BravePicks 2023 - The Scribes Speak!
Aaron Small

Top 20 of 2023
1) BLACK STONE CHERRY – Screamin’ At The Sky (Mascot Records)
2) DIRTY HONEY – Can’t Find The Brakes (Dirt Records)
3) THE WINERY DOGS – III (Three Dog Music)
4) STEEL PANTHER – On The Prowl (Steel Panther Records)
5) BUCKCHERRY – Vol. 10 (Round Hill)
6) PRONG – State Of Emergency (Steamhammer)
7) TEXAS HIPPIE COALITION – The Name Lives On (MNRK Music Group)
8) METALLICA – 72 Seasons (Blackened Recordings)
9) NITA STRAUSS – The Call Of The Void (Sumerian Records)
10) COREY TAYLOR – CMF2 (BMG)
11) THE ROLLING STONES – Hackney Diamonds (Polydor)
12) JESSE JAMES DUPREE – Breathing Fire (Mighty Loud)
13) HEROES AND MONSTERS – Heroes And Monsters (Frontiers)
14) NERVOSA – Jailbreak (Napalm Records)
15) MEMORIAM – Rise To Power (Reaper Entertainment)
16) SOPHIE LLOYD – Imposter Syndrome (Autumn Records)
17) AVATAR – Dance Devil Dance (Thirty Tigers)
18) BLACKBIRD ANGELS – Solsorte (Frontiers)
19) IN FLAMES – Foregone (Nuclear Blast)
20) CANNIBAL CORPSE – Chaos Horrific (Metal Blade)

Top 5 Concerts Of 2023
PANTERA – Budweiser Stage – Toronto, ON
DIRTY HONEY – Danforth Music Hall – Toronto, ON
GUNS N’ ROSES – Rogers Centre – Toronto, ON
ROB ZOMBIE / ALICE COOPER – Budweiser Stage – Toronto, ON
HEADSTONES – The Back Alley Stampede Events Tent – Calgary, AB

Top 5 Brave Embarrassments
NANOWAR OF STEEL – Dislike To False Metal (Napalm Records) “Disco Metal”, “Dimmu Boogie”, “The Power Of Imodium” – what a sh*t show!

TARJA – Dark Christmas (earMusic) Dressed up like a Disney villain, Tarja sucked all the joy and life out of the festive season.

DEF LEPPARD WITH THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA – Drastic Symphonies (Mercury) There’s nothing drastic about this. KISS did it in 2003. Metallica did it twice, in 1999 and 2019. Scorpions did it in 2000. Def Leppard is so late to the classical stage, it’s insignificant.

ANGUS MCSIX – Angus McSix And The Sword Of Power (Napalm Records) He-Man and the Masters of the Universe meets King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table in ridiculous, over the top power metal. And don’t forget the “Laser-Shooting Dinosaur”.

U.D.O. – Touchdown (Atomic Fire Records) A failed attempt at combining the worlds of football and heavy metal. From the uninspired cover art to the cheesy lyrics, U.D.O. is completely out of touch.

Thoughts On 2023
Talk about a photo finish! Screamin’ At The Sky by Black Stone Cherry, and Can’t Find The Brakes by Dirty Honey both deserve the #1 spot. What a pair of terrific hard-rocking albums! Equally full of energy, emotion, and drive, these records will be played regularly for years to come.

Unfortunately, this past year saw several high-profile tours from highly decorated rock and metal veterans cancelled due to medical reasons. Ozzy Osbourne called off his European / UK dates, announcing that he could no longer tour, citing physical weakness as the reason. The Prince Of Darkness had hoped to perform a one-off show at the Power Trip Festival in Indio, California, yet sadly was unable to take the stage. W.A.S.P. cancelled their North American tour due to frontman Blackie Lawless suffering extensive back injuries. And after only three concerts, Aerosmith’s Peace Out: Farewell Tour came to a grinding halt when singer Steven Tyler damaged his vocal cords and fractured his larynx. Both W.A.S.P. and Aerosmith aim to reschedule in 2024, although no new dates have been announced yet.

