2013 saw Ghost Cult crown Surgical Steel (Carcass) as our inaugural Album of the Year in a democratic aggregated vote process, untouched by editorial hands (other than the sliding of the abacus balls from one side to the other – or rather the logging of votes and the use of a rather rudimentary spreadsheet), a format we continue to utilise as the years pass, and the seasons grey. Our dedicated team of writers, editors, photographers make their submissions on demand following a month of much wringing-of-hands and profanities being aimed into the editorial mailbox.
In 2013, the team collectively nominated 220 albums, and passed judgment on them with brutal emotion-filled candor. A decade on, and 284 different albums received vocal support, and we have (no spoilers) a brand new champion to anoint, to join the hallowed halls of winners – and what a stable of glory and significant acts they find themselves amongst.
For the list of previous winners runs: 2013 – Carcass, 2014 – Behemoth, 2015 – Ghost, 2016 – Gojira, 2017 – Mastodon, 2018 – Ghost (again), 2019 – Opeth, 2020 – Deftones, 2021 – Trivium, 2022 – Machine Head last year, and whoever joins this list of immortals will be shoulder-to-shoulder in the pantheon of modern-greats.
So first those respected contenders whose valuable works of rock / metal / punk / art are worthy of your most humble attention. Read on with thy judgment untempered and your scorn undefeated with permission unfettered to rant and / or rave (feel free to tag us in) about our placings. Indeed, fill your muddy boots.
The Ghost Cult Albums of the Year 2023 Top 75 Part 1 (75-41)
75. Allochiria – Commotion (Venerate Industries) GC review
74. Royal Blood – Back To The Water Below (Warner) GC review
73. Polaris – Fatalism (Sharptone) GC review
72. Blink 182 – ONE MORE TIME… (Columbia)
71. Spiritbox – The Fear of Fear (Pale Chord) GC review
70. Spanish Love Songs – No Joy (Pure Noise) GC review
69. Blood Ceremony – The Old Ways Remain (Rise Above) GC review
68. Oxbow – Love’s Holiday (Ipecac) GC review
67. Movements – RUCKUS! (Fearless) GC review
66. boygenius – the record (Interscope) GC review
65. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – PetroDragonic Apocalypse… (KGLW)
64. Fall Out Boy – So Much (For) Stardust (Fueled By Ramen)
63. The Struts – Pretty Vicious (Big Machine) GC review
62. The Ocean – Holocene (Pelagic) GC review
61. Full of Hell / Primitive Man – Suffocation Hallucination (Closed Casket) GC review
60. Unearth – The Wretched; The Ruinous (Century Media) GC review
59. Burner – It All Returns To Nothing (Church Road) GC review
58. The Hives – The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons (Disque Hives)
57. Underdark – Managed Decline (Church Road) GC review
Ghost Cult Album of the Month – November
56. Spotlights – Alchemy For The Dead (Ipecac) GC review
55. Spirit Adrift – Ghost At The Gallows (Century Media) GC review
54. Green Lung – This Heathen Land (Nuclear Blast) GC review
53. Dying Wish – Symptoms of Survival (Sharptone) GC review
52. Immortal – War Against All (Nuclear Blast) GC review
51. Downfall of Gaia – Silhouettes of Disgust (Metal Blade) GC review
50. Harm’s Way – Common Suffering (Metal Blade Records) GC review
49. Body Void – Atrocity Machine (Prosthetic Records) GC review
48. TesseracT – War of Being (Kscope Records) GC review
47. Fuming Mouth – Last Day of Sun (Nuclear Blast Records) GC review
46. Portrayal of Guilt – Devil Music (Run for Cover Records) GC review
45. Slowdive – Everything Is Alive (Dead Oceans) GC review
44. Sunrot – The Unfailing Rope (Prosthetic Records) GC review
43. In Flames – Foregone (Nuclear Blast) GC review
42. PJ Harvey – I Inside The Old Year Dying (Partisan) GC review
41. Voyager – Fearless In Love (Season of Mist) GC review
Listen to our 75-41 Podcast with Steev and Keefy:
Read Part 2 (40-21) here:
Ghost Cult’s Albums of the Year 2023: Part 2 (40-21)
Read Part 3 (20-2)
Ghost Cult’s Albums of the Year 2023 – Part 3 (20-2)
Part 4 coming soon
STEVE TOVEY