Best Albums of 2023

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Joyful Sky

Robin Trower time... his guitar work is so distinctive, recognize it from the first few notes. Sari Schorr does the vocals, and it's always a bit of a shock when I hear Trower play without Jim Dewar singing or Procol Harum along for the ride. Her singing is clear and bluesy and makes a better fit on the second track than on the first, so I'll ride along. I'm glad that the guitar work reaches back to the blues and has the harder edge of Trower's early 70s work, before he got waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too trippy with things for my tastes.

I'll be honest that the vocals on the first two tracks weren't doing it for me and that shock was working against them. But that's just the first two and maybe my ears weren't ready yet. But I did find the vocals too clean for what I want to hear on a Trower record.

But... on the third track, Sari Schorr growls and *that* works! Gets back to Dewar's style that went oh so well with classic Trower. So, yeah, the album starts with track three, Peace of Mind, for me.

Track four, Change It, also has that nice growl in the vocals and more sweet work from Trower on this blues shuffle tune. Really liking this one.

Title track is more smoky vocals and moody guitar, it's taking me to a place, I have to remember to get up to write about it. Getting lost in the music is a GREAT sign.

Need For You has a GREAT funky groove to it, and the blues are true in it. This one's a wow track, in a very good way.

The Circle Is Complete is where I decided to buy this album. My mouth dropped open with the opening and the amazing combination of vocals and guitar - this is so much like classic Trower, I got chills. Oh yeah, BRB, buying MP3s... hell yes, it's on Bandcamp! https://robintrower.bandcamp.com/album/joyful-sky-feat-sari-schorr

^Played that song twice, I love it so much. Yeah, that's a gem of a track. Also just realized the YT album playlist has things a little out of order, but that's OK, I got the album, everything will be *all right*.

Oh man what a track this one is. Gorgeous fadeout... makes me only want more.

Flatter to Deceive has some great sinews in it. I like music with sinews! Don't know what happened with the first two tracks, but this Sari Schorr is FANTASTIC when she lets that growl come through in her vocals. Smoky, rich, textured, perfect for the aged wine of Trower's guitar work. And props to the rhythm section, they're no slouches, either. This is so clearly a Trower album, but he's also exercised exceptional taste in getting his band together.

The last track, I Will Always Be Your Shelter, is a ballad, and it's a ballad done RIGHT. Oh my gosh, the torch burns bright on this one! No cheesy acoustic tomfoolery, it's a pure song with amazing emotion.

Now for the out-of-place track, The Distance. This should have been third on the list, but you know what, it's fine here, as well. It's delicious.

This album is STONKS! Go buy! Acquire! Seriously, it's a great work from a true master whose gift has not faded with years and has returned to his core competency. A real treat, this album.

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So all of that AND NOTHING actually had anything to do with Best albums of 2023!

I know! Four misses in a row, but then... I got to the Robin Trower album... And wow!

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Now for Greta Van Fleet's Starcatcher

Gotta say the opening track is really heavy and complex. I was bracing for disappointment, but this one's solid stuff. I'll kick back and let the guitarist do his thang and chill with it. The second track, Waited All Your Life, has a strong mid-70s Heart feel to it. I can get used to this, but the vocals are a bit overpowering at times. Like, this is a song you can be emotional on without screaming. But the phased guitar solo brought me back. I'm a real sucker for a phased guitar sound.

Track three, The Falling Sky, has a strong rock opening, standard four-on-the-floor beat and... that screaming again. Ach! I was trying to be open-minded, but I can only take so much of this before I gotta start skipping ahead to hear if there's a cleaner delivery. The singer's got a great voice, there's no need to get screamy, I'm sure he could go growly on the same parts and get a much better effect. And it's a shame because I'm really liking the band. This is a King Diamond situation, I think... love the band, but the singer is sending me up the freakin' wall!

That's it, skipping ahead time!

OK, I bailed on it. If someone likes GVF, I won't give them crap. The band is solid, but the singer. Ouch. Not for me. Time for the Dokken album, methinks...

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DOKKEN! YEAH! DOKKEN!

Wait, was I ever a real Dokken fan back in the day or did I just like saying "DOKKEN!"? I think it was the latter...

Well, he sounds about the same as he did in the 80s. Fun fact: his attorney is also his lead guitar player! And he's good!

Just realized I started playing on the third track - no wonder it was kinda weak for an opening track. The actual opening track is a good strong opener, so we got that sorted. That being said, I'm looking for more than just adequate. "Good guitar work" doesn't cut it after having just listened to Robin Trower weave a magic spell with his Strat.

