There is so much heavy, extreme, and beautiful metal music being conjured all around the world that it can be overwhelming. While Metal Has No Borders usually curates metal picks for our readers, we love hearing your opinion as well. We ended 2023 with a poll that received over 1,000 votes, revealing our readers’ favorite metal released this past year, from Chile to Hungary.
An honorary shout-out to the runner-ups:
Unblessed Divine – Portal to Darkness [Polish / South African Death] – 103 votes
Angra – Cycles of Pain [Brazilian Power-Prog] – 83 votes
The Emergent – Split [Ukrainian Nü-Metalcore] – 80 votes
Crypta – Shades of Sorrow [Brazilian Death] – 54 votes
Ciemra – The Tread of Darkness [Belarusian Black] – 53 votes
Enjoy the highest voted metal albums for 2023 below.
Readers‘ Metal Album of the Year (Gold Tier)
Wooden Veins
Imploding Waves – 210 votes
Released via Ardua Music
Chile
Summoning doom-laden artists from throughout the Chilean metal scene, Wooden Veins holds members from Poema Aranvs, The Outside, Mourning Sun, Bauda, Lapsus Dei, etc. Their progressive-doom post-metal is evocatively mesmerizing and rich with atmosphere. Javier Cerda croons into the darkness with gothic drench and desperation on this sophomore release. Imploding Waves vibrates on a heavier wavelength, escalating the density of metal up a notch.
Imploding Waves by Wooden Veins is awarded Readers’ Metal Album of the Year (Gold Tier) for 2023
Favorite Songs: “Tearing Seas,” “Ganymede,” “The Dreamer”
FFO: Katatonia, Neurosis, Elder
Readers’ Metal Album of the Year (Silver Tier)
Weight of Emptiness
Withered Paradogma – 167 votes
Released via Sliptrick Records
Chile
Thematically dwelling on the cycle of life and death, Santiago-based progressive death metallers Weight of Emptiness unveil a grim, dynamic third full-length. Withered Dogma is a wild experience, pulling out the best traits from early 2000’s death and black metal, while adding a grandiose and proggy modern layer.
Withered Paradogma by Weight of Emptiness is awarded Readers’ Metal Album of the Year (Silver Tier) for 2023
Favorite Songs: “Vital Ends,” “Defrosting,” “Black State Council”
FFO: Opeth, Dimmu Borgir, Black Crown Initiate
Readers’ Metal Album of the Year (Bronze Tier)
Darkwave
Thanatology – 129 votes
Self-Released
Hungary
If King Crimson had formed in modern times with an instrumental agenda for prog-thrash, the result would be the right brain freakout titled Thanatology. Zsolt Némethy commands the one-man project, Darkwave, into the arena of symphonic, experimental, atmospheric, and neo-classical shred.
Thanatology by Darkwave is awarded Readers’ Metal Album of the Year (Bronze Tier) for 2023
Favorite Songs: “Stepping Through the Shadow Line,” “The Last Wasted Dawn,” “All Shall Perish”
FFO: Devin Townsend, Liquid Tension Experiment, Marty Friedman
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