Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2023

Welcome to my annual attempt to make sense of the ridiculous amount of good metal albums out there, awaiting discovery by intrepid metal explorers.

2023’s best of list has been one of the more difficult ones to put together, placing-wise, which is one of the reasons that I’m posting it later than I usually do. Even more so than normal many of the slots are interchangeable, and I especially struggled with positions two-nine – if such a thing were possible, they all deserve to be higher! In the end I decided to stop overthinking it and go with my gut, but the usual caveat of these lists being very subjective and subject to change depending on mood, feelings, etc. is larger than normal here.

There are some notable acts missing form the below. Not because they’re not worthy of inclusion, but because there are only so many spaces to be had. In fact, I almost ended up limiting this list to 20, rather than the now-customary 30, as I found it really difficult to know who to include and who not to. In the end I went with the standard 30 so that I could promote a few extra bands, as they absolutely all deserve it.

As for the top position, I wasn’t expecting it to be filled by a band I’d never heard before, playing a style that I don’t listen to as much as I used to. However, I suppose after last year, I shouldn’t have been too surprised.

I do hope you enjoy this list and find some new music to obsess over. Like always, thanks for your support if you have ever visited this site before, and here’s to a great 2024 for as many of us as possible. Continue reading “Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2023”

Distention – Nothing Comes from Death (Review)

Distention - Nothing Comes from DeathThis is the debut album from US death metal band Distention.

Featuring current and ex-members of bands such as Equipoise, Rivers of Nihil, The Kennedy Veil, The Last Ten Seconds of Life, and Virulent Depravity, you know a lot of experience has gone into the 30 minutes of brutal material on Nothing Comes from Death, and it shows. Continue reading “Distention – Nothing Comes from Death (Review)”

Carnifex – Necromanteum (Review)

Carnifex - NecromanteumThis is the ninth album from Carnifex, a blackened death metal/deathcore band from the US.

Following on from 2016’s Slow Death, 2019’s World War X, and 2021’s Graveside Confessions, comes Necromanteum; 42 minutes of well-crafted heaviness. So what do Carnifex have in store for us this time? Continue reading “Carnifex – Necromanteum (Review)”

Orbit Culture – Descent (Review)

Orbit Culture - DescentThis is the fourth album from Swedish metallers Orbit Culture.

Both 2020’s Nija and 2021’s Shaman made very good impressions, and now Orbit Culture are back with another 49 minutes of new material in the form of Descent. Continue reading “Orbit Culture – Descent (Review)”

Signs of the Swarm – Amongst the Low & Empty (Review)

Signs of the Swarm - Amongst the Low & EmptyThis is the fifth album from US deathcore/death metal band Signs of the Swarm.

It’s always good to have some new Signs of the Swarm, as the band haven’t disappointed me yet. 2017’s The Disfigurement of Existence, 2019’s Vital Deprivation, and 2021’s Absolvere were all crushing slabs of heaviness, and the 42 minutes of new material on Amongst the Low & Empty is no exception. Having said that, it’s not completely business as usual either, and Signs of the Swarm have produced their best work so far. Continue reading “Signs of the Swarm – Amongst the Low & Empty (Review)”

Mental Cruelty – Zwielicht (Review)

Mental Cruelty - ZwielichtThis is the fourth album from German deathcore band Mental Cruelty.

Following on from 2019’s Inferis and 2021’s huge A Hill to Die Upon, Mental Cruelty have now returned with the crushing Zwielicht. Boasting 49 minutes of new material, as well as a new singer, this material continues Mental Cruelty’s forward progression, marking another shift in style towards even more blackened waters than the band waded in on A Hill to Die Upon. Continue reading “Mental Cruelty – Zwielicht (Review)”

Fit for an Autopsy/Thy Art Is Murder/Malevolence – The Aggression Sessions – Split (Review)

Fit for an Autopsy Thy Art Is Murder Malevolence - The Aggression SessionsThis is a split between Fit for an Autopsy, Thy Art Is Murder, and Malevolence, who are from the US, Australia, and the UK respectively. It’s the successor of sorts to 2016’s The Depression Sessions. Each band contributes one original and one cover track to this release, which lasts 23 minutes in total. Continue reading “Fit for an Autopsy/Thy Art Is Murder/Malevolence – The Aggression Sessions – Split (Review)”

Ov Sulfur – The Burden ov Faith (Review)

Ov Sulfur - The Burden ov FaithOv Sulfur are a blackened deathcore band from the US and this is their debut album.

The Burden ov Faith is a brutal slab of deathcore that takes a blackened and symphonic approach to its blasphemous heaviness. Ov Sulfur spend 44 minutes dealing out punishment of a form that’s surprisingly rich in delivery. Continue reading “Ov Sulfur – The Burden ov Faith (Review)”

Viscera – Carcinogenesis (Review)

Viscera - CarcinogenesisViscera are a death/metalcore band from the UK and this is their second album.

Carcinogenesis follows on from 2020’s Obsidian, which was a record I loved, so I have been really looking forward to hearing this new one. It has not disappointed. Continue reading “Viscera – Carcinogenesis (Review)”

To the Grave – Director’s Cuts (Review)

To the Grave - Directors CutsTo the Grave are an Australian deathcore band and this is their second album.

In part of the promo blurb for this album it mentions To the Grave’s ‘accessible extremity’, which is a great way to describe what the songs on Director’s Cuts offer. This music provides the absolutely brutal heaviness that I love, while also delivering actual Continue reading “To the Grave – Director’s Cuts (Review)”