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The Best of 2023!

In addition to Mike and my top picks for 2023, you can also read the top 5 picks from site contributor Jez. Since we all have different tastes, it makes more sense to see different folks' opinions.

For each of us, the listing contains 3 parts:

Top 5. Self-explanatory.
Honorable Mentions. Very good releases for the year that either fell just short of the top 5, or had to be on the outside looking in due to the limit of 5.
The Rest of the Field. There is nothing qualitative about this section; the releases may range from good to mediocre to complete and utter garbage. It only exists to show you what each of us considered in coming up with our Top 5 and Honorable Mentions. If an album isn't listed in our Top 5, Honorable Mentions, or Rest of the Field, it means we didn't get a chance to hear that album. We don't all listen to the same set of releases each year.

Dan's Picks
Mike's Picks (whiplash 1972)

Contributing Reviewers:

Jez's Picks

Dan's Picks for the Best of 2023

The Also Rans

5th Season — ST
A Day in Venice — IV
A Life Divided — Down the Spiral of a Soul
ABREACT — Deceivers Are Coming
AOR — Bewitched in LA
Acid King — Beyond Vision
Alcatrazz — Take No Prisoners
Alchemy Fire — ST
Alice Cooper — Road
All My Shadows — Eerie Monsters
All for Metal — Legends
Alleycate — Private Vices, Public Pleasures
Allgema — Find the Way Out
Amh — Hurry up and Wait
Angel — Once Upon a Time
Angels in Vein — Long Time Coming
Angra — Cycles Of Pain
Ann Wilson & Tripsitter — Another Door
Annisokay — Abyss Pt I EP
Anthem — Crimson & Jet Black
Apotheus — Ergo Atlas
Arch Blade — Kill The Witch
Archetypes Collide — ST
Archon Angel — II
Arctic Rain — Unity
Arjen Lucassen's Supersonic Revolution — Golden Age of Music
Arrival of Autumn — Kingdom Undone
Art Nation — Inception
Ascension — Under the Veil of Madness
Ashrain — Requiem Reloaded
Asidie — Inside a Restless Mind
Asking Alexandria — Where Do We Go From Here
Atomic Agent — Secret Society
Atria — Ground Zero EP
Atrocity — Okkult III
August Burns Red — Death Below
Avaland — The Legend of the Storyteller
Avarice — ST
Avatar — Dance Devil Dance
Avenged Sevenfold — Life Is But A Dream
Axel Rudi Pell — The Ballads VI
Axenstar — Chapter VIII
B.O.W — Chasing Shadows
Babylon A.D. — Live Lightning
Babymetal — The Other One
Bad Bones — Hasta El Final!
Bad Sister — Out of the Business (re-issue)
Bad Wolves — Die About It
Bai Bang — Sha Na Na Na
Bangalore Choir -FLAC
Barnabas Sky — What Comes to Light
Baroness — STONE
Bazooka Troopaz — Bombs, Babes and Bazookas
Before The Dawn — Stormbringers
Big City — Sunwind Sails
Big Mouthers — New Now
Black & Damned — Servants Of The Devil
Black Star Riders Wrong Side Of Paradise (Special Edition)
Black Stone Cherry — Screamin' at the Sky
Blackbird Angels — Solsorte
Blackbriar — A Dark Euphony
Blak29 — The Waiting
Bleed From Within — Shrine (Deluxe Version)
Blind River — Bones for the Skeleton Thief
Blond Viper — Boom
Bloody Nightmare — Pillars of Chaos
Bombay Black — En Fuego!
Bonafide — Are You Listening
Bonfire — Dont Touch The Light (MMXXIII Version)
Bonfire — Fireworks (MMXXIII Version)
Bonfire — Point Blank (MMXXIII Version)
Booby Trap — The End of Time
Buckcherry — Vol. 10
Bunsen — Burner
Burning Witches — The Dark Tower
Bury Tomorrow — The Seventh Sun
Caedeous — Malum Supplicium
Calico Jack — Isla de la Muerte
Calm — Dysfunctional Assumptions EP
Capside — Ladyesis
Carbellion — Weapons of Choice
Cassidy Paris — New Sensation
Category VI — Firecry
Chamelion — Legends & Lores
Chelsea Grin — Suffer in Hell
Cherry St. — Twisted, Rude & Sticky Sweet
Circus of Rock — Lost Behind the Mask
Cobra Spell — 666
Cold Drop — ST
Comaniac — None for All
Contorsion — The Children of the Snake EP
Corey Taylor — CMF2
Craver — Torch of Wisdom
Craving — Call of the Sirens
Creye — III Weightless
Cross Country Driver — The New Truth
Crown Lands — Fearless
Crowne — Operation Phoenix
Cruzados — Land of the Endless Sun EP
Cry of Dawn — Anthropocene
Crypta — Shades of Sorrow
Czakan — Unreal
D'Ercole — Mass Formation
DGM — Life
Damanek — Making Shore (FLAC)
Damnations Hammer — Into the Silent Nebula
Danko Jones — Electric Sounds
Dark Embrace — Dark Heavy Metal
Dark Sarah — Attack of Orym
Dark Side, Bright Side — ST
David A — Lit
DeVicious — Code Red
Deacon Street Project — One + Two
Deadwolff — Heavy Rock N' Roll
Death Dealer Union — Initiation
Deathstars — Everything Destroys You
Def Leppard — Drastic Symphonies
Degenerator — The Abyssal Throne
Degreed — Public Address
Deimos Dawn — Anthem of the Lost
Demons Down — I Stand
Deorbit — Retrogradient
Destination Unknown — ST
DevilDriver — Dealing with Demons Vol. II
Devin Townsend — Empath Live In America
Diabolic Night — Beneath the Crimson Prophecy
