Hey, it’s David again. Let me talk my shit for a sec.
2023 was a big year for Everything Is Noise. I know I probably say that or something similar every year, but it’s especially true this year. We relaunched our Twitter account after years of dormancy, to pretty great success if I do say so myself. Catch me sharing our content and making the occasional post over there. We got twelve new writers on board, some returning, most new, and mostly in the last quarter of the year. Our output’s been wild, the engagement and motivation’s been higher than it has been in years, and the future’s never looked brighter. Having been on this team for over six years, I’ve been through a few times where I could definitely say the opposite – it happens, and I’m at least trying to be easier on myself for not following through on things I should have.
More invigorated than ever, we felt it was necessary to make our latest albums of the year list reflect these good times in addition to the sheer size of our team. The biggest team we’ve had deserves the biggest AOTY list we’ve ever made, at least since I joined. This list, more than ones prior, is representative of our team’s eclectic, passionate tastes, covering just about any genre you can think of and even more subgenres, regional sounds, and niche flavors. The list was made in an identical fashion as last year’s, guaranteeing at least a few picks from everyone’s personal AOTY lists with a few more overlapping ones in a lot of cases so everyone is properly represented. It is, without a doubt, our best list yet, and I can’t wait to outdo it with next year’s.
We have a lot of plans for 2024. We wanna bring y’all even more cool and diverse content with new features, returning ones, and the same everyday/week/month content you’re already used to seeing from us. But before we do that, let’s close out 2023 the right way. Please enjoy our list of ninety (90) of the year’s best albums, with all due respect to the ones that didn’t make it. Let us know what yours are in the comments or engage with us on our social media! Love y’all.
OAA – Source and Origin
February 10 // Carpet Group Recordings
OAA’s Source and Origin was a distinct, somewhat early AOTY contender for me. As time passed, it became all the more clear that no matter what, it’ll end up on this list one way or the other. Utterly disjointed and captivating, the producer (who has also collaborated with favourites in The Body) managed to craft an album that’s equally fulfilling as it is confusing, with shattered and strong electronics in the spotlight at all times, seeking flair from left-field components and utilizing them to their best possible effect, leaving us with a wildly caustic thirty-something minute ride that’s first and foremost an entirety.
Eeli Helin
Ostraca – Disaster
June 30 // Skeletal Lightning
In a year with so many fantastic and high-profile skramz releases, it was hard to choose the very best for this list. I went back and forth between my favorites, looking for the right punch, the right scream, the right riff. One by one I eliminated some of them (which was hard, very hard), and every time I came back to Ostraca‘s Disaster I could not turn my ears away – too urgent was their sound, too good their songwriting. So maybe it wasn’t that hard in the end, and Disaster was always meant to be here.
Toni Meese
Fred Again… & Brian eno – Secret Life
May 5 // Text Records
Reading about this record initially made me roll my eyes, because I somehow had Fred Again… pegged as one of those dime-a-dozen EDM producers that roam the musical landscape these days. So I was wondering why the hell Brian Eno would stoop down to that level, until I finally sampled into the album on a record shop’s website. That was when I had to eat my words, because the aesthetic was perfect. I mean, ambient sadboi r&b? Sign me the hell up! Secret Life was the ultimate surprise of 2023 for me, and now I’m hooked.
Dominik Böhmer
Social Caterpillar – Alphabet Crown
October 7 // Softseed Music
When we were asked to premiere Social Caterpillar‘s new single “The River” earlier this year, I knew right away that this was something special – even though I pride myself on carefully curating the premieres we do, I hadn’t been that captivated by a song in a long time. With every spin, the artistic depth of this project became more and more apparent, and when I was finally able to listen to Alphabet Crown, it took my heart and soul by storm – their unique sound between dreamy, mournful indie and noisy walls of crushing guitars, supported by delicate violin arrangements – everything on Alphabet Crown is just perfect.
Toni Meese
Genesis Owusu – STRUGGLER
September 8 //Ourness/Awal Recordings
Influenced by Berserk and The Metamorphosis, the eclecticism doesn’t end there with Genesis Owusu’s stellar pop/soul/rap et al. album STRUGGLER. It’d take up much of this paragraph to checklist all the modalities and genres explored on here, suffice it to say it’s a conceptual romp with an emotional core that’s not quite like much else released this year, or on this list. Genny Wu’s killing the damn game with charisma we roaches wish to embody, and vulnerability that we roaches can all relate too. Keep your eye on this dude.
David Rodriguez
Heretoir – Nightsphere
October 6 //Northern Silence Productions
Heretoir’s long-awaited return is one that was well worth the wait, humbly boasting the fact that their brand of atmospheric black metal is nothing but pure elegance and grace. Compared to previous works, you’ll come to discover that Nightsphere has more of an emphasis on those gorgeously haunting ambient soundscapes as opposed to ‘traditional’ tracks. Yet the end result is equally as breathtaking once you find yourself fully engulfed by the abstract nightsphere entity and are ritualizing with the sprites as depicted on the album cover.
JP Pallais
GriffO鬼否 – 本体Ontology
October 31 //Nouveau Entertainment
Chinese math rock quartet GriffO鬼否 have released a surreal, sci-fi inspired album that fans of Tricot and Mr. Bungle can appreciate equally. It’s a genre-bending, meter-mixing, and forward-thinking album that’s still catchy, cohesive, and committed to making a lasting connection.
Christopher Rós
Mithridatum – Harrowing
February 3 // Willowtip
Lyle Cooper and Geoffry Ficco are back with a vengeance – long time fans of their work in The Faceless will no doubt know of Mithridatum. Harrowing is a gorgeous blend of dissonant black metal influenced death metal á la Ulcerate and other titans of the dissonant black metal genre. Nothing ever feels stale, and motifs are written beautifully with their counter motifs. The guitars are delightfully stanky (in the best way possible), and Lyle never misses with his drum compositions.
Nathan Kwon
Haradrim – Death of Idols
June 23 // Trust No One Recordings
Great black metal can be hard to come by. Haradrim do a great job of maintaining all the grit and aggression of the genre, while never sacrificing the songwriting. Far from the mindless tremolo picking and blast beats black metal tends to be reduced to, Death of Idols is an infectious yet earnest ode to this often problematic style. The clarity of the vocals and the quality of the riffs, coupled with fantastic playing, stellar songwriting, and perfectly grim yet clear production makes this album a delight to listen to again and again.
