Brief Reflections on Some 2023 Records

By Jack Rafferty

Poison Ruin, Harvest (2023).

Harvest is the first time I had the pleasure of listening to Poison Ruin. The unique choice to focus on medieval themes is an interesting way to explore the injustices spanning history. This punk group has a gritty sound that is still fun. It has old school tinges but still feels fresh and full of ideas. Really excellent stuff. 

Fit For An Autopsy/Thy Art Is Murder/Malevolence, The Aggression Sessions (2023).

I feel like Fit For An Autopsy hasn’t sounded as heavy as they do on this collaboration EP since 2017. I’ve never been a huge fan of Malevolence, mainly due to the repetitive vocals, but they sound great here as well. The tracks from Thy Art Is Murder (including a cover of “Hammer Smashed Face”) are the most underwhelming parts of the EP. Not terrible, just didn’t grab me the way Thy Art Is Murder usually does. 

Jesus Piece, …So Unknown (2023).

Jesus Piece has really been a highlight of the hardcore/metalcore scene in recent years. Their particular formula of relentless aggression and crushing heaviness hits the right spot for me. It seems like they hone what makes them great with each release into a more distilled and practiced version of what it was previously. Makes me want to break shit. Love it. 

Fuming Mouth, Last Day of Sun (2023).

I’ve always loved Fuming Mouth’s tone. It is fuzzed as hell, but also clean and hefty. They’ve always had a really seamless blend of death metal, hardcore, punk, and more. Fuming Mouth never fails to get me wearing that snarling-nose, frowning-mouth, endearing look of satisfaction that any metalhead recognizes as a sign of a good riff.

Geese, 3D Country (2023).

It feels so great when you discover new music that is just like…what the fuck is this, this is amazing and new, and I’ve never heard anything like this before! Geese certainly struck me that way. There are many familiar elements in their sound, but the way they utilize them, their songwriting structure, is astounding in how fresh it is. It is bands like these that consistently keep me excited by music, and I love them for that. 

Xoth, Exogalactic (2023).

If Carnosus didn’t exist, this would have absolutely been the tech death album of 2023. While it doesn’t quite achieve what Visions of Infinihility does, Exogalactic is absolutely the real deal. It checks all the boxes of what you want from this genre: blistering speed, blast beats, insane vocals, chunky bass coming through loud and clear, but does it to a degree of quality that makes it stand out among most others. Wickedly fun.

Sermon, Of Golden Verse (2023).

I’ve sort of distanced myself a bit from prog metal in recent years, but Sermon’s Of Golden Verse really scratched that dormant itch. This album is intricately crafted, and I imagine was made with painstaking attention to detail. While I do think it has a bit of a slow start, the middle and later sections of the album really shine. There is some fantastic songwriting on display here, and the latter tracks especially contain some excellent atmosphere. 

Bogside Sniper Squadron, Demo (2023).

I never thought I needed IRA-themed blackened death metal in my life, until I found this band. Razor-sharp riffs steeped in Irish trad sound create an overall unique sound, and they pull it off in a way that does not come off as a gimmick. I especially love the demo cover. The style, formatting, and the inclusion of a Bobby Sands’s quote is just perfect. This is something genuinely exciting and new, and I am pained by how short of an offering it is. I will be keeping my eye on them for hopeful future releases. 

Youth Lagoon, Heaven Is a Junkyard (2023).

After a deep struggle with health problems that left Trevor Powers unable to speak or sing, Heaven Is a Junkyard shows an immensely vulnerable picture of him coming to terms with suffering, powerlessness, depression, and acceptance. Trevor was still recovering from something he wasn’t sure he would recover from while recording this album, and the fragility is present in every note. 

Tomb Mold, The Enduring Spirit (2023)

 

By Jack Rafferty

Last year was one hell of a year for death metal. I’ve never gotten heavily into Tomb Mold. I know the metal community has been in love with them since day one, and I get it, their take on old school death metal has always been great, and I enjoyed it, but never really returned for repeat listens. With The Enduring Spirit, it seems Tomb Mold is beginning to branch out and try out proggier, more melodic, sounds. I think this decision was a good one, as I find their sound more dynamic and engaging than I have in the past. Perhaps that can be attributed to taste alone, but I do think that this new direction has Tomb Mold focusing more deeply on songwriting, without sacrificing the brutality they cultivated so well in the past. Enduring Spirit guides the listener through winding, alien pathways that are constantly shifting, keeping us on our toes the entire runtime. Very cool to see how much Tomb Mold has evolved as a group with this release, and I am curious to see where they will go next. 