Dieth — To Hell and Back
Dirty Audio Machine — Only Fury Remains EP
Dirty Honey — Can't Find The Brakes
Discreation — Iron Times
Distant — Heritage
dEMOTIONAL — Scandinavian Aftermath
Dokken — Heaven Comes Down
Domino Drive — Smoke and Mirrors
Doomsday Outlaw — Damaged Goods
Doro — Conqueress
Downfall of Gaia — Silhouettes of Disgust
Draconicon — Pestilence
Dragonheart — The Dragonheart Tales
Dreamyth — Aletheia
Dropkick Murphys — Okemah Rising
EUNOMIA — The Chronicles of Eunomia Part 2
Eclipse — Megalomanium
Edge of Forever — Ritual
Edge of Paradise — Hologram
Einar Solberg — 16
Ektomorf — Vivid Black
Electric Boys — Grand Explosivos
Electric Mob — 2 Make You Cry and Dance
Electus — Episode IV
Elegant Weapons — Horns for a Halo
Elm Street — The Great Tribulation
Elvenking — Reader of the Runes — Rapture
Embryo — A Vivid Shade on Misery
Emolecule — The Architect
Emotional Fire — 2023 Will You Be There EP
Empyre — Relentless
Endeavour — For The Time Being
Enforcer — Nostalgia
Enslaved — Heimdal
Entheos — Time Will Take Us All
Entropia — Total
Eric Sardinas — Midnight Junction
Escape the Fate — Out Of The Shadows
Everdawn — Venera
Evergrey — From Dark Discoveries to Heartless Portraits
Evile — The Unknown
Evolution Eden — Sonic Cinema
Extreme — SIX
Eyes — Congratulations
Falco — Einzelhaft (Deluxe Version)
Fall Out Boy — So Much (For) Stardust
Fall of Earth — From The Ashes
False Memories — Hybrid Ego System
Fatal Vision — Twice
Fate — V Remastered
Fifth Angel — When Angels Kill
Firewind — Still Raging
First Night — Deep Connection
First Signal — Face Your Fears
Flames of Fire — Our Blessed Hope
Floor Jansen — Paragon
Flor de Loto — Lines of Nasca
Flowerleaf — Dreamerie
Foo Fighters — But Here We Are
For The Fallen Dreams — ST
Fraise — The Fifth Sun Part II
Freakshow — So Shall It Be
Freakstorm — Angel in the Dark
Friction — ST
From Ashes to New — Blackout
From North — Raven Banner
Frostbite Orckings — The Orcish Eclipse
Frozen Crown — Call of the North
Frozen Land — Out of the Dark
GNP — Safety Zone
Gabrielle De Val — Kiss In A Dragon Night
Galundo Tenvulance — Lunar Eclipture
Ghost — Phantomime EP
Girish & The Chronicles — Back on Earth (2024 Rerecorded)
Girlschool — WTFortyfive
Gloryhammer — Return to the Kingdom of Fife
Godsmack — Lighting up the Sky
Godsnake — Eye for an Eye
Gorod — The Orb
Granada — Like War1001br/> Grand Design — Rawk
Graywolf — ST
Great Master — Montecristo
Greta Van Fleet — Starcatcher
Gunter Werno's Anima One — Symnphonic Concerto No. 1
H.e.a.t — Extra Force
HYLDR — Order of the Mist
Haken — Fauna (Deluxe Edition)
Haliphron — Prey
Hardy — The Mockingbird & The Crow
Hawkwind — The Future Never Waits
Heart Attack Genocide — Primal
Heart Line — Original Seeds EP
Heart Line — Rock N Roll Queen
Heartlay — Sovereign Sore
Heathen Foray — Oathbreaker
Heavens Edge — Get It Right
Heidevolk — Wederker
Heimdall — Hephaestus
Hell in the Club — FUBAR
Hellwitch — Annihilational Intercention
Heroes & Monsters — ST
High Spirits — Safe on the Other Side
Hinayana — Shatter And Fall
Hit the Ground Runnin — Control Yourself (reissue)
Hitten — While Passion Lasts
Hog Meets Frog — humANIMALization
Hollentor — Divergency
Holy Moses — Invisible Queen
Hongo Fuu — Live at Mora Books EP
Host — IX
Houston — Re-Launch III
Hurricane — Reconnected
Ice Age — Waves of Loss and Power
Ignescent — Fight in Me
Immortal — War Against All
Imperium — Never Surrender
In Flames — Foregone
In This Moment — GODMODE
Infected Rain — The Devil's Dozen
Infinite & Divine — Ascendancy
Infinite Spectrum — Cage
Insomnium — Anno
Intoxicated — Sadistic Nightmares
Invent Animate — Heavener
Iron Savior — Firestar
Issa — Lights of Japan
Ivy Gold — Broken Silence
Jag Panzer — The Hallowed
James Rivera's Metal Wave — New Wave Gone Metal
Janet Gardner & Justin James — No Strings
Jelusick — Follow The Blind Man
Jenni Sex — Healing Kiss
Jethro Tull — RokFlote
Joel Hoekstra's 13 — Crash Of Life
John Diva & the Rockets of Love — The Big Easy
John West — Days of Destiny
Johnny O'Neill — Live at the Southern Theater EP
Johnny the Boy — You
Jon of Mars — Songs From Nowhere
Jukebox Heroes — ST (Reissue)
KK's Priest — The Sinner Rides Again
KRASHKARMA — Falling To Pieces
Kamelot — The Awakening
Kardinal Sin — SALIGIA
Katatonia — Sky Void of Stars
Kent Hilli — Nothing Left to Lose
Kerrigan — Bloodmoon
Khymera — Hold Your Ground
Kikimora — For a Broken Dime
Kimbra — A Reckoning
King Kobra — We Are Warriors
Kings Crown — Closer to the Truth
Kings Never Die — All The Rats
Knife — Heaven Into Dust
Kontrust — Madworld
L.A. Project — Electric Life
LALU — The Fish Who Wanted to be King
Lancer — Tempest
Lankester Merrin — Dark Mother Rises
Last Temptation — Love Wins
Last in Line — Jericho
Later Sons — Rise Up
Laudanum — Blame Zeus
