I leaned a bit more into my heavier tastes again this year, having strong feelings for Ne Obliviscaris’s Exul, Bloodred Hourglass’s How’s the Heart, and Slow Burn by Conquer Divide, which features one of my favorite songs of the year, playing w/ fire (I’m not crying, you’re crying. Shut up!). I also enjoyed The Approbation by AVKRVST, as well as Judgement Day by LOVEBITES, Among the Low & Empty by Signs of the Swarm, and Klone’s Meanwhile. A particular highlight for me was Preta by Ursular, a doom/stoner metal record with saxophone parts and great vibes.

On the non-metal side of things, Danny Baranowsky wrote a Science Fiction soundtrack for the game Industries of Titan that I enjoyed a lot this year (haven’t checked out the game itself yet, unfortunately). White Town put out Philogrammetry, and Wes Borland released Mutiny on the Starbarge. Poeta, one of my top picks from last year, recorded an unplugged album called Lampshade Sessions. Last but not least, Calva Louise put out an awesome EP (Square One) and I can’t wait for a new album; and I had a lot of fun with Jackman. by Jack Harlow, a sentence I didn’t expected to write just a couple of months ago.

In addition, I got a recommendation for Noxium by Eye of Horus and I couldn’t find the right words to write about A Kiss for the World by Enter Shikari, so I put them both on this list. Then there was Dreams of Lands Unseen by Ignea, and World by Elephant Gym, both of which I only came around listening to after I had my cut-off-date.

Finally, like last year’s Madness and Blood by A Dance in Yellow, there’s music by people I sort of know that released this year and didn’t make the list because of, well, personal relations. Nevertheless, I want to highlight At the Grove’s Infinity, Ben Esdor’s Through Forest and Leaves, and Garden of Ash with their self-titled debut album. All three records are great and fun records that I recommend you to check out.

#35: Host: IX

A recurring theme for the list this year is that there are entries that I have no ideas where they were coming from, which makes writing about them trickier than it has to be. IX by Host was even more trickier, because at the end of the year, I couldn’t remember why I wanted to put it on the list. Two tracks into the album on a train ride through rainy Lower Saxony, however, I remembered: Tomorrow’s Sky is such a great track that it elevates the entire album. Which doesn’t mean that the other tracks are bad (they aren’t), I just love this thing so much that I wanted to put it on the list. The goth inside me, somebody I never had the bravery to let out properly, rejoices.

Anspieltipps: Tomorrow’s Sky, A Troubled Mind, Years of Suspicion

#34: Décembre Noir: Your Sunset | My Sunrise

Using Instagram, a garbage app/service, has its advantages. One of them is that I can keep up with bands and artists that I like to listen to, and that they, sometimes, make recommendations. So when Heaven Shall Burn recommended/advertised Décembre Noir, I decided to check them out and they didn’t disappoint. I like my MeloDeath dark, long and moody, and Your Sunset | My Sunrise certainly delivers.

Anspieltipps: Against the Daylight, Sentimental Giants, Sleepwalker (In Yesterday’s Smoke)

#33: Body Void: Atrocity Machine

This is probably the hardest album on this list to listen to, and even I have to force myself to do so. The soundscape is unforgiving, grim, disturbing, and even terrifying. But art doesn’t have to be beautiful to be fascinating; some emotions, lyrics, moods and vibes aren’t suited to be expressed within a 3-Minute, 4-chords pop song. Some require raw and hellish noise. And even though I can’t listen to Atrocity Machine every day, I can appreciate it a lot for what it is. Give it a listen, but be careful out there.

Anspieltipps: Flesh Market, Atrocity Machine

#32: Medicine Horse: Medicine Horse

2023 was a year when I got deeper into the doom, psychedelic, stoner and sludge subgenres of metal, thanks mostly to a friend who asked me if I was interested to visit the Lazy Bones Festival in Hamburg with him. I did, it was a fantastic day, and I guess my exposure to this other kind of heaviness led me to find out about Medicine Horse, a Native American sludge/doom metal band fronted by a powerful voice. The first two tracks didn’t hesitate to melt away my face, and I was surprised to find a faster, almost black metal-like passage in the middle of Badlands. I like the album a lot, but I would have loved for it to go on for maybe ten minutes longer than it does.