Year of the Knife, No Love Lost (2023)

 

By Jack Rafferty

Year of the Knife had a gnarly car accident in June 2023, following their show in Salt Lake City. It was a horrible thing. Fortunately, everyone in the band survived, but there were serious injuries. In typical U.S. fashion, it is completely fucked that they had to use GoFundMe to pay for everything, but I’m glad they got the community support they needed. Really cheering on as speedy of a recovery as possible for the band.

No Love Lost is crushingly heavy. I love Madi on vocals. I’ve heard a lot of shit about the vocalist switch, which I think a lot of is tied to unfortunate misogyny in parts of the genre’s fanbase. Regardless, I think she does a fuckin great job, and everyone is dialed in for this record. Crushingly heavy and angry. Brilliant.

Moonlight Sorcery, Horned Lord of the Thorned Castle (2023)

 

By Jack Rafferty


Apart from having an album title that is really fun to say, I am rather conflicted by this one. When it comes to melodic black metal, it really has to be a specific type of sound for me. I lean more into the wretchedness and dark atmosphere of black metal, with a tad of melody. Moonlight Sorcery certainly seems to heavily favor a lot of melody in their sound. There’s a lot of fun riffs here, and the production quality is great (important when considering black metal, to me). There is clearly a lot going on with Moonlight Sorcery that is very much worth paying attention to. My reservations with the album seem simply due to “personal taste,” so check it out for yourself to see if it offers more for you. 

Night Crowned, Tales (2023)

 

By Jack Rafferty

This one is intriguing. Night Crowned play melodic black metal that has tinges of symphonic/melodic/folk infused throughout. Standout elements for me are the vocals and the guitar melodies, they’ve really nailed it on that front. I also enjoy that, while the typical sounds of folk metal are present, they are used sparsely, and are not overbearing. I do not find them distracting like I do in most instances of that sub-genre. One issue I have is I really think they cleaned up the production a bit too much on this release. Their previous releases had a much grittier sound that I think worked better for what they are aiming at. Regardless, Tales is a very solid release. Overall, I think Night Crowned have improved in their songwriting by quite a noticeable amount. 

Wormhole, Almost Human (2023)

 

By Jack Rafferty

What do you get when a brutal death/slam band listens to Ulcerate and goes, “yeah throw some of that in there”? You get this, apparently. Heavy as fuck, while still containing the iconic high- pitched tremolo and alternate-picking-ringing-out-discordant-notes flavor from Ulcerate. I’ve seen in certain places this being referred to as “Tech Slam,” and I don’t really get that from it, but the nitpicking over sub-genres gets a bit ridiculous at certain points, so let’s focus on more nuanced points. The vocals really stand out to me. They make me think if some machine that demolishes boulders were to be synthesized with a machine that dredges the ocean depths. I do think they are a bit monotone (typical of slam, to be honest, a reason that sub-genre doesn’t always do it for me). This album is at its best when it isn’t leaning too heavily in any direction, but pulling from multiple influences and combining them effectively. 

Hellripper, Warlocks Grim and Withered Hags (2023)

 

By Jack Rafferty

Blackened speed metal is not a genre I’m very acquainted with. Venom is the most notable influence on display here, as with many, and it was always a band that I’ve had little experience with or knowledge about. Despite that, there often comes an album like Hellripper’s new LP, that is just too much fun to ignore. The excellent cover art and some high praise from sources I follow initially drew me to this, and I’m glad they did, as this album kicks ass. There’s also quite a lot of elements of thrash going on here, and it all melds together really well. For being a one-man project in terms of songwriting, this is excellent. The riffs are especially standout, there is a plethora of them here, and they really kept me locked in for the album’s runtime. 

BIG|BRAVE, nature morte (2023)

 

By Jack Rafferty

I’ve enjoyed BIG|BRAVE’s music for a while, but it has never fully drawn me in the way I wish it would. With nature morte, they’ve succeeded more clearly in that endeavor. Their heavy post-metal/drone sound and vast atmosphere is a little more wounded and vulnerable here, and it delves into places more captivating than in previous releases. The lead vocals are raw and unstable, the drums and bass thrumming and building in ebbs and flows of urgency and contemplation, seemingly on the verge of plummeting away from some established sense of normalcy built on centuries of blood, into territories unknown. Best enjoyed in the dark, eyes closed, mind wandering into and through the canyons of sound they weave, to darker places. 