Laura Cox — Head Above Water
Lazy Bonez — Eye of the Sky
Leaflet — Something Beyond
Legion Of The Damned — The Poison Chalice
Lieder Distortion — The Age of Art
Linkin Park — Meteora 20th Anniversary Edition
Linman — Heaven Calls
Liv Kristine — River of Diamonds
Liverbox — The Great Spirit of Rock'n'Roll
Lokurah — Distorted Truth
Lord Volture — Live 'em Up!
Lordi — Screem Writers Guild
Lovebites — Judgement Day
Lucifer Star Machine — Satanic Age
Lunar — The Illusionist
Lynch Mob — Babylon
MPG — ST (Deluxe Edition)
MVI — In the Rain Shadow
Magnus Karlsson's Free Fall — Hunt the Flame
Magnus Rosen Band — It's Time To Rock The World Again
Maladie — For We Are the Plague
Mammoth WVH — Mammoth II
Manigance — The Shadows Ball
Marc Hudson — Starbound Stories
Marianas Rest — Auer
Martin Miller — Maze of My Mind
Martiria — Timeless
Massive Scar Era — Metal Goes Egyptian
McFly — Power to Play
Mecca — Everlasting
Medevil — Mirror In The Darkness
Memorias de un Despertar — Reclama Tu Libertad
Metal Church — Congregation of Annihilation
Metallica — 72 Seasons
Michael Thompson Band — The Love Goes On
Michael Voss — Rockers Rollin' (A Tribute to Rick Parfitt)
Midnite City — In At the Deep End
Miseria Ultima — In Colors of Void
Mitch Malloy — The Last Song
Motive Black — Auburn
Mustang — Beyond Raging Thunder
Mystery — Redemption
Mystic Prophecy — Hellriot
Nail Within — Sound of Demise
Nanowar of Steel — Dislike To False Metal
Narnia — Ghost Town
Natas Raw Project — Chapter One
Neal Morse — The Dreamer — Joseph Part One
Neal Schon — Journey Through Time (Live)
Necro Weasel — Obey Suffer & Die
Neolia — ST
Nervosa — Jailbreak
Neversin — Revamp
New Model Army — Sinfonia (Orchestral Version) (Live)
Night Demon — Outsider
Night Legion — Fight or Fall
Night Ranger — 40 Years and a Night
Nina & Ricky Wilde — Scala Hearts
Nira Nise — The Witch Unburned
Nita Strauss — The Call of the Void
Nitrate — Feel the Heat
Nomad — The Mountain
Nothing Sacred — Leviathan EP
Nuclear Power Trio — Wet Ass Plutonium
Ocean Districts — Phantom Islands
Oceanlord — Kingdom Cold
Odinfist — Remade In Steel
Omission — Disciples of Ravens Vengeance
On Thorns I Lay — ST
One Desire — Live With the Shadow Orchestra
Opera Multi Steel — Les Passions Tristes
Otep — The God Slayer
Otherwise — Gawdzillionaire
Outlanders — ST
Overkill — Scorched
P!nk — TRUSTFALL
Panzerchrist — Last Of A Kind
Paradise Lost — Icon 30
Paralelum — Bad Thoughts
Paramore — This Is Why
Parity Boot — Fast Forward
Passage — Oblique
Patriarchs In Black — My Veneration
Paul Gilbert — The Dio Album
Paul Lidel's Scream Therapy
Perfect View — Bushido
Periphery — V — Djent Is Not A Genre
Person To Person — The Complete Recordings
Peyton Parrish — Skalds of Metal
Phaeton — Between Two Worlds
Phantom Corporation — Fallout
Phantom Elite — Blue Blood
Phil Vincent — Divine Intervention
Pierce The Veil — The Jaws Of Life
pMad — Sword EP
Pop Evil — Skeletons
Powerwolf — Interludium (Deluxe Version)
Pride of Lions — Dream Higher
Primal Fear — Code Red
Prisoner — One + Two
Psychework — Spark of Hope
Psygnosis — Mercury EP
Puscifer — Existential Reckoning (Re-Wired)
Queens of the Stone Age — In Times New Roman
ROADWOLF — Midnight Lightning
RPWL — Crime Scene
Rage of Light — Opaque EP
Raider — Trial By Chaos
Raining Nails — Human Deeds
Raven — All Hell's Breaking Loose
Ray Alder — II
Razorbats — Hit Crazy
Rebecca Black — Let Her Burn
Rebel Kings — Enchantress
Red Cain — NŽE'BLISS
Redemption — I Am The Storm
Redlight King — In Our Blood
Resolve — Human
Restless Spirit — Afterimage
Revolution Saints — Eagle Flight
Rick Miller — Altered States
Rising Wings — Reach
Robben Ford — Night in the City
Robby Valentine — Embrace The Unknown
Robin McAuley — Alive
Robledo — Broken Soul
Rockett Love — Galactic Circus
Rockin' Engine — Altered By Evil
Ronnie Atkins — Trinity
Ronnie Romero — Raised on Heavy Radio
Ronnie Romero — Too Many Lies, Too Many Masters
Ross the Boss — Legacy of Blood, Fire & Steel
Rotten Sound — Apocalypse
Roxanne — Stereo Typical
Roxx Gang — The Voodoo You Love (Reissue)
Rozario — To the Gods We Swear
RuinThrone — The Unconscious Mind Of Arda
Russkaja — Turbo Polka Party
Sacred Dawn — Dismal Swamp album
Sacred Outcry — Towers of Gold
Saint Deamon — League of the Serpent
Saliva — Revelation
Samiam — Stowaway
Samuli Federley — Stormylized
Sarayasign — The Lion's Road
Savage Blood — Wheel of Time
Savage Grace — Sign of the Cross
Saxon — More Inspirations
Say It — One and Again
Schattenmann — D¡a de Muertos
ScreaMachine — Church of the Scream
Scream Maker — Land of Fire
Screamer — Kingmaker
Sculforge — Intergalactic Battle Tunes
Secret — Stop this World
Secret Sphere — Blackened Heartbeat
See You Next Tuesday — Distractions
Seven Ravens — After The Storm
Seven Spires — Live at Progpower USA XXI
