My favourite albums from 2022

1. 50

   Asphalt Meadows

   Death Cab for Cutie

   

   

   Indie rock | Post-punk revival

   Tracks:

   1. I Don't Know How I Survive
   2. Roman Candles ●
   3. Asphalt Meadows
   4. Rand McNally
   5. Here to Forever
   6. Foxglove Through the Clearcut
   7. Pepper
   8. I Miss Strangers
   9. Wheat Like Waves
   10. Fragments from the Decade
   11. I'll Never Give up on You

   n/a

2. 49

   Doggerel

   Pixies

   

   

   Alternative rock

   Tracks:

   1. Nomatterday
   2. Vault of Heaven
   3. Dregs of the Wine
   4. Haunted House
   5. Get Simulated
   6. The Lord Has Come Back Today
   7. Thunder and Lightning
   8. There's a Moon on
   9. Pagan Man
   10. Who's More Sorry Now?
   11. You're Such a Sadducee
   12. Doggerel ●

   n/a

3. 48

   Pavlov's Dawgs

   Tankard

   

   

   Thrash metal

   Tracks:

   1. Pavlov's Dawg
   2. Ex-Fluencer ●
   3. Berrbarians
   4. Diary of a Nihilist
   5. Veins of Terra
   6. Momento
   7. Metal Cash Machine
   8. Dark Self Intruder
   9. Lockdown Forever
   10. On the Day I Die

   n/a

4. 47

   Planet Zero

   Shinedown

   

   

   Hard rock | Alternative rock

   Tracks:

   1. 2184
   2. No Sleep Tonight
   3. Planet Zero
   4. Welcome
   5. Dysfunctional You
   6. Dead Don't Die
   7. Standardized Experiences
   8. America Burning
   9. Do Not Panic
   10. A Symptom of Being Human
   11. Hope
   12. A More Utopian Future
   13. Clueless and Dramatic
   14. Sure Is Fun
   15. Daylight
   16. This Is a Warning
   17. The Saints of Violence and Innuendo ●
   18. Army of the Underappreciated
   19. Delete
   20. What You Wanted

   n/a

5. 46

   Sacred

   Colour Haze

   

   

   Stoner rock | Psychedelic rock

   Tracks:

   1. Turquoise
   2. Goldmine
   3. Ideologigi ●
   4. Avatar
   5. 1.5 Degrees
   6. See the Fools
   7. In All You Are

   n/a

6. 45

   Shiki

   Sigh

   

   

   Progressive metal | Avant-garde metal

   Tracks:

   1. Kuroi inori
   2. Kuroi kage
   3. Shoujahitsumetsu
   4. Shikabane
   5. Satsui — geshi no ato
   6. Fuyu ga kuru
   7. Shouku ●
   8. Kuroi kagami
   9. Mayonaka no kali
   10. Touji no asa

   n/a

7. 44

   Wisdom

   Stick Figure

   

   

   Reggae | Jam rock

   Tracks:

   1. Old Sunrise
   2. Paradise ●
   3. Way of Life
   4. Edge of the Ocean
   5. Stepping Stones
   6. Fall into the Sun
   7. Showdown
   8. Soul of the World
   9. Smoke Signals
   10. Here Comes the Sound
   11. Sound System
   12. Satisfaction Feeling
   13. Higher
   14. Falling Stars

   n/a

8. 43

   She Said

   Starcrawler

   

   

   Pop punk | Alternative rock

   Tracks:

   1. Roadkill
   2. She Said
   3. Stranded
   4. Thursday
   5. Broken Angels
   6. Jetblack ●
   7. True
   8. Midnight
   9. Runaway
   10. Better Place

   n/a

9. 42

   Of Kingdom and Crown

   Machine Head

   

   

   Groove metal | Thrash metal

   Tracks:

   1. Slaughter the Martyr ●
   2. Choke on the Ahes of Your Hate
   3. Become the Firestorm
   4. Overdose
   5. My Hands Are Empty
   6. Unhallowed
   7. Assimilate
   8. Kill Thy Enemies
   9. No Gods, No Masters
   10. Bloodshot
   11. Rotten
   12. Terminus
   13. Arrows in Words from the Sky

   n/a

10. 41

    Nova

    Sylvaine

    

