound, converting experienced Death Metal fans and new to the ways of melodeath. Guitarist Markus Vanhala and Bassist/Vocalist Niilo Sevanen along with founder Ville Friman put out brutally epic music that’s a storyboard of Finland throughout the ages. We had ancient Viking history with Winter’s Gate, which is one of the most successful Death Metal concept records I’ve ever seen. We had modern to futuristic trials with Shadows of the Dying Sun. And now, we have a historical journey of Christianity making its way to Finland with Anno 1696, mixing with the local Mythology Insomnium has always kept true to, and it truly feels older.
This album blends classic Insomnium sounds that Friman and Sevanen built with melodeath touches from Markus, and then reverberated modern drumming. It feels like a 1990s Death Metal record in a nostalgic yet not derivative way, but with echoey pounding drums. I didn’t expect such a huge modern drum tone from Insomnium, but it works. Insomnium’s DNA of their sound is fine-tuned on this record. It is tighter, more well-composed, and a whole thought than 2019’s Heart Like A Grave. This album is a perfect example of the quintessential Insomnium sound with some new sounds. Anno 1696 is a mastery of melodeath and shows what Insomnium is truly capable of when they take their time. The tracks White Christ, the opening track, and The Witch Hunter blend their acoustic guitar breaks, melodic on-the-nose leads, distorted vocals, and beautiful folky-clean singing in the tightest and interwoven ways I have ever heard. This album may not be their best, but it is Insomnium straight through the vein.
Metal Valkyrie 