Best of 2023: Top 50 Prog Albums Part 2: 25-1

Welcome to part two of The Elite Extremophile’s Top 50 Prog Albums of 2023. Part one can be found here. Now, let’s get back to it!

#25: Steven Wilson – The Harmony Codex | Art pop, Progressive electronic | Buy

Steven Wilson’s second-most electronic outing of his solo career is also his strongest in quite a while. Ditching many of the glossy and saccharine sounds that dominated his last two solo releases, The Harmony Codex is often dark and foreboding. Guitar is relatively minimal on this album, but when it shows up, Wilson sounds like he cares for the first time in a while. The synth arrangements on display here are varied and satisfying, and pop and rock elements are incorporated organically.

#24: Thy Catafalque – Alföld | Progressive metal | Bandcamp

Thy Catafalque, the experimental black metal project of multi-instrumentalist Tamás Kátai, has returned with their third album in four years. In addition to black metal, we see that electronic music, jazz, classical, and Hungarian folk music all get their turns in the spotlight. The first two songs on Alföld are almost conventional, but after that, the album plunges headlong into Kátai’s melodic experimentalism. It’s a varied album with a lot of moods and textures, and that sort of diversity is greatly appreciated in a genre that can get as samey as black metal.

#23: Atsuko Chiba – Water, It Feels Like It’s Growing | Post-rock, Post-punk | Bandcamp

Atsuko Chiba carve a unique niche for themselves by skillfully blending the hazy atmospheres of post-rock with the nimble, irregular guitar passages and the icy bleakness of post-punk. The six songs on this album do a great job of building up – often from unassuming openings – to towering, anxious heights.

#22: Rhùn – Tozïh | Zeuhl | Bandcamp

Rhùn’s second album – a decade in the making – is solid, especially as far as modern zeuhl releases go. The Magma influences are apparent, but they add their own stamp to the three long compositions on Tozïh. In addition to the expected jazz flavors and martial beats, there’s a noisy, mildly chaotic element that’s more evocative of classic RIO acts than of zeuhl. Despite the size of these songs, they’re mostly quite focused. The climaxes are dramatic, and the paths they take to reach them are both logical and satisfying.

#21: PoiL Ueda – PoiL Ueda | Avant-prog, Japanese folk | Bandcamp

This album was originally going to be ranked somewhat higher. Then, PoiL Ueda put out a second (even better) album this year, so I felt comfortable bumping this down a bit to highlight some other artists. That’s not to downplay the accomplishments of PoiL Ueda, though. Japanese biwa player Junko Ueda’s dramatic and idiosyncratic vocals meld naturally with PoiL’s madcap avant-prog and zeuhl. The two styles expressed across the two suites on this album are distinct and complementary. The shomyo style of “Kujo Shakujo” uses meditative repetition and swelling tension; and the biwa storytelling of “Dan no Ura” is dramatic and powerful. Japan and France have historically been the two cores of zeuhl, so this pairing winds up working wonderfully.

#20: Merlin – Grind House | Psychedelic rock, Synthwave | Bandcamp

Merlin had been teasing that their next album would be weird, and they certainly delivered. This band’s historic stoner doom stylings are fully eschewed here, in favor old-school psych, synthwave, jazz, and more. This album feels purposefully incongruous, and the sharp contrasts between the individual songs do a great job at cultivating a movie theater atmosphere that plays to the conceit of the work.

#19: Frankie & The Witch Fingers – Data Doom | Psychedelic rock, Krautrock | Bandcamp

Frankie & The Witch Fingers’ latest record is a buzzy blend of punky garage rock, shimmering psychedelia, and krauty, proggy weirdness. Data Doom calls to mind acts like Osees and King Gizzard, while also injecting their own fresh energy. “Syster System” shares a title with a Samla Mammas Manna song, and an homage to that frenetic Swedish RIO can be found both there and elsewhere on the album.

#18: Howling Giant – Glass Future | Progressive rock, Heavy psych | Bandcamp

The newest release from this Tennessean stoner-adjacent act is a hazy, heavy, melodic outing. Guitars chug along determinedly, the vocals are airy and multi-layered, and a glittering Hammond organ adds depth. Though not a unified concept album, each song on Glass Future complements the others. Amid these strong fundamentals, there are also plenty of fun flourishes and solos, making this a well-rounded release that is both arty and accessible.

