Désirée Hanssen is the owner of ace underground record label Lay Bare Recordings. Désirée is well known from helping out at the legendary Roadburn Festival and Burning World Label and Mail Order over the years.
However, Désirée is best known to most music fans of being the owner of Lay Bare Recordings who've had a great year themselves releasing records by artists such as RRRAGS, BISMUT, GHOROT, and MODDER to name but a few.
Désirée was kind enough to present her favourite albums of 2023 which covers a wide selection.
Check out Désirée's great selection below.
Predatory Void - Seven Keys to the Discomfort of Being
I've been a huge fan of Aaron Wall from Texas Doom/Sludge/Stoner Heavy Hitters RED BEARD WALL and I wanted to see what albums he enjoyed the most in 2023. And Aaron's choices don't disappoint which covers a whole lot of different sounds and genres.
Andrew Elstner part of Hard-Rocking Doom/Sludge/Stoner Riffsters DEAD NOW and formerly of great bands such as RIDDLE OF STEEL, TILTS and TORCHE has been one of my favourite musicians for over a decade now.
Andrew's impressive back catalogue speaks for itself and he knows a thing or two about playing great songs with epic riffs.
It's been a while since we've spoken and I wanted to see what Andrew's favourite albums of 2023 are.
You can see Andrew's choices from the great list below.
Jake Lewis the creative maestro behind Psych Stoner Rock acts such as Burn Ritual and Gypsybyrd picks his favourite albums of 2023. This is a great selection of albums from Jake that deserves your full attention.
Jake had a great year himself with Psych Doom/Stoner Rockers Burn Ritual releasing their new album Grave Watcher to great acclaim and it's not hard to see why.
Anyway check out Jake's favourite albums.
1. Acid King - Beyond Vision
What is there to say that anyone who has followed stoner rock or doom for awhile doesn’t already know … Acid King rules ! Always ! Another great effort from Lori and crew. Great riffs, super heavy with big jammy and atmospheric parts. Excellent !
2. Church of Misery - Born Under a Mad Sign
Another if you have been following doom or stoner for awhile bands. Church of Misery are legends in the genre. Still turning out bangers ! Rad grooves , fuzzy jams, and killer riffs. Total stoner boogie.
3. Green Lung - This Heathen Land
This is a fantastic record. Great to listen to with headphones. Very good production. Love the tone. Love the vocals. Big epic jams!
4. Slomatics - Strontium Fields
Heavy. Heavy as hell. Crushing. Epic. Atmospheric. Slomatics always bring the heavy!
5. Obituary- Dying of Everything
Death Metal legends still putting out quality music ! Love the old school guitar tone. Love the production. Raw, heavy, and classic.
6. Borracho- Blurring the lines of Reality
Heavy, fuzzy, and full of gnarly riffs. Excellent vocals. Great album!
Gero Lucisano aka Gero Argonauta - Owner of the famed powerhouse Italian Record Label ARGONAUTA RECORDS picks his favourite albums of the year.
Gero is another record label owner who I'm a great admirer of and he's had a great year with Argonauta Records releasing acclaimed albums across the Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal spectrum which is going to continue well into 2024 as well.
Here's Gero's choices:
"By being a music enthusiast, to compile an “Albums of the Year” list could turn out to be not the easiest thing in the world. My days are full of immersive listening and many of them focused on the label stuff, which never like this year has had so plenty of great releases. I don’t want to mention any of them here though, as it would look like a useless self-congratulation. Rather, it seems more interesting to give a glimpse of what I had the chance to play in my music implant during this year other than my own stuff. Here you have what probably I enjoyed more, in alphabetical order:"
Zach Wheeler (Vocals/Drums) from acclaimed Doom/Stoner Metallers Howling Giant picks his favourite albums of 2023. Howling Giant have been featured quite heavily on some of the other guests contributors Fave Albums Of 2023 with their new album Glass Future.
Glass Future is perhaps a game-changer for the band. As it's their most intense, heaviest and inventive release to date which is receiving acclaimed reviews all over the place and it's not hard to see why.
Read on for Zach's favourite albums of 2023.
"Ellipses be damned! Certainly didn’t expect an Avenged Sevenfold record to come in this high, but they made an interesting proggy masterpiece and I would highly suggest checking the record out. Anyway, here are my top 10 records of 2023! There are a lot of friends in this lot and I’m so proud of the art that all of them have created. Cheers and see y’all in 2024!"
Read on for Alex's mammoth selection of great releases from 2023.
1. Church Of Misery – Born Under A Mad Sign
After Tatsu Mikami and his doom legion released their first, dare I say,
disappointment in 2016 and with the ever revolving door of members continuing to
swing there were questions regarding Church Of Misery's future as well as their
continued relevance. With Born Under A Mad Sign these question marks were erased
with the same enthusiasm with which Ted Bundy erased lives. Almost thirty years
into their career Church Of Misery delivers a seldom seen feat of strength as
well as one of their greatest albums so far.
