Category: news

My promise to myself in 2024 was to post more than I did last year. (At least more than just archived Fiendish Five episodes, of which there are still a bunch to go up.) We’ll start with one of my favorite annual exercises, in which we look back at 25 metal albums celebrating their 25th anniversary. As with our annual year-end lists, this is not a “best of” list. Instead it is, to my best recollection, a list of the 25 albums I think I spent the most time listening to (or at least the ones I remember enjoying the most).

1999 was an interesting year in metal music. You had legacy bands returning with albums of varying degrees, some of which you’ll see below. You had genres like thrash and death metal that seemed to be holding on for dear life, yet still had quality bands producing quality albums. The stoner rock thing had completely exploded while conversely it felt like way too many doom bands were trying to “modernize” their sound. And of course nu metal was inexplicably a thing…a very popular thing. It was a year that when I look back it honestly feels wholly undefined. Maybe it’s because I don’t have the same sentimental ties to the late ’90s that a lot of my fellow Gen Xers seem to? Regardless, the most telling thing to me that leaves 1999 out there as a unique year for metal is that three of my all-time favorite bands released albums that year – Testament, Paradise Lost, and My Dying Bride. And none of them are on this list…

With that said, here are 25 killer albums from 1999. Links provided for your listening pleasure.

 

Agalloch – Pale Folklore
Debut album from, in my mind, one of the most interesting bands to emerge from the USBM scene. I worked for a record label in 1999 that happened to have a rather large distro component and can distinctly remember this being one of the albums that people were chirping about, and for good reason. When people today think of the classic “Agalloch sound” this is the album that laid the foundation for that. While I would personally take The Mantle and The Serpent & the Sphere over this record, there is no denying how influential this record would be on the black metal scene both in the U.S. and abroad.
https://open.spotify.com/album/2lclTTeXyOfhMVl1Czu1si

 

Anathema – Judgement
While I didn’t spend a ton of time with albums from Paradise Lost or My Dying Bride in 1999, I did spend a lot of time with a record from the other third of the famed “Peaceville Three”. My Dying Bride was still making gothic death-doom in 1999, and actually put out a record heavier than its predecessor. (In retrospect I should have spent more time with that record 25 years ago than I did…) Paradise Lost had entered full-on mainstream rock radio mode by the end of the decade. Anathema put out something equally “un-metal” to long time followers, but something that felt like a natural progression from previous releases. This album is dark, it’s dreary, it’s depressive, and yet at certain points it’s catchy as hell. Fans of the current darkwave and dark folk movements should definitely give this album a turn if you haven’t already.
https://open.spotify.com/album/4IZVVIN1eotOJhqDihuV3H

 

Arch Enemy – Burning Bridges
By 1999 the Gothenburg sound, and melodic Swedish death metal in general, had already started to feel pretty watered down. Yet there were still a handful of quality releases hitting the streets from that corner of the death metal pantheon. I catch crap for this opinion in a lot of circles but I’m not afraid to voice it. I’m not only a huge fan of the first three Arch Enemy records, but in my mind the Johan Liva era is the only Arch Enemy worth listening to. There I said it. Burning Bridges was the final Liva-fronted Arch Enemy album, and although not as overly strong as the first two albums, they went out on a melodic-infused high note. If you ever wanted to hear a “feel good” death metal song check out the track “Silverwing”. One  of the most uplifting metal jams this side of a power metal anthem.
https://open.spotify.com/album/0fE41yY2M1eFT1Q3xtY4Qw

 

Black Label Society – Sonic Brew
After his time as Ozzy Osbourne’s guitarist came to an end and after his foray into country rock territory with Pride & Glory, Zakk Wylde re-emerged in 1999 with the debut album from Black Label Society. I’ll be perfectly honest and tell you that this band lost me fairly quickly over time but Sonic Brew is a fantastic mix of stoner rock and proto-metal aesthetics. Easily one of the heaviest albums they’d release, I had the chance to see these songs played in a larger club setting and they made you feel like you were getting clubbed. Still an album worth visiting if you are looking for heavy rock fix.
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nQaHcB79UOuhsYEwwmvk7DQ0zenHz1UnQ

 

Botch – We Are The Romans
The hardcore scene in general had a great decade in the 1990s. It was arguably the best decade for the genre, and you could make the argument that 1999 was the best year of them all. The last great hardcore album of the ’90s showed up in November 1999 and immediately made a massive impact. To this day you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t count this record as a top 10 hardcore release. While every Botch release is worth owning, in my opinion this is their crowning achievement. I had the privilege of seeing this band live on multiple occasions around the time of this release and they never disappointed in the live realm either.
https://open.spotify.com/album/3fUYIIkOg3eLsUAx6VTFFP

 

Cattle Decapitation – Human Jerky
If you’re more interested in the grindcore elements of Cattle Decapitation’s sound then this is the album you’re going to want to get a hold of. While they would eventually morph into a more progressive death metal style, this album is pure, unadulterated grind. Released on the tiny (but mighty) Satan’s Pimp label, the album cover alone grabbed everyone’s attention when you’d come across it through a distro or being sold at a show. The sonic grotesqueness held within was a perfect match. Another band that lost me over time, but this album is still an essential own for grindcore fans.
https://cattledecapitation.bandcamp.com/album/human-jerky-2