Full of Hell/Nothing, When No Birds Sang (2023)

By Jack Rafferty

Full of Hell is prolific in their collaborations to say the least. They did three collab albums in 2023 alone. Of those three, When No Birds Sang is perhaps the most unexpected. Joining forces with Nothing, a shoegaze band, is a surprising dynamic, all the more surprising because it works extremely well. Full of Hell is no stranger to tempering their typically unhinged, caustic form of grindcore to new sounds (Merzbow, The Body, etc.), but their ability to maintain the brutality of their music while seamlessly blending with the slower, hazier atmosphere of Nothing is worthy of praise. The opening track, “Rose Tinted World,” especially stands out. Beginning with a bludgeoning tempo, the track fluctuates all over, closing in many samples of daytime television or news broadcasts looped over each other, producing a dizzying and eerie effect, then to sounds of distorted static like a forest fire, which leads directly into the clean guitars and vocals of the second track, like emerging from smoke into fresh air. The chemistry on display here is evident, and I really enjoyed the hell out of this one. 

Fires in the Distance, Air Not Meant for Us (2023)

 

By Jack Rafferty

Absolutely stellar melodic death metal. As far as I am concerned, most melodic death metal lives and dies by the melodies themselves, the emotion behind them. The rest is all important, but if it doesn’t have that core, it falls flat. Fires in the Distance is a band I was not familiar to prior to this release. I am excited to go check out their debut after this, because Air Not Meant for Us is just great. There are so many wonderful, soaring moments on this record. The guitar tone is especially noteworthy, as there is clarity, yet depth, to it. The mix is done really well, with each instrument, synth note, vocal passage, etc. having ample breathing room without feeling distant from one another. But the melodies here, especially the guitar riff melodies, really standout from a lot that I have heard from the genre recently. 

Nightmarer, Deformity Adrift (2023)

 

By Jack Rafferty

Dissonant/avant-garde death metal is my shit, and this one is right up my alley. The guitar tone and some other elements are reminiscent of Disentomb, yet there is also the unmistakable discordance of bands like Ulcerate, Artificial Brain, Gorguts, and others. It is very bass-forward, percussive, resonant, and not as unapproachable as some other dissonant death metal acts, such as Imperial Triumphant, Portal, Gigan (Nightmarer is fronted by Gigan’s ex-vocalist), and some others. With Deformity Afrift, Nightmarer strikes a good balance, with a very digestible run-time. Overall, this is a very strong entry in a lineage of exceptional albums in the genre. 

Cryptopsy, As Gomorrah Burns (2023)

 

By Jack Rafferty

For me, None So Vile is absolutely iconic. I personally do not have a ton of experience with Cryptopsy beyond that album, as I haven’t given the rest of their discography enough attention. Therefore, my perspective of As Gomorrah Burns is mainly in terms of, “how does this stack up to None So Vile?” To be honest, I don’t think it is a fair question to ask, as nearly thirty years have passed since that album. What I can say about As Gomorrah Burns is that it is a non-stop barrage. Few albums that I listened to this past year have such a sense of urgency to bash your fuckin’ brains in. Each song is short, tightly composed, and feels like being bombarded by concrete rain. The speed and technicality remain incredibly impressive, and I really appreciate Cryptopsy’s attention to detail, in the sense that the distinctness of sounds never get lost in the chaos of it all. I do think that there is less personality present here. I don’t feel the same strong sense of character and style that I did with None So Vile, but overall, I think this is a very solid release. 

Thantifaxath, Hive Mind Narcosis (2023)

 

By Jack Rafferty

Thantifaxath makes some of the most tense, discordant, unsettling music out there. The choice to use a Goya piece for their cover art seems fitting. I’ve always appreciated that Thantifaxath approach their particular type of cacophonous music with clarity and focus. There is a space that each member of the band provides to the other, and it all blends very well, as opposed to just becoming a wall of noise. I loved Sacred White Noise, and it has been quite a while since then. I am glad Thantifaxath have continued making music and put this out, as I kind of thought they had split or something. They are never an easy listen, but they are a rewarding one. 

jaime “breezy” branch, Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die (World War) (2023)

 

