Gothtober- the Top 10 Goth Albums of 2023

 

Having already started the End of the Year List season of with the Top 10 Post-Punk Albums of 2023, it's time to move in a darker direction with the Top 10 Goth Albums of 2023. If this seems premature,  record labels have already sent me most of what this year has to offer. After I sort through sorting through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of the year. 2023. Perhaps it was marginally better than the previous year, though given the current climate of the world, we are progressing on a downward spiral, making dark music more important as a soundtrack for this.   As far as 2023 goes for Goth, a lot of great music came out forcing me to make hard choices. 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 Goth albums of 2023.

10- Bosco Sacro-"Gem" 

This quartet out of Italy plays a very dark and atmospheric kind of music that is hard to pin down. . There is more in common with neo-folk or goth. The spectacular job of creating this can not be denied and a must for those into dark atmospheric folk.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/02/bosco-sacro-gem.html

 

9-Skeletal Family-"Light From the Dark" 

These guys are an old-school goth band from the 80s who reformed with a new singer. They came out shortly after Siouxsie so it's not like these guys are a new band trying for a retro sound that is just how it's going to come out,.Anneka Latta employs a broader range of influences. a wonderfully written album that touches so many sonic colors I enjoy.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/10/gothtober-skeletal-family-light-from.html

  

8- Male Tears-"Krypt" 

It reminds me a great deal of Drab Majesty and perhaps this is what happens when millennials grow up listening to Drab Majesty rather than Bauhaus. It is very dance-oriented, so I can see young kids requesting this on goth night. Everything is draped in a haze of reverb aside from the retro jazzercise beats. It grows on you, if you have a high threshold for synths. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/10/gothtober-male-tears-krypt.html

                          

7-Naut -"Hunt" 

It is hard to believe at times this is not a long-lost album from the early 90s I somehow missed back in the day. In many ways this is defined by the sum of it's parts and the influences that make those up but this album is also a great deal of fun.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/02/naut-hunt.html

 

6- Ville Valo -"Neon Noir"

Better than the last HIM album, aside from the happy moments and weak bass tone, it is surprisingly well written, not that I was not already clued into the fact he is more than capable of cranking out slapper, it is just good to hear that he still has it. while the production is not as dark as I might like the vocals are really dialed in.   

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/01/ville-valo-neon-noir.html

5-Night Goat - "Totem" 

This band from Portland is kicking up an interesting blend of sonic abrasion that takes Death Rock in a heavier direction.  Imagine L7 jamming with 45 Grave and you are pretty close to what is happening here. The vocals are tortured screams and moaning. It darkly broods like a storm closing in.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/02/night-goat-totem.html

4-Troller- "Into Dust"

 Troller's Relapse debut opens with the Texas trio droning through a thick atmosphere that is coupled with haunting vocals. Adam Jones of the band SURVIVE is working the synths of this album, so these kids did not just pop out of nowhere. They have a sound they are very focused on but make things interesting enough to tell a story with the mood.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/05/troller-drain.html

 

 3-VOSH- "Vessel"

This album's strength is how it splits the difference between the guitar-driven goth and dark wave. Their singer throws her voice around in an interesting manner, as they capture  a wonderful balance of old and new goth sounds

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/10/gothtober-vosh-vessel.html

2- Myrkur - "Spine" 

The refinement on this album finds her on the more ethereal side and blending post-rock with goth rock, since it has more drive, it is poppy in terms of melody but not in the saccharine manner of dream pop and feels like waking from a depressive episode in the woods, rather than a fey wonderland. She edges out VOSH due to the more organic way she achieved this. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/10/gothtober-myrkur-spine.html

1- Temple of Angels - "Endless Pursuit" 

I sat down with this album and weighed the dream pop shoegazing moments versus those that owe more to romantic darkness, and came to the conclusion that this album leans into the shadows at least 60 percent of the time, and even when it lightens up a bit their songs are still haunted by a melancholy longing that still earns their place here.  They might not dress the songs up for Halloween in the way other bands on this list do but they are better songwriters, which is why they take the number one spot. These songs are passed by plenty of heart-gripping moments.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/04/temple-of-angels-endless-pursuit.html

Gothtober -Wil’s 9th Annual Halloween Playlist

Here is my 9th annual Halloween Playlist. The world holds as many distractions and diversions as the previous years, I am just making a more concerted and intentional effort to focus on celebrations of the Halloween season around me since my soundtrack pretty much remains constant year. I believe if we forget the things that brought us joy as children, we will become miserable adults buried in anxiety over bills and the stock market. This makes a proper soundtrack dedicated to darkness even more needed to capture the magical excitement of Halloween. . Perhaps these songs might bring some sonic horror to ears and carry Halloween into the rest of the year for you. . This year all but one song are from new releases. I am continuing the tradition of not repeating artists from previous years. Goth and all its various sub-genres are the most obvious tombs to plunder, I am including a few artists that lean in a more rock or metal direction. Lyrically, the songs are at least metaphors for things that go bump in the night or are related to the season. This year’s theme seems to be death. As the veil between the living and the dead thins, may you be happily haunted and continue to play this loudly in dark places.

 

 Male Tears-"Domin8"

 

 Snow Ghosts - Curse

 

Still Patient - "All Dead"

   

VOSH- "Superstition"

   

                               

Orphans of Dusk- "Victim of a Vampire"

   

 Temple of Angels - "Torment"

   

Troller - "Gore"

   

Shores of Null- "A New Death is Born"

   

Night Goat - "Death Crow Dance" 

Gothtober - VOSH : "Vessel"

 

Ok this is going to be the last Siouxsie-influenced band I cover this month. This album came out back in March and I am not sure why it has not gotten more buzz.  To their credit they are capable of bringing this from different angles, as the first song had more of a Zola Jesus feel, and an electronic pulse, while "Pray" has driving metallic guitars in the background. When she is rocking out the Siouxsie thing is toned down. The rock sounds collide with the dark wave on "Bleed As One". There is a murky mix of more sounds than that as 80s-flavored synth drapes the background. The guitar is more of a pulse under everything. It all works pretty well, even when they are dancing further into the darkness and losing the hooky feel in the process. 

"Superstition" finds them back into a more atmospheric pop groove with 80s smarts to the vocals. As the album progresses and you delve into more of what they can do, she sounds less like Siouxsie. The drum programming is more like early industrial for "Perfection". She croons in her alto range for this one, which would not be out of place at Goth night. Why the DJs are not already playing this is only due to their need to be stuck in a boring comfort zone. "Devout' has more of a spooky old-school goth feel, which I am here for. "Cruel Intent" brings back the steamy dance floor-driven feel. The vocals carry more of an erotic purr. It is not unlike the darker moments from Lords of  Acid. They carry this over to some extent in the song after this. 

"Falling" is more guitar-driven. Her wailing is suitably desperate. The mood shifts to more dance floor-oriented on " Static" . It works more on establishing a drama that is atmosphere-dense. 'Night' brings the guitar back carrying a darker and more aggressive feel which works for me. "Numb" splits the difference between the guitar-driven goth and dark wave sounds they have summoned earlier in the album, with her throwing her voice around in an interesting manner. I will round this one up to a 10 they capture a wonderful balance of old and new goth sounds. This is what I was looking for.