#1 Vomitory (Swe)-All Heads Are Gonna Roll, this is no surprise to those who know me, that it would be #1 for 2023! Our buddy SourceRa once said "even your most favorite band can't always put out a great album" and to a point he is correct, but Vomitory is the exception to that as even if they did Rap it would be the best album of the year! I like songs 3 to 5 minutes, albums 38 to 45 minutes & no bullshit, so Vomitory = GREAT!
#2 Guts (Fin)-Decay, every year I am surprised with a great new band and 2023 is no exception! This year we get the great new Guts from the country of the Fins that have really been on a roll with great Death Metal! I'm not good at genres but here we have 9 songs at 35:20 of great groove DM! The vocalist is outstanding to me and the music is so good it would be great as an instrumental! Please don't change guys and give us more ASAP!
#3 Deimler (Esp)-Immortalized, I'm so insane for Death Metal that I keep a list of upcoming stuff and these guys were probably my #1 anticipated release of 2023 as YouTube had 3 of their songs long before the album was released. Been a big fan since their 2020 EP was released and enjoy all 3 of their releases very much as they are just how I like it and Spain is another great Death Metal country!
#4 Incremate (Ger)-Unexposed, full-length album #4 from a big favorite band of mine in the last 8 years! I see a lot of reviews where people complain that a band makes an album that sounds the same as their previous albums. So...if you want progression or change in a band don't try these guys as they do more of the same ole same ole in regards to their sound but to me it is GREAT!
#5 Cannibal Corpse (US)-Chaos Horrific, it's been a short two years since their great Violence Unimagined album and this one is another great follow-up! The great CC never let us down as they don't progress, don't change (as the once great Sinister did), and don't add any bullshit! Real good 10 songs at 39:15 with more of the same!
#6 Wilt (Ger)-Into Nothingness, more superb groove-oriented Death Metal with that great Swedish HM-2 guitar sound and awesome vocals! These guys have album #2 here with their premier album landing at #20 on my 2018 list, so they are getting better! The only small negative is 33:37 of great music, so add it to their previous 4-song EP from 2020 in your playlists!
#7 Humiliation (Mys)-Infantry, Great band, great album! A band that gets some negatives as they never change, all their songs & all their albums sound the same but to me that is a great thing! Listed as Dec 2022 release but it wasn't out to us till Feb 2023 & they also have a 2021 release titled Conflict. Over Verge Intrusion. Detest (long for COVID) that is nowhere to be found even in physical cd, except by Discogs but only available in Japan. If anyone finds that one let me know...please!
#8 Obituary (US)-Dying Of Everything, much the same as I said above about the great Humiliation! Obituary has been doing it for years and keep on doing it. What we have is 10 songs at 44:57 and doesn't get much better! The Tardy brothers were great with their first release and have gotten better with every album after that! This one is best!
#9 Rotten Casket (Int)-Zombicron, these guys have been around for 10 years, with 2 EPs until the great Martin van Drunen joined them in 2021, and what a great EP with him as vocalist in 2022! Fortunately, it didn't take long for a great 10-song 45-minute full length. I'm not good at genres or comparing bands as all sound different to me but with MvD we definitely have some Asphyx vibes here!
#10 Atomwinter (Ger)-Sakrileg, another great German band here that has 3 previous full lengths going back to 2012 that I have loved and ranked high with every release! I have this band listed at 5*s, the highest rating in my iTunes and they never fail by continuing to put out pure Death Metal despite going through 3 different vocalists!
#11 One Day In Pain (Swe)-In Pain We Trust, another really solid underrated band from the great Death Metal country of Sweden! These guys are on a roll with 3 albums since September 2020 and hopefully, they keep up the great work and not change a thing as I love their sound!
#12 Bodyfarm (Nth)-Ultimate Abomination, previous vocalist Thomas RIP was a great loss to us Death Metal heads but new guy Ralph does a great job keeping these guys on a roll! We have 10 songs at 43:34 that keep the great Bodyfarm train rolling!
