There is no shortage of inspiration for death metal these days, as death is all around us. Perhaps that is why there has been such a huge outpouring of quality death metal this year. These albums celebrate annihilation in all of its forms. These albums captured what death metal should be with very little compromise, After I sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of the year. 2023. The very fact these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all, we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Perhaps you can find your next favorite on this list; and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these guys. Anyway here are the top 10 Death Metal albums of 2023.
10-Vastum - "Inward to Gethsemane"
The longest-running death metal band on 20 Buck Spin, released another album of thoughtful death metal. Their full-on assaults find the band being mindful of creating a mood with darker depth. They dig deeper into a more old-school death metal influence while using odd syncopated touches and atmosphere to keep from sounding like another Morbid Angel rip off.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/11/vastum-inward-to-gethsemane.html
9- 200 Stab Wounds - "Slave to the Scalpel"
This Cleveland band is going to the pack in making raw-boned death metal that leans into the grooves. a great deal of head-banging fun, and freshens a corpse that could have rotted in the hands of less capable songwriters. There is a great deal of listenablity that adds to it's replay value earning it this spot.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/11/200-stab-wounds-slave-to-scalpel.html
8-Liquid flesh - "Delores"
When it comes to a genre that is easy to get mired down in the heavy, these guys keep the songs in mind, This album is highly entertaining with the rock twist . France once again proves they do metal well and left of center when they take a twist into a proggy adventure.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/06/death-is-june-liquid-flesh-dolores.html
Tideless is from California and makes an attempt to set themselves apart in their sophomore release. They have dialed back the hyper-aggression, and embark on something that has more in common with post-rock. They do some rather sonically stunning things and are onto something remarkable here, that makes for a great listen.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/07/tideless-eye-of-water.html
4-Obituary-"Dying of Everything"
I was also not expecting the thrashing ass-kicking the opening track unleashes. Any concerns regarding this album living up to their established legacy were squashed. The more Slayer-like attack is balanced out by Tardy's distinctive voice reminding you that this is Obituary with his articulate sneer. This sits solidly next to the band's more classic work, which is something many of their peers cannot boast.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/01/obituary-dying-of-everything.html
3-Cattle Decapitation- "Terrasite"
The main difference between this album and "Death Atlas" is the guitars have a more deliberate thrashing to their grooves. Things are not as blinding fast, but the riffs retain the razor-sharp aggression , but also well-constructed and hooky. The more sung vocals also come into play to give the songs more melodic depth than your average band engaging in this brand of heaviness can conjure on snarls alone.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/04/cattle-decapitation-terrasite.html
Horrendous extending themselves further into more of a jammy progressive, that has a more organic feel than what they did on "Idol" last time around. There are clean vocals placed at unpredictable points in the song. I appreciated guitar solos, but not someone normally impressed by shredding, take that into consideration when I tell you the guitar solos on this album improve the songs.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/07/horrendous-ontological-mysterium.html
This Texas band pulls from classic death metal without worshipping any band too religiously. Their strength is taking a riff and grooving it without compromising the heaviness, In this way there is a bit of Bolt Thrower in their DNA, but not enough to lump them in with bands who are clearly trying to re-live that band's glory days. I went into this album only aware of them by name, and by the end was a fan, thanks to hooky riff magic.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/05/frozen-soul-glacial-domination.html
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