Hanna Ott
Rid Of Me – Access To The Lonely
November 3 // Knife Hit Records
I really can’t think of another album that was as punchy and raw as Access To The Lonely. Their amazing debut Traveling was just hype for this masterwork of a sophomore LP, combining grungy affectations and tons of weight both instrumentally and lyrically. Some of my favorite lyrics of 2023 are found on this album, and they’re delivered with a profound, unflinching poeticism that’s unmatched. If you’ve found yourself infatuated with recent noise rock/punk offerings, you must add Rid Of Me to the list – they’re dense and melodic as Alice In Chains, a comparison I absolutely don’t make lightly.
David Rodriguez
The Zenith Passage – Datalysium
July 21 // Metal Blade Records
The Zenith Passage expands upon their progressive and technical death metal foundation on Datalysium. Grooves, synthetic and electronic elements, and conceptual themes all bring their already impressive sound to another level. This is the record where The Zenith Passage makes a move for the crown of the progressive death metal scene, and, if they continue producing releases as strong and varied as this one, they may just grasp it.
Landon Turlock
Hannah Marks – Outsider, Outlier
October 20 // Out Of Your Head Records
‘I can play bass better than you‘
There’s a dash of cocky attitude on Outsider, Outlier, a hint (well, maybe a big, looming hint) of punkish rebellion, a vibe of ’90s Liz Phair alternative rock – but the foundation and heart of Hannah Marks‘ phenomenal new album is jazz. And that combination, the marriage of punk and jazz, is so fresh and unique and fun that I couldn’t get enough of this album in 2023 – and probably won’t for a long time. It is challenging and compelling in all the right ways, and I urge everyone to give it a listen.
Toni Meese
Anohni and the Johnsons – My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross
July 7 // Rough Trade Records/Secretly Canadian
I had many things on my wishlist for 2023; a new record by Anohni (with or without the Johnsons) was not on there. Not for lack of want, but for lack of imagination. I just didn’t see the possibility. But then, it happened. And what a comeback it proved to be: a powerful, soul-infused sound for one of the greatest voices in contemporary music. Songs like “Sliver of Ice” have yet to leave my head thanks to their charged urgency and overwhelming intimacy. A quietly hopeful, openly political record to light a spark into our current darkness.
Dominik Böhmer
Torpor – Abscission
September 15 // Human Worth
Equal parts bludgeoning-ly heavy and artfully beautiful, the doom and post-metal artwork that is Abscission serves to highlight the technical skills and craftsmanship of its creators, without re-treading the ground travelled by their contemporaries too heavily, or wearing their influences too obviously on their sleeves.
Paul Martyn
Activity – Spirit in the Room
August 4 // Western Vinyl
Activity slayed the sophomore slump with an album up to its teeth with textures, ethereal vibes, and emotional weight. From the twisted trip-hop stylings of the opening track, “Department Of Blood”, to the post-punk punch and postmortem prose of the closing songs “I Saw His Eyes” and “Susan Medical City”, the band has crafted one of the most compelling and haunting releases of the year.
Christopher Rós
Friendship Commanders – Mass
September 29 // Independent
There are no two ways about it: MASS is an absolute belter of a record from Friendship Commanders. The magnitude of Buick Audra’s thunderous, bass-driven riffs and Jerry Roe’s cacophonous drum work is no mean feat, even for such a talented duo. Consequently, MASS hits a melodic rock sweet spot where objective heaviness and tints of ’90s grunge dance freely with Audra’s tuneful versatility. The record’s moniker is more than fitting: cruising along with crushing style and easily holding its weight against more spotlighted peers, MASS is stacked with power and demonstrates why we made such a fuss about this electrifying act in 2023.
Shaun Milligan
Arooj Aftab / Vijay Iyer / Shahzad Ismaily – Love In Exile
March 24 // Verve
Have you ever listened to a record and known right away that it was going to be one of the best records of the year? Love in Exile does that with such elegance and flair that it’s impossible not to be impressed. These three seasoned artists craft their art with such self-awareness and confidence, each bringing their own special flavor to the compositions – these songs live and breathe throughout the album, challenging when necessary, but ultimately comforting and inspiring.
Toni Meese
Leather Parisi – Dub Exorcism
June 7 // Asbestos Digit
On Dub Exorcism, Leather Parisi managed to tap to a vibrant source often left undiscovered in the realm of post-industrial-tinged techno. While any pre-existing genre specifications fall relatively short with the Italian artist in mind, Dub Exorcism manages to exist across a multitude of musical perimeters that simultaneously paint a hazed out feverish tapestry while still somehow coming up close on your skin. Leather Parisi has a very unique appearance all things considered, and with Dub Exorcism being such a profound highlight in the underground scene this year for me, there’s no telling what kind of greatness awaits in the horizon.
Eeli Helin
Endless, Nameless – Living Without
March 24 // Silent Pendulum Records
What a surprise Living Without was. With no prior knowledge of Endless, Nameless except that they were from Denver, listening to this album is a heartfelt endeavor, catapulting me back 20-ish years back to the times I first heard bands like Coheed & Cambria, though not in terms of genre. While there’s some overlap, this quartet aims for a rawer distillation of math rock and post-hardcore with more thrown in. There’s a tenderness in the vocals, a hanging-by-a-thread tenseness in the instrumentation, and it all amounts to a wonderfully realized LP. Do not sleep on this band.
David Rodriguez
Fvnerals – Let the Earth Be Silent
February 3 // Prophecy Productions
A great horror movie doesn’t rely on cheesy jump scares in order to instill that inner sense of dread and terror; it’s all about that looming atmosphere and constantly developing tension. FVNERALS have effortlessly captured those necessary elements in musical form on Let the Earth Be Silent, making for the type of record that is likely to become your sleep paralysis demon. Although rooted in post-rock, their masterful weaving of doom and dark ambient into the core of the music leads to these massive, bone-chilling soundscapes that are sure to cause you to want to sleep with the lights on.
