Neill Jameson's Top Albums of 2023
We’re slamming face first into the closed door at the end of 2023 which means it’s the most wonderfuckingful time of the year, especially if you released an album this year and more than just your four friends listened to it. That is until it doesn’t get the recognition you feel it deserved and petition those four friends to clog up the comments section of every source that curates these lists to tell said curators they “forgot” whatever forgettable recording you released, in an effort much like telling a woman, for this example we’ll say a coworker, you’d like to be intimate with things about her body in graphic detail.
And much like the instance in the previous run-on sentence you’ll see the same results. Seriously, has this approach ever worked? The “forgot this record” one, not the obvious HR issue. I’ve never once seen a publication, upon reading these comments, issue a statement saying “OOPS WE FUCKED UP” and then adding a record to their list. And let’s face it, the only reason anyone inserts their hangnail of an opinion into their preferred orifice of the public spectrum is they want to be seen to have obscure, “cool” taste. I doubt it’s as much of a pantydropper as they’d hope, but then again I don’t think Kafka could have imagined the reality we live in today.
On the other hand, since I want to be fair here, a lot of these lists DO in no uncertain terms fucking suck.Many are filled with whatever bullshit that the “major” labels are poisoning the water supply with. Music with no substance, no meaning, just fashionable platitudes and songs that would make counting the minutes left in your life seem exciting.
We’ve seen a lot of complaints of bands being “industry plants” this year; I’m sure I’ve received that comment somewhere, too. And I can understand how certain bands can be perceived that way, as constructs much in the way *NSYNC or The Sex Pistols were created. All this does is show the underlying mistrust people have in the overall “industry,” something I don’t entirely see fault with. This, more than any year I can previously remember, was the year of the cynic. But here’s a New Year's Resolution for you; remember that it’s very easy to slip from being a cynic into being an asshole. Try not to be an asshole, we’re an over represented group as is.
So we gather here, 12 months after the last time, to read each other's opinions and complain about them. Every year, starting in early to mid November, I start receiving friend requests and follows on my various social media from bands and labels who then, around the first week of January, disappear back into the musty basements they crawled out of, only to be replaced by people who I haven’t spoken to in years emailing me to tell me a band or label I wrote about is “unclean” and I need to “do better.”
And I’m sure this year will be more of the same. Regardless, here are 20 records that really made an impact on my listening this year. I kept it (mostly) to full lengths this year, rather than adding demos and splits, which would make this even less readable than it already is. You can find those ramblings elsewhere throughout the month. I will say that I had the hardest time weeding out the top 10 that I’ve had since I started taking part in the lists here. If you like any of this, or any of the other records on people's lists this year, please consider actually purchasing shit from the artist, even if it’s a pin or sticker. And if that’s out of the range of your economics, then at least spread the word to others. It’s becoming an increasingly difficult economy in this microcosm; every alm for the poor helps.
And a final reminder; this shit is all my opinion and is entirely subjective. Perception is reality for each of us, so if you disagree with mine please sit down, brew a cup of tea and calm down, it won’t affect your life at all, I promise.
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Honorable Mentions:
20. Quest Master – Sword and Circuitry (Urge Records, Australia)
19. Orkblut – Ghost Paths to Septentrion (Medieval Prophecy, Belgium)
18. Dead Times – Dead Times (Thrill Jockey, USA)
17. Anonymous Skull – Oh, To Be Forgotten (Deathful Lust, Canada)
16. Крюкокрест – Ауфидерзейн (Horrible Room, Russia)
15. Crymych – Songs of Sistrum (Deathprayer, UK)
14. Forest Thrall – Amidst Pines (Deathprayer, USA)
13. dai-ichi – dai-ichi (Crown and Throne, USA)
12. Häxanu – Totenpass (Amor Fati, USA)
11. Woe – Legacies of Frailty (Vendetta, USA)
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It was a somewhat quiet year for Circle of Ouroborus after last year’s three full lengths with just a collection LP of three EPs that were previously released separately and this, their only “new” material of 2023. Lumi Vaientaa Kysymykset is a subdued walk into the doomier side of CoO, giving me similar vibes as the early U.K. death/doom Peaceville was so well known for. Four lengthy songs of cavernous and, for lack of a better word, “dreamy” misery, with the third song, “Lankeemus” being my favorite, with the layers of organs and guitar creating their own world and Antti’s reverb drenched vocals lighting the way. This record was a definite slow burn for me but once it clicked it dug in.
Listen here.
