Our Annual Report keeps rolling with the 30 Best Metal & Hard Rock Albums of 2023. As the year winds down, keep it tuned here for more awards, lists, and exclusive features about the best in music, film, and TV of 2023. You can find it all in one place here.
The year 2023 has been a strange one in terms of heavy music albums. It’s been a quiet year for major acts, save for the thunderous release of 72 Seasons by the world’s biggest heavy metal band and Consequence cover stars, the mighty Metallica, and a few others.
Most mainstream hard rock and metal bands took the year off from releasing new material, perhaps too busy touring as they were still making up for lost time due to the concert industry shutdown that plagued the first couple years of the new decade. That opened the door for underground, extreme, and rising acts to shine in 2023, and many of them took full advantage of the opportunity with stellar LPs.
Death metal was well represented with standout albums from the likes of Cannibal Corpse, Autopsy, Tomb Mold, Obituary, and more. Meanwhile, unique collaborations made for excellent releases, including joint LPs from Boris & Uniform and Full of Hell & Nothing.
Wholly unique bands like Poison Ruïn and Sleep Token took momentous steps in their recording careers, each delivering breakthrough albums in 2023. And acts like Nita Strauss and BABYMETAL delivered anthemic songs that were equal parts catchy and heavy.
As we wait to see what 2024 bring us in terms of new music, we look back on 2023 with Heavy Consequence’s picks for the 30 Best Metal & Hard Rock Albums of 2023. Take a trip through the year’s finest heavy releases below.
— Spencer Kaufman
Managing Editor, Heavy Consequence
30. 3Teeth — EndEx
3Teeth are a band that seems to age like fine wine. Known for their industrial sound, the bad explores more of a hard rock direction on EndEx, and we are here for it. Songs like “Acme Death Machine” and “Plutonomicom” have a pounding rhythm, catchy hooks, and crunchy guitars — more along the lines of Slipknot or Korn than Nine Inch Nails. Not that they’ve lost that industrial edge; it is still very evident on songs like “Merchant of the Void” and their version of Tears for Fears’ ’80s hit “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” — Colette Claire
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29. Danava — Nothing but Nothing
Within the metal community of Danava’s hometown of Portland, Oregon, it became a running gag that the heavy rock band would never actually finish their fourth studio album. Well, the joke’s on those naysayers as Nothing but Nothing was finally unleashed on this world and immediately upended any and all expectations for what leader Dusty Sparkles and his gang of prog-boogie accomplices were capable of. The eight tracks on this LP are tightly wound epics of time signature abuse and denim-clad groove. — Robert Ham
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28. Steven Wilson — The Harmony Codex
Steven Wilson’s work has always been special; yet, it’s his solo career that best reveals the daring range of his artistry. The Harmony Codex exemplifies that notion wonderfully, as it feels like a fresh yet familiar culmination of his catalog. Just as the electro-pop experimentations of “Inclination” and “Economies of Scale” evoke polarizing predecessor The Future Bites, the catchily accessible “What Life Brings” recalls Grace for Drowning before “Impossible Tightrope” and “Actual Brutal Facts” conjure the retro prog rock/jazz fusion ominousness of The Raven that Refused to Sing and The Incident. It’s a stunning journey as only Wilson could provide. — Jordan Blum
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27. Year of the Knife — No Love Lost
Year of the Knife’s horrific van accident earlier this year shook the heavy music underground. Every band member sustained injuries of varying severity, with vocalist Madison Watkins suffering the most serious ones. She was in critical condition following the crash and put into a medically induced coma to keep her stable. Watkins continues to rehab following surgeries for numerous broken bones and other issues, and the brain trauma from the crash impact has led to extensive physical, cognition, and speech therapy.
