We've finally almost made it to the end of these.
As fun as they are to make, I don't know if I'll keep doing these end-of-year lists in this format, or even rank albums in order. We'll see, but for now, I present to you the first half of my expanded list of top favourite albums in the insanely busy and stacked year for music that was 2023 :
11.) Sanguisugabogg - "Homicidal Ecstasy" :
"Homicidal Ecstasy" rapidly became a go-to for me whenever I just wanted to go full caveman and enjoy some clobbering brutal death metal.
There's no deep, elaborate concept here, no powerful message to be gleaned, just pure, ignorant, heavy fun to be had.
12.) Earthside - "Let the Truth Speak" :
I still haven't spent the time that this album deserves for each of its intricacies to be fully appreciated, however, "Let the Truth" is undisputably another certified prog metal masterpiece from the maestros in Earthside who seem to be incapable of producing anything less than excellence.
13.) Liturgy - "93696" :
A challenging record that is definitely destined for the more curious and brave ears out there but whose vision transcends well beyond the music itself and this can only be admired.
Despite being an arduous journey at times, there are some incredibly rewarding moments on this album unlike anything you will hear anywhere else.
14.) healthyliving - "Songs of Abundance, Psalms of Grief" :
Gloomy with a sense of haunted beauty to it, as well as occasional sparks of abrasiveness, healthyliving's debut has the ability to raise spirits just as it can plunge into deep melancholy while effortlessly digging its hooks into the listener for them to keep coming back.
15.) Pupil Slicer - "Blossom" :
An impressive step forward from their debut on pretty much every aspects.
Mathcore has rarely felt this ambitious and progressive.
16.) Dead Soma - "Pathos" :
Frighteningly precise mathcore that doesn't shy away from its influences but is executed to perfection.
The level of quality Dead Soma have dished out since their very recent arrival is phenomenal.
17.) Intercourse - "Halo Castration Institute" :
The most unhinged album I've heard this past year.
Ugly, uncomfortable, delirious angry ramblings for all the weirdos out there.
There's some wild lyrics on this one that can be just as sardonically humorous as they can be brutally dark and bluntly honest.
18.) Telos - "Delude" :
Pooling together some of the best elements of mathcore, sludge and black metal ; "Delude" is relentlessly gnarly and packed with memorable moments and riffs.
19.) Periphery - "Periphery V : Djent Is Not A Genre" :
Although some of the quips and quirks could've been reduced or removed for a better flowing listening experience in my opinion and it does tend to sound a little too overpolished and "plastic" for my taste from time to time ; at the end of the day, Periphery are all masters of their craft and know how to write some of the most anthemic [redacted] progressive metalcore with a flair for epic scale and instant memorabilty.
20.) Algiers - "Shook" :
An incredible sense of musical narrative brought to life by the many different styles and voices present on this album.
Beyond simply being conceptually gripping and entertaining, "Shook"'s narrative carries a real sense of purpose acted out as the musical equivalent of a blockbuster, tension-filled noir thriller.