 

Circle of Dead Children – Starving The Vultures
The above bands all became, or already were, household names in the metal universe. One band that wasn’t upon the release of their debut album, nor would they become one unfortunately, was Pittsburgh grindcore/crust collective Circle of Dead Children. Mixing death metal sensibilities with the explosiveness of grind, and crusty hardcore breakdowns, Starving The Vultures was then, and remains now one of 1999’s most underrated albums in the extreme metal underground. These guys would go on to drop four more albums throughout the 2000s before calling it quits. This would remain one of their best releases.
https://circleofdeadchildren.bandcamp.com/album/starving-the-vultures

 

Coalesce – 0:12 Revolution in Just Listening
If you asked me who my all-time favorite hardcore band is/was I’d have a hard time answering that – Integrity, Starkweather, Deadguy/Kiss It Goodbye, Bloodlet, and early Converge would be a few that immediately spring to mind as list-worthy. But somewhere in the conversation and very near the top of the list would be Coalesce. There just weren’t many hardcore bands as heavy, as violent, and as technically proficient as Coalesce. They were torch bearers and standard setters for discordant hardcore. Call it mathcore or metalcore, or whatever you want, but Coalesce were as unique as they came. Their 1999 album was their first full-length for Relapse and arguably their best. (Although Functioning on Impatience from the year prior might be my personal favorite.) It’s a damn shame this band couldn’t stop breaking up over and over again. The inconsistencies around whether they were active or not in the time before widespread internet access was an obvious detriment. But when they were ‘on’…holy crap were they on.
https://open.spotify.com/album/6G90PRxOtnWllw66tJViPM

 

Darkmoon – Seas of Unrest
In 1999 the US was still thought of as a being way, way behind their European counterparts in black metal circles. While there may be some truth to that, the USBM scene was alive and kicking in ’99 and one of the most underrated bands from that scene was North Carolina’s Darkmoon. Seas of Unrest was their second and final album before a name change and an eventual breakup. Darkmoon followed in the footsteps of many of the great second wave bands in terms of their stylistic choices, and often had more in common musically with their European counterparts than their American ones. However, they added enough unique elements to separate them from the pack. Despite this album being released on Music For Nations it’s difficult to track down today. Totally worth the hunt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44qkRin9QGc

 

Darkthrone – Ravishing Grimness
Speaking of second wave black metal, by 1999 Darkthrone had already started to drift away from the breakneck, lo-fi version of black metal that defined their classic era at the beginning of the decade. Ravishing Grimness saw the band move towards a more mid-pace brand of black metal with riffs that were ripped right from the Celtic Frost playbook. The result was pure blackened gold. I’ve always held the belief that out of all twenty albums this band has released this one might be their most underrated. It came at a time when a lot of longtime fans were irked with their stylistic shifts, but taken on its own this album is an absolute masterclass of doom-laden black metal, with some of the first hints at their future crust/punk leanings.
https://open.spotify.com/album/3SSzoNSAbVST8uzCA6GoPg 

 

Deeds of Flesh – Path of the Weakening
I mentioned at the start that by 1999 it felt like death metal was on life support if you were looking in from the outside. However, there were still a handful of bands releasing albums worthy of owning. One such band was California’s Deeds of Flesh. Path of the Weakening was the band’s third full length record and up to that point their most technical effort. When I say technical though don’t mistake that for a lack of brutality in any way, shape or form. Deeds of Flesh served up brutal death metal on fetid platters with the best of them and this is easily one of their best releases.
https://uniqueleaderrecords.bandcamp.com/album/path-of-the-weakening

 

The Dillinger Escape Plan – Calculating Infinity
If you were to make a list of the most influential heavy albums to be released in 1999 the debut full-length from New Jersey’s The Dillinger Escape Plan would undoubtedly rank towards the top. The amount of imitators this album spawned was astounding, and the number of musicians who still count it as a favorite and/or influence is immeasurable. To say that this record changed the hardcore landscape would be a massive understatement. It obliterated the landscape and reset it one random time signature, one discordant riff, and one jazzy interlude at a time. (Note: I went back to watch old videos of them performing around this time. I found footage from a 1999 show at CBGB’s in New York…and I’m clearly in the crowd at the front of the stage. Wasn’t expecting that…)
https://open.spotify.com/album/0lUmhvC9JtPpU8LEYHVdyS

 

Dystopia – The Aftermath
I usually like to keep these lists to full-length albums only but I’m going to cheat a little bit with this one. California’s Dystopia originally released The Aftermath on vinyl as a four song EP. Shortly after, the CD version would feature the four new tracks and nine more previously released tracks from various splits and other EPs. Being a staunch CD person in 1999 I had the 13-track version and was thankful for it culling together those other nine tracks. Dystopia were a crust punk act with distinct sludge influences that made them welcomed and respected in both the punk and metal scenes. Despite this only containing four new tracks, this album was huge in cementing this band as one of the best and heaviest crust punk acts in the world. This album remains a fantastic snapshot of their overall career.
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mA-wjGntdNNVUU1hPYf04cINUCbqZcszM

