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”

Howling Giant – Glass Future (Review)

Howling Giant - Glass FutureHowling Giant are a rock band from the US and this is their second album.

I like me a bit of what Howling Giant are peddling, and Glass Future‘s 41 minutes of tuneage hits the spot nicely. Continue reading “Howling Giant – Glass Future (Review)”

Vak – The Islands (Review)

Vak - The IslandsThis is the third album from Swedish sludge metal band Vak.

The Islands contains 50 minutes of progressive sludge metal. Taking in parts of doom, sludge, stoner, psychedelic, and progressive rock, Vak build musical structures that are unusual and impressive. Continue reading “Vak – The Islands (Review)”

Moon Coven – Sun King (Review)

Moon Coven - Sun KingThis is the third album from Swedish rock band Moon Coven.

Moon Coven play a mix of psychedelic rock and stoner doom that has a touch of the progressive about it too. Across 46 minutes Sun King blends these styles into a warm, personable album of good tunes and good vibes. Continue reading “Moon Coven – Sun King (Review)”

Thunder Horse – After the Fall (Review)

Thunder Horse - After the FallThis is the third album from US doom metal band Thunder Horse.

After the Fall contains 40 minutes of quality doom. Spliced with elements of classic heavy metal, stoner, and hard rock, alongside splashes of psychedelia and progressive rock, Thunder Horse have crafted an album that’s worth spending some quality time with. Continue reading “Thunder Horse – After the Fall (Review)”

Weite – Assemblage (Review)

Weite - AssemblageThis is the debut album from Weite, an international rock band.

Featuring members of Elder and High Fighter, Weite play a charismatic mix of 70s psychedelic, progressive, and experimental rock, with jazz elements. Assemblage is an instrumental record, and spends 39 minutes taking the listener on an expansive worldbuilding journey. Continue reading “Weite – Assemblage (Review)”

Royal Thunder – Rebuilding the Mountain (Review)

Royal Thunder - Rebuilding the MountainThis is the fourth album from US hard rock band Royal Thunder.

Rebuilding the Mountain contains 42 minutes of professionally crafted rock music. Taking influence from a range of places, this is music that’s expressive, hook-filled, and underpinned by a depth of content. Continue reading “Royal Thunder – Rebuilding the Mountain (Review)”

Boris & Uniform – Bright New Disease (Review)

Boris & Uniform - Bright New DiseaseBoris & Uniform, the former an experimental doom/drone/metal/rock act from Japan, and the latter an industrial rock/metal band from the US, have teamed up together on this collaborative album.

I like Boris, and I like Uniform, so listening to this release was a given. Bright New Disease combines the two act’s talents into new and twisted ways, resulting in an album Continue reading “Boris & Uniform – Bright New Disease (Review)”

Morass of Molasses – End All We Know (Review)

Morass of Molasses - End All We KnowThis is the third album from Morass of Molasses, a stoner rock/metal band from the UK.

Following on from 2019’s The Ties That Bind, End All We Know contains 38 minutes of fuzzed-out jams. Playing a stoner-inflected brand of heavy blues that benefits from metal and rock components, Morass of Molasses bring us an individual vision of a well-worn style. Continue reading “Morass of Molasses – End All We Know (Review)”

Hail the Void – Memento Mori (Review)

Hail the Void - Memento MoriHail the Void are a doom/stoner metal band from Canada and this is their second album.

Memento Mori is a doom metal record that pays homage to the classic style, while delivering an experience that 2023 should be pleased to host. Continue reading “Hail the Void – Memento Mori (Review)”