Deathbringer’s 2023 Highlights

OpEd

Over the past decade, time has been scarce and the majority of my music purchases have been older releases that I’ve decided to check out or releases by bands I enjoy, usually a year or two late. As my kids have grown, I’ve been able to keep up with new releases a little more this year. Not enough to definitively give an opinion on the best releases of the year, but enough to check out a number of new releases in a timely manner. I’ve undoubtedly missed more new releases than I’ve heard. With that said, here are the releases that made it onto my radar and made up my highlights of 2023:

Cruachan “The Living and The Dead”

As a fan of folk metal, Cruachan is a band that must be followed. This year’s release, “The Living and the Dead,” hits the sweet spot of upbeat almost power-metal with heaviness like few others do. Sporting a wide array of instruments, like any good folk metal album should, and raspy vocals, the band steers clear of the full-on power metal vibes most of the time.

Orphans of Dusk “Spleen”

While Orphans of Dusk’s “Revenant” was a good album, “Spleen” jumped out at me immediately with how much the vocalist Chris G. sounds like Woods of Ypres’ David Gold. The void left by Woods of Ypres and Type O Negative is huge, but “Spleen” puts forth a valiant effort to fill it with its brand of Gothic doom metal. “I’m Going To Haunt You (When I Die)” is a highlight and sounds like it was taken straight off a Woods of Ypres album.

Katakylsm “Goliath”

I don’t know if Kataklysm will ever release an album that hits the heights (for me) of the triad of albums comprising “In the Arms of Devastation”, “Prevail”, and “Heaven’s Venom”. However, I still look forward to their new releases and “Goliath” delivers a solid death metal album. The standout tracks for me are the final two on the album. “Gravestones & Coffins” sounds completely unique amongst the other songs with its slower pace and guitar tone. Follow-up track “The Sacrifice for Truth” has a nice groove reminiscent of “The Vultures Are Watching”, which is a personal favorite of mine, and hangs out in slower, more melodic tempos for the rest of the time.

Metallica “72 Seasons”

I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Metallica’s latest, “72 Seasons.” Or maybe it would be more accurate to say I was surprised by how much I liked it. Metallica is not exactly breaking new ground here and I wasn’t blown away by the new singles as they dropped. “72 Seasons” is an overall solid album that shows glimpses of old-school riffs mixed with the twang and grooves of the “Load/Reload”-era sound while staying just on the heavier side for my tastes. It’s hard to rate such an album without expectations playing a role, but it’s enough just to say I’m enjoying it enough that it’s made it into rotation of listening since picking it up.

Honorable Mentions

Primordial “How It Ends”

Nervosa “Jailbreak”

Dopelord “Songs For Satan”