The HM team has a lot to be thankful for this year. We covered more than 80 shows, interviewed nearly 50 artists on The BlackSheep Podcast, attended festivals, talked to bands about life on the road and in the studio, and heard a constant stream of new releases every step of the way. You could say we feel quite humbled by the music we’ve gotten to experience.
From start to finish, 2023 brought the heat in every corner of heavy music. Some of the scene’s most-watched acts released absolute masterpieces, along with some surprises we couldn’t anticipate. All in all, the landscape was vast and shared by hard-hitting vets and up-and-coming trailblazers, making for a vibrant year of listening. Metalcore is ever-consistent in releases, and this year, we also received bangers in hardcore, punk, indie rock, and some progressive stand-outs.
Whatever your taste, 2023 had something worth celebrating, and as you brace yourself for what’s to come in the next year, we hope you enjoy HM’s top 25 albums of 2023.
25
Polaris
Fatalism
In the face of the devastating loss of their brother and bandmate, Ryan Siew, Polaris’s 2023 release is the picture of both tenacious fortitude on the part of the band, and the healing power of music. The decision to release Fatalism showed fans that Polaris is made of as much courage and ferocity as the album itself, bursting at the seams with riffs, melodies, and grooves delivered with poignant force.
24
Fiddlehead
Death is Nothing to Us
An ode to grief in its fullness, Fiddlehead’s 2023 album, Death is Nothing to Us, ushers in a new season for the band and Pat Flynn’s songwriting. Its content finds the exquisite balance of utter loss and the first trudging step out of the fog, while the instrumentation sinks its roots deeper into the intersection of post-hardcore and emo. The intentional combination extracts precise pieces of the band’s collective heart to dust off and hold boldly and rightly in the light.
23
Off Road Minivan
May This Keep You Safe From Harm
Arguably one of Tooth & Nail’s most magnetizing releases of the year, Off Road Minivan’s May This Keep You Safe From Harm boasts catchy melodies and potent storytelling that captures and captivates. The album’s journey is deep and dynamic, brought to life by Tuck O’Leary’s powerful vocal performance and the band’s deep understanding of tone, texture, and harmonization as vehicles for any and all emotion.
22
Fallstar
Sacred Mirrors
“The entire album is driven by a blend of guitar tones that balance thunderous djent and pleasing cleans, most clearly showcased in songs like “Dischordia” and “Water House.” While there may be some predictability to the songwriting, the fine-tuning in their tone reflects their growth since their last full-length, Sunbreather, and sinks its teeth into an ever-rounding identity.” – Tom Lamm
Hear Fallstar on The BlackSheep Podcast »
21
Better Lovers
God Made Me An Animal EP
In four power-packed songs—a whopping 15-minute run time—this super-band managed to release an EP that perfectly encapsulates the raw and chaotic qualities fans fell in love with and desperately missed from the acts that bore Better Lovers. The true talent, however, lies in their ability to highlight said qualities while forging something truly new with their first release, setting the bar sky high for their future.
20
Hollow Front
The Fear of Letting Go
Hollow Front’s The Fear of Letting Go is an offering of introspection in the face of adversity. The dance between clean and unclean vocals serves the story of wrestling well and serves as an instrument in itself, and fans can’t seem to get enough from the band’s third-ever studio album release.
19
August Burns Red
Death Below
“The years between the albums coincide with the height of the pandemic, packed with new experience and growth for every band, it seems. So it’s no surprise that ABR’s songwriting has flourished and grown, reflecting changes in perspective, the reality of living through such trauma—for better or worse—and the complexities of choosing hope.” – Viktor Mendez
18
Of Mice & Men
Tether
“Tether is by far the band’s most creative album to date, and the final product shows them sticking to their roots, weaving in themes of mental health, exploration, creativity, and unity…Fitting for its name, Tether will undoubtedly stick with you as a hard-hitting and a triumphant return for the rock giants we know and love.” – Tom Lamm
17
Invent Animate
Heavener
While ever maintaining their transcendental identity and ever honoring the ethereal overtones in their sound, Invent Animate still grows in every direction with each new release. Their 2023 record, Heavener, is no exception. The contrast they paint between guitar tones alone is masterful; not to mention Marcus Vik’s powerful and unifying vocal performance. Heavener exudes emotion that reaches from the trenches to the heavens, and everywhere in between.
16
Gideon
More Power. More Pain.
“The last few years of Gideon have shown their grit and strength as a band. Through a shift in their identity in the music industry, through loss, and through the pandemic, the quartet has come through the pain with more power than ever. Their lifelong fans continue to root for the genuine people they’ve always seen, while others aren’t sure what to make of their new music. Through it all, Gideon does what they do best — they forge ahead and continue to win new fans with their raw and unshakable presence. If More Power. More Pain. is any indication of the band’s future, it’s safe to say there’s nothing Gideon can’t endure.” – Viktor Mendez
15
Spiritbox
The Fear of Fear EP
Spiritbox has been the band to watch for a few years now, and their latest release, The Fear of Fear—while just an EP—has garnered just as much attention and acclaim as their full-length studio albums. The band’s songwriting has clearly evolved and refined their musical relationship with one another, making more space for Courtney LaPlante’s vocals to shine and the band’s chops to drive—a dynamic fans can’t help but obsess over.
14
Covet
Catharsis
While not as heavy as the majority of releases in our list, Covet’s 2023 record, Catharsis, holds its own in this lineup. Guitar virtuoso Yvette Young’s rock trio pulls texture and tone to new territory in both exploratory and masterful ways. The band hones in on a tasteful post-rock sound in their 2023 release, creating definition, structure, and the secret blend of restraint from what is often a flurry of math rock. Covet has cracked the code and fans can’t get enough.
