Top 20 Albums of 2023: A Year of Sufjan Stevens, Hardcore, and Death Metal

2023 was a year that vastly expanded my music taste. It was a year that featured a lot of new paths blazed in music. Art is as important as ever and all of these artists carried an impressive message and artistic talent to back it up. I was able to find a lot of new releases I loved this year from attending shows, finding a community in heavy music, and listening to as much music as possible. There is so much to be excited about in the future of music like young hardcore bands like Spy or Zulu to more experimentation in hip hop with albums like Billy Woods and Kenny Segal's Maps or Scaring The Hoes by Danny Brown and Jpegmafia. As obvious, this list is subjective and just my picks. Hopefully you find some music you enjoy or haven't listened to yet.

Here is a link to all these albums on one playlist: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/top-20-albums-of-2023/pl.u-NpXmW3GTml4rNMA

1. Sufjan Stevens - Javelin (Asthmatic Kitty Records)

This placement really was not difficult. Sufjan Stevens multi-decade career has given us classics like Illinois and Carrie and Lowell but to me there is a special aura to Javelin. It is both healing and heart-crushing. Like all of the best Sufjan Stevens albums, Javelin is earth shattering and changes your perspective on how much beauty music can hold. Sufjan’s career seemed to be winding down as he was focusing more on movie soundtracks, ambient music, and taking elongated time off. However, with his life changing disease and the loss of his partner Javelin carries an essence of urgency and power. Javelin takes his electronic approach as of late and mixes it with his classic acoustic mastery. Every song on this album has something to prove and is magical in how much Sufjan can pack into his powerful songwriting. Goodbye Evergreen starts like beginning a new treacherous chapter to a life long lived. There is not a song on here that doesn’t cut to the core of any listener. Javelin is crushingly sad, an album of grief and mourning. However at its core it’s much more than that. An album of hope and an album of self reliance when life gets tough. Javelin is symbolic for being able to be yourself in times of hardship and hold on to all that is close. Sufjan delivers a musical statement unlike any we have heard so far this decade.

2. Year of the Knife - No Love Lost

This album is breathtaking in ways hardcore and metal so rarely are. From the opening seconds on Sometimes to the closing moments of the title track, Madi and the crew destroy every cliche that stands in their way. Produced by metal legend and Converge member Kurt Ballou, this album's production stands it above any other heavy release this year. With the perfection of the guitar tones to how well each instrument maintains it's consistent attack, the sound of this album is really special. The album comes in the context that the band was recently in an accident but they don't let it define them at all. Madi Watkins in the lead is new for the band on this release however she guides them in an incredible direction with her immensely creative songwriting and mind blowing vocals. Songs like Last Laugh prove her talent as a vocalist with creating visceral lows that rival anyone's. This is a triumphant record from a band that already had great status in the world of heavy music. YOTK takes a huge step in evolving and created the best heavy album of 2023.

3. Sampha - Lahai

Sampha's release Process in 2017 has grown to be one of my all-time favorite albums. It's combination of electronic and soul with Sampha's surreal vocals makes every song stand out. Sampha took 6 years off and focused on being a collaborative artist releasing features notably on Mr Morale by Kendrick last year on Father Time and also Drake, Kanye, and Solange. Sampha's creative mind however functions incredibly well on his own and he makes some of the most beautiful and soulful music anyone can. Lahai starts beautifully with Spirit 2.0. Every note on this album feels placed perfectly and the drums and synths sound so crisp and often really beautiful. As always Sampha's vocals are the stand out. The way he sounds on songs like Only and Supsended are beautiful and resonate with so much warmth. Sampha is one of the greatest creative minds currently making this wave of soul and electronic and his most direct comparison is someone like James Blake. Sampha brings so much geniune energy and intention into his music, he spent the 6 years away really perfecting this project and releasing it with his full creative potential on hand.

