Top Ten Of 2023: Liam Blanc
It’s crazy to think that this is the fifth top ten album of the year article that I’ve written for The Shaman, or at least it would be if I’d written one last year. In any event, it means that I’ve got writing these intros down to a fine art and, being the caring sharing person I am, I shall show you how the magic happens: 1. Bemoan what a depressing year it’s been based on world events; 2. Reference something dull I’ve done this year and inject some humour by pretending it was fact, rather exciting; and finally (to bring it home) 3. Make an unimaginative, trite comment about music being a high point. Watch and learn:
I think we can all agree, given the many terrible things that are happening in the world right now, that 2023 isn’t going to be remembered fondly by posterity. (That was 1 – notice how I didn’t get too specific because I’m not in the mood for looking stuff up on Wikipedia this evening). On the plus side, you can all take vicarious pleasure from me finally getting the rendering on the gable end of my house sorted so my CD collection shouldn’t be getting any more soakings when it rains and a southerly wind blows. (That was 2 – free shout-out to JLP Plastering for all your plastering and rendering needs, by the way).
As ever, the one shining light of the year is all the awesome music that the beautiful, hard-working people of planet heavy rock have been putting out for our delectation. (That was 3. I’m not sure if I should have made planet heavy rock a proper noun. Hmm). So, without further ado, here are my ten favourite records of 2023:
10. Sorcia ‘Lost Season’
Humankind is a broad, diverse church, subject to any number of crazy, unique predilections and preferences. For example: do you remember that person who campaigned for twenty-odd years for the BBC to bring Eldorado back? One thing I think we can all agree on here at least is that big burly riffs, head-nodding grooves that vary from plodding to mid-paced, and vocals that alternate between tuneful and guttural are almost always a good thing. Luckily, Seattle trio Sorcia deliver all of the above in spades on Lost Season with five tracks of awesome grungey doom.
Label: Desert Records
9. Kadabra ‘Umbra’
Back in the day, Confucius asked an important question, one as relevant today as it was in Spring and Autumn period China: ‘Does the world really need more vaguely retro occult-themed stoner doom records?’. Spokane, Washington-based Kadabra have clearly given the question considerable thought and answered with a resounding ‘yes’. Given the quality of the tunes on display here, who am I to disagree? While Umbra doesn’t break any new ground, it’s such an enjoyable listen from beginning to end that I don’t really care. Low on camp silliness, high on quality riffing and memorable songwriting, it’s definitely one to check out.
Label: Heavy Psych Sounds
8. Mammatus ‘Expanding Majesty’
Now Mammatus wouldn’t usually be quite my bag, but that’s why listening to random stuff on Bandcamp can be a good thing – you never know what might grab your attention. Combining elements of Earthless, ‘70s prog and heavy psych, Expanding Majesty is a seventy-minute epic of serpentine riffs, washes of soaring synth and only occasional vocals. I love the fantasy inspired artwork and the music matches it perfectly – across the four tracks, Mammatus give you a lush dreamscape of sound to lose yourself in and explore at your leisure.
Label: Silver Current Records
7. Fire Down Below ‘Low Desert Surf Club’
Sometimes you come across a record that’s just so unashamedly fun so can’t help but love it. Belgian four-piece Fire Down Below deliver their third album and it’s an absolute riot. Low Desert Surf Club sounds like a love-letter to that crazy scene we know as stoner rock – from an ode to the generator parties that spawned the whole thing (California), to the garage Monster Magnet-isms of Surf Queen, to the funky, trippy epic Mantra that nails the awesome quirkiness of bands like Kyuss and Lowrider. It’s a veritable smorgasbord of everything cool about heavy rock.
