BEST OF 2023 – Tom Cornell (Writer) 🏴
You can find the Collective List as well as all our Best of 2023 content including contributors’ individual lists, podcasts and radio DJ shows here: CGCM’s Best of 2023 (Year in Review)
It has been a strange year on a personal level with me and I struggled to write and review to the level and frequency I would have liked to. It certainly wasn’t due to a lack of quality albums coming out. I must admit, perhaps due to my circumstances that quite a number of the albums I gravitated to were conceptual, full of storytelling, taking me away from where I was mentally at times. Music is such a wonderful thing and can work miracles.
I managed to get the list down to 15 albums, which was in itself tough, but dropping it to 10 was a bugger. In some cases, I just picked the choice I had played more often throughout the year. In fact, one got knocked out due to an album that came to me quite late in the year and I have been playing to death. I will start by listing (and making a couple of comments about) the 5 albums that I fought over but that lost out, all of which are absolutely cracking records.
Baroness – Stone – a more broody effort, which slowly pulled me in. Better use of the backing vocals and harmonies than previous. They also try out some new ideas, experimenting, you know that prog ideal, and that makes it more interesting.
Prong – State Of Emergency – I admit I had lost track of this band and by accident found out they were not only still around but had a new album. An absolute belter, full of all the things that made them great in the first place. A mix of industrial, prog, punk, and hardcore but with hooks and choruses. Oh, and they also threw in a shortened version of “Working Man” by Rush but that didn’t influence me at all😂.
Ne Obliviscaris – Exul – this Australian prog band continues to make great music. I love the amount of classical parts to this, some beautiful moments of calm mixed with metal and the mix of harsh and clean vocals. Of course, the fact there is a violinist in the band does make them sound unique, but they are no one-trick pony.
Overkill – Scorched. For me the best thrash album I heard all year. There is no filler. 10 songs that pulverize you into submission. The songs are strong and the riffs are excellent. Thunderous drumming, loads of great solos and vocals that still sound like someone has been gargling with marbles before they start, I mean that as a positive. Want thrash? Get this. You won’t be disappointed!
Mondo Drag – Through The Hourglass for folks who wish it was still the 70s. Trippy psychedelic progressive hard rock dipping into metal at points. It does have moments of stoner rock but it really makes me think of early King Crimson at times. It is wonderfully atmospheric with great use of the Hammond organ. The longest piece “Passages” is like classic Pink Floyd in the build-up and sounds amazing in headphones. The vocals are quite deep and made me think of Morrisey at times (don’t let that put you off😂!)
OK, onto the top 10 albums of 2023…
#10 🇳🇴
IMMORTAL – War Against All
Now really a one-man band with Demonaz having managed to win the rights to the name. The album sounds as one might expect it to, but the songs are extremely strong with very angry lyrics possibly directed at previous members of the band. Sonically it is really good, despite being clean and clear it still sounds dirty and evil. So a win-win then. Not as good perhaps as their late 90s and early ’00s classics but this does hint quite a bit towards them in places whilst sounding modern. “Nordlandihr” is I think their first instrumental piece but it’s been worth the wait with some fine guitar soloing going on. “Blashyrkh My Throne” is very old school and atmospheric.
Purchase Album
Official Website / Facebook / Instagram
#9 🇺🇲
ROBERT JON & THE WRECK – Ride Into The Light
One of the hardest working bands on the planet who never seem to be off tour yet still manage to write record and release great new music constantly. This is no exception. There is a mix of groovy hard rockers and Southern-style ballads (almost country in places). With choruses to die for and guitar solos that are tasteful, bluesy, melodic and rocking, this is music that should be on every radio station in the world. With songs like “Pain No More“, “One Of A Kind” and “Don’t Look Down” they are ready to get the party started. If that sounds good then wait until you see the band live where the songs get EVEN better! Great band that should be huge!