4. Harms Way - Common Suffering

Harms Way has been a leader of the Chicago hardcore scene and the global hardcore scene for a while now. While hardcore blows up around them, they proceed to be focused on making the most genuine and powerful music that they can. Harms Way has an attack that feels way more balanced and focused than many other hardcore bands. They use their insane sense of timing to write riffs that take their time but are written so well and can absolutely break down into madness. You can see this on any track on this album but I want to point Heaven's Call and Silent Wolf out as absolute highlights. Harms Way just proves themselves as a level above with this release taking their general mastery of all things heavy and focusing it in a tasteful, calculated, and intentional way. Harms Way is one of the most impressive heavy bands going right now bar none.

5. Billy Woods and Kenny Segal - Maps

Billy Woods has always been an eclectic rapper with a staccato flow and genuine genius in his lyricism. Kenny Segal brings Woods to the next level with his creative and mind-bending sampling and beats. Kenny features so much jazz on this album and splices it in perfectly between Billy's bravado and flow. The two work together in such a dynamic way on this release with Kennny's beats bringing the best out of Wood's amazing rhyme schemes. Highlights to me are Year Zero, Rapper Weed, and Soft Landing although the whole tracklist is incredible and flows so well. This is an album you can keep on repeat, it sounds so minimal but also so focused it really is a feat to both men's creative talent. The most creative rap album I heard this year, it even features Aphex Twin.

6. King Krule - Space Heavy

King Krule has been making really good music consistently for almost a decade now. I love the Ooz songs like Lonely Blue and Half Man Half Shark are examples of Archy Marshall's creative chops. Space Heavy sees King Krule as focused as ever. A shorter run time more complete song structures and an ambition that feels fresh, Space Heavy is his greatest release. It feels so concise and perfected in ways other Krule albums haven't as much. Songs like Flimsier and Seaforth show a more accessible but impressive songwriting style. Archy's guitar playing has always been transcendent too. In it's minimalism and reverb focus, it matches this albums dark space energy incredibly well. His guitar playing has always been my favorite part of his music and his reverb soaked Telecaster blues are as spacey as ever.

7. Full of Hell and Nothing - When No Birds Sang

This album just recently came out but has already made a lot of waves. Nothing has been making shoegaze driven alternative rock for a while now and Full of Hell has been killing it in the world of experimental metal so this collab was one I was immediately looking forward to. On the album, the mix of sludge metal and drone with the shoegaze format of Nothing made something incredibly special here. This album is full of gloom and sorrow but also feels so warm and heavy. Rose Tinted World is one of the highlights of the whole year for me with the fuzz pedal driven gigantic riff the album is focused around and the vocal dynamic between Dylan Walker of Full of Hell and Dominic Palermo of Nothing. This album is born from pain but is optimistic for a better day.

8. Frozen Soul - Glacial Domination

Frozen Soul has been one of the leading names that has taken death metal from its near-dormancy and made it revolutionary again. Frozen Soul hailing from Lubbock, Texas takes a heavy assault to all the music they make. Lead singer Chad Green has a scene-leading guttural vocal style that, both pays homage to vocalists like David Vincent of Morbid Angel and John Tardy of Obituary, but also pushes his own power into the future. Seeing this album performed live on their recent tour only made it all that more special as all these songs were taken to hell with so much care and effort. It is really evident that Frozen Soul poured years of death metal knowledge but also their hearts into this release.

9. Drain - Living Proof

Drain took the hardcore world by storm this year dropping one of the catchiest and most energetic releases of the year. Fronted by Sammy Ciaramitaro, former drummer for Gulch, Drain makes some of the best hardcore in the scene. Guitarist Cody Chavez thrashes through riffs that are equal parts Slayer-inspired as they are creatively modernized for the modern hardcore scene. Sammy's vocals carry so much energy on songs like Evil Finds Light and Run Your Luck. Drain also has an immaculate sense of timing using the band's dynamics to create riffs that carry so much energy to them. Drain is some real California hardcore and they make music that is so fun and full of raw punk energy.

10. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard- Petrodragonic Apocalypse

2023 was a more show-heavy than studio-heavy year for the World's Most Prolific Australian boys. That being said though, two studio albums came out which is modest to last year's 3 studio albums and 2 EPs. At the end half of the year they released The Silver Cord which was an electronic analog synth journey but the one I wanted to highlight was their June release of Petrodragonic. King Gizzard went the metal route here which has yielded great results previously, Namely, on Infest The Rats Nest from August 2019 which is one of the freshest, catchiest, and most inventive metal albums in recent years. How do you follow a statement album like that? Make a pretty solid thrash metal album. While this album doesn't reach the glory of their 2019 release the band takes a more Progressive edge, by their nature, to these grand thrash metal tunes. My favorite part of Rats Nest was the raw energy and ambitious but simple concept. This album's nuclear wasteland concept is nuanced but all the songs feel way more polished. Which is not neccesarily a bad thing but changed my perception of the album. Highlights like Gila Monster and Witchcraft provide amazing showings of how the band is still one of the greatest in the world at what they do.

11. Spy - Satisfaction

Spy is thoroughly a California Bay Area Hardcore band. The bustling bay area scene has given us bands recently like Drain and Gulch (another shoutout to Sammy Ciaramitaro here). However, Spy comes to the Bay Area formula of speed and strength with an artful, nuanced, and advanced edge. That edge comes through especially strong on this new album Satisfaction. Only 13 minutes with a tracklist that features 10 songs, Spy rips through banger after banger that sits right in their pocket of aggression. Spy also stands aside from the other modern hardcore bands through their style of riffing. Guitarists Drew and Cody have a unique approach focusing on blending their aggression with melodic and open riffs instead of palm muting and chugging. The dynamics in Spy riffs allow for the vocalist Peter to do his signature growl in ways I never would have thought possible. Spy dropped potentially the most unique and creative hardcore tape of the year.

12. ZULU- A New Tomorrow

Zulu's A New Tomorrow is everything a great hardcore punk album should be. Rough around the edges, intense, groovy, and urgent. Zulu is an incredible live band and that was my introduction to them opening for Show me the Body and Jesus Piece. Zulu is such a fresh band that it instantly put me in awe of how much talent they had. Songs like Music to Driveby and 52 Fatal Strikes showcase their immaculate riffing and hardcore edge. Additionally, there are a bunch of jazz and funk influences on this album as well with songs like Shine Eternally. Zulu thematically provides a powerful message of Black Empowerment and optimism within the community. Zulu is such a special band that takes influence from the hardcore scene but pushes it above and beyond with their creative energy.

13. Horrendous- Ontological Mysterium

Philly Death Metal outfit Horrendous dropped some mind-shattering music this year in the form of Ontological Mysterium. The band has been a name in more artful death metal for a decade or so now but on this release they flip their formula on its head and drop an album that is hard to fathom. The band comes to OM with a new lease on death metal with this album often feeling like it's either in outer space or the furthest regions of hell. However, Horrendous manages to make this album accessible due to it's progressive thrash riffs that create bar none some of the best guitar work of the year and it's vocals taking an immediate focus on both melody and brutality. The whole band here displays just how accessible and melodic an album centered around brutality can be. Horrendous flips death metal on its head with this one and I would love to see death metal follow in this band's footsteps. Songs like Cult of Shaad'oah and The Death Knell Ringeth provide some incredibly fresh but also brutal death metal.

14. Militarie Gun - Life Under the Gun

The whole Hardcore to Alternative Rock to Taco Bell Commercial pipeline was directly blazed for Militarie Gun by fellow hardcore alumni Turnstile on their album Glow On. However, the accessibility of both albums does not take away from what they were able to acheieve. Militarie Gun on this album makes some incredibly quality hardcore-rooted Alternative Rock that mashes together shoegaze and pop elements with the quintessential hardcore style MG got themselves known for. Songs like Never Fucked Up Once and Very High are some of the greatest tunes of the year, able to be played really loud and sung along to. Frontman Ian Shelton pens a lot of really relatable but also immaculately catchy songs on this record.