JP Pallais
Jeromes Dream – The Gray In Between
May 5 // Iodine Recordings
A surprising comeback, but a welcome one. Coming back after a long hiatus seems to be a trend this year, and when it comes to bands like skramz/hardcore legends Jeromes Dream, I am all for it. The San Francisco legends are back in my playlist with a vengeance, having lost none of their upbeat and angsty energy, but updating their sound and style with contemporary elements. I say it again – skramz is alive and well thanks to bands like Jeromes Dream.
Toni Meese
Closure in Moscow – Soft Hell
October 27 // Bird’s Robe Records
A comeback that took its sweet, sweet time, Soft Hell just makes you glad that Closure In Moscow are back. This is progressive rock at its most fun and playful, infused with an indie and pop vibe that makes it become approachable by pretty much anyone. I have this album on constant repeat since release and it still makes me crack a big dumb smile on my face. Soft Hell is one of the few 2023 releases I just know I’ll keep coming back to forever, because it’s just that much fun.
Thomas Mendes
Herod – Iconoclast
May 1 // Pelagic Records
Herod calling it quits after dropping Iconoclast feels like a big bummer, but at least they got to go out at the top of their game. A furious blend of hardcore and post metal, Iconoclast is a constant onslaught of huge sounding riffs and raw energy that paints a bleak atmosphere that is pretty much unmatched. Do not sleep on this one if you’re looking for a true metal gut punch, and join us in mourning one of the coolest bands that used to be around.
Thomas Mendes
Full of Hell & Nothing – When No Birds Sang
December 1 // Closed Casket Activities
While not as familiar with Nothing as I am with Full Of Hell, it’s still impressive that two artists with clearly defined sounds can collaborate on an album that sounds like neither of them. While the more explorative moments on this record were influence by the former, and the harsher sounds by the latter, the end result is a fantastic example of what a true collaboration between separate bands should aspire to be. Beautiful, wounded, pensive, sombre, and harsh, both bands take the listener on a journey spanning a gamut of emotional spaces.
Paul Martyn
mingjia – star, star
November 17 // New Amsterdam Records
Making for the single most delightful record that will undoubtedly fly under the radar, mingjia’s star, star, is a treat that you cannot afford to not listen to. Think of it as a Disney soundtrack that specifically appeals to all the classically trained musicians out there, yet it is so homey and emotionally vulnerable that anyone can appreciate and connect to it. While it is heavily abstract on a compositional level, I can guarantee you that it is as thrilling as it is experimental and stylistically winding, which is a feat that is rarely captured in such an enthralling manner.
JP Pallais
Nuclear Dudes – Boss Blades
July 7 // Modern Grievance Records
Jon Weisnewski’s solo project has been a rigorous challenge compared to the more straightforward blasting rock of Sandrider (shouted out fervently later down this list), but it was Boss Blades where he made a genuine, bona fide head-turner of an album. It plays with heaviness and atmosphere so much more, everything is polished to a chrome sheen, and some distinguished guests help round out the experience. Nuclear Dudes is proof that solo projects can be just as fulfilling, if not more, than a musician’s ‘primary’ work. A true apocalypse-made, metal-based genre blender well worth your time.
David Rodriguez
boygenius – The Record
March 31 // Interscope Records
2023 has been a huge year for boygenius. They’ve garnered themselves one of the most rabidly devoted fan bases out there, with both their rambunctious touring antics, and this brilliant first full-length album. With catchy singles that individually show off the writing chops of each of the boys, this is everything you’d expect from these stellar artists. If you’re familiar with the self-titled EP, expect less of those soaring three-part harmonies, and more of an anthemic, rock-star vibe. My highlight track was the lyrically poignant, “Emily I’m Sorry”.
Asher Pakula
RAYE – My 21st Century Blues
May 3 // Human Re Sources
Master storyteller RAYE has shot to stratospheric heights with her debut album, largely thanks to the viral success of “Escapism.”. One of the more unique chart-toppers of the year, “Escapism.” drips with South London style and wit, driven by a simple breakbeat and vamp which drop out only to highlight RAYE’s stunning vocals. The full album is extremely varied, well worth several listens to pick up the intricacies of the production, lyrics, and flow. RAYE is bursting with talent and versatility, and this is an artist to keep your eye on in coming years.
Asher Pakula
Cunabula – The Weight of Sleep
August 11 // Sleazy Rider
The world of post-metal needs more bands like Cunabula, period. This is an open-minded, crushing, experimental album that pulls from stoner, progressive, and hefty helping of doom metal and blends them all into something that is as strong as it is unique. While there are riffs and atmosphere aplenty, what sets this album apart is the singular vocal performance of Goda Žukauskienė and how she finds the appropriate tones and textures to elevate each song. The Weight of Sleep is the epitome of an overlooked gem that deserves attention and admiration and we’re happy to point you to it.
Jake Walters
SÂVER – From Ember And Rust
November 10 // Pelagic Records
SÂVER have been a personal favourite since their debut album dropped in 2019, yet I always found them to be a marmite band. They Came with Sunlight was abrasive, eliciting an unforgiving experimental atmosphere that many people couldn’t hack. Their side of the split with Psychonaut was even more intense too, but they’ve managed to perfectly balance From Embers and Rust in my opinion. The tracks are unique and constantly deliver surprises throughout, with great vocals and some mountainous riffs that tear the sky asunder. It feels primal, but nicely tamed. Thoroughly worth your while if you like great metal.
Pete Overell
Svalbard – The Weight of the Mask
October 6 // Nuclear Blast
If Svalbard were already an underground sweetheart, The Weight of the Mask should have them set for the big leagues. Dealing with heavy lyrical themes converging on depression, the band doubles down on what makes them special: the incredibly passionate and honest emotional delivery, vocally and instrumentally. The Weight of the Mask is a perfect example of a band honing their skills and becoming the best possible version of themselves. And that final track, though. Goosebumps.
Thomas Mendes
World Peace – It Is Written
June 16 // Twelve Gauge Records
While world peace still appears to be an impossible, utopian idea, what is possible is (power)violence. It Is Written is World Peace’s sophomore album and drops none of the fury of that near-legendary debut. With most songs clocking in around half a minute, they’ve managed to squeeze in a surprising amount of grooves in music that sounds like regular hardcore played at a higher speed. World Peace have kept their Christian references, their speed, and their anger to end up with another document that lets the world know what can be achieved in a genre often considered primitive.
