the Top 10 Doom Albums of 2023

 

I love to celebrate death and darkness, Doom is the music that should not only embrace a sense of loss and depression but sonically express it. These  are the albums that did that best captured that feeling this year .   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 Doom albums of 2023.

10-Adversvm-"Vama Marga"

This  band is capable of traversing sonic depth and on the heavier side of death doom as needed. This German band recently added the keyboardist from Evoken to their ranks, which is what made me take notice. This marks the band's third full length. Not sure I would quite  lump them into funeral doom as I am not getting that same sense of depressive longing , so they seem more like an atmospheric death doom band .

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/05/adversvm-vama-marga.html

 9-Saturnus- "the Storm Within"

 It could be said these guys are death doom if your definition of the sub-genre weighs heavily on the vocals. Musically there is a very lush expanse of sound summoned from what this Danish band does. They have been around since the 90s and this is only their 5th album, so they take their time. They have what they do very dialed in

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/06/death-is-june-saturnus-storm-within.html

8-Isole-" Anesidora"

I  really liked this Swedish band's 2019 album "Dystopia". They seem to be heading into even more melodic territory. Deliberate and dark, but not doom in the way it is most easily defined. There is more drive, almost in the same sonic zip code as Hangman's Chair, the vocals have a more regal operatic feel, and the singer is clearly not as depressed. This majestic soaring feel, is what separates them into their own niche. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/03/isole-anesidora.html

7-Usnea - "Bathed in Light"

I was a fan of this band's 2017 album. They are back at it with a greater mix of atmospheric moods and crushing doom that carries the dirty heft of sludge. Though a great deal of it has been smoothed out due to the attention to detail that was spent recording this. The vocals go from a low guttural growl to a more anguished scream. In the past six years since their last album they have been polishing every element of what they do. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/05/usnea-bathed-in-light.html

6- Ahab- the Coral Tombs 

8 years of chaos have passed since this German doom band released their last album. Chris Noir of  Ultha lends his voice to the highly aggressive black metal start of the opening track before it ebbs down into the doom you expect from this band. The croon of the baritone vocals here, is delivered with more power and presented more forward in the mix. The vocals play a bigger role in the overall sound this time around. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/01/ahab-coral-tombs.html

5- Shores of Null- the Loss of Beauty" 

I really enjoyed this Italian band's 2017 album, now they are proving to be just as hard to pin down. Musically there is a great deal in common with black metal, but the crooned vocals throw that comparison off to some extent. The growled vocals feel more death metal. The tremolo flow of guitar could also come from something pagan metal like Tyr, so a great deal is going on with some interesting melancholy passages to add to the dynamics.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/03/shores-of-null-loss-of-beauty.html

4- the Abbey-"Word of Sin"

Hailing from bands like Man Eating Tree and Shape of Despair, this doom band out of Finland , does what I wish Ghost did, by playing dark metal, with catchy layer vocals . The cadence and how the vocals are layered is what brings Ghost to mind. Unlike Ghost this has the balls of metal to it even when draped in doomy goth finery

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/02/the-abbey-word-of-sin.html

3-GODTHRYMM - "Distortions"

UK doomsters Godthrymm return with their dark and gritty vision of metal. It's vision that is true to the classic while not gazing into the stagnation of retro obsessions. Unless we are talking about the 90s as this would have fit well into the doom that was coming out then. They feels like they are chugging forward rather than meandering in droning sprawl.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/07/godthrymm-distortions.html

2-Orphans of Dusk -"Spleen"

 They are doom band with low sung baritone vocals , but also use death metal snarls as well, which not what Peter Steele did, so yes there is influence there, but Woods of Ypres, Moonspell, Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride could all be influences as well. If you just label them a Type O tribute then you are telling me you have a very limited range of musical knowledge. They 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/04/orphans-of-dusk-spleen.html

1- Mansion- Second Death 

This Finnish band does doom most uniquely at times they blend a minimalist folk not unlike what a  cult would sing as their mantra, as they lurch along in a very creepy manner. The tangible darkness of the music is heavier than the distortion of the guitars of the volume, though they are capable of applying those dynamics as well. I think they tap into cool dark places that few go in a new way. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/11/november-is-doom-mansion-second-death.html

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

As the Doomsday Clock races, time speeds up, as 2023 is at it's midpoint. These  lists serve as a decent snap shot of where the year is heading in terms of music. I have already received  promos for albums dropping as far out as August in my in-box, so they are really going to need to bring it in order to compete with the top five albums on this list. There are varied shades of metal represented. Perhaps death metal is leading the charge, but there is also black metal, doom and death core in the mix.  The black metal is more influenced by traditional black metal rather than the staples of blast beating. For my ears darkness trumps speed when it comes to heavy, so these bands reflect that sentiment. Death metal just seems to be bringing it harder than other genres so far. Giving the impending wars that lurk at every corner of the globe, this is a fitting sound track to the demise of the the US.  I have included links to full review if you want to check these out and with all that said here are the top 10 Metal albums of 2023 so far. 

