Mostly Metal's Favorites 2023
We're nine months into 2023, and overwhelmed with new music, not only in quantity, but also in quality. I want to share some of my highlights here (in order of their release date) - To be continued... :-)
Dive in, have fun \m/
SIX SIDED STORM
Dance of the Serpent
January 3rd, 2023
USA
Guitar wizard Addikus Storm delivers high-energetic yet virtuoso instrumental prog
SAMTAR
Shadow of the King's Charade
January 13th, 2023
USA
SAMTAR's music comes along beautifully melodious, groovy, and a bit crazy
MASK OF PROSPERO
Hiraeth
January 27th, 2023
Greece
Modern progmetal from Greece, intense, expressive, and highly emotional
THE WORLD IS QUIET HERE
Zon
January 27th, 2023
Country: USA
Don't let the band's name fool you, this album isn't quiet at all ;-)
OUTRUN THE SUNLIGHT
The Return of Inertia 2.0
February 17th, 2023
USA
Excellent, instrumental progmetal, groovy, virtuoso, yet heavy
ENOCH ROOT
Delusion
February 19th, 2023
USA
A marvelous, touching prog record, telling about a man whose fate was decided for him
HYPNO5E
Sheol
February 24th, 2023
France
With this musical piece of art, the avant-garde metal act take us on a challenging ride
THE RESONANCE PROJECT
Ad Astra
February 24th, 2023
USA
A mighty sounding, yet diverse masterpiece of orchestral fusion metal
ABEL SEQUERA
Soundscapes
March 3rd, 2023
Spain / International
Together with 50! guests, the Spanish drummer & composer takes us on a mesmerizing journey
WITCH RIPPER
The Flight After the Fall
March 3rd, 2023
USA
A crazy, space-themed story, great musicianship, and a proggy approach hidden under a sludge tag
GOROD
The Orb
March 10th, 2023
France
Brutal, highly technical, yet virtuosic and diverse in their compositions
TURRIGENOUS
Vesper, The Evening Star
March 14th, 2023
USA
The progmetal four-piece skillfully melt a wide range of styles to tell an epic story
MARTIN MILLER
Maze of My Mind
March 31st, 2023
Germany
A mesmerizing piece about the challenging journey to become a better self
NEVERUS
Burdens of the Earth
April 21st, 2023
Netherlands
This debut is some serious listening fun, offering majestic death metal
LOAM
Featherbrained
April 28th, 2023
UK / International
Mesmerizing, light-hearted yet sophisticated instrumental prog
IGNEA
Dreams of Lands Unseen
April 28th, 2023
Ukraine
Mighty third album by the Ukrainian masters of musical story-telling
FIRES IN THE DISTANCE
Air Not Meant For Us
April 28th, 2023
USA
Marvelous blend of sadness and melody, coming along atmospheric and intense
OMNEROD
The Amensal Rise
May 12th, 2023
Belgium
Omnerod deliver the full spectrum from mind blowing craziness to melodious beauty
ROGER STAFFELBACH
The Quest
May 12th, 2023
Switzerland / International
On his first solo album, the Swiss guitar wizard offers finest instrumental, neoclassical prog
NOSPUN
Opus
May 19th, 2023
USA
Outstanding progmetal debut with an incredibly dynamic and varied kind of musical storytelling
EINAR SOLBERG
16
June 2nd, 2023
Norway
11 touching, well-crafted tracks with different guest musicians and co-songwriters
THE ARCANE ORDER
Distortions From Cosmogony
June 9th, 2023
Denmark
The Danish extreme metal act transfers Greek myths into our current times - Brutal and relentless
SCAR SYMMETRY
The Singularity (Phase II - Xenotaph)
June 9th, 2023
Sweden
Highly addictive melting pot of catchiness, guitar virtuosity and mighty riffs
THE ANCHORET
It All Began With Loneliness
June 23rd, 2023
Canada / International
An expressive prog masterpiece, unique in its sound, incredibly creative yet always flowing
STRUCTURAL
Decrowned
June 23rd, 2023
Israel
An album with well-balanced sound textures by a band that skillfully melt brutality and melody
BLACKSCAPE
Suffocated by the Sun
July 7th, 2023
Sweden
A new trio on the metal scenery, unleashing a mighty progressive melodeath beast
ATRIA
Ground Zero
Canada
August 18th, 2023
Mind blowing, modern progmetal, expressing the anger about the world we live in
NOVERIA
The Gates of the Underworld
August 25th, 2023
Italy
With their 4th album, the Italian powermetal quintet deliver another genre highlight
POMEGRANATE TIGER
All Input Is Error
Canada
September 4th, 2023
One of this year’s highlights ffo sophisticated, instrumental wizardry
SPURV
Brefjære
Norway
September 22nd, 2023
The Norwegian instrumental post / progrock masters created a mesmerizing piece
OBSIDIAN TIDE
The Grand Crescendo
Israel
September 29th, 2023
The progressive melodeath trio further evolved their sound in a wonderful way
SYLVATICA
Cadaver Synod
Denmark
October 20th, 2023
On their third album, the progressive melodeath band take us to the dark Middle Ages
LALU
The Fish Who Wanted to be King
France
October 20th, 2023
Mesmerizing progrock, with the marvelous (and relaxing ;-) vocals of Damian Wilson
SORCERER
Reign of the Reaper
Sweden
October 27th, 2023
The Swedish powerhouse unleashed their new doom / heavy metal epic
XOTH
Exogalactic
USA
November 3rd, 2023
Cosmic tech-death force Xoth landed to bring some interstellar turmoil into your earthly home
A Flying Fish
El Pez Que Voló - ACT I
Mexico
November 3rd, 2023
A musical quest to unearth the divine gem hidden within oneself, and a special piece of art
DISSONA
Dreadfully Distinct
USA
November 10th, 2023
The Chicago based progmetal band offer three mighty, Blade Runner related tracks
ÆOLIAN
Echoes of the Future
Spain
November 10th, 2023
The Mallorcan Melodic Death Metal band close their great, thought-provoking trilogy
TEMIC
Terror Management Theory
Norway / International
November 17th, 2023
A marvelous progmetal debut featuring some in the scene well-known faces
EARTHSIDE
Let the Truth Speak
USA
November 17th, 2023
Cinematic progmetal, epic regarding the sound yet detailed and mesmerizing in its compositions
DGM
Life
Italy
November 17th, 2023
With "Life", the Italian quintet share their most mature album to date