Let's face it: 2023 has been absolutely packed year for new music. From the return of Ville Valo in January with Neon Noir right up to this week's HEALTH record, with some of metal's heaviest hitters - Ghost, Avenged Sevenfold, Metallica - bringing us a veritable bounty of new singles, EPs and albums to feed a voracious music-loving appetite throughout the year.
And we've been with you (almost) the whole way, each week pulling together some of the biggest and best new songs from across the metal and alternative spectrum, covering everything from thrash and death metal to goth and hardcore and asking you to vote for the best song each week, pulling in over 150,000 votes throughout the year [and if you're wondering what song got the most individual votes, that would be Germany's Lord Of The Lost with Shock To The System, pulling just shy of 4600 in a single week!].
But as we hit December, it's time to turn all that competition into one last scramble for the crown. That in mind, here are the results for the last tracks of the week post for 2023! Things certainly weren't cooling down as we hit December, the race for the top three getting tigher as the week wore on. Bruce Dickinson's first solo song in almost 20 years took a very admirable third place, falling behind the massive P.O.D./Jinjer collab Afraid To Die. But when it comes to nu metal, it was the Linkin Park-style ballad Die Another Day by Finns Blind Channel that took top billing, emerging head-and-shoulders above the competition - expect big things from that lot when their new album arrives next year.
With the final three tracks added to our sprawling "Best Metal Songs Of 2023" playlist - which you can find just below, if you want to revisit some of this year's finest moments - we now ask one last time (for 2023, at least): what is the best metal song of 2023?
From colourful acts like Lord Of The Lost and Electric Callboy to metal's heavy hitters Metallica, Ghost, Babymetal and beyond, as well as more than a few new faces, we've assembled a sprawling list of songs that have moved the dials most in 2023, winning the weekly vote or otherwise contributing to the metal world at large.
Unlike last year, we're only allowing one song per artist, nominating the song that best represents what that band has brought to the world of metal in 2023. You get 10 votes, so feel free to explore to your heart's content, but for the final time in 2023, don't forget to cast your votes below - and have a very happy Holiday Season. See you again in January!