    

    Blazkgaze | Post-metal

    Tracks:

    1. Nova
    2. Mono No Aware
    3. Nowhere, Still Somewhere
    4. Fortapt ●
    5. I Close My Eyes So I Can See
    6. Everything Must Come to an End

    n/a

11. 40

    Digital Noise Alliance

    Queensrÿche

    

    

    Heavy metal | Progressive metal

    Tracks:

    1. In Extremis
    2. Chapters
    3. Lost in Sorrow ●
    4. Sicdeth
    5. Behind the Walls
    6. Nocturnal Light
    7. Out of the Black
    8. Forest
    9. Realms
    10. Hold on
    11. Tormentum

    n/a

12. 39

    Above Cirrus

    Pure Reason Revolution

    

    

    Progressive rock | Alternative rock

    Tracks:

    1. Our Prism
    2. New Kind of Evil
    3. Phantoms
    4. Cruel Deliverance ●
    5. Scream Sideways
    6. Dead Butterfly
    7. Lucid

    n/a

13. 38

    Death Valley Paradise

    Kris Barras Band

    

    

    Hard rock | Blues rock

    Tracks:

    1. Dead Horses
    2. Long Gone
    3. My Parade ●
    4. These Voices
    5. Who Needs Enemies
    6. Devil You Know
    7. Wake Me When It's Over
    8. Hostage
    9. Cigarettes and Gasoline
    10. Bury Me
    11. Chaos

    n/a

14. 37

    Rakshak

    Bloodywood

    

    

    Groove metal | Rap metal | Folk metal

    Tracks:

    1. Gaddaar
    2. Aaj
    3. Zanjeero-se ●
    4. Machi Bhasad
    5. Dana-Dan
    6. Jee Veerey
    7. Endurant
    8. BDSK.exe
    9. Yaad
    10. Chakh Le

    n/a

15. 36

    Heavy Pendulum

    Cave In

    

    

    Sludge metal | Post-metal

    Tracks:

    1. New Reality ●
    2. Blood Spiller
    3. Floating Skulls
    4. Heavy Pendulum
    5. Pendulambient
    6. Careless Offering
    7. Blinded by a Blaze
    8. Amaranthine
    9. Searchers of Hell
    10. Nightmare Eyes
    11. Days of Nothing
    12. Waiting for Love
    13. Reckoning
    14. Wavering Angel

    n/a

16. 35

    Never Let Me Go

    Placebo

    

    

    Alternative rock | Industrial rock

    Tracks:

    1. Forever Chemicals
    2. Beautiful James ●
    3. Hugz
    4. Happy Birthday in the Sky
    5. The Prodigal
    6. Surrounded by Spies
    7. Try Better Next Time
    8. Sad White Reggae
    9. Twin Demons
    10. Chemtrails
    11. This Is What You Wanted
    12. Went Missing
    13. Fix Yourself

    n/a

17. 34

    Banefyre

    Crippled Black Phoenix

    

    

    Post-rock | Progressive rock

    Tracks:

    1. Incantation for the Different
    2. Wyches and Basterdz
    3. Ghostland
    4. The Reckoning
    5. Bonefire
    6. Rose of Jericho
    7. Blackout77
    8. Down the Rabbit Hole
    9. Everything Is Beautiful but Us ●
    10. The Pilgrim
    11. I'm OK, Just Not Alright
    12. The Scene Is a False Prophet
    13. No Regrets

    n/a

18. 33

    II

    Dead Cross

    

    

    Crossover thrash | Hardcore punk

    Tracks:

    1. Love without Love
    2. Animal Espionage
    3. Heart Reformer
    4. Strong adn Wrong
    5. Ants and Dragons
    6. Nightclub Canary
    7. Christian Missile Crisis
    8. Reign of Error
    9. Imposter Syndrome ●

    n/a

19. 32

    Error

    The Warning

    