Anspieltipps: Turning Tide, Badlands, She, Kuwa Detlukv (The Orchard)

#31: Avalon Emerson: &the Charm

And now for something different, a palate cleanser after the noise and sadness of the previous entries. Avalon Emerson &the Charm bring sappy, dreamy songs that remind me of a time that probably never was. It’s a playful collection of songs that’s a nice change of pace to what I’m listening to usually.

Anspieltipps: Sandrail Silhoutte, A Vision, Astrology Poisoning, Dreamliner, Hot Evening

#30: Hanabie.: 来世は偉人

Back to what I’m listening to usually, and this time I know exactly where I got the recommendation for Hanabie.! It was the video for お先に失礼します。on YouTube that made me interested in the band, and the album that came out later that year didn’t disappoint. It’s blending genres effortlessly without compromising heaviness.
According to the Internet (excuse me for not speaking Japanese), 来世は偉人 translates to Reborn Superstar!, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they’d become superstars on the festival circuit. Anyway, the album is amazing, with it’s only flaw being that it could have gone on for a bit longer for my taste.

Anspieltipps ( I took the translations from Wikipedia): 超次元ギャラクシー (“Hyperdimension Galaxy”), 今年こそギャル ～初夏 ver.～ (“This Is the Year to Be a Gal” (Early Summer version), Tales of Villain, Warning!!, お先に失礼します。 (“Pardon Me, I Have to Go Now.”)

#28: REZN: Solace

It’s sometimes hard, at the end of a year, to remember where I’ve got my recommendation from. In the case of REZN, it was either the Spotify algorithm or a post by Instagram account metalandcoffee. However, regardless of how I got here, I like it here: Solace is a deeply atmospheric album that makes me want to dream myself into a dark and distant world far away from our own.

Anspieltipps: Allured by Feverish Visions, Reversal, Stasis

#27: Kvelertak: Endling

Believe it or not, but I’m fairly new to Kvelertak, despite a conversation with a fellow student that’s been living rent-free in my head for about ten years now in which he told me that he’s not into metal, but Kvelertak was one exception to his rule. And for that (very stupid) reason, that ruled out listening to Kvelertak for me for about a decade. However, 2020’s Splid finally did it and I decided to check it out. Today, I sometimes find myself humming Rogaland, and in general, I enjoy the band’s energy. So when I heard about Endling, I was a little bit hyped. I ended up liking it a lot, especially Svart September, which ended up being one of my favourite songs this year.

Anspieltipps: Likvoke, Motsols, Døgeniktens Kvad, Endling, Svart September, Morlid

#26: vintersea: woven into ashes

Illuminated is one of my favorite songs of all time, and therefore I will have to check out every Vintersea release until the day I will leave this mortal shell I inhabit. Woven into Ashes may not have a song that inspires me as much as Illuminated does, but it does a good job of establishing a coherent atmosphere. Plus, Lonesome Tide is a great song in itself, not just for the flute solo.

Anspieltipps: Lonesome Tide, At the Gloaming Void

#25: NevBorn: Alkaios · Part I · The Eagle

I really enjoy it when a band can fill an hour with just four songs, and NevBorn did it beautifully. Every part is flowing into each other, and each musical idea has just the right amount of time it needs to breath, without overstaying its welcome. It’s heavy but surprisingly agile. I also appreciate how the four songs can fill an entire hour without resolving to meaningless guitar wankery. Instead, every note seems to support the musical journey NevBorn is taking us on.
According to the band’s official website, this took six years to make, and if you ask me, it’s been worth it.

Anspieltipps: Here’s some advice: press “play” on the first track and just don’t stop for the next hour (my favourite is Keryneia, though).

#24: stoned statues: guardian

Stoned Statues are a younger band from Finland, and I fell in love with their album Guardian already after the first couple of beats. If I had to describe it, for example for a blog post about music, I would use broad strokes to tell you that there’s Stoner Rock, Punk and even a bit of Metal in there. Is it Alternative Metal? I don’t know. Come in and find out, I guess. It’s cool here.
Plus, the cover art is probably my favorite this year. At least it’s a close tie with what will later rank as number two on this list.