 

Emperor – IX Equilibrium
If I have to explain Emperor to you, you are probably on the wrong website. One of black metal’s most beloved acts released their third full length album in 1999. It amazes me how important this band is to the black metal world on the strength of only four full-length albums. But holy crap were those albums amazing. With that said, this might be my least favorite of their records, for no other reason than the other three are simply untouchable. Still, even the weakest Emperor record trumps a million other pretenders to the throne.
https://open.spotify.com/album/4ZhLDsUfs3HVK2uBrBqecA

 

Hate Eternal – Conquering the Throne
Due to Erik Rutan’s first stint as second guitarist in Morbid Angel in the mid-’90s I can remember there being a lot of buzz around the debut Hate Eternal record. Conquering the Throne definitely delivered the goods with a pummeling display of death metal prowess. A truly solid death metal debut. Interesting note, this album was released on the Wicked World label, which was the sub-label Earache operated in the late ’90s/early 2000s to release actual metal albums. (Dark times for Earache when the main label was too busy chasing mainstream money and seemingly pouring all their resources into Dub War.)
https://hate-eternal.bandcamp.com/album/conquering-the-throne

 

Immortal – At the Heart of Winter
By the end of the decade Immortal had firmly established themselves as one of the most accomplished and beloved bands of black metal’s second wave. They would end the decade with arguably their greatest release. Actually released in the heart of winter in February 1999, At the Heart of Winter was filled with genre-defining riffs and an overall atmosphere that was downright oppressive at certain turns. It was, and still is, the perfect album to throw on when the icy claws of wintry darkness are bearing down upon you. An absolute masterwork of Norwegian black metal.
https://osmoseproductions.bandcamp.com/album/at-the-heart-of-winter

 

Mercyful Fate – 9
Here’s a fun fact that I think even the most seasoned metalhead has a hard time processing. Mercyful Fate released more than twice as many full-length studio albums in the ’90s and they did in the ’80s. (5 to 2). Hard to believe that this band spent the decade dropping an album roughly every other year, ended the decade with a really strong effort, and here we sit 25 years later still waiting for another Mercyful Fate album. While you’ll never catch me comparing this record to their first two classic albums, this album is a worthy addition to one of the most influential discographies in metal history. Filled with killer riffs and a stellar vocal performance from King Diamond, this is an album worth revisiting.
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nAAXlllXwIcix9UOYf9ikjntcGVBpwc_c

 

Morgion – Solinari
I love, love, love me some gothic-infused doom metal, especially of the death/doom variety. Yet despite the Peaceville Three all releasing albums in 1999 the greatest gothic death/doom album of the year came lumbering out of…Southern California? Yup. I didn’t do this list as any type of ranking, but if I did this album would be somewhere in my top five. I was obsessed with this band and Solinari is their crowning achievement. This is truly an epic album, and honestly as I’m sitting here revisiting it while I type this I’d go even further to list it as one of the greatest U.S. doom metal releases, not just of the 1990s, but of all-time. It’s that engaging. Unfortunately the US metal scene in 1999 wasn’t ready to support this band. If they had formed in Europe or came along 5-10 years later they would have had a massive following. Instead they fizzled out shortly after this album, releasing only one more record in 2004 before calling it quits. This is a band that needs to be revisited and given their proper flowers.
https://open.spotify.com/album/5LfeI0ETJQSLz7XOg3JHD6

 

Nebula – To The Center
One of my favorite bands to come out of the ’90s stoner rock scene was California’s Nebula, who was born out of another one of my favorites, Fu Manchu. When guitarist Eddie Glass and drummer Ruben Romano left Fu Manchu in 1997 they joined up with bassist Mark Abshire, who had also played in Fu Manchu at one point. After dropping an absolutely brilliant EP in 1998 they would unleash their debut full-length album the following year, quickly establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the stoner rock scene. This album is chock full of killer riffs and still stands as one of the best stoner rock albums of the decade.
https://open.spotify.com/album/2oUMzuY8FqFzcOa2YqhlsZ

 

Neurosis – Times of Grace
Again, I didn’t put these albums in any type of ranked order, but if I did this album would be at or near the top. Neurosis is one of my all-time favorite bands and Times of Grace is one of my top three favorite albums from this legendary act. This album is the follow-up to their groundbreaking 1996 release Through Silver in Blood. It picks up where that record left off and continues to expand their post-metal blueprint that every band of that ilk since had been trying to copy (with little to no success). I had the privilege of seeing them perform off this album several times and the music here was just as, if not more captivating, in the live setting. Just an absolutely stunning release in every way, shape, and form.
https://relapsealumni.bandcamp.com/album/times-of-grace 

 

