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Top Connecticut Albums 2023
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=trueHonorable 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 -
Top Metal Albums 2023: Part 3 (10-1)
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-mori3. 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 -
Album Review: Who Can See Forever Soundtrack by Iron & Wine
We are huge Iron & Wine fans. Sam Beam is just phenonomenal songwriter, composer and musician. So, it was a… -
Jonny O’s Weekly Rock Playlist 12/18/23
Link to Playlist on Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/892b6b88ab874c1fa61d3037bda2d370sune?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_J7uVGFjWoXocO2HDU9C15zbOy
Link to Playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7nWhhXFPTXFUAdhEwa9u5X?si=37013931ae1c4025
Link to Playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNrGQhOEyZcg9OP57nWXvXxRVai1IOPLc&si=3L5QBkQyIZYYKxhE -
Jonny O’s Weekly Rock Playlist 12/18/23
Link to Playlist on Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/892b6b88ab874c1fa61d3037bda2d370sune?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_J7uVGFjWoXocO2HDU9C15zbOy
Link to Playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7nWhhXFPTXFUAdhEwa9u5X?si=37013931ae1c4025
Link to Playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNrGQhOEyZcg9OP57nWXvXxRVai1IOPLc&si=3L5QBkQyIZYYKxhE -
Top Metal Albums 2023: Part 2 (20-11)
Welcome back to Part II of our series unveiling our Top 40 Metal Albums of 2023. Make sure you check out the first part of the series counting down 40 through 21. You can also hear tracks from the below albums over at this past week’s Metal Dad Radio Show.
20. Nixil – From the Wound Spilled Forth Fire
I was a huge fan of the 2021 debut album from Baltimore’s Nixil. This blackened collective combines black metal with various progressive and crusty elements to form a wholly unique take on the genre, and their follow up album shows ample progression in style and substance. There’s a sort of mystery and mysticism at play on this record that too many black metal releases are lacking these days. It’s the type of album that those not initiated into the rites of black metal would deem dangerous, and that’s the best compliment you can doll out to an album like this one.
https://nixil.bandcamp.com/album/from-the-wound-spilled-forth-fire
19. Spirit Possession – Of The Sign
One of my most anticipated albums of 2023 was the newest offering from Portland’s Spirit Possession. I have been slightly obsessed with this band since their 2020 debut. Maybe it was the state of the world (or my mind) at the time, but their apocalyptic brand of thrash-infused black metal was exactly what the doctor ordered. Fast forward three years and we are once again gifted an album filled with absolutely devious and diabolical offerings. There are few bands in the world who seem to musically embody what the ’80s Satanic Panic was trying to search out like Spirit Possession and I am absolutely here for it.
https://spiritpossession.bandcamp.com/album/of-the-sign
18. Morne – Engraved With Pain
Another fantastic release from Metal Blade this year came courtesy of Boston sludge/post-metal outfit Morne. Longtime readers may remember their last full-length, 2018’s To the Night Unknown, also showing up on my year-end list. This is a band that has a knack for writing albums that are wholly engaging, and Engraved With Pain is one of their best yet. There’s a certain weight to these songs, as if the heaviness is palpable in more than just churning riffs and thunderous low end, and with each repeated listen there are nuances that release from the tapestry of sounds to present themselves. Fans of the Neurosis/Isis/Cult of Luna vibe will find a lot to love on this record.
