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”

Sarcoptes – Prayers to Oblivion (Review)

Sarcoptes - Prayers to OblivionSarcoptes are a US black metal band and this is their second album.

It has been a long time since 2016’s Songs and Dances of Death, but the second Sarcoptes album is finally here. And what do we have? Something pretty damn tasty. Prayers to Oblivion is the sound of Sarcoptes taking their material to the next level in every regard; songwriting, recording, and performances, have all improved. Continue reading “Sarcoptes – Prayers to Oblivion (Review)”

Sarcoptes – Songs and Dances of Death (Review)

SarcoptesSarcoptes are a black metal band from the US. This is their début album.

This record makes me feel nostalgic. The band play a classic style of black metal that incorporates elements of the 90s symphonic style alongside a few thrashier bits here and there. It really does take me back to the early days of bands like Cradle of Filth, Emperor, Bal-Sagoth, Hecate Enthroned, Dimmu Borgir, etc.

The singer has Continue reading “Sarcoptes – Songs and Dances of Death (Review)”