Sevendust — Truth Killer
Seventh Crystal — Infinity EP
Seventh Crystal — Wonderland
Seventh Son — Edge of Insanity
Seventh Wonder — Become (Reissue)
Seventh Wonder — Mercy Falls (Reissue)
Seventh Wonder — The Great Escape (Reissue)
Seventh Wonder — Waiting in the Wings (Reissue)
Seventrain — Seventrain EP
Severed Angel — ST
Shakra — Invincible
Shylmagoghnar — Convergence
Siege Of Power — This is Tomorrow
Signum Regis — Chapter IV — The Reckoning
Silent Angel — Unyielding, Unrelenting
Silent Skies — Dormant
Silent Tiger — Twist of Fate
Silver Bullet — Shadowfall
Sinheresy — Event Horizon
Sins Of Shadows — Imperium
Sirenia — 1977
Skagarack — Heart and Soul
Skam — Intravenous (Remastered)
Skillet — Dominion Day of Destiny
Skinher — Heartstruck
Skinner — The Dark Design
Skull & Crossbones — Sungazer
Slowburn — Fire Starter
Slowburn — Firestarter
Smackbound — Hostage
Smoulder — Violent Creed of Vengeance
Solstice — Light Up EP
Sorcerer — Reign of the Reaper
Sovereign Council — World on Fire EP
Speed Limit — Cut a Long Story Short
Spillage — Phase Four
Spiritbox — The Fear of Fear EP
Stan Snow — Into the Great Beyond
Starbenders — Take Back The Night
Stardust — Kingdom of Illusion
Stargazer — Life Will Never Be The Same
Starmen — Starmenized
Starquake — At The Circus
Steel Bars — A Tribute to Michael Bolton
Steel Panther — On the Prowl
Steve Emm — Dangerous Goods
Steve Lukather — Bridges
Stonetrip — Run Free
Stormburst — III
Stormwarning — ST
Strangerland — Echoes from the Past
Subway to Sally — Himmelfahrt
Suicide Silence — Remember... You Must Die
Sunbeam Overdrive — Diama
Supremacy — Influence
Svartanatt — Last Days on Earth
Sweet And Lynch — Heart & Sacrifice
Sylosis — A Sign of Things to Come
T3nors — Naked Soul
TAZ — Shipwrecked, Vol 2
Tailgunner — Guns for Hire
Taliesin — Disciple
Tanith — Voyage
Tardigrade Inferno — Burn the Circus
Tarja — Dark Christmas
Temple Balls — Avalanche
Tempt — ST
Ten — Something Wicked This Way Comes
Tesla — Full Throttle Live
TesseracT — War Of Being
Texas Hippie Coalition — The Name Lives On
The 69 Eyes — Death of Darkness
The Answer — Sundowners
The Banishment — Machine and Bone
The Bouncing Souls — Ten Stories High
The Enigma Division — ST
The Flood — Hear Us Out
The Flower Kings — Look At You Now
The Hollywood Stars — Still Around EP
The Hu — Rumble of Thunder (Deluxe)
The Koo — ST
The Mighty Mister Shame — Through Hell
The Mystical Hot Chocolate Endeavors — A Clock Without a Craftsman
The Night Eternal — Fatale
The Rods — Live at Rose Hall
The Smashing Pumpkins — ATUM — Act I & II
The Winery Dogs — III
The Wise Man's Fear — Atlas Ruinica
Theory of a Deadman — Dinosaur
Third Eye — Vengeance Fulfilled
Thomas Carlsen's Transmission — A Brave Horizon
Thorium — Extraordinary Journeys
Thulcandra — Hail the Abyss
Thunder Horse — After the Fall
Tokyo — Seven
Tony Mitchell — Radio Heartbeat
Total Stranger — Mean Season
Tragedian — Master of Illusions
Tragedy — I Am Woman
Transworld Identity — Seven Worlds
Trench Dogs — Stockholmiana
Trevor Rabin — Rio
Twilight Force — At the Heart of Wintervale
Twisted Rose — Cherry Tales
Tygers Of Pan Tang — Bloodlines
Unblessed Divine — Portal to Darkness
Unchosen Ones — Sorrow Turns To Dust
Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats — Slaughter On First Avenue (Live)
Under Attack — Fury of the Thunder God
Unfelled — Pall of Endless Perdition
Universal Theory — Collapse
Ural — Psychoverse
V von Dogma I — The Kvlt of Glitch
Valentino Francavilla — Midnight Dreams
Vambo — II
Vandenberg — Sin
VantablackWarship — Last of the Hardmouthed Poets
Vega — Battlelines
Velvet Viper — Nothing Compares to Metal
Vendetta — Black as Coal
Vexed — Negative Energy
Victor Smolski — Guitar Force
Virgin Steele — The Passion of Dionysus
Visions Of Atlantis — A Pirate's Symphony
Visions of Atlantis — Pirates over Wacken
Vitalines — Wheels Within Wheels
Vypera — Race of Time
Wake Up Frankie — Thrashrockin Beats
Walk With Titans — Olympian Dystopia
Walk in Darkness — Leaves Rolling in Time
Wanted -Late Attraction
Wardress — Metal Till the End
Wasteland Clan — The End of Time
Weapon — New Clear Power
West Alley — A Night to Remember
Whalesong — Leaving a Dream
White Reaper — Asking for a Ride
Whythre — Impregnate My Hate
Wicked Maraya — Chapters
Wig Wam — Out of the Dark
Will the Thrill — Take It Sleazy
Winger — Seven
Wings Of Steel — Gates Of Twilight
Winterstorm — Everfrost
Witch Ripper — The Flight After the Fall EP
Withering Scorn — Prophets Of Demise
Within Temptation — Bleed Out
Wizard Tattoo — Fables of the Damned
Woe Unto Me — Along the Meandering Ordeals, Reshape the Pivot of Harmony
Wonders — Beyond The Mirage
Xandria — The Wonders Still Awaiting
Yesterday's Hero — Ways To Hate
Youthex — Star-Crossed
ZO2 — Begin Again
Zhiva — Into the Eye of the Storm

