BravePicks 2023 - The Scribes Speak!
Sephora Henderson

Top 20 Of 2023
1) OBITUARY - Dying Of Everything (Relapse)
2) KATAKLYSM - Goliath (Nuclear Blast)
3) MARDUK - Memento Mori (Century Media)
4) IMMORTAL - War Against All (Nuclear Blast)
5) VOIVOD - Morgöth Tales - (Century Media)
6) KATATONIA - Sky Void Of Stars (Napalm)
7) SONS OF CULT - Back To The Beginning (Xtreem)
8) IMPERIUM DEKADENZ - Into Sorrow Evermore (Napalm)
9) VOMITORY - All Heads Are Gonna Roll (Metal Blade)
10) ATROCITY - Okkult III (Massacre)
11) SIEGE OF POWER - This Is Tomorrow (Metal Blade)
12) ANZILLU - Ex Nihilo (M-Theory)
13) IN FLAMES - Foregone (Nuclear Blast)
14) ENSLAVED - Heimdal (Nuclear Blast)
15) TRIBUNAL - The Weight Of Remembrance (20 Buck Spin)
16) TAAKE - Et Hav Av Avstand (Dark Essence)
17) DØDHEIMSGARD - Black Medium Current (Peaceville)
18) NERVOSA - Jailbreak (Napalm)
19) …AND OCEANS - As In Gardens, So In Tombs (Season of Mist)
20) CRYPTA - Shades Of Sorrow (Napalm)

Top 5 Concerts of 2023
It is so hard to choose just five because cruises and festivals offer so many great bands in one place - but them's the rules, so here goes:

GOD DETHRONED - 70000 Tons of Metal
God Dethroned played their second set on the cruise in the smallest venue onboard - and I could just as well have been standing in the middle of a stadium because they made me forget where I was. Henri Sattler reached out, grabbed hold of us metal minions, and didn't let go until after the final notes. 

TRIUMPH OF DEATH - Houston, TX
Triumph of Death performing Hellhammer was a special advance performance before the fest. The stage was bathed in red light and  I felt the tone in my teeth. My jaw actually hurt after that performance from the unrelenting blast of their sound. I felt really lucky to be in the same room as Tom G. Warrior.

KRISIUN - Lee's Palace, Toronto
My first time seeing these Brazilian masters live, and it was electrifying.  My eyes were glued to Moyses Kolesne's fret board, I was floored by his lightning-fast execution. Their last album was on my Top 20 list the year prior. 

THE HALO EFFECT - The Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto
The Horseshoe has one of the smallest stages around - and somehow the band made it feel much larger, grandiose even. Mikael Stanne loomed larger than life, and managed to move, dance, and strut his stuff, all over.   

KATAKLYSM - Summer Breeze Open Air Festival, Dinkelsbühl, Germany
I got to watch from the side-stage and one thing I admired was the band's interaction with each other. They have an admirable camaraderie, and an energy that is infectious.  They genuinely look like they are having the time of their lives up there. Frontman Maurizio Iacono owned the stage and had the crowd eating out of his hand.

Brave Embarrassments
1) POPPY - Zig (Sumerian)
This latest experiment gone wrong is confusion at high volume.

2) SUICIDE CIRCLE - Bukkake Of Souls (Osmose).
Aural vomit.

3) U.D.O. - Touchdown
More like a fumble. 

Thoughts On 2023
Last year I said that 2023 was going to be an absolute mosh pit - and it was. Unholy hell, what a lavish and impressive offering of releases! There were also so many re-releases of important albums, amazing boxed sets, and more. There is no end of product and merch to satisfy everyone, and I hope everyone is doing their part to support, as they are able. 

As for live music, I was proud to stand in many a crowd this year, drinking in the live music experience. I still haven't gotten over what it felt like to be without it during the pandemic, so this was a year of gluttony in some ways, and I couldn't get enough of those moments. 

Surrounded by the metal family, horns high, screaming at the top of my lungs for more, and being fed sonic sustenance by the metal gods.

What/Who Needs To Stop In 2024
Pigeonholing: People can like as many things as they want to, as many different types and genres of music as they please, and they don't have to have encyclopedic knowledge of albums to enjoy. Sometimes you just get hooked on a riff.

Stupid ticket prices. Full stop.

Ignoring the female demographic: Have more girlie sizes, will ya? If you don't want to bring them on tour, then sell them online or somewhere, because we are here and we like showing our support too. And don't make them pink or with pink logos! Just give us cuter versions of what the gents get, please and thank you.

Metal Predictions For 2024
The year also presented a lot of challenges for touring musicians, as well as fans, which shouldn't be ignored. Trying to make up for lost time, and eager to get back to business, we were flooded by shows. But because there are only so many venues, so many tour buses, etc., not everyone was able to get back to it in the way they perhaps wanted. For the fans, there was no shortage of offerings and choices, but for the people who make the magic, there were still struggles to overcome. I never forget that this acoustic ambrosia that keeps me going is also a business. I think 2024 will see a continuation of tours and hopefully a lot more lucrative opportunities for musicians to get out and do what they love to do and what they do best.

2023 was a year of some interesting matchups in terms of headliners and supporting bands - bands who don't necessarily have the same audience, appearing on the same bill. It's a genius move when you think of it, as a variety of demographics that might normally not be in the same room will result in more tickets sold. People who want to see one act will likely come a bit early or stick around depending on the running order, to make it worth their while. Maybe they will like what they hear, maybe they will become new fans - hopefully it will open them up to bands they never gave any previous thought to, which is the icing on the cake. I think we will see more of these matchups in the year to come, and more people listening outside of their box.

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

More Scribes Speak!:
Mark Gromen
Aaron Small
Greg Pratt
Nick Balazs
James Garvin
Carl Begai
Rich Catino