Anspieltipps: Take Me With You, Too Late, Until Falling, Who Do You Think You Are?, Guardian

#23: Juse Ju, Provo: Das Problem, dass immer irgendwas passiert

Continuing my introduction into the more thoughtful regions of German Rap, I fell in love with Juse Ju’s album the second I listened to Das bleibt alles so, wie’s ist. The album is full of careful observations and clever critiques. It’s funny and there’s a couple of cool samples. The production is tight. Hey, and the hook in Weird has some heavy guitars, so that counts as metal in my book.

Anspieltipps: Weird; Das bleibt alles so, wie’s ist; Nine to Five; Deutscher Humor

#22: In this Moment: GODMODE

Although I’m not connecting with this one like I did with 2017’s Ritual, GODMODE grew quickly on me. It’s heavier than you might think, it has cool grooves and memorable hooks, and both THE PURGE as well as ARMY OF ME slap so hard that I just had to put it on this list.

Anspieltipps: THE PURGE, ARMY OF ME, SANCTIFY ME, EVERYTHING STARTS AND ENDS WITH YOU

#21: Mutoid Man: Mutants

I have no idea how I got by this record and the band behind it, but I’m glad I did. Aside from the fun and energetic compositions, I’d like to highlight the sound, which has something raw and almost blues-y vibe to it. Weirdly, the guitar tone in particular reminds me of Sodom’s self-titled 2006 album, which I have a lot of nostalgia for. Thanks for reminding me of that! It’s also pretty fun from a lyrical point, I mean – who of us here hasn’t been in love with their grave keeper?

Anspieltipps: Call of the Void, Broken Glass Ceiling, Siren Song, Graveyard Love, Unborn, Demons, Memory Hole

#20: Earthside: Let The Truth Speak

Let the Truth Speak by Earthside is slowly playing its way into my writing rotation. It’s more on the relaxing and introverted side of things, with a flair for the quieter moments, but it’s also not afraid to get appropriately heavy when it needs to be (for example in the middle of Watching the Earth Sink). It’s an atmospheric ride that just feels great to listen to, including amazing vocal performances by various vocalists. Plus, it gets bonus points for a surprise brass section in The Lesser Evil.

Anspieltipps: This is another album that I would strongly encourage you to check out as a whole from start to finish. However, if you’ve only got a couple of minutes, check out We Who Lament, Watching The Earth Sink, The Lesser Evil, and Let the Truth Speak. I would also like to throw in Denial’s Aria because it’s a great song, just mind that it’s probably not representative of the rest of the album.

#19: Daniel Pemberton: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Original Soundtrack)

I can’t remember the last time a movie soundtrack rocked so hard. My closest guess is that moment from the finale of Batman v. Superman when Wonder Woman appears and Hans Zimmer decided distorted cello was the way to go (still probably the best part of that movie, in my opinion). However, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse: Part I: Too Many Spider—People: The Soundtrack: The Game rocks harder. It’s almost more of a rock opera or concept album than a movie soundtrack, and it’s remarkable how it’s seamlessly blending between different genres without ever coming off as random or aimless. It’s the most fun I’ve had with a movie soundtrack in a while.

Anspieltipps: It’s a movie soundtrack. That’s like asking me to recommend single scenes from a movie instead of the whole movie. But if you insist, my favourites are: Across the Spider-Verse (Intro), Spider-Woman (Gwen Stacy), Guggenheim Assemble, My Name Is… Miles Morales, Under the Clocktower (beautiful scene in the movie, by the way), Spider-Man India (Pavitr Prabhakar), Spider-Punk (Hobie Brown), Falling Apart.

#18: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard: PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation

PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation is an album title that I still refuse to believe exists for any other reason than to annoy music journalists worldwide.
Jokes aside, I think this is a pretty cool and fun album and you are a cool person/gila monster for listening to it.