Dom South
WARGASM – Venom
October 27 // Slowplay/Republic Records
Despite coming out in late October, this album has been one of the few that stayed in my head all year, either from anticipation before dropping or from several earworm songs after. It’s easy to see why – I can’t imagine anyone with even a small nostalgic affinity toward chaotic nu metal and industrial flavoring not adoring this. Venom is so profoundly catchy and charmingly edgy; it’s practically a rusted-out scrap time machine for like-minded millennials. WARGASM embody all the choices we wish we made, the things we wish we said, and a certain catastrophic power fantasy that cripples entire societies.
David Rodriguez
The Salt Pale Collective – A Body That Could Pass Through Stones And Trees
August 25 // Independent
Usually once I’m finished reviewing an album, it gets put down for some time. With ABTCPTSAT this wasn’t and could not be the case, with it becoming the soundtrack to my autumn. The pummelling atmosphere, the transcendent vocals and not to forget the fresh and invigorating take on metal, it sits proud at the top of my album of the year list. In a year where post-metal was again exceptionally strong, The Salt Pale Collective have delivered something beautifully out of the box, teeing themselves up for greatness.
Pete Overell
Racetraitor – Creation and the Timeless Order of Things
November 17 // Good Fight
Racetraitor’s new opus couldn’t have been released in a more apt year. We needed an album that is this pissed-off at the entire world for being such utter dumb-dumbs. The band has always been explicit in their political messages but the way they deliver them on this new album is, more than ever, urgent and filled with fury. Anti-racist, political hardcore with dollops of crusty grind and blackened doom make up the foundations of Creation and the Timeless Order of Things but with traditional Middle Eastern passages and poetic, insightful lyrics, this is far from a standard hardcore album. An exceptional album for trying times.
Paul Williams
The Ritual Aura – Heresiarch
November 10 // The Artisan Era
Symphonic elements are ever more present in death metal, but The Ritual Aura are hardly riding the bandwagon on Heresiarch. Each component of the record’s bevy of guests, technical blazes, and instrumental passages shows a love and attention to detail in crafting a record that is dense, layered, and heavy, while still retaining heart and emotionality.
Landon Turlock
Existence – Go To Heaven
March 24 // Quality Control HQ
On Go To Heaven, Sweden’s Existence have concocted a careful blend of metallic and hardcore influences into a devastating whole. With tolling bells and smashing glass samples mixed in to add an extra touch of class, Existence used the rest of their might to create a bundle of grooves, riffs, and roars with a swagger all of their own. While it’s taken a long while to reach their debut LP, it’s a heavenly trip of characterful hardcore that’s more than worth the wait. A true album for the moshers, by the moshers.
Dom South
Danny Brown & JPEGMAFIA – SCARING THE HOES, VOL. 1
March 24 // AWAL/Peggy
A Post-rap wonder showzen beat riddled roller coaster that fires on all cylinders, and never stops for a second. Too many standouts for any one thing to standout, but “God Loves You” gets special attention for the biblical references for splitting that red sea. Rap should be so grateful to have a new power duo to provide such amazing goblin fire. The following EP gives more proof that SCARING THE HOES is the beginning of an amazing run.
Dan Reiser
Bailey Miller – Love is a dying
February 10 // White Sepulchre Records
Bailey Miller’s ethereal glimmering sonic voice shines a fresh light on the world of alternative folk music. Through intimate musical conversations, Miller explores a range of musical themes and meditations that incorporates a range of folk instrumentation to express sentiments of longing, grief, and dealing with heartbreak. With stand out tracks such as “glacier”, “cul-de-sac”, and “goldfinch”, this record inspires hope in an unforgiving and cold world.
Joe McKenna
Sutekh Hexen & Funerary Call – P:R:I:S:M
July 14 // Cyclic Law/Sentient Ruin
I’m a sucker for good collaborations, and the Sutekh Hexen & Funerary Call one truly ravaged me as both a listener and as a person. Going to great lengths in being an absolutely devastating journey deep into the murk of human psyche, P:R:I:S:M is just fucking ugly and unrelenting in its monochromatic scope, where immaculate sound design seamlessly melts together with primitive pummeling, giving you exhilarating highs just as effortlessly as dragging you to the deepest of chasms whenever it pleases. I said it before and I say it again; let these two units merge again. It might end the world the next time, but we deserve that.
Eeli Helin
The God in Hackney – The World in Air Quotes
April 28 // Junior Aspirin Records
My personal favorite this year. Nothing came close to the experience The God in Hackney‘s The World in Air Quotes gave me. Is it for everybody? Hell no. This album can be uncomfortable and challenging, yet every challenge you face while experiencing this album rewards with some of the most creative and colorful ideas in 2023’s musical journey. On all levels, this records bursts of clever little things – and in the end, it’s an ultimately inspiring album.
Toni Meese
Tomb Mold – The Enduring Spirit
September 15 // 20 Buck Spin
Tomb Mold are explorers of vastness, in death, in the cosmos, and on The Enduring Spirit, the Canadian OSDM stalwarts ponder the spirit of self. The lyrics may be heady, but this album is full of guitar heroics, ferocious vocals, and plenty of the face melting death metal Tomb Mold fans have come to love. The Enduring Spirit takes the mantle as their most impressive album so far and one of 2023’s finest death metal offerings.
Broc Nelson
Omnerod – The Amensal Rise
May 12 // Independent
This album is a journey – it encapsulates, ‘never let them know your next move.’ It feels playfully dark, switching from operatic and soaring vocals to mathy death metal to chamber jazz at a moment’s notice. Though it’s full of twists and turns that one might not really expect, it never feels forced, like how often popular metal bands will fit a jarring chorus after a verse – the intention is palpable and it works, much to their advantage.
Nathan Kwon
Wayfarer – American Gothic
October 27 // Profound Lore Records
It would be easy to just call American Gothic another entry into the micro-genre of ‘cowboy black metal’ but boy howdy, it’s so much more than that. From the blues guitar tones, melodic riffs, scorching vocals, and a pitch-perfect atmosphere, Wayfarer have managed to perfect their ideas into an album that will now be the standard by which any future attempts of this brand of metal will be judged. American Gothic is truly transcendent in such a way that no genre tags will do it justice. This is the soundtrack of the death of the American dream.
