August 2023 - 2023 in Metal

Figured that I’d do something different for this monthly entry. I kinda just want to ramble a bit on how bland 2023 was in terms of metal releases. It’s interesting because 2023 so far has been an absolutely phenomenal year when it comes to other kinds of artistic media, namely video games (Hogwarts Legacy, Tears of the Kingdom, Resident Evil 4, and upcoming stuff like Starfield, Spider Man 2, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Sonic Superstars, etc.). Yet, in my opinion at least, the only good metal album that I listened to this year was Overkill’s “Scorched”. 

I’m especially disappointed in Metallica’s latest effort. While I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s God-awful, it’s easily their biggest modern letdown since St. Anger. It’s just so effing boring from start to finish, and the reason why I felt compelled to aimlessly ramble about them is that so many other metal bands have released wonderful “comeback from COVID” albums (Dream Theater, Megadeth, Overkill, Municipal Waste, Kreator, Exodus, and Iron Maiden to name some examples), yet Metallica go ahead and release one of the most lifeless 77-minute metal albums of the century. 

It’s kind of interesting to me how, despite the fact that so much when it comes to releasing art is mere coincidence, certain trends are more widely followed than others. In 2021 and 2022 it seemed like every metal band was releasing “comeback albums”, similar to how 2016 was such a packed year in metal, but now it’s slowing down again. While thousands of underground metal bands are always going to be active, it seems like the time for more well-known bands to shine ebbs and flows often in unison with each other. I know this is an extremely rambly post, but idk what else to talk about. No real updates since the last entry have occurred.