2023 started slowly. And at first, the RMR crew wasn’t quite sure where it would all lead to – or end. And by the word ‘end’, I mean the end of RMR. A lot of soul-searching went into this year’s continuation of a steady flow of reviews. Same as other music sites out there, we had our severe doubts if running a review ‘zine wasn’t just a fucking waste of internet space or not. Brutally put, nobody gives a damn about review sites anymore – apart from those looking for free marketing. So, if you’re reading this, then the leftover of the RMR skeleton crew slaved on in their endeavor to add some hopefully positive aspects to global music management. But enough whining. Let’s get on with it. After all, we have a top 10 to do.
Now, a wild mélange of Death Metal substyles already started to stand out from the crowd earlier in the year – for whatever reason. The focus on blackened fare wasn’t all lost on us, though, far from it. And there’s lots of doom and gloom in this year’s mix, too. But the deathly ones kinda took over and – for cause. This genre is way more versatile and – thus – used by many more bands. In addition, the webzine finally turned its attention to those established metal bands that unleashed new records this past year. And this got us a shiny crop of interesting pieces, some of which were – again – Death Metal.
That won’t mean that there ain’t no variation. You’ll see a fair slice of the sugary cheese department on the list. Power Metal is getting pretty good these days. Who would have thought we’d ever say this in our lifetime? Also, the review desk even included a folk piece into this here list for good measure. A genre that made itself rare for the duration. For some reason, the prog world didn’t quite stick with us anymore these last 12 months and it went all kinda down the rough ‘n’ dirty road. Haken didn’t quite get on our good side this time – and there wasn’t all that much with some exceptions. We’re waiting for Caligula’s Horse and their 2014 edition, though.
But why won’t you judge by yourselves? Here are the 2023 Top 10 Records of the RMR Webzine.
Enjoy!
Frozen Crown – Call Of The North
The RMR crew didn’t encounter many bands brandishing their exuberant Power Metal like a blazing magic wand and not make a mess of it. On the contrary, you’ll get high-powered Teflon Metal on a speed loop that sounds like a female-fronted Týr on too many energy drinks. A muscled brand of PM fueled by Giada Etro and an abundance of riffs, shreds, and mad drumming. A true delight for those who like their PM blazing fast, powerful, devoid of cheese, and without any references to Mad Max. Go for it.
Convocation – No Dawn For The Caliginous Night
Yup, there’s always one or two. Records that roll in late in the year and waltz straight onto the top 10. And suddenly, your annual list looks much different from what you so avidly imagined. Convocation‘s piece just won that particular prize. Tremendous atmospheric soundscapes, deathly anguish in mighty roars. Terrible emotions that need galaxies to contain. Boy, it’s all there. And all that fearful tribulation will imprint itself on your soul if you have one at all. And we’re not quite sure about that, now, are we? But whatever that may be, this here record is one of the surprises of a difficult 2023. Try it out.
Panzerchrist – Last of a Kind
You may think that Anaal Nathrakh has the best psychedelic screaming and otherworldly shenanigans. Well, think again. Panzerchrist sent us a record that may be less Metallix Bombastix, but instead, you get your metal brutally served in the barebone section of bedlam with tortured women screaming for dear life. Raw, vile, ferocious, and for established metalheads only. It will take you some getting used to, but it’s damn good. Lucifer in fine form.
Sorcerer – Reign of the Reaper
Sorcerer are like good wine. They’re aging well and improve with time. This new piece neatly gets in line with all those other records we covered before it. Only, now they truly focused on their doom element. And that makes this here record stand out from their discography. In other words, Reign of the Reaper still dwells on our internal playlist and gets frequent attention. In short, we expected some good mainstream and got Doom and Heavy Metal geekery instead. What else could we ask for, right?
Isole – Anesidora
If you look for eerily melodic doomy geekery, move no further than Isole‘s latest piece. Many records have been called doom but few only really delivered on it. What Caligula’s Horse is for prog, this band is for old-style Doom Metal. Mournful melancholy served in a way to shame My Dying Bride into oblivion. Tear-drenched self-deprecating mastery worthy to find itself on this here Top 10. Be gone Pallbearer, you’re cold coffee. There’s true misery on the block now and it’s got our fullest attention.
Sangre de Muérdago – O Vento que Lambe as miñas Feridas
RMR has morphed mainly into a metal webzine, true. But sometimes a folk piece hits our review pipe and knocks all of them metal items out into space and beyond Pluto. Blood of Mistletoe here did exactly that with a quietly emotive masterpiece. Galician Folk, presented by gifted musicians with some of them having roots in Atmospheric Black Metal. No, don’t expect some pagan folk silliness à la Wardruna. This is the real thing. And it usurped a ton of space on our internal playlist. Quiet folk with more depth than many of those established metal bands could muster this year. You gotta get there first, right? Absolutely stellar.
Sanguine Glacialis – Maladaptive Daydreaming
If a band has got the goods to merge total metal bedlam with out-of-the-box songwriting, it should – by that logic – appear on this top 10. And so it did. Sanguine Glacialis somehow saddled us with that hot ‘n’ cold treatment merging abundant melodics and progressive vibes with bobcat-style metal that almost left us afraid after a while. This is out-of-the-box musical geekery that makes Fleshgod Apocalypse sound like some civilized afternoon tea on the English Southern coast. And the wow effect hasn’t yet ceased after all those listens. Excellent.