#17: Krallice – Porous Resonance Abyss | Progressive rock | Bandcamp

This release is Krallice’s most keyboard-forward to date. Synthesizers drench every cut on this album. Paired with the huge-sounding clean guitar tones deployed here, Porous Resonance Abyss often fits into the unique prog-goth mold pioneered by fellow New Yorkers Kayo Dot. The mood is ominous and haunting, as if the sky is going to come crashing down at any moment. Even when Krallice busts out their usual death metal chops, the ever-present synthesizers cement these compositions as having a singular place in their discography.

#16: Osees – Intercepted Message | Krautrock, Synth-punk | Bandcamp

Osees, one of the most prolific bands this side of King Gizzard, have put out another distinctive-yet-unmistakably-their-own album. Multiple layers of synthesizers shine on every track here, even the guitar-forward ones. The band does a great job of balancing their more pop-leaning inclinations against their weird, noisy, and chaotic experiments.

#15: Monika Roscher Bigband – Witchy Activities and the Maple Death | Progressive rock, Avant-pop | Bandcamp

Witchy Activities is an endlessly creative release. Roscher’s ability to blend big band music with jazz, progressive rock, electronica, and classical is impressive. And that impressiveness is only underscored by just how solid the whole affair is. No song here feels superfluous, and there are lots of great, catchy elements to latch onto.

#14: Spectral Lore – 11 Days | Progressive metal, Krautrock | Bandcamp

I like Spectral Lore, but they’ve always been one of the worst offenders when it comes to the stereotypical wallowing-in-excesses endemic to one-man black metal projects. Sole member Ayloss writes massive, atmospheric pieces that sprawl, and he’ll usually release albums that clock in at over 70 minutes. 11 Days, though, is a tight 44 minutes that sees him focus on his strengths. The album is split roughly 50-50 between icy, progressive atmospheric black metal and eerie, synth-forward krautrock. These aspects complement each other and do a great job of dramatizing the travails of refugees crossing the Mediterranean.

#13: Plank – Future of the Sea | Progressive rock, Math rock | Bandcamp

After nearly a decade of silence, Plank returned this year with a rip-roaringly fun and impressive record themed around the ocean. This instrumental act does a great job of weaving together intricate synth and guitar lines to paint striking pictures. The synth tones in particular do an excellent job of conjuring aquatic images in the listener’s mind.

#12: Seven Impale – Summit | Progressive rock | Bandcamp

Seven Impale’s third album is a return to form after their somewhat muddled last release, Contrapasso. Keyboards, saxophone, and distorted guitars all lend the compositions here immense weight. Jazz flavors are abundant on Summit, and the band does an excellent job of ensuring all four huge tracks feel appropriately epic. Though I wouldn’t quite call this a metal album, it’s their most metallic to date, and this degree of heaviness suits them well.

#11: Arkitekture – Rationalis Impetus | Progressive rock | Bandcamp

Hailing from South Korea, Arkitekture plays a dramatic, cinematic variety of progressive rock. String, reed, and woodwind instruments add a textural richness to this album that abrogates my usual wariness of instrumental releases. This quintet effectively conjures feelings ranging from dread to hope to anxiety to relaxation, all by using their broad palette of sounds.

#10: Étale – Phynai | Progressive metal, Folk rock | Bandcamp

Étale’s brand of folk metal puts a very heavy emphasis on the “folk.” Acoustic guitars and woodsy melodies call to mind classic progressive folk rock acts like Jethro Tull and Fairport Convention. That being said,the group’s blistering guitars and growled vocals evoke Opeth’s strongest moments. These stark contrasts give Étale a unique character. Phynai is billed as the first part of a two-part release, and I’m eagerly looking forward to this band expanding upon their debut.

#9: Hammers of Misfortune – Overtaker | Progressive metal | Bandcamp

Hammers of Misfortune’s newest album is a charging, aggressive, technical slab of intelligent thrash metal. The riffs are tight and speedy, and swooping, eerie keyboards add an otherworldly tinge. Vocalist Jamie Myers especially shines on Overtaker, evoking many of the great leading ladies of rock and metal. This album is relatively concise, as well. Songs feel like they’re all an appropriate length, and the band strikes just the right balance of focus and flashiness.

