Rank your top (and worst) albums and songs - 2023 Edition

[Schulzy]

Another year...and so much music. Perhaps the most I've ever listened to. I could not cut it down to 10 albums only so tried to separate them into categories as best as I could. Bands from across the globe - Canada, the US, England, Sweden, and Australia amongst others. Certain bands prompted me to go back and listen to previous albums I'd never heard. I will try and write up reviews on a couple of these in more detail if time allows. Thanks to members of this board for introducing me to Sleep Token, Beyond The Black, Periphery, and Sarayasign. Here's a link to my Soundcloud and YouTube Metal/Hard Rock Playlists.

https://on.soundcloud.com/F4i9K
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list ... NJ_obZ9oN7

I will do my best to not completely torch my worst albums of the year...here's looking at you Avenged Sevenfold. I could have written a complete paper on my reaction to Life Is But a Dream. It actually gave me a headache.

1. Sleep Token - Take Me Back To Eden
2. In Flames - Forgone
3. Any Given Sin - War Within
4. Eleine - We Shall Remain
5. Caskets - Reflections
6. Lauren Daigle - Self Titled
7. Chris Botti - Vol. 1
8. Beyond The Black - Self Titled
9. Creye - III: Weightless
10. Awake At Last - The Balance
11. For The Fallen Dreams - Self Titled
12. Periphery - V: Djent Is Not A Genre
13. Delain - Dark Waters
14. Disciple - Skeleton Psalms
15. Atreyu - The Beautiful Dark of Life
16. Archetypes Collide - Self Titled
17. Sleep Theory - Paper Hearts EP
18. Solence - Hope is a Cult
19. Illenium - Self Titled
20. Saul - This Is It...The End Of Everything
21. Andy James - Fury From Above
22. Spiritbox - The Fear of Fear EP

Middle of the Pack

1. The Icarus Plan - Trauma Bonds I
2. August Burns Red - Death Below
3. Attack, Attack! - EP
4. NF - Hope
5. Metallica - 72 Seasons
6. Crown The Empire - DOGMA
7. Through Fire - Devil's Got You Dreamin
8. Currents - The Death We Seek
9. Within Temptation- Bleed Out
10. Relent - World War Me
11. Big Wreck - 7.3
12. Matchbox Twenty - Where The Light Gets In
13. Extreme - Six
14. Sevendust - Truth Killer
15. From Ashes to New - Blackout
16. Conquer Divide - Slow Burn
17. Skindred - Smile
18. Mammoth WVH - II
19. Sarayasign - The Lion's Road
20. Point North - Prepare For Despair
21. The Veer Union - Crispin Acoustic Covers Vol. 1
22. Asking Alexandria - Where Do We Go From Here?
23. The Word Alive - Hard Reset
24. Polaris - Fatalism
25. Red - Rated R
26. War of Ages - Dominion
27. Staind - Confessions of The Fallen
28. Wolves At The Gate - Lost in Translation
29. Landsdowne - Medicine
30. Of Mice & Men - Tether
31. Holding Absence - The Noble Art of Self Destruction
32. Beartooth - Surface
33. Jonathan Young - Children of Night
34. Catch Your Breath - Shame On Me
35. Another Day Dawns - Finding Peace Through All The Noise
36. Mark Tremonti - Christmas Classics
37. Silent Planet - Superbloom
38. Daedric - Mortal
39. Soen - Memorial
40. As The Structure Fails - In Vain
41. Ignescent - Fight In Me
42. Lacey Sturm - Kenotic Metanoia
43. Saliva - Revelation
44. Theocracy - Mosaic
45. Citizen Soldier - ICU
46. American Arson - Sand & Cinder, Tide & Timber

Worst

1. HolyName - Self Titled
2. Project 86 - OMNI - Part 1
3. Pop Evil - Skeletons
4. Avenged Sevenfold - Life Is But A Dream
5. World Gone Cold - Self Titled
6. Ayron Jones - Chronicles Of The Kid
7. The Ongoing Concept - Again
8. Edge of Paradise - Hologram

2022 and Prior Albums

1. Fit For A King - The Hell We Create
2. Disturbed - Divisive
3. Smash Into Pieces - Disconnect
4. Halestorm - Back From The Dead
5. Shinedown - Planet Zero
6. Dorothy - Gifts From The Holy Ghost
7. Awake At Last - The Change
8. Sleep Token - Sundowning and This Place Will Become Your Tomb
9. Bad Omens - The Death of Peace of Mind
10. The Word Alive - MONOMANIA
11. The Icarus Plan - Self Titled
12. Northlane - Obsidian
13. Red - Until We Have Faces (Live and Unplugged)
14. Switchfoot - The Beautiful Letdown (Our Version)
15. This Bitter Earth - Veronica Swift
16. Illenium - Fallen Embers
17. Lecrae - Church Clothes 4
18. Sarayasign - Throne of Gold
19. Citizen Soldier - Relentless
20. Ankor - White Dragon
21. Oceans Ate Alaska - Disparity
22. Anaria - Exile

