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”

Moonreich – Amer (Review)

Moonreich - AmerThis is the fifth album from Moonreich, a French black metal band.

Moonreich’s aggressive brand of modern black metal is always good to hear. Following on from 2018’s Fugue and 2019’s WormgodAmer contains 43 minutes of new material from this enjoyable band. Continue reading “Moonreich – Amer (Review)”

Moonreich – Wormgod (Review)

Moonreich - WormgodThis is the latest EP from French black metallers Moonreich.

Moonreich are a band I always enjoy the work of, (Fugue, for example), and this new EP is no exception. It contains four new songs and a Depeche Mode cover, and lasts 22 minutes. Continue reading “Moonreich – Wormgod (Review)”

Interview with Moonreich

Moonreich Header

The latest Moonreich album – Fugue – is an impressive collection of dark, violent black metal songs. However, there’s more to Moonreich than just sonic extremity, and Fugue is layered with the kind of depth and nuance that makes for a very moreish album. Wide-ranging and multifaceted, while being wrapped up in tightly focused aggression, Fugue is an album that’s a very strong release all-round.

Let’s find out a bit more… Continue reading “Interview with Moonreich”

Monthly Overview – the Best of June 2018

So what dark delights do we have for you this month? Yes, once again it’s time to delve into the best releases that June had to offer, and what a bunch of fine albums we have to share with you this time… Continue reading “Monthly Overview – the Best of June 2018”

Moonreich – Fugue (Review)

MoonreichThis is the fourth album from Moonreich, a French black metal band.

Fugue is a broad-ranging and multifaceted journey into black metal waters, with the band revealing themselves to be quite expressive and creative across the album’s 54 minutes. Continue reading “Moonreich – Fugue (Review)”