Simon RushworthWe’re halfway through the year already and Rushonrock’s Best Of lists are rapidly taking shape. Expect to see a few of these belters in the end-of-year wraps as we recap what’s rocked our world so far in 2023…
10 Def Leppard — Drastic Symphonies (Universal)
If you can’t teach an old dog new tricks then it seems a long in the tooth Leppard is still learning.
Rushonrock pressed play on Drastic Symphonies trembling with trepidation — fully expecting Sheffield’s finest to have dropped the proverbial clanger.
Instead this glorious take on the band’s peerless back catalogue punched well above its weight to outshine the slew of rival orchestral collabs in an increasingly congested market.
The debate raged on about that version of Pour Some Sugar On Me. It was the best reboot bar none.
Read the full review here
9 Obituary – Dying Of Everything (Relapse Records)
That unstoppable primordial groove, the primal fretwork, those noxious guitar tones… yep, this was classic Obituary. It was also their best work in years.
Why? Maybe the stars aligned over Florida’s Redneck Studios – where the album was born over the pandemic.
Or maybe it’s just because Obituary are forever bonded to death metal’s DNA, so they’re always capable of songs like War and Weaponize The Hate.
Whatever, Dying Of Everything took a wrecking ball to 2023… and showed us that the US veterans were still in the game.
Check out the full review of Dying Of Everything here
8 Crown Lands — Fearless (Spinefarm)
The one-word album title was an obvious giveaway.
Fearless turned out to be a bold, uncompromising, progressive rock masterpiece.
Of course this classy Canadian duo sounded a little bit like Rush.
But this remarkably mature record was much more than a nod to the band’s famous brethren.
Cody Bowles and Kevin Comeau curated a retro-soaked set that fully realised Crown Lands’ early potential.
Read the full review here
7 Dawn Ray’d – To Know The Light (Prosthetic Records)
Eighteen months in the making, To Know The Light was intended to be a new chapter for Dawn Ray’d, according to vocalist/guitarist Simon Barr.
And the trio certainly spread their wings.
Yes, this record was rooted in Dawn Ray’d’s intense anti-fascist black metal.
The band’s revolutionary fervour remained undimmed.
But richer sonic fabrics, including close harmonies, clean vocals even a pipe organ, were weaved together on this record. The effect, on songs like Go As Free Companions and Freedom In Retrograde, was spellbinding…
Read the full review of To Know The Light here
6 Luke Morley – Songs From The Blue Room (Conquest)
Workaholics are everywhere you look in the creative industries: people who are passionate about their craft tend to put in the hours.
Luke Morley is that rare breed who underpins the quantity with consistent quality.
In between Thunder albums, his decision to drop Songs From The Blue Room was inspired.
For the most part it sounded nothing like his day job.
But it still sounded like one of the best pop rock records we’d heard in years.
Read the full review here
5 Wytch Hazel – IV: Sacrament (Bad Omen Records)
Seemingly born in the meadows of ancient Albion, IV: Sacrament was a sublime hybrid of classic 70s rock and vintage proto-metal, inspired by Colin Hendra’s strong Christian faith.
The choruses glistened and the fretwork soared – just listen to Angel Of Light if you want the evidence.
Vocalist/guitarist Hendra proved himself (yet again) to be a celestial songwriter.
And Wytch Hazel’s fourth album arguably even topped its illustrious predecessor, 2020’s III: Pentecost.
Indeed, with IV: Sacrament, the Lancastrians cemented their status as one of the NWOTHM movement’s finest acts.
Read the full verdict on IV: Sacrament here
4 HARDY – the mockingbird & THE CROW (Big Loud Records)
A country rock crossover split into two distinct halves, HARDY’s high concept album hit the mark.
In the best traditions of Black Oak Arkansas and The Cadillac Three, the ambitious singer songwriter spliced genres and spat out preconception.
And at 17 songs the mockingbird & THE CROW gave listeners plenty of bang for their buck.
Lainey Wilson collab wait in the truck had the wow factor.
Read the full review here
3 Enslaved – Heimdal (Nuclear Blast)
Heimdal shares its name with the gatekeeper between the nine realms… and the god of dawn.
And it was a fitting title for a transcendental, otherworldly offering from Enslaved – who in many ways, shed their earthly bonds years ago.
The Norwegians flew free on their 15th full-length.
The quintet took us into new dimensions, gracefully gliding on psychedelic thermals, while still reminding listeners of the blackened heart that lies beneath.
Decades into their journey, Enslaved are still musical adventurers… and metal pioneers.
Read our full rundown on Heimdal here
2 Extreme – Six (earMUSIC)
This was the throwback classic rock record Nuno Bettencourt insisted we needed in 2023.
And, of course, he was right.
Fusing Extreme’s balladeering pomp with sporadic bursts of the band’s trademark funk, Six emerged as part Pornograffitti and part futureproofed thunderbolt.
Bettencourt filled every available gap with typically frenetic fretwork while Gary Cherone added a deft touch of gloss to the quieter songs here. Sublime.
Read the full review here
1 Hellripper – Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags (Peaceville)
The monsters of Scottish folklore were reborn on this opus.
And they came back to life spitting venomous black thrash and surging with devilish energy.
Yes, Hellripper’s third album was a celebration of highland horrors and Orcadian abominations, set to a soundtrack of searing speed metal.
It was also main man James McBain’s most ambitious record yet, with the eight minute plus Mester Stoor Worm rivalling Satyricon’s Mother North or Watain’s Waters Of Ain in its epic scope.
Check out the full review here
Read about the making of Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags here