Sam’s Top 10 Albums of 2023!

In the coming two weeks, you will see our album of the year lists. After every writer has published their list, we will post the blog’s collective top 10 with the best overall scoring albums. As the founder of this blog, I felt it was my duty to go first with the album of the year lists (and someone had to do it). Due to personal circumstances and burnout, I took a hiatus from the blog in 2022 and handed over the reins to Sabrina. When I came back to manage things (it was now her turn for Personal Circumstances™), our organization had improved immensely, and I had to do very little comparatively to make things run smoothly. The current state of the blog utterly blows my mind. 

Compared to the early days of us basically posting a few notes every other week on potentially interesting albums, we’ve become far more professional in our writing and presentation. I sometimes archive older reviews that were originally published in batch posts because they are now hard to find, and the general difference in quality is astounding. Now our monthly views have skyrocketed (we passed 15k in November for the first time!), and people seem to take us far more seriously as critics! 

A big moment of realization for me in how big we became and how seriously people now take us was when Tom de Wit reposted my fairly critical Dreamwalkers Inc review on Facebook and seemingly every artist under the sun we’ve ever given a bad score to came out of the woodwork to call us out for the haters that we are. What was once upon a time a casual blog run by a bunch of nerds engaging in a passion project now gets treated as a serious publication. I try to creatively poke fun at something and people get genuinely offended! Well, I guess we are the hater blog now.

Anyway, enough about that. Let’s talk 2023. For me, this was the year of “almost” releases in the underground. I found tons of bands which were fantastic in a few elements but never quite attained the songwriting chops to tie it all together to blow me away consistently; hence it was challenging to put this list together. Many good albums, even a solid amount of great ones, but unfortunately, few masterpieces. Putting a good list together for myself thus ended up being quite the challenge, but after lots of shifting around, relistening, and careful deliberation, I found the resulting list quite satisfying, and I hope you’ll be able to get something out of my list that you love. Happy reading!

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Honorable mentions:

• Ali – Music World: my actual album of the year, but it’s neither underground, nor prog, nor metal. A wonderful combination of acid jazz, hiphop, pop, rock, soul, latin, funk, and a whole lot more.
• Obsidian Tide – The Grand Crescendo: for its many awesome moments (that build up and flute solo in “Halo Crvsher” dude!)
• Winterhorde – Neptunian: for how majestic it is
• Psilocybe – Strange Place: for being unreasonably fun even though by all objective means it shouldn’t work in the slightest
• Course of Fate – Somnium: for its extremely solid trad prog writing
• Fjoergyn – Judasmesse: for its many Floydian solos that had me weak
• The Lion’s Daughter – Bath House: who might have made it had I started listening to it earlier in the year
• Haralabos Stafylakis – Calibrating Friction: for its unique marriage of classical music and modern prog metal

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10. The Anchoret – It All Began With Loneliness
Style: progressive metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Opeth, Caligula’s Horse, Arcane, Pain of Salvation, King Crimson

Out of all the “almost” albums this year, this one is my favorite. The Anchoret plays a jazzy, modern style of prog metal that is as if prog rock Opeth had a baby with Arcane or Caligula’s Horse. The band’s playing is immaculate, their song development is subtle and through composed, and their writing is wonderfully eclectic. The meek vocals hold it back somewhat, but they have so many other things going for them it’s hardly a big deal. It All Began With Loneliness is easily one of the freshest prog metal releases to have come out of the underground prog metal scene in years, and if they capitalize on their momentum properly, I can see their fanbase outgrowing our blog’s monthly listener cap sooner rather than later.

Recommended tracks: Until the Sun Illuminates, Forsaken, All Turns to Clay, Unafraid
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook

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9. Sermon – Of Golden Verse
Style: progressive metal, alternative metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Tool, Katatonia, The Ocean

Out of all the major older prog metal bands, Tool is the one I’ve always had the most issues getting into. I love their songs on shuffle, but their shtick of a long winded tribal build up into Maynard and Danny Carey exploding can entertain me for only so long before I get bored with the lack of melodic variety. Enter Sermon, a band who does everything Tool does, but adds Katatonia-like gloomy vocal melodies and spooky atmosphere, and The Ocean-esque groovy riffs on top of the usual strumming, and blends it all together into a sound that is unequivocally their own. Of Golden Verse is a tremendous slab of tribal alt-prog, cementing their place as one of the underground’s most exciting projects.

Recommended tracks: Light the Witch, The Distance, Departure
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook

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8. Kostnatění – Úpal
Style: experimental black/folk metal (mostly harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Blut Aus Nord, Deathspell Omega, Mare Cognitum, Melechesh

Ah, experimental black metal, ever challenging, but ever so rewarding for the persevering listener. As bands push black metal beyond its limits, the music they make is hardly ever pleasant to listen to, but Kostnatění here struck a chord with me. The way they play with dissonance is as intellectually challenging as it is emotionally engaging, getting under your skin with weird chord choices yet maintaining a clear harmonic structure and laying down recognizably headbangable riffing patterns; all this resulting in an intense yet fun experience. Úpal is an exemplary record for how to maintain accessibility amidst pushing the boundaries on what is possible.