https://morneband.bandcamp.com/album/engraved-with-pain17. Eave – Fervor
I have to fully admit that I find the current wave of shoegaze/depressive/post-black metal to be a bit of a bore. It takes a lot for a band of that ilk to impress my crotchety, old guy sensibilities. However, one band that combines all of those genres that I’ve seemed to connect with is Connecticut’s Eave. Unafraid to bend and even break the rules of each of these sub-genres, 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
16. Spirit Adrift – Ghost at the Gallows
My 17-year old co-host of The Metal Dad Radio Show likes to remind me that as Austin’s Spirit Adrift started to drift from their original doom sound to the more trad metal based stylings of their most recent efforts that I wasn’t quick to follow the band on their sonic journey. However, for the second time in as many releases I find myself more and more enamored with this band. Once again Spirit Adrift has delivered a soaring, epic slab of trad metal that places them at the top of this particular mountain. With Maiden-esque riffs and catchy-as-hell choruses all over this thing, Ghost at the Gallows hearkens back to a time when “trad metal” was, for the most part, the only game in town and we were all o.k. with it.
https://spiritadrift.bandcamp.com/album/ghost-at-the-gallows
15. Bolt Gun – The Tower
First off, any band that name drops German jazz noir outfit Bohren und der Club of Gore as an influence will immediately get my attention. Australia’s Bolt Gun also lists acts as varied as Swans and second wave black metal in the description for The Tower on their Bandcamp page, and all three of those things do indeed seem to hold sway over this record. I’m pretty positive this will be the only album to prominently feature saxophone on this list, and it’s not just some novelty trick in an attempt to differentiate from the pack either. Bolt Gun take bending the definition of “atmospheric black metal” very seriously and they’ve succeeded in taking the genre to new and interesting heights on this record. This is an album that deserves every ounce of attention you are willing to give it.
https://boltgun.bandcamp.com/album/the-tower
14. Left Cross – Upon Desecrated Altars
One of my absolute favorite death metal releases of the year came from Richmond horde Left Cross. Any band can pound away on their instruments and deem it heavy, but only the true death metal warriors can make it a memorable trek worth coming back for over and over again. This album has everything you want in a great death metal record – blasting cacophony, riffs and solos that cut through time and space, monstrous vocals, and a ton of moments where you think to yourself ‘this is where the pit opens the fuck up’. Sheer brutality for the ages.
https://leftcross666.bandcamp.com/album/upon-desecrated-altars
13. Will Haven – VII
I’ll argue to the death that the best era of hardcore was the 1990s, however there are still several bands that originated during that time still putting out phenomenal albums. By the end of the ’90s one of my favorite hardcore bands was California’s Will Haven. Their discordant brand of hardcore combined noise rock and the earliest post-metal leanings to create something unique and exciting at a time when the genre was starting to fade into an endless array of chugga-chugga metalcore. Their newest release is honestly one of their best yet. Heavy as a sack of bricks when it needs to be and layered in the dark, almost cinematic, atmospherics that they’ve been perfecting for multiple decades, this is hands down one of the best hardcore releases I’ve put ears on in a long time.
https://willhaven.bandcamp.com/album/vii
12. Cirith Ungol – Dark Parade
You can literally count on one hand the number of metal bands who were putting out records as early as 1981 and 42 years later are still putting out records worth adding to your collection. Out of that small handful of acts you could make the case that the best recorded output is coming from California’s Cirith Ungol. Eternally underrated in their original iteration, Cirith Ungol returned in 2020 to critical acclaim. As amazing as that comeback record was (I personally had it in my top five that year) the case can be made that Dark Parade is the superior record. If you call yourself a fan of trad metal and this album hasn’t been on your radar this year, are you actually a trad metal fan? Probably not.
https://cirithungol.bandcamp.com/album/dark-parade
11. Lucifixion – Trisect Joy of Pierced Hearts
I know very little about the mysterious Lucifixion except that they are from the US, they are signed to the mighty Sentient Ruin label, and they play an absolutely angel-raping brand of black metal. Unholy, animal-like vocals, riffs that weave and pierce through the night sky like the smoke from a burning church, and an overall second wave aesthetic combine to create one of the most visceral and exciting black metal releases of the year. In a year that wound up being a very, very impressive one for black metal in general this as easily one of the most memorable releases the genre produced.
https://lucifixion666.bandcamp.com/album/trisect-joys-of-pierced-hearts