KISS performed their last show ever at Madison Square Garden in New York City. To the dismay of fans, this highly anticipated event was essentially the same as every other night on the End Of The Road Tour. Those in attendance, and watching at home on pay-per-view, held onto hope for original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss to join the band on stage; that never materialized. In fact, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Tommy Thayer, and Eric Singer did not bring out any former members or special guests. There were no surprises in the setlist, and the announcement that KISS would continue as digital avatars, with the first show to take place in 2027, was bewildering to put it mildly.

While the world continues to wait for a brand new, full-length album from Guns N’ Roses, Axl, Slash, and Duff released a pair of new songs: “Perhaps” and “The General”. Both are reworked leftovers from the Chinese Democracy sessions, with the upbeat, piano-driven “Perhaps” the clear winner of the two, as “The General” is a dark and brooding number that spirals into obscurity.

As is the case every year, in 2023 we lost a number of beloved musicians. A partial list of those who passed away includes: Sebastian Marino (Anvil, Overkill), Jeff Beck (The Yardbirds), Robbie Bachman (BTO), David Crosby (CSNY), Alex Napier (Uriah Heep), Tim Aymar (Control Denied), Gary Rossington (Lynyrd Skynyrd), Guy Bailey, (The Quireboys), John Regan (Frehley’s Comet), Tim Bachman (BTO), Kirk Arrington (Metal Church), Mark Adams (Saint Vitus), Randy Meisner (The Eagles), Bernie Marsden (Whitesnake, UFO), Steve Riley (L.A. Guns, W.A.S.P.), Charlie Dominici (Dream Theater), Geordie Walker (Killing Joke), Myles Goodwin (April Wine), and Colin Burgess (AC/DC). R.I.P.

Most importantly, massive thanks to each and every one of you who visit BraveWords.com to read our news, reviews, and exclusive interviews. We sincerely appreciate it!

What / Who Needs To Stop In 2024
The refusal of SiriusXM satellite radio station Hair Nation to play new music from their core bands. For example, the DJ will say, “L.A. Guns is on tour now in support of their fantastic new album, Black Diamonds. The video for the killer new single ‘Shattered Glass’ is up on YouTube, be sure to check it out.” Then, Hair Nation reverts back to 1989 and plays “Never Enough” from the Cocked & Loaded album. The lack of support for fresh songs from the channel’s main artists is beyond frustrating. The same holds true for: Skid Row and Sebastian Bach, Tesla, Jackyl, Scorpions, Whitesnake, Tom Keifer of Cinderella, Dokken, Lynch Mob, Warrant, Extreme, Winger, the list goes on. Furthermore, why is Hair Nation afraid to play Steel Panther? Talk about a match made in Heaven.

Metal Predictions For 2024
Although KISS claims to have retired last year, 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of their self-titled debut, and Hotter Than Hell; both albums were released in 1974. Those milestones, coupled with the irresistible allure of The Sphere – a newly opened, state of the art venue in Las Vegas – certainly makes it seem like we will see more from Gene and Paul.

Soilent Green – featuring Ben Falgoust (Goatwhore), Brian Patton (Eyehategod), and Tommy Buckley (Crowbar) – is reuniting for the Milwaukee Metal Fest. Their last album, Inevitable Collapse In The Presence Of Conviction, was released in 2008. Here’s hoping for new music, and many more live dates all across North America.

It’s shaping up to be a great year for hard rock and heavy metal, with new albums expected from: Anthrax, Sebastian Bach, Black Label Society, Corrosion Of Conformity, Cradle Of Filth, Down, Eye Am, Ace Frehley, Halestorm, Kerry King, L.A. Guns, Mick Mars, Mötley Crüe, Orange Goblin, Paradise Lost, Slash, Testament, W.A.S.P., and Kirk Windstein.

Read our BravePicks 2023 countdown where Obituary's Dying Of Everything took the throne at #1 here.

More Scribes Speak!:
Mark Gromen