LISTMANIA 2023: STEREOGUM’S 10 BEST METAL ALBUMS OF 2023

Stereogum easily qualifies as one of the “big platform” web sites whose year-end lists of metal we perennially include in our LISTMANIA series. Of course, the site appeals to an audience of music fans much larger than devoted metalheads, but its staff includes a talented and tasteful (though dwindling) group of metal writers who, among other things, are responsible for the site’s monthly “The Black Market” column, which has been a great source of discovery for extreme music for 11 years running now.

It follows that Stereogum‘s annual metal list is one I especially look forward to seeing every year, and the 2023 edition is out now (as of yesterday). As usual it consists of only 10 entries, with accompanying reviews of the choices by Ian Chainey and Wyatt Marshall. And yes, as I write this, the image at the top of the Stereogum list is the image you see above. I don’t know why it says 2022.

As I’ve opined almost every year, the Black Market list is a bit bamboozling, but that’s always part of its attraction. It’s also presented in such a light-hearted way (though the convictions about the worthiness of the music are clearly serious) that you can’t accuse these folks of being willfully elitist. Well, maybe you could, but I won’t.

In my case part of the bambooozlement (yes, that’s a word, I looked it up) derives from my complete ignorance of Anachronism, Trichomoniasis, and Summer Haze ’99. As you may know, I listen to a Mount Everest of metal every year, at least in bits and pieces, with a focus on less-known or unknown bands, and I was still left scratching my head about those entries — almost a third of the total (though I did find that Austin Weber wrote about an Anachronism album at NCS 8 1/2 years ago.)

I was pretty proud of myself that I had at least listened to parts of, and in a few cases all of, everything else on the list. I happened to be a fan of all of it too — though I have no idea whether most of them would have made my own year-end list if I had a mind capable of making such a thing, which I don’t. I did feel especially strongly about the albums from Great Falls and Blut Aus Nord.

Speaking of which, this is the third time that Blut Aus Nord has topped a Black Market year-end list at Stereogum. To quote Mr. Chainey:  “Either we’re the biggest BAN marks of all time, or no other band in this column’s history can claim that kind of sustained success. It’s probably both.”

To read the write-ups and listen to the music, go HERE. (Lots of impressive and funny turns of phrase in the write-ups, reaching a pinnacle of hilarity in Ian Chainey‘s mini-review of that Trichomoniasis album, which I’m definitely bound to check out.)

 

10. Anachronism – Meanders (Unorthodox Emanations)

9. Shadows – Out For Blood (Sentient Ruin)

8. Kostnatění – Úpal (Willowtip Records)

7. Trichomoniasis – Makeshift Crematoria (New Standard Elite)

6. Jute Gyte – Unus Mundus Patet (Jeshimoth Entertainment)

5. Summer Haze ’99 – Inevitable (Fiadh Productions)

4. Nithing – Agonal Hymns (New Standard Elite)

3. Great Falls – Objects Without Pain (Neurot Recordings)

2. Imperium Dekadenz – Into Sorrow Evermore (Napalm Records)

1. Blut Aus Nord – Disharmonium – Nahab (Debemur Morti Productions)