Honorable Mentions

Ad Infinitum — Chapter III — Downfall. Melissa Bonny and co. release a wonderful symphonic metal album, full of lush arrangements and production. I've always been a fan of her voice; she can belt, sing pop, and do harsh vocals, as well. Very versatile. Sounds somewhat similar to Amaranthe in places with respect to crunchiness. Extremely radio-friendly when it comes to choruses. Standout track: Eternal Rains

Air Raid — Fatal Encounter. Some good old-school melodic metal here. Reminds me of very early Dokken crossed with classic W.A.S.P. with a slightly heavier bent. Excellent vocals and guitar work throughout. Standout track: Thunderblood

All Time Low — Tell Me I'm Alive. Not typical HH fodder, but infectious pop-rock with excellent production. Quite a few ear-worms on the album, especially when it comes to the choruses. Standout track: Calm Down

Care of Night — Reconnected. Their third album is just what one would come to expect: extremely solid melodic rock with lush vocal harmonies. The only criticisms are that it starts to sound a bit samey after a while and it's a bit ballad-heavy of an album. Standout track: Wrong

Chris Manning — Reach The Sky. Modern hard rock that occasionally dips back into a classic '80s sound. Even though the band is a guitarist's project, I found myself being drawn to the vocals more than the guitar work, although some of the songs have a bit of a progressive edge that let the guitar shine through. Standout track: Freedom

Delain — Dark Waters. New vocalist, so who knew how it would sound, but IMO Diana Leah better fits the sound than the previous vocalist, Charlotte Wessels. I find the new album to also be much more listenable over repeated sessions than prior efforts. Moth to a Flame is just a superb radio-friendly example of the recent trend of pop vocals over metal instrumentation, a combination that I personally really like.

