A week off is all I ask. It’s been one of the hugest years in music with miles of new material being released each week and a sea of unrelenting tour announcements. With the local scene flourishing and an enormous influx of international bands gracing our shores, the average punter this year has been left spoilt for choice, if not completely broke in the process.2024 is shaping up as one that may just go down as one of the biggest of all time and I for one am excited, if not already exhausted in advance.
TOP 10 RELEASES OF 2023
10 - Better Lovers - God Made Me An Animal9 - Steel Panther - On The Prowl8 - OTTTO - Life Is a Game7 - Cannibal Corpse - Chaos Horrific6 - Ne Obliviscaris - Exulhttps://youtu.be/TU-nwWuyKXc?si=WZ74mC48NObmWb6a5 - Bonginator - The Intergalactic Gorebong of Deathpot4 - Metallica - 72 Seasons3 - Lo! - The Gleaners2 - Astrodeath - Vol II1 - Cattle Decapitation - Terrasitehttps://youtu.be/ksCKFkioYL8?si=6_CoE1D8bnCCVdsc
TOP 10 SONGS OF 2023
10 - Better Lovers - ‘30 Under 13’9 - Carnal Viscera - ‘Kaiju’8 - Owen Guns - ‘Trans Rights are Human Rights’7 - Blood Red Throne - ‘Latrodectus’6 - Lo! - ‘Our Fouling Larder’https://youtu.be/V3yQwlPM4UI?si=_dagHov8ThR2xTGi5 - Job for A Cowboy - ‘The Agony Seeping Storm’4 - Judas Priest - ‘Trial By Fire’3 - Mountain Wizard Death Cult - ‘Orbital’2 - Cattle Decapitation - ‘Terrasitic Adaptation’1 - Astrodeath - ‘Leviathan Rising’https://youtu.be/r4Law5fTSrM?si=zI-RC-hNSzirKwcx
5 BEST MUSIC VIDEO OF 2023
CrisisAct - ‘Swathed in Skin and Scum’https://youtu.be/d0FUqcIotxQ?si=vCd-ziWIKya8JA1HSick Fizz - ‘Participatin With Satan’https://youtu.be/JYQHn-eEMaQ?si=NTxUbBXtGBAv7wbHIron Blanket - ‘Evil Mind’https://youtu.be/AtupNgRN-xY?si=FP1LIwV4Fq_FcLWXChoof - ‘Yoghurt Cups'https://youtu.be/YURPGx-1sDc?si=C02yx9KmbmKRBmHAJob For A Cowboy - ‘The Forever Rot’https://youtu.be/SywCGhiwNyw?si=fx1_mRw82FvPwrog
TOP 4 GIGS OF THE YEAR
King Parrot @ The Duke of Enmore, Sydney 15/9/23Supports: Astrodeath, Black Rheno, Choof, Carnal Viscera.This perfectly stacked lineup that served as KP’s farewell party before they took off to the US to support the likes of Pantera, Lamb Of God and Weedeater.Suicidal Tendencies @ The Metro, SydneySupports: MannequinDeath Squad, AstrodeathNot one inch of fat on this lineup. No one dragged their arse. The most hectic pit I’d been in all year. Not a scrap of merch left at the end of the night.Henry Rollins @ the State Theatre, SydneyEven more erratic than usual, Henry blasted his way through a two and a half hour spoken word performance, without so much as an intermission, or even a glass of water. Brilliant.Cattle Decapitation @ The Metro, SydneySupports: Fallujah, Psycroptic, MelancoliaThe tour to support the album of the year. High energy, technically pristine and perfectly brutal. A shit ton of fun to boot.https://www.instagram.com/p/CvizjwVpkXi/?img_index=1
MUSIC FESTIVAL OF THE YEAR
Knotfest by miles. The two stage/no clash format should just be straight-up copied by every festival from here on out. Plus the quality of the lineup in it’s opening year in Australia was the stuff of legend. As it’s been said in tattooing, bigger is better and less is more. Malevolence set the pace, Spiritbox earned themselves a legion of new fans, Megadeth destroyed, Trivium blew the place up, Slipknot delivered their usual crushing set and Parkway Drive put the Aussie music industry on notice. Winston McCall's brave display in Brisbane after he blew his voice out will be talked about for decades. Every Aussie band on offer beautifully showcased our thriving, high quality metal scene. The benchmark for festivals from here on out.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3NsY0j8sA8
NEXT BIG AUSSIE ACT TO WATCH IN 2024?
Astrodeath have just closed out a monumental year and are showing no signs of slowing up. Their first album is near impossible to get a hold of on vinyl and their recently released album VOL.II almost sold out at their album launch in June. Additionally, this noisy two piece has supported the likes of Suicidal Tendencies and King Parrot, all while eyeing off shows in the nearby future with local bandits Flaming Wrekage and Mountain Wizard Death Cult. With a support slot at the upcoming Orange Goblin tour alongside Dr. Colossus it’s only a matter of time before they take on the rest of the world.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXFYtEQK5OE&pp=ygUKQXN0cm9kZWF0aA%3D%3D
FAV NEW BAND DISCOVERED IN 2023
Astrodeath for sure. Along with Mountain Wizard Death Cult and Flaming Wrekage, most of my time at Sydney dive bars has been spent watching these legends.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmRFJ6QpYDQ&pp=ygUQZmxhbWluZyB3cmVja2FnZQ%3D%3D
WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2024?
Pantera headlining Knotfest!!! Along with Lamb Of God and King Parrot, I have to get well and truly pit fit. Another incredible lineup that is sure to kick Australia's arse.https://www.instagram.com/p/C0BKXzyL1v2/
MY YEAR AT WALL OF SOUND
I’ve been to more live shows than I can count, from the smallest dive bar to the biggest Arena Australia has to offer. It’s also been a huge year for interviews for me. Off the top of my head, I got to speak to these legends:- Scott Ian (Anthrax, Mr. Bungle)- Dez Fafara (Coal Chamber, Devildriver),- Oliver Rae Aleron (Archspire),- Tye Trujillo (Suicidal Tendencies, OTTTO, Feed The Beast)- Youngy (King Parrot, CrisisAct),- Barney Greenway (Napalm Death),- Michael Barber (Gloryhammer, Ingested)- Mike Mushok (Staind)- Tony Campos (Static X, Fear Factory)- Wolfgang Van Halen (Mammoth WVH, Van Halen)- Jimmy Chamberlain (Smashing Pumpkins)- Paulo Gregoletto (Trivium)- Fletcher and Randy (Pennywise)- Nergal (Behemoth)Then there is the three past and present members of Megadeth: David Ellefson, Marty Friedman and James LoMenzo. Some of these took place backstage at Good Things Festival and the inaugural Australian Knotfest. Plus I get to tattoo for a living. For me, this is the stuff of dreams. I still have to pinch myself. Next year is going to be even more insane. Can not wait.Written by Duane James @duanejamestattoohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOuI9othlDY&t=5s