#8: Entropia – Total | Progressive metal, Black metal | Bandcamp

This Polish band’s latest album is a blend of biting black metal, finger-twisting prog riffs, avant-influenced repetition, metrical madness, and irregular chords. This is a dense, challenging record, but there’s a lot of payoff for those willing to dig into it. The occasional keyboard inclusion adds some nice textural variety amid the near-constant onslaught of guitars. The 15-minute title track features some especially interesting passages that draw from space rock.

#7: PoiL Ueda – Yoshitsune | Avant-prog, Japanese folk | Bandcamp

PoiL’s second collaboration with Junko Ueda is even better than their first. Where the first felt a bit short, this release feels just right. The arrangements here are relatively stripped-back by PoiL standards, but that allows wiry guitar, bass, and biwa lines to twist and tangle around Ueda’s striking voice. If you’re like me and you love to hear the melding of rock with non-European styles of music, Yoshitsune is a shining example of such a fusion.

#6: Dominic Sanderson – Impermanence | Progressive rock | Bandcamp

Dominic Sanderson’s debut LP is a powerful release. There’s an unshakable sense of gloom and desperation on this record, reinforced both by the melodramatic song titles and dark, heavy music. The influence of acts like King Crimson and Van der Graaf Generator is obvious, but Sanderson is able to make the music his own. He works well with dynamics, contrasting moments of bombast with quieter, subdued passages.

#5: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – PetroDragonic Apocalypse | Progressive metal, Thrash metal | Bandcamp

King Gizzard’s second metal album is somehow even better than their first. Infest the Rats’ Nest is a fantastic record that blends thrash and stoner metal to tell an eco-apocalyptic tale. PetroDragonic Apocalypse is also a thrash-based eco-apocalyptic tale, but things have been cranked up here. KGLW’s recent progressive tendencies have found their way into metal. The songs are long and multi-parted. Riffs and melodies are memorable, and the severity of the message is artfully conveyed through the insistent, ominous music. This album feels more mature, confident, and distinctly Gizzardian than Rats’ Nest.

#4: Witch Ripper – The Flight After The Fall | Progressive metal, Sludge metal | Bandcamp

The sophomore LP from my fellow Seattleites Witch Ripper is a fantastic example of progressive sludge metal. It channels the best of past greats, like Mastodon and Baroness, and blends it with their own outer-space tinged tendencies. The music is often both pummeling and expansive. Across the five songs on this album, Witch Ripper weaves a complex tapestry of contrasting textures and complex song structures that is deeply layered, yet relatively accessible.

#3: Fleshvessel – Yearning: Promethean Fates Sealed | Avant-garde metal | Bandcamp

The debut full-length LP from this Chicago-based band is an exciting and daring blend of progressive death metal with more out-there influences. Across the four long songs on Yearning, Fleshvessel dabbles in avant-garde, modern classical, chamber music, and jazz, among other elements. The songs are constantly shifting and changing, but they manage to maintain a sense of cohesion. I love the way violin is utilized, and the keyboards are on-point, too.

#2: K’mono – Mind Out of Mind | Progressive rock | Bandcamp

The second full-length release from this Minnesotan trio is a brilliant improvement over their already-strong debut. Lush keyboard tones and gentle vocals blend into a lovely, enveloping atmosphere, and significant funk influences give Mind Out of Mind a unique flavor. The playing is impressive and flashy, without being overbearing, and everything gels into a beautiful, cohesive whole.

#1: Zopp – Dominion | Progressive rock | Bandcamp

Zopp’s sophomore album is an absolute tour-de-force of what classic progressive rock sounds can do in the modern day. The addition of vocals to the music has made Dominion more engaging than their (quite good) self-titled debut. The two longest cuts–“You” and “Toxicity”–are especially powerful. The songs are densely-structured, with great internal variation. Recurring themes and ideas keep them cohesive, though. Folk, jazz, and Canterbury sounds help Zopp stand out in the modern progressive rock field. Sole bandmember Ryan Stevenson shows a natural skill for writing thoughtful, engaging, and memorable music.