Top 5 Metal Albums of 2023 Your Mom Won’t Let You Take To Church
Year-End Top 5
Metal refuses to follow the rules, making it one of the most unholy genres in the music scene. As the holidays come around, make sure to blast all of these albums at your family dinner. ‘Tis the season to be jolly, but fuck that—here are the top five violence-invoking metal albums of 2023.
Cannibal Corpse
Chaos Horrific
Metal Blade Records
Street: 09.22
Cannibal Corpse = Dying Fetus + Suffocation
Cannibal Corpse is a pioneer of death metal with an impressive ability to describe the most brutal scenes and themes in lyrical form. With so much graphic detail, Cannibal Corpse has a very distinct sound ranging from guttural vocals by Corpsegrinder to the nastiest riffs and percussion known to mankind. The song “Pitchfork Impalement,” for example, is about a pitchfork-wielding murderer who goes on a killing spree. Their 2023 release, Chaos Horrific, sounds no different from the brutal descriptions of horrific butcherings and massacres featured in its songs.
Suffocater
Deadlights
Self-Released
Street: 10.30
Suffocater = Integrity + Gorguts
Deadlights, one of the latest releases from Suffocater, differs from their older albums by including more melancholy tunes and instrumentals accompanied by rough, rasping vocals trying to be heard through despair and sadness. It feels as if you’re rotting in self-grief and anxiety as you desperately try to escape the noise. “Gravity” is one of my personal favorites—the lone tune of the lead guitar makes me feel as if I am listening to some sort of nursery song, trying to fall asleep as the vocals whisper words of sorrow.
Tainted Ink
Puppeteer
Self-Released
Street: 11.03
Tainted Ink = Victim to None + Megadeth
Puppeteer is Tainted Ink’s latest album released on all streaming platforms. The record is a combination of thrash and death metal complete with some insane tempo changes—the song “Swimming in the Dirt” captures this well. With intense feeling and rage, the trio blends harmonic vocals with blood-curling riffs and progressive, face-punching percussion. This band might have similar tones to Megadeth and Victim to None, but nothing compares to Tainted Ink’s unique sound. I’ve truly never heard anything like it.
Absolved
At the Close
Self-Released
Street: 01.27
Absolved = Parkway Drive + Bring me the Horizon
Absolved is one of Salt Lake City’s best hardcore bands that are sure to rock your cock off. They bring such a unique sound to the hardcore metal scene by combining aggressive, speedy percussion with harsh vocals and heavy melodic guitar riffs for the ultimate euphonic sound. Their new EP At the Close is perfect for everyone who loves anything hardcore. “End of All Things (feat. Run Into the Sun)” showcases their ability to be versatile with many tones.
Snuff Tape
The Devils Work
Self-Released
Street: 03.02
Snuff Tape = Gatecreeper + Powertrip
The Devils Work is definitely an album your mom would not let you bring to church. Full of the most blasphemous vocals, dirtiest guitar riffs and menacingly brutal drums, the album creates an atmospheric head-pounding-against-the-wall aura—in a good way! This sound is emphasized in “Stretch the Nerve,” whose gruesome imagery makes you envision exactly what is happening. Snuff Tape is one of the best up-and-coming hardcore bands in the Salt Lake music scene, and they are worth the listen if you’re into gore and anything to do with pain.
Read more Year-End Top 5 Reviews from past years here:
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