Gates of Dawn really impressed me last year with his debut full length of twisted, synth-laden black metal but after Death Hymns sent me a promo for the second full length late in ‘22 II became one of my most anticipated albums of this year. Taking atmospheric black metal (think both Parnassus records and, if you’re unfamiliar, look those up too) and adding a layer of true psychedelia injected with uncut amphetamines, and you might have an idea of II but this is a record best experienced personally, in an environment where you can truly listen and allow it to take you somewhere. This project deserves to be mentioned in the current pantheon of USBM greats.
Listen here.
I knew of Morne from managing a record store and occasionally putting them on in the background but I never truly “got” the band until we were recording “Transient” in Rhode Island, and they happened to be playing so we went to check them out, which cemented them as one of the best doom bands I’d ever seen live. Since then, I’ve become a staunch fan but never thought they would outdo 2011’s Asylum, which is dismal perfection. Engraved with Pain proved me wrong. This is a megalithic record of punishing crusty doom, the miserable kind not the “pass the joint” nonsense, an absolute emotional beating with crushing production. I’ve spent a lot of time with this one, and I can say, with whatever (lack of) authority that I have on the subject that this is easily their strongest record and (for me) the best doom record of 2023.
Listen here.
I guess we could sit and debate each other on the meaning of “originality” but honestly you’re not that interesting (or the one writing this) so we’ll just have to agree on my definition. And Med Freden Kommer Hadet is one of the strangest, most original and authentic black metal records I’ve heard in a long time. From the kind of razor sharp traditional black metal you’d expect from one of the Korpsaand Circle bands, to psychedelic garage rock, to menacing street punk and even some tinges of early heavy metal, Gabestok have created a record that takes a lot of unexpected turns without seeming contrived in the slightest. Black metal’s Raw Power? Maybe.
Listen here.
This was the biggest surprise of the year for me. I’d seen it mentioned a few times and didn’t think much of it, could’ve been a bullshit cash grab for all I knew, but it just didn’t register much. Then I started seeing people posting about it, people whose opinions I respected. So I figured “fuck it”and gave it a shot. Holy fuck, I’m glad I did. What easily could’ve been an autopilot cash grab or a completely unnecessary release was actually fucking savage, raw, and done with obvious care. I found myself within minutes scouring the web for specific color vinyl (because I’m an incorrigible fucking nerd) and here we are, with Morbid Visions (and Bestial Devastation by proxy) here in my top 10 of the year. I hope they do Schizophrenia next.
Listen here.
It’s been a dull few years for crust punk in my listening rotation. I haven’t found much to scratch the itch in between Extinction of Mankind full lengths. That all changed when I saw Alex CF (ex-Fall of Efrafa and a fucking million others) post something about Wreathe on his Instagram (which I recommend following just for his art alone). Self described as “emo crust,” Wreathe are a beautiful amalgamation of Darker Days Ahead-era Tragedy and His Hero is Gone and go very far in filling the void of those bands. Triumphant and melodic crust that feels like they fit so much more than 25ish minutes in total. Fucking earworms abound.
Listen here.
So, this is the final Urfaust record. The weight of that statement alone could crush many bands under a lot of expectations. So how did it all turn out? Well, we wouldn’t be talking about it otherwise but Untergang is a beautiful epitaph to one of the most unique and challenging projects to ever exist within (the outside of) black metal. Less a collection of songs and more an experience in spiritual traveling, this is definitely not social listening.
Listen here.
Revenant Marquis have spent the last four years continually evolving from an interesting, haunting black metal project to one of the most special and unique in the genre. Those of you playing along at home will note that all three times I’ve done this list, Revenant Marquis has been in my top 10, but All the Pleasures of Heaven, the project’s final album, stands as the best of them all. A more dense sound this time around while retaining the project’s characteristic distant and spectral sound. While it’s unfortunate that we’ll never get another Revenant Marquis full length, this was the perfect way to go out.
Listen here.
One of the most important formative moments for me was when I listened to Joined in Darkness for the first time. It somehow took the formula of Drawing Down the Moon and poisoned it further. Here we are, over 20 years later, and I’ve experienced that feeling again, this time with Black Star Gnosis, the first Demoncy in over a decade. Jet black and suffocating, darker than fucking dark. Black Star Gnosis stands very tall in a discography riddled with classics, many of which being the building blocks of which American black metal stands on. An impressive and welcome return to form.
Listen here.
This record being at the top of my list should surprise no one. But what is surprising is how Kommodus has evolved from intense barbarism to express melancholy wrapped within the songs, bringing in some elements of his Forest Temple project, creating a wintry atmosphere while retaining his identity. Kommodus has continually sharpened as an audial weapon but with Wreath of Bleeding Snowfall, he has created his finest record yet. Punishing, cold, and triumphant.
Listen here.
