Where does the time go? 2023 seems like a blur as we continued to rebound from COVID, the music industry still struggling to get back on their feet. But metalheads have always been strong survivors and music ruled the day with countless of memorable albums and live shows happening more than ever! 

But lets celebrate! It is that time of the year to unveil our annual BravePicks countdown, where the devout scribes at BraveWords cast their votes at the hits and misses of the year! So who will be our #1? You’ll find out as we count down the BravePick Of 2023 each day in December! 

Everybody has an opinion and it’s time for ours! And stay tuned in January for the writers’ individual Top 20s (new studio albums ONLY), Top 5 Brave Embarrassments (a fan favorite!), What/Who Needs To Stop In 2023? and Metal Predictions For 2024. All will be showcased come the New Year!

BravePicks 2023

29) PRONG - State Of Emergency (SPV / Steamhammer)

 

Tommy Victor has been steering the Prong ship since ’86 and 2023 brought their first full-length since 2017 with State Of Emergency. The trio of Victor, Jason Christopher (bass), and Griffin McCarthy (drums) cranks out balanced precision of thrash, groove, and industrial metal resulting in one of their most consistent and best albums that captures of the chaos of recent years. Also, be sure to check out their cover of the Rush classic “Working Man”.

Prong sounds the sirens to #29 with State Of Emergency.

Victor spoke with BraveWords in an exclusive interview about State Of Emergency – an excerpt below:

Not only is State Of Emergency the album title, it’s also the name of track two. That phrase has been bandied around since the ‘70s. There’s always been a state of emergency, whether it’s globally, environmentally, whatever. Are we really in a state of emergency in 2023? “No,” answers Tommy, quite emphatically. “That’s the thing, it’s almost tongue-in-cheek. But, it is a personal state of emergency. I sort of got the idea from ‘The Descent’ lyric, which is like he’s on the edge, basically from social media. He has no self-esteem. He’s just completely gone, comparing himself to other people; he just feels lesser than. I think a lot of people are in that personal state of emergency where they’re living this unnatural lifestyle through social media, cyber-everything. As we know, the cliché – the kids don’t talk to each other anymore. There’s no kids playing outside. It’s all that stuff. So, I think culturally, or spiritually, we’re in a state of emergency.”

“But the fear tactics and the propaganda of media in order to sell something through state of emergency is the other side of it where… for years, because I was living in California, in LA actually. Every summer, my sister would ask, ‘Are you by the fires?’ It’s like, no, I can see it smoking somewhere. This happens every year. ‘Well, they’re saying on the news that the whole city is burning down.’ Yep, I know. They say the same thing every year, and you call every year. It’s like, ‘The fires! The fires!’ Yeah, these forests, they burn. I don’t know what the reason is but come on already. That’s just how I feel about it. It’s this panic that we’ve been put through. Post-pandemic, and during the pandemic; like you said, it’s been going on since the ‘70s. But we’ve really experienced it more recently. It’s just crazy. In LA, the weather’s fantastic. Even during the pandemic, I’m jogging. 

"Everyone was like, ‘Stay in your house! Don’t go out!’ I would go out jogging, and there’s not that many pedestrians anyhow in LA to begin with; people drive. It’s beautiful weather, a nice breeze. I’d be jogging through the neighborhood, and these people with visors on, masks underneath the visor, they see me coming, and they’d be like, ‘Oh my God!’ They run across the street to the other side, cause I wasn’t wearing a mask. I’m not going to jog with a freaking mask on. Everywhere I was going, people were running for their lives. ‘There’s this guy jogging through the neighborhood without a mask! Call the police!’ It was unbelievable! So, yeah, we were really part of that lockdown out there. In a way, it was kind of cool. Apart from not being able to go anywhere, and not buy anything, and not shop. We had a young child, and we couldn’t really browse for stuff for him. He’s kind of anti-social now because of the whole thing. Now, they may be trying it again. They’re not going to end with the state of emergency stuff. They’ll keep going, and maybe they’ll fuel more lyrics for the next Prong record.”

BravePicks 2023 Top 30

29) PRONG - State Of Emergency (SPV / Steamhammer)
30) KK'S PRIEST - The Sinner Rides Again (Napalm)