Jake Walters
Cattle Decapitation – Terrasite
May 12 // Metal Blade Records
Being quite new to Cattle Decap’s music, I thought it couldn’t get any better than 2019’s Death Atlas. Ooh boy, did they prove me wrong. Terrasite is an absolute slapper, featuring all the attitude and fury of Cattle’s earlier releases in a razor-sharp evolution of their style. Everything is on point: the harrowing lead lines, devastating riffs, pummelling drums, and, of course, Travis Ryan’s distinctively changeable vocals. Unapologetic, infectious, and habit-forming, Terrasite makes my breath catch in my throat and breaks open my chest every time I hear it. I am absolutely and totally in awe of this album.
Hanna Ott
Burner – It All Returns to Nothing
May 12 // Church Road Records
Many of us on the team agree that Burner turned in one of the hardest metal albums of the year with It All Returns To Nothing. It’s so relentlessly straightforward in all ways but quality. This is an album with strength and finesse, executed with top notch writing and progressions that should make a lot of metallic hardcore bands go back to their drawing boards. There’s a reason we’ve been shouting these dudes out since 2022 – get on the hype train before they take the hell off.
David Rodriguez
Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter – SAVED!
October 20 // Perpetual Flame Ministries
Kristin Hayter crafts another astonishingly heavy and raw performance with SAVED!, rivalling that of her previous record, SINNER GET READY. While the name change has been said to aid in leaving the baggage of Lingua Ignota in the past, there’s enough familiar elements of Hayter’s prior work here for fans to grasp onto, trembling, in the dark. It feels simultaneously intimately personal, harrowing, pained, foreboding, and oddly anachronistic. It’s like the soundtrack to an existential found-footage horror film about religious indoctrination, if Paul Thomas Anderson went back to the 1930s to make it.
Paul Martyn
Horrendous – Ontological Mysterius
August 18 // Season of Mist
Horrendous are uncommonly good at death metal because they embody more than that. Each album approaches the genre from a different angle, but you can always count on progressive tendencies and riffs for fucking days. Ontological Mysterium is a bit more visceral and dramatic than past work, but you can tell this is a Horrendous album with little effort even with the occasional (really good) clean vocals and H.R. Giger-esque alien aesthetic in spots that set this album apart. If it weren’t for Anareta, this would be the band’s magnum opus.
David Rodriguez
Sandrider – Enveletration
March 3 // Satanik Royalty Records
With every single album this trio release, they reinforce the fact that they are one of the best rock bands out right now – no additional qualifiers needed. Absolutely ass-stomping riffs, locomotive drums, and wonderfully spirited vocals are standards of Sandrider, but Enveletration genuinely turned it all to 11 and just about bested their previous work. More melody, more fun, more energy. More, more, more – Billy Idol would love them. I could write about this band for days, but I could listen to them for even longer and that’s what I like about them. Real GOAT shit.
David Rodriguez
billy woods & Kenny Segal – Maps
May 5 // Backwoodz Studios
Those of you who follow THE NOISE OF know that I have a thing for billy woods. His talent is amazing and he has easily become my favorite artist in modern hip hop over the past year. From his fantastic solo work to his collaborations with fantastic artists like Moor Mother, he is one of the reasons why hip hop is so colorful and fascinating. Arguably, he shines brightest when he teams up with producer Kenny Segal – their last collaboration, Hiding Places, is a modern rap masterpiece. With Maps, the two continue their impressive run and show the world what rap is capable of.
Toni Meese
Cautious Clay – KARPEH
August 18 // Blue Note
Ever since this damn studio version of “Another Half” dropped, just with Julian Lage and Cautious Clay, I watch this video literally every day – clearly one of my favorite songs of the year, and a great appetizer for Clay’s second album KARPEH. The utterly phenomenal collection of songs put me in a constant state of closed-eyes-shaking-head with that special ‘uhhhhhhhh, that’s fucking tasty’ expression. It’s so smooth, so bold and so clever – and it doesn’t bite unless you want it to.
Toni Meese
Oddisee – To What End
January 20 // Outer Note Records
I’ll come back to this album every month or so and every time it still stirs something deep in me like it’s my first listen all over again. Oddisee is so good at what he does, melding a sage-like, conscious lyricism with soulful, jazzy instrumentation. The cliche of painting with words exists for artists like him, showing us arresting, bold pictures of his Black/Sudanese heritage, family, and life growing up in the DMV area through the eyes of someone wise beyond his years. To What End is such a grounded take on hip-hop, yet soars well above most others.
David Rodriguez
Rorcal – Silence
September 28 // Hummus Records
I was a huge fan of Muladona – lumbering, crushing, and devastating. Silence manages to create an impressive follow up to Muladona: a continuation of that sound, but it doesn’t feel stale or overdone. Much like Cattle Decapitation really found their iconic sound with Monolith of Inhumanity, and refined it with The Anthropocene Extinction, Rorcal has refined their sound achieved with Muladona in Silence. It’s sonically blistering, intense, everything you can expect and want from Rorcal.
Nathan Kwon
Heejin Jang – Me and the Glassbirds
March 3 // Doom Trip
Korean noise artist Heejin Jang released three albums in 2023. All of them are impressive, but Me and The Glassbirds stands out as the perfect balance of the sheer terror and profound tranquility noise and experimental electronic music elicits. Glassbirds are Jang’s fragile, mechanical creations, glitching, breaking, being destroyed, rebuilt, and thriving. She is a mad scientist trying to manage a chaotic flock, unpredictable and mesmerizing.
Broc Nelson
Incendiary – Change The Way You Think About Pain
May 26 // Closed Casket Activities
Incendiary are the rare hardcore band that have made it to album 4 and Change the Way You Think About Pain finds them in rare form. 14 years after their debut Crusade, they’ve lost none of that early wanton aggression but they’ve refined their sound over three albums and countless shows. With memorable lyrics spat with Brendan Garrone’s familiar Long Island vitriol and the heaviest breakdowns of their career, it strikes a chord in a world that often feels like it’s falling apart. While ‘every window deserves a brick’, a world in crisis deserves Incendiary.
