2022 Heavy Metal Year in Review
I really hate to disagree with Youtube Guitarist Agufish, but 2022 really wasn’t a good year in metal. The past couple of years were the…
2022 Heavy Metal Year in Review
I really hate to disagree with Youtube Guitarist Agufish, but 2022 really wasn’t a good year in metal. The past couple of years were the best in the genre in the last decade, but this year was a clear drop off in quality. Since the world is back open and tours and concerts are back, bands are no longer confined to being at home and focusing on recording for revenue so I guess this is the reason for the drop off.
Last year I had to go through about 15 album purchases to narrow it down to a list that wasn’t too long, but this year I didn’t even buy 10 albums. Its a real shame, but every year isn’t a winner so here’s to hopes that 2023 is a return to form for the genre. Here’s the list.
- Chaosmos-Origin
Chaosmos
Origin is still apt at showing the younger Tech Death bands that you can achieve a high level of musicianship without going overboard (Track-Echophagy). They also again managed to nail the heaviest breakdown in any song released this year (Track-Chaosmos)
Top Track-Chaosmos
- Netherheaven-Revocation
Netherheaven
The flow of the album’s songs were a bit off to be honest, but what makes Revocation is still there (Track-Strange and Eternal). The band for the most part was able to deliver a solid album, but the absence of one member was noticeable in some spots.
Top Track-Diabolical Majesty
- Dawnfall-Greylotus
Dawnfall
The best debut of the year goes to the band Greylotus. They were able to demonstrate proficient musical ability and doing something bands with more experience than them can do,not overplay on songs.(Tracks Currents and Shadow Archetype)
Top Track-Dawnfall
- The Grove/Sundial-Warforged
The Grove/Sundial
This is a band that I have followed for a bit, but this is the first album I pulled the trigger on. They showed that you can make a diverse sounding song (Track-Sheridan Road) while still remaining heaviness. The also achieved the feat of making a riff that stayed buried in your head and was quite memorable (Track-Bliss Joined to the Bane)
Top Track-Burning Days
- Zero and Below-Crowbar
Zero and Below
Its just more of the best New Orleans Sludge that you can get. Crowbar hasn’t changed much over the years and that’s a good thing. Their bread and butter of mixing the old school sounds of doom metal with guitar harmonies still set this band apart and make them an inspiration to many of the up an coming bands in this genre.
Top Track-Zero and Below
- Damnum-Allegaeon
Damnum
This one got me by surprise as I only found this album on a whim, but it was not a disappointment. This band really combines a lot of technical ability into some very well arranged songs (Track-Of Beats and Worms). I would hope every album to continue on this trajectory because I’m a fan.
Top Track-Bastards of the Earth
2.Erebos-Venom Prison
Erebos
Venom Prison continue to make strides with every new release and this track was no different. They took a real artistic risk and showed that it’s possible to do something completely different and still produce a great song (Track-Pain of Oizys). The lyrical content on some of the songs on this record shows growth from this band and that they know how to construct a song that has meaning and depth beyond mind numbing riffs (Castigated in Steel and Concrete)
Top Track-Judges of the Underworld
- Empyrean-Fallujah
Empyrean
Unlike most fans of this band I thought the previous album (Undying Light) was pretty good. It was a departure from the band’s signature sound,but I thought it worked. When the first track of this album was teased to Youtube the overwhelming majority of all comments stated this album might be a return to form(Track-Embrace Oblivian)and that collective opinion was true. If you are familar with this band you know they use textures and diverse sounds to flesh out songs that really imerse the listener and take them on a sonic journey (Track-Into the Eventide). Having had the opportunity to see this band perform live earlier this year in a concert in New Orleans It was great to know that songs off this album do work live and the band has the ability to pull them off.
This was a late release in the calendar year, but it still managed to get a lot of play from me which solidified that it was the best release of the year.
Top Track-Radiant Ascension
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