Old Man Gloom – Meditations In B
Started as something of a side project between Isis main man Aaron Turner and drummer Santos Montano, Old Man Gloom has spent the last 25 years morphing into an almost full-time band that now features prominent members of Converge and Cave In as well. This is their debut album and it’s an interesting amalgamation of sludgy post-metal and ambient noise/drone pieces. Only half of the 14 tracks have lyrics, and the ones that do are actually the shortest songs on the record, with all of them clocking in at a minute or less. This album is really meant to be played straight through as one continuous sonic experiment and if you have the 30 or so minutes available to do so, I highly recommend it.
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_megRaNxS4B3lDfQ0D-xFo5WtZa9JSe–0

 

Opeth – Still Life
I’m a huge fan of the first eight Opeth records, with Still Life being the fourth in line. Want to know exactly when this band started to rely more heavily on their progressive influences before making the shift to full-on prog rock band? The argument could be made that it was this album. After three blackened releases the tone and musicality on this record made a decided shift, and this record served as the perfect bridge to releases like Blackwater Park and Deliverance/Damnation where they would fully own their progressive label. I feel like this is sort of the forgotten record of the Opeth discography because of what came before and after, but upon revisiting this record I can confirm it’s absolutely worthy of your time.
https://open.spotify.com/album/5iA9ECcGKLN2BSxikuENma

 

Regurgitate – Effortless Regurgitation…The Torture Sessions
I’m going to cheat here because this is essentially a reissue masquerading as a compilation album, but I really feel like for most metalheads this was their first taste of Sweden’s Regurgitate and their nasty brand of punk-infused goregrind. In 1994 they would release their debut full-length Effortless Regurgitation of Bright Red Blood, and would break up shortly thereafter. Upon their reformation in 1999 they would sign with Relapse who would re-issue that album with a handful of other demo and 7″ tracks taken from around the same time. The end result would be 63 songs in 55 terrorizing minutes, including one of the best/grossest movie samples to ever start a metal album, courtesy of Lucio Fulci’s 1980 classic City of the Living Dead.
https://regurgitate.bandcamp.com/album/effortless-regurgitation-the-torture-sessions

 

Spirit Caravan – Jug Fulla Sun
When Scott “Wino” Weinrich originally left The Obsessed he formed a band called Shine that would eventually morph into Spirit Caravan. Spirit Caravan would release two full-length albums and an EP before disbanding (eventually reforming only to become the new line-up of The Obsessed). Jug Fulla Sun was their debut album and picked up right where Wino left of with The Obsessed. This album is filled with herculean, Sabbath-worshiping riffs. If you’re a fan of stoner doom in any way this band and it’s brief but brilliant discography should be on your turntable.
https://open.spotify.com/album/7nn6A5kbCRjHZggpNf3FJg

 

Type O Negative – World Coming Down
Type O Negative would start the 1990s as a relatively unknown spin off of Carnivore, and would end the decade as one of the metal world’s biggest acts. Their fifth and final album of the decade, World Coming Down, was one of the best of their entire discography. While their previous effort, 1996’s October Rust, leaned heavy into the more gothic and radio friendly elements of their sound, this record went headfirst back into the doom and gloom that defined their first three releases. The first song on the album, “White Slavery”, would set the tone with a massively heavy 8-minute opus about cocaine addiction, while the rest of the album would continue to pile depressive track after depressive track on the listener.
https://open.spotify.com/album/19GlIEIJqujc5U5B7PETZW

The Doors iconic 2nd live album from 1983 is available now, pressed on limited-edition Emerald Green vinyl. Reissued on vinyl for the first time since its original release 40 years ago.

Includes “Light My Fire,” “Moonlight Drive,” and “Love Me Two Times.”

Available on The Doors webstore. Shipping now.

 

Link to Playlist on Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/2d505f3f2d8a450b80fc7199bc66140esune?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_z2ZkffBWiWQciD5vNk7QBnEsB

 

Link to Playlist on Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/2d505f3f2d8a450b80fc7199bc66140esune?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_z2ZkffBWiWQciD5vNk7QBnEsB

I started putting this annual list together several years ago when I was freelance writing for the Hartford Courant. I loved putting this article together because it kept me on my toes and forced me to continually search out new music from my home state throughout the year. (Not that I needed much prodding.) While the Courant’s freelance budget dwindled my love for putting together this annual list did not.

I will caution the reader now though that I don’t consider this a “best of” list necessarily. I’m not qualified to tell you what the “best” records are, but I can tell you what my favorites were from the last year. This was another banner year in Connecticut music and whittling this down to my usual twenty selections was brutally difficult, hence why you’ll see even more honorable mentions this year than in previous years. With that said, I once again focused solely on full-length albums. If I included EPs this list would get entirely unruly. If you think I missed an album feel free to drop a link in the comments. Without further ado, here are my top Connecticut albums of 2023 (in pseudo-alphabetical order):

 