Dom South
HMLTD – The Worm
April 7 // Lucky Number
Avant-garde, jazzy, progressive, rock opera. There are plenty of ways to describe this anachronistic journey through medieval England that only exists in theory but the simple fact remains that The Worm really needs to be heard in its entirety to be appreciated. It’s bombastic, and the minute-to-minute excitement of this album builds to a satisfying conclusion that justifies and enhances everything that came before it. HMLTD flirts with pretentiousness, facetiousness, high and low brow comedy and it somehow never feels duplicitous. If The Worm finds a way into your ears it will wrap itself around your brain and stay there forever.
Jake Walters
Hellish Form – Deathless
March 31 // Independent
No other metal release captivated my attention as much as Deathless. Pulling in elements of doom, drone, black, and death, the duo provides us with a sometimes peaceful serenity, sometimes harrowing bleakness, and sometimes grueling assertion. Altogether Deathless stays breathtaking, and resound.
Dan Reiser
Slowdive – Everything Is Alive
September 1 // Dead Oceans
Speaking of comebacks: Slowdive, baby! I know, I know, they’ve technically been back for a while now, but Everything Is Alive blows their initial self-titled comeback album out of the water like an angry pistol shrimp. This is peak Slowdive, from the immaculate vibes to the gratifying songwriting. We have short, poppy snappers like “Kisses” playing off of long form slow-burns like “Andalucia” (still one of the best one-two punches of any record in 2023; what a dynamic!). Lots of atmosphere, but also a lot of drive. This is the sound of a rejuvenated, locked-in unit – more of this, please!
Dominik Böhmer
feeble little horse – Girl with Fish
June 9 // Saddle Creek
The shoegaze boom of 2023 didn’t get any better than this. With some psych-rock, folk, pop, and Carti influence all sprinkled throughout, Girl with Fish was one of the most creative albums of the year. Beyond just being a wild listen, feeble little horse can also come up with some of the catchiest tracks you’ll hear like the sing-songy “Pocket” that slowly evolves into a screamfest, the incredibly sarcastic and horny “Freak”, and the emo-esque “Sweet”. At just 26 minutes, Girl with Fish is a breeze to listen to and established feeble little horse as one of the best new bands going right now.
Alex Eubanks
Sprain – The Lamb As Effigy
September 1 // The Flenser
Much ink has been spilled in this album’s name this year, but it still somehow manages to astound me. The Lamb as Effigy is at times noisy and piercing and at others melancholic and minimal, but it always manages to be sprawling. As quickly as they shook music underground with this release, Sprain saw fit to disband as a project. If this is the final piece we hear from them, I am glad I got to be present for it. You never know you are witnessing history until time has passed, but sometimes you can make a good guess.
Bryson Chapman
Lakes – Elysian Skies
April 28 // Big Scary Monsters
Truth be told, Lakes have released the catchiest math pop record of 2023 with Elysian Skies. The infectious blend of melody, precision, and sheer joyfulness found throughout it would make them seem as seasoned veterans of the genre–the catch here, though, is that they’ve barely just begun. The drive is undoubtedly incessant for a band like Lakes, and Elysian Skies is yet another showcasing of their potential to, simply put, become one of the greats.
Carlos Vélez-Cancel
Model/Actriz – Dogsbody
February 24 // True Panther
Walking home late at night after hours of dance and libation at your local goth night, high heels clutched in your hands and makeup beginning to run from a combination of sweat and tears. A fog of lust and vice envelopes you, all while memories of the pulsing rhythms churn in the back of your mind. You aren’t sure if you missed your turn or if it’s coming up soon. Dogsbody is that walk home. I can’t wait for the next dimly lit stroll with it.
Bryson Chapman
Mitski – The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We
September 15 // Dead Oceans
The Land Is Inhospitable and so Are We is a creative shedding of sorts for Mitski, reflecting upon her growth as both a person and an artist in a world rife with uncertainty, simultaneously exposing her most earnest and expertly-crafted body of work yet. The trademark boldness of her songwriting remains intact while also in corporating tender yet grand expressions of emotion to her sonic palette in the form of folk, Americana, and heartland rock. This album finds Mitski at her most freeing and self-assured, and it is quite a marvel to behold.
Carlos Vélez-Cancel
Lankum – False Lankum
March 24 // Rough Trade
You’ve probably seen this album pop up in other year-end lists, and there’s good reason for it: there’s nothing else quite like it. I could try describing this as a Lovecraftian horror story told through classic Irish folk with a very experimental lens, but False Lankum is much more than that. Sitting and taking in its haunting atmosphere is one of my peak musical experiences this year, and one I wholeheartedly recommend to you.
Thomas Mendes
Alan Palomo – World of Hassle
September 15 // Mom+Pop
It’s been a long time since Alan Palomo graced us with a full-length (2015’s VEGA Intl. Night School by Neon Indian), but World of Hassle is more than worth the wait. A deft blend of electropop, Italo disco, French boogie, and maybe a smidge of sophistipop, the album is just drenched in nostalgia, beachy club vibes, and anxiety by equal turns. It certainly helps that the album is brimming with great hooks in multiple languages, making World of Hassle endlessly replayable. I just hope we don’t have to wait another nine years for the follow up!
Iain Ferguson
Periphery – Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre
March 10 // 3Dot Recordings/Many Hats
Periphery has never been afraid of musical exploration, and Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre is their most fearless foray yet. Throughout the album’s runtime, the quintet dives into metal, pop, jazz, orchestral music, and more. The record further demonstrates Periphery’s near-endless capacity for experimentation without sacrificing strong songwriting or their core ethos. PV may not be their strongest release, but it nonetheless sets a high watermark for what modern progressive metal can be, making it worthy of many an AOTY list.
Landon Turlock
Paris Texas – MID AIR
July 21 // Independent
Rap rock should not sound this good. The debut album from duo Paris Texas, MID AIR is one of the most energetic projects and best listens of the year. Bassy and guitar centered, the production on this is incredible throughout with almost every track being a complete blast of energy, and the few times the album slow down like on “Ain’t No High” work just as well. MID AIR cooks with gas from start to finish, sprinkle in some great features from Kenny Mason and Teezo Touchdown and you get one of the best albums of the year.
Alex Eubanks
Niecy Blues – Exit Simulation
November 10 // Kranky
No other album this year delivers the quiet comfort of ambient, the touching emotion of R&B, and the grace of gospel and worship like Exit Simulation does. To top that, the themes of this album are about the spaces Niecy inhabits, spiritually, as a Black person in America, and the ways those things intermingle with discovering your own peace with yourself. This is a deeply affecting record that will leave tender moments and melodies embedded in your heart.