2. Baroness - Stone
3. Domkraft – Sonic Moons
4. Restless Spirit – Afterimage
5. Foo Fighters – But Here We Are
6. Witch Ripper – The Flight After The Fall
7. Kollaps\e – Phantom Centre
8. Dozer – Drifting In The Endless Void
9. Dopelord – Songs For Satan
10. Sâver - From Ember And Rust
11. Queens Of The Stone Age - In Times New Roman…
12. OHHMS – Rot
13. Borracho – Blurring The Lines Of Reality
14. Håndgemeng – Ultraritual
15. Khanate – To Be Cruel
16. The Rolling Stones – Hackney Diamonds
17. Slôdder – A Mind Designed To Destroy Beautiful Things
18. Karavan – Unholy Mountain
19. Ett Dödens Maskineri – Kulturkriget
20. Kvelertak – Endling
21. The Hives – The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons
22. Mutoid Man – Mutants
23. Eternal Evil – The Gates Beyond Mortality
24. Clouds Taste Satanic – Tales Of Demonic Possession
Majestic Mountain Records Head Honcho Marco Berg picks his five favourite albums of 2023. Marco's label has had another fantastic year releasing multiple critically acclaimed albums within the Doom/Sludge/Stoner Meal underground scene. Marco's limited edition vinyls are adored by fans within the underground scene and it's not hard to see with Majestic Mountain Records attention to detail.
Anyway, read on for Marco's awesome list.
1. Domkraft - Sonic Moon
Domkraft keeps evolving with each album, and this is their finest work to date!
2. Howling Giant - Glass Future
Howling Giant can't do anything wrong, and their latest album, 'Glass Future' is no exception!
3. Margarita Witch Cult - Self-titled
What a debut album! All killers, no fillers!
4. Moon Coven - Sun King
Moon Coven's take on psych stoner/doom hits every sweet spot for me.
5. Spidergawd - VII
Spidergawd once again brings dynamic and powerful songs to the table, blending elements of classic rock, stoner rock, and psychedelic influences. What not to like?
Wayne Rudell (Guitar/Vocals) from Doom/Fuzz/Stoner Rockers Fuzz Evil released their superbly entertaining new album New Blood earlier this year which is packed full of classic sounding grooves.
You can see what impressed Wayne this year with his Favourite Albums Of 2023 below.
Queens of the Stone Age - In Times New Roman
Honestly I couldn’t wait for this record to come out. QOTSA has always been one of my favorite bands and biggest influences. They way they can craft songs with so many layers and textures leave you deep inside the vibe of the dance carnivale. This album has so many good tracks and probably is my favorite QOTSA records. My favorite track is “Straight Jacket Fitting”
Tigercub - ThePerfume of Decay
If you don’t know about Tigercub you are missing out like crazy. In my opinion they are the next big thing. This band is so damn good. Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard first signed QOTSA on his label Loosegrove records years ago because he recognized what a talent they would be and I believe he did it again signing Tigercub. I gotta say this band is probably my favorite band right now. I got to know these guys personally recently and they are great guys. I first heard them opening for Clutch and EyehateGod two years ago and they were incredible.playing their “As Blue as Indigo” record. The new record “The Perfume of Decay” hits so hard. Do you self a favor and blast their song “Swoon”
Royal Blood - Back To The Water Below
2023 was a killer year for music. Some of my favorite bands released new records and Royal Blood’s “Back to The Water Below” was no exception. I just saw them live again in Phoenix a few weeks back and they have such a good sound. No other two guys could get that big of sound. Mike Kerr is such a talented songwriter and maybe one day we will find out how the hell he makes his bass sound like 5 different instruments. My favorite track is “Back to the Water Below”
The Hives -The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons
I gotta admit I wasn’t too familiar with a lot of The Hives previous stuff. This record really caught my attention. This record had such a dirty rock n roll vibe. Every Track is dripping with rock sweat that would make bands like MC5, and The Stooges blush. My favorite track is “Countdown to Shutdown” So So Good
Frankie and The Witch Fingers - Data Doom
My my my does this record slap. What a good goddamn record. Imagine if Ty Segals’ Fuzz and King Gizzard and Lizard Wizard had psych rock baby, Frankie and the Witch Fingers is what you would get. Afrobeat and Proto Punk is how they describe themselves and you can really tell the drumming on this record is fresh and agro as hell, layering in interesting beats to the familiar vibe of a dirty psych rock. Favorite track would have to be “Electricide”
Howling Giant - Glass Future
Man this record gave me a real Ghost vibe. This record is such a killer listen if you just let it ride. Howling Giant is supertalented and I am excited to see where they go. I can really see them following the Elder or King Buffalo shoes and just taking over the stoner scene. My favorite track is “Juggernaut”
Black Rainbows - Superskull
Man I really love the fuzz that these guys use on every record. These guys are such Heavy Psych juggernauts. This record could just be one long dope riff-rock song I am still not sure. My neck hurt from this record because I was head banging through the whole damn thing. Killer record worthy to have on Wax. My favorite track is “Cosmic Ride of The Crystal Skull”
Stoned Jesus - Father Light
Man I have been about these guys ever since I heard their “I am the Mountain”Track. These guys write such epic music. I really love what they did with “Father Light”
My favorite track “Thought and Prayers” really taps into a Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats vibe. Bravo Gents
Dozer - Drifting In The Endless Void
You can have a year end list without this heavy hitting record. Dozer is back and we missed them! These stoner heavy weights dropped maybe one of the best stoner rock records of the year. Great songwriting and heavy hitting riffs. My favorite track is “Run Mortals, Run”
Fire Down Below - Low Desert Surf Club
These lads released their record the same day as our “New Blood” record. I have been digging the hell out of this record all year. These guys released by far one of the best singles of the year with the Kyuss fueled “California”
Saint Karloff - Palolithic War Crimes
Man this record gave my a really Deep Purple vibe. I love the proggy 70’s dreamscape these guy did with this record. Such a good record to just let it ride. My favorite track is “Nothing to Come”.