The 50×50’s – Brews
I’ve been a fan of CT rapper Sketch tha Cataclysm for a long time now. His newest project alongside fellow rapper Deto-22 was easily one of the best hip-hop records from Connecticut this year. The album is positioned as a conversation between two friends over a coffee and/or a beer about their shared experiences, some good and others not so much. This conversational feel gives the album a familiar vibe, and immediately pulls you in like the proverbial fly on the wall. It makes the whole thing a fascinating listen.
https://fakefour.bandcamp.com/album/brews

 

Cemetery Moon – Cemetery Moon
Fans of The Metal Dad Radio Show, and the year-end metal list we did, will already be familiar with black metal act Cemetery Moon. As I wrote on that previous post: “Cemetery Moon play black metal in the ways of old, reminiscent of all the great lo-fi second wave releases from the early to mid-’90s. At times raw and entirely unrelenting, and at other points dabbling in goth rock and dungeon synth aesthetics, Cemetery Moon craft and album that seemingly offers something new at every listen. Fans of the long, dark winter ahead should have this album at the ready.”
https://cemeterymoon.bandcamp.com/album/cemetery-moon

 

Charlie Diamond – A New Poet In Town
Fitting title for this album as Charlie Diamond wasn’t anywhere on my radar prior to his debut full-length dropping back in January. But it turned out to be the first great release of the year and one that put Diamond on a lot of radars. Channeling all the great hippie folk from the 1960s, Diamond is a class act storyteller mixing Dylan-like aesthetics with twists of Americana and beatnik sensibilities. This album caught me off-guard in the best way possible and I found myself revisiting it often this year. I’ll be planning on revisiting it more in the future.
https://charliediamond.bandcamp.com/album/a-new-poet-in-town

 

Eave – Fervor
Eave was another CT metal band to make my year-end top 40 metal albums list. Combining black metal with post-metal and shoegaze elements Eave delivered a truly emotive record. As I wrote in my previous review: “Eave delivered an album that throws off the dull paint-by-numbers aesthetics of so many of their peers. The pieces are still there – frost bitten blast beats and tremolo picking, harried vocals, and atmospheric breaks – but Eave is able to create a puzzle that is less reliant on the pieces themselves and more so the vision in creates.
https://eave.bandcamp.com/album/fervor

 

Entierro – The Gates of Hell
I’ve always loved when a band is clearly evolving their sound from album to album, and Entierro is a perfect example of taking what works for them and expanding it into new and interesting realms. Entierro takes traditional heavy metal and runs it through a prism of hard rock and stoner/doom influences to create a truly unique take on the trad metal sound. The Gates of Hell is their most ambitious release yet and one that should be on the turntables of both longtime fans and those looking for a gateway band into the metal world.
https://entierro.bandcamp.com/album/the-gates-of-hell

 

Fires in the Distance – Air Not Meant For Us
This was not only a top ten metal record from Connecticut, but I had it my top ten in the entire metal world this year. As I wrote on a previous post: “Mixing majestic melodies with a gothic aesthetic this album was one of the most gripping and engaging records of the year, genre be damned. I don’t throw the term “epic” around very often because I think my fellow bloggers and scribes overused it into oblivion, but if I were to bestow one album with that title in 2023, this would be it. This band writes truly epic songs that build up, crash down, and wrap the listener in a blanket made of the finest melodic tapestry. I cannot wait to see how this band continues to grow and evolve in the future.”
https://firesinthedistance.bandcamp.com/album/air-not-meant-for-us

 

Fjord Pony – Brights On
Fjord Pony play a brand of indie/alt rock that isn’t afraid to get a little heavy, but seems to always maintain its melodic sensibilities. From exceptional power ballads to spunky rockers, this album gave me big ’90s alt rock vibes, hearkening back to a time when the genre was at its creative peak and unafraid to really spread its wings for inspiration. I love when a band I’m only marginally familiar with blows my doors off, and this Fjord Pony record fits the bill.
https://fjordpony.bandcamp.com/album/brights-on

 

Head With Wings – Without Intervention
Connecticut has had their share of prog and prog-infused rock bands over the years, but possibly none as creative in their output as Head With Wings. If my math is correct, Without Intervention is the band’s first full-length album in five years, and a lot has passed over us as a society during that time. It’s been a time of growth and introspection and this album seems to reflect that both lyrically and musically for this band. The ethereal brand of progressive rock found here encompasses both the technical prowess the genre is known for with an innovative spirit for advancing their sound into something wholly unique.
https://headwithwings.bandcamp.com/album/without-intervention

 

The Hempsteadys – On The Undercard
New London’s The Hempsteadys have never been your average ska band and their third full-length album On The Undercard hammers that point home. Taking their ska roots and blasting it through an indie rock prism, this record at times could only be considered ska in name. According to their Bandcamp page each track of the album is inspired by a different theme from the history of cinema, and after one listen that makes so much sense. The sounds and influences here really are as varied as the history of cinema and all its myriad of genres. Yet through it all this is unmistakably a Hempsteadys album – large in production, larger in execution, and a helluva lot of fun.
https://thehempsteadys.bandcamp.com/album/on-the-undercard

 

