Much like punk, hard-core finds itself in an interesting place in this angry world, There is no shortage of people claiming to play it, but to find real hard-core that is not afraid to point the finger at all sides while refusing to conform is a harder aspiration, given the masses' willingness to conform. These albums captured the true spirit of hardcore by doing their own thing and bringing the anger. 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 Hardcore albums of 2023.
10- King Yosef - 'An Underlying Hum"
this guy is an artist I have been on the fence about. Was not into the collaboration he did with Youth Code, as I just wanted another Youth Code album and not the kind of noise he was bringing to the table. Now it's hard for him to catch a break as everyone is comparing this album to Code Orange's "Underneath" album which is a high bar to measure it by. This album serves as a reminder that nu-metal came out of the 90s hard core scene.
9- Graf Orlock- "End Credits"
This hard-core band has made a concept album of sorts that pays homage to post-apocalyptic science fiction. This is not done in a grandiose fashion, uses the grit they normally offer. A well done and honest album that deserves to be here as it goes above and beyond in so many ways.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/09/graf-orlock-end-credits.html
8- Gel- "Only Constant" \
This band is like a cross between the Plasmatics and GISM , but with more metallic aggression, mixed with the drive of rock attitude. They managed to win me over with the apocalyptic feel of their songs.
7-Ken Mode -"VOID"
This time they are returning to their noise rock roots by lashing out as they open the album with a blistering hardcore banger. The drumming propels the second song in a more punk direction. This might not be as dark, but I appreciate the feel of the late 90s hard-core capture with the more melodic moments
6- Jerome's Dream - "The Gray In-between"
This album falls more on the screamo side of the equation. These guys know what they are doing, I think they accomplished what they set out to do with every ounce of their souls invested in it. If you like screamo this is a must.
5-Mouth For War-"Bleed Yourself"
With their name, I was expecting more Pantera influence. Instead, it is the kind of metalcore I like that places the emphasis on the hardcore side of the equation and has little to do with Myspace. The thrash grooves gave this a great deal of replay value and it was certainly one of the heaviest hard-core albums to drop this year.
4-Death Pose-"Midnight Society"
This Chicago band is being marketed as noise rock when they are a hard-core band. There is a more angular dance with the riffs, but the vocal narrative has the mic out in the crowd, along with the explosive energy that pervades the song. They are likely a hard-core band that is into math rock, or a noise rock band with a hard-core singer, though the latter does not explain the punchy manner they attack their songs. This is their debut album, so they could still find themselves settling into who they are. Once they bring the breakdowns the debate is settled.
3- Svalbard - "The Weight of the Mask"
This marks the third time these guys have made My Top 10 Hardcore Albums of the Year list. This time around they were almost moving in a more black metal direction, They retained the crusty side of what's going on here with hard-core influenced accents. More often than not a furious tempo, that is more explosive than dark or cold sounding, thus making it hard-core once more, while they have not forgotten the atmospheric elements like the vocals of Serena Cherry.
They hit you with hammering hardcore and manage to pack in a dense atmosphere. The syncopated chugs create the apex of breakdowns. If you grew up listening to nu-metal but matured into metallic hardcore, then this is the album for you. Really if you like heavy music colored by atmosphere this album is also for you as well.
1-Harm's Way - "Common Suffering"
After being convinced to check them out upon hearing the "Undertow" single featuring the singer of King Woman, I was surprised by the rest of the album, which hits in the way that I typically want my hardcore to slap me. Harm's Way has a gritty musculature to the riffs, and the vocals punch in all the right places to rally the head bob inducing syncopations shift with a groove. There is a great deal of emotion to the construction of the songs that paints things in a bleak shade of gray rather than just being the macho in-your-face beat down you might expect this to be
No comments:
Post a Comment