Then again, I've listened to some real garbage today, so if it's better than that, I'll just let it play and enjoy things. Gotta say that Levin guy on guitar just nailed his solo there, so I can let this play while I get stuff done.

Oooh nice fast rocker groove on the second track. Is the vox gonna do it right or will they go LA Guns and screw it up?... Awesome, Dokken's singing it right! That being said, his voice isn't doing anything magical. It's functional. It's decent. But it's also not making me sit up and take notice. It's like eating a hamburger and raving about the quality of the cheese, the great taste of the bun, and the perkiness of the tomatoes. At the end of the meal, there should be *something* great to say about the meat if it's a good burger. Come on, Dokken, I'm rooting for you here! DOKKEN! Or is that just a cool thing to have on a t-shirt?

It's a cool thing on the t-shirt and it's not bad product. Just not exciting. It's 80s teen movie closing credits music. The search goes on, I'm not bothering with this on cruise control, I need to stay awake.

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Girlschool - WTFortyFive?

Hell yes on the opening track. HELL YES.

This is some proper metal and it's incredible how well Kim McAuliffe's voice is doing. (Sad looks in the direction of Biff Byford...) But what was missing in the Dokken album, I got here. I tell ya, I think I been sleepin' on Girlschool all these years, with just their split with Motorhead to go on.

I think this is another one I'm gonna buy, and will likely edge out Metal Church for my fave metal album of the year, now that that one won't be the *only* metal album I get this year.

And yes, I'm aware Byford is singing on the last track. I can be cool with that, given the strong work on the other tracks. This is a really really good album so far, and I'm on track 3.

Oooh track 4 opens fire and it's on! Fun times here with Barmy Army!  I'm bangin' along with it, hell yeah!

Invisible Killer isn't as strong as the first four, but it's still a strong rocker. Carry on, ladies!

Believing in You is a great metal anthem kind of rocker, I'm already singing along with it.

Into the second half with It's a Mess, so I'mma gonna buy this one.

Bought it! 

Now I gotta look back to their other catalog and find out what else of theirs I'd like to be a-buying.

Back to the album, Are You Ready? is becoming my favorite, with its driving chords and great singalong chorus. Totally kickass!

Hang on, Up To No Good is also in the run for fave track! What will I do? I am spoiled with riches on this album!

 

OH MAN THIS IS SOME GREAT METAL HERE ALL YOU BEST GO OUT AND GET IT YEAH

Party! No, that's not part of my review, it's the title of one of their tracks... and YEAH! PARTY! Lots of fun references to classic tunes in that one, fun fun fun fun fun!

Last one is Born to Raise Hell, a Motorhead tribute.                   

This one and Robin Trower are the winners so far to-day.

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Now for the one that got all this started, Uriah Heep's Chaos And Colour...

Really strong opening, Mick Box still knows how to rock out. OH WOW THAT MIDDLE SECTION BLEW ME AWAY - I was looking up info on the band members and then WHAMMO, they let me know all I needed to know in that instrumental break. I'm going to have to get used to the singer, but I think it's going to work out.

Second track, Silver Sunlight, has a slower opening, but it gets a nice engine block drumbeat to it that keeps it purring along. I love the chord choices with the harmony and I'm getting into the singer's style here.

Hail the Sunrise is track three... hey, is this a concept album or something? It gets a little heavy-handed with the lyrics - even referencing Stonehenge! - but the keyboards bring me back into the fold.

Age of Changes - short keyboard intro and then the engine fires up good and loud. NOICE!

I'm also noticing a bit of a galloping bass line - makes me think that this is something Iron Maiden could be sounding like, if they wanted to get back to producing rapid-fire rockers. Door's open, lads, if you want to come on in... Uriah Heep can show the way, for sure.

Hurricane - another good rocker, this band clearly knows what they are doing. It's a single from the album and has great guitar and keyboard work.

One Nation, One Sun - Piano-intro ballad with background "oooh" chorus. That's so much more preferable to the 80s hair metal ballad. That it doesn't go loud on the second verse is also nice. The bass shows up, but is quiet and polite, letting the piano and the lead vocal do their magic here. But it's gonna get loud, right? Isn't it? Ah-ha! I hear the guitar! But - it's also quiet and not doing a secret arpeggio run behind the vocals. NOW it gets loud, but in a much, much different way than an 80s ballad - more like a progressive shift in tone, and that prog-rock sensibility makes all the difference here. Mick Box's played Circle of Hands enough to know how to do a song like this proper justice. There's a rich complexity in the final section that satisfies like dark chocolate. Well done, band!