#13 Death Reich (Swe)-Disharmony, another newer Swede band that is slowly climbing my list of recent favorites! Their 2021 & 2022 EPs are both very good with the only negative to this full length is it's only 9 songs at 27:23, with 5 minutes of a useless intro and outro but otherwise a really good album!
#14 Bloodgutter (Dnk)-Death Mountain, some great new Scandinavian Death Metal from a band with experienced guys from other bands! What we have is pure Death Metal with nothing special, nothing different, nothing exciting, just great music to my ears! The bassist Bjorn is also in good new band Temple Of Scorn, see below!
#15 Temple of Scorn (Dnk)-Funeral Altar Epiphanies, the Dane's aren't far behind the Swedes when it comes to great Death Metal and what we have here is another 8 songs at 40 minutes of some slow-ish Death Metal! These guys are new with only a previous EP so hopefully they won't fix what ain't broke and keep giving us great Scandinavian Death Metal!
#16 Murdery (Esp)-Bloodshed, Spain is climbing up my list of best Death Metal countries and we have another good slab of Death Metal here! These guys have a very different or unique sound but I like it! They have a previous from 2019 that I gave only one listen per my iTunes, so went back to it, and guess what! They had backing or 2 styles of vocals on that release and fortunately, they've done away with that!
#17 Past Insane (Ger)-Dying Paradise, what we have here is another new band with only a 2018 Demo. This full length is supposedly a 2022 but again, another that was nowhere to be found until April 2023 so I can't resist adding it! Some more great solid German Death Metal with nothing different and guess what, song #1 is a great intro!
#18 New World Depression (Ger)-Interment Of Sins, labeled Death Metal/Death-n-Roll at Metal Archives and a band that has been around 20 years with a good 2020 release that came in at #24 on my list. Some good solid Death Metal!
#19 Nocturnal Hollow (Ven)-Wretched Rituals, solid Death Metal from my favorite Venezuelan band who have been around a while with some really good previous releases. Another band that never tries to fix what ain't broken!
#20 Cemetery Urn (Aus)-Suffer The Fallen, I've had some favorite Australian bands in the past Dred, Ignivomous, Abramelin, Daemon Foetal Harvest, Infinitum & Psycroptic to name a few but Cemetery Urn has knocked them all down the totem pole as they are now at the top and most favorite Aussie band. This is a real good solid album of 8 songs and only a little short at 34:20 but no bullshit and straight up pure Death Metal!
#21 Deadnation (Bra)-Following The Path Of Death, some really good Brazilian Death Metal and even though I'm not good at comparing bands or genres these guys seem to have a Swedish sound to them! We have 8 songs at just under 35 minutes of pure, no frills, no bullshit 100% Death Metal from a new band with only 3 previous singles!
#22 Bastard Grave (Swe)-Vortex of Disgust, their previous made #9 on my 2019 list so this one is a little behind but still a great listen. They have a new vocalist and he is good, so hopefully, more to come in the future. It is just as I like it, 8 songs in the 3 to 6-minute range coming in at 39 minutes of more great Swedish Death Metal!
#23 DeadSoulAlliance (Can)-Spiralling To Lunacy, this band has been a mild favorite of mine over the years! Very few negatives here but a short 2 minute song that I unchecked as it wasn't appealing at all, otherwise some good pure Death Metal and these guys don't get enough praise!
#24 Wretched Fate (Swe)-Carnal Heresy, these guys had a good premier album out in 2019 that made #42 and this is a good follow-up! More of what we need, great Swedish DFM with 9 songs at 39 minutes!
#25 Gomorrha (Ger)-Doomed Mankind, very solid Death Metal from a new but old band! These guys formed back in 1987 as a Thrash Metal band, went to sleep for nearly 30 years then hit us with a good EP in 2020 followed by this really good slab of pure no frills Death Metal!
