Top 5 on Friday – My Top 5 Favorite Albums of 2023
Welcome to the new Top 5 on Friday post! Every Friday I will feature a top five of my favorite music related topics. I am starting things off with my top five favorite rock albums of 2023. It’s very difficult at times for me to choose my favorite albums because the list can change periodically. For instance, my number three choice on today’s list is a record that I just discovered this year. The other four are ones I listened to regularly last year but the order can also fluctuate from time to time. I considered albums that I listened to repeatedly that were in frequent rotation throughout the year and have had a big impact on me. The list can change but at this moment in time, I am happy with this order. Next week, it could be a different story though. However, my number one and two picks are pretty solid and I’m content with this setup. This coming year end list will be a very hard task because I have been exposed with way more new albums this year, since starting this blog. I make it a point to listen to a lot of current releases and immerse myself with new artists and records. Please feel free to share your picks and let’s have fun talking about some awesome riff rock music. Thank you for reading!
5. Frankie & The Witch Fingers – DataDoom
I discovered this band early last year and have listened to this album a bunch of times since. Despite the weird band name, it’s rocking, psychedelic, and a little quirky, but it sounds great! Based on the amount of times I kept gravitating towards listening to Data Doom, I had to include it on my top 5 list. I regret missing them play live in Boston last year. Give Frankie & The Witch Fingers a listen. Check out my full review of Data Doom here.
https://frankieandthewitchfingers.bandcamp.com/album/data-doom
4. Kind – Close Encounters
The third release from Boston’s heavy rockers Kind, this is my favorite so far from the band. I really enjoyed their last record Mental Nudge, but this one is more my style. More rocking and face ripping riffs and less slow doom. Although, the heavy elements of doom are cemented in their sound naturally, the music is more rocking. I connected with Close Encounters (review here) more and the vocals sound fantastic with more backing vocals included.
https://kindrocks.bandcamp.com/album/close-encounters
3. Isaak – Hey
Isaak is a new band I discovered this year and they completely blew me away! From Italy, the band has an energetic and rocking sound that incorporates stoner, hardcore, and metal elements. I first heard Isaak from the split they did with Geezer (review here) earlier this year. I proceeded to listen to all of their recordings and dig all of them. However, their last full length album Hey (review here), really impressed me. I’ve listened to this record countless times over and over, and still love it! Even though I only heard this one several months ago, it makes my top five for 2023 releases.
https://isaakmusic.bandcamp.com/music
2. Black Rainbows – Superskull
Another band from Italy, Black Rainbows came on my radar a couple of years ago now. I love this band! They play heavy stoner/ psychedelic rock with tons of groove and melody. I heard Superskull (review here) the day it was released and continue to listen to it today. It’s a fantastic album! They also did a split release with Nebula (review here) earlier this year with extra songs from the Superskull sessions. I hope Black Rainbows make the trek to the U.S. someday.
https://blackrainbows.bandcamp.com
1. Dozer – Drifting In The Endless Void
I anticipated this album more than any other last year. The mighty Dozer from Sweden, gave us another masterpiece of a record with Drifting In The Endless Void (review here). The band hadn’t written new material in nearly fifteen years when the album came out. They did not lose a step despite their lengthy hiatus. I was fortunate to see the band live on their first U.S. tour in over two decades (review here), last month. It was amazing and one of my favorite shows ever. Dozer is back and delivered one hell of a comeback album! They are without a doubt, one of the greatest bands in existence today and have proven they are not finished creating excellent heavy, riff rock music.