Purchase Album
Official Website / Facebook / Instagram
#8 🇺🇲
ICE AGE – Waves Of Loss And Power
This was a brand new band for me. I thought this was a debut album until I read the notes and found out it was their third. Their second was back in 2001 so a bloody long wait for long-term fans. If one could imagine a mix of Dream Theater riffage at points merged with Styx pomp and a little early 80s Rush then you might get close to what they are about. The singer Josh Pincus has a definite touch of Dennis DeYoung from Styx about him vocally which adds to that suggested influence!
This is probably perfect for folks who feel that Dream Theater are too over the top sacrificing melody for showmanship and for folks who liked Styx when they play the heavier stuff. Some songs last over 10 minutes but they never end up as a wankfest. Melody is more important. I fell in love with it early in the year and I am still playing it regularly.
Purchase Album
#7 🇨🇦
PRONOSTIC – Chaotic Upheaval
This was a band that I started a review of, but sadly due to health issues, I didn’t actually finish (my apologies to the band and their PR guy). The reason I wanted to write about it is because it is brilliant, complex, challenging, interesting, fun and heavy as fuck. The playing is at times unbelievable The 4-piece do throw in some nice surprises, I wasn’t expecting a saxophone on “Massive Disillusion” (from Sam Hampell), although I didn’t really expect it turning into a jazz piece either!
They do have some guests including Francesco Ferrini from Fleshgod Apocalypse who provides some very cool keys and orchestrations along with Alexandre Pelletier from Despised Icon who provides vocals on a couple of tracks. I also want to mention that some of the guitar solos are beautiful as well. At times the album and music are a little off the wall but it is a fabulously fun ride and hits hard where it needs to.
Purchase Album
Official Bandcamp / Facebook / Instagram
#6 🇩🇰/🇩🇪
ASINHELL – Impii Hora
Many folks know the band Volbeat and their lead singer Michael Poulson but maybe weren’t aware he used to be in a death metal band and on this he has decided to return to his roots. He drafted in the ex-vocalist of Morgoth, Marc Grewe who he is a fan of. The result is a brilliant album of 10 ferocious tracks that don’t care about subtlety but just being noisy and aggressive. There are plenty of nods to the NWOBHM in places as well.
I can imagine live these songs, riffs, solos causing absolute mayhem. The weirdest thing about it for me is that Marc manages to make himself understood most of the time despite the growling intensity. I fucking love this album, I want to go mental every time I hear it! Luckily I am in no condition to do that so I am saving myself from likely serious injury. What a debut album!
Purchase Album
#5 🇷🇺
TARDIGRADE INFERNO – Burn The Circus
“Dark cabaret metal”. What the hell does that mean I hear you say. Well imagine a mix of Devin Townsend, Mike Patton, Diablo Swing Orchestra and Stolen Babies and you could be in the ballpark. It is theatre with lots of keys and synths and at times can go from uptempo polka to dark-as-night creepy. It is metal cabaret. In singer Darya Rorria they have a treasure. I am positive she has done stage theatre at some point as she utilises her voice maniacally and sometimes in a childlike way (mind not a child you would want next door).
The songs are incredibly infectious at times with some really cool and interesting riffs. It is a conceptual piece based obviously around a circus. What I can say is the protagonist is upset and angry and wants some vengeance. They use sound effects possibly via the keys to enhance the vibe of it all. You can tell they have put some effort into capturing the correct vibe. Oh, and yes at times Darya scares the shit out of me with her vocal delivery! Are you brave enough to enter the big top? Go on, do it, you won’t regret it… or will you?
Purchase Album
Official Bandcamp / Facebook / Instagram
#4 🇷🇺
CONCRETE AGE – Bardo Thodol
I can best describe this as “ethnic death thrash” If you can imagine a mix of Sepultura, Orphaned Land, Rammstein and Korpiklaani you could be in the right area. The songs bounce at times so much so I said in my review “it bounces more than Tigger in a very happy mood“. I also called one track “full on metal madness“. I play this to cheer myself up. The music on the whole is upbeat, folky heavy metal which gets the feet and head going. The album’s title comes from the Tibetan book of the dead and part of it is about liberation so the album might be a bit conceptual, but I couldn’t say for sure.
The band come from the Balkans and somewhere around west Russia but are now based in London. There are a few ethnic instruments being played on this so it has some really interesting sounds on it. I want to see this band live as I forsee some partying going on, plenty dancing and bouncing. It is an absolute blast of fun. I love it.