Label: Ripple Music
6. Dead Shrine ‘The Eightfold Path’
It’s crazy to think that Dead Shrine is, in fact, only one person: New Zealander Craig Williamson. Bear in mind this is pure speculation, but I’ve wondered whether he’s the result of some secret government experiment conducted in the late 1990s to form the ultimate hybrid being: half human, half MeteorCity discography. Who knows, but it strikes me as the most likely explanation as how a single person can sound so uncannily like the best bits of every Swedish stoner rock band from back in the day. If you’re a fan of mountainous fuzz and old-school mid-tempo grooves, then The Eightfold Path is an essential listen.
Label: Kozmik Artifactz
5. King Father Baboon ‘Planting Gallows’
Yes, random band name generator was my first thought too, but then it occurred to me that the current advice is that all your passwords for online things should consist of three unrelated nouns. Perhaps they typed in the wrong box? Whatever King Father Baboon’s name might be referencing, they’re going on my list as another awesome bluesy-stoner band from Franconia. Unlike Paralyzed, King Father Baboon’s vibe is much more mellow, with slowly building tunes and sweet, vintage tones. Both Canyon and Sleep Valley bring to mind Asteroid in their pomp and across its brief 32-minute runtime, Planting Gallows is a showcase of heavy rock done right.
Label: Independent
4. Void Cruiser ‘Call Of The Void’
It seems like an age since the Finnish quartet’s last album Wayfarer, which came out in 2017. I’d almost forgotten how good it was, but my hazy memories of the album are: 1. some serious tunes; and 2. ridiculous amounts of low-end. Six years later and Void Cruiser return with an extra guitarist in tow and an even more impressive collection of melodies to win your heart. New guitarist Antti Koski-Laulaja provides an extra dimension to the band’s already excellent sound, providing additional washes and textures to complement the crushing riffs and strangely memorable choruses.
Label: Argonauta Records
3. Hippie Death Cult ‘Helichrysum’
Losing your vocalist and switching drummers is rarely a good sign, but Portland, Oregon’s now-a-power-trio Hippie Death Cult show that they’re no ordinary band with an absolutely storming third album. Bassist Laura Phillips shows that she’s a more than capable singer and Eddie Brnabic’s guitar pyrotechnics are gnarlier than ever. Helichrysum is a heady mix of grungey stoner-doom, punk rock fury and instrumental virtuosity. For my money, it is the band’s best record to date and, given the high standards they’ve always set, that’s more than enough to put them head and shoulders above their would-be peers.
Label: Heavy Psych Sounds
2. Saint Karloff ‘Paleolithic War Crimes’
Thankfully for all of us, Saint Karloff decided to carry on making music after the sad passing of founding bass player Ole Sletner because Paleolithic War Crimes is excellent on many levels. This time round they have significantly upped the prog quotient on their vintage-flavoured stoner doom and added lashings of turn-of-the-millennium desert rock for good measure. The result is a surprisingly diverse, but always awesome set of tunes that take whole variety of unexpected twists and turns. It’s a record crammed with highlights, but for my money Bone Cave Escape is the most RAWK tune I’ve heard in a long while.
Label: Majestic Mountain Records
1. Green Yeti ‘Necropolitan’
Another band that’s been away for far too long, Greek power trio Green Yeti come back with easily their best album to date (no mean feat, given how awesome their 2017 record Desert Show was). From the very first note, it’s like welcoming back an old friend you missed more than you realised. The spacious production, the unhurried pace, Dani Avrimidis’ killer bass tone – all of it adds up to Green Yeti somehow not sounding quite like anyone else. Add in a slew of killer riffs, killer tunes and killer album art and I reckon you have a more than worthy record of the year.
Label: Kozmik Artifactz
Honourable Mentions
As ever, narrowing the choice down to ten was really tricky, so I’ll give out honourable mentions to Purple Kong – Blood Lightning (bringing you the heavy, 2010- style, which I hadn’t realised was actually a thing until I heard it) , Masheena – West Coast Hard Rock ( a really fun mix of ‘90s alt rock and stoner-doom goodness) and Margarita Witch Cult – Self-Titled (nothing you’ve not heard many times before, but still so good). And that’s me done. See you in 2024.
Scribed by: Liam Blanc