Insomnium – Anno 1696
An old leopard doesn’t change its spots. That’s true in a sense. But the beast can take its vitamins and achieve new heights at some decently old age. And Insomnium here just burned our socks off with a scorcher that surprised us to no end. Powerful, speedy, and sometimes more Rotting Christ than is good for it. A stellar record that put a new stamp on the meaning of Melodic Death Metal. The Scandinavian oldsters still pack a mighty punch. And long may it continue.
Vvon Dogma I – The Kvlt of Glitch
How can an androgynous AI-generated out-of-control record reach the lofty heights of the RMR Top 10? Because this absolutely outstanding technical geekery isn’t AI. Real artists went on a galactic rampage and created an astounding piece of otherworldly Alternative Metal seemingly fueled by the Spice of Dune. Welcome to the glitch in the matrix. Don’t forget to don your space helmet before you join these aliens here.
Cattle Decapitation – Terrasite
Now, who would have thought that possible? Right, not this team, that’s for sure. The RMR crew expected some bad quality to spew forth from a band called Cattle Decapitation. After all, they’re old geezers with an unspeakably stupid band name, part of the RMR n00b crowd, and ought to be in retirement already, right? Instead, the band served us with some of the harshest, vilest, and insanely infectious Extreme Metal available on Planet RMR 2023. A parasite – ahem – terrasite that wormed itself into our review pipe and landed on this first spot of our Top 10. Deservedly so. We stand corrected.
The Right Honorables!
As always, apart from the august selection of the current Top 10, a large number of other records were under serious consideration. A Top 10 list is serious work and it would be a pity not to give at least five more acts the mention they actually deserve. In no particular order.
Ascension – Under the Veil of Madness
Well, here’s to a Power Metal piece that roars forth giddily on so much alloy slathered with cheese. It’s like a ‘moar-culture’. This is a band that can’t get enough of its very own tune. And it loudly screams this news speedily at the audience. If you’re an addict of too much of everything, delivered with boundless energy by a vocalist on steroids, this piece is for you. ‘Tis the embodiment of happy Power Metal served in a mighty pot of fondue. But performed with the artistic virtue truly worthy of this here top 10 list. Now, break out that bread and white wine. We’re hungry.
Gotland – Rise
Sometimes it felt as if Gotland bit off a bit too much for them to chew. The tale of Arminius and the famous battle of the Teutoburg Forest are hefty fare after all. But – the band treated us to some sort of rock opera with ever-changing soundscapes and pretty snazzy storytelling. It’s a mighty feat that these Italians embarked on – and it all panned out. An ebb and flow of epic arrangements and the harshest metal imaginable. All against the backdrop of one of the most amazing victories the Germanic tribes inflicted on the Romans.
As Light Dies – The Laniakea Architecture, Volume II
If you’re looking for a record that screams avant-garde at you, look no further than the newest piece of As Light Dies. The record had difficulty sticking to our review pipe. But finally, the RMR reviewers were glad they let it in. An annoyingly complex and delicious mix of prog, psych, juicy tech death, post-black, and all sorts of unplugged tunes and samples await your weary ears. You’ll find an experience that’s so out-of-the-box, you need a galaxy full of time and patience to get into it – and stay there. It’s multidimensional, it’s multifaceted – and it’s just plain good. And it will be worth your time.
Deviser – Evil Summons Evil
Deviser took their sweet time to deliver yet another stellar piece to their already illustrious career. But boy, 12 years of wait is a long time. But it also allows the gang to pen up a ton of energy unleashed on a single record and hone their musical skills. So happened here. This relentless piece of Extreme Metal is raucous, harsh, and unforgiving. Yet, it retained a certain melodic uptick with subtle orchestration and a ton of juicy hooks. This evil record is one thunderous comeback from the 8th circle of hell. Well, welcome back, may your occult fury follow us around for many years to come.
Neverus – Burden of the Earth
Whenever the music addicts over at RMR HQ fire up this record, they’re mesmerized. A totally unknown band reaching us out of nowhere with an astute selection of rare metals. A rapid-fire mélange of styles and flavors that leans more into prog than it probably should. The outcome – however – proved to be irresistible to say the least. And we hear, they already started work on their next piece. Fast and furious, and they didn’t even reap the benefits of this here piece yet.
The Letdown of 2023!
Myrkur – Spine
Well, hells bells. The past cheeky songsmithing and the whirlwind of refreshing excellence are out of the door, it appears. Over the years, Myrkur sent us a steady stream of records that seriously ripped at the threads of the Extreme Metal multiverse. Even a flashy folk piece headed our way lately, and an excellent one it was, too. Yet, Spine here seems to be that famous ship without a compass and lost at sea. A motley selection of ideas that somehow didn’t find a port to dock on. The outcome is a jumbled clutch of songs that somehow feel like they never quite made it over the finishing line. The record ain’t catastrophic, mind you. But for a bunch of Myrkur fans like the RMR Review Desk, it was a painful experience.