Anspieltipps: Witchcraft (it has the most amazing intro of anything I’ve heard this year), Gila Monster

#17: Aetherian: At Storm’s Edge

Aetherian have been on my radar for a couple of years now due to one single song (The Rain, which is still an awesome). When I heard about At Storm’s Edge, I was intrigued to check it out and was blown away. It’s dark, melodic, melancholic and atmospheric. It’s opening track, Army of Gaia, is a total banger and an instant classic of the genre in my books, larger than life, heavy, and, at the same time, infused with otherworldly beauty. The whole album reminds me of why I love listening to Metal, especially Melodic Death Metal, with its best moments making me feel as if I was back in my teenage days discovering something like In Flames’ The Jester Race for the first time.

Anspieltipps: Army of Gaia, At Storm’s Edge, Advent Dreams, Astral Breath

#16: The Ocean: Holocene

The Ocean have been one of my favorite bands for almost a decade now, with Precambrian being one of my favorite albums ever made. This one is quieter and, if that’s even possible, a bit more introverted than I expected. The sonic world it creates is dark, rich and beautiful, but there’s also a warmth to it that feels almost cozy. Apologies for being vague and esoteric, but whenever I listen to Holocene, I don’t want to leave the world I enter when clicking the Play button.

Anspieltipps: I would recommend to listen to it whole, but if you only got a couple of minutes, take Atlantic, Subboreal, and Parabiosis.

Anspieltipps: I would recommend to listen to it whole, but if you only got a couple of minutes, take Atlantic, Subboreal, and Parabiosis.

#15: Tomb Mold: The Enduring Spirit

omb Mold came to my attention when metal sites reported on a bunch of gatekeepers who complained that the band didn’t look Death Metal enough in their promo shoot. That alone made them interesting enough to check out The Enduring Spirit. But what started out of spite grew into genuine enjoyment of the album, and I still listen to it whenever I feel like it.

Anspieltipps: Will of Whispers, Servants of Possibility, The Enduring Spirit of Calamity

#13: Crypta: Shades of Sorrow

This album rules and reminds me of the time I was listening to a folder of Vader .mp3s a buddy of mine gave to me back when I was in school. But even with my nostalgia aside, this is a great album: it’s raw and brutal and honest, and if I was younger, I would be storming the mosh pit right now, and I can’t wait to see them live in Hamburg next year.

Anspieltipps: LISTEN TO THE WHOLE THING YOU COWARDS

#12: Blackbraid: Blackbraid II

ne things I love about Metal is how global it is, in that there are bands and communities all over the world who actively shape what Metal is. Blackbraid do that from an Indigenous perspective while maintaining a rather classic Black Metal songwriting delivered with excellent sound, and the result is that Blackbraid II is an album that I just want to have be playing on repeat for hours. As often with me, this one comes down to how atmospherically rich it is.

Anspieltipps: The Wolf That Guides the Hunters Hand, Moss Covered Bones on the Altar of the Moon, A Song of Death on Winds of Dawn

Anspieltipps: The Wolf That Guides the Hunters Hand, Moss Covered Bones on the Altar of the Moon, A Song of Death on Winds of Dawn

#11: prong: state of emergency

Prong wrote one of the greatest songs in the history of metal (Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck) and they played one of the best shows I’ve ever witnessed (Tower Bremen, 2014). And while I don’t check out every new Prong release, the stars aligned this year for me to find out about State of Emergency. And it’s almost all bangers. There are only too amounts of ass this album kicks: massive amounts of ass with the first five tracks, and lots of ass with everything else.

Anspieltipps: The Descent, State of Emergency, Breaking Point, Non-Existence, Light Turns Black

#10: Dawn Ray’d: To Know the Light

Another entry for the list of Black Metal records that I adore for their atmosphere (among other aspects), Dawn Ray’d released a true masterpiece this year. To Know the Light is not only dark, brutal, and a bit raw (I’m not complaining – it’s a feature, not a bug), but also folk-y and melancholic in a way that’s a bit more down-to-earth than many other Black, Death and MeloDeath bands.

Anspieltipps: Again, I would like to recommend listening to the whole album. But if you insist: Ancient Light, Inferno, Freedom in Retrograde, Wild Fire, Go as Free Companions

#9: Hällas: The Hällas Saga – Live at Cirkus

Hällas made a live album. That’s it, that’s all I’m going to say. Go listen to it and travel to a long gone time.