Indigo Seven – Portals
Fronted by trumpeter and composer Nick Di Maria, Indigo Seven is a quintet that dwells in the acidic realm where funk and jazz lovingly collide. Portals is a sequel album to the project’s 2021 self-titled offering. Filled with ambient soundscapes and spoken word interludes, combined with more traditional modal jazz compositions, it’s a fitting aural display for the science fiction themes that the project attests to dotting the album. It all feels extremely contemplative and transformative by the time you reach the end of the record. Easily one of the best jazz albums of the year, and one of the better ones to emerge from Connecticut so far this decade.
https://nickdimaria.bandcamp.com/album/indigo-seven-presents-portals

 

Jeff Burnham & The Insiders – State of Mind
If you are a regular listener to my Wrong Side of the Tracks show on Cygnus Radio you’ve probably heard at least one track off the newest Jeff Burnham & The Insiders record. Since its release at the beginning of June this record has been in pretty constant rotation for me personally. Mixing Americana with an indie rock aesthetic, Burnham writes songs that feel homey and familiar without ever feeling stale or tired. Drawing inspiration from acts like Tom Petty and a trio of Johns – Hiatt, Prine, and Mellencamp, State of Mind is an album that belongs on the shelves of fans of any of those legends.
https://jeffburnham.bandcamp.com/album/state-of-mind

 

Johnny Mainstream – Come Back East
I’ve been a pretty big Johnny Mainstream fan for at least a decade now, specifically since 2013’s Ghost Broadway album. So imagine how pleasantly surprised I was when they popped up in May with their first full-length album since 2015. (Spoiler alert: Very.) To say that Come Back East might be their best record yet would not be an exaggeration. From production to songwriting to lyrical content this album feels next level for this band at every turn, and those are pretty high bars to crest to begin with. Fans of punk and indie-infused rock ‘n’ roll should be all over this record.
https://johnnymainstream.bandcamp.com/album/come-back-east 

 

Kerri Powers – Love Is Why
I don’t rate these albums in numerical order like I do with my yearly metal albums list, but if I did the newest Kerri Powers record would be somewhere near the top. Powers has been one of Connecticut’s best songwriters and performers for quite some time and with 2018’s Starseeds album she seemingly took her craft to an entirely different level. Love Is Why continues to build on her blues-tinged Americana as Powers showcases her powerful voice and penchant for writing songs that make you just stop and listen. There’s a case to be made that this is Powers’ best record yet, which was an extremely high bar to match, let alone exceed. Powers is a force to be reckoned with and this album is an essential own for anyone who digs music from anywhere along the Americana pantheon.
https://kerripowers.bandcamp.com/album/love-is-why

 

Killer Kin – Killer Kin
There are few bands in the entire world, let alone our little state of Connecticut, that are as unabashedly rock ‘n’ roll as New Haven’s Killer Kin. Killer Kin stirs in punk rock aesthetics, vicious riffs, and brazen sexual energy to create a rock brew that anyone with a pulse can get drunk from. This is a record that seems to purposely push the hands of time back to the 1970s when everything about the underground rock ‘n’ roll scene felt dirty and dangerous. Fans of bands as varied as MC5, The Stooges, The New York Dolls, and T.S.O.L. will find a lot to love on this record.
https://killerkin.bandcamp.com/album/killer-kin

 

The Lost Tribe – Back To The Source (A New Compilation)
Hartford’s The Lost Tribe play music that reaches back to the traditions of the African diaspora, and plays music deeply rooted in West African rhythms and jazz/funk aesthetics. Led by drummer/songwriter Jocelyn Pleasant, drumming is at the center of The Lost Tribe’s sound and is equally prevalent on their newest album Back To The Source. This is a compilation album featuring studio and live tracks dating as far back as 2017. It’s a record that expertly captures the vibe and musicianship of one of the best live acts in the entire state. Essential listening for anyone with interest in funk, traditional West African music, and Afrobeat.
https://thelosttribect.bandcamp.com/album/back-to-the-source-a-new-compilation

 

Low Ceilings – Dig That Hole Again
The last great album of the year just dropped on December 15 and I’ve personally spent the last two weeks listening to it on endless repeat. Low Ceilings play a folksy brand of indie rock complete with extremely relatable lyrics and melodic hooks that are pretty much guaranteed to get lodged in your brain. Dig That Hole Again comes only about a year and a half since their last album, 2022’s Catch The Apathy (which also made this list last year). This album, more so than it’s predecessor, feels like it leans a little harder into the folk rock elements that help separate this band from its peers. However you want to categorize or quantify it, Low Ceilings is currently one of the most unique and exciting indie rock bands in the state.
https://lowceilingsmusic.bandcamp.com/album/dig-that-hole-again

 

The Meadows Brothers – Play It Right
One of my all-time favorite acts from my home state is The Meadows Brothers. Anyone who knows me knows my love of real-deal alt/outlaw country and various aspects of the Americana spectrum. The Meadows Brothers encompass so much of what I love about those genres, and they’ve written several albums worth of material that I often revisit. Apparently they wanted to revisit some of it as well. Play It Right is an album made up of previous released material and live favorites re-recorded in a way that somehow improved upon each track, taking them from exceptional to untouchable. Featuring a phenomenal backing band and pristine production, this is the quintessential Meadows Brothers release (at least until their next great record).
https://themeadowsbrothers.bandcamp.com/album/play-it-right

