Prog Metal Year In Review: 23 Albums From 2023
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 มิ.ย. 2024
- It's the new year, and with it brings new music. But looking back, there is plenty of great music to be thankful for. New Periphery, Baroness, TesseracT, and an Earthside album after all these years. Some great albums from some unexpected bands, and great ones from the expected bands of course. It's hard to sum up an entire year in 23 albums, so if you can think of any more, or if you have a favorite from this year, please post it down below!
[apologies in advance for any missing clips due to copyright]
0:00 Introduction
01:21 Luminaria by Aviations
02:21 American Gothic by Wayfarer
03:21 Let The Truth Speak by Earthside
04:35 War Of Being by TesseracT
05:29 Zwielicht by Mental Cruelty
06:36 Ashen by Humanity's Last Breath
07:27 Heavener by Invent Animate
08:22 Stone by Baroness
09:34 Periphery V: Djent Is Not a Genre by Periphery
11:18 The Sleeping Sun by Worm Shepherd
12:24 Exul by Ne Obliviscaris
13:17 Holocene by The Ocean
14:14 Sheol by HYPNO5E
15:30 Fauna by Haken
16:53 The Harmony Codex by Steven Wilson
17:59 ...and everything in between by Unprocessed
18:55 Mirage by Plini
19:56 Heritage by Distant
20:48 Migrant Returned by The Dear Hunter
22:08 Take Me Back to Eden by Sleep Token
23:01 The Weight Of The Mask by Svalbard
23:53 Superbloom by Silent Planet
24:35 Triade III: Nyx by Aara
25:43 Conclusion
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Background music is "Ne Obliviscaris - Misericorde II - Anatomy of Quiescence piano rendition" performed by Emma Chiu: • Ne Obliviscaris - Mise... - เพลง
TEMIC with Terror Management Theory is also not to be missed.
So sick thanks for the Aviations love. Always love when Native Construct gets brought up since my brother used to play in that band ❤
Haken fan here, bro, don't feel obligated to like Haken. All I will say is Haken have a huge 70's prog influence like Gentle Giant. I honestly am not surprised they are too quirky for some 😂
Love that you put clips of the music
This is my top 10 albums of 2023 and also the only 10 albums I have listen to in 2023
1 Haken-fauna
2 humanity's last breath-ashen
3 aviations-luminaria
4 left to suffer-feral
5 polaris-fatalism
6 sleep token-return to eden
7 voyager-fearless in love
8 august-burns red.
9 hanabie-reborn superstar
10 Night verses-every sound has a color in the valley of night
Earthside is up there with my AOTY
Damn I was really hoping to see Alkaloid's Numen! Great video, keep it up!
Some bands I really did not expect on a prog list, and a curious omission of both of my two favourite prog metal albums this year: The Anchoret - "It All Began With Loneliness" and Sermon - "Of Golden Verse".
Sermon is soooo good
Since I didn't see it on the list, I'd strongly suggest The Anchoret - It All Began With Loneliness.. To me it sounds like a perfect combination between Opeth and Pink Floyd, so if that sounds interesting, be sure to check it out! :)
love the intro music from NeO, love that band. Aviations is a solid pick as well, glad I started listening to them from their previous work around 2017.
I've been really trying to get into HLB as I started listening to Vildhjarta about 4 months ago, and they quickly became my top 5 bands and now might be my favorite band. Not something I expected in any regard. I think I just like the ambiance and weirdness Vildhjarta provides more than their deathcore counterpart of HLB, they're super cool though but Vildhjarta just hits for me.
Of course, Periphery does what they do and I like that album a lot even if nothing quite sounds like p1 and p2 from them as often these days. Djazz.
Glad to see Exul by Ne Obliviscaris on this list as well, I haven't been seeing them on lists lately and I love that record even if I may like Urn slightly more by comparison. Equus is just such a beautiful song, too.
The Ocean is also quite solid, the new record is pretty good for me. I'm interested to see what their progression continues to sound like.
I feel you about the Haken stuff, cause I want to like their stuff a lot, they do a lot of things that simply work for me and I think it's the vocalist for me as well that displaces me slightly. Ross is a very good vocalist, he does what he does well, I wish I could like it more, but for me it just sounds like he needs to be placed in a power metal band haha.
I'm so glad I got into Plini when he was known as "Halcyon" back in like 2011, I remember thinking to myself that if he keeps making music he is gonna pop off in the guitar world, and boy did he. Glad he is still around. You should check out that Pastures album from back then if you haven't under the Halcyon name, it's really cool.
I really wanted to like that Sleep Token record, and there are definitely things I like about it, as I wanted to see what the hype was about as they popped off hard. It's certainly a good blend, and I am all for bands getting more people into heavier music so that's a plus for me.