    

    Alternative rock | Hard rock

    Tracks:

    1. Intro 404
    2. Disciple
    3. Choke ●
    4. Animosity
    5. Money
    6. Amour
    7. Evolve
    8. Error
    9. Z
    10. 23
    11. Kool Aid Kids
    12. Revenant
    13. Martirio

    n/a

20. 31

    Heir of the Rising Sun

    Aeternam

    

    

    Symphonic metal | Melodic black metal

    Tracks:

    1. Osman's Dream
    2. Beneath the Nightfall
    3. Irene
    4. Nova Roma
    5. Kasifi's Verses
    6. Where the River Bends ●
    7. The Treacherous Hunt
    8. Akhatist Hymn
    9. The Fall of Constantinople

    n/a

21. 30

    False Light

    White Ward

    

    

    Atmospheric black metal | Jazz fusion | Blackgaze

    Tracks:

    1. Leviathan
    2. Salt Paradise
    3. Phoenix ●
    4. Silence Circles
    5. Echoes in Eternity
    6. Cronus
    7. False Light
    8. Downfall

    n/a

22. 29

    The Gang's All Here

    Skid Row

    

    

    Heavy metal | Glam metal

    Tracks:

    1. Hell or High Water
    2. The Gang's All Here
    3. Not Dead Yet
    4. Time Bomb ●
    5. Resurrected
    6. Nowhere Fast
    7. When the Lights Come on
    8. Tear It Down
    9. October's Song
    10. World on Fire

    n/a

23. 28

    The Great Heathen Army

    Amon Amarth

    

    

    Melodic death metal

    Tracks:

    1. Get in the Ring
    2. The Great Heathen Army
    3. Heidrun ●
    4. Oden Owns You All
    5. Find a Way or Make One
    6. Dawn of Norsemen
    7. Saxons and Vikings
    8. Skagul Rides with Me
    9. The Serpent's Trail

    n/a

24. 27

    Vaxis — Act II: A Window of the Waking Mind

    Coheed and Cambria

    

    

    Progressive rock | Progressive metal

    Tracks:

    1. The Embers of Fire
    2. Beautiful Losers
    3. Comatose
    4. Shoulders
    5. A Disappearing Act
    6. Love Murder One
    7. Blood
    8. The Liars Club
    9. Bad Man
    10. Our Love
    11. Ladders of Supremacy ●
    12. Rise, Nainasha (Cut the Cord)
    13. Window of the Waking Mind

    n/a

25. 26

    Close

    Messa

    

    

    Doom metal | Heavy psych

    Tracks:

    1. Suspended
    2. Dark Horse
    3. Orphalese ●
    4. Rubedo
    5. Hollow
    6. Pilgrim
    7. 0=2
    8. If You Want Her to Be Taken
    9. Leffotrak
    10. Serving Him

    n/a

26. 25

    Blackbraid I

    Blackbraid

    

    

    Melodic black metal | Black metal

    Tracks:

    1. The River of Time Flows Through Me ●
    2. As the Creek Flows Softly by
    3. Sacandaga
    4. Barefoot Ghost Dance on Bloodsoaked Soil
    5. Warm Wind Whispering Softly Through Hemlock at Dusk
    6. Prying Open the Jaws of Eternity

    n/a

27. 24

    Closure/Continuation

    Porcupine Tree

    

    

    Progressive rock

    Tracks:

    1. Harridan
    2. Of the New Day
    3. Rats Return
    4. Dignity
    5. Herd Culling ●
    6. Walk the Plank
    7. Chimera's Wreck

    n/a

28. 23

    Feel This

    Crobot

    

    

    Hard rock | Blues rock

    Tracks:

    1. Electrified
    2. Dizzy
    3. Set You Free
    4. Better Times ●
    5. Golden
    6. Without Wings
    7. Livin' on the Streets
    8. Into the Fire
    9. Dance with the Dead
    10. Holy Ghost
    11. Never Break Me
    12. Staring Straight into the Sun

    n/a

29. 22

    Rashomon

    Ibaraki

    

