Top 5 of 2023!

Top 5 Time!  This past year has been pretty all over the place in terms of the quality of rock and metal I heard.  While I didn't listen to everything I wanted to, I still got to several albums, and narrowing them down to just 5 was difficult!  I know I've said that in years past, but usually, upon multiple listens, they shake out and it becomes pretty clear.  NOT THIS YEAR!  I think I had a five-way tie at one point, and I even considered expanding the list to a Top 10, but I finally got nit-picky and was able to narrow it down.

Speaking of which: honorable mentions!  Sorcerer nearly made it, and Twilight Force was in consideration early on, but I felt their albums weren't as consistent as the ones below.  Silver Bullet even had an outside chance, as their album started to grow on me a little the more I listened to it.  However, when all was said and down, I couldn't put them in when I compared them to these five.  Let's get this started!

5. Metallica - 72 Seasons

I know.  I'm surprised, too.  But after listening to everything else this year, I cannot deny that Metallica has created something that holds up on multiple listens.  While it still is a bloated album, going for too long, there is a lot that works.  It's certainly not a return to glory, but the chunky Metallica riffs and melodies, powered by Hetfield's personal lyrics, makes for a pretty solid album.

4. Arctic Rain - Unity

As for melodic rock, Arctic Rain knocked it out of the park early in the year.  While I heard some interesting rock albums, these Swedes knew exactly what they were doing, and did it well.  It's also an improvement over their solid debut, making this band one to keep an eye on for the future.

3. Lovebites - Judgement Day

However, I can't deny that power metal really dominated the year for me.  It may not be as good as Electric Pentagram, but Lovebites still has it where it counts, providing some very bombastic songs, full of high-speed riffing and incredible solos.  Definitely another fun album from these Japanese girls.

2. Kamelot - The Awakening

I don't know if I can really say Kamelot is "back," as it's pretty clear they've combined their old and new sounds together.  However, I can't deny they've made a great album, full of symphonic grandeur.  While Lovebites might be more fun, Kamelot edges them out with their lush production, dramatic songwriting, and Karevik's excellent voice.

1. Iron Savior - Firestar

However, when it came to deciding number one, I had no problems at all.  Once I heard Iron Savior's latest, I was delighted.  I know it's just more German power metal, but they do it so well!  They've found the perfect blend of gritty riffs and soaring melodies, and I love it!  As far as I'm concerned, Firestar is everything right about power metal in 2023.

A Minor Update and Moving Forward with 2024

Hey, all.  I hope everyone is rocking and staying warm this winter.  I ended up being hit with a pretty terrible cold to start the year, so I admit I don't have much to talk about right now.  However, I did want to write up a post talking about how things are going to change around here.

Mainly, I will be dropping the New Videos articles.  After doing them for four years, I've lost interest in doing them.  When something becomes a chore to do is usually a sign to re-assess what's going on, and I admit trying to find and watch a bunch of YouTube videos just to find songs worth talking about was starting to become more work than it was worth.  Of course, this means I won't be doing my Spotify playlists for each one.  For now, I think I'll just stick to having a Best Of for the year and slowly build that as I go.

I'm also planning on splitting my Last Played articles into two.  My goal is to separate my reviews of older albums from my articles discussing current albums.  I speculate this will result in a lot more retro review articles, but I think keeping them separate will be useful in the long run.  So keep an eye out for Retro Reviews and New Releases articles in the future.

My Anniversary Articles are not going anywhere, as I plan to carry that on through this year.  However, after that, I will have done an article for every year in the last 55 years, so I'll need to think about what I'll do after that.  I might still go through the years, but focusing on lesser known albums or something, but I still have time to decide.  I suppose it will depend on what excites me into writing stuff when I get there.\

For now, I'm working hard on my Top 5 for 2023 (which has not been easy!), so plan on seeing that at the end of this month.  I also plan on doing some retrospectives and other articles, but these definitely take a lot of time to pull together.  While I might not be as prolific as I was before, I plan to carry on with this blog for as long as I keep finding great rock and metal music to talk about, and I just don't see that ever ending.  Until then, rock on! \m/

Last Played - 2023 Roundup!

Here's the problem: there are too many albums I want to listen to, and not enough time to listen to them all.  Maybe if this were a full-time job, I could do it, but I'm definitely not to that level at all.  Still, I wanted to at least give some time to all things I listened to, even if it wasn't as much attention as the albums in my regular Last Played articles, so here are a bunch of mini-reviews.  To be honest, it's a lot of bands carrying on their sound, resulting in a lot of albums that were good, but not amazing.  Here's the rest of what I listened to for 2023!