By Jack Rafferty

Jaime branch passed away in August 2022—such an immense talent lost. A highly innovative composer, bandleader, and primarily trumpet player, branch infused the punk spirit of defiance and experimentation, stripping down and reinventing, to fuse genre and sound into something alchemical and unique. Branch’s music is strikingly electric, breathing new life into itself with each second that passes. There is a restrained tension to every moment, in true jazz fashion, where each member of the ensemble is given their respective moments to shine, and, as a result, each member interprets and adapts, shifting with the dynamic. This album is a testament to the potential branch had moving forward as a musician and songwriter. While what branch left behind was already brilliant, it is so sad to think of all the ideas they could have still produced. (world war) is a vibrant and energetic project, and utterly deserving of praise. Branch will be remembered as one who fought for justice and who soared through darkness to act as a light to guide others. 

Cattle Decapitation, Terrasite (2023)

 

By Jack Rafferty

Cattle Decapitation is generally a pretty safe bet for me. Ever since Monolith of Inhumanity, I have been a massive fan. While Terrasite is still great at parts, I definitely feel like it is the weakest album they have made in a long time. Aside from the fucking awful cover art, there is not a great deal that leaps out at me, unlike so much of what they have done in the past decade. Nevertheless, this is still a solid album—it is just underwhelming when considered relative to their other work. I think a large reason for this is that I have always loved the more dark, brooding, despairing atmospheres they cultivated on Monolith, Anthropocene, and Death Atlas. Terrasite is definitely a departure from this, opting for a more plainly aggressive approach. I also really don’t like the more spoken-word clean vocals that Travis introduces on this album. Perhaps I just need to spend some more time with it. There is certainly a lot to like here. I think I’m just distracted from focusing on what is good because I am paying attention to changes I don’t like. 

McKinley Dixon, Beloved! Paradise! Jazz? (2023)

 

By Jack Rafferty

Beloved! Paradise! Jazz? kicks off with a reading from a stark passage of Toni Morrison, which really sets the tone going forward. I wasn’t aware of McKinley Dixon’s first album, but I am looking forward to delving into it after listening to this one. Jazz rap can be pretty hit or miss for me, often because I just end up comparing it to Kendrick Lamar, and that’s a hard act to follow. However, with Beloved! Paradise! Jazz?, McKinley is clearly an immense talent with an amazing voice. The beats and instrumentation here are especially powerful and varied. Even though each track, and the album itself, is quite short, they build worlds with the time they have. McKinley’s rapping and lyrics are deep, emotional, and intricate. This albim is meaningful, dense, diverse, and excellent. 

Gary Floyd

 

By SoDak

Comrade Gary Floyd, from the legendary queer commie band The Dicks, is dead. His voice has been in my heart since 1985, when I first heard the song “Dicks Hate the Police,” which noted the downward spiral and brutality of a police officer. His voice continues to be present to this day, as cops across the country are deployed to beat up college students demonstrating against war and genocide. Gary wrote great songs railing against Nazis, cops, racism, homophobia, and capitalism. Songs such as these are still desperately needed. I get goose bumps every time I hear “Bourgeois Fascist Pig.” Sometimes his lyrics were written from the perspective of a cop or a reactionary, and the words note the vile thoughts that would manifest. Gary had a big and powerful voice. The soulful and blues foundation of his singing is more evident on These People (1983), the second record by The Dicks, as many of the songs are much slower than those on their debut Kill from the Heart (1985). I really love the soulfulness of his singing in Sister Double Happiness, one of his later bands, especially on the song “Dark Heart.” Another gem in his catalog is “Wonderful” by his band Black Kali Ma. If you have not heard these songs, please listen to them. They are beautiful. One of my favorite songs from his solo work is “The Rejected Ones.” Gary was simply wonderful.

boygenius, the record and the parting glass (2023)

 

By Jack Rafferty

I had my eye on this project for a good bit now, as I enjoy Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dakus. While I think the record is a beautiful, tender, and wonderful album, their rendition of “The Parting Glass” with Ye Vagabonds as a tribute to Sinéad O’Connor is what really solidified my appreciation for this band. It is one of, if not the best, version of the song I’ve heard, which is high praise. I think it is hard to weigh against something like the Clancy Brothers, or The Pogues version, because they are not comparable. In terms of their debut album, I think it really highlights the best parts of each artist, and their vocal harmonies are gorgeous. In spirit, but not so much in sound, it reminds me a lot of Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt, in the sense that, perhaps by mistake or perhaps by design, they found lightning in a bottle with their dynamics and how they meld. 

