27th December 2023

Listmania: Metal Noise Top #5 Singles of 2023!

Like a boomerang every year our listmania awards season between Christmas and New Year comes around again and after six years the question “when will it stop?” is one that can only be answered with “how long is a piece of string?“. So now that the hangover and the Bailey’s is gone (other Irish cream liqueurs are available) and the cold light of day has set in (you said what to your mother in law?!) it’s time to talk turkey. So without further much ado about nothing, here are our top #5 singles of the year that has been 2023… because who wants to read about 50 or 100?! Ain’t no yawn fest here…

First up has to be “Secrets” by Cinematic DJent pioneers Vanitas, a band who have made numerous outstanding contributions to the United Kingdom Underground Metal scene since the winter of 2022. The truth is that the band have released four singles since May and any one of them could have been on this list, a testament to the quality of their musicianship and dedication to craft above all else. So why did this one stand out above the other three? Unclean vocal prowess hitherto kept to a silver lining on their clouds is embraced with greater intent here.

Second on the list has to be “Sunburner (Deny The Rot)” by Tribe Of Ghosts, a track with lyrics about a Generalised Anxiety Disorder with which guitarist Adam Sedgwick was diagnosed that resonates as a theatrical decent into unhinged madness unfolds. One of those cuts that gets progressively heavier as it plays out, Beccy Blaker is the angel to Sedgwick’s demon vocally before a guest vocal appearance from Ben Mason of Bound In Fear decimates the weak in masterful fashion. A band who continue to blur the lines between music and art in genre defying style, this one took them to Bloodstock.

We didn’t know it at the time but the first single “Dead Horizons” from forthcoming EP “Absence” arrived from Death Groove specialists Bloodshot in the summer and provided the stone cold first round knockout that everyone expected but no one was ready for. The Rabidfest survivors want nothing more than to deliver neck snapping riffs, fierce vocals and pummelling percussion and do exactly that with a classic and yet refined modern sound. They’re ones to watch in 2024 and no doubt the EP will be a contender for next years awards because the evidence of their prowess is undeniable.

After three from the United Kingdom we take a trip across the Pacific Ocean to Vancouver British Columbia and Deathcore heavy hitters Carcosa. They were painfully close to getting on this list with “Nihilus” in 2022 and continued that reign of terror in 2023 with “Nothing“, a cut re-amped, mixed and mastered by Buster Odeholm of Vildhjarta and Humanity’s Last Breath fame. Catchy and complex, this one defies genre boundaries and flirts with Death Metal and Metallic Hardcore to deliver a lethal dose of adrenaline with verve and swagger.

Last but by no means least it has to be one that caught us completely off guard in “Poison” from The Browning who re-connected with their heavier side and unveiled a new line up with a smoking hot cut. Stripping out the synth layers and 8-bit video game moments, instead the band go straight for the throat with this one and the fierce nature of the beast brings with it so much promise for their next album that it beggars belief. Who knew YouTube legend Hardcore Kadeem was a guitarist? It seems that our retinas could yet be burned by a band who have been on the circuit since 2011…

Honourable mentions? There are always a few, some because they may (or may not) appear in other categories and we don’t do multiple awards to ensure everyone gets a fighting chance! So in no particular order… “The Payoff” by Gutlocker, “Burn Beyond The Grave“. Arcaeon, “Monarch” by Uragh, “Killshot” by Upon A Burning Body and “Reasons To Hate” by From Eden To Exile…