Recommended tracks: Hořím navždy, Rukojmí empatie
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify

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7. Anubis Gate – Interference
Style: traditional progressive metal, power metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Dream Theater, Pagan’s Mind, Circus Maximus

When it comes to the major 00s prog power bands, Anubis Gate have always been on my B-list, liking, but never quite loving them as I do my favorites from that era. With Interference, however, I might have to reconsider that position. What really surprised me about this record was the strong focus on atmosphere and experimentation, incorporating various Pink Floyd and electronica elements in their compositions. Songs like “Number Stations,” “Dissonance Consonance,” and “Interference” blew me away with how well they interweaved these atmospheric elements into the band’s already strong melodic writing, while tunes like “Emergence” and “World of Clay” are classic AG sing-along rockers, making for an extremely compelling experience. Very late into their career, and Interference is my favorite Anubis Gate album yet. 

Recommended tracks: Dissonance Consonance, World of Clay, Interference
Related links: original review | Spotify | Facebook

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6. Triumpher – Storming the Walls
Style: US power metal, epic doom metal, progressive metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Iced Earth, Manowar, Gamma Ray, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Some singers are just unfair, hitting insane notes at gargantuan volume as they go AAAAAAA when you least expect it. Triumpher has one such singer, and their debut Storming the Walls blew me away when I first heard it. This album is an amalgamation of nasty riffs, frenetic drumming, and insane vocal prowess. Triumpher play heavy/power metal in theory, but it’s mixed with epic doom, black metal, and progressive metal elements to create one of the most dynamic releases of the year. I have some qualms with the melody writing, which prevent it from attaining a higher place on this list, but all the performances on Storming the Walls are absolutely world class and more than make up for it. How this is only a debut is beyond me. Apparently there is a new album in the works for 2024 already, and I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see where they go next with a tiny bit more polish.

Recommended tracks: Journey/Europa Victrix, The Thunderer, Esoteric Church of Dagon, Divus de Mortuus
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook

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5. The Pulse Theory – Coming Back Home
Style: traditional prog metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Evergrey, Dream Theater, Subsignal, Pain of Salvation, 90s prog metal in general

Traditional prog metal is my weak spot, and this band hit me the hardest in that regard this year. The Pulse Theory wield a sense of melody and atmosphere that is simply made for me. From the ethereal, cinematic synths, to the emotive melodic solos and colorful guitarwork, to the piano driven verses and Avishek Dasgupta’s soulful vocals, I fell in love instantly with Coming Back Home, and it never let me go. I had some issues with the production, but otherwise this is a great melodic prog metal offering for anyone who likes compact songwriting.

Recommended tracks: Memories Divine, The Vanquished the Victor, Everytime
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook

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4. Finsterforst – Jenseits
Style: viking metal, symphonic metal, progressive metal (mixed vocals, German lyrics)
Recommended for fans of: Moonsorrow, Wilderun, Borknagar, Enslaved

I adore epic things, and this is truly one of the most epic things I’ve ever heard. Everything on Jenseits is gargantuan: swelling brass powerful enough to summon a storm, a thunderous rhythm section that would make Odin proud, harsh vocals wicked enough to terrify opposing armies, and a baritone choir that sends me straight to Valhalla. Listening to Jenseits is akin to an epic tale, but now you are experiencing it yourself. So close your eyes, put this on, and let yourself get carried away on the waves of your imagination.

Recommended tracks: Kapital I – Freiheit
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook

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3. Nebulae Come Sweet – De Lumière
Style: progressive metal, post-metal, sludge metal, symphonic metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Cult of Luna, The Ocean

I’ve always wondered what symphonic sludge metal would sound like, and Nebulae Come Sweet has gone a long way in fulfilling those dreams, playing a progressive post/sludge style similar to The Ocean but with an added orchestra and a full time cello player. The symphonic elements provide a ton of textural and melodic depth to the Belarusians’s brand of post/sludge, filling up what is otherwise typically left as empty space in the more minimalistic ventures. As the year went on, more and more emotional depth revealed itself to me in their compositions, landing them one of the top spots in my list.

Recommended tracks: Lumen, Candor, Claritas
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook

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2. Sacred Outcry – Towers of Gold
Style: power metal, heavy metal, progressive metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Lost Horizon, Atlantean Kodex

Daniel Heiman. That’s it, that’s the write-up. For those who know, you know, and you can move onto my number 1. For those who don’t, let me explain. Once upon a time there was a power metal band called Lost Horizon whose singer Daniel Heiman instantly solidified himself as the best power metal vocalist by a distance (which is pretty insane when you consider what the genre standard is for power metal singers). When he features on a power metal album, you listen.

Recommended tracks: The Voyage, Into the Storm, Towers of Gold
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook

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1. Günter Werno – Anima One
Style: classical, orchestral, progressive metal (mostly instrumental, otherwise clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Vanden Plas, Haralabos Stafylakis, The Night Watch, score composers

Among those who know me, I am a predictable person. Like my fellow writer Zach, I, too, have autism spectrum disorder, and will often just indulge in the same band for months or even years on end. Vanden Plas is one of my longest running “autism bands,” and has been my favorite band for at least half a decade (only recently usurped by Evergrey), so when my colleague Andy pointed me to their keyboard player releasing a classical album this year with support from the rest of the band, my ‘tism went into overdrive. Günter Werno has long been one of my favorite keyboard players for his impeccable sense of melody and talent for orchestration, both of which are on full display here. Anima One is a grandiose adventure through fantastical sonic landscapes full of vivid string arrangements and wondrous piano melodies, with the rest of Vanden Plas occasionally coming in to provide a prog metal backing to keep the music grounded. As far as underground prog is concerned, this is easily my favorite album of the year, and I can’t wait to hear what Günter will do next.

Recommended tracks: 1^st movement – Animabilis
Related links: original review | Spotify | Facebook