 

Mother Juniper – Write the Soil Lightly
How robust is the Connecticut music scene? Well, every year there is at least one artist that I’m not familiar with at the beginning of the year and by year’s end I’m obsessed with them. This year that honor belongs to New Haven’s Mother Juniper. Write the Soil Lightly is the type of record that immediately grabs your attention, not because of massive production or in-your-face songwriting. Quite the opposite. The minimalist indie folk on this record has a dark aesthetic to it that gives it a mysterious, alluring quality that draws you and really never lets go. The entire thing feels like watching a sunrise on some private, forbidden beach somewhere. You know that you both belong there and don’t all at the same time.
https://motherjuniper.bandcamp.com/album/write-the-soil-lighter

 

Nervous City – Fangs
Taking elements of punk, new wave, and indie rock and combining it into something that sounds fresh and exciting is a lot harder these days than it sounds. But there are a handful of acts making it work and Nervous City sits firmly at the top of that heap. Fangs is filled with catchy, memorable tunes that will have you humming them literally hours after the record stops spinning. Absolutely cracking debut album from this group of scene vets.
https://nervouscity.bandcamp.com/album/fangs

 

Riley Johnson – Running Behind
Here’s a fun fact for you. For several years my family ran in the same homeschooling circles as CT musician Riley Johnson. Me as a parent, and him as a little kid. Fast forward about two decades and Johnson pops up in my social media feeds with his debut album. Small world. Running Behind is a fantastic mixture of hippie folk and Americana, reminiscent of influences like the Dead’s Workingman’s Dead era, Dylan’s Nashville Skyline, or some of Gram Parsons’ solo work. Johnson might be the youngest artist on this list, and his debut album shows immense promise as a songwriter and lyricist. This is a kid with a big musical future ahead of him.
https://open.spotify.com/album/0C2sf9NfcGhHvRcoxQiDjK?autoplay=true

 

Honorable Mentions:
A.F. Chimes – Stab Love
Bronson Rock – Alligator Shoes
Cheem – Guilty Pleasure
EGG! – Catch
Functional Mushrooms – Unblinking
Hollyhocks – Whirlwind
James Burke – Here, Right Now
Justin Chan & The Vices – Mixed Signals
Laini and the Wildfire – Hold On To Your Soul
O’K and the Night Crew – Zen and the Art of Rock and Roll Maintenance
The Terrible Fates – The Terrible Fates
Zaaqqara – Impasto

 

Welcome to the final part in our series looking back at our favorite metal albums of 2023. You can find Part 1 (40-21) and Part 2 (20-11) here on the site, and don’t forget you can check out some of our favorite tracks from the top 20 over at The Metal Dad Radio Show.

 

10. Krieg – Ruiner
It had been six years since one of my favorite US black metal bands had released a full length record, and nine years since their last studio effort to feature all new material. Clearly it was worth the wait. This is an unrelenting album of crust-infused black metal, yet Neill Jameson and crew aren’t afraid to mix things up with layers of atmosphere and experimentation. This includes riffs and interludes that skillfully drift into darkwave territory, and a penchant for the occasional blackened hardcore moments. Altogether one of the best black metal releases from a year filled with some stellar selections.
https://kriegofficial.bandcamp.com/album/ruiner   

 

9. Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean – Obsession Destruction
I have to give a nod to my 17-year old co-host of The Metal Dad Radio Show for tipping me off to this record just after its release. My son knows my tastes in metal well. He knows I love sludgy, death-infused doom metal; that I love records that feel as heavy as they sound as if you could wear them like a funeral shroud. He hit a home run with the newest full-length from Massachusetts act Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean. This band takes literally everything I love about doom, death metal, sludge, crust, and even hardcore and melds it into an absolutely skull-crushing concoction on this album. As dreary and despondent as it heavy Obsession Destruction is the type of record that simply engulfs you with every listen, and as someone who has given this record multiple listens I can tell you it’s worth every second of it.
https://chainedtothebottomoftheocean.bandcamp.com/album/obsession-destruction 

 

8. Predatory Void – Seven Keys to the Discomfort of Being
Emerging from the same Belgian scene that has gifted us Amenra, Oathbreaker, and Cross Bringer (and featuring members from each act as well), Predatory Void exploded onto the scene with their debut full-length back in April. Mixing the doom-laden, post-metal elements of Amenra (courtesy of Amenra guitarist/songwriter Lennart Bossu) with a distinct crust/sludge aesthetic, and a predilection for drifting into ‘blackened’ territory, Predatory Void was able to create an album that was equal parts beauty and brutality. One of the best debut records of the decade thus far and the foundation for a band with unlimited potential.
https://centurymedia.bandcamp.com/album/seven-keys-to-the-discomfort-of-being

 

