THE TEAM’S COMBINED LIST – THE ROCKPIT’S BEST HARD ROCK ALBUMS OF 2023

2023 was a strange old year for hard and heavy Rock and Roll music, unlike 2022, for us at least there were more great comebacks and far more intense competition for the top spot. At the end of the day it was that close we ended up with ten albums that could have been our album of the year and as I play them now they all stand up. So this year I’d suggest everything in this list is worth checking out. For the first time we’ll name two top albums (the first time we have had a tie in 15 years!) But all of these in the Top 25 (and yes I’ve cheated to squeeze a few more in) are well worth the time to listen to and more than a few will become future classics! Then of course there’s a whole lot of  must haves before we get to our usual round up of Blues & Roots releases, Australian Albums, Live Records  and EPs…

And yes we have missed some notable releases this year, many because they simply weren’t sent to us by what’s left of the major labels, but I guess you can find those for yourselves…

THE BEST MUSIC OF THE YEAR 2023

MUST HAVE ALBUMS OF 2023 – THE TOP FIVE!

1= DIRTY HONEY – CAN’T FIND THE BRAKES

I could have written this review after the first listen because the impact was so intense, but that wouldn’t have been doing this record real justice. Dirty Honey has produced an album of such quality that we will be talking about in years to come. This one is important.

1= SWEAT – WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE?

Sweat aren’t your usual 20’s Rock outfit. Indeed the sheer weight of the 70’s Rock influences that pervades music these days normally side steps Prog or goes all-in. Sweat somehow manages to take onboard all the best bits and create something unique. We let the band know that they had tied for top spot and got the following reply:

“Thanks so very much for recognizing “Who Do They Think They Are?”. It makes us feel like our musical messages are translating well and we are truly being heard. That is a priceless feeling. What a trip this year has been. When we first finished recording, we had about $9 in our band account and no record label. It was supposed to be a 4-song EP, but Tee Pee Records believed in us enough to go “Nope, we’re sending you right  back to the studio. Let’s make an LP!”  We have been heavily tapping into our prog and glam energy and we cannot wait for the world to hear our new jams!” Love, Sue/Sweat

3 = BAD TOUCH – BITTERSWEET SATISFACTION

Always a band who put out a quality record, Bad Touch are in real danger of surpassing their usual high standards with ‘Bittersweet Satisfaction.’ It’s an album that grows in stature with each listen…3= BLACK STONE CHERRY – SCREAMIN’ AT THE SKY

This is Black Stone Cherry at their most intense. Every song here is essential!