Prior to the accident, the band was in the studio with renowned engineer and Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou to record new material — some of which was premiered during the concerts that predated the crash. The resulting album, No Love Lost, is a document of a band on top of its game, running its brand of metalcore/deathcore at blistering speeds while Watkins trades saliva-splattering gutturals with guest vocalists such as Full of Hell’s Dylan Walker and Sanguisugabogg’s Devin Swank (whose bands also appear on this list). The album comes as a triumph amidst utter tragedy. — Jon Hadusek
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26. Spotlights — Alchemy for the Dead
Much like Hum displayed on their surprisingly metallic reunion record, Spotlights are a band that focuses more on lovingly detailed shoegaze that becomes heavy as all hell. Alchemy for the Dead continues their legacy of taking keen notes from Deftones on how to meld art pop and heavy music interests, wisely letting the heaviness operate more as a riveting backbone to lush and compellingly crafted songs. This is a record to dream to, a comforting cocoon. Lord knows we all need one. — Langdon Hickman
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25. Godflesh — PURGE
After two records of apocalyptic Streetcleaner worship from the returning industrial metal group Godflesh, we finally got an album in Purge that explores the hip-hop and dub-driven extreme metal of albums like Selfless and Songs of Love and Hate. Time has been especially kind to this sound, with modern nu-metal acts taking the extremity and experimentalism from these records seriously. Black metal may try, but there’s still rarely a better soundtrack to nihilism than Godflesh. — L. Hickman
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24. Sleep Token — Take Me Back to Eden
British alt metal innovators Sleep Token come into their own on Take Me Back to Eden. The ambitious lurching opening track “Chokehold” sets the stage for tightened up song writing, sweeping riffs and mind bending genre blending. “Vore” signals a refinement of the band’s signature alt-metal-meets-pop sound, while “Ascensionism” starts off with an almost danceable pop feel, then veers into metal core worthy breakdowns before closing out with an introspective piano laden final section. The smooth goth meets indie pop vocals of mysterious lead singer “Vessel” ties the whole thing together into a pleasingly hard-to-pigeonhole package. — C. Claire
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23. Obituary — Dying of Everything
When things look bleak, it’s always nice to know you can rely on old school death metal band Obituary to provide the soundtrack. On their 11th studio album, Dying of Everything, Obituary manage to stay in their wheelhouse without sounding too rehashed. Their brand of mid-paced groovy riffs, thundering beats, unwieldy guitar solos and John Tardy’s venomous spitting vocals stands strong on songs like “Without a Conscience” and “Torn Apart.” Songs like “War” and the title track also provide just enough ’90s-era thrash sensibility to keep our heads banging and hair swinging. — C. Claire
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22. Portrayal of Guilt — Devil Music
Austin black metal ensemble Portrayal of Guilt offer up two seemingly different sides of their sonic personalities on their latest release, Devil Music. On one, we get the full meal lava pour of skin flaying fury that explores the pain and pleasure of a particularly toxic coupling from every ugly angle. The flip brings the same songs rendered in almost baroque style as the music is taken on by a small ensemble that includes tuba, cello, and French horn. It’s quite a trick as the more ornate arrangements turn out to be even heavier than their electrified counterparts. — R. Ham
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21. Boris & Uniform — Bright New Disease
Bright New Disease brings together Japanese experimental metallers Boris and New York industrial-metal act Uniform. Two of the singles that led up to the album’s release, “You Are the Beginning” and “Surprised,” let listeners know that both bands are wholly represented on the album, equally leaning into the best elements of each depending on the flow of the song. Uniform’s Mike Berdan grates his voice like industrial steel, while Takeshi and Wata hold down their own textured clamor. — Cervanté Pope
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20. Enslaved — Heimdal
Their second studio album with the current lineup, Heimdal effortlessly builds upon 2020’s Utgard, further cementing Enslaved as masters of modern progressive black metal. They truly emphasize their prog rock tendencies from the jump, with opener “Behind the Mirror” exemplifying their knack for blending vicious guitar riffs and demonic screeching with cascading synths, irregular rhythms, and regal vocal harmonies. All of the remaining material conjures the same irresistible chemistry, with pieces such as “Forest Dweller,” “Caravans to the Outer Worlds,” and “The Eternal Sea” focusing more on serene and sparse folk-metal coatings. From start to finish, it’s an exceptional journey. — J. Blum