    

    Progressive metal | Symphonic black metal

    Tracks:

    1. Hakanaki hitsuzen
    2. Kagutsuchi
    3. Ibaraki-dōji ●
    4. Jigoku dayü
    5. Tamashii no houkai
    6. Akumu
    7. Komorebi
    8. Rōnin
    9. Susanoo no mikoto
    10. Kaizoku

    n/a

30. 21

    Diabolical

    Destruction

    

    

    Thrash metal

    Tracks:

    1. Under the Spell
    2. Diabolical
    3. No Faith in Humanity
    4. Repent Your Sins
    5. Hope Dies Last
    6. The Last of a Dying Breed ●
    7. State of Apathy
    8. Tormented Soul
    9. Servant of the Beast
    10. The Lonely Wolf
    11. Ghost from the Past
    12. Whorefication
    13. City Baby Attacked by Rats

    n/a

31. 20

    Acts of God

    Immolation

    

    

    Death metal

    Tracks:

    1. Abandoned
    2. An Act of God ●
    3. The Age of No Light
    4. Noose of Thorns
    5. Shed the Light
    6. Blooded
    7. Overtures of the Wicked
    8. Immortal Stain
    9. Incineration Procession
    10. Broken Prey
    11. Derelict of Spirit
    12. When Halos Burn
    13. Let the Darkness in
    14. And the Flames Wept
    15. Apostle

    n/a

32. 19

    Feel the Void

    Hot Water Music

    

    

    Post-hardcore | Melodic hardcore

    Tracks:

    1. Another Breath
    2. Killing Time
    3. Newtown Scraper
    4. Habitual
    5. Collect Your Things and Run
    6. Hearts Stay Full
    7. Feel the Void ●
    8. Turn the Dial
    9. The Weeds
    10. Scratch on
    11. Ride High
    12. Lock up

    n/a

33. 18

    The God Machine

    Blind Guardian

    

    

    Power metal | Symphonic metal

    Tracks:

    1. Deliver Us from Evil
    2. Damnation
    3. Secrets of the American Gods ●
    4. Violent Shadows
    5. Life Beyond the Spheres
    6. Architects of Doom
    7. Let It Be No More
    8. Blood of the Elves
    9. Destiny

    n/a

34. 17

    Immutable

    Meshuggah

    

    

    Progressive metal | Djent | Groove metal

    Tracks:

    1. Broken Cog
    2. The Abysmal Eye
    3. Light the Shortening Fuse
    4. Phantoms
    5. Ligature Marks
    6. God He Sees in Mirrors
    7. They Move Below
    8. Kaleidoscope ●
    9. Black Cathedral
    10. I Am That Thirst
    11. The Faultless
    12. Armies of the Preposterous
    13. Past Tense

    n/a

35. 16

    Isle of Wisdom

    Hällas

    

    

    Psychedelic rock | Progressive rock

    Tracks:

    1. Birth / Into Darkness
    2. Advent of Dawn
    3. Earl's Theme ●
    4. The Inner Chamber
    5. Elusion's Gate
    6. Gallivants (of Space)
    7. Stygian Depths
    8. The Wind Carries the Word

    n/a

36. 15

    Woe

    An Abstract Illusion

    

    

    Progressive metal | Melodic death metal

    Tracks:

    1. The Behemoth That Lies Asleep
    2. Slaves
    3. Tear Down This Holy Mountain ●
    4. Prosperity
    5. Blomsterkans
    6. In the Heavens Above, You Will Become a Monster
    7. This Torment Has No End, Only New Beginnings

    n/a

37. 14

    Impera

    Ghost

    

    

    Hard rock | AOR

    Tracks:

    1. Imperium
    2. Kaisarion
    3. Spillways
    4. Call Me Little Sunshine ●
    5. Hunter's Moon
    6. Watcher in the Sky
    7. Dominion
    8. Twenties
    9. Darkness at the Heart of My Love
    10. Griftwood
    11. Bite of Passage
    12. Respite on the Spitalfields

    n/a

38. 13

    The Long Road North

    Cult of Luna

    