I'll have to give Sheol a listen :^)
A couple picks for me that came out this year that I really enjoyed was the Pomegranate Tiger album that came out this year, as we waited about 8 years for something new from them, and the Sea in the Sky EP, waited a while for that one too. Both are great in their own ways.
Wow thank you for this great comment! I'm also newish to the Vildhjarta/HLB train but I'm glad I'm on board now, I'm hoping to make a Thall video soon since I don't see a lot of that out there. P2 is GOATed for me but same as you I treat them all as different albums and can't compare them, because Omega was also a favorite of mine. Ne Obliviscaris is so good, Forget Not is still one of my favorite songs of all time.
I agree with you on Sleep Token, I've given them creds in two videos but I don't find myself listening to them regularly, but I'm glad that they're getting popularity. Also the name Halcyon sounds familiar, and this album cover looks familiar, I think I did listen to this a while ago and never knew who it was, that's awesome. It's kind of like a mix of Cloudkicker and David Maxim, this sounds sick. Thanks!
Killer video. Really appreciate your views on the varied metal musical styles. Looking forward to more videos.
Just discovered this channel, your picks aligned so closely with mine for similar reasons. Great shouts! Subscribed, good luck with the 1k!
I was so blown away by Aviations!
I haven't gotten around to Wayfarer's newest album. Absolutely adored a Romance with Violence though. But Periphery, Haken, and The Ocean all were my top 3. Nospun Opus and Avenged Sevenfold's Life is But a Dream rounded out my top 5. If you havent listened to either definitely need to.
Baroness, Shoel, Steven Wilson, Einar Solberg, Tomb Mold, Riverside, Alkaloid, Voyager, AVKRVST all were great too, Even then I feel like im leaving some out. 2023 was a phenomenal year for prog
Alkaloid is AOTY for me!
I love Haken, and their new album is mind blowing for me, but it does not mean that everyone has to like it - if its not working for you, that's absolutely fine:) Btw - seeing Steven Wilson on the list of prog METAL was hilarious, but welcome:)
I appreciate your varied taste and leveled take on the albums you choose! Definitely found some here that I want to try out, and many of these I’ve loved this year.
NeO has been a favorite of mine since Portal of I, and Exul definitely didn’t disappoint.
I’ve loved The Ocean since Pelagial, and while Phanerozoic I and II are 10/10 for me, I was itching for some more experimentation in their sound, and Holocene was totally the answer to my prayers there.
A few albums you didn’t mention that were highlights for me:
The Old Ways Remain by Blood Ceremony - super folky, witchy psychedelic rock with a flute
Glass Casket by Glass Casket - short and sweet revival EP from members of BTBAM
Terrasite by Cattle Decapitation - the first CD album that has really stuck with me, I think because of the surprising amount of prog elements
Spine by Myrkur - ethereal, poppy black metal
The Fear of Fear by Spiritbox - great follow up to Eternal Blue and Rotoscope.
Happy New Year! Always look forward to videos from you 🤙🏼
I wonder if you have a chance to check the last Riverside album ID Entity. It's not really a pure prog metal but prog with some heavier moments worth checking for sure. Unfortunately, it was overlooked by many prog fans
Great selection, a few unknown to me, and a few that made me wanna check. One album i expected to be feature there was "Temic - Terror Management Theory" , and since you went further heavier selection not sure if new one of Sylosis could also be featured there. In a more prog-grungy style with lots of original blends i would also to point the brits Phoxjaw - notverynicecream for you have a listen to, a band with a very original strong interesting sound, mixed with amusing silly lyrics.
I’ve heard about half of these. One of my favorite albums of the year (not metal though) is Moon Safari’s new one - super upbeat and incredibly harmonic. Luminaria is my AOTY though.
I don't think I've listened to Moon Safari before, if I have none of it is sticking out to me. You're right this is definitely upbeat, this has an old school prog rock feeling to it, I like it!
If you keep making prog-lists, I will keep coming back.
As you said, prog is hard to keep up with. Niches be nicheing, hahaha
Also, regarding HAKEN: If it's the sound in general, then that's just fair. And if it's not your style, then it might be someday, or it might never. Personally 'Fauna' is the weakest offering in their entire discography. It doesn't have the interconnectedness of some of their earlier albums. A lot of 'Fauna' is just zeroes played in polyrhythmic and polymetric patterns. HAKEN were known for great and intricate harmonies and soaring melodies.
Lots of good stuff here, and a bunch of things I haven't heard of to check out.
My prog recommendation from this year that flew under my radar until recently is Sermon - Of Golden Verse. Their debut album from 2019, Birth Of The Marvellous, is also incredible and I highly recommend both.
Other metal from this year I recommend: Fires In The Distance - Air Not Meant For Us and Sulphur Aeon - Seven Crowns and Seven Seals (don't think it QUITE stacks up to Scythe but it's still great).