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19. Liturgy — 93696
Liturgy’s new album 93696 feels like the payoff of a 100-episode series in which the protagonist, after much strife and anguish, finally concludes their arc. It re-contextualizes everything Haela Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix has experimented with over the past 15 years, ironing out the kinks encountered along the way when toying with trap beats, classical music, and orchestration. In typical Liturgy fashion, it’s bombastic, but balanced by moments of grace that the group never wielded this well. — Colin Dempsey
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18. Code Orange — The Above
The newest album from Pittsburgh hardcore act Code Orange is full of surprises, including a guest appearance by Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan (“Take Shape”). While hardcore is still at the root of the music on The Above, as evidenced by the explosive first single “Grooming My Replacement,” the band also deviates a bit and dabbles in a variety of sounds and genres, including melodic modern rock (“Mirror”). The result is a very imaginative and unique album and unlike any other Code Orange record to date. — Anne Erickson
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17. BABYMETAL — THE OTHER ONE
BABYMETAL have cemented their legacy by growing musically and continuing to defy genres with ease on their fourth album, THE OTHER ONE. The ambitious concept album hooks the listener with the epically symphonic opener “METAL KINGDOM,” then continues on with catchy beats and alt rock undertones on songs like “LIGHT AND DARKNESS” and “DIVINE ATTACK-SHINGEKI.” The track “MONOCHROME” combines wicked double bass drum beats and soaring guitar riffs with a very catchy poppy chorus. Fans of the metal pop fusion now known as “kawaii metal” that BABYMETAL basically invented will not be disappointed. — C. Claire
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16. Autopsy — Ashes, Organs, Blood and Crypts
Underground heroes Autopsy dish out some of the nastiest and most filth-ridden death metal in existence, and their latest effort, Ashes, Organs, Blood and Crypts, is a testament to both the band’s legacy and longevity. One of the criticisms of the old-school death metal sound and its practitioners is that the genre tends to be a bit one-dimensional — how much artistic freedom does goopy gore and down-tuned riffage really allow? Autopsy’s answer: A whole hell of a lot. The doom riffs and horrific atmosphere — the band’s penchant — are in full force here and attest to the veteran craftsmanship from Chris Reifert and company, who simply refuse to put the Autopsy logo on anything that doesn’t meet the band’s already high standards. — J. Hadusek
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15. Spirit Adrift — Ghost at the Gallows
Spirit Adrift began in 2015, so mastermind Nate Garrett’s ability to quickly create so many richly characteristic and captivating records is nothing short of incredible. His latest psych/doom metal opus, Ghost at the Gallows, is no exception, as it captures everything that makes the project so gratifying. Opener “Give Her to the River” is easily among Garrett’s most complexly abrasive yet melodically emotional compositions, and while many other tracks (“I Shall Return,” “Death Won’t Stop Me”) uphold that combination, others (“These Two Hands,” “Ghost at the Gallows”) focus more on arid acoustic tranquility. Either way, it’s a complete genre knockout. — J. Blum
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14. Nita Strauss — The Call of the Void
Is there anything Nita Strauss can’t do? While she has gained notoriety as the touring guitarist for Alice Cooper and Demi Lovato, her second solo album, The Call of the Void, proves she is a gifted songwriter, as well. The LP features an impressive array of guest vocalists like Lzzy Hale, Chris Motionless, David Draiman, and Alissa White-Gulz, not to mention Cooper himself. It has a distinct flavor of the 1980s hard rock guitar heroes like Steve Vai or Yngwie Malmsteen, but with a modern edge. Highlights are “Dead Inside” with Disturbed’s Draiman and “The Wolf You Feed” with Arch Enemy’s White-Gulz, but the whole album is a solid listen for kicking back and getting lost in the riffs. — C. Claire
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13. Cattle Decapitation — Terrasite
If the world is in need of a soundtrack for our eventual environmental collapse/extinction event, look no further than the eighth studio effort from San Diego deathgrind masters Cattle Decapitation. The portrait that the band paints on Terrasite is a damning one, a brutalist reminder that us humans and our “neurosis of entitlement” are wholly to blame for what we’ve wrought on this planet. Let the vicious blastbeats, scythe-like guitar work, and vocalist Travis Ryan’s unholy screech be the last sounds in our ears as we return to dust. — R. Ham
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12. Sanguisugabogg — Homicidal Ecstasy