    

    Post-metal | Atmospheric sludge metal

    Tracks:

    1. Cold Burn ●
    2. The Silver Arc
    3. Beyond I
    4. An Offering to the Wild
    5. Into the Night
    6. Full Moon
    7. The Long Road North
    8. Blood upon Stone
    9. Beyond II

    n/a

39. 12

    Lightwork

    Devin Townsend

    

    

    Progressive rock

    Tracks:

    1. Moonpeople
    2. Lightworker
    3. Equinox
    4. Call of the Void ●
    5. Heartbreaker
    6. Dimensions
    7. Celestial Signals
    8. Heavy Burden
    9. Vacation
    10. Children of God

    One of the more mellower, lighter albums from Devin Townsend, this is a breeze to listen to from start to finish. The entire album has an unnervingly positive vibe. Unnerving, because this is Devin Townsend after all. It is undeniably beautiful too. Songs like the opener “Moonpeople” with its ever-soaring melodies and the album highlight “Call of the Wild” should be perennials in live shows in years to come.

40. 11

    Loud Arriver

    Sonja

    

    

    Gothic hard rock

    Tracks:

    1. When the Candle BUrns Low ...
    2. Nylon Nights ●
    3. Pink Fog
    4. Wanting Me Dead
    5. Fuck, Then Die
    6. Daughter of the Morning Star
    7. Moans from the Chapel
    8. Loud Arriver

    It is fair to say that the reverb-heavy vocals make it all sound too flat, but the songwriting on display is so strong, it's easy to forgive that fault. Loud Arriver's inception story adds to the mystique for sure, but regardless of that context, there are very few genuinely more exciting albums out there. If this is where hard rock is progressing to, then I'm all for it. “Nylon Nights” is as good an anthem as any and this album is as good a “fuck you” as anything to homophobia everywhere.

41. 10

    The Sick, the Dying ... and the Dead!

    Megadeth

    

    

    Thrash metal

    Tracks:

    1. The Sick, the Dying ... and the Dead!
    2. Life in Hell
    3. Night Stalkers
    4. Dogs of Chernobyl
    5. Sacrifice
    6. Junkie
    7. Psycopathy
    8. Killing Time
    9. Solider on!
    10. Célebutante
    11. Mission to Mars
    12. We'll Be Back ●
    13. Police Truck
    14. This Planet's on Fire (Burn in Hell)

    Megadeth's sneakily brilliant output in this century continues to prove that they well and truly deserve their place near the summit of the heavy metal pantheon. What is fantastic about The Sick, the Dying ... and the Dead! is its ferocity and the whiplash-inducing speed with which the band bludgeon their way through each track, with "Night Stalkers", "Life in Hell" and "Soldier on!" being highlights.

42. 9

    Pawns & Kings

    Alter Bridge

    

    

    Heavy metal | hard rock

    Tracks:

    1. This Is War
    2. Dead Among the Living
    3. Silver Tongue ●
    4. Sin After Sin
    5. Stay
    6. Holiday
    7. Fable of the Silent Son
    8. Season of Promise
    9. Last Man Standing
    10. Pawns & Kings

    This is peak Alter Bridge, a culmination of everything they've done up to this point taken to even more epic dimensions. This is as far removed from the post-grunge shenanigans of their debut, but still sounds undisputably like Alter Bridge. Myles Kenendy is at top form as always and Mark Tremonti's riffs are ever-flowing and menacing in equal measure. And, if for nothing else, it sounds HUGE.

