Another year has reached its conclusion, and as we prepare to throw the calendar away, it helps to write our thoughts about 2023 on it, so they can be discarded for a fresh start. Of course it's silly to think of time in such absolute chunks, but flushing our minds of the toxins every so often is necessary, lest we never be able to forget about the things that aren't worth keeping hold of.
With that being said...
The Takeaway:
Chris C: I was saying pretty consistently throughout the year that this was on pace to be the worst one since we started doing this, and I think I was right. Now that we're through all of the important records, I was struggling as much as ever to come up with enough I felt strongly about to put on a list, and still care to tell people about. I'm not sure whether to write it off as bad luck, whether music has been moving in a direction I don't happen to care for, or whether it's my fault for changing what I want out of music. This year especially, I was looking for music I could connect with in a way to change or improve my mood, and that was exceedingly hard to find. With all of the metal out there dealing with history and war, I feel completely disconnected from it, because I don't know how to connect that sort of thing to my life and my situation anymore. So my main takeaway is that this was a melancholy year, and I think that explains a lot of the music I did and didn't like.
D.M: I was very nearly with you. Hell, for eleven months of this year, you and I were in lockstep on the status of the year and how awful it seemed to be. And I'm right there with you - I think because it had been such a challenging year for me personally for much of it, I was having trouble finding the patience to connect with music on any level than the most basic. I just plain wasn't in the mood to imbibe music with my usual fervor for much of the year. And then, right here at the end, the last three or so weeks of dedicated music listening showed me a lot of things I hadn't heard before, literally and figuratively. Much like how people of our age tend to look down at the younger generations and shake our first and say 'those damn kids don't know anything,' before ultimately being visited by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come and softening our stance, I came around on these records! These kids are alright (even if a few of them are older than me.) Of the eleven albums I ranked, there are nine that I feel I could strongly defend in casual conversation.
The Good:
Chris C: The best news this year actually had nothing to do with the records we heard. That would be the personal musical development I had, and shared. Ironically, it also led to the feelings of depression getting worse when the progress stalled out, but I'll move on. The good this year was having a couple of my big name bands coming through and rescue us from an even worse year. Soen and Graveyard put out great records, and Katatonia's gloom finally was the perfect color for me. I get flack from some people for seeming to not like metal at all anymore, but there were several metal records that are going to end up in my Top Ten list. I'm not sure I would call this a 'back to basics' year, but it did feel like one where familiar sounds won out, and I'm looking toward the future with questions about what and when something new and exciting is going to come along.
D.M: the best thing that happened to me musically this year was that now more than ever, the lines between genres are blurring into something both insubstantial and intangible. The modern digital distribution system, and the de-emphasis on major labels and stringest editorial gatekeeping, means that fitting into a proper mold no longer matters as it once did. Not to be repetitive, but of the eleven albums I ranked, there are probably eight that would fit equally well in two or three different musical idioms. The freeing of artisitc liberties to explore beyond the simple bounds of a specific sound have led to an explosion of creativity to which we all benefit.
The Bad:
Chris C: Can I chalk all of the bad up under the category of ego? It was ego that led Avenged Sevenfold to put out a record that felt like a Mad Libs, without seeming to put in any effort to make the songs sound like they gave a damn. It was ego that led a band I like in Temperance to write a concept album with such awful narrative lyrics I struggled to get through the entirety of it even once. It was also ego that led Primal Fear to write a song that showed the don't even understand what democracy is, since all they care about is their own ability to say anything they want without repercussions. I'm not saying artists shouldn't make music for themselves, because of course real art starts that way, but there could be a bit more introspection and asking, "Is this a good idea?" Oh, and can we give concept albums a break for a few years? Please? I'm so sick of stories I don't give a damn about ever learning.
D.M: This is where I'm with you completely. The big names, with only minor exceptions, dropped the ball this year. You mentioned Avenged Sevenfold already, but let me add Beartooth to that list, who produced an album that mistakenly leaned the wrong way into all the band's lesser tendencies. It is also worth noting something I briefly mentioned above, that I didn't have a firm grip on what the great albums this year, or even what my number one album was, until very late in the year. Ultimately, I feel great about my list, but the lack of conviction for so long a time says something about this year, even if I can't put my finger on what that is.
The Surprises:
Chris C: Topping the list is that Graveyard returned this year, after what seems like two or three years of wondering where the rumored record was. I suppose it was also a surprise they went in their mellowest direction after their heaviest album, but that does make a bit of sense, so that one is debatable. Also a surprise was that aforementioned Katatonia album, because it has to be rare for a band I've been paying some degree of attention to for as long as Katatonia to finally make an album that fully wins me over. I didn't find a lot of previously unknown stuff this year, but chief among them was Sarah & The Safe Word. They fall under the category of 'cabaret rock', and I'm not sure I had more fun with a record all year. And going back to the personal side, I would say it was also a huge surprise that my efforts finally paid off (albeit for only one song). I can't say I was actually expecting to have my self-belief proven right. I was, though, expecting how hard it has been to follow up.
D.M: Blood Ceremony's sudden revival took my by surprise, though what was more surprising was that it had been five years since their previous effort. Lord of the Lost is a band who had danced around my taste several times, and finally put together the album that I always wanted them to make, at least insofar as they made an album that was consistently great. Other than that, I think I was pleasantly surprised by the number of at least decent records released under the banner of fledgling or independent record labels. All this means is that good music can truly come from every corner.
The Hopes For 2024:
Chris C: Now that Graveyard finally released their album, that takes away one of the usual suspects I mention here. The big one for me is knowing that Halestorm has been writing a new record. They work pretty quickly, so I would expect that to come out sometime in the Summer/Fall, and given how much I love Lzzy, not much will be able to compete from an anticipation standpoint. There is also going to be the first Bruce Dickinson solo album in almost twenty years, which is exciting, since I like his last three probably even more than any Iron Maiden stuff. Although, to be honest, the way this one has been teased so far isn't exactly giving me a ton of confidence. A certain dear friend of mine was in the studio working on some things this year, so I'm hoping at least one of them gets released in the new year. It's been too long since hearing her voice on record. And then I'm hoping Yours Truly is ready to record their second full-length, and that A Light Divided may be the same. I know the former is writing, and the latter put out a killer single this year, but I'm greedy and want full album experiences. If all that happens, it will make for a much better 2024 than 2023 ever was.
D.M: I don't know that I have any specific musical wants or hopes for 2024. There's a lot of bands who I think I say this about perennially, but I would love to see on tour in the United States. This would be led by a second American leg for Powerwolf, who was one of the great concerts I've ever seen back in February. But Destrage, Red Eleven, Blood Ceremony, Rxptrs, Graveyard (again,) and a dozen others that I would salivate and call in sick to work to go see. I also want the Mets to be better. And if the Spurs could win a game, which they haven't in a month at time of writing, that'd be great, too.
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