10- Creeping Death- "Boundless Domain" 

There is less of an old school thrash feel to "Boundless Domain" as the album's riffs adhere to more standardized shades of aggressive red.  These guys have always shown a great deal of promise in their songwriting and this album does not seem to be an exception in that .They prove to be pretty solid at what they do and there is a hooky but crushing feel to most of these songs,

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/06/death-is-june-creeping-death-boundless.html
 

9-PredatoryVoid - "Seven Keys to the Discomfort of Being" 

Combining members of Amenra with the vocalist from Russian Black Metal band Cross Bringer, there is something dark and powerful being created here. While Lina's vocal mainly focus on more brutal harshness, she does sing some passages in a more ethereal alto . The heaviness is a like a crashing wave , it hit and then recedes with a throb. I would say these guys are more sludge than any other genre as the sonic heaviness approaches the shadows rather than bathing in them like a doom band would.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/04/predatory-void-seven-keys-to-discomfort.html

 

8-Left to Suffer -"Feral" 

This album continues to grow on me, as the Atlanta based metal core band proves they are not just jumping on the White Chapel band wagon. They took things in a darker direction and  seem to have have just as much in common with the bands in the nu-metal revival. These guys manage to do it in a way that is just hooky enough to keep me along for the ride.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/05/left-to-suffer-feral.html

7-Ahab- "Coral Tombs" 

8 years of chaos have passed since this German doom band released their last album. Chris Noir of& Ultha lends his voice to the highly aggressive black metal start of the opening track before it ebbs down into the doom you expect from this band. The croon of the baritone vocals are  delivered with more power and presented more forward in the mix. The vocals play a bigger role in the overall sound this time around. Making this epic listen something that grows on you. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/01/ahab-coral-tombs.html
 

6-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

 

5-Cattle Decapitation- "Terrasite" 

They have in many ways picked up where they left off on "Death Atlas" . Though the band believes they have taken a 180 turn. The main difference I can hear are 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. They took it to the next level in terms of songwriting. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/04/cattle-decapitation-terrasite.html
 

 

4-the Abbey - "Word of Sin" 

Hailing from bands like Man Eating Tree and Shape of Despair, this doom band out of Finland, plays with both darkness and melody in equal portions. The use and almost gothic finery to decorate their songs with a well balanced blend of ambiance and hooky vocals, not as depressive as some doom, but possessed by a wellspring of nuanced dynamics. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/02/the-abbey-word-of-sin.html

3-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

 

2-Obituary- "Dying of Everything" 

 I was  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. 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
 

1-Frozen Soul -"Glacial Domination"

This Texas band pulls from classic death metal without worshipping any band too religiously. Their strength is taking a riff and groove it without compromising the heaviness. Lyrically things are grim and gory with only marginal amounts of the Dungeons and Dragons escapism .I went the album not knowing anything about this band and walked away a fan which speaks volumes considering the  constant flow of death metal bands in my in-box so for these guys to stand out it speaks volumes to their talents. If you like death metal this album is a must.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/05/frozen-soul-glacial-domination.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. 

The Abbey : "Word of Sin'

Hailing from bands like Man Eating Tree and Shape of Despair, this doom band out of Finland , does what I wish Ghost did, by playing dark metal, with catchy layer vocals . The cadence and how the vocals are layered is what brings Ghost to mind. Unlike Ghost this has the balls of metal to it even when draped in doomy goth finery. It took a while for the Ghost thing to sink in. I am not sure if it is intentional or not, only this band can answer it. I am not going to fault them if it is, the reasons I hate Ghost if inverted would be the reasons this band works. The vocals are hooky , but not pop masquerading as metal. There is an occult subject matter to the lyrics, but they are not trying to be Satanists for Halloween. 

Natalie Koskinen from Shape of Despair sings on this album, but does not really make an impression until the second song, when there is a break allowing her to soar over the gloom. They build up impressive momentum leading into this song and are able to make a chilling dynamic shift,  "Crystallion' is beautifully dark in the despondence it creates.  It is admirable how they shift from melody to melody. If there is any justice in the world they should at least earn a quarter of the success Ghost does, though they do not dress up in costumes to sell their show. "Starless" is the doomiest song yet on this album but it works more off the kind of soaring atmospheric dynamic Type O would allow their songs to fly off into the clouds with. They roar back with a more driving metallic chug on "Desert Temple" which adheres to expectations of metal, but not the charm of who they introduced themselves as on the first half of the album. It still works more than it does not. 

I like hearing his voice drop into more of a baritone croon with "Widow's Will". It paints a darker more deliberate picture than the previous song. Things get more metallic again on "Queen of Pain". It falls neatly in the spectrum of what we consider doom here, with little owed to Black Sabbath in the process. As you can imagine a song that is a prequel is more of an intro than a song unto itself. At over twelve minutes I am not sure "Old Ones" needs an intro. Things change six minutes into the song following a nice guitar solo, though I think they could have split this into two songs at this point. The keyboard solo is a bit excessive, but I appreciate where they wanted to go with it. It could have been trimmed down by three minutes there. Overall though, I will give this album a 9.5, I really enjoyed it and look forward to many more listens.