#26 Coffinborn (Hun)-Cadaveric Retribution, my favorite Hungarian band Deprived Of Salvation gave me a disappointing EP this year but fortunately I have these guys and Monastery to keep me hungry for great Hungarian Death Metal! A very good slab of DM from these guys that only have a 2014 EP in their history!
#27 Entrenchment (Rus)-После нас тишина (Silence After Us), another good solid underrated Russian band! Metal Archives has them listed as a similar artist with Bolt Thrower, Just Before Dawn, Asphyx, Memoriam, Bear Mace, Hail Of Bullets, Jungle Rot, Benediction, Envig, Skeletal Remains, and War Master...all favorite bands of mine! So, they gotta be good!
#28 Gravestone (Swe)-Hollow Be Thy Grave, more good Death Metal from the great Death Metal land of Sweden! This one clocks in at 41:49 with 11 solid songs and not 1 second of bullshit intros or outros! The vocals are unique or different but still very good to me!
#29 Ammonium (Rus)-Erased Existence, one of my favorite Russian bands in the last 10 years with two really solid full lengths and a good 2021 EP but this one hasn't grabbed me like those others. Don't get me wrong, it isn't bad it just got kicked down the ladder by other great bands. I still like it and will give it lots of listens in the future.
#30 Ossuary (Col)-Stellar Annihilation, a solid band from South America with 3 previous good releases in the last 7 years! Their 2021 made my best of list but was in at #50 so more good stuff from these guys as #50 on my list isn't a bad thing as this year I could have gone with 98 good albums!
#31 Incantation (US)-Unholy Deification, only been a fair to average fan of these guys over the years, despite having 9 of their CDs in my collection but this one is really grabbing me and may be my favorite ever from them! The only small negative is the last song "10-Circle (Eye of Ascension) VII" is a really slow 5:44 of music not appealing to me. A lot of bands end their albums like this, so nothing unusual or exceptionally bad.
#32 Shrapnel Storm (Fin)-Silo, a mild disappointment as I loved their 2 previous full lengths and they are a big favorite band of mine and another I waited impatiently for. It is still good and I have given it many listens and will continue more but just not as good as their previous.
#33 DeathCollector (UK)-Death's Toll, a good new Brit band with ex Bolt Thrower drummer Andrew Whale. They do it just as I like it, 9 songs from 3 to 6 minutes at 38:10 with no bullshit. Good vocals, good riffs and an album I have slightly neglected due to so much other great stuff.
#34 Grand Cadaver (Swe)-Deities Of Deathlike Sleep, these guys had a great EP a couple years ago, that I loved, then a good full length behind the EP that made #23 on my 2021 best. I like this one but not up there with their previous. Just so much great Death Metal competition!
#35 All Consumed (UK)-Hallowed Violence, been a great fan of these guys as their 2 previous releases made #6 in 2021 & #4 in 2018 on my lists! This one dropped a little but so much good stuff this year that it is no fault of All Consumed!
#36 Monastery (Hun)-From Blood, this is an old band that goes back over 30 years and one that I never got into, even with them having a 2022 full length! This is pretty good solid Death Metal although Metal Archives labels them Death/Nu Metal...WTF?
#37 Doomcreeper (US)-Cryptic Death, thanks to Thorne for turning me back onto these guys, as I was doing my list! I got this in May, show 4 complete listens to it in iTunes but guess what! It was released at the same time the mighty Vomitory was, so it was buried in Vomit! After 2 more listens how the heck did I forget this and it should be higher up this list.
#38 Interemo (Swe)-Buried In Rotten Remains, some good new Swedish Death Metal with a band consisting of two 17 year olds and one 19 year old! Amazing and with great vocals from this 17 year old Milo! The Swedes sure know how to do Death Metal at its finest!
#39 Abominated (Pol)-Traumatic Putrefaction, the Poles are making a comeback with Eteritus, Dammnatorum, Hegony, Blind Salvation, Vephar, Morrath, and the great Uerberos! This to me is the perfect example of straight up Death Metal with the only negative it being just 29:34 long! Hope these guys continue to give us more!
#40 Frozen Soul (US)-Glacial Domination, I like albums with 8 to 10 songs, 3 to 5 minutes each with the total length of 38 to 45 minutes and these guys & gal hit it right on the mark! Good solid vocals, nice groove, and pure Death Metal make it good but I have neglected this due to it coming out the same day as the great Vomitory! What bad luck for any band!
#41 Ascending Olympus (Grc)-Frontlines, another good new solid band of pure Death Metal with this being their first release of any kind. Recently from Greece, we got a new Arcane Dread so now we need Resurgency, Mass Infection, and Drunkard to hit us with new releases! Other than a few songs having intros I don't care for, this is a good 10 songs at 41:18 so give it a try!
#42 Just Before Dawn (Int)-A War Too Far, these guys have gone International on us, adding the great Remko Kreft from Graceless & Grand Supreme Blood Court and they keep putting out great no frills Bolt Thrower style Death Metal! They've got 6 songs here with guest vocalists from Envig, Creeping Flesh and Decaying so Remko only gets 3 songs! They also have a good 6 song EP out earlier in the year that is better than this in my opinion.
#43 Disguised Malignance (Fin)-Entering the Gateways, as Thorne has said, the Fins are on a roll, last year we got good new band Cryptic Hatred and this is another good solid new Death Metal band with a great release! The only slight negative is the length of only 34 minutes but still a great listen!
#44 Seven Doors (UK)-Feast Of The Repulsive Dead, I'm not much into 1 man bands but always give them a chance and have to admit, this guy is good! Take away song #1 the intro and we have 10 more songs at 42 minutes of good solid Death Metal. The riffs are really good as are the vocals so give this guy a listen as this should be higher!
#45 Those Who Bring The Torture (Swe)-Towards Decay, another solid Rogga release but 9 songs at only 29:39 in length! The first 8 songs are typical Rogga, good sound with good vocals but song #9 has a completely different vocal style and you guys that know me will understand. My picky-ness about vocals has me unchecking that song in iTunes but still listening to the others.
#46 Dammnatorum (Pol)-In Umbra Mortis, some more good new solid Death Metal from a band with no previous releases. 10 songs at almost 39 minutes that other bands need to do! They follow the great Polish tradition of really good Death Metal with nothing exceptional, progressive, or symphonic!
#47 Convictors (Ger)-Tartaros, their previous came in at #27 on my 2019 list and they haven't changed, just more competition this time. Another solid band from the great Death Metal country of Germany!
#48 Zombie Riot (Ger)-World Epitaph, crazy one here as these guys have a release that made #1 on my best of 2018 list. My comment at the time was "A great CD, from a great up and coming band! Now let us just hope they do not fuck it up and fix what ain't broken because I love it!" Well guess what, they tried to fix what wasn't broke, added dual/backing vocals on 4 of the 10 songs, and song #10 is a boring 7:48 long.
#49 Morrath (Pol)-Centuries Of Blindness, more solid Polish Death Metal from a new band that evolved from a band named Prowler who only had a 2019 EP and then became Morrath with a 2021 EP and now we get a good full length!
#50 Cronenberg (UK)-Grandiose Throne of Grotesque Flesh, another one-man band with a full length in 2020 that I paid very little attention to. Going back now it seems there has been a change and for the better. This one has some really good riffs and the vocals are pretty good as well.
Past favorite bands that have really let me down with their 2023s, but that could be on me!
Carnation (Bel) <Please, no clean vocals in Death Metal,
Memoriam (UK),
Monstrous (Swe),
Grisly (Swe),
Furnace (Swe),
Sadism (Chl),
Farsoth (Swe),
Berzerker Legion (Int),
Ecocide (Hol),
Corrosive (Ger) &
Pikodeath (Cze)!
