Every month we collect our favorite albums of the month. Here they are our favorite albums of the month January:
Spenser:
This band can do no wrong, and each new release somehow tops their previous one. Which should be impossible, given the quality of material they continually put out.
Leon:
This year started off pretty strong, yet this release was somehow the one I spun the most. Cora’s Heart sits squarely between the new wave of shoegaze in the vein of Asian Glow and sonhos tomam conta and honest-to-god atmospheric black metal. Plenty of dreamy ambient soundscapes, twinkly synths, ethereal vocals, and dense walls of sound intersped with full-on blast beats and tremolo textures. It’s all very well mixed together, maintaining its identity and vibe without devolving into a collection of disparate genres.
Jared:
Check out my review for more detailed discussion of this record, but Conjureth’s sophomore album started 2023 off with a bang. This record is massive, punishing, rip-and-tear death metal that set the bar high for upcoming releases this year.
Connor:
Shapely melodies and a naturalistic approach make this record a flavorful one.
Rick:
I was never into Katatonia that much, and yet this album has a certain atmosphere that totally got me. Poetic, melancholic and overall incredibly captivating: I can’t get enough of it.
Matthew:
Leper Colony is old school, thrashy death metal with brutal blast beats, shredding guitar riffs, and a variety of vocal styles. Fans of early Death will want to check this one out!
Nathan:
Tribunal has made a morose and emotional doom metal record that manages to simultaneously sound heavy, depressed, and full of motion. The most interesting record I’ve heard so far this year.
Ulver, Fellowship, Defeated Sanity, Nekus, Nepenthe