13
Blink-182
One More Time
It’s no surprise that Blink-182’s reunion album, One More Time, is the soundtrack of nostalgia this year. The formative trio bursts back into emo hearts around the world with the same attitude and only more life under their belts. One More Time is the raw and real story of creativity, friendship, and what it means to evolve.
12
Beartooth
The Surface
Beartooth has always operated under a code of 110% energy and radically honest songwriting, and 2023’s release captures that essence with no apology. The Surface pulls all the best of the band to the surface, from catchy choruses, punk grooves, and slaying breakdowns, to crowd chants that’ll wind up a circle pit in any audience. The stories and vulnerability behind the band’s 2023 release showcase just how far they’ve come, while both unashamed and untamed in their leaps.
11
Dying Wish
Symptoms of Survival
In their latest release, Dying Wish pushes the limits of their sound with more chugging riffs, a potent and feral vocal performance from Emma Boster, and visceral delivery from everyone in the band. These songs take the music lower, more aggressive, and filled to the brim with undying energy.
Hear Dying Wish on The BlackSheep Podcast »
10
The Ongoing Concept
Again
“In their latest release, the band is bold and unafraid of using samples on songs like “Prisoner Again,” which starts with concert cheers, followed by gun samples layered with floor tom hits that crescendo to the chorus. Vocalist and guitarist Dawson Scholz shows his versatility and range of clean vocals to blood-curdling screams. As the album progresses, The Ongoing Concept continues to open up, taking artistic risks that pay off in spades.” – Tom Lamm
Hear The Ongoing Concept on The BlackSheep Podcast »
9
Moodring
Your Light Fades Away EP
While only a brief three songs, Moodring’s Your Light Fades Away EP packs a punch with crescendoing energy building from song to song. The blend of electronic elements and the raw instrumentation and exquisite songwriting from the trio is a delectable cocktail of melody and noise. A taste of what’s to come from the band, fans ferociously consumed their latest EP and are already ready for more.
8
Project 86
Omni Pt. 1
Project 86 broke into the heavy music scene in the early aughts, and have since paved quite the independent journey from release to release. Omni Pt. 1 is a dystopian exercise in storytelling, showcasing Andrew Schwab’s writing chops and pushing the boundaries of genre and instrumentation. The new techniques and multi-sensory sci-fi imagery leave no room to question Project 86’s bold philosophy on music creation.
Hear Project 86 on The BlackSheep Podcast »
7
’68
Yes, and…
Noise rock act, ’68, brings listeners pure, unadulterated rock and roll in their 2023 album, Yes, and… The record boasts the same sharp attitude and tasteful innovation the duo brought to the scene with their 2014 debut, with arguably even more to say. Yes, and… extracts the best of Scogin and Yamada’s chops and partnership, making every listener a fan of their music, their history, and their magnetic energy.
6
Boygenius
The Record
Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus are perhaps the creative hivemind of the decade. The orchestra of songwriting between these three savants, evident in their 2023 release, The Record, is electric and unstoppable. Together, they highlight the best in one another and discover the space between as sacred ground. Another stand-out album in our list, The Record brings “heavy” to life in all new ways.
5
Sleep Token
Take Me Back to Eden
One of the most awaited releases of 2023, Sleep Token did not disappoint with Take Me Back to Eden. The final movement in the band’s 5-year trilogy beautifully ties together stories and songs that fans have clung to since their debut album, Sundowning. The theory and intentionality behind each musical decision in their new record renders it inhuman in many ways — only aided by the band’s evolving anonymity. With elements of post-rock, alternative metal, and even indie rock, Sleep Token has found the sweet spot in their sound and have ferociously secured the relentless love of their fans.
4
Johnny Booth
Moments Elsewhere
NY-based band, Johnny Booth, is blazing a path for themselves with their ambitious 2023 full-length, Moments Elsewhere. Their raw energy and impeccable musical instinct results in an album no one could have predicted, and talent no one can deny. The band took new risks that paid off and clearly spent time tweaking every last sound to lock in their vision that has made them a highly coveted add to tour lineups.
3
Code Orange
The Above
If there’s an album this year that embodies a band’s evolution, it’s The Above by Code Orange. Early fans will inevitably compare the aggressive, raw material the band unleashed in their early days as Code Orange Kids to the more structured songs that make up their 2023 release. Through their growing intensity as a band—in perhaps unexpected ways—it’s clear their path is forged by their instinct to go deeper into their content, their capabilities, and their capacity to take everything creative up a handful of notches.
2
Militarie Gun
Life Under the Gun
Militarie Gun’s 2023 full-length, Life Under the Gun, is exactly what fans have hoped for on the heels of the band’s previous releases, with dialed-in integration of pop elements that serve the sound without abandoning its roots. The guitar-driven collection frames Ian Shelton’s punk rock vocals in simplicity, while making space for harmony, variety in song structure, and groove the drives the entire album forward with gusto.
1
Silent Planet
SUPERBLOOM
Our top pick for 2023 is unquestionably Silent Planet’s SUPERBLOOM. A powerful story of near-death shared by the entire band, the album’s ferocity is unlike anything we’ve seen from Silent Planet thus far. As Garrett Russell ventures further into his vocal portfolio, fans cling to the ripping and ever-deepening texture of his unclean vocals while hanging on every phrase of his potent melodies. Likewise, the band is only gaining strength in their creativity and delivery, which, paired with song structures that have struck a noticeable chord, positions their 2023 release squarely atop their discography for many.
Hear Silent Planet on The BlackSheep Podcast »
