2023 was an incredible year for #RealRock music and we identified our 10 (-ish) favourite albums of the year. Any “top” list of course is a matter of opinion and personal taste and our intent with this annual exercise is to highlight some great musical journeys our readers can indulge in. This year was heavily slanted to newer bands but with a sprinkling of rockers in their 80’s. It is truly mind blowing that names like Mick Jagger and Roger Waters are on any list of new albums but the dinosaurs continue to rule the landscape. Please enjoy our selections and let us know if you found a new treasure from our list below. Lets get rocking!
10. Extreme – Six
Just check out the guitar wizardry in the middle of Rise above to get an idea why this album appears on our list. Extreme had a mega hit over 30 years ago and might be in danger of being regarded as a one hit wonder. Six is a very complex album that features many sides of the band. Guitarist Nuno Bettencourt is considered one of the top living guitarists in the world and this album is a perfect landscape for him to deliver the goods.
9. Roger Waters – The Dark Side Of The Moon Redux
The Dark Side of the Moon is our number one album of all time with no doubts or debate about it. The Pink Floyd masterpiece is so well known and loved that it actually hurts me that Waters had to “redux” it. Why mess with perfection? That is the question I have asked continually as I listen to the redone version. Waters decided to revisit the themes he originally wrote 50 years ago. Why? “[We] were so young when we made [the original], and when you look at the world around us, clearly the message hasn’t stuck. That’s why I started to consider what the wisdom of an 80 year old could bring to a reimagined version.” The new version deserves a listen (especially to the lyrics) and an acknowledgment that nothing can ever match or surpass the impact of the original. I am truly torn about including this here but it how can I not include Roger Waters on any list on this website?
8. Metallica – 72 Seasons
Quite possibly the biggest rock band of the year (based on their stadium tours), Metallica continues to deliver the goods. The band sticks to their brand of heavy metal with some slowed down moments highlighting the album. Inamorata is our favorite song of the album as it reminds of Black Sabbath. If you like Metallica then this album will be great for you.
7. Greta Van Fleet – Starcatcher
Led Zeppelin v 2.0 continues to deliver. Quite simply what this band continues to do is amazing. Channeling Zeppelin and delivering solid rock albums that feature the riffs and vocal prowess we love. The “critics” gave this album only a 61 rating on Metacritic, which shows how clueless they are about #RealRock. We will gladly take any band that sounds like Zeppelin over the rapper-turned-country-singer-turned-tiktok-star of the month. This album has everything we love about Greta Van Fleet and is the reason they are selling out everywhere they play.
6. Foo Fighters – But Here We Are
The Foos are back and continuing without Taylor Hawkins but was there any doubt that this is Dave Grohl’s band and the parts are interchangeable. This is a classic Foos album and is exactly what fans of the band have been expecting. The grungy wall of sound and in your face rock is the driving force of this album and ensures the biggest name in rock represents the genre for many years to come.
5. Rolling Stones – Hackney Diamonds
59 years! Hackney Diamonds arrives 59 years after the Rolling Stones first album and 18 years since their previous one, and man does it sound amazing. This is probably the best album the Stones have released since the 60’s/70’s and is full of the raw vibe the band thrives on. Jagger’s voice is the unmistakable sound of a generation and songs like Angry let him shine. Richards and Woods on guitars are as good as they have always been. We are loving this album and if this might be the endcap in the Rolling Stones discography they will close the book with style, energy and real rock!
4. Crown Lands – Fearless
We referenced Greta Van Fleet earlier as Zeppelin 2.0 and we say it as a highest level compliment. In that vein we will refer to Crown Lands as Rush 2.0. What an incredible album the Canadian duo has delivered. A total 70’s throwback album plotting a voyage deep into the heart of heavy progressive rock. Musicianship of the highest level is the reason we can’t stop listening to this album. We saw this band in a small Toronto club back when they were starting with no more than 20 people in the audience and even then we know that Crown Lands should be delivering an album like Fearless in arenas complete with lasers and fog machines. This is a full on rock assault and we love it.
3. Rival Sons – Darkfighter / Lightbringer
Two albums from The Rival Sons this year – both deserving of top albums of the year, but we cheat and put them both in the number 3 spot (consider it a tie). The Rival Sons were our pick as the saviors of rock 10 years ago and it seems that the commercial success continues to elude them, they do deliver amazing rock albums that stand out amongst the best released this century. There is no need to pick which one is better, get them both and consider yourself lucky to be blessed with 2 releases in a single year by such an incredible band.
2. Dirty Honey – Can’t Find The Brakes
Number 9 on our 2021 list of Top 10 Albums of 2021 belonged to Dirty Honey and their new offering appears at number 2 this year! Raw rock and roll with mind blowing vocals is delivered by the new generation of #RealRock. We can’t stop listening to this album and love its depth and variety of styles of tunes.
1. Mammoth WVH – Mammoth II
Eddie Van Halen’s kid rocks! My initial apprehension about a rock star’s kid being given a headstart because of his last name faded immediately upon listening to his debut album in 2021. That debut album hit the number 10 spot in our Top 10 Albums of 2021 and his sophomore offering tops our chart this year!
Top 10 Albums of 2023 article by Terry Makedon
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