Elysion — Bring Out Your Dead. Crunchy melodic metal with female lead vox, think of Evanescence meets Lacuna Coil. A Greek band, this is their third album, but the first since 2014. Hopefully it's not such a long wait for the next one. Standout track: Crossing Over

House of Shakira — XIT. This one was unexpected. Their past few efforts left me feeling "meh", and it was a long time since they were at their peak in the late '90s and early 2000s. The vocal harmonies are on point and the overall vibe isn't quite as laid back as their recent material IMO. Standout track: Something in the Water

Hugo's Voyage — Inception. Dude... where ya been? This is the missing Journey album we've been looking for. Yes, it's a bit more ballad-heavy than probably most would want, but Hugo has always been on the lighter side of Journey's repertoire. If you've been jonesing for vintage Steve Perry-esque Journey, look no further. Standout track: Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love

Ignea — Dreams of Lands Unseen. This Ukranian band won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I can't stop listening to this album. Take some death metal, overlay it with etherial female vocals with some very contemporary jazz-based harmonies, and the sprinkle middle eastern instrumentation throughout. BTW, the female lead vocalist also does the harsh vocals. Standout tracks: Incurable Disease and Dunes (that's right, they get 2 tracks; this album was my #6 for the year).

Lansdowne — Medicine. This came out early in the year and stayed high in my rotation throughout the year. Modern radio-friendly hard rock ala Nickelback, Daughtry, etc. Nothing particularly innovative, but well executed and enjoyable. Standout track: Bury Me

Lord Of The Lost — Weapons Of Mass Seduction. Normally an entire album of covers wouldn't be my jam, let alone 2 discs worth, but I've really enjoyed their last several albums, and this continues into their take on musical standards. Standaout track: It's a Sin (Pet Shop Boys)

Mercenary — Soundtrack To The End Times. Crunchy classic heavy metal with a bit of a modern spin. While there are some harsh vocals sprinkled throughout, they never dominate the clean vocals and the harmonies on the choruses are solid. There are some interesting prog-esque instrumental riffs throughout, but at its core it's just good heavy metal. Standout track: Beyond the Waves

Orbit Culture — Descent. A discovery for me in 2023, that I know many won't like as it features harsh vocals, but the choruses and especially the instrumental musicianship and production are top notch. Late in the year they just announced making the transition from being independent to signing with Century Media Records, so their material should become more widespread. Pure headbanging bliss. The 6-minute+ From the Inside was my first exposure to the band and was my runner up for song of the year.

Pyramaze — Bloodlines. Hard to believe this is their seventh album. Epic symphonic prog metal with extremely enjoyable vocals and choruses, very polished. I much prefer their newer material after Matt Barlow left the band. Standout track: Broken Arrow

Rexoria — Imperial Dawn. The fusion of melodic metal and synth pop is one that really works for me. Throw in capable female lead vocals and I'm sold. The ABBA-esque keyboard hooks meld well with the underlying rock/metal and keeeps the toes a-tapping. This has been getting ear-time from me all year long. Standout track: Paradigm

Riverside — ID.Entity. Polish band with a very unusual style, part prog rock, part pop, with lots of electronica. The lead vocalist reminds me of Robin Gibb (Bee Gees) in places. If the album was a bit more consistent stylistically, it would have ended up in my top 5 for the year. The album was also released in a 5.1 channel blu-ray edition. Standout track: Friend or Foe?

The Dark Side of the Moon — Metamorphosis. Another Melissa Bonny-fronted project, with Hans Platz from Feuerschwanz. This is their first album. Melodic symphonic metal, once again with extremely accessible vocials and choruses. To be honest, I have a hard time telling this material apart from Ad Infinitum when they come up in the shuffle, but hey since I like them both, it's not a problem. Standout track: First Light

Thomas Lassar — From Now On. Excellent solor AOR from the keyboardist and lead vocalist of Sweden's Crystal Blue. The tracks range from lighter Westcoast AOR to hard rock, with the emphasis on vocals and harmonies. The strongest material are the ballads, IMO, with his vocal characteristics reminding me of Aaron Neville in places. Standout track: From Now On

Dan's Winners

5th Place

Beyond the Black — Beyond the Black (Nuclear Blast Records). This German band has been around since 2015 and this is their fifth album. Their earlier material is described as "symphonic metal", but this new album is IMO melodic hard rock; very little metal remains (presumably due to the almost complete personnel turnover)... but that isn't a bad thing. I find this album to be much more accessible and replayable than prior efforts. I hope that the live video below is an indication that a live Blu-Ray is coming at some point, as they appear to be a fun watch live. For fans of Delain, Within Temptation, and Halestorm.

4th Place

Cyhra — The Vertigo Trigger (Nuclear Blast Records). This is the third album from this Swedish melodic metal group... but is it really metal? As far as the instrumental foundtation yes, but overall I would categorize it more as hard rock, and melodic at that. Every now and then you'll get a crunchy guitar-bass-drums riff or fill that is metal in nature, but vocally and with the keyboard layers, this is not your grandfather's metal. That said, the hooks are infectious and the replayability is high.

3rd Place

The Defiants — Drive (Frontiers Records). This is the third album from The Defiants, and while I must admit that the first two didn't resonate with me for some reason, this one definitely did. Great Leppardesque gang choruses, top notch production, and an extremely polished sound. Paul Laine & Co. bring the Danger Danger influences in spades.

2nd Place

Streetlight — Ignition (Frontiers Records). Why do I feel like the Swedes have taken over the entire music scene across all genres? Quintessential AOR debut effort IMO, with hooks being off the chart. It has a very 1970s-80s vibe to it. In fact, the songs from this album would have been ALL over the radio airwaves back in the late 1970s or early 1980s. It's hard to say whether the rockers or the ballads are the band's stronger suit, as they execute both extremely well.