Also praying to Mollusca for new Slugdge this year, please and thank you.
I’ve been praying to the slug overlords for so long, I need new Slugdge
You should check Karmanjakah - Ancient Skills EP ;)
I wpudl also highly recommend the debut from Temic, a bit mellow but very good melodies and performance
we best be getting a new BTBAM record this year
my favourite album of the year is a toss up between Exul and the new unprocessed record.
I agree with your take on haken. even saw them live earlier this year and couldn't get quite into it. same with sleep token tbh. chokehold is an amazing song for the ages but the rest of their show was very unmemorable and dare I say, boring.
I found your opinion on the ocean interesting. I thought holocene didn't reach the heights of their last 2 albums but glad you liked it.
Unprocessed definitely impressed me, I think either Invent Animate or Humanity's Last Breath were my favorites, possibly Mental Cruelty as third. I've bought older Ocean albums and given them listens but it doesn't quite grasp me, maybe one day it will click for me. Maybe Holocene was my entry point.
It's so sad about Haken because The Mountain is one of my favorite albums of all time. Maybe I'll come back around to them as their sound continues to change.
@@moremeditations3622 holocene is their least heavy record so it's definitely an unusual entry point^^
Their early stuff is very heavy but less sophisticated to say the least :D
That Sleep Token sample is ackkkshually Alkaline from the previous album, not Take Me Back to Eden. Good showcase song tho.
Dang it I new I would get something wrong, now that's gonna bother me lmao
@@moremeditations3622 Hah understandable, quite a lot of music to cover you got here. I'd use Alkaline as an introduction song to ST, so it's a happy accident in my eyes. Good video, been looking to discover some new prog!
STONE was my AOTY 🔥
I'm just listening to that Earthside album. I'm liking it, but damn is the mix drenched in reverb. When music is rhythmically interesting, that kind of of production makes it hard to appreciate.
01. 01:21 Luminaria by Aviations
02. 02:21 American Gothic by Wayfarer
03. 03:21 Let The Truth Speak by Earthside
04. 04:35 War Of Being by TesseracT
05. 05:29 Zwielicht by Mental Cruelty
06. 06:36 Ashen by Humanity's Last Breath
07. 07:27 Heavener by Invent Animate
08. 08:22 Stone by Baroness
09. 09:34 Periphery V: Djent Is Not a Genre by Periphery
10. 11:18 The Sleeping Sun by Worm Shepherd
11. 12:24 Exul by Ne Obliviscaris
12. 13:17 Holocene by The Ocean
13. 14:14 Sheol by HYPNO5E
14. 15:30 Fauna by Haken
15. 16:53 The Harmony Codex by Steven Wilson
16. 17:59 ...and everything in between by Unprocessed
17. 18:55 Mirage by Plini
18. 19:56 Heritage by Distant
19. 20:48 Migrant Returned by The Dear Hunter
20. 22:08 Take Me Back to Eden by Sleep Token
21. 23:01 The Weight Of The Mask by Svalbard
22. 23:53 Superbloom by Silent Planet
23. 24:35 Triade III: Nyx by Aara
Thank you! Just added these to the description, I forgot about that.
if you haven’t heard it, PetroDragonic Apocalypse by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard is one of my favorite prog metal albums of this year, absolutely mind bending shit
I actually just watched a video on them and am trying to figure out the best way to approach their work, that's a coincidence. I'll start with that one, thanks for the recommendation!
@@moremeditations3622If you want to ease into it Mind Fuzz and Nonagon Infinity will introduce you to their Garage/Psych rock sound, then check out Infest the Rats Nest which is their first metal effort mainly focusing on thrash and doom.
Petro is their second metal outing and takes the progressive hints in ITRN and explodes them into full on epics, tracks like Motor Spirit and Dragon are multi-part suites that showcase the absolute insane musicianship the band’s gained in their last ten years. Cavs, the drummer, is an absolute fucking machine on it.
Dude I am on the same page with you about Haken. I just can't get into them because I don't care for the vocalist.
Migrant returned is a rerecorded version of the original record
You missed four amazing debut albums this year: AVKRVST, Nospūn, TEMIC, and The Anchoret.
You should also listen to The Hirsch Effekt - Urian. It's a lot calmer and less chaotic than their older stuff, but a solid album. Beware: German lyrics!
Oh, and Omnerod - The Amensal Rise.
You won't be disappointed.
I agree with every single pick. All great albums
I loved TesseracT
Baroness lost me with Spoken word parts. Cringe for me.
Most of this is not Prog.
Prog is a bad label anyway so who cares. Does prog mean experimental? Does prog mean doing what 70s bands did? Does prog mean genre bending? The answer is yes and no to all three at the same time.
Prog is everything polyrhythm / genre blend mix/ technical etc, .... so...