40. Pierce The Veil – The Jaws of Life
It would be impressive enough for screamo veterans Pierce The Veil to drop their first full-length in seven years and have it just be a solid, albeit similar outing; but that’s immediately not the case with The Jaws Of Life, which sounds very 2023, boldly pushing PTV forward into the post-COVID soundscape. What’s most impressive, perhaps, is how effortlessly the band blends elements of pop, classic rock and electronica into a fairly traditional post-hardcore framework, expanding each track with exciting melodic and arrangement possibilities. As convincing a return as any this year.
Don’t Miss: “Pass The Nirvana”, “Flawless Execution”, “The Jaws of Life”
41. Galactic Empire – Special Edition
You had us at “masked Star Wars super villains from Lancaster, PA, wielding headless guitars and shredding John Williams soundtracks, prog-metal style.” Granted, if you ever have a chance to catch Galactic Empire live, don’t miss the opportunity—because it’s really next-level—but this epic, 11-track full-length by the mysterious band of sweep-picking Sith lords does a mighty forceful job (get it?) of bringing the full cinematic experience home to your speakers.
Don’t Miss: “Star Wars and Revenge of the Sith”, “The Imperial Suite”, “The Mandalorian”
42. Rancid – Tomorrow Never Comes
When legendary East Bay punks Rancid drop a new record with 16 tracks but only a 28-minute runtime, you just know it’s gonna be a rager. The band’s tenth studio album and first in six years is chock-full of classic punk anthems and gang choruses, as you’d hope, but delivered with a surety and wisdom that in 2023, only these punk rock elder statesmen possess.
Don’t Miss: “The Bloody & Violent History”, “Tomorrow Never Comes”, “New American”, “It’s A Road To Righteousness”
43. Nita Strauss – The Call Of The Void
What really sets Nita Strauss apart from the myriad shredders out there in 2023 is the excitement she brings to the genre by merging accessible, radio-friendly alt metal hooks with genuinely thrashy riffs and impeccably executed, molten-hot leads spawned from the same fiery tonal volcanoes as all the great metal guitar heroes to come before her. Nita’s latest, The Call Of The Void, boasts an all-star cast of track-by-track vocal collaborators on the songs that actually have vocals (Lizzy Hale on “Through The Noise”), while the rest needs no singing at all. The musical cameo by Marty Friedman on “Surfacing” is an added treat amid a vast six-string shred sundae.
Don’t Miss: “Consume The Fire”, “Summer Storm”, “Surfacing”, “The Wolf You Feed”
44. Heart Attack Man – Freak Of Nature
Cleveland’s Heart Attack Man are a pop-punk outfit at the core, but meander off into quite a few stylistic wormholes that make their latest, Freak Of Nature, one of the scene’s standout releases in 2023. Don’t expect doe-eyed emo sentimentality here; this is a dark fucking record with sometimes startling lyrical imagery, that could even possibly get you arrested if spoken aloud in a crowded room. That’s punk as fuck.
Don’t Miss: “Freak Of Nature”, “Late To The Orgy”, “Stick Up”, “C4”
45. Royal Blood – Back To the Water Below
The Brighton, UK, duo Royal Blood return with their fourth full length LP, Back To the Water Below, merging elements of alt-rock, pop and blues with a more heightened sense of atmospheric, lo-fi production than past releases. Don’t worry, though: The classic motifs remain, like the fuzzy, explosive, almost alien bass and guitar tones in the center of the mix, while Mike Kerr’s bluesy and infectiously catchy vocal style remains as strong, if not stronger, than ever.
Don’t Miss: “Shiner in the Dark”, “Pull me Through”, “Mountains at Midnight”
46. Keep Flying – Daylight [EP]
We can’t get enough of the “brass emo” or fourth-wave ska sound, or whatever you want to call it (see Millington), and Keep Flying are essentially a pillar of that revival, between their tireless touring ethic and string of excellent releases. The group’s latest, a six-song EP entitled Daylight, does an impeccable job of merging the band’s punk, emo and ska influences, to convey at times stern lyrical subject matter, marking another step forward in 2023 for a band destined for greatness.
Don’t Miss: “Left Behind”, “Arrival”, “The Passenger”, “198 Broadway”
47. Spiritbox – The Fear Of Fear [EP]
Vancouver Island nu-tech metal group Spiritbox followed up Eternal Blue, their stunning 2021 full-length debut, with The Fear Of Fear, six new tracks that are closer in keeping with its predecessor LP than last year’s more experimental three-song Rotoscope EP. The former trio—now also boasting bassist Josh Gilbert (As I Lay Dying)—blend Korn-esque guitar crunch with vicious screams, industrial chaos and electronic synth pop in new and exciting ways that even they are just beginning to discover.
Don’t Miss: “Jaded”, “Angel Eyes”, “The Void”
48. Real Friends – There’s Nothing Worse Than Too Late [EP]
This is going to be hard for some longtime fans to hear, but Real Friends is a better band now with new vocalist Cody Muraro (Youth Fountain), who brings an energy and sheer power to the music that just wasn’t there before with Dan Lambton on the mic. There’s Nothing Worse Than Too Late, the retooled emo outfit’s latest release and longest with Muraro to date (seven new tracks and two acoustic versions) showcases just how far Real Friends has come in recent years, as well as where they’re headed. That’s never been so exciting.
Don’t Miss: “Tell Me You’re Sorry”, “The Damage Is Done”, “Six Feet”
49. Extreme – Six
As timeless of a guilty pleasure as Extreme’s massive hit “More Than Words” may be, the Beantown group was always more of a kick-ass, guitar-heavy hard rock outfit than sensitive balladeers, and on Six—the band’s latest and first LP in 15 years—they return to that very happy place. If prior efforts hadn’t already cemented Nuno Bettencourt as one of the all-time greatest lead guitarists in rock, this one here in 2023 finally solidifies that legacy for certain, particularly the face-melting, almost unbelievable solo on “Rise.”
Don’t Miss: “Rise”, “Beautiful Girls”, “Hurricane”