Yeah, I'm likely gonna buy this one, too. There's a lot of good here, and One Nation, One Sun sold me on it. It would pair very nicely with Sweet Sounds of Heaven from The Rolling Stones - so I reckon I'm buying Hackney Diamonds, as well. Makes sense, since I really liked it a lot.

Back to the Heepsters with Golden Light and we are firmly in heavy progressive rock territory with this one. If you liked Whooosh! you will likely also get into Chaos And Colour, I'd recommend it.

You'll Never Be Alone - a truly lovely melody on this one and it's got that Demons and Wizards magic about it. I'm enchanted. Just amazing how that song weaves back and forth. Very very prog, and it works so very well.

Fly Like An Eagle - this is NOT a Steve Miller Band cover, lol! Bernie Shaw's delivery is like Bruce Dickinson's on a good day and once again it shows how Maiden can be doing things differently if they want to break out of the rut they're in. Heep's songs are prog-metal, but they're not to the point where they leave me confused and zoned out. I'm engaged with them and actively enjoying the work, not looking to see how much more there is before the album's over and I can get on to other things. I'll be spinning this again after I'm done with the Shakti album - which I'm pretty sure I'm gonna buy - and can play it along with Joyful Sky, Hackney Diamonds, and WTFortyFive. So, back to my point, it's possible to make longer prog-metal tracks without losing the script.

Freedom to be Free - more greatness, this time with a great bass solo in the chunky middle. JAMMIN! Great finish to the track, as well.

Last track, Closer to Your Dreams - Easy Living version 2.0 In a very good way, I assure you. Rocker central, this track.

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Shakti - This Moment

This is 100% a Shakti album. I remember the energy and life in their first album. I first picked it up for free in a donations bin back in 1994 when I was a teacher and could get stuff for free at the Half-Price Books Donations Warehouse. I got it on a whim - it's free, right? And it became one of my most loved albums.

Now, 30 years later and 46 years after the Shakti group recorded an album, I've got This Moment. The first song is mid-tempo, but includes a rapid portion that directly references the opening track of their first release. I love that. But also I love how they now incorporate vocals, particularly the South Indian vocal percussion style called konokol, where the vocalist does not sing as much as provides scat-like overlays on the music. It's world music time, oh yeah!

But I find myself wanting the rawness of the 1976 live album, the one that started it all. Once the songs get underway, we get into that lively interaction that characterized the first recording: I find open-note synth-driven intros distracting, especially when I'm here for intricate polyrhythms and complex percussion lines. Play as musicians possessed by angelic visitors, though, and I can forgive a bit of cheese at the start.

Las Palmas is interesting for incorporating flamenco rhythms, guitar lines a la Django, and the South Indian konakol. It's a fun little tune, for sure.

But at the end, it's like a visit from an old friend that I've still got lots in common with, but have also grown apart from in the years of absence.

The synths are played by John McLaughlin, I come to discover, so they're not going anywhere. And they're definitely a nod to Indian composer A.R. Rahman - he's definitely an influence on these works. Once the konokol starts, I really don't mind.

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OK, my summary, with GIFs instead of words!

Zalomon Grass - Space Opera
 

Saxon - More Inspirations
 

L.A. Guns - Black Diamonds
 

The Guess Who - Plein d'Amour
 

Greta Van Fleet - Starcatcher
 

Dokken - Heaven Comes Down
 

Jethro Tull - RökFlöte
 

Shakti - This Moment
 

Black Sky Giant - Primagenian
 

Gabriels - Angels and Queens
 

Metal Church - Congregation of Annihilation
 

The Damned - Darkadelic
 

Angela Tini - Have You Met Me Yet?
 

Mozzy Dee - Orale
 

Hanford Flyover - Source
 

Uriah Heep - Chaos And Colour
 

The Rolling Stones - Hackney Diamonds
 

Girlschool - WTFortyFive
 

Robin Trower - Joyful Sky
 

Black Sabbath - Live Evil (remastered)
 

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Oh man, I forgot I picked up D.K. Harrell's debut album, The Right Man. The kid is amazing, great blues singer and guitar player, saw him here in Dallas and he knows how to have a good time on stage. This one goes very nicely with the Robin Trower album.

D.K. Harrell - The Right Man

 

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This one came out in September and I found it in time to get it into this list:



Every track on it was worth the listen. And how can you not like an album that opens up with a track titled "Cocaine Hippo"? 

Everything I like about desert metal is here - it's true to the sound of NWOBHM/early 80s US metal, before the HAIR... It's got that relentless rhythm section that runs like a Mopar Hemi 572... Vocals that don't make me twitch like I'm listening to King Diamond or Cookie Monster... strong grooves that show up enough times to satisfy... think that sound Deep Purple had on Speed King and Highway Star, it's definitely in that vein on the faster tracks. For the slower-tempo pieces, that's where the desert sound comes across the strongest, think Robin Trower on Bridge of Sighs, but more metal in the mix.