Broc Nelson
Yaeji – With A Hammer
April 7 // XL Recordings
Yaeji’s full-length debut is a declaration of intent, as she incurs triumphantly into synthpop. Setting aside her inclinations for the dance floor, she uses the house and electronica tools she is a master in to forge an intimate record fit for headphones that is emotionally deep, rhythmically fascinating, and stylistically eclectic. In spite of this stylistic variety, With A Hammer flows with refreshing ease, each song a sonic feast rife with exquisite details. In a similar vein, Yaeji blends Korean and English seamlessly throughout the album, the cadence of her voice so enthralling it shatters any language barrier.
Mathias Ball
Julie Byrne – The Greater Wings
July 7 // Ghostly International
On The Greater Wings, Julie Byrne expands the acoustic guitar-centric sonic palette of her previous work in order to incorporate synths, harp, and string sections, which aid her in crafting an emotional and majestic folk album centered on the grief of losing a close friend and collaborator. In Byrne’s musical world, emotional healing and human connection are processes paralleled and contained in the natural world: the eternity of a shared moment is held in the moon’s gaze; loneliness is counted in the sun’s cycles; transcendental permanence is achieved in motes of dust. Pain and comfort coalesce in the swelling music of these ten iridescent tracks.
Mathias Ball
TesseracT – War of Being
September 15 // Kscope
TesseracT manages to call back to the roots many fans first fell in love with in Concealing Fate, while still integrating their newer branches in Sonder and Altered State. War of Being is the first time in a while that unclean vocals have really been pushed to the forefront since One, and they do it to great effect. The album manages to switch from anthemic songs with a more traditional song structure like “The Grey”, to more progressive, unconventional songs like “War of Being”. Fans of old and new TesseracT alike, rejoice!
Nathan Kwon
Cinder Well – Cadence
April 21 // Free Dirt Records
Cadence is, in many ways, a startling departure from 2020’s No Summer, and Amelia Baker steps up to the challenge of following her preceding record marvellously. The former was a markedly sombre album steeped in solitude and wistful melodies, whereas this latest record sees Baker’s mellifluous vocals and signature steel guitar emboldened by the addition of percussion. This lends portions of Cadence a tangibly warmer timbre, revelling in textures that retain the enchanting folk vibes while expanding the ethereal Cinder Well soundscape to pastures that feel fresh without sacrificing that beguiling quality that pervades all of Baker’s music.
Shaun Milligan
lowheaven – collapse
August 25 // Skeletal Lightning
The numerous times I’ve talked about collapse, the debut EP from gazey post-hardcore outfit lowheaven, I’ve called it one of the best debuts I’ve heard in a long time – but it’s actually one of the best debuts I’ve ever heard. The love and care that went into creating these songs is nothing short of spectacular. The only downside is that collapse only contains four songs and their upcoming debut album hasn’t been officially announced yet. I cannot wait to hear more from this awesome band.
Toni Meese
Loma Prieta – Last
June 30 // Deathwish
Dispelling any rumors of their demise, Loma Prieta are back with their first album in eight years. The band has made their home exploring the tensions between beauty and violence, soft and harsh, light and dark. Just as Loma Prieta took their time between albums, on Last they took their time on the songs themselves. “Glare” and “Symbiosis” are some of their longest to date and flirt harder than ever with longtime shoegaze and post-rock influences. On their sixth album these dualities reach radiant all time highs. Hopefully this isn’t the Last we hear from Loma Prieta.
Adam P. Terry
Danny Brown – Quaranta
November 17 // Warp Records
Danny Brown never misses, so much so that he’s one of the two artists with two albums to his name on this list. Making a ‘sequel’ album is always a huge risk for anyone, intrinsically linking it to an often legendary work (in this case the monumental mixtape XXX) and therefore piling on expectations and almost certainly preemptive disappointment. Not here – Quaranta was Brown reevaluating and recentering his life while keeping the soul of his off-kilter rap music alive and well. It’s wild seeing someone who was already uncomfortably open get personal in a more relatable, less chaotic way.
David Rodriguez
Soft Kill – Metta World Peace
June 5 // Cercile Social Records
Tobias Grave’s golden touch doesn’t seem to have an end. If Canary Yellow is an expansion of sound into more traditional territory, Metta World Peace is a return to form that proves he can move freely within sonic territories, and always come out with something that’s engaging, emotive, intriguing, and spot on. This album was played countlessly, and will continue to be a staple in my rotation, if not for anything other than that amazing N8NOFACE about-face that gives off such street tough weary tenderness.
Dan Reiser
Alice Phoebe Lou – Shelter
July 7 // Indepedent
I was previously (and criminally) unaware of singer-songwriter Alice Phoebe Lou, but upon first hearing the opening minute of “Angel”, I knew Shelter was something special. Alice has crafted an outstandingly appealing slice of laid-back music teeming with charm. Shelter ushers you into its sanctuary as a welcome guest, lavishing you in a relaxing aura of heightened allure and lowered pulse. Across the album, you’re treated to a collection of songs that softly veil Alice Phoebe Lou‘s comparative modern-day youthfulness behind a vintage palate of music that is amorous, tender, and undeniably sweet on the ears.
Shaun Milligan
Zulu – A New Tomorrow
March 3 // Flatspot Records
Zulu blend powerviolence, hip hop, and spoken word together into a beautifully concise ode to afrofuturism and hope on their debut. Classic samples punctuate key moments in the project’s tracklist, providing a window into days not so long ago, right before Zulu sends us careening into their kaleidoscopic window of days soon to come. At times crushingly heavy and at others eye wateringly light and sincere, A New Tomorrow leaves us with the reminder that today won’t last forever and that tomorrow has the chance to be better.
Bryson Chapman
Intercourse – Halo Castration Institute
May 5 // Learning Curve/Red Scroll Records
Things often seem so hopeless and unwinnable, with every day feeling like another shovel full of dirt being thrown onto our already sealed casket. That anger and fear is a festering sore, growing more red and infected every day just waiting for the perfect touch to cause it to burst. Halo Castration Institute loads that negativity into the chamber and fires it in all directions via a pummeling blend of noise rock and hardcore. Hate yourself, hate your loved ones, but hate your enemies most of all.
