The Top 20 of 2022
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Another trip around the sun and we find ourselves at a time of year for reflection, resolution and introspection - or for writers like me, a time of year where we scramble to get these lists out and hope to get a few shares.
On a personal level, 2022 won't be a year I'll forget any time soon. I've been lucky enough to work at Desertfest London, Bloodstock Festival and Arctangent Festival with three different publications and in particular, I'm lately getting a lot of gig reviews under my belt with The Razor's Edge. I got to see Billy Idol the day before my birthday with a press pass. That was amazing. Through media, I've got to chat in-depth with plenty of the bands on this list about their own music. I hope that I'll be able to tick off more from this list as we go into 2023.
Of course, most that know me as the Diaries of Doomer will know that I hold six-string duties in Alunah. At the start of the year, I still felt like the new guy in the band - no one else made me feel that way, just the voice of inner self-doubt - but I've lived the dream this year, going on tour for the first time in February (with no-one less than Paradise Lost), playing abroad for the first time in the autumn, and releasing Strange Machine in April. We even had Shane from bloody Crowbar on a track. We had some lovely reviews (apart from one blog, which I won't name, which called Psychedelic Expressway the 'worst song of the year' - I'm just glad it wasn't second-worst), but it was more meaningful to see my own friends and family genuinely enjoy the record too. What I'm trying to say is that I feel I've established myself in the band this year.
Slump is also doing well. It holds a different meaning to me as I started the band myself, intending to play songs that I'd written, with some of my best mates. I really feel we've hit a bit of a stride with our live performances in the last few months. We entered the year as a four-piece, are leaving it as a three-piece, but have had some seriously memorable experiences at shows - especially in Northampton and Nottingham - towards the end of the year. We are certainly feeling the love at the moment. I love underground metal and being part of tiny, grassroots shows - that's why I started this blog and part of why I love being in Slump. In 2023 I just hope we can keep up the momentum.
Less about me, more about you. There's been some amazing releases this year and I wanted to include small, medium, and big names in the list.
Honourable mentions to Megadeth, Meshuggah, Phon, Puresonic Outcasts, Crowbar, Jack White, Stöner, Schizophrenia, Tuskar, Fallujah, Soreption, Nebula, Rosalie Cunningham, Heriot, At War With The Sun, Josiah, A Titan A Deity and a load of others, probably.
If you're reading this and think my opinions are a load of bull, and your opinions are better, send me a DM, I would love a bit of extra help on here.
20. Battalions - King of a Dead World
19. Konvent - Call Down the Sun
Konvent's apocalyptic second record pushes their existing sound into more epic, grandiose and denser territory still. The crushing restraint by the guitar, bass and drums, faithfully pumping out brutal riffs and rhythms, allows Rikke Emilie List's powerful vocals to really shine. Songs such as the blackened Grains or the primal Sand is King are cherries on the cake for an incredibly intense offering. The atmospheric, cinematic Harena offers another twist in the tale when you think you're done. Stunning.
18. Sulvain - Sulvain
What a year it's been for Sulvain! I was lucky enough to catch them at Bloodstock Festival and Rabidfest, and their retro, grungy alt-metal will take the UK by storm, just you wait and see. Their eponymous debut album immortalises the first chapter of this band. Equal parts swagger and stark emotion, tracks like I'm Still Here and Fifth Whiskey keep you coming back while Little Box or Solemn leave a strong lasting impression. Well done, lads.
17. Creature - Haunt
The conclusion to Creature's trilogy of EPs might be their best. Intense and direct, the songs hit you with the force of a sledgehammer, but there are layers within Haunt suggesting meticulous songcrafting and hopeful lyrical messages. With carnage-filled live shows and already hints of more new music to come, Creature are on the rise and this EP is a great place to dive in and join their journey.
16. Machine Head - Of Kingdom and Crown
When I was around the ages of 15-19, I was deeply into Machine Head and Trivium; they were two of the most important gateway bands that got me into heavier stuff, and I still listen to anything new they put out in detail. Trivium are arguably in the form of their lives, but Machine Head seemed to drop off towards the end of the '10s. Maybe it's the new lineup, maybe it's the backlash from Catharsis, maybe it's something else, but My Hands Are Empty, Choke on the Ashes of Your Hate and the epic Slaughter the Martyr help make up MH's best in a decade - they're major ragers, as Mr Flynn would say. I don't quite agree with the critics putting it on par with The Blackening, though.
15. DeathCollector - Times Up
Intense, unforgiving, and - for a debut - surprisingly cohesive in its songwriting, DeathCollector make a serious statement of intent. With members of Bolt Thrower, Zealot Cult and Ashen Crown, DeathCollector's members are enough to turn heads, but the well-written old-school death metal brutality surely retains your attention. It's only three songs long, though; more of this and you could be talking AOTY territory next time.
14. I Am - Eternal Steel
I had my ears turned to the punchy Texan death metal/hardcore outfit I Am several months ago, with 2018's Hard 2 Kill on rotation for months on end, my discovery of the year. So to say I was excited when they released the excellent lead single The Iron Gate was to put it lightly. Though I haven't quite played Eternal Steel to death quite as much as the last record, it still goes seriously hard. If you're into bands like Spite, Malevolence or Gatecreeper, give it a go.
13. The Grand Mal - II
The Grand Mal's sophomore effort is stronger than their first, with memorable, fuzzy, catchy numbers such as Seas of Glory, I Live for Today and lead single Rule My Soul all testament to the fact that they'll be sorely missed on the stoner rock scene, with their recent hiatus announcement. Hopefully not for too long?