The members of Sanguisugabogg are self-aware enough to understand and embrace the ridiculousness that is inherent in death metal. So why not take it to the next logical step and take the music to its absolute, bloody extreme? The quartet accomplished that mission with a flourish on their second full-length album, Homicidal Ecstasy. The record plays out like an extended soundtrack to the final showdown in a gruesome horror film, all big meaty axe swings and crunching bones. But dig through the entrails and viscera a bit deeper and you’ll find some fascinating experimentation (the gut-churning low end was created by sending the two guitarists through bass amps) and an intensely personal song about the passing of singer Devon Swank’s grandmother (“Mortal Admonishment”). You may call it a stark contrast to the cartoon-y spirit of songs like “Testicular Rot” or “Necrosexual Deviant,” but that touch of earnestness provides the perfect counterbalance to the face ripping and cannibalism, and showcases this multi-talented band’s true capabilities. — R. Ham
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11. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – PetroDragonic Apocalypse
If there’s one band that’s going to keep you on your toes, it’s King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. Trying to predict what they’ve got up their sleeve is basically useless — look at PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation. The Australian reformed psych band often regale us with swirling textures and jams, but this time, they’ve travelled into one of the darkest metal realms to experience this year. The album title alone calls on the metal gods and if that wasn’t enough, each song crawls deeper and deeper into narrowing and harrowing caves of chaotic soundscapes. The four years in-between PetroDragonic Apocalypse and their first foray into metal, Infest the Rat’s Nest, were a prominent jump musically, and it should make us all the more eager to see what’s next. — C. Pope
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10. TesseracT — War of Being
For some, TesseracT was an acquired taste, but on their fifth album War of Being even the people who originally didn’t prefer the band’s djent-meets-progressive-metal sound are coming around. It’s not just that TesseracT had the very cool idea of releasing a video game based on the concept album’s story, but the music itself has matured. With atmospheric, chugging guitars and rhythms akin to Opeth or even Tool (if they were heavier) creating a more organized chaos than on previous efforts. It’s still very much prog metal with winding 11 minute songs, but the emotional resonance of the vocals and the guitar hooks has deepened on songs like “Echoes” and the title track. — C. Claire
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09. Cirith Ungol — Dark Parade
Cirith Ungol announced recently that they will no longer be touring once 2024 wraps up, but hopefully the US power metal legends have no plans to quit recording. Their latest album and second comeback LP, Dark Parade, is one of the best traditional heavy metal offerings of 2023. The band began introducing more obvious doom-metal elements into its brand of power metal as far back as 1986’s One Foot in Hell, but Dark Parade boasts some their doomiest arrangements to date, as heard on tracks like “Velocity (S.E.P.)” and the title track. The occasional drops into slower tempos helps pace the album while adding further emphasis to the mid-tempo and faster moments, where guitarists Greg Lindstrom and Jim Barraza take flight with soaring solos and thrashy riffing. That balance and variation makes this an accessible front-to-back long-player as well as a good album to dip into for a track or two. — J. Hadusek
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08. Cannibal Corpse — Chaos Horrific
Does Cannibal Corpse’s 16th studio album, Chaos Horrific, feel much like the rest of their discography? Of course, but would you prefer it any other way? Would you want to admonish the serotonin rush that only their exemplary death metal can supply? Would you wish for the genre’s practiced godfathers, who’ve withstood all trends and conventions, to deviate from what you know will satisfy your bloodthirst? Would you want them to leave a track like “Summoned for Sacrifice” on the cutting room floor? Of course not, because you know, deep in your heart, that only Corpsegrinder and company can make you feel as jolly as they do. Thankfully, 35 years into their career, Cannibal Corpse are as glee-inducing as ever. –C. Dempsey
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07. Jesus Piece — …So Unknown
Even though Jesus Piece has oft been a band described as leaning more on the hardcore side of heaviness as opposed to the straight up metal one, they managed to find a healthy balance of both on their sophomore effort …So Unknown. It continues in a similar vein as their debut by being fierce, unrelenting, and forceful, but what’s different is just how seamless it manages to be. It stands out amongst the current onslaught of angered aural pursuits by not taking itself too seriously. At least, it doesn’t really leave room to. Consider it the Renaissance of the hardcore/metal-as-hell world — there’s a fluidity to the way the tracks flow, an unconscious transition between each that you won’t even realize how deep into the darkness you’ve fallen. — C. Pope