Vega - Battlelines

Vega has been an interesting band to follow.  I started with Only Human, which I loved for it's cheesy 80s anthemic rocking.  Grit Your Teeth saw the band keep their style but loosen up in a good way.  However, Anarchy and Unity felt like a shift into more 90s or 2000s alternative rock.  It wasn't bad, but certainly different.  So how is Battlelines?  It's pretty similar to Grit Your Teeth, honestly.  The production isn't as thick as it was on Only Human, but otherwise, it's another solid set of melodic hard rock.  The opener "Heroes and Zeroes," and "Embrace the Grey" have some good energy in particular.

DGM - Life

This is one I wish I could have given more time, as their last album was my number one choice for 2020.  However, it's hard to deny that Life isn't more of the same as what was on Tragic Separation.  Of course, this means more chunky, syncopated riffing in the guitars, more catchy, AOR-style choruses, and more great soaring vocals from Mark Basile.  This is clear from the beginning as they start with their lead single, and the rest of the tracks carry on just like that.  Sure, they shake it up here and there with some clean piano or an a cappella section, and they throw on some appropriate synths for "Neuromancer," but otherwise, they remain pretty consistent.  Unfortunately, there wasn't much that stood out compared to what I've heard them do before.

Sorcerer - Reign of the Reaper

After Lamenting of the Innocence blew me away a few years ago, I knew I had to keep an eye out for what Sorcerer would do next.  Once again, we are back into the weird blend of big doomy riffs and melodic shredding solos.  This time, I feel like there's an increase in classic metal (which maybe isn't a surprise after doing an EP of covers during the lockdown).  I continually got vibes of Judas Priest, Saxon, and Rainbow, which were blended very well into their wall-of-sound approach to doom.  Anders Engberg soars over everything, and Kristian Niemann and Peter Hallgren bring another excellent set of heavy riffs and shreddy solos.  If there is a difference, I feel like the songs are more uplifting and heroic.  It's not something across the album, but I did pick up on it here and there, and I found it pretty refreshing, actually.  While I don't think it's quite as good as Lamenting, it's about on par with The Crowning of the Fire King and is another solid release from a band who clearly has their own stamp on the epic doom genre.

Final Strike - Finding Pieces

This is the new project by Christian Eriksson, formerly of NorthTale and Twilight Force.  Bringing along a few mates from NorthTale, this group sets out to do power metal in a very classic way.  I know I enjoyed two of their singles, and I'm hearing everything from Helloween, Gamma Ray, and Edguy to even bits of Hammerfall and Stratovarius.  Eriksson sounds solid, and the guitarwork by Martin Floberg is full of noodly shredding and uptempo riffing.  While they do change things up, occasionally having a mid-tempo stomper, it's mostly high speed, double-bass-kicking anthems.  "Finding Pieces" and "Freedom" remain as good songs, and I also enjoyed the closer "Turn of the Tide."  However, this year has had some excellent power metal, so I will have to give it a few more listens to decide how well it stacks with the competition.

Eclipse - Megalomanium

Eclipse makes no major changes, but why fix what isn't broken?  While Paradigm remains my favorite of theirs, this is another solid set of rock songs, though they have pushed more in an anthemic direction (if a song simply named "Anthem" wasn't a clue already!).  However, in an effort to sound big, I think they've lost some of the meat, especially since the opening tracks do feel a little lackluster.  They even lean into pop punk a little with songs like "Got It" and "The Broken."  However, things pick up with "Children of the Night," starting with a riff that could have come from Bark at the Moon, and the second half of the album gets back into some solid rocking.  Overall, they haven't fallen into a slump as they continue to provide good, energetic tunes.

Tanith - Voyage

After enjoying two of the singles, this album is certainly a solid follow-up to their debut, carrying on their Thin-Lizzy-meets-Blue-Oyster-Cult style of rock.  However, some of Russ Tippins' NWOBHM background has slipped in, as I sometimes thought of Iron Maiden's Killers, with some galloping guitar rhythms.  Still, their of 70s fantasy lyrics powered by cosmic descriptions still makes them feel like something from another time.  Tippins provides plenty of old-school fretwork on his guitar, and Cindy Maynard continues her role of vocal counter point, though this album has a lot more of them singing together.  While a few songs get into some proggy or atmospheric sections, most of the album has a lot of solid, straight-on rock, making for a pretty consistent listen.  I don't know if this is better or worse than their debut, as it's close, but this certainly confirms what they started, making them a pretty unique band in the current rock music landscape.