Outer Heaven, Infinite Psychic Depths (2023)

 By Jack Rafferty

Outer Heaven’s Realms of Eternal Decay was a masterful debut, as they really came out of the gates ready to fuck shit up on that one. Five years later, we get what is essentially a conceptual prequel to that album. I’ve never really cared much for the concept aspect behind their work, as it struck me as overly lofty for what they go for. Regardless of that, though, Infinite Psychic Depths finds Outer Heaven pushing the boundaries even further. While maintaining a sound that is firmly rooted in old school death metal, like their contemporaries Tomb Mold, they add enough new spices to keep it fresh and to keep its distance from being derivative or reveling in nostalgia. The cover art is kind of silly to me this time around, which I usually wouldn’t mind, but it doesn’t really seem to mesh with the demeanor that Outer Heaven is going for. At the end of the day, though, you just really can’t fuck with the riffs, grooves, and earth-splitting sound here. Frankly, this just kicks all sorts of ass and I’m here for it. I do think the album is rather front-loaded, with the back half leaving a bit to be desired.

KEN Mode, VOID (2023)

 

By Jack Rafferty

Deranged as ever, KEN Mode always comes out swinging. VOID, however, notably does have some slower, brooding moments. There is a greater emphasis on despair here, apart from the typical feelings of rage and dread. AMG put it well in their review, calling it “an unwelcome nostalgia for pain.” There is a melancholy backdrop to everything, and a hopeless yearning. The excellent bass work on this one also stands out. It has such a forefront and menacing presence; it reminds me a lot of the best work by Jesus Lizard. I’ve always enjoyed KEN Mode, but I felt that I had a hard time resonating with them deeply. The chaos and agony of their previous work was excellent, but VOID has taken things a step further and has a deeper emotional resonance. 

Julie Byrne, The Greater Wings (2023)

 

By Jack Rafferty

The lyrics on The Greater Wings are too good, and I can’t even begin to pick some to share here. While I do think the music is gorgeous, the writing is the highlight here. The songs themselves can be a bit repetitive, but they function well as the vehicle to deliver incredible lyrics. There are spectacular melodies and atmospheres, but it is nearly spoken-word poetry throughout. Essentially, in order to review this in any way that does it justice, I just need to share some of Julie’s words and let them speak for themselves.

From “Summer Glass”:

One day the skin that holds me will be dust

And I’ll be ready to travel again

For now, I want to go further in….

That’s not the same as being new forever

The shape of your hand left in the dust of summer glass

I want to be whole enough to risk again.

From “Lightning Comes Up from the Ground”:

That look is the most vivid image I have of you

The voices in my blood alive with longing

I tell you now what for so long I did not say

That if I have no right to want you

I want you anyway.

From “Hope’s Return”:

If I were young I’d be unbridled with my words

Not yet a statue, a rough break seeking hope’s return

It is so like me to dream you, to be lost to desire

Your image comes to me like terrains of fire.

There are many other examples I’d like to share, but I’ll refrain for the sake of space. Please go check out the album just to read such beautiful poetry alone. 

Ulthar, Anthronomicon (2023)

 

By Jack Rafferty

One of the more exciting and boundary-defying blackened death groups of recent years, Ulthar has consistently refined a sound that is as unmistakable as it is winding and stygian. While they released two albums in 2023, not a double album, but two albums in similar theme and style, it would be expected of me to check both out. But I only have so many hours in the day, so I chose Anthronomicon. I’ll visit the other some other time, but not now. As for Anthronomicon, as with other Ulthar works, you can very much judge a book by its cover. The frayed, dark, eldritch phantasmagoria of the cover intuits what the listener is to experience sonically. Dense, sporadic, wretched, menace beyond human knowledge. It is hard to describe Ulthar without simply providing a litany of vague descriptions, because the experience is one that needs to be felt, more than explained. What I can say is that Ulthar is at their most focused here. There is so much going on second to second, it can be hard to keep track of the sheer complexity among the brutal, abstract domain that is this album. However, it would be a disservice to the band, as their best songwriting to date is here. They have really gone beyond what initially caught everyone’s attention, and they have moved on to the particularity of what will maintain that attention, and more importantly captivate.