Dan's Pick for Heavy Harmonies 2023 CD of the Year

Dominum — Hey Living People (Napalm Records). What would happen if Robby Valentine, Kissin' Dynamite, and Powerwolf all came together to record The Rocky Horror Picture Show? Dominum, of course. This album dropped on December 28, and immediately made my top 5 list a shambles. I'm guessing that it flew under the radar for many people, coming out over the holidays... a poor choice of release date IMO. I had to give it a few weeks and see if the initial excitement would actually stand up over repeated listens and insertion in my rotation, as I didn't want to fall victim to the "newness" of the release. Well, my interest didn't wane and the more I listened to it, the more I admire it.

It's a horror-themed album, and some of the lyrical work in that vein is superb. The first track below We All Taste the Same is my number one song of the year, both lyrically and musically. Being on Napalm Records, one wouldn't expect it to be melodic rock rather than metal of some sort, but this is not the case. Napalm, along with AFM Records, Massacre Records, and even Nuclear Blast, are enfolding hard rock bands into ther traditionally "heavy metal" rosters, and this is a good thing IMO.

The gang choruses on many of the songs here remind me of vintage Crashdiet, while at the same time there are sprinkles of Queen and Robby Valentine throughout. The quirky You Better Shoot Yourself is absolutely stellar. Even the two cover songs on the album, Dead or Alive's You Spin Me Right Round and Midnight Oil's Beds Are Burning are very well executed and enjoyable.

Just a completely unexpected gem from start to finish. I can't wait to see what they do next!

Mike's Picks for the Best of 2023

The Also Rans

Alcatrazz — Take No Prisoners
American Bombshell — Knives Out
American Jetset — Love Kills
Art Nation — Inception
Ronnie Atkins — Trinity
Babylon A.D. — Live Lightning
Bangalore Choir — Center Mass
Barfly — No Place Like Home
The Bites — Squeeze
The Black Crowes — Shake Your Money Maker Live
Bombay Black — En Fuego!
Bush — Loaded The Greatest Hits 1994-2023
Candlebox — Live At The Neptune Theatre
Coney Hatch — Postcard From Germany
CoreLeoni — Alive
Creye — III Weightless
Crowne — Operation Phoenix
Czakan — Unreal
Dark Sky — Signs of the Time
The Darkness — Permission To Land... Again
The Dead Daisies — Best Of
Def Leppard — Drastic Symphonies
Dirty Honey — Can't Find The Brakes
Dreams — Dreams
Electric Boys — Grand Explosivos
Elegant Weapons — Horns For A Halo
First Signal — Face Your Fears
Gardner-James — No Strings
George Lynch and Jeff Pilson — Heavy Hitters II
Ghost — Phantomime
Girish and the Chronicles — Back on Earth
Glorious Bankrobbers — Back on the Road
Grand Design — Rawk
Erik Gronwall — Eriksplanations Vol. 1
Heavy Water — Dreams of Yesterday
Kent Hilli — Nothing Left To Lose
Hugo's Voyage — Inception
Jetboy — Crate Diggin'
Joel Hoekstra's 13 — Crash Of Life
Joined Forces — Anthology
KISS - Off the Soundboard — Poughkeepsie NY 1984
King Kobra — We Are Warriors
Koritni — Long Overdue
L.A. Guns — BLACK DIAMONDS
Oni Logan — The Cosmic Trust Sessions
George Lynch — Guitars At The End Of The World
Lynch Mob — Babylon
Mitch Malloy — The Last Song
Robin McAuley - Alive
Metal Church — Congregation Of Annihilation
Metallica — 72 Seasons
Misery — Risk It All
Night Ranger — 40 Years And A Night With CYO
Primal Fear — Code Red
Red Reign - Don't Look Back
Revolution Saints — Eagle Flight
Rockett Love — Galactic Circus
Roxanne — Stereo Typical
Paul Rodgers — Midnight Rose
Saliva — Revelation
Saxon — More Inspirations
Neal Schon — Journey Through Time
Seven Ravens — After the Storm
Skagarack — Heart and Soul
Soledriver — Return Me to Light
Rick Springfield — Springfield
St. Valentine — St. Valentine
Sweet and Lynch — Heart and Sacrifice
Andy Taylor — Man's A Wolf To Man
Temple Balls — Avalanche
Terje — Recalibrate
Tesla — Full Throttle Live
UDO — Touchdown
Whitesnake — Still Good to Be Bad
The Winery Dogs — III
Winger — Seven

Honorable Mentions

Black Stone Cherry — Screamin' at the Sky. Killer, hard rockin' affair from Kentucky's Black Stone Cherry. Their best since 2014's "Magic Mountain" in my opinion.

Blackbird Angels — Solsorte. Oh no, it's one of those dreaded Frontiers Projects! Not to fear though, as this one is actually quite good, and is streets ahead of the latest LA Guns release. "Shut Up (You Know I Love You)" and "Mine (All Mine)" provide an excellent one-two punch to open the disc!

Buckcherry — Vol. 10. Quite possibly the most consistent band of the last 25 years, 2023 was business as usual, with a disc full of dirty, sleazy hard rock from Buckcherry. One of my all time favorite bands!