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06. Tomb Mold — The Enduring Spirit
No death metal album spoiled us more this year than The Enduring Spirit. Tomb Mold’s third LP reaps what members Derrick Vella, Max Klebanoff, and Payson Power sowed with their side projects Dream Unending and Daydream Plus, integrating their astral and mathy inclinations into Tomb Mold’s modus apparatus, resulting in a record that delivers all you could want from death metal. It’s heavy, chunky, and satisfying, but equally thought-provoking, calming, and beautiful. Death metal can be many things to many people, but so rarely is it everything to everyone; The Enduring Spirit is one of those rare instances in which it is. — C. Dempsey
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05. Baroness – Stone
A concise and focused affair, Baroness’ latest album, Stone, is a triumph of fluidly flowing yet multifaceted moods and styles. Just listen to psych/stoner romp “Beneath the Rose,” somber assault “Shine,” and acoustic ballads “Embers” and “Bloom” for proof. From start to finish, John Baizley and company double down on their best qualities, with guitarist/backing vocalist Gina Gleason further solidifying herself as an essential part of the team. Simply put, Stone proves that Baroness are still masters of their craft. — J. Blum
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04. Full of Hell & Nothing – When No Birds Sang
There’s a certain kind of beauty that happens when opposites come together, and that is clearly evident on the Full of Hell and Nothing collaboration When No Birds Sang. Both bands shine, as the vile cacophony of Full of Hell complements Nothing’s numbly sullen disposition seamlessly. A particular focal point, “Forever Well” stands out for showcasing the delicate but well executed balance. Nothing are not at all hindered or drowned out by the contrast, handling quieter moments of solitude and solace with ease as Full of Hell bookend the album with voracity. When No Birds Sang is the perfect sweet-and-sour kind of album, but even the sweet stings a bit. — C. Pope
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03. Empire State Bastard — Rivers of Heresy
Empire State Bastard was formed by Biffy Clyro members Simon Neil and Mike Vennart with the express purpose of being the most extreme metal act. It’s a fascinating experiment, and one that should be taken with a wry smile and nod, lest we get into tireless debates of what is or isn’t extreme metal or the definition of “extreme” altogether. (If we get too serious, the premise of ESB might come off like an attempt at parody.) Rather, when approached at face value, we get an album where two expert musicians attempt to make the most brutal and exhaustive music they can physically achieve and conceptually conjure. Teamed with metal legend Dave Lombardo (Slayer, Testament, Mr. Bungle, Misfits) on drums, they execute this vision almost flawlessly on Rivers of Heresy, with tracks like “The Looming” and “Harvest” falling somewhere between heavy post-hardcore and grindcore, laced with ideas that are particular to Neil and Vennart’s decidedly non-metal background. The resulting amalgamation of sludge, doom, grindcore, and death metal is certainly “extreme,” yet undefinably so. –J. Hadusek
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02. Metallica — 72 Seasons
Fueled by James Hetfield’s introspective lyricism, 72 Seasons is a poignantly riotous return from the kings of thrash. It kicks off with the invigorating title track, which conjures the intricacies of “…And Justice for All” amidst capturing Metallica at their most energetically unified. Luckily, they uphold that momentum until the end via other classic-sounding tracks (“Shadows Follow,” “Room of Mirrors,” “If Darkness Had a Son,” “You Must Burn!”) and more contemporary ventures (“Screaming Suicide,” “Sleepwalk My Life Away,” “Lux Æterna”). Throw in the epic multifaceted closer, “Inamorata” (their longest song ever), and you have Metallica’s best record in decades. — J. Blum
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01. Poison Ruïn — Härvest
Philadelphia band Poison Ruïn have been a mainstay on Heavy Consequence this year, notching multiple placements on our Heavy Song of the Week rundowns and an artist-of-the-month CoSign feature. A number of rising and underground acts had the chance to shine in a year that saw few releases from major metal and hard rock bands, and Poison Ruïn stand out among the rest with their masterful album Härvest. Much has been made of the group’s distinctive, dungeon-synth/black metal aesthetics, giving Poison Ruïn’s otherwise lo-fi post-punk an air of the fantastical. The hissy tape sound is central to the album’s charm, recalling the homespun works of such acts as Swell Maps and Chrome. And the bravado to release something so very lo-fi on a prestigious label like Relapse — as your label debut, no less — deserves big ups. — J. Hadusek
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