12. Venom Prison - Erebos
Erebos is Venom Prison's strongest and most musically mature album yet, a big step up from their two preceding records. Rich with melody, brutality and atmosphere, and led by an immense vocal performance from Larissa Stupar, this is jaw-dropping stuff. It deserves to be higher up, if I'm honest, but I didn't revisit the record as much as I should have over the year.
11. Famyne - II: The Ground Below
Famyne have upped their game with their creative second record. What I like about Famyne is their explorations into doom metal while doing their own thing. They bring in a modern approach, and led by the haunting lead vocals of Tom Vane, sound fearlessly like no other over the course of the album. It helps, of course, that they write excellently and put on captivating live performances. There's something about The Ground Below that keeps drawing you back.
10. Epimetheus - Entropy
I wrote about Entropy when it came out and everything I've said still stands. Ultimately there are a hundred or more bands in the UK scene that combine their favourite aspects of stoner, doom and/or sludge in finding their sound, and it can be hard to meaningfully stand out. Epimetheus' emotive shoegaze element within the Sleep/Clutch stylisms really sets them ahead at this early stage in their career. It helps that the tunes are outstanding as well.
9. Wucan - Heretic Tongues
The German psych-rockers were introduced to me by a friend and I was enchanted by the attitude and energy throughout Heretic Tongues. The record just has so much irresistible re-listenability. With a proto-metal guitar tone and progressive flourishes, this will appeal to many who love the heavy rock soundscapes of the early 70s. Wucan have fun and rock out alongside their explorations into murkier waters - see the outstanding Physical Boundaries at the end for the other side of their coin. They're super talented and this is nothing less than essential listening.
8. Everest Queen - Murmurations
I love Everest Queen! I saw them at an all-dayer in Manchester last autumn and was really blown away, wanting more. Fortunately, the post-metallers delivered Murmurations this year and gave me something to dive into. It has moments where it's sombre, beautiful, gut-wrenching, atmospheric and heavy, always cohesive, always spellbinding. They create moods and textures masterfully over the record. Give it a spin if it slipped under your radar. Hold onto your socks when you do.
7. Kurokuma - Born of Obsidian
I've always struggled a bit with doom and sludge on the more drone-y side of things, but this effort from the Aztec-worshipping powerhouse really left its impression on me. It lulls you into a heavy psychedelic trance and pounds away at your inner psyche with crushing rhythms and ancient historical concepts. Does it awaken past lives from different times within you, or is it just time to put down the jazz cigarettes once and for all? Either way, the rhythmic Born of Obsidian is a fantastic record.
6. Clutch - Sunrise on Slaughter Beach
How have Clutch hit it out of the park again? Though it's a little heavier and grittier than some of their more recent efforts, it follows that immortal, genius formula that many could imitate, but only Clutch can be the masters of. If you were lucky enough to see them on their recent UK run, you'll understand. Raucous, rowdy fun.
5. Conan - Evidence of Immortality
I listened to 2018's Existential Void Guardian a lot when it came out, but this might be the caveman battle doomers' best yet. Whether taking the direct approach of Ritual of Anonymity or employing the killer grooves inherent to Levitation Hoax, Conan's sound has definitely evolved and refined itself over the years. Then again, when you listen to Grief Sequence, quarter of an hour of a B-flat note never sounded so good. Spine-tingling.
4. Sergeant Thunderhoof - This Sceptred Veil
I've had a few months to digest This Sceptred Veil and I just keep coming back to it. It's songs like Absolute Blue, King Beyond the Gates, Devil's Daughter and Foreigner that are nothing less than magical. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it's something a bit different for the Hoof and their best and most expansive yet. A bit of 80s glam metal is even thrown in for good measure.
3. Conjurer - Pàthos
How do you follow an album like Mire? Far from just a copy of their debut album, Conjurer provided a weightier, more emotional follow-up to stunning effect. Though pit anthem Suffer Alone provides plenty of energy, it's tracks like All You Will Remember or Cracks in the Pyre that really set the bleak tone of the record. Aside from this, Conjurer aren't afraid to show off with dizzying progressive bents within their post-metal landscape, and have moments in Rot or Basilisk that are heavy as balls. Heavier than balls, you'd be within your rights to say, even.
2. Malevolence - Malicious Intent
2022 was the year that Malevolence definitively climbed the ladder. To replace Hatebreed on the Bloodstock bill was a statement in itself - but the performance that followed proved that they were worthy to step up to the plate. It was my favourite gig of the last twelve months and crowned them as new kings. The set was built upon the strength of Malicious Intent, though. The songs already felt like crowd anthems despite the album having only been out for a few months. It's rooted in hardcore/metalcore but openly pays tribute to NOLA sludge and is rife with melody and power. More than just your average album for a band of the genre, then.
1. Ibaraki - Rashomon
The unlikely collision of Emperor's Ihsahn and Trivium's Matt Heafy brought together Ibaraki. Marketed as a black metal album, but more in the vein of expansive prog metal with blackened stylings, it pushes the fantastic sound of Trivium's last three records - a renaissance for the band, to my ears - into newer territories still. Guided by Ihsahn's experimental genius and narrated with unique themes that dip into Japanese mythology, the guest appearances from the likes of Heafy's Trivium bandmates, Behemoth's Nergal (with his lyrics in Polish to add yet more layers) and a surprisingly convincing black metal scream from Gerard Way are the cherries on the cake. My album of the year. FFO Trivium, Opeth, Emperor
Cheers.
See you next year.
MN
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