The Top 10 Black Metal Albums of 2023

It is not surprising that Black Metal's popularity has waned in the hipster metal scene . If people are calling it problematic then they are poseurs who were never into it in the first places as it has always represented  misanthropic hate and nihilistic disdain for the world,  These albums captured what black metal should be with very little compromise, as being the outsider sub-genre of metal, here is are band that exceled the most at it.   After I sort trough 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 Black Metal  albums of 2023.

10-Felsenmirror -"s/t"

They do have a dark sound and are very deliberate, which I prefer to a bunch of blast beats, If you were to take away the folk of Agalloch, long with the more 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

 9- Tulus -"Fandens Kall" 

They are a piece of black metal history, as it features members of Khold. If you do not know Khold, but claim to like black metal 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.

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

8-Altari-  "Kröflueldar" 

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 overall 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

7-Monachopsis Art - "An Empty Existence" 

Not as raw as many of their Finnish countrymen, 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. It's the melodic excursions that add more depth than their peers.

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

6-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, finds that they are still 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 do not depend on them, while sung vocals are used almost in equal measure to the harsh growls as They shift through many melodic moods and atmospheres.

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

5-Cloak - "Black Flame Eternal "

This  Atlanta band might have  finally hit their creative stride with album number three.  The songwriting stomps with more debilitation. The influence of Dissection is still here and heard on "With Fury and Allegiance".  While fellow Atlantans Withered have flirted with black metal influence in the past , these guys are the first to really commit to it. The layers of guitar benefit from the evolution of production that hits the sweet spot on this album. 

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

4- Shining - "s/t" 

My favorite depressive black metal band is back for album 11. They are stepping back into their old ways. Niklas is joined by two former members of Cradle of Filth, to bring a darkly unrepentent vision of sonic darkness, that pays homage to classic metal in it's own way, as King Diamond's Andy Laroque produced the album as well as adds a guest guitar spot. This album is darker and has more malicious intent than Cloaks more theatrical efforts.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/08/shining-st.html

 

3-Hexvessel - "Polar Veil" 

With this project's 6th album, things have taken a turn to black metal. The metallic buzz of guitar casts chilling shadows behind the mournful vocal melody. It moves at more of a drone, but with 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. The fact this album takes the risk of showing clean vocals can hold down a black metal album elvevates it over the heavier release by Shining. 

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

 

2-Wayfarer- "American Gothic" 

This band has gotten progressively better with each album. This one is more metallic than their last. The Western-tinged throb of guitar is still in the mix.  They still hold plenty of snarls, though lean into a more deliberate double bass attack rather than adhering to the blast-beaten formula of black metal. The  have gone deeper into their dusty brand of black metal, with more power and authority than Hexvessel earning them this spot.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/10/wayfarer-american-gothic.html

 

1-Downfall of Gaia -""Silhouettes Of Disgust."

This album is more black metal in its feeling than what I remember of the 2019 album. It is both darker and more aggressive. The soaring atmosphere still lingers, but not enough to stop this raging storm of sound they are creating here. The world is a darker and angrier place, so this is fitting. It takes more chances than Wayfarer, who are also great songwriters, but in more of a well-fitted groove, as Downfall of Gaia, is not content with a formula. 

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

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

Black Metal -Monachopsis Art : "An Empty Existence"

Natalie from the Abbey, whose new album we also review, is in this black metal project. Not as raw as many of their Finnish countrymen, 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. The songs gallop more than they blast at you which is a testament to the commitment to songwriting. By the time the album gets around to "River of Blood," things have progressed to a melodic place that goes well outside of the ugly bounds of black metal. Which is fine with me, for black metal fans this might require a bit of broadening their horizons.

They snarl back to more comfortable sonic territory for the more cvlt ov us with "A Dark Place" . Even then there is plenty of melody that the song wanders into with a vampiric majesty to the synth lines that add dimension to the song. The production of this album made the most with the budget they had to work with and adds some charm to the proceedings. It is not until 'Stargazer' that blast beats really begin to surface. With this taste of blood in their mouths it opens the door for these more rabid tempos to incite a faster feeding frenzy. However they do this with a great deal of restraint and have the good sense to ebb back down into darker moments. 

Things also gather more of a depressive vibe by the time the album winds it way down to "No Desire to Live". The snarling vocal do a great job of conveying contempt . There are some faster passages that begin to take root once again. The album closes with "Flame of Night" this is a return to a more grandiose regal march executed with less production value than needed , but they make it work with the tracks they had at their disposal. I will give this one a 9.5, as it is a super fun listen and dark enough to satisfy the needs of my evil soul. If you like black metal that focuses on songs more than adhering to a sound this album is for you.It drops in March.