7. Vastum – Inward to Gethsemane
Hands down one of my favorite death metal bands of the last two decades has been San Francisco’s Vastum. When death metal started to have its renaissance in the late 2000s/early 2010s there was quickly a glut of bands doing really interesting things within the genre. Unfortunately, all these years later, most of those bands have either broken up or stopped being interesting. Vastum joins a small handful that have continued to churn out release after quality release. Their ability to continue to captivate listeners in a swirling vortex of sonic mayhem is uncanny and newest release Inward to Gethsemane is easily one of their best albums to date.
https://vastum.bandcamp.com/album/inward-to-gethsemane

 

6. Thantifaxath – Hive Mind Narcosis
Hard to believe it’s been nine long years since the last Thantifaxath full-length yet here we are. Few bands in the world bend and morph the boundaries of black metal the way this Toronto collective do, especially on newest album Hive Mind Narcosis. The guitar work alone on this album is downright nightmare inducing, with riffs often sounding like they’d be more at home in the background of a series of avant-garde horror films than on a black metal record. The entire cacophony delivered here is off-putting, yet mesmerizing in so many different ways with each track sounding like its own snapshot of captured madness. Truly one of the most unique albums of the year.
https://darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hive-mind-narcosis

 

5. Enslaved – Heimdal
One of the first truly exceptional albums of the year dropped in March courtesy of Norwegian legends Enslaved. I’ll go on record as stating that this band has never put out a bad record, and being they are on full-length album number sixteen that is a truly exceptional feat of musical strength. Heimdal sees the band continue to trod the path of progressive, blackened metal. Their Viking black  metal roots build the foundation for a mansion of ethereal prog metal to flourish in stunning fashion. Never a band afraid to reach back to their past while wedding it to their future, Enslaved have once again created a brilliant record worthy of as many visits as you are willing to make.
https://enslaved.bandcamp.com/album/heimdal

 

4. Marduk – Memento Mori
Speaking of bands who have been grinding out top-notch albums for longer than should be expected, Sweden’s black metal masters Marduk returned with their 15th full-length album this year. Memento Mori shifted the lyrical focus off of their World War II fixation and honed it down to one centered on death and mortality in general. The corresponding music matched the lyrical themes with an album that felt darker and more ominous than recent releases, and that’s saying a lot. It would not be hyperbole to say that this might be the best album Marduk has produced since 2012’s Serpent Sermon, which for my money was their best album of the 2010s.
https://centurymedia.bandcamp.com/album/memento-mori

 

3. Fires in the Distance – Air Not Meant For Us
Hands down the best record to emerge from my home state of Connecticut belonged to melodic death-doom outfit Fires in the Distance. I’ve been a massive fan of this band since their 2020 debut and their newest offering certainly did not disappoint. Mixing majestic melodies with a gothic aesthetic this album was one of the most gripping and engaging records of the year, genre be damned. I don’t throw the term “epic” around very often because I think my fellow bloggers and scribes overused it into oblivion, but if I were to bestow one album with that title in 2023, this would be it. This band writes truly epic songs that build up, crash down, and wrap the listener in a blanket made of the finest melodic tapestry. I cannot wait to see how this band continues to grow and evolve in the future.
https://firesinthedistance.bandcamp.com/album/air-not-meant-for-us

 

2. Godthrymm – Distortions
Sometimes I hear an album and on first pass I immediately think to myself, ‘this is going to wind up on the year-end list’ because it’s just that good. This was one of those albums. I love doom metal as a genre in general, but UK’s Godthrymm peddle in my favorite type of doom – the kind that rides the gothic, melodic, ethereal vibes. (Think the heyday of the Peaceville three back in the ’90s and you’ll get where I’m coming from.) Godthrymm embody everything I love about this specific sub-genre. Huge, memorable riffs, vocals that hit all the right notes all the time, a crushing low-end, and songs that are drenched in dark atmospherics. Distortions embodies all of these qualities, and then expands on them even further. Arguably the band’s best work to date and a must own for doom fans.
https://godthrymmdoom.bandcamp.com/album/distortions

 

1. Wayfarer – American Gothic
I love all things Americana music. I count Willie Nelson as my all-time favorite musician. (I even host a second weekly radio show called Wrong Side of the Tracks.) I was a history major in college and the American West has always fascinated me and I count the year I lived in Arizona and the year I lived in Southern California as two of my favorites from my childhood. Perhaps it’s all these factors that have drawn me to Colorado’s Wayfarer and their wholly unique Americana-themed black metal. Or perhaps my love for this band simply grows from the fact that there is literally no one that sounds like them in the black metal world. Whatever the cause, when they dropped American Gothic back in October I was instantly transfixed. This band doesn’t just write songs in the general sense of the term. They write mini soundtracks to an alternate past, they write music so poignant that you simply can’t help but drop what you’re doing to offer this album the full attention it deserves. Wayfarer are quickly amassing a catalogue of albums that put them on par with just about every great band to emerge from the USBM scene and this is their best one to date. A truly brilliant record from start to finish.
 https://wayfarercolorado.bandcamp.com/album/american-gothic