3 = MIDNITE CITY – IN AT THE DEEP END

Sometimes you have to sit with an album for a while to properly appreciate it rather than blast off a review and only capture part of the magic. 4 albums in, you see, Midnite City might just have created the best album of their career so far…6. PARKER BARROW – JUKEBOX GYPSIES 
If you want the best Bluesy Rock album of 2023 then this topped a few list this year – simply sublime…7. BUCKCHERRY – VOL 10
Buckcherry deliver another flawless record in 2024 – this band are on such a hard streak they seem unstoppable!8= ASHLEY SHERLOCK – TROUBLE
Great soulful bluesy brilliance!8 = ECLIPSE – MEGALOMANIUM|
Eclipse is one of the greatest Rock bands of the 21st Century. Album number ten is magnificent…10. EXTREME – 6
I always liked Extreme, a great live band and super talented musicians. They’ve put out some great albums over the years but I never thought they managed to nudge things into ‘classic’ territory11. ELECTRIC BOYS – GRAND EXPLOSIVOS
‘When Life Treats You Funky’ the opening track on what is 8th Electric Boys album is all fans will need to hear to know that things are sounding very good indeed. There’s an immediacy12. BOYS FROM HEAVEN – THE DESCENDANT
I must admit that some AOR, even when it is produced by undoubted talent, can still bore the pants off me. But some bands get it just right, as the ‘unusually named’ Boys From Heaven have created a real masterwork for their second release. Come to the ‘light’ side…13 = DYNAZTY – FINAL ADVENT
I’ve loved these guys for years and this year ‘Final Advent’ might just be vying for their very best. If you love high energy rock with soaring melodies and that ‘feel good’ factor then this is the album you have been searching for!13 = THE STRUTS – PRETTY VICIOUS
Another album we didn’t review as the publicists didn’t sent it through scrapes into the Top 10. It may not be as ‘Rock and Roll’ as some may crave, but the Rock tinged platter certainly has some great Pop songs in there!15. RIVAL SONS – DARK FIGHTER
No one sent us this one to review but we can assure you it’s well worth the wait. It may not have the intensity of some previous works but a heady mix of Zeppelin, Creedence and 70’s Rock is always a winner.16. FIFTH ANGEL – WHEN ANGELS KILL
Some albums in your youth just stand out and no matter how hard a band tries to recapture that essential energy of years gone by it tends to always be nostalgia that always wins. Fifth Angel somehow manage decades later to create another very special album that kids of today will remember in years to come.17. THE DEFIANTS – DRIVE
From the crash and bang of big-riffed opener ‘Hey Life’ and the infectious hooks of ‘Go Big or Go Home’ to the cool almost ‘Springfield-esque’ AOR of ‘Summertime’ and the Bon Jovi flavoured Power Pop that is shot through this release make it one not to miss.18. BLACK STAR RIDERS – THE WRONG SIDE OF PARADISE
Black Star Riders is responsible for four pretty peerless Hard Rocking releases from 2013 to 2019. They’ve also dominated our end of year BEST OF charts more than any other band and this years offering is right up there too..19. GARDNER JAMES – NO STRINGS
It’s been a long three years since Gardner James last hit us with ‘Synergy’ – an album that somehow managed to build upon the wonderful ‘Your Place in the Sun’ from 2019. This is real music right from the heart…20. THE ANSWER – SUNDOWNERS
THE ANSWER are back after seven long years with the highly anticipated ‘Sundowners’, released via Golden Robot Records… and it could possibly be their best body of work to date since debut album ‘Rise’.21. JOHN DIVA AND THE ROCKETS OF LOVE – THE BIG EASY
If you’ve not heard of John Diva and the Rockets of Love and you love melodic 80’s flavoured Hard Rock then you really do need to get on board. If you are already a fan you’ll know how much you’ll love this one.22. NITRATE – FEEL THE HEAT
Nitrate are a melodic rock band from Nottingham, England who have released three prior studio albums which have had a somewhat revolving cast of collaborators from the melodic rock scene. Feel The Heat is their masterwork!23. THE 69 EYES – DEATH OF DARKNESS
I must confess to being a big fan of the Helsinki Vampires. They are of course one of the few bands who really nailed a hard rocking approach to that old school Goth vibe. This is another glorious release to savour.24. ANGEL – ONCE UPON A TIME
Angel was of course everything that was over the top, overblown and gloriously outrageous about the 70’s. A band that wore all white had a spectacular stage show and were the complete embodiment of Pomp Rock. Welcome to 2023 and they’re still kicking ass!25. Black Swan – Generation Mind
I must admit to having a lot of love for a certain Robin McAuley’s voice over the years from Grand Prix and MSG to Fairport Convention and his solo material. Black Swan is a band I could listen to all year and never get bored…26. Mike Tramp – Songs of White Lion
Let me be controversial for a while. I prefer the version here of ‘Lady of the Valley’ to the original. To be honest it was never one of my most favorite White Lion songs. Unlike some reworkings Tramp has something different to say here and by and large it works!27. Mitchell’s Kiss of the Gypsy – Unfinished Business
I saw Kiss of the Gypsy live  couple of times back in the day off the back of the ‘Whatever it Takes’ single and mightily impressive they were too. This new record from Mr. Mitchell is all rather impressive!28. L.A. Guns – Black Diamonds
A LOT of great rock n roll came out of the 80’s. The bands of that era, with few exceptions, are often not given the credit they deserve for the great music they wrote.  ‘Black Diamonds’ is another classic!29= Danko Jones – Electric Sounds
“Are you ready to rock? Do you want a good time? Do you want to get high? If the answer to any of those questions is yes (and it really should be), then this should be in your collection. Proper Rock and Roll with bite!29 = WIG WAM – Out Of The Dark
When I talked to Åge and Bernt earlier this month I told them my story about discovering Wim Wam way back in 2004 when the first album came out. They, along with The Poodles ruled the roost in the early years of the millennium and with an album like this there’s no reason they couldn’t again.

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THE BEST AUSTRALIAN RELEASES OF THE YEAR 2023

1. PALACE OF THE KING – FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES

2. THE SCREAMING JETS – PROFESSIONAL MISCONDUCT

3. ART OF DYSFUNCTION – ART OF DYSFUNCTION
Most bands would find it an exciting but daunting process releasing their debut album, but Perth Blues Rockers Art of Dysfunction have certainly taken it all in their stride…

4. KINGSWOOD – HOME

5. THE CASANOVAS – BACKSEAT RHYTHMS

6. NATHAN CAVALERI – MIRACLES

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THE ROCKPIT BLUES & ROOTS RELEASES of 2023

A tie for the top for the very first time – one Americana from the U.S. and one homegrown Aussie Blues!

1 = MARK KNIGHT & THE UNSUNG HEROES – LONESOME SONGS
And out of nowhere it’s here – with no fanfare and no publicity, Mark Knight & The Unsung Heroes new record ‘Lonesome Songs’ has arrived, landing unannounced on June 6th. As someone who has followed Mark’s music for years this might just be the very best so far…

1 = LLOYD SPEIGEL – BAKEHOUSE DOZEN
One of Australian Blues greats delivers yet again!

3. SAMANTHA FISH & JESSE DRAYTON – DEATH WISH BLUES
It’s a match made in rock n’ roll heaven and one we have been eagerly anticipating since the release of the wonderful tease that was 2022 EP ‘Stardust Session’. Now its time for a full-length

4. LUKE MORLEY – SONGS FROM THE BLUE ROOM
With Thunder on hiatus what could be better than a solo album from the man behind the songs – guitarist and songwriter Luke Morley? If you are expecting a Thunder-lite release or something akin to that then you are in for a surprise.

5= JOE BONAMASSA – BLUES DELUXE (VOL 2)

5= KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD – DIRT ON MY DIAMONDS (VOL.1)

THE 2023 LIVE ALBUM OF THE YEAR IS…

1.  BABYLON A.D. – LIVE LIGHTNING

Some people may see it as a bold move to open your latest Live album with a track off the latest studio record when your most iconic album harks back to 1989, but Babylon A.D. aren’t just another 80’s band. This is the best live album I have heard this millennium…