Another year, another ten albums. 2023 was a fun year for music. I listened to what feels like a hundred albums in a hundred genres, though I wound up not purchasing … 90% of them. I’m finding as my music library gets bigger, the harder it is for me to buy more. I only rate albums I bought though, so we’re in a bit of a pickle.
Shoutout to Powerwolf, Ed Sheeran, Bebe Rexhe, Kesha, Orbit Culture, Tash Sultana, and too many more to count. I really did have a blast this year.
On the concert front, I got to see Ronnie Radke throw a fit at Rockfest, Jinjer jam so hard we couldn’t hear the storm right outside the tent, The Lonely Ones twice at a local venue with barely a hundred people around, and Tash Sultana in Madison, who was one of my major highlights of the year. Top-5 concert, that one.
So, with that being said, let’s begin!
10: Godsmack – Lighting up the Sky
Genre: Rock
I’m a long-standing fanboy of Godsmack and their brand of radio-friendly rock. I’ve been listening to them since I was nine. So when I say their musical trajectory from 1999 to 2023 has been an interesting one, I really mean it. Lighting up the Sky combines the best of When Legends Rise with Sully Erna’s solo output. This means it’s their least “Godsmack” album in sound. Some days, I don’t really know what to make of it, and other days, I’m really happy to have it on. It’s certainly got some of their best guitar work, and the emotional songs hit harder lyrically than ever before, but … “Red, White, and Blue” is easily the worst tune they’ve ever put out, and I miss that wet guitar tone. They make my list because it’s what the heart wants, but I won’t pretend they’ve put out a masterpiece here.
9: Ava Max – Diamonds and Dancefloors
Genre: Pop
You know what’s fun? High-energy pop music I can dance and sing to. Do you know what Ava Max does? That. There’s not much more to say about this one. It’s exactly what it sets out to be, filled with fun, catchy ear-worms and an audio mix that’s as massive as the voice behind it. We stan Ava Max here.
8: Heretoir – Nightsphere
Genre: Black Metal / Post Black
Every year there’s a new black metal album I latch onto and turn into my personality for a spell, and this year it’s Heretoir. Nightsphere is a funky combination of that raw, black metal we all love, with the more mellow, melodic post black atmosphere we also all love. There’s just as much singing as screaming in this one. It jumps around in sound seamlessly, going from heavy to somber, twisted to melancholic, all the while feeling like you’re wandering through a forest. I adore this genre of music.
7: Illenium – Illenium
Genre: Electronica
It’s always fun when a new Illenium record drops, because I can eagerly hit up the song list to see what powerhouse vocalists he has on board this time. For his self-titled, that means Teddy Swims, Chris Motionless, Avril Lavigne, Grabbitz, and Courtney fucking Laplante from Spiritbox! In some respects, this album is more of the same—we’re getting killer production, killer drops, and amazing, emotional songwriting. However, I feel like there’s a bit more experimenting going on here. The songs with Grabbitz and Courtney get heavy in ways that make me smile like hell, while songs like “Starfall” and “Drwn” play with atmosphere in ways I don’t think I’ve heard Illenium do. There’s more vibes than ever!
6: Kalmah – Kalmah
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Melodic Death Metal—aka melodeath—is maybe my favorite genre of music, with the good stuff being the tipytop best but the bad stuff being borderline unlistenable. Kalmah hit that first camp. They’re Finnish, which is probably why. That country puts out the best melodeath…. Anyhow, combining groove, a bit of thrash, death metal, and even a little bit of folk here and there, Kalmah have released what is an amazing guitar-driven record with riffs for days. The songs are catchy as hell, brutal and somber, but still super fun because it’s death metal.
5: Ashnikko – Weedkiller
Genre: Hyperpop
Hyperpop isn’t a genre I can say I like, but Ahnikko’s newest effort might be a masterpiece. I don’t even know how to describe the music as it seems to jump genre every other song (or in the middle of songs), with pop choruses, bits of rap here and there, some upset screaming now and then, and at least one full-on cheerleader ensemble. It’s just strange. In terms of emotion, it hits all of them. Some songs are angrier than a Cannibal Corpse tune, others more tragic than the saddest Ed Sheeran joint. It’s minimalist yet bombastic. Just all the things. I love it. What a treat.
4: The Lonely Ones: The Lonely Ones
Genre: Rock
Wow, 2023 was a big year for self-titled records. The Lonely Ones are are what happens when you take Bobaflex and grind off some of the strange but add in more depression. Which is to say you’re in for some of the best rock music this side of your local radio station. Honestly though, this is kind of exactly what I want out of rock music. It’s got dirt and grime to it. It’s produced but not perfect, everything feels real, and while the guitar riffs aren’t always complicated, they groove hard as hell. Everything just fits.
3: Demi Lovato – Revamped
Genre: Rock / Pop
Did you know Demi Lovato put out a rock album this year that’s basically just her “best of” record but with more guitar and even more impressive vocal runs? Jesus Christ can Demi sing. All of these songs are so good, you don’t even know. You don’t even know! I honestly didn’t expect to love this one as much as I do, but I just cannot stop listening to it. It’s so fun!
2: Mental Cruelty – Zwielicht
Genre: Blackened Deathcore
The only band to do blackened deathcore right, Mental Cruelty put out one of the best albums of the year in Zwielicht. It’s gross, bombastic, loud, atmospheric, and filled with nasty-as-fuck breakdowns from beginning to end. Lukkas’ vocals are absolutely insane, filled with more acrobatics than a Cirque-du-Soleil show but also layered with proper storytelling. This an album with a cohesive sound yet none of the songs sound the same; it’s a blackened album where the black metal bits take center stage. See, there’s this divide between, “sure deathcore sounds evil, but black metal is evil” and this album has moments that are just evil.
1: Floor Jansen – Paragon
Genre: Pop
Floor Jansen is my favorite singer right now. I swear she can sing literally anything and it will sound amazing, so when I heard she was putting out a solo album of pop tunes, I grew irrationally excited. That the album lived up to those expectations is wonderful. I adore Paragon. The soundscape is almost more rock than pop, filled with guitars—some distorted, others acoustic—a proper drum kid, piano, and the occasional string ensemble, but it hits that pop vibe. Every song is a bombastic ear worm, easily learned and easy to join in. Vocally, Floor is flawless. She might as well be casting magic, because that’s how good she sounds.
Nonsense 