Top Songs

1. Atreyu - Drowning
2. Sleep Token - The Summoning
3. In Flames - Meet Your Maker
4. Beyond the Black - Not in Our Name
5. Sleep Theory - Numb
6. Captives - By The Sound
7. Ovtlier - Heartless
8. Lauren Daigle - Kaleidescope Jesus
9. Citizen Soldier - Talk Me Down
10. Skindred - If I Could
11. Mammoth WVH - Take A Bow
12. Eleine - We Shall Remain
13. Any Given Sin - War Within
14. Daughtry - Artificial
15. Spiritbox - Jaded
16. Periphery - Atropos

[Devil Inside You]

Damn you listen to a lot of music. I didn't even know Project 86 and Saliva put out records this year. I need to check those out

[Devil Inside You]

This was my dryest year of the decade so far. Musically, there was barely anything that piqued my interest. 2020, 2021 and 2022 were all much better.

My favorite album of the year was Zig by Poppy. Its a really nice blend of electronic, alternative and hard rock/nu-metal music. I think she's one of the few modern rock acts actually pushing the genre forward. If Sleep Token was your favorite record of the year, you might enjoy Poppy's work too. I'm still torn if I like Zig or I Disagree more though.

Honorable mentions go to Candlebox's The Long Goodbye as well as their acoustic album, Filter's The Algorithm and of course Mark Tremonti Christmas Classics

[Schulzy]

My favorite album of the year was Zig by Poppy. Its a really nice blend of electronic, alternative and hard rock/nu-metal music. I think she's one of the few modern rock acts actually pushing the genre forward. If Sleep Token was your favorite record of the year, you might enjoy Poppy's work too. I'm still torn if I like Zig or I Disagree more though.

I checked it out. I made it through Zig, Church Outfit, Knockoff, Hard, and am listening to What It Becomes while I type this. She doesn't do much for me I'm afraid. There is very little vocal variance, I struggle to find a memorable melody, and lyrically I can't remember any of the songs after listening to them.

Sleep Token hits on all levels for me with Vessel's voice, lyrics, and melodies. In addition they have an insane drummer who is one of the very few that I can watch do playthroughs of songs. The injection of hip hop beats, jazz, atmospheric elements, and piano further elevates my admiration and I find their visuals to be very appealing too.

[Devil Inside You]

No worries. Appreciate you checking her out. I Disagree is the most metal oriented of all her albums, but at the same time if you're not feeling Zig, I doubt it'll change your mind.

I actually have yet to hear Sleep Token, I just know their name has been passed around a lot this year. I'll give The Summoning a play asap

[Schulzy]

No worries. Appreciate you checking her out. I Disagree is the most metal oriented of all her albums, but at the same time if you're not feeling Zig, I doubt it'll change your mind.

I actually have yet to hear Sleep Token, I just know their name has been passed around a lot this year. I'll give The Summoning a play asap

I'm always happy to check out new music and try to listen with an open mind. Sleep Token has such a diverse collection. The Summoning is arguably their biggest song and one of my top two. If you make it through that then go back and try Take Me Back to Eden. Listen in a quiet, dark room with headphones...and then for something completely different go with Bloodsport.

[UninvitedZero]

Finally narrowed down my Top 10 albums of 2023
Regardless of genre
Exact order subject to change

10. Foo Fighters - But Here We Are
9. Cattle Decapitation - Terrasite
8. Staind - Confessions Of The Fallen
7. Blackbraid - Blackbraid II
6. Jason Isbell - Weathervanes
5. Hellripper - Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags
4. City and Colour - The Love Still Held Me Near
3. Dying Fetus - Make Them Beg For Death
2. Rival Sons - Darkfighter
1. Zach Bryan - Zach Bryan


Honorable mentions going out to...

Cannibal Corpse - Chaos Horrific
Black Stone Cherry - Screamin' At The Sky
Metallica - 72 Seasons
Suffocation - Hymns Of The Apocrypha
Turnpike Troubadours - A Cat In The Rain
Morduus - Grotesque Reality (some local flavor!)

[Macca]

Anything other than Take Me Back to Eden in the number 1 spot is the wrong answer

[gbruin]

Short and sweet - in part because I've only heard about 30% of the albums Schultzy listed lol. But I don't think 1 and 2 are changing no matter what.

1. Saraysign - The Lion's Road
2. Kamelot - The Awakening

Honorable mentions
Creye - III Weightless
Eclipse - Megalomanium
Revolutions Saints - Eagle Flight
Metallica - 72 Seasons
Serenity - Nemesis AD
Delain - Dark Waters