Candlebox — The Long Goodbye. Reportedly "The Long Goodbye" will be the final Candlebox release, with leader Kevin Martin set to retire. If that is indeed the case, this is a more than fitting swan song with plenty of great tracks such as the opener "Punks", "Cellphone Jesus", and probably my fave "Elegante".

Alice Cooper — Road. I was not expecting this one to be this good! While Alice really doesn't put out bad albums, this one is easily his best since 2008's "Along Came a Spider". As the title suggests, the album focuses on his years spent out on the road, with plenty of the tongue in cheek lyrics that we love from Alice. Check this one out if you haven't already.

Duran Duran — Danse Macabre. DD's best album in MANY years, featuring the infectious title track, as well as the absolutely excellent "Black Moonlight". The re-works of previous tunes, along with some cool cover song choices all work well on this Halloween themed collection.

Gunshine — Checkmate. Kickass EP from Florida's Gunshine, with "90 Proof" and "Swing Away" standing out. Hopefully we get a new, full length release from these guys soon; LOVE what they're doing!

Heaven's Edge — Get It Right. It's been 30+ years since their excellent self titled debut, and to be honest, I wasn't expecting them to come anywhere close to recapturing that magic, but damn if they didn't come close! Solid disc from start to finish, with "Gone Gone Gone" being a standout. Check this one out pronto!

KK's Priest — The Sinner Rides Again. My favorite metal release of 2023, KK Downing, Tim Ripper Owens, and crew dish out a slab of excellent Judas Priest (obviously) style metal!

The L.A. Maybe — Shout Fire. A new singer, and a new sound veering into the southern rock realm at times, this EP will serve as The L.A. Maybe's last release, as they've now changed their name to Bourbon Sons, and have gone in a full on southern/country rock direction. With that said, this is a good little release, and well worth checking out.

Last In Line — Jericho. The most consistent of their 3 releases, I've found myself returning to this one quite a bit during the course of the year. "Ghost Town", "Do the Work", "Dark Days', and "House Party at the End of the World" are all faves, but the entire disc is quite enjoyable.

Steve Lukather — Bridges. "Not My Kind of People" and "When I See You Again" are two of my favorite songs of 2023, so I'll definitely recommend checking this one out.

Mammoth WVH — II. While 2021's self titled debut from Wolfgang was decent, he's really pulled it all together on this one. Check out "Another Celebration at the End of the World", "Miles Above Me", "Take a Bow", and "I'm Alright" to hear how much he's progressed in two short years. Excellent disc that I'm sure will rank highly on many 2023 "Best of" lists.

Matchbox Twenty — Where the Light Goes. While not in the same league as Rob's 2019 solo disc "Chip Tooth Smile", this one is still quite good, and those two singles, "Wild Dogs (Running in a Slow Dream)", and "Don't Get Me Wrong" are catchier than the cold I've had since right after Christmas!

Rick Springfield — Automatic. 20 songs, showcasing the POP side of Rick's writing, with none longer than 3:18, form "Automatic". Since I've thoroughly enjoyed Rick's prior three studio efforts, I was quite excited when this one released, and while I do like this one very much, it just doesn't measure up to those previous discs. Check out the title track, and "Works For Me" if you wanna hear what this one is all about.

Starmen — Starmenized. While I've enjoyed all their previous work, this one is probably the Starmen's most consistent release from start to finish. Check out "Liar", the power ballad "I'd Die For You", and the excellent "Black Moon Rising" to hear the Kiss style rockers that Starmen are serving up this time around.

The Struts — Pretty Vicious. The Struts return with another platter full of catchy tunes, with "Too Good at Raising Hell", "Hands on Me", and "Rockstar" being my personal faves. If you've enjoyed any of their previous output, this one should be right up your alley as well.

Vandenberg — Sin. While their 2020 comeback release "2020" featuring Ronnie Romero on vocals was a decent effort, "Sin" seems to have captured a reinvigorated Adrian Vandenberg, along with vocalist extraordinaire Mats Leven. "Sin" features 9 tracks of 80s Whitesnake flavored tunes, with the title track featuring riffs that will take you straight back to the days of "Still of the Night".

Wig Wam — Out Of The Dark. This one is a nice return to form for Wig Wam after 2012's lackluster "Wall Street", and the underwhelming 2021 comeback "Never Say Die". The title track, along with "Bad Luck Chuck", are personal faves.

The Defiants — Drive. Their most consistent release in my opinion; this one falls in line with Tempt and Nitrate as the best AOR/melodic rock releases of the year. "19 Summertime" is the big standout here.

Tempt — Tempt. Excellent effort from Tempt, coming in just behind Nitrate for 2023's best AOR release. Just all round great stuff from top to bottom with "Roses", "Living Dangerous", "Burn Me Down", and "Two Ways" being my faves! Extremely well done disc that you should check out immediately!

Nitrate — Feel The Heat. The first thing I noticed when I picked this one up, is that 4 members returned from the line-up that produced 2021's "Renegade", and the stability seems to have benefitted the band greatly, with "Feel the Heat" being the best AOR album of the year. The openers, "Feel the Heat" and "All the Right Moves" are melodic rock bliss, but the entire album delivers an amazing listening experience. This one just barely misses my top five; very well done!