15. Animal Collective - Isn't it Now?

Beyond accomplished psychedelic indie Baltimore band Animal Collective drops another project following their last release Time Skiffs. Isn't It Now proves the band has not lost any creative steam following their multiple decade career and comes out with even more outlandish and creative ideas. This album goes toe-to-toe with some of the best in the Animal Collective discography, evidently crafted with so much care and effort every song on this project provides an idea that is incredibly cutting edge. The opener Soul Capturer is one of the best of the year and is really catchy but also sweeping and dreamy. Broke Zodiac and Gem & I are also amazing songs with a focus on melody and accessibility which AnCo has been doing a lot of lately to a great success. Defeat is a 20-minute plus song that winds and soars through it's run time never losing it's ambient edge. For AnCo to drop an album this incredible into this late in their career is shockingly impressive.

16. Danny Brown and Jpegmafia - Scaring the Hoes

Jpegmafia and Danny Brown team up this year for a joint project and made a lot of waves. 2023 was an interesting year for Danny Brown as he released this banger and then went on to release his album Quaranta which was completely different in tonality. Jpegmafia cooked a lot of the really innovative beats on this project. The beats have been pointed to as not well-produced and too lo-fi but honestly this album's lo-fi edge and creative rough around the edges beats are the best part. Songs like Steppa Pig and Orange Juice Jones feature these dynamic and colorful beats that both rappers fit perfectly. The combination of the two rappers on this project create a really special dynamic that is completely unique to rap this year. Jpegmafia's lyrics on occassion rub me the wrong way, as he is on his cornball trajectory but Danny Brown is full of bars and creativity on this release.

17. Tomb Mold - The Enduring Spirit

Another incredible Death Metal release this year from Toronto band Tomb Mold. Their name taken from an item in FromSoftware's Bloodborne is drenched in macabre energy just like the games and their music. Tomb Mold dropped another incredible project in 2019 called Planetary Clairvoyance which was so dynamic and intense it showcased the bands progressive take on death metal perfectly. On this release they only up the ante as the progressive edge is way more prominent but the classic death metal is still the backbone. On songs like Will of Whispers there is this balanced focused on progression in their music but also brutality and melody. Like Horrendous's album, this album flips death metal on its head by showcasing an unfathomable amount of musical innovation. Tomb Mold really set themselves aside from a pack of Death Metal bands with this release. \

18. George Clanton - Ooh Rap I Ya

George Clanton has been one of my favorite artists in alternative pop for a while now, his blend of dreamy synths and vocals make all of his music have an immense aura to them and groove beyond belief. George Clanton has lead his movement with his 100% Electronica Project and his great 2018 album Slide. In 2023, on Ooh Rap I Ya he elevates his dreamy pop game for the modern music era with an advanced focus on melody. Songs like Punching Down and I Been Young showcase how much songwriting talent George has and just how dreamy and beautiful the music he makes is.

19. Jesus Piece - ....So Unknown

Jesus Piece makes some next level metalcore that is so locked in and focused. Jesus Piece fronted by Aaron Heard absolutely rips through this album, only keeping the freshest and most intense songs on this concise but brutal project. Ths album is really focused on beating the hell out of the listener, the breakdowns, riffs, and Heard's visceral vocals really create this almost overwhelming attack. Songs like Tunnel Vision and Gates of Horn provide prime examples to this band's brutal and unique band of beatdown hardcore.

20. Kruelty - Unknown Nightmare

Kruelty is an incredibly fresh heavy band from Japan that focuses on making a style of death metal that roots itself in hardcore music. Kruelty blends the lines between genres with their immense talent in riffing and groove. Kruelty drops heavy music that with it's Japanese influence feels so absolutely new in a scene saturated with American bands. The band comes to songs like Harder Than Before and Maze of Suffering with a new focus and sense of metal energy. The band puts all of their effort into crafting these brutal pieces that ride the line between death metal and hardcore perfectly.