Join The Mighty Decibel as we name ourr fave top ten doom albums of 2023 Warning!!! It's heavily weighted on the stoner doom side of the equation. We're all doomed!!!
I don't see Kadabra mentioned in any of the comments and that ain't right. Umbra was my album of the year. A couple of those tunes simply haunted me. I still wake up with The Serpent playing in my skull.
I'd listened to several of these throughout the year, most notably Green Lung's This Heathen Land. It's a superb album that absolutely nails its hooks, has excellent riffs, driving drums & bass, and wonderful vocals. I hadn't heard of Saint Karloff's most recent work, though I knew of them, so thanks for that! Immediately hooked me in with that killer groove--I'm a sucker for blues-based hard rock and metal in that style. Thanks for sharing your list. I've found at least a dozen new (to me) albums in the last few weeks that I want to pick up, but my fuckaround budget is tapped for this month.
Good list, here's some you may have missed, Lord Mountain-The Oath, Dopelord-Songs For Satan, Iron Void-IV, Witchskull-The Serpent Tide, Margarita Witch Cult-s/t, Formation Ritual-Doors To The Dead, Mammuthus-Imperator, and Warcoe-A Place For Demons.
Ok I have to ask. I am an old music addict spanning multiple genres. As a personal preference I will most often spin a slower darker album as opposed to a faster upbeat-though that has its place too. Listening to this top 10 list shows me that my definition of doom is obviously different than the larger doom community. To be blunt-even though all the bands sounded great, there was not one I would include in my own doom library. They were all way too fast and had too much melodic movement. As a reference, I would posit Church of the Sea or Illuminated Void or Frayle as my definition of doom. What are the characteristics of doom that the larger community holds?
Doom these days covers a lot of ground: stoner, sludge, death doom, psychedelic, etc. As you've pointed out, my tastes lean toward the stoner side of the equation birthed by my fave band of all time - Black Sabbath. Thx for listening!
Trappings of Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, and late Dio-era Sabbath. Overly slick production, upper register screeching vocals, unoriginal shred-heavy soloing. We're watching the making of Spinal Tap part 2. I'm just an old man yelling at clouds while clutching my Electric Wizard and Sleep records.
Another vote for Hippie Death Cult. I've barely stopped listening to it since I got it. The Green Lung is also very good. Smoulder and Spirit Adrift also released great albums.
Great list. Discovered some new names. Here's mine in no particular order (doom and stoner): Godthrymm Hippie Death Cult Blood Ceremony Bell Witch Kadabra Mournful Congregation Church of Misery Black Rainbows Fire Down Below Gozu
Great list, discovered many of them as well this year. My absolute favorite has to be Number One from Massive Hassle though. Not quite as dark, but beyond the well-troddend paths, and at its heart it's definitely doom. Read a great comment that called them the Barry White of Doom, and I would wholeheartedly agree with that. :)
I noticed it too, a creeping progressive rock tendency, as Dwarf Rock, Wizard Rock, Deathcore etc expands our minds further. I don't mind, they can't all be Dopesmoker.
Good list… check out Katatonia - Sky Void of Stars & Soen - Memorial. Both very good 2023 releases. Check out their other releases as well while you’re at it. You won’t be disappointed. Rock On! 🤘 🎸🥁
The best rock album I’ve heard in many moons is “Roadkill” by Omega Sun 🖤incredible record 🤤I say rock because to me that’s what all of these bands are…at least the better bands 😉its just good,kick ass rock&roll 🤷🏼♂️like the Seattle bands,call em grunge or alternative or whatever but it’s all just great rock&roll some of it evens sounds like soul music to me…”Superunknown” is a soul record,a heavy 1 but still a soul record
A group known for supporting the nazi seizure of power on the Maidan in 2014? Well done. You and others like you started a civil war and ensured that Russia came to call you stupid scumbags to account. What else are you known for? Nothing. Your music is secondary. And going to music lovers’ public places and offering to listen to yourself is generally a shame and disgrace.
Except for the one cookie monster, all the vocalists seemed to have taken voice lesson form Ozzy Osbourne. The music itself, at least for the most part, noticeably lacked originally, too. What confused me the most, however, was than none of the songs were particularly slow. Has the definition of doom metal changed since I stopped paying attention?
How could you not even mention the real best doom album of last year at all?? I would hope it's because you haven't heard of/heard them but idk...who I'm referring to of course is SPIRIT ADRIFT with their 5th album I believe Ghost at the Gallows.... their one of my favorite doom bands to come out since probably Blackwater HolyLight
Sick video! Check out our new band, Electric Graveyard! We're a Sludge/Doom/Stoner metal group based out of Oklahoma. Currently working on our new album for the debut tour. Help to show support by subscribing and spreading the good word of our graveyard's uprising!
The only good Doom release in 2023 is Soul Invictus - II-Eclosion and (in pieces) Oceanlord - Kingdom Cold ("Isle Of The Dead" is great) and 2022 ARD - Take Up My Bones, ... nothing more, unfortunately ... No songs in sight like Abdullah (Vision Of The Daughters Of Time), Solstice (White Horse Hill), Cold Mourning (Catacomb), Wraith Of The Ropes (Death Bed), Mourn (Children Of The Circle) or Dolorian (Ivory Artery) ..., and the masterpiece - The 11th Hour (Rain On Me). To list all the classics of Candlemass, Runemagick, Unsilence, Left Hand Solution or others would take to much time ... The 10 listed Songs sounds like at most second class "stoner rock" bands, except "Blessed Black", it's ok
I'm a speed freak, so I like most of my doom to be at least mid-paced. That's why I tend more toward the stoner side of the doom equation. Thx for watching!