Save on the best metal albums 2023 has to offer with Amazon UK

Avenged Sevenfold: Life Is But A Dream... (vinyl): Was  £35.18, now £30.89

The seven-year wait for a new Avenged Sevenfold album was at least somewhat vindicated by the fact Life Is But A Dream... is surely the band's most ambitious release to date. Prog, heavy metal, thrash, psychedelia; A7X well and truly pushed the boat out with their eighth album, Dave Everley assessing "Avenged Sevenfold have scaled the mountain and looked out over all that surrounds them, then plunged headfirst into the void, not knowing where, when or even if they’ll land. What kind of madness is this? The very best kind."

Blut Aus Nord - Disharmonium - Nahab (vinyl): Was £29.99 now £28.88

The follow-up to 2022's Disharmonium – Undreamable Abysses, French avante-gardists Blut Aus Nord swung for the fences on another disorienting, 44-minute journey into the deepest, darkest recesses of black metal on Disharmonium - Ahab. Spencer Grady writing that, "crawling with a palpable sense of terror and unease, these are majestic symphonies of mindaltering cosmic horror. At the album’s densest moments, BAN seem to shape air itself, sculpting ethereal portals for an army of cephalopod feelers filtering through the swirling fug. It’s potent nightmare fuel, and another hallucinogenic instalment from the best black metal band on this world, or any other."

Cattle Decapitation: Terrasite (CD): Was £11.99, now £7.64

Eight albums in, and Cattle Decapitation are still finding unique new ways of turning stomachs with unrelenting, chaotic brutality as they incorporate the twists and turns of prog alongside surprisingly melodic sensibilities. Hammer writer Dom Lawson acknowledged as much, explaining that Terrasite "is still vicious, skullclubbing brutality, but with atmosphere and intelligence in abundance."

Death Pill: Death Pill (Vinyl): Was £25.32, now £20.95 

Recorded against the backdrop of the Russian invasion of their country, Ukrainian hardcore punks Death Pill seethe with defiance and fury on their self-titled debut. Granted, the album was written before the war broke out, but Death Pill rage hard on topics ranging from sexism and personal empowerment to anti-war sentiment, Stephen Hill assessing that "Death Pill have made one of the best crossover albums of the modern era".

Empire State Bastard: Rivers Of Heresy (Limited Poison Green Ivy Vinyl): Was £29.68, now £24.99

An extreme metal side project from Biffy Clyro frontman Simon Neil also featuring Mike from Oceansize and Dave Lombardo from Slayer?! Needless to say, our interest was piqued, and boy, did Empire State Bastard deliver here. "This is a superbly twisted debut, and an album that’s hopefully only part of an ongoing journey," said Paul Travers in his 8/10 Metal Hammer review.

Frozen Soul: Crypt Of Ice (CD): Was £11.06, now £7.99

Death metal is enjoying a serious comeback in recent years, the likes of Blood Incantation and Tomb Mold revitalising the scene and bringing in new fans. You can add Frozen Soul to that list, the Texans' second record Crypt Of Ice building on the frosty themes and classic Morbid Angel-style grooves of their debut to craft something formidable. With almost half off the original price, you can't afford to miss this one. 

Katatonia: Sky Void Of Stars (CD): Was £16.98, now £14.99

Katatonia have come a long way from their doom metal roots, embracing goth metal and prog across their career to ensure their sound remains an ever-evolving entity. Twelfth studio album Sky Void Of Stars offers a stunning vision of the wide scope of their sound amidst some of the most enchanting melodies the band have ever written, Dom Lawson ruling that "Katatonia sound as absorbed in their meticulous, mercurial work as they ever did. The only predictable thing about Sky Void Of Stars is how absurdly fucking great it is."

Metallica: 72 Seasons (vinyl): Was £41.83, now £36.07

Metal's biggest band ride again. A new Metallica album is rare enough these days that it always warrants fanfare, even if said album wasn't delivered with unrelenting pace that threw back to the band's thrash roots. 

Overkill: Scorched (vinyl): Was £29.59, now £24.91

East Coast thrash may not always get the same reverence as its Bay Area counterpart, but New Jersey thrashers Overkill showed the magic is still alive and well on their twentieth studio album, Scorched as Bobby 'Blitz' Ellsworth and co delivered another masterclass in old school thrash. 

Periphery: V: Djent Is Not A Genre (CD): Was £10.99, now £8.99

V: Djent Is Not A Genre sees Periphery veer off in wildly different directions as they incorporate everything from jazz to electronica whilst creating a surprisingly cohesive and hook-laden release, Adam Brennan remarking that "a key part to Periphery’s enviable run over their recent output is the self-aware undertone that permeates the polished mix of scintillating heaviness, fiendish dexterity and seductive earworms. It’s these standards by which V is judged, and the album could usurp some of its forebears from the podium."

Powerwolf: Interludium (CD): Was £12.99 now £7.64

While not a complete follow-up to 2021's Call Of The Wild,  Interludium further showcased Powerwolf's masterful blend of heavy metal bombast and glorious cheese, possessing some of the catchiest songs in the business with a sense of theatricality that makes Broadway look like a community rec centre. 

Tesseract: War Of Being (vinyl): Was £39.99, now £33.99

Worth the wait? You fucking bet. Five years since their last album, the UK's leading light in progressive metal returning with a stunning, conceptually dense masterpiece that Hammer writer Matt Mills described as "this band’s quintessential release – not to mention a frontrunner for metal album of the year."

Vomitory: All Heads Are Gonna Roll (CD): Was £12.95 now £11.01

Swedish death metal veterans, Vomitory stayed the course on rampaging riffs and bilious growls after a lengthy five-year hiatus. The title of the band's ninth album - All Heads Are Gonna Roll - is as much a promise as it is a statement of intent, Dom Lawson hailing it as "a tour de force of unrelenting violence, delivered with utmost precision", before ruling that "Vomitory’s razor-sharp blend of old-school songwriting and ultramodern production power is largely without peer right now. This is a near-perfect death metal record". 

VV: Neon Noir (Vinyl): Was £39.76, now £29.10

Five years since he laid goth metal icons HIM to rest, Ville Valo's long-awaited solo project finally arrived right at the start of 2023 to kick the year off with flair and panache. Neon Noir is effectively a continuation of the singer's work from the past 30 years, romantic, anthemic goth metal, Dannii Leivers admitting that "as the glorious melodies of these songs start to imprint themselves on your soul, like faded memories rising to the surface again, the heart-shaped hole he left five years ago begins to heal. It’s good to have him back."