The Top 10 Black Metal Albums of 2023 so far ...

Yeah I  know we already did a Top 10 metal albums of 2023 so far list which you can read right here...

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-top-10-metal-albums-of-2023-so-far.html

But after reading reviews that are erroneously calling the new Blackbraid album the best black metal album of the year, I felt like the record needed to be set straight, because such a claim is disrespectful to the bands listed below, who brought more powerful songs than Blackbraid did in a much more convincing manner. I will say the new Blackbraid, is an improvement over the first album and you can read the review here ... https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/07/blackbraid-blackbraid-2.html

While it might it sounds great from a production stand point, but studio magic alone is not what black metal is about, in fact all the albums below. Just because they are not being hyped for the reasons the press wants to hype Blackbraid again, does not mean they are not better at what they do and creating darkness more effectively, so with that said here are the top 10 Black Metal Albums of 2023 ...so far.

10-Høstsol :  'Länge Leve Döden"

This black metal super group of sorts caught my eye as it features the singer of one of my all-time favorite black metal bands Shining. Niklas Kvarforth brings his trademark scowls of agony to some icy Scandinavian black metal, that also finds Tor-Helge Skei on guitar. The result is something that uses atmosphere as a lubricant to dominate you with its commanding charge.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/01/hstsol-lange-leve-doden.html

9- vvilderness : "Path" 

 This Hungarian black metal band does a great job of incorporating folk elements without brightening their sound or making them sound like Summoning. They allow for a dynamic ebb and flow as the gaze deeply into the woods and invoke the spirits of their ancestors. They do use some of tropes of black metal like the tremolo picked guitar while employing the dynamic swells with a half time feel that reminds me of black gaze.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/02/black-metal-history-month-vvilderness.html

8-Felsenmirror : "s/t"

This year it's about defying the traditions of black metal and rather than playing off the same tropes to experiment which this band does. They might be best summed up by saying they like like what Agalloch might sound like if you took away their folk and the the technical side of their guitar work and replaced it with crust then you would get something close to what goes down here.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/02/black-metal-history-month-felsebmirror.html

7-   Tulus : "Fandens Kall" 

 They are a piece of black metal history, but if you do not recognize the name do not turn in your cvlt card yet as you more than likely know Khold. If you do not know Khold, then you are a poseur and should burn a church with yourself in it. Granted Khold is not as big of a name in Norwegian black metal as Darkthrone, Mayhem, Emperor or ... well you can see where this is going. They are most impressive due to the fact they retained their rock n roll sense of groove, making their songs catchier than your average blast fest. Or really any blast fest for that matter, since they all sound the same. They prove themselves as songwriters here for sure. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/02/black-metal-history-month-tulus-fandens.html

6-Altari : "Kröflueldar" 

 This band from Iceland thinks outside of the box. There is a darker more melodic throb. The bellowing vocals are the most black metal thing about the opening track. What I like about this album is two songs in and it is clear the darkness of the over all sound is the most black metal thing about this, as they are not hitting you with the normal metallic onslaught of blast beats. For that reason there is something more honest in the sound.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/02/black-metal-history-month-altari.html

5-Monachopsis Art : "An Empty Existence"

 Not as raw as many of their Finnish country men, there is a more deliberate and majestic feel . The vocals are multilayered, with both the anguished scowling of the more wretched larynx torture along with the softer more operatic intonations of Natalie from the Abbey. The songs gallop more than they blast at you which is a testament to the commitment to songwriting as they progress to a melodic place that goes well outside of the ugly bounds of black metal.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/02/black-metal-monachopsis-art-empty.html

 

4-Dødheimsgard : "Black Medium Current" 

 The 6th album this band has released since 1995 means that they value quality over quantity. Their first album in eight years. Yes, they are Norwegian black metal in the truest since of the term, but they are not just trying to replicate what Darkthrone once did. They are not afraid of blast beats , but are also not afraid of taking chances and breaking boundaries. Sung vocals are used almost in equal measure to the harsh growls. They shift through many melodic moods and atmospheres to create something powerful here.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/04/ddheimsgard-black-medium-current.html

3-Cloak-"Black Flame Eternal" 

This Atlanta band might have finally hit their creative stride with album number three. This does not mean that I am any closer to branding them a goth metal band. The elements that might bring that to one mind are perhaps more fleshed in places. The songwriting stomps with more debilitation. The influence of Dissection is still present, but tempered with a more dynamic range of sound. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/05/cloak-black-flame-eternal.html

 

2- Hexvessel -"Polar Veil" 

I am a fan of anything Kvohst does. The two main projects he juggles these days being Grave Pleasures and his often more folky band Hex Vessel , which their 6th album finds them taking a turn to black metal. There is an impressive buzz of guitar casting cold shadows behind the mournful vocal melody. Hypnotically pulsing against the dreary chant of the vocals it somehow works. He does have a black metal past, so this is not a surprise in how these sounds are married. What is the most impressive is how this album proves you can make a black metal album without screamed vocals.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/07/hexvessel-polar-veil.html

1-Downfall of Gaia-"Silhouettes Of Disgust"

This German band already finds themselves claiming the distinction of having s one of the best black metal albums I have heard this year,  it came out back in February and still stands strong. If you like forward thinking black metal with plenty of dark disgust this album is for you.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/02/black-metal-history-month-downfall-of.html