Just a few surf-rock touches here and there - nice flavour for fans of the genre, but not major parts of the songs for those turned off by it. Myself, I like it, so it's a plus to hear those guitar moves.

Now, the last track at 16 minutes is going to have progressive elements. In this case, it means different playing styles, portions with different guitar effects, straightforward things like that. It's not complicated noodling or sudden use of an orchestra. More like a blues-based jam, which again hearkens back to classic Deep Purple stuff. Love the hard-edged, bass-driven section that comes in the late middle after a vocal passage. That goes on for a good long time and then it winds down in the last 90 seconds, good trip dudes.

Looking at the reviews for the album at https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/low-desert-surf-club , reviewer favorite tracks are all over the album, from start to finish. It's that good, it's hard to pick the best track.

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It's from 2023, and it's passably good. Is it 10 Euros good? Hmmm... I don't know, and that pretty much means I'll eventually say no. Just not enough oomph to it, like the Fire Down Below album had. Wouldn't mind it as a gift under the tree, but I wouldn't play the bejabers out of it. It's OK, but pretty average.

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Well I think it's time for a complete listing of the top albums of 2023!

7. Metal Church - Congregation Of Annihilation

The band came back as good as they could after the passing of legendary vocalist Mike Howe. Marc Lopes is a capable singer for sure but he just isn't Mike...and maybe he tries to be bit too hard...and that's my biggest gripe about the album. Musically this is Metal Church for sure.

6. Archon Angel - II

Former Savatage and Circle II Circle singer Zak Stevens got together with some brilliant Italian musicans and created Archon Angel back in 2020. The music is maybe bit softer than Savatage or even CIIC was but there are certainly some good songs here....and over all I'd say the second album is an improvement to the first one. But Savatage this is not.

5. Burning Witches - The Dark Tower

The swiss metal ladies are back. They have been putting out albums very steadily over the past few years and all have been good solid heavy metal albums but honestly they have never managed to surpass the brilliance of their second album (and last with singer Seraina Telli) neither musically or vocally, eventhough Laura Guldemond is a good singer she is not quite up there with Seraina. But this too is another good solid Heavy Metal album with a lot of girl power!

4. DORO - Conqueress

The Metal Queen once again delivers the goods. She hasn't really done a bad album since the slightly weaker Warrior Soul. This time she gets little help from the Metal God as Rob provides killer duets for songs Living After Midnight and Total Eclipse Of The Heart. But songs like Children Of The Dawn, Fire In The Sky, All For You and I Will Prevail are anthems worthy for the metal Queen!

3. ALICE COOPER - Road

Alice Cooper finally gives his suberb live band a chance to shine on a studio album as well. And most of the album is recorded live and you can feel the energy. The band does a great job and Alice is ofcourse Alice. Songs like Welcome To The Show, Dead Don't Dance and the absolutely SUBERB White Line Frankenstein are all right up there with anything else Alice has ever done!

2. KK's PRIEST - The Sinner Rides Again

On the first album the band was still searching for itself and KK hadn't quite gotten his mojo back yet but on this one he sure has. The album is an onslaught of heavy metal mastery. Tim's vocals are as good as ever (which is crazy considering he is nearing the big 6-0 mark as well) and songs are catchy and crunchy. Good old school heavy metal done as it should be done!


And the album of the year title goes to my long time buddy Andy

1. DiGelsomina - Sic Itur Ad Astra

A suberb doom metal album with suberb vocals from the one and only mr. ROBERT LOWE. The riffs are great, the solos powerful and the vocals haunting just like they should be on a great doom metal album! Mahanaim and Emtobed By Choice are without a doubt some of the best doom metal we've heard in a decade! Maybe more!


Couldn't quite even make it a top 10 list for this year...

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^^ That Fire Down Below album was all right, a definite fave.

With that one, I add that to the releases I really quite enjoyed this year.

Black Sky Giant - Primagenian
Gabriels - Angels and Queens
Angela Tini - Have You Met Me Yet?
Mozzy Dee - Orale!
The Damned - Darkadelic
Metal Church - Congregation of Annihilation
Hanford Flyover - Source
Uriah Heep - Chaos and Colour
Robin Trower - Joyful Sky
The Rolling Stones - Hackney Diamonds
Girlschool - WTFortyFive
D.K. Harrell - The Right Man
Fire Down Below - Low Desert Surf Club

And the BEST release, even if not brand new... Black Sabbath's remastered Live Evil.