Bryson Chapman
Trounce – The Seven Crowns
October 20 // Hummus Records
With their seed planted in the heart of the Swiss underground, Trounce is the collaborative project that features members of heavy music commissioners Hummus Records. After delivering a bewildering debut performance of the album at the 2023 edition of Roadburn Festival, Trounce soon released a studio version back to back with their live performance. Featuring a range of heavier stylistic traits, The Seven Crowns projects a unique blend of folk-infused black metal with unholy amounts of noise, doom metal, punk, and shoegaze leanings. A promising debut album that only indicates that this experimental project will only go from strength to strength.
Joe McKenna
MSPAINT – Post-American
March 10 // Convulse Records
Post-American is one of those otherworldly debut LPs you hear about. It’s uncommonly good and creatively realized for a band so early in their career. Touting a ‘synthpunk’ descriptor, that’s about dead-on as they mix the almost danceable mid-tempo energy of modern punk using synths instead of guitars to build vast melodies and guide you on a touching fantasy of a future teeming with empathy and a revolutionary mindset that’s unquestionably in service to the people. In one of the worst years on earth we’ve collectively experienced as a people, MSPAINT came through with an invaluable message of hope.
David Rodriguez
Mckinley Dixon – Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?
June 2 // City Slang
For my money, THEE album of the year. Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? is a resplendent, powerful rap album that’s akin to a religious experience with its themes of life, loss, friendship, and family told with deft wordplay and a poetic candor, all sat upon some of the smoothest, vivid live instrumentation I’ve heard in years. *takes deep breath* McKinley Dixon is truly one of a kind and it’s been so heartwarming seeing others place his work on their lists, hearing how they connected with it, and sharing what they took from it. I say this from deep within: do NOT miss out.
David Rodriguez
Sonic Poison – Eruption
January 27 // Me Saco Un Ojo Records
I don’t know about you, but 2023 has made me angrier and angrier the longer it’s gone on. It’s like Sonic Poison sensed that this year would be a bit of a shocker, and released the perfect soundtrack for our collective anxiety and despair way back in January. Fierce, feral, and fiery, Eruption’s raw, grindy fury never fails to get adrenaline pumping – it’s 21 minutes of sheer aggressive power. I go into it feeling worn out and exasperated, and come out the other side with a newfound desire to absolutely fuck shit up – in the best way possible.
Hanna Ott
Poil Ueda – Yoshitsune
November 3 // Dur et Doux
It’s safe to say none of the albums of 2023 achieved anything at this level. Prepare to be swept away by PoiL Ueda‘s Yoshitsune, a sonic odyssey unlike any other. This collaboration between the enigmatic PoiL and the enchanting Junko Ueda is a masterpiece that seamlessly blends traditional Japanese instrumentation with modern progressive fusion. Embark on a journey into a fantastical realm of epic proportions, where haunting melodies, ethereal sounds, and Junko Ueda‘s spine-tingling vocals will transport you to a world of samurai battles, mystical landscapes, and unforgettable storytelling. It’s an absolute must for fans of all types of music.
Robert Miklos
ALIGAGA – Music Might Help
April 5 // el NEGOCITO Records
Experimental jazz outfit, ALIGAGA, fuse surrealist spoken word, organic trip-hop, and acidic art rock with their already impressive palette of sounds on Music Might Help. The finished painting bears as much a likeness to Do Make Say Think as black midi. Wild, messy, and very beautiful.
Christopher Rós
Pupil Slicer – Blossom
June 2 // Prosthetic Records
On Blossom, Pupil Slicer has made a surprising and welcome evolution. As can be expected, chaotic mathcore riffs and boggling tempo changes are here in abundance, along with fresh heapings of black, groove, and post-metal influences (as well as snippets of jungle), that showcases the trio’s masterful ability to craft songs that are nothing but their own. Blossom is a violent, twisted, and, most importantly, cathartic walk through hell. When you come out the other side remember Katie Davies’ words ‘We’ll make it through this / Even if love is the hardest’ and give yourself a big hug.
Paul Williams
Dreamwell – In My Saddest Dreams, I Am Beside You
October 20 // Prosthetic Records
With In My Saddest Dreams, I am Beside You, Dreamwell prove that Modern Grotesque was far from lightning in a bottle, and it makes us feel stupid for even having thought that. Rounding out the year with one of the most impressive skramz records in a year already ripe with them, Dreamwell’s latest rides the incredibly thin line of being hopelessly helpless and blindly optimistic with ease. It delivers so much nostalgia with subtle hints back to the early days of skramz/post-hardcore whilst also spearheading the niche genre forwards to new territory.
JP Pallais
Paramore – This Is Why
February 10 // Atlantic
We’re approaching year 20(!) of the band, and while their days as pop-punk icons are long gone they’ve successfully evolved into one of the best and most beloved modern bands. This Is Why embarks on a completely new post-punk sound following last albums nearly perfect throwback pop detour and they fucking nail it. Hayley is as perfect a vocalist as ever, production from Taylor York and Zac Farro is the best they’ve done to date, and tracks like “Thick Skull” and “This Is Why” are some of the best in Paramore’s discography. They. Don’t. Miss.
Alex Eubanks
Afterbirth – In But Not Of
October 20 // Willowtip
2023 has been a banner year for progressive death metal, and Afterbirth’s In But Not Of one of the movement’s best offerings. It kicks off slamming and gurgling with the best of them, cerebral but always immediate, before the second half of the album just takes off for the cosmos and beyond. Their kitchen sink approach to genres, throwing jazz, shoegaze, and atmospheric black metal into their core brutal death metal sound makes In But Not Of one hell of a trip to the stars, and one that begs repeat voyages.
Iain Ferguson
Morne – Engraved With Pain
November 3 // Metal Blade Records
Engraved With Pain may not completely redesign the post-metal wheel, but at the same time the album is everything a metalhead could ask for – dark, heavy, and loud. While Morne have crafted the record’s heavier moments in a way I can only describe as oppressively good, it’s the slowly evolving patterns and emotionally satisfying crescendos that make this AOTY for me, while also making a case for post-metal being as relevant now as it was back in 2005.
Paul Martyn
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