Purchase Album
#3 🇺🇲
LUNAR – The Illusionist
This American band blew me away with this concept album based around, you guessed it, an illusionist who begins to doubt his choice of career and self-worth. The album has plenty of guest musicians and instruments that you don’t hear so often in rock or metal including flute, saxophone, violin, clarinet and viola! The story hangs very well, and the great thing is they have managed to provide emotion through it.
The character is well rounded and you can feel for him at times. You experience both sides of his character, sometimes even due to the change in vocal styles (there is some harsh vocals on the album, but they are the minority). I even liked that the most complex track is called “Juggling Chainsaws” where the music matches the idea, trying to keep everything (and everyone) together. Despite it being a prog metal album there are some delicious moments of almost classical nature as well as the fact there are plenty of melody on show. It isn’t showy, they focus on quality songs that sink deep into the brain whilst playing some fabulous prog. Thoroughly recommended!
Purchase Album
#2 🇺🇲
SAMANTHA FISH & JESSE DAYTON- Death Wish Blues
As a fan of Samantha Fish I was very curious to see how an album would sound when she collaborates with another artist. I was unaware of Jesse Dayton but found he was more of a country performer whilst also writing film music with Rob Zombie, an interesting mix indeed. The whole thing was produced by Jon Spencer of Blues Explosion fame. The album was recorded in 10 days with most of the songs recorded as live. Maybe that is why it sounds so bloody good. They sound like they are having an absolute blast, having now seen them together live, I think it is safe to say they were. I said in my review that a couple of tracks had a bit of a Stevie Wonder vibe and I stand by that.
The interplay between them both on certain songs is terrific as they trade lyric lines and guitar solos with such ease you would think they had been doing this together for years. “Lover On The Side” is probably the best example of the lyric trading with the opening lyrics going “well you ain’t my woman” with the retort “and you damn sure ain’t my man“. As the lyrics continue there is a playfulness about whether the character Sam is playing actually already knows she is on the side, or whether she has him where she wants him. The whole album is superb and both artists are a delight to listen to. This album is so damned good and entertaining. There is joy to it. Bluesy, country, rockabilly and more all wrapped in a glorious nearly 40 minutes.
Purchase Album
Official Website / Facebook / Instagram (Samantha Fish)
Official Website / Facebook / Instagram (Jesse Dayton)
#1 🇳🇴
THE CHRONICLES OF FATHER ROBIN – The Songs And Tales Of Airoea Book 1
This wins out over number 2 only due to how many times I have actually played it! Like the previous album, this is truly fabulous. The band are actually from various Norwegian prog bands including Wobbler, Tusmorke (who also released a fine album this year), Jordsio and The Samuel Jackson Five. The album is over 30 years in the making and is actually the first of a trilogy. The second is now out too, it is also excellent, a tad more folky and gentle than book 1 but still excellent. Only reason it isn’t on this list is due to it only coming out recently. So I haven’t lived with it like Book 1.
There is the usual guitar, bass, drums on it but they also use loads of keys, synths and mellotron along with some flute, clavinet and glockenspiel making it a wonderful all-round listen. It is only 6 songs, 2 are quite short (over a minute each), 2 are around 8 mins and the other 2 are epics at 12 and 15 minutes. Through the 46 minutes they weave in so many styles, flavours and colourings. On each listen, there is speaking personally, always something new to notice. It flows beautifully. It’s the 1970s again here with modern techniques, a little Canterbury, early Genesis, a touch of Gentle Giant and Jethro Tull to name but a few.
It isn’t all pastoral. Parts of it rock quite hard with some fine riffage in places and some powerful drumming. In the words of a snack company (kind of), once you start listening you can’t stop. I am still listening to it on a regular basis. It is the album I have played the most out of since I got it.
Purchase Album
Official Website
So there you go. Thank you for reading. Hope to see you all at the end of 2024 when I list the best 10 of the year. Until then take care and keep watching and listening to CGCM!
Check out my other reviews and articles here. Tom