Anspieltipps: Beyond Night and Day, Star Rider (obviously), The Astral Seer, Carry On

#8: Carbon Based Lifeforms: Seeker

I’m always afraid that it sounds like an insult when I say that something is great writing music, when in fact the opposite is true. For something to be good writing music or music to write to, it has to evoke moods and images in my head that inspire me while also helping me to focus on the writing I’m doing. In other words, it has to take me into a different world that lets me forget the actual time and space I’m sitting in.
Seeker by Carbon Based Lifeform, whose albums Interloper and Derelicts are two of my favorite ambient/synthscape/whatever do I call this genre-albums of all time, is meeting my needs effortlessly. Each track sounds as if it was plucked from the soundtrack of a different science fiction movie, without breaking the cohesion of the album as a whole. It’s adventurous in the sense that I feel like exploring a different planet, but at the same time, it’s almost meditative, as if the journey and/or discovery wasn’t scientific, but spiritual. But maybe I’m reading too much into the soundscapes.

Anspieltipps: Bloom (both parts), Starfish, Departed

#7: Arnaud Roy, Lera Lynn: Endless Dungeon (Original Game Soundtrack)

I have been a fan of the Endless series of games by Amplitude studios since Endless Space, and maybe half of that is because of the music by Arnaud Roy. I still hum the Reach the Amoeba melody on occasion because it’s just so memorable to me. The soundtrack to the newest entry into the Endless series, Endless Dungeon, however, took me by surprise. It’s more on the blues-y side of things, with guitars, acoustic drums and songs with actual lyrics, provided by singer/songwriter Lera Lynn. In a way, it’s far more reminiscent of a Darren Korb soundtrack with a shoegaze slant to it, which is something I highly appreciate, and it fits the game universe perfectly because of its underlying melancholy. But it’s also having a bit of fun with its compositions, bringing a kind of levity to it. Playing into that, the production in itself feels a lot more minimal than other soundtracks I’ve listened to this year (just compare it to entry #19), and, at the same time, warm and intimate, almost like a small venue concert.
I haven’t played the game yet because I’m taking a break from videogames (it’s on my Steam wishlist, though), but it really makes me want to try out Endless Dungeon.

Anspieltipps: Free Again, Dust Echoes, Endless, Celluloid 11201, Bug Momma (that’s almost a Prog Rock song!), On the Fly, The Garden (that should be a Indie Pop song), Cosmic Cork, Overmind, Dusty Shadows, The Architect (that could be an Alcest song!)

#6: Katatonia: Sky Void of Stars

Sky Void of Stars was one of the first albums this year that I knew would make it onto this list, way back when I didn’t even know if I’d find enough albums to justify a list. Well, here we are, and Sky Void of Stars made it into the top ten. And while it probably might not be the best way to judge music (and art in general) in this manner, I’m convinced that this would have been one of my favorite records if it had been out while I was a teenager. There’s some premium sadboi energy here, something in which I can really lose myself, with my only complaint being that the ending of the album feels a bit abrupt.

Anspieltipps: Austerity, Colossal Shade, Opaline, Birds, Author, Atrium

#4: Insomnium: 1696

Insomnium is a band that I got to know way too late in my life, even though I adored their song While We Sleep so much that it inspired a verse section in one of my own songs (not yet out, but it’s coming along nicely). I guess I’m a bit slow sometimes picking up hints. Anyway, I decided to listen to 1696 when it came out and it didn’t disappoint, even though it took a couple of plays for me to fully get into it. Even then, I sometimes fall into the trap of assuming 1696 to be a pretty standard Melodic Death Metal record. The album is full of awesome and creative moments, though. Be it the beautiful choir at the end of Starless Paths, the subtle synths in The Rapids, or the entirety of The Witch Hunter, which at times feels like a Dark Tranquillity song from the Haven, Damage Done and Character era, it’s a fascinating record, atmospherically rich and deeper than you might think on your first one or two takes.

Anspieltipps: White Christ, Godforsaken, Lilian, Starless Path, The Witch Hunter, The Rapids