43. 8

    Survive

    Stratovarius

    

    

    Power metal

    Tracks:

    1. Survive
    2. Demand
    3. Broken
    4. Firefly
    5. We Are Not Alone
    6. Frozen in Time
    7. World on Fire
    8. Glory Days
    9. Breakaway ●
    10. Before the Fall
    11. Voice of Thunder

    n/a

44. 7

    Hate Über Alles

    Kreator

    

    

    Thrash metal

    Tracks:

    1. Sergio Corbucci Is Dead
    2. Hate Über Alles ●
    3. Killer of Jesus
    4. Crush the Tyrants
    5. Strongest of the Strong
    6. Become Immortal
    7. Conquer and Destroy
    8. Midnight Sun
    9. Demonic Future
    10. Pride Comes Before the Fall
    11. Dying Planet

    n/a

45. 6

    Halo

    Amorphis

    

    

    Progressive metal | Melodic death metal

    Tracks:

    1. Northwards
    2. On the Dark Waters
    3. The Moon ●
    4. Windmane
    5. A New Land
    6. When the Gods Came
    7. Seven Roads Come Together
    8. War
    9. Halo
    10. The Wolf
    11. My Name Is Night

    n/a

46. 5

    Folium Limina

    The Otolith

    

    

    Doom metal | Avant-garde metal

    Tracks:

    1. Sing No Coda
    2. Adromeda's Wing
    3. Ekpyrotic ●
    4. Hubris
    5. Bone Dust
    6. Dispirit

    n/a

47. 4

    Sunrise on Slaughter Beach

    Clutch

    

    

    Blues rock | Stoner rock

    Tracks:

    1. Red Alert (Boss Metal Zone)
    2. Slaughter Beach
    3. Mountain of Bone
    4. Noesferatu Madre
    5. Mercy Brown ●
    6. We Strive for Excellence
    7. Skeletons on Mars
    8. Three Golden Horns
    9. Jackhammer Our Names

    A short and sweet offering from the ever-consistent Clutch. It has all the trademark Clutch-isms, but with more subtle touches that elevates this ever-so-slightly form their two previous albums (which are great, but felt a little limited in scope). The band seems to want to push their sound even more with the likes of "Mercy Brown", but still sound like the Clutch we all love and adore.

48. 3

    Darker Still

    Parkway Drive

    

    

    Metalcore | Heavy metal

    Tracks:

    1. Ground Zero
    2. Like Napalm
    3. Glitch
    4. The Greatest Fear
    5. Darker Still
    6. Imperial Heretic
    7. If a God Can Bleed
    8. Soul Bleach
    9. Stranger
    10. Land of the Lost
    11. From the Heart of Darkness ●

    The rise and rise of Parkway Drive is now an irresistible reality and this is by far their most complete album. Yes, their metalcore leanings have now been (thankfully) subdued somewhat and out comes an epic sound that rocks harder than many of their contemporaries, without losing any of the catchiness of their songs. The likes of "Glitch", "The Greatest Fear", and "From the Heart of Darkness" are bangers for the ages.

49. 2

    Zeit

    Rammstein

    

    

    Neue Deutsche Härte | Industrial metal

    Tracks:

    1. Armee der Tristen
    2. Zeit
    3. Schwarz
    4. Giftig
    5. Zick Zack
    6. OK
    7. Meine Tränen
    8. Angst ●
    9. Dicke Titten
    10. Lügen
    11. Adieu

    This is Rammstein at its best (so far). It is a more varied album and definitely has a calmer feel than anything they've done previously, which I assume was jarring for a lot of long-term fans. However, each song is brimming with new ideas and takes the listener to places where the band rarely travelled before. The title track is the most melancholic they've ever sounded; "Zick Zack" is one of their most playful tunes; and "Angst" is nothing short of brilliant. A band at the top of their game.

50. 1

    Omens

    Lamb of God

    

    

    Groove metal

    Tracks:

    1. Nevermore
    2. Vanishing
    3. To the Grave
    4. Ditch
    5. Omens ●
    6. Gomorrah
    7. Ill Designs
    8. Greyscale
    9. Denial Mechanism
    10. September Song

    Lamb of God defies all shortcomings of their sub-genre with this album. I didn't think they could ever match their previous, self-titled masterpiece, but they've proven me wrong. This could be even better. The thrash elements are more pronounced and the grooves are coming from all angles. "Omens", "Ditch", and "Greyscale" are some of the best metal songs to come out of this century. Get your mosh on!